by <unknown>
Static noises came through the communication channel. The contact between the cockpit and the engine compartment had been cut off by the explosions.
Fengyu Ming rushed toward the engine compartment without any hesitation.
He raised his hand. A streak of redness surrounded him and gradually consolidated into a raging crystal suit.
The crystal suit named 'Dark Fire' was a trophy from an expert at the peak of the Building Foundation Stage that his father had killed. It had been modified by the specialists of 'Spider Den', the base planet of the space pirates, with additional plate armor and attack rune arrays. The formidable crystal suit was his biggest reliance on this solo hunting trip.
Despite his young age, Fengyu Ming was truly his father's son; they were both sordid and cunning. Even though he was moving inside his own starship, he still put the crystal suit on.
Rushing through the pathway, Fengyu Ming issued commands in the communication channel, ordering the mechanics to go to the engine compartment as soon as possible.
When he was dozens of meters away from the engine compartment, he was already able to smell the burning scent. Black smoke was floating in the above of the pathway, rolling and pressing down.
At this moment, a minor explosion occurred ahead of him. A lot of smoke was coming right at him.
Fengyu Ming frowned. He was going to charge into the smoke when he suddenly had a palpitation and his brain almost froze!
Fengyu Ming screamed like an animal which was falling into a trap. He burned his soul and leaped forward, while the saber with the tusks of a demon beast in his hand drew an insidious upward curve behind him!
Inside the intense smoke behind him, an intimidating figure was rushing close, as if it were trying to collide into the tip of his saber.
Fengyu Ming's every pore was constricting violently. The surging killing intent behind him was too immense, like an icy piton filled with magma. Sharp, fast, and rampant!
Fengyu Ming felt that he was a dead body that a vulture had got its eyes on. Even his bone marrows were freezing!
Waiting to be killed was not his style. There was no time to dodge when he sensed the incoming attack. Therefore, he simply returned an equally brutal attack so as to die together with his enemy, and he roared to send warnings through the communication channel.
But beyond his expectations—
The master of the rampant killing scent neither dodged nor backed off, but accelerated and crashed right into him!
His tusk saber cut in his opponent's body effortlessly.
In the meantime, his internal organs were savaged by a hot stream that felt like magma, too!
Fengyu Ming's facial expressions were completely frozen. He lowered his head in disbelief and shock, only to find that the plate armor covering his stomach had been dug through by a drill of mystic rays which was still revolving rapidly there, dragging all his internal organs into the throes of agony.
The first thing to be wrecked was his spine. Waves of spiritual energy spread out from the drill of mystic rays and tangled every part of his neural network like parasites harassing their host, making him lose control over his lower half body. The circulation of his spiritual energy was disrupted, too!
What terrified him more was that, although his saber had hit the enemy hard and sure, he did not receive the delightful feedback of a crystal suit and the flesh and blood inside of it being cut through; his saber was like a statue made of mud sinking into a deep ocean.
The spiritual energy blowing out of his saber, which was supposed to have minced the internal organs of his opponent into pieces, also vanished into thin air, as if it had been swallowed by an immeasurable swamp.
What is this guy? Why on earth is he on my starship?
What is his crystal suit made of? Why is it so eccentric that it can absorb not only the physical attack but also my spiritual energy?
It hurts! It hurts so much!
Behind Fengyu Ming, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit gradually appeared, like a wraith wandering in the human world from the deepest level of hell. His glittering tusk saber was caught in the soft defense layer refined out of the transparent body tissue of Skeleton Dragon in the middle of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit's chest.
Li Yao had retrieved a lot of materials from Skeleton Dragon. The most precious ones had all been refined and added to the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit!
Speaking of refining techniques and framework design, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit might be well below the standard of the Flying Star Sector, but in regards of the utilization and coverage rate of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was definitely one of the most extravagant crystal suits!
With the flesh and bones of an ancient deadly demon from forty thousand years ago covering his body, Li Yao simply crushed his enemy by the overwhelming specifications without bothering to consider any tricks at all.
With the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, Li Yao was invincible against the opponents of the same level!
BOOM!
Li Yao burnt his soul. The exhaust flames of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit surged out. The drill of mystic rays was suddenly revolving much faster than before. Fengyu Ming was crying and screaming due to the excruciating pain.
It was a pity that, before he had been able to fully draw out the capability of a Cultivator in the high level of the Building Foundation Stage, he had been dominated by the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit and had completely lost the ability to fight. Li Yao had got him under control.
Li Yao sneered and turned the drill into the claw. Snatching Fengyu Ming's body, he dragged his captive into the engine compartment which was concealed by the smoke.
Li Yao waved his hand casually. Explosions took place behind him at locations that he had carefully calculated. After a moment, the pathway was blocked, the tubes dislocated, and the cabin door twisted.
The transportation between the engine compartment and the outside world had been cut off temporarily and wouldn't be able to be broken through again for another ten to twenty minutes.
Fengyu Ming was finally back to himself from the sharp pain, only to discover that the joints all over his body had been smashed and that he was tied up by countless crystal wires and stuffed on the top of a thick tube like a rice dumpling.
Compared with the weird things that had happened to him, the agitating pain was not a big deal anymore.
In front of him was a crimson light beam, jumping nonstop like a queer lantern, on which a countdown was displayed.
The number on the light beam was 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds…
A black crystal suit was eyeing him coldly within a gory aura that looked like black smoke, as if it were an envoy from the depths of hell.
Although the entire face had been disguised by the facial cover, it was not hard for Fengyu Ming to imagine the brutal and cruel face behind the black metal.
The stranger placed one finger on the light beam softly.
The countdown immediately stopped at 55 seconds.
"Let me explain something for you. Right now, you are sitting on the top of a tube that is used to refill the fuel of one of your crystal reactors. There are four large rune arrays of the wind class inside the tube which can generate immense attraction force to pull the fuel and catalysts into it easily."
From the gap of the black crystal suit came a coarse, high-pitched voice, coldly and emotionlessly, as if it had been produced by scraping metal.
"Although the crystal reactor is malfunctioning somewhat, the temperature inside is still well above two thousand degrees.
"Right now, the connection between the rune arrays of the wind class and your mainframe crystal processor has been cut off by me after they were switched to the dormancy state. Instead, they have been docked to this countdown system of mine.
"When my finger is touching the light beam, the countdown will pause temporarily.
"But when my finger leaves, like this—"
Li Yao rel
eased his finger. The display shivered and continued counting. 54 seconds, 53 seconds, 52 seconds…
"The countdown will continue, and when it reaches zero, the rune arrays of the wind class will be automatically triggered, and you will be swallowed by the crystal reactor.
"As a Building Foundation Stage Cultivator, together with your ragged crystal suit, a temperature of two thousand degrees may not be able to kill you instantly. I estimate that it will take you at least fifteen seconds for you to be burnt to ashes. You must try to enjoy yourself by then."
Li Yao words made the color of Fengyu Ming's face change abruptly.
The quickly counting and changing countdown was stabbing at him like a death sentence.
Fengyu Ming's mental defense line completely collapsed. He roared at the highest of his voice anxiously, "No, No! I can give you whatever you want! I can tell you everything you want to know! Just don't kick me in! Don't kick me in!"
Li Yao remained motionless, and despite his captive's desperate screams, it was not until the countdown showed '40 seconds' that he put his finger on the light beam again.
The countdown came to a pause.
But Fengyu Ming was not in the least relieved. His head felt like exploding, his tears and snot almost jetting out.
"The first question."
Li Yao bent over and gnashed his teeth. "Are you the scumbag who lured an Exo Society to this place?"
Fengyu Ming was dumbfounded, not having the vaguest clue what that meant.
The Purple Electric Blue Fire Claw on Li Yao's left hand dug in his stomach again and gave him another spasm, before he cursed hatefully, "You bastard. Do you have any idea how much time I spent slaying the dogs sent by Heavenly Saints Alliance just in order to run away to such a remote place where they wouldn't find me?
"I was intending to treat my wounds for a few months here before heading back and treating my 'old friends'!
"But you son of a bit*h, you have attracted an Exo Society to this place!
"Let me ask you, do you think I ought to throw you into the crystal reactor and refresh you a little bit?"
Fengyu Ming trembled and suddenly realized what was going on.
Damn. He had run into a fellow pirate, and a senior one!
The guy must have been a notorious outlaw who had committed major felonies, perhaps serial murders, in Heavenly Saints City. After that, the guy had escaped and made all his way to here. But unfortunately, hardly had he taken a breath of rest when Fengyu Ming himself brought the Great Horn Exo Society to this place, which could potentially endanger the fugitive.
No wonder the guy was so pissed-off and looked for his trouble!
But since the guy didn't kill him immediately, there was still room to negotiate. Fengyu Ming started considering the situation and making up possible plans of his survival.
"Senior, this whole thing is a misunderstanding! I'm the young master of Storm Prison. My father is Fengyu Zhong! If Senior spares my life, my father will definitely reward you!"
Li Yao scoffed and lifted his finger. The countdown started bouncing scarily again.
39 seconds… 38 seconds…
"Do you think I'm a fu*king three-year-old?"
Fengyu Ming was so frightened that his heart was palpitating. His tears and snot were all rushing out as he said hurriedly, "Senior, you can't kill me! The Great Horn Exo Society is right behind us. If you kill me, the space pirates on board will be a heap of loose sand without a leader, and there's no way that they will be able to resist our enemy! If so, you will be burdened by them during your runaway!
"If you can spare my life, since I'm going to fight the Great Horn Exo Society either way, you will have more time to escape during the time being!
"Of course, my father is not the most lenient man in the world, but since you didn't reveal who you are, my father won't be able to identify you even if he wants to avenge me!
"However angry you are about me bringing an Exo Society to this place, we are on the same boat right now. The longer I live and stall the Exo Society, the more likely you will be able to get away from here!
"Naturally, I believe you can take down the Great Horn Exo Society easily. But if your location is exposed and the elites of Heavenly Saints City track you down, your seclusion and treatment will definitely be disturbed, which won't be in your favor. Therefore, it's best that you avoid contact with the Exo Society if you have the option to.
"The bottom line is, sparing my life is the most beneficial option for you right now. Such a renowned hero like yourself will surely make the sensible judgement without being distracted by rage. Please do take that into consideration. Spare my life!"
Li Yao sniffed and put his finger on the light beam. The countdown was interrupted again.
At this moment, there were 33 seconds to go before Fengyu Ming was to be thrown into the crystal reactor.
Chapter 452: Ten Seconds To Go! |
"You are a smart one. I'm going to ask three things of you. If you are as smart as you just were, I will be gone in five minutes."
Li Yao asked indifferently, "Firstly, why is the Great Horn Exo Society chasing you? Is it really because you've slain hundreds of pigs, or is it because you killed someone you shouldn't have killed and looted something that you shouldn't have looted?"
"No. It was the plainest starship that I robbed!"
Fengyu Ming felt that he was wronged and exclaimed in defense, "It was an old 'Fast Fish'-level carrier. The crew members were the most mundane farmers. Inside the cabin, there were rice and farming magical equipment and nothing much of value. It was far less rewarding than our first job!
"We didn't kill hundreds of people. There were only ninety-eight crew members on board. At first, I only killed some ten of them in order to frighten the rest. But an old woman rushed out and tried to bite me, cursing me for killing her grandson. My crystal suit was contaminated by her saliva. That is why I killed them all!"
Li Yao's eyes were suddenly extremely cold. "Just because of that, the Great Horn Exo Society chased you for two months?"
"Yes, indeed! Those rabid dogs!"
Fengyu Ming's face was twisted when he talked about the Great Horn Exo Society. He said with the utmost hatred, "I did nothing except kill dozens of ordinary people who weren't even the employers of the Great Horn Exo Society. They were just passing by the wreckage of the cargo ship. A guy seemed to still be breathing and told them everything.
"Then, they signed the contract with the fellow with a bag of rice as the price. They've chased and hunted me through more than ten space zones for more two months!
"Over the past two months, hundreds of Exos have been killed on both sides, including dozens of Cultivators!
"A bag of rice!
"No more than a hundred ordinary people!
"Just because of that, dozens of Cultivators have been killed!
"On our way, I sent telepathic thoughts to the Great Horn Exo Society stating that there are no grudges between our two parties and nobody would win anything if the situation went on like this. Even if they manage to kill me in the end, my father will definitely not let go of them!
"I was even willing to offer them a large sum of money, as long as they agreed to leave us and go separate ways.
"However, those rabid dogs replied that the contract had been made with a bag of rice as the price, and the bag of rice had already been cooked, eaten, digested and excreted. Even the defecation had been flushed away!
"Therefore, the contract was irretractable. They will never let go of me even if they have to pursue me to the end of the sea of stars!
"Rabid dogs! They are a bunch of out-and-out rabid dogs! You must take care, senior. You might get into trouble if you are chased by them despite your amazing abilities!"
Li Yao nodded.
"Good. Your first answer is very satisfactory. Then, the second thing. I know your father Fengyu Zhong to be one of the toughest guys in Spider Den. He must have gathered quite a fortune after dozens of year
s of diligent work as a space pirate.
"You are his only son. He was definitely worried about you on your first solo hunting trip. Although he didn't come personally, he must've given you a huge amount of money, supplies, and magical equipment with you.
"We space pirates, of course, wouldn't deposit money in a bank; we exchange them for the most valuable hard currency and bring them with us.
"Therefore, give me your Cosmos Rings."
Fengyu Ming was dazed for a moment. Rolling his eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "There is a hidden pocket on the left bottom part of the chest in my mustard suit. The Cosmos Ring is right inside the pocket. Please take it by yourself and consider it a gift from a junior to a senior."
Li Yao smiled.
"I'm not done yet. Here are the rules about the second thing.
"Firstly, although your joints have been crushed by me, as a Cultivator in the high level of the Building Foundation Stage, you can still control your muscles with your telepathic thoughts directly to move your body, as long as you can hold back the sharp pain for a while. Therefore, I won't take it myself. You have to give it to me.
"Secondly, a clever rabbit always has more than one home. I don't believe a guy like you just has one Cosmos Ring.
"Your father is a seasoned bandit. He must've taught you a lot of techniques and secret arts. We are both well aware that there are thousands of ways to hide a Cosmos Ring on one's body which wouldn't be found out in a short amount of time.
"I don't want to waste mine, and I'm not interested in interrogation, either.
"Therefore, I will just assume that you brought three Cosmos Rings with you. In a moment, I will release my finger and resume the countdown, and you will give me your three Cosmos Rings promptly.
"If the countdown reaches zero and you haven't taken out the three Cosmos Rings, you die.
"If you really only brought one or two Cosmos Rings, you die.
"If you have four Cosmos Rings with you, then you are a lucky guy. You can keep the most valuable one to yourself since I won't find out anyway."
While he was talking, Li Yao raised his finger and snapped, freeing Fengyu Ming's right hand.
