Chapter 514: Ban Meng
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Huh, that's not right, maybe this person saved me?" Ban Meng realized then that he did not know how he came to stop falling. He looked behind him and was shocked by what he found.
A huge, black colored nail or something had pinned him onto a tree through his clothing.
Ban Meng swallowed with difficulty. He felt a chill running down his neck. If the black object had been off course by an inch, his head would have been gone.
Perhaps this person had really saved him. Ban Meng considered it for a moment. He may look like a brute, but he was capable of being reflective.
…
Ye Chong studied the broken wooden parts of the wooden bird thing. He was surprised, having never seen any aircraft like this one. The gray colored wood felt light in his hand, but they were tough material. He knew this from their pieces on the ground. The parts may all be disassembled, but each wooden part was still undamaged.
This, to Ye Chong, was incomprehensible. Ye Chong had used his first shuriken in attack mode. It was a powerful weapon, capable of tearing through normal mechs. Even advanced mechs would not be left unscathed.
This wooden bird, however, still had all its wooden pieces intact despite losing its structure. The material was strong, that much was clear.
Ye Chong tried to bend one of the wooden boards with his hands.
…
Ban Meng saw something he had never seen before. The man down below was bending a five-centimeter thick splitbark wood into a semi-circular arch with ease.
How - how was that possible?
Ban Meng stared with bulging eyes, speechless. He had never heard of anyone capable of doing that. He could almost hear the sharp creaking sound from the bent splitbark wood.
This was too scary! Was this man from the wild or something?
Crack! The splitbark wood in the man's hands broke into two.
Ban Mang stared at the man below like he was a monster. He had no words to describe what he was seeing!
…
Ye Chong frowned. The wood was hard! Harder than normal alloy, in fact. No wonder it was used to build the aircraft. The material was strong enough. Ye Chong knew exactly how strong he can be. His force just now would have broken an average alloy panel into pieces.
The gray colored wood in his hands had broken into two, the edges in an almost uniform zigzag line.
"This is a suitable material to build a mech," Ye Chong thought to himself. It was strong enough, and more importantly, it was lighter than skeletons. A mech that was built from this material would be very powerful.
On the other hand, he did not know about the other properties of this wooden material. He would need specialized equipment to study it. Physical properties of the material were only the beginning in the list of things to check before deciding if it was suitable for mechs.
Suddenly, Ye Chong saw a spherical object amidst the heap of wooden material.
Huh? What was that?
It looked a lot like the bio-photon processor in Celest's pilot cabin, although the latter was more transparent. Ye Chong picked up the object and immediately noticed another difference. The bio-photon processor was fluid, almost like liquid, but this semi-transparent ball was hard, like a kind of mineral.
"What's this?" Ye Chong lifted the round object in his hand and looked up at Ban Meng.
Ban Meng answered reflexively, "A trackball!"
He suddenly realized that the man was actually looking at him, so he cried out, "My hero, please let me down!" He smiled in a flattering manner. This man he was dealing with was definitely no ordinary person. He was probably a sharpshooter. Ban Meng had heard that experts usually behave weirdly. He did not want to be on the wrong side of this man.
Hero? Ye Chong suddenly thought of Kui. Kui had called him that. However, the man with a big heart had already returned to the ashes, full of regret and dissatisfaction.
The thought reminded him of his being separated from Mu and Shang, and that squashed whatever curiosity he was feeling right then.
Ban Meng suddenly felt some movement from his shirt. He looked back and was shocked! The black nail thing was moving like an animal, trying to get itself out of the tree.
"Aaaahh - !" Ban Meng shrieked with his piercing voice. The black nail thing released itself from the tree. Ban Meng felt the pull from behind him loosen, and then began to fall.
Ye Chong took a glance at the screaming Ban meng and caught him easily.
Ban Meng had his eyes shut and was still screaming shrilly. It was such a sharp voice that even Ye Chong could not handle it. He pushed, and Ban Meng was flung away like a sandbag, his scream following him.
Ye Chong focused back on the semi-transparent ball in his hand. What was this trackball thing for? Ye Chong could not figure it out.
Ban Meng finally found solid ground directly under his feet, even though it was a puddle of mud. He stopped screaming and stole a careful glance at the man. He must be very strong, to throw him away so easily. It would take an expert to do that.
"What is the trackball for?" Ye Chong asked simply without looking at Ban Meng, but his tone demanded compliance.
"To control the Wood Kite," Ban Mang answered carefully. "Are you testing me? You're testing me with common knowledge? You think I'm retarded?" Ban Meng thought with reproach.
"So it's called Wood Kite," Ye Chong thought to himself. More questions came to him - how was this trackball used to control the aircraft. Was it a new kind of photon processor?
Ye Chong could not understand it at all. It seemed that he would have to rely on the young man before him.
"What's your name?"
"Ban Meng," Ban Meng replied. He had never thought of himself as timid, but whenever he looked into the man's eyes, he would shudder involuntarily.
"Where is this?" Ye Chong looked around him, a completely unfamiliar place to him. He knew nothing about this place. This was definitely not somewhere he had been before.
"It's Duality Forest, of course," Ban Meng said with a pout.
"Duality Forest?" Ye Chong searched his memory, but could not find anything close to it. Through Celest, he had seen how the forest was divided into two by a dark mist. That must be where the name came from.
"Where's the nearest city?" Ye Chong asked. If he could find the nearest city, he would be able to find out his exact location. All his problems would be solved then.
"Yedda," Ban Mang answered cautiously.
Ye Chong frowned. Another city he had never heard of. He had a bad feeling about this.
Seeing Ye Chong frowning made Ban Meng's heart skipped a beat.
"You, lead the way," Ye Chong pulled Ban Meng up and said. Ban Meng was lost. He did not know what to do next.
"Directions, now," Ye Chong said without expression.
Ban Meng felt his heart skipped another beat. He quickly said, "To the west, just go straight to the west, cross a river, and you'll arrive at the city."
Ye Chong withdrew Celest, which was hidden somewhere out of view. He then pulled Ban Meng along and began to run.
"Waah!" Ban Meng's piercing scream started again. Birds flew out from the treetops, startled.
Ban Meng saw the trees went past him in a breeze. The headwind was strong enough to keep his eyes from opening comfortably. He was utterly shocked!
Fast! They were too fast!
He shuddered. How could any human move so fast? This was faster than him in his Wood Kite. Moreover, the man leaping from tree to tree so deftly that it was just hard to believe.
Ban Meng could not describe his feelings right then. His mind drew a blank. Ye Chong carried him by the waist, so he was facing downwards. The ground drew close and retreated repeatedly as they advanced.
After a short while, he was beginning to feel nauseous, so he shut his eyes.
Gradually, he calmed down. He realized that the man was not actually aggressive. At the very least, he did not hurt him.
"Is it this one?"
Ban Meng opened his eyes and saw a huge river. It was about a hundred meters wide. The current was strong, bringing up waves on the banks. The river was lined with trees, and the shore was made up of weathered oval stones.
Ban Meng stared in disbelief. How was this possible? How were they already here at Raging Waters?
In Wood Kite, he would need at least two hours to reach this river. How did this man arrive here in half an hour? Was he using an aircraft?
Ban Meng's eyes instinctively went to Ye Chong's legs, and saw only a pair of daggers.
He looked back up at Ye Chong. The man's face was still devoid of expression, as though the demanding journey did not affect him at all. Even his breathing was even.
"Is it this one?" Ye Chong looked calmly at Ban Meng and repeated his question.
Ban Meng's eyes met Ye Chong's, and his heart squeezed.
He was about to reply when Ye Chong seemed to notice something, then abruptly threw him to the side.
Ye Chong turned around quickly and looked.
In front of him was a strange animal that he had never seen before. It was the size of a cow, and had two red eyes that gleamed ferociously. Three legs supported its body, and one of it was stepping on a rock. On its head was a curved horn, black with rings of yellow on it. On its back was a tail, covered with spikes.
"A tribos!" Ban Meng cried with a trembling voice.
They were doomed! He never imagined they would encounter a tribos. This was sheer bad luck! Ban Meng felt hopeless. Only a full armed shooter could triumph against this fierce creature. The animal can move very quickly, and no human was a match against it.
The leg of the tribos that was stepping on a rock suddenly pushed, and the animal lunged at the man.
Ban Meng wanted to close his eyes, but he was not fast enough even for that.
What happened next happened so fast that he could not react in time to them.
The man's figure blurred.
Strip! There was a soft but clear sound, like paper shredding.
The man appeared behind the tribos out of nowhere. Ban Meng did no see how he got there, even though his eyes never closed.
Splat! The tribos, which was already in midair during its lunge, fell heavily on the river bank.
The tribos lay on the river bank unmoving, like it was dead. From where Ban Meng was, he could see a thin line of blood on the tribos' neck.
A few seconds later, blood sprayed out of the wound like a burst from a high pressure pipe. The pebbles on the bank were dyed red.
Ban Meng stroked his own neck unconsciously as he watched.
This incident was not even worth mentioning for Ye Chong. The so-called tribos was the typical example of an enemy that was all bark but no bite. Be it in terms of speed, strength or strategy, the creature was far more inferior compared to the red-tailed beast.
He walked to Ban Meng and said, "Where to next?"
So cool! That was so cool! Ban Meng could worship this man like he would a God. He believed that even their own expert shooters would not be able to kill a tribos so easily when unarmed.
An idol, definitely an idol! Ban Meng could see the halo above the man's head.
Sweep! He felt a strong force moving him, and then he was sent flying.
Splash! He traced an arch in the air and landed in the river. All the fanciful thoughts he had were thrown out the window.
"Waaahh - Save me! There's man-eating fish in here -"
…
They finally reached their destination.
Ye Chong looked up at the strange city before him.
The sky was busy with all kinds of aircrafts flying around. The aircrafts were odd. Even Ye Chong with all his experience with mechs had never seen anything like them. Some of the aircrafts looked like the one Ban Meng was in.
The people in the streets threw suspicious looks at Ye Chong.
Ye Chong was wearing something unusual. He was also carrying Ban Meng, who was drenched and covered with mud and grass. It was hard to go unnoticed like that. Ye Chong looked around him and realized the problem immediately.
"Where's your house?" Ye Chong dumped Ban Meng on the ground.
"My house?" Ban Meng jerked like he was electrocuted. "What're you thinking, man? Look, we don't know each other very well. I answered everything you asked about, I cooperated, and didn't give you any trouble. So why don't you just let me go ..."
Ban Meng was almost crying as he pleaded. Ye Chong's actions informed had him that it was in his best interest to cooperate, and that was what he did. He was afraid that Ye Chong would harm his family, so he could only beg for mercy.
"I'll be staying with you for awhile," Ye Chong said, succinct as ever.
"Staying with me?" Ban Meng was surprised. He looked Ye Chong up and down, but found the man looking back without any sense of embarrassment at all. He recalled how strong the man was, and forced down whatever words of rejection he wanted to say.
"How long?" Ban Meng asked carefully, He would not want a troublemaker in his home. Besides, it would be hard to make him leave later.
Ye Chong thought about it for a moment. "Three months."
"Three months!" That was too much for Ban Meng. "No way, bro, my family is poor. Why don't you try asking the rich people? They have more than enough to spare, and with your abilities, I don't think they'll even think of rejecting you ... " Ban Meng was pleased at himself for coming up with that one. He was never one for being smooth with words. Perhaps the day's adventure had triggered something in him.
Ye Chong said nothing. He only raised an eyebrow and eyed Ban Meng's throat for a bit.
Ban Meng felt a chill that ran down to the depth of his soul. Visions of the tribos with its red eyes and bleeding neck came back to him, and he shuddered involuntarily.
Heavens! How could he have forgotten who he was dealing with?
Ban Mang panicked. This was his first time dealing with someone so strong, and did not know what to do now. However, he did not want to bring Ye Chong back to his house. The man spelt danger!
Ban Meng tried to speak up about it, but when he saw the man's eyes turned colder and colder, he blurted out, "No problem! No problem at all!" The moment the words came out, Ban Meng wanted to slap himself.
"Lead the way," Ye Chong said without expression and turned away, his eyes flashing with a hint of mischief. The truth was, if the young man had really rejected him, Ye Chong would not really kill him. He would make him suffer a bit, though.
Ye Chong suddenly felt like he was one of those antagonists in the movies that Shang told him about. This made him miss Shang again. The mech was annoying like hell, but Ye Chong thought of Mu and Shang like his brothers. No one would hate their own sibling for being annoying.
"I wonder how they're doing?" Ye Chong wondered with a sigh.
_____________________________________________________________
Shang had ordered for the entire fleet to land on Spectre. Ye Chong had vanished from the base, so the source of the problem must be around there somewhere. Shang would not leave without getting some answers.
Besides, the underground city had plenty of resources and was well hidden. It was perfect for their hideout.
Shang had also ordered for the remains of the mechs and red-tailed beasts on Spectre to be dealt with. After a sandstorm, all traces of the battle between both sides were gone.
The widely praised fleet led by Jay vanished silently, just like that. People thought that they perished in the Calamitous Asteroid Belt.
________________________________________________________________
Arwa's fleet survived the Calamitous Asteroid Belt. Although his fleet suffered heavily, it did not stop him from becoming a legend!
Many people requested to join his fleet, and his reputation rose to a whole new level.
He did not know that right after he made the warp jump, a group of people were hidden on the nearby Planet Spectre, watching their every move.
Everyone thought that Jay, a man who could potentially become a legend, had vanished along with his mysterious fleet in the vast expanse of outer space.
Who knew when they would reappear again?
_______________________________________________________
Ban Meng led the way listlessly, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from the people on the streets.
"As long as you cooperate, your family will be safe," Ye Chong said plainly. His abilities backed his words.
Ban Meng jolted in reassurance, but quickly lost his optimism. He cursed inside, "F*ck, my family be safer if you're not around!"
He did not say them out loud, however. He led the way with a slouch.
Ye Chong studied his surroundings with interest. Everything here was new to him. He saw no metals around him. Most of the things were made of wood. As a result, the buildings were not tall. Most of them reached up to three storeys only.
"Why is there no metal here?" Ye Chong asked Ban Meng.
Ban Meng replied offhandedly, "Metal? What's that?"
Ye Chong had nothing to say to that. He considered the problem, and held out his dagger for Ban Meng to see, "Something like this."
"They're heavy!" Ban Meng took the daggers and studied them closely. "This dagger's material is strange, so heavy …" He put this hand to the sharp edge of the dagger.
Ye Chong wanted to warn him, but he was too late.
A drop of blood bled out from his finger. He hissed. "It's sharp!"
"What is this? Why is it so sharp?" Ban Meng looked more lively now and asked Ye Chong curiously.
"You've never seen it before?" Ye Chong asked.
"No, never," Ban Meng replied with certainty.
Were there really no metals around here? Ye Chong found it incomprehensible. Metals are everywhere. Even Archipelago, the secluded backwater, had metals. How could there be no metals here? Was it because there were no metal ores, or because the people here had not learned how to extract metals from the ores?