Chapter 526: Paying the Price
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It took Ye Chong three days to finish modifying his entire defense system. In those three days, Kristen watched how Ye Chong disassemble and reassemble the cannon barrels with ease. Her initial fear had now dwindled down to normalcy. By the third day, she began to lend Ye Chong a hand.
The heavyweight firepower was an eye-opener to her. As a person who was dedicated to the art of weapon making, the power of the cannon arrays made her realize just how insignificant her earlier works were! Kristen had always been inclined towards violence. When she got over her initial shock, she began to study the small but powerful weapons.
However, the complicated structure soon overwhelmed her. She knew that her own knowledge was only some of the basics of whatever education system that Ye Chong subscribed to. It was too early for her to study these cannons, but this did not stop her from admiring them. If Ye Chong was not there to stop her, she would have loved to take a few shots with those babies and see if they were really as powerful as Ye Chong claimed.
There was something else that was curious about these weapons. They could not be controlled with parapsychic sense. How then should the user aim? Ye Chong offered no explanation on this part.
The truth was, Ye Chong was too lazy to explain. It would take at least days for him to help her understand. Right now, he was short of time and could not afford to spend time on helping her.
Three days later, his work was finished. All the cannons were hidden once again, leaving no traces of their presence in the courtyard. Kristen was infinitely impressed by this.
Just then, Ye Chong received an alert from the photon processor in his house. Someone was approaching them. Ye Chong entered his house quietly and shut the door. He activated the holographic screen and saw a man and a woman approaching him. Ye Chong recognized the woman as Shu Mo'er. The man, however, was a stranger to him.
What were they here for? Ye Chong frowned.
He came out of his house and shut the door.
A knock came from the door.
Kristne went to open it, and he heard her voice of joyful surprise, "Sister Mo'er, come in, come in."
Shu Mo're smiled warmly, "Sister Kristen, I'm here to visit."
Kristen giggled happily, "You finally turned up, I've been waiting for days."
Ye Chong watched them coldly from the side. He was more convinced than ever that this Shu Mo'er had ulterior motives. His eyes glistened coldly as he watched from behind Kristen.
The two of them entered the courtyard. Shu Mo'er greeted Ye Chong, "Good day to you, Mr Ye Chong."
"Good day to you," Ye Chong returned the gesture. He may not believe that such superficial gestures were necessary, but he was also no longer the greenhorn he once was. His past experiences allowed him to become long familiar with these kinds of tactics.
Shu Mo'er did not wear her veil today. Her flawless countenance was presented to everyone around her. Just a short glance at her face was enough to make people notice her graceful presence.
"This is my friend, Wei Zheng," Shu Mo're made the introductions. Ever since she found out from Kristen of Ye Chong's address, she began to plan her visit. However, Wei Zheng had insisted on going with her. Zong Wen was concerned about her safety, especially because of Naver's encounter with that mysterious person. Everyone felt that their safety was threatened, and agreed that Wei Zheng should accompany Shu Mo'er. Shu Mo'er did not want to reject Wei Zheng openly, so she agreed.
"How do you do," Wei Zheng smiled in greeting to Ye Chong. Ye Chong caught the fleeting hostility in the man's eyes.
As expected, they were up to something. Ye Chong reminded himself to be alert. He decided to act without reserve should a fight become inevitable later.
Kristen whistled and gave Wei Zheng a flirtatious look. She smiled teasingly and said, "Hey there, handsome!" Wei Zheng did a double take on her, but greeted Kristen graciously.
"Are you inviting us in?" Shu Mo'er asked Kristen with a smile.
Kristen replied with another one of her mesmerizing smiles, "Oh, you're wrong about that, sister. I'm not the master of the house." She was not stupid. Ye Chong had warned her to never enter the house without his permission, or suffer the consequences. Earlier, she did not fully appreciate his meaning. However, the past few days of seeing all those cannons were like a refresher course to mind her conduct.
Her teacher, this expressionless man of stone, was not as harmless as he seemed to be. Beneath his emotionless shell of an exterior was an intense will to kill.
If she was not allowed to enter the house, how could she expect the visitors to be given exception? Thus, she passed the request to Ye Chong.
The three of them looked at Ye Chong expectantly.
Ye Chong replied with his stony face, "I'm sorry, the house is not ready for guests."
No one expected him to reject them. This was an extremely arrogant and rude attitude towards his guests.
The atmosphere in the courtyard turned heavy with awkwardness.
Shu Mo'er looked shaken. Wei Zheng looked worse. They had never been treated like this before. As Level 6 shooters, anyone who met them would offer their utmost respect.
Kristen never thought that Ye Chong would reject them so quickly and decisively. She wanted to say something, but Ye Chong's cold look at her made her swallow her words.
Ye Chong was not interested in socialising with them. He did not know these two people. Besides, he had never like people who came to him with hidden motives. Moreover, the equipment and life specimens in the house would surely kick up a riot if these two saw them.
Wei Zheng had a huge ego, and he could not stomach Ye Chong's outright rejection.
He asked gravely, "What do you mean?" Shu Mo'er kept quiet.
Ye Chong looked straight into Wei Zheng's eyes and said, "Did you not understand me?"
Wei Zheng stared back at Ye Chong, looking seriously offended.
Ye Chong's expression was calm. His whole body's muscles were relaxed, but ready to move at the slightest provocation! No one would suspect the terrifying strength he had in his slight figure.
Shu Mo'er was already prepared to interfere from the side. However, she did not plan to help Wei Zheng, but to separate the two of them should they fight. If they killed a weaponsmith just because they were denied entrance, their reputation would be tarnished. Shu Mo'er knew that Wei Zheng was not as easy-going as his smile often suggested.
Wei Zheng's eyes gleamed. Just when everyone thought he was about to attack, he suddenly laughed, "Haha, Mr Ye is a man of character. Since Mr Ye is not free today, we'll come visit another time. Farewell."
Wei Zheng went out the door. Shu Mo'er fixed Ye Chong with a long, meaningful glance before going out as well.
Kristen groaned in anguish and studied Ye Chong for a moment. She said, surprised, "Didn't think you had it in you, boy. You should know that they're both Level 6 shooters. You're doomed if you fight them head on!"
"Oh," Ye Chong replied with disinterest, but did not argue with her. Words would achieve nothing. The fact was, when Wei Zheng locked onto him with his parapsychic sense, he was confident of breaking free and defeating both the shooters. However, he did not do that, but chose to restrain himself. He did not know how strong a Level 6 shooter was. He only knew that the woman called Sha Ya was a Level 8 shooter. Thus, a Level 6 shooter should not be a problem to him.
Nonetheless, the man's strong parapsychic sense came as a surprise.
The look in Wei Zheng's eyes told Ye Chong that this thing between them would not end so easily. Ye Chong was not afraid of trouble. It did not matter how strong his opponent was.
"They're here to help Duo Ka. Rumor has it that it's because of the 10-meter tall giant in black armor that appeared in Dual Forest. Even with hundreds of fighters, the giant could not be caught. Strong, right? I don't know what kind of crazy thought Duo Ka had, but he went to get a bunch of Level 6 shooters. There are 13 of them now, including Duo Ka. What a team! They're waiting for the giant to re-appear, so they're mostly idle right now," Kristen whistled through her tantalizing lips.
"I see," Ye Chong finally found out who the pilot behind the blue fighter was. So it was Yedda's ace, the Level 6 shooter Duo Ka. He finally understood how strong a Level 6 shooter could be. His horrible experience with the blue aircraft was still fresh in his mind.
If 13 aircrafts of that calibre were to join forces and fight him, escape would not be easy.
"Now you know," Kristen mocked, "Hehe, I'm curious if you're really hiding something in there that no one should find out. Now my dear Lil' Mo'er and the handsome Wei are both gone, don't you feel sorry them?" Kristen affected a look of pity.
Ye Chong ignored Kristen's drama acting. He was thinking about Celest. He must not use the bio-mech here again, it would be too dangerous.
…
Night came. Ye Chong was organizing his files. Results from the daytime's analysis were out. These were the last batch of numbers. He needed to organize the data first. Kristen had already gone to sleep. The morning's incident had drained her.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded – "Intruder alert."
Intruder? Ye Chong had his suspicions.
He activated the holographic screen and saw Wei Zheng on it.
Wei Zheng had gave some excuse to slip outdoors. He still could not let go of the morning's humiliation. His pride could not accept that unjustified treatment! Shu Mo'er and he had both kept the incident at the courtyard a secret from the rest in the group.
If they caused trouble and were found out, people would think they were bullying the weak. Their image would be tarnished.
What if they were not found out, though? Wei Zheng laughed coldly inside, his handsome face looking a touch menacing. Shu Mo'er had shut herself in her room, still bothered the incident. What use was that? The d*mned man was probably still pleased at himself for rejecting them both.
The thought of that wretched man's expressionless face made Wei Zheng even angrier.
He quickly headed towards Ye Chong's courtyard. His strong parapsychic sense allowed him to avoid the dangers around him. He wanted to know what that man was trying to hide in his house. Perhaps there would be some ultimate weapon, and wouldn't that be a gift to him?
If the man found him out … Wei Zheng's eyes flashed with killing intent. Some things had to be done.
…
Ye Chong was speechless. Wei Zheng's movements looked like some amateur's act. Ye Chong could not understand it. Stealing or robbing required skills, and a man of Wei Zheng's level should not have even bothered with this dangerous attempt.
Ye Chong looked at the holographic screen with cold eyes. He had made his decision.
If it was earlier in the day, Ye Chong might be worried about his comrade joining the fight. However, since the man had opted to enter his place at night, the man definitely deserved what he was about to give next.
A few dark holes appeared in the thick walls surrounding the courtyard.
Wei Zheng was still about two kilometres from the courtyard. Since this was near Dual Forest, there were no people around. Hence, he had simply moved without concealing himself.
What could a weaponsmith possibly do? He was a Level 6 shooter! Wei Zheng was conceited in this respect.
Suddenly, he felt a threat coming towards him.
He stopped running and spread his parapsychic sense further out.
His expression twisted as he stumbled backwards quickly.
A laser beam, thick as a finger, shot a deep hole into the ground where he was standing earlier.
An ambush! He finally demonstrated his abilities as a Level 6 shooter, taking out his laser gun and sensing his surroundings with his parapsychic sense. He was furious. The day had been hard on him. He had met a despicable man in the morning, and now had to face an ambush at night.
However, he did not lose his calm despite his anger. In fact, he was very collected right now. With the laser gun in hand, he would shoot the moment his parapsychic sense informed of anything suspicious.
How dare they ambush him! Were they looking to die faster?
Huh, there was nothing around him! His parapsychic sense picked up no presence of life around him, much less an ambusher.
…
Ye Chong watched how Wei Zheng stepped backwards to avoid his attack, and felt more impressed by the man.
Nonetheless, he was not ready to stop attacking just yet. His defensive system was now finally serviceable. This was an excellent opportunity to test it out.
…
Another laser beam set Wei Zheng stumbling to the side again to avoid the shot. Wei Zheng was almost bursting with anger by now. He still could not locate the ambusher.
Had his parapsychic sense been stretched to maximum range, he would not have been able to avoid those two attacks.
Wei Zheng hid himself carefully behind a large tree and studied his surroundings. The rash impulse within him dissipated, replaced by extreme care.
His first thought was, could a Level 8 shooter be ambushing him?
Ignoring the fact that there were no Level 8 shooters in the city, a Level 8 shooter would not have missed the first two shots. However, how could he not detect this shooter's presence?
Could the man's house be home to a Level 8 shooter? Wei Zheng was stunned by the realization. If that was true, it would explain why the man refused their entrance. Wei Zheng was still aware of how inferior he was compared to a Level 8.
He was beginning to regret his mission. This was going nowhere. Nonetheless, he was grateful for being alive. If he could still avoid the ambusher's attacks, then perhaps the ambusher did not want him dead. It seemed that he should be prepared to suffer tonight, but his life would not be endangered.
Unlike Wei Zheng's interpretation of events, Ye Chong had attacked without reserve. Wei Zheng was able to avoid both attacks due to his own abilities.
If Ye Chong's defence system had only two shooting stations, he would only be able to make Wei Zheng suffer, but not truly endanger his life.
However, what were the odds that Ye Chong had only two shooting stations?
Five straight laser beams shot across the air.
Wei Zheng felt them the moment they left the guns. This time, he was terrified! Five simultaneous shots! This must be a Level 8 shooter! The stronger a shooter was, the higher the shooting frequency. A Level 8 shooter can make continuous shots feel like they were shot at the same time. This increased their firing range and power, and made it harder to avoid.
Wei Zheng was proud, but he was also capable. He quickly raised his gun to his chest to block the attacks!
The laser gun flashed in a brilliant white. The other four laser beams graced pass his figure and burrowed into the ground.
Wei Zheng was sweating all over. His laser gun, made of blackthread wood, had a thumb sized hole on it. It felt hot to the touch.
Was this a test? Wei Zheng felt uncertain. He was absolutely terrified. Of the five laser beams that were shot, four were used to block his escape routes, and the final one to hit him directly. If he had tried to avoid the final shot, he would have been hit by one of the other beams.
If he had not thought of using his own gun to block the final shot, he would be dead by now.
Ye Chong was greatly surprised by Wei Zheng's performance. Even he himself would not be able to avoid all five laser beams without a bit of luck. This shooter had managed to hold out for so long, and he was only a Level 6 shooter! What if he was a Level 8? Shooters were truly terrifying!
Ye Chong mused as he activated a few other shooting stations.
In fact, Ye Chong wanted to test his cannon arrays. That kind of wide range attack would be perfect for a long range combat loser like Ye Chong. However, since the attack would cause quite a ruckus, he decided to abandon that tempting option.
With 12 laser beams attacking him all at once, Wei Zheng finally felt like giving up! In that moment, he could only think of how much he regretted coming here!
Fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh!
Seven laser beams hit him, leaving seven bloody wounds. One of them was right on top of his heart. Poor Wei Zheng, a Level 6 shooter, had died without knowing who had attacked him.
When Ye Chong arrived at Wei Zheng's location, the man was already dead.
Ye Chong considered the situation for a moment, then lifted Wei Zheng's body and vanished into Dual Forest. Two hours later, he returned. The body was already destroyed, leaving no traces behind.
Ye Chong had first returned to his house and came out with a bottle full of liquid. He bent down to Wei Zheng's body and put a small and prickly grayish green seed on it. He then emptied the liquid in the bottle on the seed.
Soon after, grayish green vines began to sprout. They grew quickly and soon blended into the forest background. All traces of the body were covered by the plant. The grayish green vines of the plant blended in with the other plants, an effectively camouflage of the plant itself.
This was a fast growing plant borne from the Research Consortium's studies. It was originally designed to rapidly transform the soil composition in arid or harsh environments, such as the desert. The liquid in the bottle was a growth catalyst for the plant.
Done for the day, Ye Chong returned quietly to his house.
All the items had been analyzed, and Ye Chong had also finished with assembling the information into a database. Aside from the 400 over rare plant specimens that still had not arrived, Ye Chong was basically done for now.
After some consideration, he deposited all his equipment into Celest's dimension keystone.