Chapter 92: Plan Aborted

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Plan Aborted

Those metal plates were, of course, Xiang Yi’s doing.

After considering the risks of fleeing versus hiding, he had decisively chosen to hide underground.

He had immediately begun modifying the factory’s basement—or rather, the cellar’s trapdoor.

Not only did he replace all the trapdoor’s materials with the advanced or special materials he had come into contact with in the warehouse, but he also continuously used his Spiritual Energy to thicken and widen it with every piece of material he could touch.

He strove to protect a small space in the furthest corner of the basement.

Xiang Yi had also used all of the scarce Living Iron Material he had on him to reinforce the steel plates.

Anything and everything he could touch was being converted into a protective structure.

A four-meter-thick, giant metal armor plate had materialized out of thin air beneath the factory.

The upper half had completely melted into molten iron, and the lower half was starting to soften, but at least its structure had not yet been completely destroyed.

Moreover, Xiang Yi was constantly trying to repair it. His Spiritual Energy moved the molten sections to the lower layers to cool, while he continuously replaced the plate’s internal material with unaffected sections.

The orbital laser’s direct attack couldn’t harm him, but the terrifying heat it radiated had already raised the basement’s temperature by several dozen degrees.

An ordinary person could not survive in such an environment. Even with his Spiritual Energy, Xiang Yi wouldn’t have made it under normal circumstances.

But fortunately, for safety’s sake, he always had Shi Tie carry a backpack when they went out, filled with things he considered important.

The protective suit he had picked up from the scavengers’ tent on the day he landed was inside.

Xiang Yi was still alive.

But he was by no means in good condition.

His Spiritual Power was completely depleted, and the aftershocks of the Mental Shock were constantly battering his brain.

He had long since lost control of his body, and even his consciousness was on the verge of collapse.

But he endured.

Though he felt like his brain was trembling nonstop, he endured.

Even with his Spiritual Power utterly exhausted, he kept holding on.

He just felt an immense hunger, a sensation that his body’s nutrients were being rapidly consumed.

Under the protective suit, out of his sight, his once-standard build had become somewhat gaunt.

His entire body trembled unnaturally, and his heart rate was approaching two hundred beats per minute.

Before, only his mind had reached its limit. Now, his body was on the verge of collapse as well.

’So, is this what a serious manhunt by the Company looks like?’

’It’s... a little terrifying.’

’That was a close call. Just a little longer and I wouldn’t have had time to pile all the factory’s materials above my head.’

’It’s a good thing those robots I sent out successfully drew the laser’s fire for three seconds, causing a large amount of its energy to be wasted elsewhere.’

’Otherwise, if the laser had been fixed on the spot above my head for just two more seconds, my Spiritual Power probably wouldn’t have been able to replace the materials in time.’

’The entire armor plate would have melted, and I would have had no chance of survival buried under all that molten iron.’

’Thankfully, there are no "what ifs."’

Xiang Yi suddenly couldn’t help but laugh.

No wonder the past few days had been so comfortable, with no life-threatening danger.

It seemed all his bad luck had been waiting for him here.

His racing heart began to calm down.

Although his body was still paralyzed, Xiang Yi’s mind was clearer than ever before.

The Company’s attack had jolted him wide awake.

He had always been hoping to completely escape the prison and the Company’s pursuit and regain his freedom.

Even though Master Chang had stressed that he couldn’t escape, a part of him had always clung to a sliver of wishful thinking.

Because he couldn’t see a tangible target, he never considered actively fighting back. Instead, he passively endured the pressure of the pursuit, thinking he could curb it through indirect means.

But an attack of this magnitude, a direct strike from an orbital defense satellite... would the prison really give up the chase now?

Xiang Yi already had a clear answer in his heart: they would hunt him to the ends of the earth.

’Escape? Impossible.’

’So what can I do? Wait for death?’

’Even more impossible.’

There was only one path left for him...

Xiang Yi’s laugh suddenly turned a bit crazed, but his mind was sharper than ever.

’Why hadn’t there been a direct attack before? Even when they came, it was just surveillance. No large-scale attacks.’

’Why was Anka’s government completely ignoring me? A hotel tower was destroyed, hundreds of casualties, and my tracks weren’t completely erased. The government should have found me long ago. So why didn’t they?’

Master Chang had said the government was busy with something, but he didn’t know what, so they had no time to deal with him.

’Then what about the prison? The Company? Are they busy too?’

’How is that possible?’

Xiang Yi hadn’t understood before.

But now, he finally understood.

The government was in conflict with the Company.

A single incident couldn’t have caused a stalemate between the two sides for this long.

He didn’t know the specific reason for such a prolonged conflict, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t important.

What was important was that the Company might have already gained the upper hand, to the point where they could use an orbital defense satellite to attack him.

This couldn’t have been the government’s doing.

The government’s stance wouldn’t change so abruptly. If they wanted to maintain stability, they would never launch an orbital strike on the city’s outskirts.

Besides, his trail was hardly a secret. If they really wanted to take him out, they had plenty of other ways.

So, it had to be the Company’s work.

’So what would the Company do to the government after infiltrating it?’

A massive, inter-Star Realm corporation and a tiny planet in the Edge Star Realm.

When these two crossed paths, the only thing Xiang Yi could think of was that the Company wanted to infiltrate the government and turn the local authorities into their puppets.

Xiang Yi finally understood why he had survived for so long.

He had survived this long purely because the true eye of the storm wasn’t him, but the clash between the local government and the Company.

He was just occasionally caught in the crossfire.

This time, however, he’d just been unlucky enough to get caught in the maelstrom.

Master Chang had been right. If he didn’t solve the problem of the prison and the Company, nothing he did would ever go smoothly.

Fortunately, his busy work over the past few days hadn’t been for nothing.

An accidental injury had rapidly brought him and Master Chang closer.

If he hadn’t been in the junkyard, but somewhere else, he would most likely be dead. He wouldn’t have had such a dense supply of high-strength metal for cover.

Ordinary metal materials stood no chance of stopping an attack from an orbital satellite.

Xiang Yi glanced at the ceiling above, his expression still manic.

This was the closest he had ever been to death, and his rage was becoming irrepressible.

’What now?’

’Maybe the prison will think I’m already dead?’

’A direct hit from an orbital Laser Weapon... anyone would be dead for sure.’

Continuing to hide was probably a good option. As long as he didn’t expose himself for a while, the prison would very likely assume he was dead and gone.

But at this moment, for the first time, Xiang Yi didn’t want to take the safer, more stable path.

Because he finally had a lead that could reach the prison and the Company.

Since coming to the junkyard, he had only been in contact with Master Chang... and the gangsters who showed up this morning.

’Of course, it’s also possible the satellite found me directly.’

’But why was the satellite inactive for the past five days, only locking onto my position today?’

’Master Chang would never leak information, so doesn’t that just leave the gangsters who leaked my whereabouts?’

’The gangsters... Wang Guowei?’

’No, it should be Guo Long.’

Xiang Yi had heard Guo Long’s name before, from that militiaman.

This morning, if that man hadn’t been interrupted by the person next to him, he would have most likely said that name.

This Guo Long was one of the local kingpins, said to have connections in both the legal and criminal worlds.

’He seems to fit the personnel requirements for when the Company wants to infiltrate the government.’

They might be assets cultivated by the Company, or they could have been people trained by the prison from the very beginning.

Whatever the answer, Xiang Yi had to do something. It would be a shame to let what they did to him go unanswered.

Before, Xiang Yi had never had a direct lead.

His only clue was the informant Lu Qi, mentioned by the small fry Pingyu.

But at the time, he didn’t know which gang Lu Qi belonged to, lacked the means to investigate, and didn’t have the power to take on an entire gang by himself.

But now, the situation was completely different.

Although he didn’t know how to solve the root problem with the prison just yet, he knew how to deal with the most immediate problem.

’If I eliminate all the Company’s informants, then no one will be able to come after me, right?’

With the junkyard destroyed, it was the perfect opportunity to halt all other work and handle the most pressing matter.

He was still alive, his skills were intact, and Master Chang was still around. The rest of the work could just be delayed a few days.

But if he didn’t deal with the Company’s infiltration of the government...

...could the factory he and Master Chang were building really operate smoothly?

Today, gangsters came to splash gasoline and burn buildings, and an orbital satellite came to attack.

What about tomorrow?

Leads don’t wait around.

It was either Guo Long, or the gang that controls "Wang Guowei" street.

He would start with those two angles.

’If I’m going to do this... I have to get out of this hole first.’