Chapter 291

Chapter 291

Ye Mo arrived quickly, but when he got there, the hatch was already open, and a smaller one had already gotten half its body in.

Ye Mo leaped onto the warship, stabbed his sword into the bug by the hatch while simultaneously unleashing his mental power. The insects surrounding the ship instinctively stopped, retreating in fear, though they did not disperse.

Ye Mo only had time for a quick glance before turning to the hatch. If it had been his father, or Baide and the others, they could have driven them back.

He used his sword as a lever to pull the insect out.

The hatch was already damaged, and once the insect was pulled out, it began to fall automatically.

Ye Mo propped the hatch open with his shoulder and leaned in to look. Inside the corridor, he saw a dead insect, with two soldiers standing in front of it. The insect wasn't enormous, but it nearly filled the entire corridor, leaving only space at the top.

Ye Mo breathed a sigh of relief. Probably only this one had gotten in.

As Ye Mo held the door open, the two soldiers standing before the insect heard the commotion and turned around. They held swords in their hands, looking like they’d just finished a fight.

Ye Mo urged them, "Hurry!"

One of Grath’s men turned and said, "Move faster! Evacuate! The young prince is here to back us up."

He then made for the exit.

Others also vaulted over the insect and came this way.

Ye Mo had already turned around, pointing his sword outward. After a while, he sensed someone approaching and stepped aside to clear the way.

But then he felt the weight lift off his shoulder.

The young man who arrived first took over holding the hatch open, while another comrade stayed in the corridor to assist the others.

The young man was taller than Ye Mo, and even though he hunched slightly while bracing the hatch with his shoulder, he still appeared much larger than Ye Mo.

When Ye Mo glanced at him sideways, the young man smiled and said, "Young prince, this is my job."

Ye Mo straightened up. His thoughts, numbed by the flood of information from his immense mental power, started working again.

He remembered—he had seen this guy before; the young man seemed to have been near the hatch all along.

Ye Mo nodded at him. Just as he stood up and took a step, ready to throw himself back into the swarm, blood exploded from the young man’s chest.

Ye Mo turned his head, blood droplets splattering across half his face.

He instinctively returned and caught the young man. His hands grew warm, then his arms and chest—the fabric was soaked in blood.

Another person, hearing the commotion, came over to take over holding the hatch. Soon, others arrived as well, lifting the wounded man from Ye Mo’s arms and beginning first aid.

Ye Mo looked ahead, locking onto a target.

The mech had already appeared in the air during the attack.

"Why?"

Ye Mo stared hard at the enemy, not specifying what he meant, but everyone knew what he meant.

The mech shifted into a defensive stance. Inside the cockpit, Aize hesitated for a moment in response to Ye Mo’s question, then replied, his voice coming through tinny and robotic: "It’s not over yet."

Aize was tense. The weapon he had just used was not meant for bugs. Its power had been reduced for concealment, making it nearly useless against them. Was this the pitiful defense they had against the bugs?

He continued, "The fight won’t stop until the resource war is over."

Ye Mo said nothing. It was unclear whether he accepted the answer. Expressionless, he stood there, angled his sword blade down, and slightly lowered his body.

This was his stance whenever he attacked bugs, and now it exuded immense pressure. Even the massive mech in front of him instinctively stepped back.

Then, they heard the wristband they got for the competition beep.

"Emergency notice! The resource war is suspended! The resource war is suspended! Return to Central Star immediately!"

The wristband repeated the message.

Ye Mo looked up at the sky, then at the mech. Finally, he straightened up and sheathed his sword.

Then he drew it again.

The mech in midair tensed once more, but Ye Mo simply drove the sword into the ground.

He knelt on one knee, using the sword for support.

His mental power surged through the sword as a medium, instantly sweeping the whole battlefield.

In an instant, Aize lost control of his mech and plummeted. The bugs near the warship twitched a few times then went still.

Ye Mo gripped the sword hilt tightly, knuckles white from the pressure, even trembling slightly. Soon, his mental power started going haywire.

It swept through even faster than before, roaming aimlessly but sending every gauge on the warships and mother ship haywire wherever it passed.

For now, they hadn’t completely lost control, but if they did, with Ye Mo’s highly destructive mental nature, things would get ugly.

Gu Yixiao looked up. The command center was filled with alarms signaling anomalies. The screens were showing fragmented data. The resource war had been halted. "Send someone to check on the young prince’s condition."

"Better wait a moment. The signal is unstable, Chief Commander."

Even Ye He, far away at Base Seven, sensed something wrong. The incoming data was getting unstable.

He received a signal from Ye Mo every ten minutes. The previous one had come just a few minutes ago, but when he sent another inquiry, there was no response.

When Ye Mo’s mental power swept past, he frowned deeply and started pulling in fleets from nearby bases.

"Why was the resource war suddenly suspended? I couldn’t even speak earlier, and the signal was intermittent. I’ve never seen anything like this in eight centuries. Only once before, a rare particle storm caused a two-second disruption."

"Is this the same move Baide used before? If so, Cyril must be really strong..."

"But it’s obviously off. Baide seemed to have better control, even if the range wasn’t as large, the power was stronger."

Outside the arena.

Norton stood up. On the leadership platform nearby, someone looked over, whispering among themselves despite the cameras aimed at them.

Behind Norton, Secretary-General Lin pushed up his glasses, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

Norton paid no attention to anyone or any gaze. He released his own mental power.

The massive mental power was unleashed openly, reaching Ye Mo and reining in his uncontrolled mental energy.

The uncontrolled warships and mother ship returned to normal, and the chaotic instruments immediately stabilized.

Norton's mental power carried Ye Mo swiftly back along the path they had come.

Elsewhere, Grath had sensed it when Ye Mo first showed signs of abnormality.

Now, Arnold and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Baide from Base One looked up, for once not smiling, serious instead, frowning. "Cyril..."

Ye Mo knelt there, head bowed, exhaling deeply.

Norton gently soothed his psychic energy, combing through it.

It was as if a lion had picked up a cub that had accidentally fallen into water, carried it back to the territory, placed it in a safe spot, and patiently licking the wet fur of the dejected cub.

...

The Star Alliance had already dispatched a mother ship and issued an announcement, urging the contestants to retreat so the star sector could be sealed off.

Mother ships with various emblems arrived one by one at the Central Star.

But no one left.

Ye Mo arrived relatively early, having retreated with the Star Alliance's medical mother ship that had remained on-site.

He walked into the venue alone.

There were already dried bloodstains on his hands and on the side of his face, and though his uniform was black, large dark patches were still visible.

The moment he stepped in, thunderous cheers erupted around him.

Ye Mo paused at the sound, his head still lowered.

All around him were spectators cheering wildly, looking ecstatic.

They shouted the name 'Cyril', and some even held up banners with his name, as if welcoming a hero.

Many people excitedly threw flowers at him, though the venue was so vast that none landed at Ye Mo's feet. Yet the flowers kept coming, and both sides of the spectator stands were filled with blossoms and various knick-knacks.

On the main screen, the live feed showed Ye Mo's figure.

Ye Mo only paused for a moment, then continued walking. His fingertips still felt sticky. He recalled the dazed look in the young man's eyes as he fell, and the smile on that young face.

Strangely, as Ye Mo walked silently, the cheers gradually died down.

By the time Ye Mo reached the platform of Grath's leader, the venue had largely fallen silent.

Everyone watched as Ye Mo climbed the high platform step by step.

Norton sat there as before, no different from when Ye Mo had left.

Ye Mo ascended the platform and stopped.

It wasn't until Norton extended his hand that Ye Mo slowly walked over to him. He crouched beside Norton and rested his head on his lap.

Norton reached out, just as he had done a thousand times before, stroking Ye Mo's hair, all the way to the nape of his neck.

The camera zoomed in close. Everyone in the venue watched them, the atmosphere turning strange.

Ye Mo slowly relaxed his tense muscles.

His hand rested on Norton, getting his clothes dirty, but no one cared.

Ye Mo's mind was in turmoil. Those cheers were for him, weren't they? But why?

Was it because he had killed the bugs, or was it something else? Why were they so happy?

Somewhere deep down, Ye Mo already sensed the answer. A jumble of chaotic emotions filled his heart, leaving him unsure what to do.

Ye Mo suddenly spoke up. "Father."

Norton's hand paused.

Ye Mo continued, "I hate this competition."

"It's not like a competition. It's like a—"

Ye Mo paused, then said, "A gladiator pit."

If they wanted to test strength, there were many ways—through the Starnet's full-immersion virtual worlds, or by fighting bugs. But not like this.

Norton continued gently stroking the back of Ye Mo's neck. "You don't like it."

It was a statement.

Ye Mo grunted in agreement, his hand gripping Norton's clothes tightly.

Such sacrifices were meaningless. All the deaths were overshadowed by cheers, reduced to entertainment for the masses.

"Why don't they go kill the bugs themselves?"

"It will change."

Norton answered him.