The Scarlet Volcano Army
As the Alliance's influence in the Death Trio Star Region weakened, Black Abyss, Terminus, and Evil Gulfstream had fallen into a state of warlords. Though Qin Mangs disciple, Yawei, was still under the jurisdiction of the Alliance Navy in name, he was already one of the biggest warlords in the Death Trio Star Region.
The Tomahawk slowly landed on a landing pad not far from the Scarlet Volcano Army's headquarters after its identity was reported.
Due to the lack of spare parts, a third of the warships in the Scarlet Volcano Army were no longer capable of fighting. The landing pad was filled with warships of all sizes. These former hegemons of the universe were now like piles of scrap metal, looking rather desolate.
The other warlords in the Death Trio Star Region were not much better off. The lack of supplies was the most serious problem in the three star regions. Some of the smaller warlords did not even have the most basic supply of ammunition, let alone a large-scale war.
The Pan-Human Alliance allowed these warlords to do as they pleased mainly because they did not have supplies, so it was impossible for them to rebel. At most, they would be able to stir up some trouble in their own territory, but they would not be able to do much.
There were pros and cons to this. While the power of these warlords was being weakened, their ability to protect themselves was also worrying if an external force suddenly attacked these three star regions.
Xia Fei followed a second lieutenant to the Scarlet Volcano Army's headquarters. Along the way, he saw the soldiers of the army busily training, and it was a bustling scene everywhere.
The soldiers were still wearing the old uniforms they had been issued a few years ago, and many places were covered in pudding. It was evident that the Scarlet Volcano Army was not having an easy time, and the lack of supplies was also troubling them.
On the third floor of an oval-shaped alloy building, Xia Fei met Qin Mangs disciple, the commander of the Scarlet Volcano Army, Yawei.
Yawei looked to be in his early forties at most. He had a square face and thick eyebrows that were as thick as two brushes. They were black and translucent as if they had been drawn with ink, making him look very unreal.
Have a seat, said Yawei. How is the teacher doing?
Xia Fei sat across from him and smiled. The old man is doing very well, but that black cat of his has been lethargic lately, looking very sick.
"Oh." Yawei nodded.
"This is a letter from the old man to you, as well as a personal gift from me." With that said, Xia Fei handed a handwritten letter to Yawei. At the same time, he placed the tea leaves and other items on the table.
Yawei frowned. He opened the letter and put it away after reading it. He said seriously, "Since my master sent you here, just tell me what you need. I'll do my best to help you if I can."
Xia Fei chuckled. Then Ill not stand on ceremony. Right now, I need to make some modifications to the spaceship, but I don't have any spare parts or tools.
"I see." Yawei thought for a moment and said, "I see that the Vexor-class warship you drove here is a pretty good one. Is there anything wrong with it?"
Theres nothing wrong with it, but I have some matters that I need to attend to in a special environment, so I need to install a second engine. In addition, the gravity control system and energy system need to be reconfigured, Xia Fei said.
"Twin engines? Where are you planning to go? "Yawei was puzzled.
"The outer perimeter of Black Abyss, that supergravity zone," Xia Fei said bluntly.
"What?!" Yawei appeared very surprised, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened. "That's not a good place. If possible, I'd advise you not to go."
Xia Fei smiled. "A friend got lost in that area. I want to look for him."
Yawei was silent for a moment. "Right now, what our army lacks the most is resources. Because the Alliance has strict control over the resources in the Death Trio Star Region, many parts can't be shipped in. Right now, most of our warships are in disrepair, so we have to dismantle old warships to make up for the parts we need. I can give you what you need, but it might be different from what you're expecting."
Xia Fei was slightly surprised. It was no wonder he had seen so many abandoned warships on his way here. It turned out that the Scarlet Volcano Military Base had already reached the stage of robbing Peter to pay Paul, using those old warships as spare parts. If this continued, there would come a day when all of them were dismantled, and when that time came, it would be hard for the military not to disband even if they wanted to.
Xia Fei agreed with Yawei's suggestion. It was already good enough that they could get their hands on resources in this barren space. Yawei himself was already under a lot of pressure, so Xia Fei had no reason to be picky.
That night, Yawei treated Xia Fei to a meal alone to welcome him. Xia Fei did not reject the offer. He did not know anyone else in Black Abyss, and Qin Mangs disciple was the only one who could help Xia Fei. He was very clear on this point.
The meal was very simple: two meat dishes, two vegetables, a bowl of egg soup, and a bottle of vermouth, which was very popular in the area.
Xia Fei was not picky about his food. It was fine as long as there was food to eat, but Xia Fei did not expect Yawei to treat him in such a simple manner. It was probably because Yawei wanted to set an example.
Xia Fei usually did not drink because he needed to keep his mind clear. Yawei was a soldier, so he liked to gulp down wine and eat meat. Xia Fei was no exception, so he reluctantly drank a few glasses.
He had to admit that the local vermouth tasted just like the desolate Death Trio Star Region. It had an indescribable spiciness to it, and a single gulp of it made one's internal organs feel like they were on fire, burning with pain.
Yawei did not stop asking about Qin Mangs situation, so Xia Fei told him everything he knew over the past two years. When he mentioned how Qin Mangs often sat alone in the library with his black cat, Yawei's eyes reddened a little.
After asking about Qin Mangs situation, Yawei asked about Xia Fei's plans to go to the supergravity zone. Xia Fei was vague about it, but Yawei was a man of propriety, so he did not probe further when he realized that Xia Fei did not want to talk about it. All he did was remind Xia Fei to be careful.
According to him, the supergravity zone was not only a complicated natural environment, but it was also prone to strange accidents, such as the wreckage of spaceships drifting out of the zone.
These spaceships were like ghost ships. Their hulls were damaged both inside and out, with countless holes of different sizes all over them. It was as if they had been hit by a million laser cannons at the same time.
The strangest thing was that many of these spaceships did not have a model, so they did not look like they were made by humans.
In the vast universe, humans were not the only intelligent race; this was something everyone knew. Many other intelligent lifeforms could also build their own warships, and their technology was very advanced.
As for how many lifeforms lived in the universe, no one knew. The Black Abyss Star Region was at the edge of the Pan-human Alliance, so it was normal for there to be warships of other intelligent lifeforms coming and going from time to time. However, Yawei's description of the wreckage made Xia Fei a little worried. It was unknown what kind of weapon could turn a huge warship into a beehive.
If there really were other intelligent lifeforms living in this supergravity zone, it would undoubtedly make Xia Fei's journey even more difficult.
Xia Fei had once tried asking Yawei about Qin Mangs. The strength that the old man had displayed was worlds apart from his identity. There was no need to mention Thuram, who was a core member of the Adjudicator Union and possessed unimaginable strength. Even Qin Mangs disciple, Yawei, was a warlord with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and over a hundred warships under his command. How could he be a simple person if he had such a friend and disciple?
Recently, Xia Fei often had the illusion that Qin Mangs was leading him down an unknown path. This was how Qin Mangs made Xia Fei study in the training camp, tossing him a book every day and testing his homework from time to time.
These seemingly meaningless actions had actually helped Xia Fei to a great extent. All the books went from simple to complex, gradually connecting everything that Xia Fei had learned. If not for the books that Qin Mangs had made Xia Fei read before, Xia Fei would never have been able to understand something as profound and complicated as Introduction to Robot Coding.
Thinking back, Xia Fei realized that Qin Mangs had been preparing him to understand Introduction to Robot Coding ever since the first book he had given Xia Fei. After countless days and nights of studying, Xia Fei had a certain level of foundation. Now that Qin Mangs had unexpectedly given Xia Fei that ancient book he had hidden in his basement, it was only natural that he would succeed.
Could Qin Mangs have already decided to give me this priceless book from the very beginning? Xia Fei often asked himself this question, but there was no way he would have guessed the answer.
The first book that Qin Mangs had given Xia Fei was when the two had just met, and they were far from being familiar with each other. Could Qin Mangs plan to let him read Introduction to Robot Coding from the very beginning? There was no reason for that, was there?
Now that Xia Fei had once again felt Qin Mangs guiding him in the dark, knowing that he was going to Black Abyss to look for Porter, Qin Mangs affirmed Xia Fei's thoughts and encouraged him to carry it out, even introducing his powerful disciple Yawei to Xia Fei.
Knowing that Xia Fei was going to the capital ring to look for Avrils, Qin Mangs immediately helped him with the paperwork and pointed him to his friend Thuram in the Adjudicator Union.
If not for Thuram, Xia Fei would never have been able to get rid of the spies around Avrils, and if not for Yawei, Xia Fei would never have been able to find a place to modify his warship so easily.
When everything was put together, it all led back to the same point: Qin Mangs.
Xia Fei was not stupid. He might not have noticed the strangeness of it once or twice, but after experiencing so much, he had completely understood that Qin Mangs was pointing him down a path. As for where this path would lead to or when it would end, Xia Fei had no idea.
Yawei did not answer any of Xia Fei's questions about old man Qin Mangs, which only increased Xia Fei's suspicions. He decided that he would have a showdown with old man Qin Mangs when he got back.
It was not that Xia Fei felt that this was not good, for he understood the word gratitude very well. Moreover, it was Xia Fei's own choice to become a librarian back then. He had chosen this path that no one had taken before, nor would he choose to take. A responsible person would never regret the choice he had made, no matter when.
Xia Fei and Yawei chatted until midnight. Yawei was a soldier, and he had a decisive side to him. Xia Fei was not a pretentious person, either, so the two got along quite well.
When he got back, Xia Fei had an additional silver bracelet in his spatial ring. This was something he had prepared for Harris. As a local warlord, it was not difficult for Yawei to get his hands on something that was outside of the Alliance's laws.
Dealing with a mad scientist like Harris required even crazier methods, and Phantom only had three words to say about it.
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