Chapter 72: Into the Depths
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong slowly and carefully maneuvered the F-58 into the basement. The mech scanned the surroundings over and over at its maximum capacity, as Ye Chong grew more and more tense.
"Why would Mu want me to come here? What is it here exactly that caught Mu’s attention so much?" Ye Chong was filled with questions, but dared not be distracted by them at the moment. Mu had no intention of explaining since the beginning, at least not until he reached the end of the operation!
Ye Chong could not help but be excited! The peaceful days before this did not dull his yearning for battle; on the contrary, since he was accustomed to the cruel lifestyle on the trash planet, Ye Chong was uncomfortable with the peace, even as he tried his best to get used to the vastly different way of life. He could not change over a decade of his habits and lifestyle overnight!
"It’s been ages since I had a real battle!" Ye Chong could feel his blood boiling! Strictly speaking, Ye Chong was not exactly trigger-happy, as he had only battled to survive. However, battles had always made him excited.
"Perhaps, there’ll be a nasty fight today!"
The scanning system did not detect anyone around, and that surprised Ye Chong. "This is obviously an important place, how could there be no one around? Besides, I just went through the door with a valid identification, how can that be?"
From the moment Ye Chong entered the door, Mu spoke in unprecedented urgency, "In thirty seconds, reach the eleventh level below by then. The ten levels above it are now accessible with your identification. Keep the F-58, quickly!"
Ye Chong dared not hesitate, and slipped out of the F-58 at once. The mech was withdrawn into its alternate dimension before Ye Chong hit the ground. As his feet touched the ground, Ye Chong’s legs moved with explosive strength, following the route that was shown on the schematics earlier by Mu.
It was pitch black, and even Ye Chong’s superior vision left him blinded. Ye Chong could only run forward based on his memory of the route. However, Mu did not correct him, and so he assumed that he remembered the route correctly.
Suddenly, a sliver of light came into view ahead - a silver metallic door slid open from the center, and the opening was the source of brightness. Even as he was running, Ye Chong noticed the odd fact that the door seemed more like a wall from his side before it slid open.
Mu must have did something with his identification!
Beyond the door was a slope angled at 45 degrees, paved with anti-slip material. The slope went on for about fifty meters before connecting to a corridor that formed a T-junction. Ye Chong chose to go left without hesitation. There were many code-secured entrances along the way, but whenever Ye Chong approached them, the doors would open for him. This puzzled Ye Chong, but he knew that it was probably due to Mu’s tricks. He would ask Mu when they get back home, as this was obviously not the time nor place for questions.
Ye Chong felt like he had entered a space devoid of other human beings. However, he only remembered the route for the first 5 levels. The corridors were a web of complicated lefts and rights, and all the twists and turnings had made Ye Chong lost his sense of direction. Even as he was confused by the directions, Ye Chong still managed to feel awed by the designs used to prevent infiltration - it was a truly clever design!
However, Mu’s presence meant that the current obstacle did not stop Ye Chong from moving forward!
Finally, he reached the tenth level. Ye Chong ran with all his might as Mu spoke up, "I need ten seconds for the eleventh level! Deploy me now!"
"Mu’s making his move?" Ye Chong was surprised, but did as he was told - Mu appeared within the corridors in the next instant.
Mu’s large hull still managed to look light and agile in the narrow corridors, and Ye Chong could barely keep up with Mu as he sped up following him.
Mu gave a few more orders to Ye Chong, and, in the blink of an eye, the two arrived before the door on the eleventh level.
This door was obviously different from the rest - while the ten alloy doors before it were equipped with identification mechanisms, the current door on the eleventh level was devoid of any devices, and Ye Chong was greatly startled by that fact!
Mu stood before the alloy door of the eleventh level, his bionic eyes were flashing in a frenzy. Ye Chong stood beside the door as Mu suggested, his legs slightly bent in preparation and his dagger in hand. Man and machine were silent throughout their maneuvers.
As expected, after ten seconds, the doors slid open, and Ye Chong rushed through the opening between the door panels like a ghost and slipped through!
"There’re two people beyond the door, as expected as well!" Ye Chong thought to himself!
Prepared for the encounter, Ye Chong slashed his dagger through the air like lightning!
The two people beyond the door did not expect the door to suddenly open. Two dark flashes of movement filled their eyes in disbelief, before their throats were marked with a thin slit of blood that spread quickly outwards. After a slight pause, a soft "pop" sounded, and blood sprayed from the throats of the two victims.
The two guards watched Ye Chong with disbelief, and slowly fell to the ground, silent throughout their final ordeal.
The whole process was neatly and efficiently done; the two victims did not even manage to sound the alarm right beside them. The automatic alarm system was already disabled by Mu.
Ye Chong and Mu did not waste any more time as they moved forward posthaste.
They were greeted by a large roundish chamber, over 100 meters across. In the center of the chamber, there were a few concentric silver rings on the floor. The rest of the chamber was filled with a variety of mechs. The mechs shined with an attractive luster, painted in enchanting, interweaving colours of bright silver, ocean blue, light emerald and fiery red. These mechs stood quietly in the chamber like silent soldiers, filling the chamber with a mysterious attractive quality.
These were all rare and advanced level mechs, and some were even limited editions. There were many that Ye Chong had never even heard of, and his eyes glowed with yearning from his long deprivation of mechs. These were not just run-of-the-mill products! Some of the mechs had accessories gathered at their feet, and Ye Chong noticed with his keen eyes that many of them were top of the line!
Could these mechs be the reason Mu brought him here?
Ye Chong could not help but feel that that something was wrong. While these mechs were advanced and top grade, they were still not as good as the F-58. The F-58 might look ugly and unwieldy, its performance was still above the mechs in the chamber. Black Cove’s strength was truly admirable!
"How can Mu not notice that? It’s impossible!" Ye Chong immediately dismissed his undoubtedly silly idea!
He looked towards Mu, and saw the mech standing at the center of the concentric circles in the chamber, as his bionic eyes flashed wildly. Ye Chong paused at the sight - could there be something to this place?
As expected, after fifteen seconds, Mu spoke hastily, "Ye, quickly!"
Ye Chong promptly stepped onto the silver circles. Before he could steady himself, he felt the ground below him vanish, and Ye Chong staggered. Fortunately, he was sharp enough to grab hold onto Mu beside him in time, thus avoiding a fall!
The silver concentric circles carried Ye Chong and Mu silently downwards!