"Father, why did you give the Lone Swan to Zhong Yun? That’s a treasured heirloom passed down in our Yang family for generations," Yang Yunrong asked as soon as the cave entrance was hidden, unable to hold back any longer.

Yang Bingchang took a spherical device from his inner pocket and placed it between them. It was a high-tech counter-surveillance jammer purchased from Free Star, something he carried with him at all times.

"The Lone Swan has been in our Yang family for over five hundred years," Yang Bingchang said, pressing down the dirt behind him, smoothing out the prickly protrusions. "All its parameters have been studied. Leaving it with us serves no purpose anymore."

"But..." Yang Yunrong tried to protest, but his father's hand pressing down silenced him.

"In five hundred years, how many astonishing geniuses has our Yang family produced? Even a Mech Master as exceptional as your paternal uncle couldn't unleash the Lone Swan's full potential. What's more, neither you nor your elder brother is interested in becoming Mech Masters."

"Then we should definitely keep it," Yang Yunrong failed to grasp his father's reasoning. "Back then, Uncle piloted it, and even without realizing its full capabilities, he defeated countless mechs ranked three stars and above, securing tenth place in the Mech Competition. The Lone Swan is at least a four-star grade, if not higher."

Yang Bingchang fell silent. Due to certain reasons back then, the Yang family's standing was unstable. To boost the nation's prestige, Yang Tianlie made a significant decision: he sent the Yang family's most prized possession, the prototype of the Giant Machinery Group’s finest masterpiece—the 'Seven Styles' mech—under the guise of the 'Lone Swan' to participate in the Joint Mech Competition.

Ultimately, the 'Lone Swan' lived up to expectations and secured tenth place. This not only brought great fame to Davo across the stars but also deterred the Yang family's rival forces.

Seeing his father remain silent, Yang Yunrong assumed he had been persuaded and pressed his advantage. "Besides, aside from Uncle, no one in the Yang family has been able to control the Lone Swan before, but that doesn't mean future generations can't. The Lone Swan is the very foundation upon which our Yang family rose!"

"I understand everything you’ve said," Yang Bingchang spoke up. "However, Zhong Yun is not an outsider."

"Not an outsider?" Yang Yunrong frowned. "But just now, you..."

"This was merely a test," Yang Bingchang smiled slightly. "Things obtained too easily are never truly cherished by people."

And furthermore... Yang Bingchang added internally: Zhong Yun's natural talent is too high. His progress is too rapid. He has not only far surpassed all his peers but is even approaching the pinnacle. He is only seventeen this year.

Possessing such terrifying strength at such a young age might not be a good thing for Zhong Yun. One could imagine his future path in life would be exceedingly smooth: power, wealth, and beautiful women would gather around him automatically, available for him to take or give as he wished, without him needing to pursue them.

All of this would erode his drive completely, turning a genius into mediocrity.

Having seen so much of the world, he had witnessed countless such examples.

Yang Yunrong was momentarily stunned. "But even so, you didn't need to hand the Lone Swan over to him. Moreover, what if he dies? Wouldn't the Lone Swan fall into someone else's hands?"

"He won't die," Yang Bingchang shook his head and said no more.

Seeing his father’s mind was set, Yang Yunrong knew further words were useless. He could only sulk to himself.

Initially, his impression of Zhong Yun was terrible—extremely bad. The data he investigated showed this young man was a completely useless waste. If his sister truly married him, the entire upper class of Davo would laugh their heads off.

Later, when Zhong Yun finally showed some improvement, although he was still unworthy of his sister, at least it wouldn't be too embarrassing. With that, he reluctantly accepted the prospective brother-in-law. Of course, it was merely reluctant; if his sister dumped him someday, he certainly wouldn't feel sorry.

Upon learning today that Zhong Yun possessed a massive secret, Yang Yunrong's impression of him plummeted again to the extreme. With such deep cunning, could Zhong Yun truly be sincere toward his sister?

Zhong Yun ran a considerable distance away, reaching the back of a large tree. He retrieved the Cloak of Invisibility from a hidden pocket and draped it over himself. His figure instantly vanished into the air.

After donning the invisibility cloak, Zhong Yun walked toward an open area. If the enemy couldn't locate their target, they would very likely resort to burning the forest, at which point the more concealed areas would become the most dangerous.

Wandering around the woods, Zhong Yun ultimately returned to the vicinity of the wooden cabin. Only here and the clearing where the aircraft landed offered enough open space.

Finding a spot in the shade, Zhong Yun idly waited for time to pass. Surrounded by boundless coniferous forests, it would take at least two or three hours to walk out in any direction. He might as well wait here. Once reinforcements arrived, there would be no danger.

Fingering the Mech Key in his pocket, Zhong Yun wondered why Yang Bingchang would give this to him. Did he want him to single-handedly challenge those three mechs?

I don't even have basic proficiency in operating a mech. Only if my brain was fried would I try to take on three alone and invite death.

Yang Bingchang couldn't possibly not realize this. So why give this to me? A Mech Key alone—without hundreds of billions of Omi Credits—could never be acquired, let alone a mech above the three-star level, which money couldn't even buy.

Giving him such a valuable item, what was Yang Bingchang really trying to achieve?

Goodwill? Bribery? Blackmail?...

Countless messy thoughts flooded his mind. Zhong Yun finally decided to stop thinking about it. Whatever happens, happens. If you want to give things, I'll accept them. If you want to trap me? Hmph, we'll just wait and see.

Just as he was failing to sort out his thoughts, an explosion startled him. He looked toward where the sound originated. A few kilometers away, thick smoke was rising, and above, several mechs were besieging a single person. Yes, besieging one person.

That person wore black trousers and shirt, his entire body enveloped in a brilliant white light, weaving between the multiple mechs with the agility of a swimming fish. He brought his open palm down like a blade, occasionally striking the mechs, sending sparks flying.

That person was Yang Tianlie. During his conversation with Zhong Yun, he sensed several mechs flying this way, clearly with ill intent. He burst out of the cabin to intercept them.

Unfortunately, he was still a step too late. Before he could arrive, the aircraft parked in the clearing, along with a dozen bodyguards, were annihilated by extremely destructive energy bombs.

Yang Tianlie was furious. He instantly destroyed one mech, but the enemy forces were too numerous, and he became surrounded.

This was Zhong Yun's first time witnessing a direct confrontation between a human and mechs. As Chen Wen had said, a Level Ten expert could hold his own against mech combat.

Yang Tianlie's power was simply heaven-defying; surrounded by six mechs, he remained completely unharmed. To the mechs attacking him, his movements were too swift to track. Every strike was evaded.

However, it wasn't easy for Yang Tianlie to destroy these mechs either. They coordinated well, protecting their vital points rigorously, and he couldn't land a decisive blow.

The situation remained deadlocked.

After watching for a while, Zhong Yun finally understood how a human body could resist mechs. In terms of destructive power, humans simply couldn't compare to mechs. Even a Level Ten master, if hit once by a mech's fist, would lose half his life. No matter how strong a body, it couldn't compare to the deadly weaponry forged from steel alloys.

The only advantage humans possessed was speed. Mechs were ten to twenty times larger than humans; that massive frame granted them tremendous destructive power but also became their weakness.

In the eyes of a Level Ten expert, the mechs' movements were undoubtedly clumsy and slow.

Of course, speed alone wasn't enough to destroy a mech. Level Ten experts often possessed formidable special powers capable of piercing mech defenses. If they struck vital spots like joints or cannon muzzles, they could render a mech combat-ineffective.

Zhong Yun found Yang Tianlie's strength utterly unfathomable, so powerful it seemed almost inhuman. Each time he approached a mech, a mere flick of his hand or foot would leave deep scratches on the mech's incredibly hard protective metal plating.

Although the distance was considerable, watching the scene flicker with sparks, it looked exactly like a cutting torch slicing through metal.

Based on appearances, Yang Tianlie held the clear advantage.

Yet, Zhong Yun felt an underlying unease. Since the other party dared to send assassins, they must have accounted for Yang Tianlie's strength. Otherwise, an unsuccessful attack on a tiger invites ferocious retaliation. The planner of this assassination would certainly face the Yang family's crazed vengeance.

He believed that no matter who it was, they would have thought everything through before making a move. Without extreme confidence, why would they strike?

But, at this juncture of war, when the survival of the skin determines whether the hair can be attached—a truth understood by all major factions within the country—what benefit would assassinating the highly revered Yang Tianlie bring them?

If Yang Tianlie were to die, the greatest beneficiary...

A flash of realization struck Zhong Yun's mind: It must be people from the Hongxian Federation. Their ultimate target must be Old Marshal Yang.

As the savior who led Davo's people to victory against the pirates fifty years ago, Yang Tianlie’s mere appearance in the media would surely galvanize the morale of all soldiers and bring the hope of victory to the entire populace.

Yang Tianlie was a hero; the people of Davo, disheartened by military losses, needed a hero. They needed a hero who could lead them to victory.

Undoubtedly, in the hearts of the masses, Yang Tianlie possessed the qualifications and the weight to do so.

It was perfectly normal for the Hongxian Federation to want Yang Tianlie dead.

Yang Tianlie could not die.

Understanding this, Zhong Yun felt he had to do something. Rescue reinforcements were still forty minutes away. The enemy certainly wouldn't let Yang Tianlie hold out until the rescue arrived.

What to do?

Zhong Yun's hand moved to the rhombic crystal in his pocket, gripping it tightly through his clothes.

He sighed softly. Why is my fate so miserable?

P: The monthly ticket count is a bit low. Looking at that pitiful number, I really have no impetus to... [Censor]