Chapter 581: You Are My Strength (1/2)
Chapter 581: You Are My Strength
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Rui Bing and her companions came to a stop. In front of them was a meadow of some kind. This was not grass, not exactly. The hair-like plants were vertical and swayed lazily. Rui Bing and Sang Kan could not quite find the words to describe it. In the end, Aried came up with a name that they both agreed with.
Sea of Threads - exactly what Mei Wu called it.
”Something's off.” Rui Bing quickly realized that something felt wrong around the Sea of Threads. She could not use her sensitive mental waves here.
Sang Kan asked, ”What's wrong?” He excelled in strength and speed, but not in mental skills, so he could not detect the changes.
Rui Bing did not know how to explain it to him. In fact, she had never experienced anything like it. When Rui Bing deployed Guardian, she was shocked to find that her vision was simply an empty sheet of white, despite being able to see in the purple mist earlier on.
”I can't use Guardian here.” Rui Bing's words sent a chill to Sang Kan and Aried. Rui Bing was the main combatant of the trio, and Guardian was key to their safety. If Guardian was of no use, they must not stay here.
It was impossible to imagine what would happen to them without Guardian if a threat showed up. Sang Kan and Aried exchanged a nervous look. They were not expecting this.
”Do we continue forward or not?” Aried asked slowly.
Sang Kan looked to Rui Bing, who was standing straight and still. Her white training garb flapped in the wind. Rui Bing stared at the endless Sea of Threads. It was quiet but for the sound of the breeze. Rui Bing could not help but recall the face of a cold, young man.
”When are you ready to marry me?”
”Marry? Why should I marry you?”
”You kissed me.”
”I did not kiss you.”
”You did.”
”I didn't!”
”You did!”
”I did not kiss you, probably.”
”You did!”
…
Words from the past came back to her. A red blush crept up Rui Bing's fair skinned neck. Rui Bing felt her cheeks turned hot. She took a deep breath in. Her tired body was suddenly filled with strength again. Emotions overwhelmed her. Rui Bing's gaze became clear and determined.
She looked into the distance and spoke softly, ”Let's go!”
…
Ye Chong kept a tight rein over the stronghold expansion works. With enough resources in his hands, he began to advance further into Darkniss. They were camped near Mei Wu's cave dwelling. Building a small base had become a familiar task for Ye Chong's men.
It took only three days to complete the stronghold.
Close to the stronghold were piles of metal chunks. Ye Chong now had 27 liquid metal auto-extractors in place. There were also 13 metal ore sites and six mineral reserves under his control. Production never stopped at these places to provide Ye Chong with enough metal. He now had enough resources to become an independent force in the He Yue Galaxy or the Five Galaxies, and this was just the beginning of his mining operations. There were still many resources that he had not begun harvesting. He had enough resources from the current production sites. The only expansion he had in mind was the rare mineral reserves. It would be a waste to mine resources without putting them to use.
The latest base, Stronghold 4, now had its perimeter cleared of wild animals. Armed with mechs, the students were now the dominant power in Darkniss. To the right of the stronghold entrance was a 10-by-2.5-kilometer field that they had cleared and flattened.
There were only smooth and flat rocks in this clearing.
The students had gotten used to seeing new and interesting things as part of their daily lives. They would not settle for their old, primitive lives ever again. Besides, Ye Chong took care of their families through certain channels. Their families received heavy monetary compensation, and this gave the students peace of mind. Thus, they continued to serve their commander with undying loyalty.
Their commander demanded more and more improvement from them. Their training became much harder than when they first started. By following the sequence of base training, actual combat, analysis, and finally, specialized training, they improved at an astounding rate. They could feel this improvement in actual combat. Wild creatures that were difficult to kill at first were now easy prey.
Nevertheless, they did not try to venture too deep into Darkniss. Caution was a quality that Ye Chong never stopped emphasizing to them.
In the 10-kilometer long clearing, a huge metal structure was slowly erected. The structure reached from one end to the other. The weapon-smiths worked on this structure every day.
Was their commander thinking of building a metal stronghold? The students were curious, but no one asked the commander himself. They were not yet so bold. The engineering works continued, and the metallic structure grew from a simple framework to a complicated piece of technology. Everyone could see that the metallic structure was a huge and intricate project. This must be a huge and miraculous work of engineering - all the students thought so.
…
After 13 days of non-stop running, Rui Bing's lips began to crack. She looked tired, but the determination in her eyes did not waver.
They did not have much drinking water left, and had to ration it carefully. There was no water in the Sea Threads, but they must cross it as soon as possible. In the past 13 days, Rui Bing and Sang Kan never stopped running as quick as they could manage.
Sang Kan looked exhausted too. He had Aried on his back all this while. He was so tired even lifting a finger was hard work. However, he was as resilient as any member of the Sang Tribe. He never complained in the past 13 days.
The Sea of Threads had a uniform appearance. There was nothing else but the light blue colored threads. They saw no other creatures, and no source of water. This wide piece of earth sustained only one species of life - the light blue colored threads.
”Look!” Aried cried out excitedly from Sang Kan's back as he pointed in front of them with his trembling hand.
The terrain was changing quickly. They were almost out of the Sea of Threads! Sang Kan and Rui Bing were both invigorated by the news. They picked up their pace and ran for it.