Chapter 483: Reaction
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Oh, by the way, Ye, just a moment ago, all the Research Consortium staff had left the training camp. This means that, as of now, we are the only ones left in the camp," Shang added lazily.
"They left?" Ye Chong raised a brow.
"Yes, they just got the news too. Ye, by tomorrow morning, probably the whole of Planet Henna will have known. If we're leaving, we gotta be quick. Remember to bring the students with you. Tsk tsk, can't be a commander without soldiers. Ah, the girl's here to see you." Just as Shang finished, Ye Chong noticed a mech approaching him.
Shen Ruxue landed her mech hastily, not far from Muscle Man. The students saw that the female instructor was here to see their instructor, and quickly gave way. Their instructor was a silent man, but a hero nonetheless, and it was only natural for a hero to have a beauty with him.
Shen Ruxue came out of her pilot cabin, looking nervous. Ye Chong came out of Muscle Man as well. Shen Ruxue quickly came forward and started clumsily, "Did you notice anything unusual in the camp?"
"What's unusual?" Ye Chong's face betrayed nothing.
"The staff are all gone, and I can't reach any of them. Something's not right, I think we might have a problem," Shen Ruxue said anxiously.
Ye Chong studied Shen Ruxue for a moment, and recalled Shang's words. Of course they were leaving Henna, it was only a matter of how. Leaving would require two things - a starship and defensive measures. The starship would be easy. If he worked together with Shang, hijacking a starship was a walk in the park. The problem now was securing their safety while they were travelling. Planet Henna was surrounded by areas where red-tailed beasts were known to prowl. They would not survive the journey in outer space without enough defensive measures.
Ye Chong quickly made his decision. He would tell everything he knew to this woman. "The front line has collapsed in defeat. The Research Consortium staff have left."
Shen Ruxue turned pale. She saw that Ye Chong was not joking, and finally understood the situation they were all in.
Back in the training ground, 40 D-6's lined up in two neat formations. In front of them, 40 students stood in two groups of formation as well. Shen Ruxue stood beside Ye Chong, still in a daze. She was still trying to digest what Ye Chong had told her. Suddenly, she noticed something odd. Why would he be the first person she thought to ask? Could she have inadvertently acknowledged that this apathetic instructor of Group 25 to be stronger than her?
The 40 students noticed how they were two groups gathered in the same location, and did not understand what was going on.
Ye Chong looked at them all, and said plainly, "The front line has lost. The red-tailed beasts will reach here very soon. The Research Consortium staff have left. You have two hours to bring your families here. I will have an escape plan ready."
The 40 students stared blankly at Ye Chong as he looked to the watch on his wrist.
"The time is now 1420, meet up back here at 1620." His cold voice was devoid of emotion.
After that, Ye Chong said nothing more, showing only a serious expression.
Ye Chong's students looked to each other, then quickly climbed into their mechs and went their separate ways. They trust in their instructor, and besides, the recent behavior of the Consortium staff had roused suspicious.
Shen Ruxue's students still looked shocked and doubtful. They exchanged looks, but none of them moved.
Shen Ruxue sighed to herself, and spoke up, "Everyone, go now. His words are true, let's not waste time."
Her students looked terrified, but quickly rushed to their mechs. Shen Ruxue had already been acknowledged by her students, winning their trust.
"Ye, these 20 students have to be drilled," Shang emphasised on the word "drilled".
Ye Chong assented. He understood what Shang meant. If these students failed to follow orders in future, it would be a big problem. Better to train them beforehand. However, time was something they were short of right now, so it would have to wait until after hijacking their means of escape.
Allowing the students to return and bring their families along was Shang's idea. Shang explained in detail to Ye Chong the reasoning behind it. There must be many family members for all these students, and it may seem like a larger burden on their escape plan. However, it was the only way to persuade the students to leave with him. Besides, if they encountered any danger, the students would naturally fight with all they got to protect their families. On the other hand, the starship was large enough to accommodate everyone with room to spare, requiring no further effort from Ye Chong.
Shang concluded that it was an all-benefits-and-no-harm bargain.
Ye Chong mused over his reasoning, realizing that there was a lot of thought was put into this seemingly generous offer. Shang and Mu are truly very different!
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Group 24's instructor, Shen Ruxue. I think that we're going to be partners in the foreseeable future." Shen Ruxue finally composed herself, and realized that she did not know this instructor's name, only referring to him as Number 231. In fact, the Research Consortium did not require real names and information in order to be hired. This was a norm in Gray Valley. There were no countries in Gray Valley, and territorial boundaries were many and complicated. It was too easy to forge an identity.
"Jay!" Ye Chong replied to Shen Ruxue with his fake name that Shang had conjured up for him. Ye Chong did not feel guilty at all for lying about his name. It was becoming second nature.
Shen Ruxue asked straightforwardly, "Do you have a plan?"
Shen Ruxue's skin was tanned, probably due to prolonged outdoor activity. Her body was all muscles and no fat, and her fitting combat uniform traced her curves clearly. She had short and clear cut hair, a sharp chin and arching eyebrows. Upon closer inspection, he found that this female mech pilot actually refreshing, with perfectly balanced facial features.
The now calm Shen Ruxue looked honest and open, lacking the typical shyness found in other women. She smiled when she noticed Ye Chong's gaze on her, unannoyed by it. She could see that this Jay guy was not leering at her.
Ye Chong found himself impressed by her a little more. He had always been very choosy with his comrades. So far, the only ones that he acknowledged as comrades were Mu, Shang and Rui Bing.
Rui Bing … That training garb, white as snow, the girl who sat high and straight …
Ye Chong quickly gathered his thoughts and replied calmly, "I have many."
"Many?" Shen Ruxue looked surprised. She studied the reserved man beside her, and could not see anything unusual about him. She was about to ask him some more when Jay closed his eyes and sat down. Shen Ruxue hesitated before joining him on the floor.
Ye Chong was conversing with Shang.
"Ye, I've checked all the starships in the docking zone. Today, there are a total of 125 starships scheduled for departure. 16 of them are large-sized starhips. Six of these are already filled up with goods. Two of them carry maintenance parts, while the other four carry goods including energy cells. Our main options are these four starships."
Shang paused, unable to hide his excitement. He was always more interested in these kind of activities.
"These four starships are not too heavily guarded. However, the one called Haskel has the weakest security. Hence, this will be our main target."
Ye Chong listened closely, taking in every detail.
"Haskel will leave at 2250, but her crew will assemble at 1900. Our operation must be carried out before 1900. Ye, I will first hack into their control photon processor to take over their starship systems. I believe this operation will not too difficult for you, but there are a few things to keep in mind. To avoid causing any damage to the starship, I think it's better if you don't attack with mechs. Haskel's crew will keep the starship flying, so their safety is of the highest priority."
Ye Chong thought through Shang's plan and did not see any obivious holes. They decided to go ahead with the operation.
By then, some of the students had already returned with their families. Since they were brought to the training camp so abruptly, they looked mostly confused and afraid. The families discussed amongst themselves in bafflement. Most of them looked at Ye Chong doubtfully.
Xi Qing was from Crysound City, so he was the first to come back. He brought not only his family members, but also his good friend White. White himself had no surviving family members since his parents died two years ago.
Xi Qing settled his family down before rushing back to Ye Chong, panting. White remembered Number 231 as a failed instructor, and could not believe that the front line had lost. He was only here because of his friend. In fact, he believed that all this trouble was some trick played by the failed instructor.
"Instructor, what do we do next?" He had hurried to and from his home, and could barely catch his breath. However, deep down, he was feeling excited. Shen Ruxue was now looking at Xi Qing.
Ye Chong opened his eyes, took a glance at Xi Qing, then dropped a bombshell, "We're hijacking a ship."