Chapter 498: Change VI (1/2)

Chapter 498: Change VI

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Ye Chong was now between a rock and a hard place. The warp jump point offered by the former space pirate was the only escape route he had, but if they really entered the Calamitous Asteroid Belt, just how much of the fleet would survive the journey?

They would probably suffer heavily.

Nevertheless, Ye Chong was not an indecisive person. Entering the Calamitous Asteroid Belt offered a chance to survive, but not entering the Calamitous Asteroid Belt would lead to certain death. The choice was obvious.

To the Calamitous Asteroid Belt!

Once word got around the fleet, it ignited an uproar. Soon, Haskel received requests from a few starships to leave the fleet. Ye Chong let them leave without delay.

Once these ships left, many others followed. What were the implications of entering the Calamitous Asteroid Belt? This was a place of death, a place with dangers that no human could defend against. Entering the Calamitous Asteroid Belt was suicidal. Besides, the strategy of the red-tailed beasts was only a guess. Sir Jay might be powerful, but he could still make mistakes. His prediction was not supported by any strong proof.

Their assessment of the situation was completely opposite to Ye Chong's. Entering the Calamitous Asteroid Belt would lead to certain death, but the intention of the red-tailed beasts was still suspect. The choice was obvious in this way.

Ye Chong did not stop any of them from leaving. Their departure would reduce the overall strength of the fleet, but to him, that was actually preferable. These doubtful people would otherwise be a ticking time bomb to the fleet. They might behave unpredictably should they encounter any dangers ahead.

He would rather let them leave than have this risk in the fleet.

For the people on those departing ships who wished to stay, Ye Chong accepted them all. Many of them were the mech pilots and technical staff who worked under him. They had trained under Ye Chong's rule, and thus were more loyal than others. The mech pilots who were trained by Ye Chong himself in particular had all stayed behind.

As soldiers of the frontlines, they realize that without Sir Jay, they would be powerless against the red-tailed beasts. It was because of Sir Jay that they were no longer mediocre mech pilots. Now, they could hold their own against the red-tailed beasts. Leaving Sir Jay would spell their deaths. Besides, with Sir Jay in the fleet, they would face any danger ahead together.

If that was the case, what else was there to be afraid of?

The fleet's army shrunk dramatically. There were now only 500 ships left, carrying about 150 thousand people. To Ye Chong's surprise, the remains of the fleet were stronger than before. Not only did they manage to retain all combatants, the ratio of technical staff was also higher. In terms of resources, they lost little else but the energy cells allocated to the departing starships.

All in all, the situation was still under his control.

Ye Chong reorganized the fleet immediately, consolidating the fleet hierarchy. The fleet had seemed too large and unwieldy before this. Back then, with a smaller proportion of combatants, he needed to allocate more of them for defensive measures.

Now, however, things were much better.

Since the decision was made, let's do this! Ye Chong gave the order for the fleet to advance towards the Calamitous Asteroid Belt.

It would be another 15 days before they reach the Calamitous Asteroid Belt.

In these 15 days, Ye Chong did not plan to be idle. His mech pilots trained as usual, but the maintenance crew were kept busy in their every waking hour.

All the starships received orders to fortify the hulls. This must be achieved in these 15 days. Ye Chong had been in and out of the Calamitous Asteroid Belt a few times. With Mu and Shang's aid, and a bit of luck, he had managed to do so unscathed so far. Hence, he understood the place much better than others.

The Calamitous Asteroid Belt's biggest danger was its asteroid whirlpools. The large and small rocks in the whirlpool could reduce anything to dust. However, if that captain was right, it would take them only three days to reach the warp jump point. The chances of them encountering an asteroid whirlpool in that time was low.

From Ye Chong's experience, the asteroid whirlpools were usually in the deeper parts of the Calamitous Asteroid Belt. They rarely occurred near the boundaries. Therefore, they should prioritize in protecting the hulls of their ships from being damaged by the floating rocks in the Calamitous Asteroid Belt.

Most of the ships were civilian type, much weaker in structure compared to their warships. It was necessary and urgent for them to strengthen these ships at their vulnerable spots to make them tougher.