143 Death—we shall die together as well

“Now I see,” Wang Jingze uttered, and in that instant, Zhong Yun sensed danger. Without hesitation, he sprang up and knocked Yu Daoqing to the ground beside him.

As Wang Jingze declared, “Game over…” a thunderous explosion erupted. The metal floor beneath Zhong Yun shattered, leaving a gaping hole.

A fierce gust swept over Zhong Yun’s body, stinging his back sharply. Once the shockwaves subsided, he hurriedly pulled Yu Daoqing through the roughly one-meter-wide hole and fled.

No sooner had they landed than two blue laser nets sealed the room. Had they delayed even a moment longer, they would have been trapped like turtles in a jar.

“Zhong Yun…” Wang Jingze was stunned by this sudden turn of events. His voice boiled with rage as he cursed Zhong Yun for ruining his plans.

“You won’t escape,” he said with a sinister tone.

Below Yu Daoqing’s room lay a vast warehouse. Escaping that cramped chamber, Yu Daoqing felt both startled and relieved. “How did you manage that?” she asked.

Spaceships are forged from the toughest metals. Though this floor wasn’t part of the hull, nearly a meter thick, Yu Daoqing had seen no sign of Zhong Yun planting explosives. Surely Wang Jingze hadn’t seen either, or he wouldn’t have wasted time talking.

“We’ll talk about that later,” Zhong Yun said, eyeing the neatly stacked crates. He guessed what this place was and a mischievous smile crept across his face. The warehouse was enormous, a perfect arena for Yu Daoqing, a level ten powerhouse, to wield her strength. Unlike the cramped room above where a door could almost seal their doom.

“What are you doing?” Yu Daoqing asked suspiciously as Zhong Yun rifled through boxes. If she didn’t know him better, she might have scolded him for acting recklessly in such a dire situation.

“Vice Captain Wang has been so hospitable; it’s only right we return the favor,” Zhong Yun replied.

The warehouse mainly stored food supplies and energy blocks, along with various components to repair the ship’s instruments in case of malfunction.

Zhong Yun dug through these parts, selecting a few, then began dismantling them with tools from a box.

“Are they still inside the warehouse?” Wang Jingze’s face darkened in the main control room.

“Yes, they haven’t emerged yet,” a crew member answered.

No surveillance cameras covered the warehouse interior, only its entrance. Wang Jingze couldn’t see what the two were up to, which only worsened his mood.

“Keep the laser cage around that room active,” he ordered. Zhong Yun was cunning; if he tried a counterattack to slip away, it would be disastrous.

Worse, Zhong Yun possessed powerful bombs capable of breaching the ship’s hull. Wang Jingze didn’t know how many he carried.

“Seal the warehouse doors completely. Armed personnel must guard every room around it. Remember, do not harm the woman.”

“And disable the escape pods,” he added.

“But—” his deputy rose to protest.

Wang Jingze waved him off. “Do as I say.”

***

“Yes, sir.”

Wang Jingze stared intently at the surveillance feed at the warehouse entrance. Once they returned to his base, Yu Daoqing would be firmly under his control.

The situation had reversed. No one aboard the ship could match Yu Daoqing’s strength. They relied solely on numbers and resources to counter her—defense was manageable, but offense was suicide. In such a vast warehouse, even a swarm couldn’t overwhelm a level ten warrior.

Though Wang Jingze held a black metal rod powerful enough to challenge her, his cautious nature kept him from risking a direct attack. Stealing a strike against the captain had been a last resort.

Without weapons inside the warehouse, he felt less anxious about Yu Daoqing and Zhong Yun. The only concern was the mysterious signal—if he was right, a distress call.

With that in mind, he issued another command: “Full speed ahead.”

“Full speed ahead,” his deputy echoed.

The ship suddenly accelerated, catching Zhong Yun unprepared. He tumbled, banging his head hard on a metal crate, cursing fiercely.

Yu Daoqing fared better, leaning on a crate and only feeling a slight pressure and breathlessness.

“What’s the ship’s maximum altitude?” Zhong Yun, rubbing his injury, asked.

“Since the base is close to Vol Star, it’s only a short trip. This ship is sublight,” Yu Daoqing answered.

“Hopefully we still make it in time,” Zhong Yun sighed, feeling cursed. Twice he had boarded a Davo ship for space travel; twice disaster struck.

Worse yet, Xiao Ling had taken the Mars ship to the planet he and Yu Daoqing had named New Jupiter to begin infrastructure construction. The planet was registered and managed by the Omni National Management Company, and their first supplies had arrived a month ago.

To prevent accidents, Xiao Ling kept the Wasp II and Wasp III ships. Yet, the base traitor had hijacked them, and they were no match for the enemy’s ion cannon.

Why was he always so unlucky? Zhong Yun felt deeply frustrated. Now all he could pray was for the Mars ship to arrive before their enemies returned, or both he and Yu Daoqing would be in grave danger.

At worst, it would be a fight to the death. Zhong Yun was never one to surrender quietly.

Due to limited conditions and incomplete parts, Zhong Yun couldn’t craft much. His focus turned to the energy blocks.

These blocks contained immense energy, but their structure was extremely stable, unlikely to explode even under high heat and pressure. Yet Zhong Yun knew a method to destabilize them, turning them into powerful bombs.

After his near-death experience on the Tongguang Star ship, Zhong Yun had studied countless survival techniques for spaceship disasters and simulated combat scenarios, gaining valuable knowledge.

The bomb he had used to blast through the meter-thick floor was one of five he found on the Mars ship. Only one centimeter in size, he sewed it into his sleeve to keep as a last resort.

***

This bomb’s power came from a special design: its core was hollow and filled with a metal-corrosive solution that silently ate through metal without visible signs. That’s how it could effortlessly create a large hole in the thick floor.

Unfortunately, the other four bombs were sewn into other clothes stored in his room, or else he might have blown up the ship’s propulsion system.

Though bombs made from energy blocks were powerful, destroying a spaceship was another matter.

Spaceships were sturdier than most imagined. Space was full of dangers; even drifting cosmic dust could shred inferior metals. At sublight speeds, these dust particles were like bullets traveling at near light speed.

Thus, destroying a spaceship wasn’t easy. Even if a hull section was breached, the area would be quickly sealed, preventing fatal damage.

Only destruction of core areas like the engine room or main control room could cause irreparable harm.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” Yu Daoqing said, watching Zhong Yun work, a surge of guilt washing over her.

“What? Feeling guilty?” Zhong Yun didn’t pause and teased casually, “Then just offer yourself to me. I don’t mind.”

“This is our fate,” Yu Daoqing murmured dreamily.

“Huh? What did you say?” Zhong Yun didn’t catch it.

“You’re right. This is our fate,” her voice barely audible.

She recalled their first meeting—the wild joy and bitter disappointment. Joy for gaining two companions, disappointment that he couldn’t even speak the standard space language, making communication impossible. Who would have thought a small misunderstanding would keep three compatriots from recognizing each other on a distant primitive planet?

Returning to Davo, seeing Zhang Xiao’s familiar face on TV brought shock and delight. Learning from Ou Feng that the irreparable Jialanqin was fixed by a boy sparked curiosity. Hearing Zhong Yun’s name stirred excitement, and seeing his photo brought laughter and awe.

Reuniting with Zhong Yun was pure joy. Discovering he was a descendant of Jialan filled her with warmth and excitement. From then on, she was no longer alone; her heart held a newfound bond. Orphaned since childhood, she had never felt this before.

A series of coincidences made her believe this was all arranged by fate.

Now, trapped again in unprecedented peril aboard an enemy ship filled with hostile forces, their situation was even more dire than six years ago when her ship crashed—almost a death sentence.

Though her physical power had reached level ten, she had no formal combat training; all her fighting skills came from her time as a tribe leader on that primitive world. Compared to the enemies, she had no real advantage.

Yet, this time she felt no despair or helplessness like before. Her mind was calm. “If we die, we die together.”

***

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