Chapter 527: One Against Three
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Shu Mo'er got up from bed, it was nearly midday. She had gone to sleep unsettled the night before. When she got up, she found everyone in the group looked concerned.
She went to Pang Acha and asked, "Peng Peng, what's the matter with everyone?"
Pang Acha replied lowly, "That boy Wei Zheng went out last night and hasn't come back since. We're just a little worried."
"Ah," Shu Mo'er gasped, "He hasn't returned?"
"Yea, Naver and Duo Ka are out to find him. They'll be back soon," said Peng Acha, worried.
For some reason, the expressionless man who had kept her awake last night came to Shu Mo'er's mind … She had a bad feeling about the whole thing.
Just then, Naver and Duo Ka came back. They looked unsettled. Peng Acha approached to ask, but Naver shook his head, indicating that they did not find anything.
"Wei Zheng is capable. We should not worry about it too much, perhaps he'll come back some time later," Zong Wen comforted his group members.
They thought to themselves, "That's right, Wei Zheng is a Level 6 shooter. How could he get into trouble in this small town?"
They felt better after that.
Shu Mo'er quietly pulled Peng Acha to the side and whispered to him, "Peng Peng, come with me later, I'm heading somewhere."
Peng Acha tilted his head, curious. "Where? Don't go around wondering at this time, what if something happens to you?"
"I've got business, okay? Please come with me. Besides, what could possibly happen when you're with me? We can ask Blackbrow there to come with us." Naver's eyebrows were thick and dark, and they earned him a nickname.
Peng Acha considered her request, then rubbed his nose and agreed uneasily, 'Alright alright, sigh, you and your business."
Naver was also easy-doing with the young woman, so he agreed as well.
"Lil' Mo'er, where are we going?" Along the way, Peng Acha looked around him and kept asking Shu Mo'er about their destination.
Shu Mo'er was helpless against the old man's enthusiasm, "You'll know when we reach there."
"Is it related to Wei Zheng?" The silent Naver finally spoke up.
Shu Mo'er hesitated for a moment before nodding in reply, "Yes."
Peng Acha was scandalized, "What? Lil Mo'er, you should've told us earlier! We could've brought a few more with us!"
Shu Mo're shook her head and said, "I wasn't sure. It's just a gut feeling. Best not to involve the others before we're certain."
The trio picked up their pace.
"It's here," Shu Mo're said, pointing towards a huge residence.
Ye Chong had noticed their arrival the moment they entered the range of his defence system. He sighed to himself, "They all come, in the end."
A knock came from the door, then he heard Kristen's cry of excitement, "Sister Mo'er!"
Ye Chong came out of his house and watch Shu Mo'er and her companiosn enter his courtyard.
Shu Mo'er greeted Ye Chong, "Mr Ye."
"Ms Shu Mo'er," Ye Chong nodded in reply.
The man looked calm. Shu Mo'er could not see anything wrong with him. She was now even more uncertain of her suspicions. Still, she asked, "Mr Ye, have you seen my companion who came with me yesterday? We're looking for him."
"Your companion yesterday? Mr Wei Zheng, yes?" Ye Chong shook his head, "Didn't he leave with you?"
If Shang were here, he would commend Ye Chong's calm performance.
Ye Chong's reply was a disappointment to Mo Shu'er. The man's eyes were clear and honest. She was mostly convinced by his words.
She turned to Kristen. Kristen asked, surprised, "What is it? Sister Mo'er, did something happen to that handsome man?" She did not seem to be faking it. Kristen was unaware of everything that happened last night. Her reply convinced Shu Mo'er that Ye Chong was not lying.
Shu Mo'er broke into a smile and said, "It's nothing. He went out last night but didn't come back yet, we're just worried."
Peng Acha was studying his surroundings the moment he crossed the door, looking around the empty courtyard. Naver said not a word, his eyes focused on Ye Chong.
Shu Mo'er looked at the closed door behind Ye Chong and felt tempted. She asked with a smile, "Mr Ye, perhaps you might be open to let us visit your weapons workshop today?"
The house was empty inside. Ye Chong had stored away everything in Celest's ring. However, Ye Chong realized what a big mistake it was. No weaponsmith's workshop would be empty. That emptiness itself was something unusual.
"I'm sorry, it's still not convenient today." Ye Chong declined outright, just like yesterday.
Naver and Peng Acha exchanged a look, then split up and walked to separate sides, forming a triangle with Shu Mo'er.
"I've been thinking, Mr Ye, we admire your skills, so why won't you let us visit your workshop?"Naver asked, looking Ye Chong straight in the eyes. Naver thought he looked familiar, but could not figure out why. Nonetheless, the sense of danger that came from the man had drawn his attention.
Ye Chong acted as though he did not see their tactical positions. He replied calmly, "I'm not used to it." His breathing had begun to slow down. Underneath his cloths, his muscles were gradually relaxing, so that he would be prepared for any sudden movements.
"Can't you make an exception?" Naver's hand was reaching for the laser gun on his waist. He did not speak loudly, but he sounded suspicious and threatening.
Peng Acha and Shu Mio'er did not know why Naver insisted, but they followed his lead and stayed vigilant. Never may be a taciturn person, but he was treated business seriously, and had his comrades' trust.
"Apologies," Ye Chong offered simply.
Naver finally reacted, in part due to Ye Chong's obstinacy, but also because he now knew why the man looked so familiar.
That silhouette! It was the same one he had seen in the alley that day!
Naver's eyes widened. His right hand reached for his laser gun. Ye Chong's cruelty had left a deep impression in him. A shooter's instinctive reaction when threatened was to reach for their weapons.
Naver never realized that his reflex was a crucial and dangerous mistake.
Peng Acha and Shu Mo'er saw his reaction, as they were also paying attention to him. Naver's reaction was a signal for them – a signal for battle!
It was a signal for Ye Chong – a signal that meant his opponents were starting a fight!
Both sides moved almost simultaneously. Ye Chong and Peng Acha did so without hesitation. Both of them were battle veterans, and trusted their own judgments.
Ye Chong directed power into his relaxed muscles. He disappeared from view in a flash.
Parapsychic sense!
Ye Chong felt it abruptly, stopped moving towards Naver. He leapt backwards just as a red laser beam grazed past his chest.
Peng Acha had saved Naver in the nick of time.
Naver quickly got on with what his doing. He cursed his own foolishness for being distracted. He did not attack Ye Chong immediately, but pulled out his laser gun and fired towards the sky.
Boom! A dazzling and colourful beacon exploded in the sky. This was a distress signal for the group. Everyone would receive the signal immediately. After Naver recognized who Ye Chong really was, he realized that the situation had become much more serious than they thought.
Of course Ye Chong understood the significance of the beacon. However, he was busy holding off Peng Acha. As the eldest in the group, he was also the most experienced. His parapsychic sense held onto Ye Chong tenaciously. Ye Chong tried to break free of it a few times, but it always found him back.
Ye Chong dared not stay in the same spot for too long. He knew that shooters could aim at him with their parapsychic sense and shoot him. Hence, he needed to avoid being locked on by their parapsychic sense.
He moved so quickly that he looked like a shimmering apparition. Avoiding the parapsychic waves from locking onto him was possible due to how they worked. Parapsychic waves come from the person using it. By moving very quickly, Ye Chong disrupted the parapsychic waves around him, making the feedback to the user too complicated to decipher.
This meant that he had to be constantly moving to be free of the shooters' parapsychic sense. This was not too difficult for him. He could control his muscles freely. No one else could manipulate bodily energy like he could.
Peng Acha was a combat veteran. He did not panic when he saw that Ye Chong could break free of his parapsychic sense. Instead, he made the right choice of ramping up his parapsychic waves.
In some sense, parapsychic waves were like water waves. As Peng Acha strengthened his own parapsychic waves, the analogous water would become denser, making it harder for Ye Chong's motion to disrupt the waves.
Ye Chong instantly upgraded the man's threat level.
There was no choice but to move faster himself. Ye Chong leapt around like a shadow, never touching the ground longer than necessary.
Peng Acha countered accordingly. His parapsychic sense may not be able to help him aim, but he could still fire based on experience. The laser beams were more dangerous to Ye Chong than Peng Acha's parapsychic sense. The laser beams almost hit him a few times.
Shu Mo'er cried out anxiously, "Mr Ye, we only want to have a look, nothing more. Why don't you meet us halfway, don't make this difficult for both of us." Kristen quickly ran into her own house. Level 6 shooters were not her specialty. More importantly, she was shocked to find Ye Chong holding out against three Level 6 shooters. He was strong!
"Looks like I've hit the jackpot!" Kristen muttered to herself, excited for the discovery.
"If this continued on, I'll be forced into a passive role," Ye Chong thought to himself.
His eyes gleamed. He always had a good grasp of the bigger picture.
Ye Chong dived forwards and pushed with his feet. He slid towards Naver, staying close to the ground.
Shot after shot followed Ye Chong, leaving a neat row of holes behind him.
Ye Chong watched the as the lasers lit up again and again behind him. Still, he pushed forward, determined. He narrowed his eyes, seeing the thick and thin lines dancing in his vision, and the dim and bright spots.
His Jie expert's skill – lines and dots that herald death.
Now!
Ye Chong suddenly sprang up from the ground, his hand gripped into a sharp fist. His target was the brightest spot in view – Naver's throat.
If he was on target, the man would be dead for sure.
Ye Chong's sudden movement surprised everyone else, even Naver himself.
Ye Chong's sudden appearance before him left him stupefied.
The world seemed to slow down. Naver could see everything in front of him clearly. He could even make out every single hair no Ye Chong's face, and his dark eyes that shined with killing intent and apathy.
It was a strange experience. After his initial shock, Naver felt like he was an onlooker to the scene. There was no joy or grief, only peace. His own movements were so slow compared to his attacker's. A simple thought came to his mind -
"Ah, so it's possible for a human to move so fast."
Ye Chong attacked steadily and precisely. Just as his fist was about to meet Naver's throat, he felt danger closing in on him – parapsychic sense! Abruptly, his upper body arched backwards as made a backward flip with his figure.
A laser beam shot through the space right between Ye Chong and Naver. It was Shu Mo'er to the rescue. She looked pale, biting down her lip as her pointed her laser gun at the two of them.
Just when the three shooters thought that they were out of danger, Ye Chong once again demonstrated his terrifying strength.
His body was still in midair when Ye Chong twisted his body like a boneless piece of flesh. His legs seemed to expand and contract against all logic. He then directed his legs towards Naver's chest.
Wham!
It was like the sound of a drum. Naver cried out in pain, flying backwards and hitting himself against the wall behind him. He coughed out blood, spraying it onto the wall like bizarre art.
"Blackbrow!" Shu Mo'er cried out in despair. She never imagined that her suggestion would take such as devastating turn.
Ye Chong folded his legs back in a little and immediately pushed himself sideways when his feet touched the ground. Another laser beam shot past him.
Ye Chong traced Z's on the ground, the footwork designed for evasion. He never stopped moving his upper body as well, vibrating like a shadowy presence.
Peng Acha was no longer all laughs and jokes. He was now very calm. He understood that his objective now was not to kill the enemy, but to protect the injured Naver and shaken Shu Mo'er until Zong Wen and the group arrived.
However, just as he began to switch tactics, Ye Chong noticed it as well.
He had extraordinary sensitivity when it came to battles.
Since the enemy went on defensive, his target now was Shu Mo'er. The beautiful young woman looked devastated and pale, which was simply pitiful.
However, her opponent was Ye Chong, a man of war who did not know pity.
Ye Chong moved even faster. Since the battle began, Ye Chong had never once stopped moving, and he had never slowed down.
He had been moving around every corner of the courtyard. No one could predict where he would go to next. They could only play catch up with his shadow.
What terrifying stamina! What terrifying speed! However, the most terrifying thing about him was his cold and calm heart!
No opening or opportunity escaped him. It was as though he was born for battle.
Ye Chong rushed towards Shu Mo'er. He was now executing high speed veers. This was the first advanced move that he had learned in mech piloting. It was derived from the Non-orderly Wavy Leap. Ye Chong had always been able to show remarkable power and endurance in combat. The harmless veers turned deadly in his hands.
Shu Mo'er stared blankly with her eyes wide open. She was still trying to accept that Naver could be dead. All of this was because of her. She felt deeply guilty and regretful.
"Mo'er!" Peng Acha was terrified. He released shot after shot carelessly, hoping to stop the scary and cold man for as long as he could.
Pwoosh! Ye Chong's left shoulder was shot. The attacker's careless shots had wider coverage, and made it more possible to hit his target. However, the shooter would also lose his attacking rhythm this way. This was dangerous for the shooter. Hence, shooters would normally avoid shooting without aiming unless necessary.
Ye Chong did not slow down from the pain on his shoulder. His eyes flashed, and he suddenly made another veer.
Ye Chong took 13 steps along a curved trajectory. His sudden change in direction made Peng Acha miss his target. Fwish fwish fwish! The ground was covered in holes.
Ye Chong moved quickly. He closed in onto Peng Acha, now only half a meter from his left. Since Peng Acha had been shooting without aiming, he had lost his shooter's rhythm. This created a spot of vulnerability in him.
To Ye Chong, Peng Acha was now like a castle without its guards.