Mecha Chapter 62: Life or Death

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Sulo

 

They’re in trouble! Luo XiaoLou’s mind went blank for a second as he came to his conclusion. 

Then he tried to calm himself down. He managed to get through the gap with his emergency light up. He wanted to see if Yates was in the cockpit now. What’s the situation now? And where is Yuan Xi?

Hanging his emergency light on a nearby rock wall, Luo XiaoLou quickly opened Knight’s cockpit, where Yates was lying on his back. Luo XiaoLou examined him briefly and was relieved when Yates was finally released. Yates had only passed out and there were no visible injuries. 

While Luo XiaoLou examined him, Yates woke up. With a mere movement of his head, Yates’s face broke out in a cold sweat. His brow was furrowed.

Luo XiaoLou remembered Yates as a sunny, strong person with nerves so thick to the point of being tough. He would never show this expression if he wasn’t in pain. Luo XiaoLou’s mind was on the edge as he gave Yates a first-aid pill and said, “Don’t move. What’s going on? Where’s Yuan Xi?”

Yates opened his mouth and said something. Luo XiaoLou had to get closer to him to hear him. “Yuan Xi. In there. We met the bug beast…”

Luo XiaoLou had been filled with fear and nervousness from the moment he saw Knight on the ground. He quickly said to Yates, “Hold on a minute, I’m going to find Yuan Xi. I’ll be right back.”

Luo XiaoLou immediately got up and ran inside. He left the emergency light with Yates and took out his portable light. And since it was much brighter than the emergency light, it would make it easier to find Yuan Xi.

Yates struggled as he collapsed in the cockpit, yelling as loud as he could, “No, no, no! Don’t, don’t, don’t go! It’s dangerous for you and even Yuan Xi…” but Yates’s voice was completely drowned out by the sound of Luo XiaoLou’s footsteps as he ran forward.

“It’s true that Yuan Xi is in there, but there seems to be some trouble.” 

Luo XiaoLou waited for two more seconds before realizing that 125 had no more hard news for him. And so, he quickened his pace considerably.

Luo XiaoLou was unaware and hadn’t realized how dangerous it was to run in like that. He had forgotten that he was not going to be of any help to the mecha warriors. 

Whether it was an illusion or not, Luo XiaoLou thought the carcasses on the ground seemed bigger. After he had run a dozen meters, the front suddenly opened up. The space had expanded and was almost four or five times wider. Luo XiaoLou realized he’d reached the very end of the cave.

Shining his portable light around the cave, Luo XiaoLou almost cried out in surprise. He saw a white mecha! 

Luo XiaoLou didn’t scream out the moment he saw the white mecha and finally calmed down. Why was Yuan Xi at the top of the cave? There must be something wrong. The light from Luo XiaoLou’s portable light source slowly fell directly across from him.

Luo XiaoLou’s mouth opened wide when he got a good look. The portable light in his hand started to shake with fear.

It was a creature that no longer had the form of a bug or a beast. It was covered in a black shell and stood twenty meters tall. The tentacles and limbs protruding from the shell were sickeningly large. What was even more despairing was that they spread across the entire cave floor. Surrounded by the layers, it was as if the cave had become a part of the creature.

Before Luo XiaoLou came in, Yuan Xi and the bug beast had been at odds for a long time. One man and one beast knew that when the fight started again, it would only end in death. That’s when Luo XiaoLou rushed in, and both the bug beast and Yuan Xi spotted him.

Luo XiaoLou felt the rush of wind on his face. Although he didn’t see anything, it was definitely the bug beast attacking him! Luo XiaoLou turned around and ran but the way to get out was gone. Instead, a black, writhing tentacle blocked the hole.

“This guy’s a Level 7 mutation.” 125 shouted in Luo XiaoLou’s ear.

Luo XiaoLou turned back in fear. Then he realized that the white mecha, almost instantly, was already standing in front of him. Two particle cannons hit the tentacle obstructing the hole, and Yuan Xi’s black sword blocked the claws that lunged at Luo XiaoLou.

Luo XiaoLou burst into tears. The tentacle was pinned to the hole by Yuan Xi and he still couldn’t get out. The cave resounded with another loud noise and the stand-off between Yuan Xi and the beast was over.

But this time, it was clear that Yuan Xi was in a passive position. Yuan Xi was considerably smaller than the bug beast. At first, he was able to use his great speed to fight the bug beast. He was barely able to hold on, even though it was a struggle.

However, after Luo XiaoLou came in, Yuan Xi’s mecha never moved and stayed in front of Luo XiaoLou. It had now become an immobile target and was fiercely attacked by the beast. Rampant tentacles and terrifyingly sharp claws pounced on the mecha.

There was a screeching sound and light scratches finally appeared on the white mecha. The tentacles had almost covered the entire mecha. The sword in Cloudy Sky’s hand didn’t slow down and numerous tentacles fell in front of Luo XiaoLou. The damn bug beast had attacked Luo XiaoLou to attract Yuan Xi’s attention, and slowly consumed Yuan Xi’s energy.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This motherfucker. Yuan Xi will be trapped if he keeps this up. He’s gonna die!

When Luo XiaoLou realized that the tentacles were about to crash down on them, he got anxious. He shook 125 and shouted, “We can’t go on like this. Didn’t you say the beasts wouldn’t dare hurt me? What’s happening now?”

“If it’s a Level 7 mutation, only when you unleash the full force of your exotic beast power will you be able to stop it. But now do you dare? Before you release it, it is you and Yuan Xi against the beast. After you release, it will be Yuan Xi who will come after you.” 125 said slowly. Although it was eager to see the sadistic love story — it looked suspiciously at Yuan Xi, who had been guarding Luo XiaoLou’s front. Once again, it thought of Yuan Xi’s oath which was much more credible than Luo XiaoLou’s, apparently.

“But something has to be done! I don’t want to see Yuan Xi out on his own again.” Luo XiaoLou said, hard and desperate. Of course, he wasn’t sure if he was a man or a beast at the moment.

The only thing he was sure of now was that… He didn’t want the man in front of him to die. Not at all. Even if he forced him to sign that damn contract; even if he was always bossing him around like a lord, and blamed him for his little cupcake hobby… At this moment, Luo XiaoLou found that all he could think about was Yuan Xi taking him to the Mecha Department to teach him how to practice, a kiss after helping each other out, and a blushing confession from Yuan Xi on his birthday.

He had never thought he would remember it all so clearly. Maybe that’s why he was such a timid and blindly optimistic person.

Luo XiaoLou’s lips trembled. He didn’t want Yuan Xi to come after him but he didn’t want Yuan Xi to get hurt here either…

“Hey. What are you doing?! Come on, come on. I’ve got an idea. The throat is the most vulnerable part of the beast. I’ll mark the throat in a moment. You gather up your Source of Consciousness and hit it as hard as you can, just like you did when you were with Cyril.” 125 suddenly shouted.

Luo XiaoLou did his best to retrieve the Source of Consciousness power he was about to emit. He was unconsciously trying to find the feeling he had that day when he transformed. Fortunately, 125 stopped him just in time.

“Then do it.” Luo XiaoLou nearly collapsed on the floor.

At this moment, after receiving a hard blow from the beast, Yuan Xi’s Cloudy Sky moved half a meter backwards. It was getting closer and closer to Luo XiaoLou.

“Listen to me. When you launch Source of Consciousness… Don’t let it run through Yuan Xi’s mecha. I’ll point it out to you right away.” 125 said quickly.

Luo XiaoLou closed his eyes. 

A thread of jade stretched forward from his chest. It quickly bypassed Yuan Xi’s mecha and then stopped on the opposite side of the bug beast in the darkness.

The beast struck at Yuan Xi with its claws and tentacles. As soon as it saw Yuan Xi going out to save Luo XiaoLou, it knew it was going to win. Both of them would become food for it — especially the human who had wounded it so badly, it would digest him slowly.

However, the beast suddenly felt a chill on its body. It knew it was in great danger and slowed its attack.

Luo XiaoLou was out of breath. He was desperately compressing his Source of Consciousness power. The draining of his newly restored Source of Consciousness was giving him a headache and he could hardly stand.

In the end, Luo XiaoLou pushed the Source of Consciousness, which was compressed into the size of a bead less than two centimeters in diameter, out along the green line 125 created. It was smaller than the one used to save Cyril, and was also brighter! If there were people out there who could feel Spiritual Power, they would be amazed. The precision of the control and this level of intensity was just amazing.

Luo XiaoLou’s Source of Consciousness power just broke through the intermediate level in a split second and he could control the Source of Consciousness leaving his body to bypass others. 125 hadn’t taught Luo XiaoLou that.

The bug beast moved a few steps to the side uneasily. But the cold sensation was chasing it like a shadow. Then it froze as it was suddenly hit by a pain so intense that it wanted to roll on the ground. However, the fatal wound seemed to take hold of its nerves and it could not move at all.

These… these damn weak humans! Even in death, it’s taking this cave with it!

“Thirty seconds. Hopefully, Yuan Xi will kill it.” 125 finally spoke up.

Luo XiaoLou was once again on the ground. The emptying of his Source of Consciousness was too painful. His headache was so bad that he wanted to pass out.

In the cockpit, Yuan Xi gritted his teeth. He decided to use the last ten Super Particle Guns since neither he nor Luo XiaoLou could get out of here. The moment the beast on the other side revealed its weakness, Yuan Xi’s black sword swung free of its shackles. A white shadow rose to the sky. Swiftly and gracefully, it circled around the beast. 

Then it suddenly appeared in front of Luo XiaoLou. It was so fast that Luo XiaoLou thought Cloudy Sky had an unorthodox skill like instantaneous movement.

Faster than the avec step… Yuan Xi was even more powerful than before…

The big mecha came down and covered Luo XiaoLou. There was an earth-shattering sound from behind and then a thump of something heavy falling.

Yuan Xi opened the cockpit and jumped out quickly. Judging by his dexterity, Yuan Xi definitely did not get injured like Yates. 

Yuan Xi pulled Luo XiaoLou up from the ground, held him tightly and then — sniffed him hard. He even started biting Luo XiaoLou. From his neck to his ears… To his lips…

Oh, my God. That’s quite enough for a petulant feline. But having just been through an ordeal together, Luo XiaoLou found it hard to push the kisser off of him.

When Luo XiaoLou suspected he was suffocating, Yuan Xi finally let him go. In the afterglow of his body light, Yuan Xi’s eyes shone. He looked at Luo XiaoLou proudly, he said, “Were you scared to death? You’re stupid enough to come in here by yourself. You see… I saved you again. I can’t do anything about it. You’re just a pain in my ass. You’re not even capable of defending yourself.”

At this point, Yuan Xi concluded, “So… this is the wisest choice. All thoughts of breaking the contract, get rid of them. You’re so stupid that I’m the only one willing and able to protect you.”

Under Luo XiaoLou’s unseeing gaze — his Spiritual Power was overtaxed. His movements were slow and difficult — and he felt like there was something unnatural about Yuan Xi who was still holding him tightly.

Luo XiaoLou smiled… Yuan Xi would probably never know that someone as weak as him had actually saved his life. “I’m sorry. For saving my life, I can’t thank you enough.”

Yuan Xi’s eyes lit up and his ears quickly turned red. He couldn’t resist licking Luo XiaoLou’s lips again, wantonly. “If you insist on devoting your life to me, I’ll think about it.”

The ever self-centered Yuan Xi cat hadn’t had enough. What kind of family would raise this kind of Yuan Xi? Luo XiaoLou sighed.

Luo XiaoLou paid no attention to the words coming out of Yuan Xi’s mouth. Yuan Xi hesitated, hummed twice, and then whispered, “If you want, I can… I can take you back to meet them.” 

He had been a bit of a pushover before……

“…Okay. If there’s a chance.” Luo XiaoLou said amiably to his savior. In fact, he was really looking forward to it.

As the atmosphere between the two of them grew better and better… 125 groaned in Luo XiaoLou’s ear, “Have you guys had enough? L-Let’s see the prize for killing the final boss, shall we?”

Luo XiaoLou raised his head and looked behind Yuan Xi. There were no monsters left and he couldn’t help but shiver at the sight of the cave full of corpses. Yuan Xi took the opportunity to hug him tighter.

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Xi asked the little slave who lay crumpled up in his arms. Yuan Xi thought he was going to become like his father — especially if he kept spoiling his wife.

125 cried out, “Come on, I’m going to get it. There’s a Floating Stone next to the pool! You’re the one who wouldn’t kill the monster for me to get the Floating Stone! That’s mine, mine!”

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Are you sure you’re okay with this? I thought you didn’t have the guts to talk in front of Yuan Xi. It’s a shame that you’ve turned into such an ugly A.I. just for a rock!

Luo XiaoLou didn’t see the stone but Yuan Xi noticed Luo XiaoLou’s sight. He led Luo XiaoLou inside. As the light shone forward, the bottom of the cave was revealed. Inside, where the bug beasts had been standing, there was a small pool of water, and a few rocks were strangely floating in the pool.

Yuan Xi picked one up. Looking at the stone, he pondered, “It’s an advanced material. I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

When Yuan Xi looked up again, Luo XiaoLou could only face him awkwardly. The puddle was now empty and Luo XiaoLou had a hard time wondering how to explain who had done this.

“Uh… You want it? Here you go.” Yuan Xi handed the pumice stone to Luo XiaoLou. But when he put it in his own pocket, Luo XiaoLou’s forehead jumped.

This bastard! What if Yuan Xi asks about the floating stone one day? Did he eat it all?

Just then, Luo XiaoLou tripped. He looked down and saw a few stones that were round and big with a smooth surface. The color of the stones was also different.

“It’s a Bag Stone,” said 125, swallowing. 

Luo XiaoLou immediately picked up the stone and handed it to Yuan Xi. “Put it with you for now. If it comes in handy later, I’ll ask you for it again.” Luo XiaoLou knew about the Bag Stone. It was a rare gemstone and probably no less precious than the Floating Stone. It was made of high-grade ores, expensive diamonds — and while it was not a graded material, it was still worth the same.

If Luo XiaoLou kept it with him, it would have gone to 125. 

Yuan Xi indifferently placed the Bag Stones into Cloudy Sky’s space button.

After a while, Luo XiaoLou said, “I’ll help you fix Cloudy Sky.”

Yuan Xi smiled. That simple, bright smile made Luo XiaoLou’s heart skip a beat. “You still have almost a month to go.” Hmm. Luo XiaoLou would stay with him until school starts. They could do a lot of things…

“Speaking of which, we seem to have forgotten that Yates is still badly wounded. He’s waiting for us outside.” Luo XiaoLou said in a guilty tone, under the increasingly familiar gaze of Yuan Xi.

“We’ll go back soon.” Yuan Xi’s heart grew cheerful and his mood brightened at the thought that the super light bulb would soon be gone. 

The two of them headed out together. 

And as they did, the puddle flashed and a mirror revealed their backs.

 

“He actually killed the King Bug. That’s too strong.”

“Yeah. I didn’t think he was that strong. Looks like we’ll have to find a way to have him alone. The rest of us will find a way to kill him.”

“The prophecy says he is the one who will change our fate. And the people around him will be the ones who guide him to make this important decision. These people will have the most influence on him.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll have to inform them. As soon as they leave the cave, do it immediately.”