VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 970: Melt Armor into Sword

Roughly three hundred kilometers from Yingtian City lies a vast metropolis, known since ancient times as Xiedi. Its neon glow pulses, skyscrapers like sharpened crystal prisms rising in precise array at the city’s core.

High in one tower, a sealed chamber buzzes. Consoles flash with signals, dozens of screens flicker with numbers, waveforms, and feeds. The room’s structure forms a strange, tiered maze.

“Commander! Two causing trouble in Sector 192! Frontline says it could affect Number Two’s emotional state!”

“Hold. Observe.”

“Covert team’s already up…”

“These young ones—defying orders or just fearless?”

“Commander, sorry! I’ll pull them back!”

“Heh, Yue Citadel’s lot are as wild as that boy. …Fine, tell them: no moves unless the bait’s life’s at stake!”

“Yes!”

Keystrokes clatter as commands race three hundred kilometers to Yingtian, converging on a quiet diner—Snowy Flesh Mash.

Soon, the agent posing as a chef withdraws. You Long’er enters.

Ye Shisan knows nothing of the orchestration—everyone but Pork Fat’s gang is under Xiedi’s command.

She sits in a wheelchair, a one-armed elder with a kind face, sharp beneath. YiQueen.

Before her, consoles hum, each staffed by two or three young women, eyes locked on their tasks.

“Number Two’s response?”

“Slight temperature rise! Pupil constriction! Blood pressure steady! Heart rate unchanged!”

“A beast? Most spike stats in a fight—some surge adrenaline. Number Two’s flat?”

“Likely from long-term Pipotiazine and sedatives. Monitor. Scan again post-meal, after blood sugar rises.”

“Six-Path Ray Scanner ready!”

“Channels open! All readings normal!”

“Energy stable! Power maxed!”

“All units, final ray calibration!”

“Path One done! Paths Two, Three, Four, Five, Six—done!”

“Commander, ready for your final—wait… who’s that? Where’d she come from?”

“Target locked! Facial recognition!”

“99% match! Dragon Gate, You Dragon King’s youngest, You Long’er!”

“She was on Sweet Potato Street. Why’s she here? Sector 192 exposed?”

“She’s after Number Two.”

“This heiress spells trouble!”

“All units, Hong Gang’s Stalk Hall star, Pork Fat, is tailing with his crew!”

“They’re hunting You Long’er!”

Voices rise in a chaotic hum. YiQueen, faintly smiling, taps her desk’s electronic mic.

“All, rule change: prioritize the bait’s safety, then civilians. Ruffians are excluded.”

YiQueen’s clear—You Long’er’s life is second-tier. The “bait”? Yi Qing.

Her words spark a flurry. Orders surge through digital lines, flooding three hundred kilometers.

YiQueen adjusts her gold-rimmed glasses, murmuring, Ye Shisan, time to wake.

On her screen, Yellow Hair, backed by a mob, struts. Not satisfied with curses, he smashes a bottle over Ye Shisan’s head.

Yellow Hair’s face twists. “Hah! Thought you were tough? Where’s that fight now?”

No one knows how Ye Shisan’s skull’s made—it doesn’t bleed. Glass shards in his hair, he glares coldly.

Yellow Hair’s never faced such defiance. Veins bulge. “What? Losing face before your girl? I’m crushing you! …Boys, he’s not breaking—what’s next?”

“Defiant? Beat him till he folds!”

Thugs swarm, wielding steel rods and bats. One swings, flipping the table, debris scattering.

Diners flee, unpaid, leaving the place empty.

Yi Qing snaps, “Take your fight outside—now!”

Pork Fat points at her. “Stay out! If you weren’t a cop, I’d have you sold to Laos by tonight! This guy hit my boys—that’s my face he’s slapping. A beating’s light!”

You Long’er rushes to Ye Shisan, shielding him. “Don’t touch him! Want someone? Take me! I’ll go!”

You Long’er’s sharpest here. At Dragon Gate Inn, when Ye Shisan blacked out, Lin Changrong’s tests showed he’s ordinary when awake. No matter how tough, he can’t beat armed thugs.

Yi Qing sees You Long’er’s move and understands, but her heart races. This diner’s the final test site. If Ye Shisan falls, it’s over. The covert chefs rushed in for Yellow Hair and Fatso earlier—so why’s YiQueen holding back?

Pork Fat laughs. “No wonder you vanished, Miss You. Hiding with an old man? Let’s see what’s special…”

His gaze meets Ye Shisan’s face. A chill runs up his spine, forcing a step back.

This man… I know him.

His goons don’t care. Yellow Hair, still burning from Ye Shisan’s slap, grabs two full bottles. Street fights use empties—full ones, heavy and deadly, mean murder. Yellow Hair’s lost control, slamming them at Ye Shisan’s head.

Thud! Thud! Blood, liquor, and glass pour down.

Ye Shisan stands, unmoving, like a statue. His hands drop, as if drained.

Yi Qing and You Long’er’s hearts lurch. In sync, they strike—one with a full-force uppercut, the other with a metal heel to a thug’s jaw.

Screams erupt. Two brutes fly three feet, crashing into their crew.

Yi Qing and You Long’er stand before Ye Shisan, ready, fury blazing.

“Want him? Get through us first!”