Chapter 323: Ambush
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong exited the stars.h.i.+p. Just then, he heard a rush of footsteps. Amidst the silence, he could hear them clearly. Based on Ye Chong’s sharp hearing, he could identify 12 people!
Ye Chong bent down and hid behind the stars.h.i.+p. He could make out a group of huge men surrounding a young boy, about eight or nine years old. The boy wore a white formal attire, looking around himself with his large and dark, keen eyes. The 11 men around him did not look particularly strong physically, but their eyes betrayed their keen senses.
Ye Chong found it odd. While these men looked sharp, their physique and stride indicated that they were not particularly skilled. Another curious thing was, they all had energy guns holstered by the waist. A few of them even had energy guns in their hands. This was the first time Ye Chong had seen anyone in He Yue galaxy armed with an energy gun.
These 11 men might not be particularly skilled physically, but from their formation and the wariness in their eyes, it was clear that they were well trained. The twelve of them were walking towards a stars.h.i.+p.
"So the docking zone was also attacked," the young boy sighed wearily, with a sense of maturity that belied his age.
One of the men bent down and said to him, "Young Master Ming, our s.h.i.+p is straight ahead. We’ll leave here soon. The Tribe Leader wished for you to return home as soon as possible. She’s very worried about you."
The young boy frowned and complained, "Back to that dull place again. Just when I thought I can finally enjoy a few years outside, and now this had happened." His expression turned into one of rumination. It was cute, seeing a young boy showing an adult expression, but none of the men around him laughed.
"It must be man-made!" The young boy deduced, "Any clues?"
"None," the leader of the subordinates shook his head. "The Tribe Leader also thinks that it’s a man-made disaster, but no one knows who’s behind it yet. If the perpetrator is found, they will meet death so easily." The subordinate spoke earnestly. Indeed, if the perpetrator was identified, they would become public enemy number one of the entire galaxy.
The young boy spoke ruthlessly, "If I find out who did this … Humph, d*mn it, ruining my vacation! Unforgivable!" He gesticulated wildly in excitement. The subordinates around him could not help a smile this time.
Lying in hiding near them was Ye Chong, who had planned to make use of them the moment he saw them. What he lacked now were crew members for his s.h.i.+p. These people were here just in time! It was obvious that they were planning to fly their own stars.h.i.+p and leave this place. They must know how to fly a s.h.i.+p.
Ye Chong was like a hunter, lying in waiting for the perfect moment. The blue lines in his sight continued to dance around. The dots and lines would s.h.i.+ft along with the movements of the people in this group. This gave him a headache.
As they got nearer and nearer to his location, Ye Chong’s eyes widened.
They were now only 10 meters apart. Ye Chong chose an excellent location, shaded from view, and with a metal plate blocking right in front of him. The close distance was very much preferred by Ye Chong as a combat expert.
To get within 10 meters of a Jie expert was definitely a fatal mistake!
Ye Chong bent his knees and sprinted, staying close to the ground as he headed straight towards the group! The ambush startled them all!
They were too close together!
The short distance resulted in a nightmare for the victims of a Jie expert with explosive strength.
The man closest to Ye Chong could only lift his energy gun halfway before Ye Chong landed a gentle chop on his neck, disabling him.
The rest of the men were well trained, and kept their composure despite the surprise. The man right next to the young boy quickly grabbed the young master close to him. The rest of them surrounded the young master, staying between him and Ye Chong.
Those with guns took their shot immediately without care for their comrade.
It would be a terrible disgrace if Ye Chong managed to let them get away given the short distance between them. He stepped lightly, easily avoiding the shots. It was their comrade who got injured, but he held himself admirably and did not even sigh in pain.
Ye Chong was surprised by their shooting skills! Just now, at least three of the energy beams barely grazed past him. In fact, Ye Chong could see from the way these men reacted, shooting back calmly despite his ambush, that they were no average bodyguards!
However, even the best shooters would lose against a Jie expert in close range combat.
Ye Chong moved evasively like a shadow, making himself a difficult target. This group of men were skilled combat experts compared to most, but they were still full of holes in Ye Chong’s eyes. If he wanted to kill them, they would have all been dead by now. However, Ye Chong needed all of them alive, hence the extra effort.
The young boy was the key! Ye Chong slipped in like a fish, pus.h.i.+ng his hands against the men!
Bam! A few men were thrown outwards like an explosion.
There were two left in front of Ye Chong. The man kept the young master firmly behind him, staring straight at Ye Chong.
What a sharp gaze! Ye Chong was impressed, but also curious. Why would these people be so easy to defeat?
On the other hand, why was he still looking so calm?
Suddenly, Ye Chong felt a dangerous aura! He moved without thinking, stomping down strongly on the ground, crus.h.i.+ng the flooring beneath him as he jumped to the side!
It was this instinctive reaction that saved his life!
An energy beam as thick as a finger shot through his arm, where his heart was just milliseconds ago.
The pain! Ye Chong could not remember the last time he was injured, and now he had nearly lost his life. On his left arm was a b.l.o.o.d.y wound that went right through his arm, big enough to fit a finger through it. The edges of the wound were seared black, and his skin was slightly burnt from the energy beam. Ye Chong did not have time to check if it had hit bones. As long as it was a flesh wound, a few hours was all it would take for him to recover himself.
D*mn it, there was someone else!
Ye Chong felt a chill down his spine. What a terrifying shooter! From the beginning of his ambush, he had moved swiftly throughout, an elusive shadow in the men’s eyes. To think that the shooter could fire so accurately at him despite his speed! If he had not stepped aside at the last minute, that shot would have killed him!
The timing of the shot was also flawless. Seeing his comrades being defeated one by one, the last man still managed to use his young master as bait. He must be a seasoned veteran.
Swoos.h.!.+
Another energy beam grazed past Ye Chong’s ear and hit the ground in front of him.
He felt a deep chill. Ye Chong could feel death closing in on him. His leg muscles suddenly expanded. This was no time to hold himself back! With the September Lan Family’s techniques, Ye Chong launched himself forward, his steps seemingly light, but full of power.
The strong-compound floorings crumbled under his heavy footsteps, filling the air with debris. The dust also made Ye Chong’s figure even harder to see clearly.
Ye Chong was now giving all he had! This was the fastest he had ever been!
He saw the man leading the young master away hurriedly, and ran towards them under the cover of the debris. As long as he could get his hands on the young master before he was shot by that hidden sniper, it would be his win.
Ye Chong s.h.i.+fted his position frequently, advancing quickly like an elusive ghost. However, the danger that he felt from earlier never disappeared. Ye Chong believed that the sniper was better than this.
Despite his indirect advance forward, he was slowly closing in on the man and the young boy.
Three meters! Only three meters. What was three meters to a Jie expert? It was only a step away.
Ye Chong suddenly inclined forward, making ready to leap!
The feint worked.
Swoos.h.!.+ Another energy beam shot past, bruising Ye Chong’s scalp as it hit the ground, leaving a big hole.
The opening was there. Ye Chong’s bent knees straightened, launching himself forward. The man suddenly turned around, hoping to delay Ye Chong if for a moment. He knew exactly how capable his comrade was. Even with a slight delay, this terrifying ambusher would be dead for sure.
However, Ye Chong was still clear headed. The man saw a blur of movement and lost sight of the ambusher. Immediately after, he heard the young master’s pained cries. The ambusher’s hand was around the young master’s neck, and he was looking coldly back at him.
The young master wore an expression of agony.
"Come out," Ye Chong said coldly, and finally relaxed a little. He did not forget to keep his hostage right in front of him. He was still shaken by the strength of that hidden sniper.
Ye Chong finally found the sniper. This was not due to his sharp eyesight, but the blue lines he saw. The sniper was well hidden. With Ye Chong’s amateur skills, he would never have found him. Even so, the blue lines he saw showed the exact picture of the sniper in ambush.
"What excellent camouflage skills," Ye Chong thought to himself, impressed. It was impossible to see the sniper with the naked eye. Besides, the location of choice was ideal to cover his comrades. He could only see faint blue lines on the sniper, but none of the bright blue lines of blue dots.
Ye Chong’s left arm was already disabled, hanging lifelessly beside him. Blood gushed freely from the wound, flowing down along the arm, along the fingers, and finally dripping on the ground.
The last man standing before him spoke in a low voice, "Who might you be? Why do you attack us? I think there must be some sort of mistake …"
Ye Chong ignored the man and narrowed his eyes. He put more strength into his grip, looked straight at the sniper’s location, and said, "Come out."
The man standing before him paused. This person was strong!
"You win," a hoa.r.s.e, male voice said. The sniper finally stood up from his hiding place.
He could see bright blue dots and blue lines on him. If Ye Chong could still move his left hand, he would have thrown his dagger at that very moment. Having such a dangerous character near him felt highly threatening.
Too bad his left hand was disabled.
The ambusher lifted his hands high above his head as he came forward. Ye Chong finally saw the dangerous character clearly. The man had a square head with wiry hair, and hard facial features. There were horrible wounds spread all over his face like a web.
The scariest part about him, however, was his hollow, lifeless eyes.
"Hit them unconscious," Ye Chong said to the sniper.
The sniper obeyed acted hesitation, rendering all the other bodyguards unconscious, including the last one standing. He did not play any tricks. That would be unwise against a Jie expert.
"Bring them here."
The sniper worked like a laborer, carrying all the unconscious men into the stars.h.i.+p that Ye Chong had opened. Looking at all the unconscious men, Ye Chong finally allowed himself some satisfaction.
Bam! The sniper was also taken out, lying unconscious with the rest. The young boy in his grip was also given the same treatment.
Ye Chong finally heaved a sigh of relief. His face was growing pale. Now, he must treat his wounds, or he would suffer heavily from blood loss.
Before seeing to his wounds, however, Ye Chong took out the red tendrils and tied them all up securely. These red tendrils were a specialty produce from the Red Sea, with incredible strength. The ones Ye Chong had with him were of the finest quality. It would be impossible to escape from them with brute force.
After all that, Ye Chong finally headed towards the medical bay. Every stars.h.i.+p was equipped with medical facilities, since s.p.a.ce voyages were typically very long.
Ye Chong returned to Ze Xi Academy five hours after he left. Beside looking a little pale, with an extra hole in his left sleeve, Ye Chong did not look like an injured man. He had spent some time to treat the wounds of a few of the injured men. He did not want the captives that he went through so much trouble for to die from blood loss. His efforts and injuries would have been for nothing then.
Fei Si noticed Ye Chong’s return and ran to him in a panic. "Good! You’re back. Sigh, they’re infected by a virus."
"Virus?" Ye Chong was surprised.
Fei Si nodded. "Yes. it must a mutation of the H virus. Only the wounded students and teachers were infected." She brought Ye Chong to see a few infected students. They looked ghastly with brown spots all over their bodies as they lay curled up on the floor.
Ye Chong was startled. "You mean, all those who were wounded are now infected?" He remembered clearly that Old Jalopy was also injured.
Fei Si hesitated for a moment before replying, "That’s very likely. In humans, the H virus was transmitted through blood. In other animals, however, they can be transmitted in many other ways."
"How did you verify that it’s the H virus? Why do some of the other injured ones still look alright?" Ye Chong asked as he took a glance over at Uncle Jalopy, who still seemed to be in good health.
Fei Si explained, "My teacher and I study the H virus. The H virus can lay dormant for an uncertain amount of time. Some will take a lot longer, and others shorter. It can go up to 10 years, or as short as 24 hours for the symptoms to show." She spoke with concern.
Ye Chong looked straight at Fei Si and asked, "Is there any cure?" He could only be thankful that Old Jalopy was still looking alright for now. However, if the infection remained, the old man would be just like a time bomb waiting to explode.
Where else could he find an expert in ancient machinery?
Fei Si looked crestfallen. "It’s a pity that the chips are lost. They have information on about 30 thousand over mutations of the H virus that my teacher and I have discovered. There might have been clues in them. Sigh, they were my teacher’s legacy." The chips were already stomped to pieces by the mutant rats. However, she also knew that this was not the time to dwell on these matters. After some pondering, she said, "We can a.n.a.lyze the structure of this particular strain of H virus, and see if a cure can be derived."
"If?" Ye Chong frowned. He did not like the word.
"Yes, I cannot guarantee a cure," Fei Si explained helplessly, "The H virus is highly compatible with other viruses, and is frequently used for cultivation purposes. That’s the scariest part of this type of virus."
"How will you a.n.a.lyze its structure?" Ye Chong asked.
When it came to technical questions, Fei Si replied promptly, "An ultra-micro a.n.a.lyzer will do." She added, "Only Engradie Academy has it. They have the resources."