Chapter 30: Crazy Stones, Section 4

Blood-Pupil’s complaints were justified. Given the current situation, they had already fallen into trouble without even truly seeing their enemies.
A aquatic environment.
This was a natural environment, just as planets have land and oceans. Aquatic environments are also one of the combat zones—nothing unusual about that. But the problem was that the mechs of Black Hair and his group lacked adaptability for aquatic environments!
Forcing combat in an aquatic environment without such adaptability was like sending a tank into the sea to fight—it was simply inconceivable. Even though modern technology had long surpassed old concepts, with mechs having replaced poorly effective equipment like tanks, the lack of adaptability still left even the best pilots frustrated.
After all, a mech is also a type of equipment, and it has its own adaptability. Generally, when designing a mech, its future combat areas should be considered, and it should be built as a specialized combat weapon for that area. Combat areas include land, air, space, and water. Even though Black Hair’s mechs were of elite grade, they couldn’t escape this rule.
Their mechs were adapted for both land and space combat. Thanks to high-intensity thrusters, they could also engage in short-term air combat. But they lacked adaptability for water!! What was most troublesome was that the high-intensity thrusters they installed temporarily were designed for space use and didn’t even have waterproof partitions!! In just a short while, that sticky substance had seeped into the thruster’s nozzle and began penetrating rapidly!
Watching the row of red lights suddenly flash inside the cockpit, Blood-Pupil cursed violently.
“Damn it!! Boss, the thruster’s flooded. It’s only a matter of time before it penetrates further. We only have ten minutes. After that, the mech’s optical system will go haywire!!”
“I see it.” In Black Hair’s cockpit, red lights were also flashing, casting an unpredictable glow on his calm face.
To be honest, this sudden predicament was something he hadn’t expected. Based on observations, there was no liquid water on this planet, which was why he decided to bring extra equipment. But the sudden change disrupted his plans completely. Amid the urgent alarm sounds, Black Hair closed his eyes.
“Ashen Earth, is this environment your companion’s disguise?”
“No, Boss Beck. This passage isn’t disguised.” Ashen Earth’s reply shattered Black Hair’s hopes.

“Ah, I see…” Black Hair rubbed his brows, feeling a sudden headache. After thinking for a moment, he stopped abruptly. “Alright, Blood Pupil. Disconnect the external thrusters!” “What!? Head, are you crazy?” Blood Pupil’s eyes widened in disbelief at what he heard. Disconnecting the external thrusters—yes, that could solve the problem of liquid infiltration for now. But the issue was that they would also lose the ability to return to space! Without the powerful external thrusters, their mechs’ own power would not be enough to overcome the gravitational pull of the planet! And in this fierce battlefield, could Black Hair possibly call for support from a fleet hidden in the shadows of a distant planet? Any fool knew that was impossible. Yet Black Hair’s orders could not be disobeyed. So, despite their reluctance, Blood Pupil and the others had no choice but to dismantle the huge external thrusters on their backs along with all the pirates. Soon, dark, giant devices appeared in the corners of the passage. Blood Pupil and the others looked at them with regret. But after removing those bulky external thrusters, their mechs became much more agile. Though they still couldn’t match the agility of mechs designed for water, they could at least fight. Thus, the pirates regained some confidence, their eyes lighting up again. Now, only the Killing Emperor in Black Hair’s group was still fully equipped. As the pinnacle of Black Prison’s efforts, it didn’t need external thrusters to compensate for its lack of power. Of course, its adaptability in water wasn’t much different from that of other mechs either—it still couldn’t compare to those specialized for water. “Good. Then let’s move forward. I hope this mission will be worth it. These external thrusters are quite valuable.” Black Hair smiled casually and pointed toward the depths of the passage. The passage was long and extremely steep. Under the faint glow of the walls, the liquid filling it emitted strange, colorful lights, creating a world like a dream—so beautiful. Black Hair and the others were like fish swimming in this world, moving quietly forward. Soon, they reached a bend.

It’s a very special curve. Unlike ordinary curves, this one goes straight downward. In other words, after turning this corner, they’ll enter something like an upright tube. If the passage weren’t filled with liquid, they would fall straight down. But now, they can descend slowly thanks to the buoyancy of the viscous liquid.

At this moment, the pirates finally understood the purpose of this liquid. They all cursed inwardly. If only they had known the Rock People were such a strange race—they should have brought external equipment for underwater combat when coming down. Clearly, this setup was created by the Rock People to facilitate entry and exit. Filling the passage with liquid provided buoyancy. So, one could imagine what lay below. It was hard to believe these Rock People could survive in water—weren’t their stone bodies afraid of moisture?

“It’s not water; it’s oil!” Bloodshot Eyes resolved everyone’s confusion with one sentence.

“These liquids are substances similar to oil, but they’re not polluting. There’s no moisture in this environment!” Bloodshot Eyes observed the surroundings as he descended slowly with Black Hair, his brows furrowed deeply.

“Boss, look around—seems we’ve entered their alternate passage. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so quiet; not a single Rock Warrior in sight. But is it okay to just go straight down? We can’t be sure about what’s below. How about asking the brothers to activate the holographic display now?”

Hearing Bloodshot Eyes’ question, the Killing Emperor ahead didn’t even turn around. Soon, Black Hair’s calm voice came through the channel.

“Don’t worry. Since just now, Ashen Earth has already started working. Everything you see is just as real. It’s just that others can’t see us.”

“You mean invisibility?” Bloodshot Eyes was immediately surprised, doubt evident in his voice. “Do the Earth People also possess this ability?”

“No, it’s not invisibility—it’s mirage!” Black Hair explained softly. “Invisibility changes us, but a mirage doesn’t. It changes the surroundings. As long as the scene in the mirage matches this place and our presence is absent, it functions similarly to invisibility.”

“Truly… incredible… A mirage can be used like this…” The pirates around him exclaimed in awe. They finally understood what Black Hair meant.

Changing oneself and changing the environment—there’s a huge difference between the two, but with proper use, either can serve as the best disguise for oneself. Obviously, in this Rockman’s base, making large-scale changes to the environment would surely alert them. But if the environment remains the same, with only their group no longer there, that’s another matter.

Degenerate, extremely degenerate.

That’s how the pirates described it. At the same time, they developed a new view of their leader. The captain, who had always emphasized straightforwardness, also had such a cunning side. What was the difference between such tactics and covering the Rockmen’s eyes?

Stealing brazenly in someone’s home while covering the victim’s eyes… This was truly…

Too satisfying!

“Boss, you’re such an animal! How could you even think of such a method!!” The pirates certainly weren’t shy about their praise. For a moment, the channel was filled with cheers.

But what they didn’t know was that Blackhair was now forcing a smile. Graysoil, who was working hard beside him, showed a look of resentment on his little face.

It turned out that this method of using mirages wasn’t actually Blackhair’s idea. It was a suggestion put forward by Graysoil right after entering the passage. Yet now the pirates were attributing it to Blackhair. How could the little one not feel wronged?

A warm hand stroked the little one’s head once again, but Blackhair didn’t offer any explanation. In that warmth, the little one’s expression gradually softened, and the resentment disappeared.

It also understood that, having just joined Blackhair’s group, it would be unwise to disrupt the pirates’ enthusiasm. It still had a long way to go to integrate into this group.

The passage stretched on, and as they descended further, everyone noticed their mechs becoming increasingly sluggish. Clearly, even on this planet with weaker gravity, the force of pressure couldn’t be underestimated. It had been over ten minutes since they entered this vertical tunnel, and now they felt as if a huge weight was pressing down on them. If their mechs hadn’t been masterpieces of the Black Prison faction, they would likely have been ruined by now.

However, this situation didn’t last long. After descending for twenty minutes straight, they finally saw the end of the passage.

It was another dead end, just like when they came. The fluorescent light on the walls was especially bright. Even from hundreds of meters away, they could still see that eerie glow penetrating the liquid.

Everyone was overjoyed. But before they could speed up, the pressure in the passage suddenly increased. Then, a powerful current surged down from above, turning everyone into bullets that were shot violently downward!! The wall at the end rushed toward them at high speed. Everyone was terrified!!
“Boom!!”
They had burst out of that vertically descending pipe, only to find endless void beneath their feet!!
“Damn it… it’s… empty…” Blood-Pup let out a cry of despair as he fell along with everyone else…