Chapter 52: Out of this Predicament
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“Mu, do you think we’re heading in the right direction?” Ye Chong asked in desperation of having a conversation with Mu as though he hadn’t spoken to him for days.
“The probability of escaping is the same no matter which direction we opt to go for,” Mu replied calmly.
“But Mu, why do you need so much black gold ore?” Ye Chong asked curiously.
“That information is classified! I am not in place to say anything regarding this matter,” Mu answered with full of mystery. Mu added that black gold ore was an extremely rare mineral. The black gold derived from the ore, which was scientifically named Klose, had not only outstanding physical characteristics, but also self-restoration capabilities. The latter was the mineral’s most valuable quality.
Who would have thought that the black gold ore that he found along the way was more than he had ever mined before altogether. Mu kept all the black gold ore in his alternate dimension. No matter how large the ore was, Mu only needed to raise his hands and the ore would vanish into thin air. Ye Chong was very impressed by his talent! It was a pity when Mu told him that that was an exclusive trick of his which was never taught to others.
Ye Chong was discouraged and twitched his mouth. Suddenly, he realized something he had never thought of before. “Ah, I heard that there were many skillful mech engineers and mechanics on Black Cove. I should have asked them if they could restore you! How could I have forgotten that?” Ye Chong hit his head lightly with disappointment. In front of Mu, Ye Chong acted like a complete different person!
“The mech you are piloting now is one of their products?” Mu asked.
“Yeah, this mech is not so bad after all!” Ye Chong replied.
“Then they would never be able to restore me,” Mu said with confidence. The arrogance in his tone made Ye Chong gave him a sidelong glance.
Fortunately, Ye Chong had the habit of having backup energy cells with him. No matter how durable the F-58 can be, it’s would have been depleted if not for those backup cells. Ye Chong had the high energy organic liquid food stored as emergency ration on the mech as he yearned for the delicacies at the canteen in Black Cove. This further increased his suffering.
Mu was still in the alternate dimension to minimize energy usage.
Black Cove mechs were very advanced. Ye Chong’s F-58, for example, was only a training mech, but all of its parts and accessories were far more advanced than all the high tech mechs Ye Chong had ever piloted before. The overall performance was also a level above the rest. As for the engine, the design for this model was different from that of the more popular engine structures in the market. Ye Chong had once dissected the F-58 himself for inspection. Whether it was in terms of the engine power or continuous flight time, the F-58’s engine outperformed the so-called superb engines in the market by a wide margin.
Of course, compared to Mu’s sophisticated engine structure, it was still child’s play. Ye Chong still had not managed to decipher Mu’s engine schematics diagram.
Ye Chong and Mu found another half-a-meter wide black gold ore. Ye Chong summoned Mu from the alternate dimension and Mu immediately approached the black gold ore.
Suddenly, Ye Chong sensed something amiss and spoke to Mu with full of uncertainty, “Mu, look! The asteroids here are a lot fewer!”
Mu replied lazily, “To be precise, the unit space density of asteroids here is 62% less than it was ten hours ago. However, this percentage has a certain random factor and is only used as a reference!”
Ye Chong was excited. “It looks like we’re flying in the right direction!”
Mu poured cold water onto his enthusiasm as usual. “Don’t get happy too soon. If we manage to leave the asteroid belt, then what? Who knows where we are. Are there planets nearby? How far away are they from us? Is it inhabited? If there are no starships…”
Mu paused abruptly and his tone took an anxious turn. “Quick! Steer fifteen degrees from the radius vector and fly straight ahead! Maximum speed!” Mu swiftly kept the black gold ore into the alternate dimension and returned himself there.
Upon hearing his words, Ye Chong knew there must be new changes in their situation. He stopped conserving energy as before and accelerated the mech to its maximum velocity. After spending some time in the asteroid belt, Ye Chong was now quite skillful in avoiding the asteroids. Although the speed was now maximised, Ye Chong still managed to easily and adroitly evade the rocks in front of him. Mu was surprised by his ability. “Ye, your skills are great!”
Ye Chong may seemed to be at ease after hearing those words, but he was entirely focused on flying the mech so he did not reply Mu. His eyes were plastered to the holographic screen fearing for any mishaps. At this speed, no matter how solid the F-58’s armour was, his mech would not survive an impact with an asteroid. Ye Chong sure did not want to take this situation lightly!
The ores which were visible in sight became lesser with time and Ye Chong felt more relieved. Ye Chong also knew that he had finally reached the edge of the asteroid belt and was greatly encouraged by that fact.
As expected, after a light beep sounded, Ye Chong’s scanning systems returned to normal and began to scan the surroundings automatically.
Black Cove produced excellent products! The F-58’s detection system, one that Ye Chong had never used before was actually quite modern. It immediately detected something abnormal ahead and a red spot on the holographic screen began to enlarge! As the holographic image became larger, it also became clearer to view.
It’s a starship! Ye Chong was overjoyed and revved the engines to approach the ship.
Three minutes later, the other party was still not aware of his presence! Ye Chong was intrigued. While the F-58 could detect its target at such a far distance due to its advanced detection system, how could the other party not manage to notice him now that he meters a away from the starship? Could it be that the F-58 also had an excellent anti-detection system? Ye Chong immediately searched through the information in the photon processor of the F-58. As he had in mind, the F-58’s armour had a special absorptive material mixed into it and the material was capable of absorbing a wide spectrum of waves, resulting in the mech’s exceptional anti-detection performance. This material also gave the mech its black colour.
“Black Cove was a formidable force, but what were they aiming for?” This thought flashed through Ye Chong’s mind. “What does have to do with me? It’s not like I’m going back.” Ye Chong thought conceitedly.
“Should we carry out a surprise attack on them?” Ye Chong inquired Mu for his opinion. The method, as expected, suited his usual habit and style.
“A surprise attack? If the starship is damaged then you’ll be finished!” Mu obviously disagreed. “This seems to be an average civilian ship. You can signal them first!”
“Ok!” Ye Chong did not have a better idea. From his past experiences, he knew that an external damage on the starship would be devastating. If it wasn’t for One-eye’s well equipped ship, he might not have survived!
The other party did not seem nervous upon receiving his signal. Instead, they replied repeatedly that they were medical volunteers.
“Medical volunteers? What are those?” Ye Chong asked with full of curiosity.
Mu explained, “Medical volunteers are people who have expertise in medical skills or nursing. They offer free medical treatment for all, charging no fees, and they usually lead more difficult lives. Their principle is that life trumps all! Since they believe that all lives are equal, even if pirates are injured, they would also offer treatments. Hence, they are respected by almost everyone and no pirate would rob the medical volunteers. On the contrary, when the volunteers were in their hunting zone, the pirates would send escorts to protect them!”
“They are mostly amiable and kind in nature besides being incredibly sympathetic. I believe that if you were to ask for a ride on their ship, they will not reject you!” Mu suggested.
“Amiable?” Ye Chong thought of all the mutants he was familiar with on the trash planet and could not even remember any of them being what Mu described as amiable. It was truly confounding! “ Since Mu had said so, he wouldn’t be wrong!” Ye Chong thought to himself.
Ye Chong agreed to his suggestion and signalled a request to board the ship!