Hak's voice was cut off, but Ye Chong's blow was also blocked!
Hak was extremely wary against Ye Chong. In Black Cove, the young man was strong and improved quickly, both a shock to Hak! Ye Chong's speed with his hands were also the fastest he had ever seen. While that alone was not everything, but it was undeniably a very important skill to unleash the maximum battling potential of a mech! Besides, Ye Chong's strong physique was also better than Hak's, and that meant Ye Chong could perform more complicated and demanding movements, allowing one to gain a preemptive strike in battle. In Black Cove, physical training was also one of their core trainings!
Now, Hak could only hope that Ye Chong was not too skilled in mech piloting!
Ye Chong's surprise attack was easily countered by an anticipatory Hak! Hak was also vexed by the current situation. He was ordered by the higher ups to bring Number 58 back without harming him, but Ye Chong's strength made it impossible for him guarantee that. If the two of them were about equally matched, it would be more difficult to capture the other alive than to kill him. As it was, the higher ups had insisted of him bringing Number 58 in one piece! Hak speculated that Number 58 could be the son of Black Cove's leader!
If not for Number 58's cold nature, Hak would have done what Ji Shangyan did, threatening him with the old man Qian. However, Hak expected that with Number 58's personality, he would not have placed any importance in the old man's life. It would have been a wasted effort, alerting his opponent and dashing any hopes for an ambush!
However, he did not expect Ye Chong to notice their ambush and returned their favour instead!
"A real talent, this b*stard!"
Ye Chong did not hesitate. He expected the lance to be blocked, and so the Harmony of the Winter Aria swirled, and another cold gleam reached for Hak! Hak dared not be negligent, his right fist blocked and swung, and the cold gleam rapidly faded!
Besides its unique design, Hak's mech was actually quite average. Only its two fists were fitted with barbs, occasionally flashing menacingly during the fight, and no other weapons were visible on the mech. However, the elbows were clearly layered for extra thickness, and the short and thick barbs did not shine dangerously as it would have, entirely inconspicuous!
Ye Chong did not falter. Hak's admirable battling techniques were not new to Ye Chong, since he had seen them before on Black Cove! If Hak performed badly in mech piloting, Ye Chong would be surprised!
The green and black mechs confronted each other!
The first to strike would be advantageous! Ye Chong side-stepped and quickly pointed Blue Winter lightning towards Hak's mech. The cold gleam from the tip of the lance drew a chilling silver arc in the air! His basic training was already part of him, and the few side-steps he took was almost flawless.
Hak saw the Harmony of the Winter Aria's seemingly plain footwork and could not help but be impressed. As good as he was in battling, he could see the quality of the steps. If it was his own body, he could do it even better, but through a mech, he could only realise his own incompetence! However, Ye Chong's seemingly frightening attack with the lance did not faze him. While it seemed threatening, Hak had a few moves up his sleeves to counter it! As he saw it, Ye Chong's lance techniques and his footwork were at far too different levels!
Hak's mech was called Kai, and it had been with him for two decades. After so many years, it was almost a part of Hak himself.
Kai stepped back quickly, barely avoiding Ye Chong's strike with his lance. The cold gleam from the tip of Blue Winter swiped past the mech, millimeters from its surface.
Harmony of the Winter Aria turned, and Blue Winter made an impossible twist in the air before charging towards Kai's abdomen.
Kai's left arm lowered, connecting obliquely with the side of Blue Winter, as Blue Winter was repelled back upwards! Ye Chong was surprised, not expecting Hak's inconspicuous mech to have such strong arms! Ye Chong went with the flow of movement and blocked a fist coming towards him with the handle of the lance!
The punch was strong, such that if Ye Chong had not commanded the Harmony to hold a tighter grip on Blue Winter, it would probably go flying!
Before Ye Chong could react any further, he suddenly felt the world spin, and Hak's mech was getting further and further away from him! It was only then that he realised that Kai had sneaked in a kick on him! A rising fighting spirit was evident in Ye Chong's eyes!
What great strength! Ye Chong guessed that Hak's mech must have been strengthened extensively to fit his combat style!
The photon processor sounded a piercing alarm, indicating that the kick had caused significant damage to Harmony of the Winter Aria. Ye Chong was astonished to find that he did not even realize when the kick was made! What commendable techniques!
Ye Chong's hands moved swiftly across the controls like smoke, issuing a series of commands!
Harmony of the Winter Aria's engines roared to life, and the mech somersaulted gracefully midair in an arc, steadying itself before landing! Hak was not surprised that Ye Chong did not fall to the ground, it was only natural given the speed of Ye Chong's hands. Hak maneuvered Kai deftly, and before Ye Chong could barely steady himself, a fist flew towards Ye Chong, fast as a comet!
His lance sprang to life, as Blue Winter moved like a venomous serpent, hissing with its forked tongue!
Hak was mildly surprised that Ye Chong could use the lance so well, and greatly admired his ability to adapt to various situations! One should know that using something like the archaic lance required special techniques; in the hands of someone ignorant, it would be no more useful than a metal pole! However, the weapon was already long gone in history, and even in Black Cove, where expert fighters were abound, few used a lance as their mech's weapon!
Without much time to spare, Kai crossed its arms to shield its vulnerabilities!
"Blocking it, are you?" Ye Chong smiled coldly to himself!
*DING!* Blue Winter's tip landed squarely on its opponent for the very first time!
His expectation of the lance penetrating the mech entirely was unmet, as Blue Winter only penetrated halfway through one of Kai's arms! Ye Chong suddenly realised that Hak's mech must have gone through a special strengthening process! Ye Chong immediately reacted by retreating with his lance, putting a distance between him and Kai!
Hak was completely astonished! He could barely believe that there was still a weapon that could damage his mech like that! His astonishment quickly turned into anger, as Kai had never been damaged in the 20 years of their partnership. He did not expect to receive such humiliation from the little b*stard today!
Hak's face darkened instantly!
Ye Chong watched Hak's mech coldly, without any emotions! He knew that he had just lost the perfect opportunity just now, and Hak would not let his mech and Blue Winter come into direct contact again. With his skills, that was entirely possible!
By now, Ye Chong felt icy calm!
Harmony of the Winter Aria suddenly accelerated to its maximum speed, and Ye Chong charged towards Hak with Blue Winter in hand! Based on his experience, if his attack was on target this time, he will be able to fully penetrate Kai! The high speed impact would increase its usual destructive effect by a few magnitudes!
Hak may be furious, but he did not lose his rational mind. He knew that he could not afford to receive the incoming attack. He gauged the direction of the lance and twisted his body, barely escaping the tip of the weapon!
As Ye Chong was about to rush past Hak, Ye Chong gave a cold laugh, and his hands flew across the controls!
The double-folded wings on the back of Harmony of the Winter Aria suddenly expanded!
The sharp edges of the wings cut like blades, and after some strengthening treatment, the wings were as sharp as alloy daggers! Harmony of the Winter Aria's could go up to Mach 7! The shrieking sound of air rushing past the edges was terrifying! Hak immediately realized the danger it posed!
There was a loud sound of impact! Kai took a few steps backwards, a long gash on its chest, cracks forming around it like spiderwebs!
Ye Chong was also doing no better, the powerful impact breaking the wing upon contact. Even though Ye Chong expected it, he was still tossed to a far corner, and it took him great effort to stabilize himself. The photon processor's alarm blared in full party mode!
Hak was now feeling terribly unpleasant! He was obviously stronger than Ye Chong, but had instead took damage from his opponent. The attacks were also vicious and cunning, which annoyed Hak very much, as though he had just swallowed a fly! Besides, this was someone whom he was teacher to! His beloved mech of twenty years was not seriously damaged, but how could he not be furious about it?
Hak's expression grew even darker! His eyes looked as though they could spit fire!
Ye Chong could only smile wrily. He had no other way of fighting, since they were too equally matched! He could only sacrifice a bit of himself to cause greater damage on his opponent! He did not expect Hak to apply his combat skills in mech piloting!
Ye Chong also finally understood that Hak's application of his combat techniques in mech piloting was still meager compared to others, but when using it against him, it was more than enough!
Ye Chong could not help but began to consider the option of escaping! If he escaped now, what were his odds of success?
From the performance of Hak's mech, its engines were definitely on par with the Harmony of the Winter Aria's. If he escaped now, the mech would definitely follow him closely like an annoying fly. Besides, who was to say that they had no other comrades further out? If they had comrades, then the one to falter first would be himself! Him being surrounded and annihilated would be a certainty!
Ye Chong considered the matter, as his eyes unknowingly began to fixate on Kai's engines!