Chapter 265

Chapter 265

While Lakeley was still fretting over Ye Mo.

Zener's relationship with Ye Mo had already gotten a lot closer.

Zener spread his blanket on the ground and invited Ye Mo to sit down with him. This blanket was something he had dug up while rummaging through boxes in the aquarium. Zener had been keeping it and now let Ye Mo use it.

They'd already moved from talking about who was older and whether they should call each other brother, to the flavors of nutrient fluids.

"This strawberry flavor is good, very sweet. The captain keeps a lot of it in his Mecha Button. Our captain is great. Other than the mecha, his Mecha Button is filled with these things, along with our nutrient fluids and medicine."

In the Resource War, you can bring a limited amount of declared supplies, and the Mecha Button can only carry a limited amount. In Kainan's team, only Leisa had a bigger Mecha Button, and he could stash extra stuff there without it messing up his mecha.

Ye Mo also took out his own nutrient fluids, unfortunately finding he didn't have strawberry flavor. "I only have one flavor."

"Cucumber flavor? That's weird. I'll swap you a few."

Zener looked a bit sheepish and lowered his voice, "I can't give them to you. Nutrient fluids can't be brought in large quantities per team. Ours are almost running out, so the captain will have to find more. Our captain works really hard."

Ye Mo shook his head, "It's okay, I have plenty."

He thought for a moment and pointed in a direction, "There's a relatively hidden vending machine over there. I took some, and there's still a lot left. I can take you there."

Zener got excited, "Really?"

The blond youth beside him reminded, "You have to tell the captain beforehand."

Zener's face fell, "The captain definitely won't agree."

He still wasn't buying it.

"But Ye Mo is so young, and he can go."

The blond youth glanced at him but said nothing.

Leisa wouldn't let them go out to search for supplies. The only supply Zener had found was that blanket, which wasn't useful now, but wouldn't it come in handy when the sleeping bag capsules ran out? Zener, always thinking ahead, figured.

He soon perked up again, "You tell me the location, and I can tell the captain later."

After noting the location, he whispered to Ye Mo, "Our captain is too nervous. He's afraid we'll encounter enemies if we go out alone. But I'm not really scared, and I want to help out."

Ye Mo whispered back, "Aren't you scared of getting caught and not being able to take them?"

Ye Mo himself was a bit nervous. He was afraid of disgracing Norton, and Baide would definitely mock him too.

"I'm a little scared, to be honest. My grades in the military academy were okay, but they're definitely not enough once I'm out. I can't even last a minute against the captain. But the captain works hard. If I get beaten, I can just surrender quickly and drop out of the match. They can't keep chasing me, can they?"

The Resource War has a surrender mechanism, but to prevent passive play, you can't just surrender directly. You can only withdraw when you're outmatched in a fight. They and their mechas all have those devices. If the device is damaged, you can also surrender verbally. As long as you clearly express the intention to surrender, you can exit the battlefield, and the opponent cannot continue to pursue.

Zener laughed as he said this, and a small dimple appeared on his babyface, making Ye Mo want to poke it.

Ye Mo actually asked, "Zener, can I poke your dimple?"

Zener's face puffed up, and the dimple disappeared. "I'm older than you. You have to call me senior. You can only poke it once at most."

The next day, when Ye Mo woke up, the sky was still dark.

Zener was curled up not far away in his sleeping bag, with his teammates tucked in a corner nearby. He had insisted on placing his sleeping bag next to Ye Mo the night before, whispering to Ye Mo before falling asleep.

Ye Mo placed the blanket Zener had given him and a few nutrient fluids beside him.

As he stood up, he met the gaze of Leisa, who had been keeping watch outside all night.

Leisa still looked gentle, nodded at Ye Mo, and then tossed something to Ye Mo from a distance.

Ye Mo caught it instinctively. When he looked at it, he found it was a portable sleeping bag capsule, half the size of a finger. He had seen Zener use one the night before. The inside was a gel that, when released, rapidly expanded into a sleeping bag upon contact with air. Grath didn't have these.

When he looked back at Leisa, Leisa had already turned his head, looking into the distance.

Ye Mo left.

Lakeley, who had been tense all along, breathed a sigh of relief. He had been keeping an eye on Xiboen's movements.

Xiboen was coming.

That infamous pack of jackals was about to catch up.

Xiboen's methods were always controversial. They fought without scruples, were ruthless, and delighted in humiliating their enemies. But their battles were spectacular to watch, and their members were strong. A lot of people ate that stuff up, so they were always a hot topic in the Resource War. Many professional commentators focused on them, and the main perspective often switched to their side.

The audience watched Xiboen while also keeping an eye on Kainan's movements.

"They're nearby! They'll catch up soon! Tear them apart!"

"I love this kind of thing—getting back at you for the smallest thing, never letting it go. Revenge at all costs. See any fool daring to provoke Xiboen now?"

"Schrödinger's vengeance, right? Against Kainan, it's vengeance. Against Buston? They're nicer than a grandkid visiting grandma and grandpa."

"Don't worry about that. As long as it gets views. Not many countries ahead of Xiboen have more attention than them."

...

On the other side, Leisa announced that they needed to leave quickly as soon as everyone woke up. Zener followed Leisa while packing his things, including the blanket.

"Let's go check it out when we leave, Captain. Ye Mo said it's nearby, very close."

Leisa heard some movement and walked outside.

Leisa stopped in his tracks. Zener halted urgently and asked in confusion, "Captain?"

He looked past Leisa and saw two people standing in the distance. They were walking toward them while looking their way, both wearing Xiboen uniforms.

Zener froze in place until Leisa shoved him hard backward.

"Run."

As soon as the words were spoken, Leisa pressed his Mecha Button without hesitation. The mecha instantly covered his body. He charged forward, attacking the enemy fiercely.

Xiboen's members also immediately equipped their mechas. They dodged Leisa's attack and instead fired into the air—signaling others to come quickly—then focused on blocking Leisa's assault. "You've been hard to find, Leisa."

One of them tried to bypass Leisa to chase the others, but Leisa moved back, blocking their path.

"Leisa, you're still so stubborn. Give up early—that's my advice."

Leisa didn't speak, just kept attacking. The opponent couldn't handle his fierce offense and kept retreating.

"Leisa really was the top among the rookies back then. Holding his own in a two-on-one fight without giving ground. If he were in a strong country like Xiboen, with all the resources, he'd definitely be famous by now."

"Did a Xiboen member actually say that? Changed his tune? Lame."

"No, no, no. They know Leisa won't back down. If Leisa gives up, Kainan truly has no one left, and the remaining young team members will be at their mercy. A person like Leisa, who refused to leave even when Kainan was in such a state, how could he give up now?"

"Really vile, I love it!"

"The other Xiboen members are also coming. Aize is here too. With him around, he can keep Leisa in check."

A muffled crash came from behind.

Leisa stopped and turned his head sharply.

He saw a mech lying on the ground, curled up, with a pile of construction materials knocked over beside it.

Then Zener drove his mech over quickly and helped the downed pilot get up.

Finally, the Blond Youth's mech provided cover as the others approached.

Leisa retreated to Zener and the others, his massive mech shielding them.

Zener had been very scared, but seeing Leisa calmed him down. "Captain, we couldn't escape."

Several mechs bearing Xiboen's insignia also landed.

The one who had been fighting Leisa relaxed, ignoring Leisa, and directly greeted the arrivals.

"Aize, you got here fast."

The other replied, "Aize's not gonna talk to you now. A few ran off—we'll have to go find them later. He's very angry."

"Tough break, these guys just ran right into Aize."

"Surrounded? It's over. They're toast. Only Leisa can fight, and his mech isn't up to snuff."

One of the Xiboen members spoke.

"Poor bastards. How about this: if your captain beats one of your guys, I'll let one person go. Deal? I mean it."

Leisa stood up. "You'd better keep your word."

Zener became alert. "Captain, they're definitely up to no good. Let's just give up."

"Now this is gonna be good!"

...

Ye Mo, who was traveling, stopped and found a high building, turning back to look. He couldn't see clearly, but without even needing a close look, he could hear the huge, muffled crashing sounds.

He'd heard this sound a lot lately—it was familiar: the sound of mechs colliding. Someone was fighting, and it wasn't just one or two mechs—likely two teams had met.

But this time was different. It was coming from where Zener and the others were stationed.

Ye Mo paused for a few seconds, confirmed the sound, hesitated, then turned back. He hadn't gone far, so coming back once was no big deal.

Zener wouldn't cry just from getting beaten up, would he? Might as well head back and check.

Lakeley looked at Ye Mo in confusion, then realizing what he meant, panicked. "Going back means walking right into Xiboen. If they catch us, we're screwed."

"Aaargh! Cyril, don't go back. Think about your flag—we only have one flag."

"It's over, he's heading back. Why do all the contestants I pick always end up messing with Xiboen? Xiboen, I really hate them."

"Look on the bright side: maybe Xiboen won't find him."

"This is worse than pissing off Suonan and Orolia. What terrible luck Cyril has."

"Luck that gets you attacked every six hours, doesn't even let you sleep."

In the distance, Baide shaded his eyes with his hand, watching and muttering, "Truly a child of my Grath."

"But is this difficulty level too high?"

He tried to recall Ye Mo's combat skills, only to remember that string of failing grades in combat class.

Baide shook his head. "Better go take a look."