Sakura, You're Still Here!!
In underground crevices, deep within the insect nest.
A series of orange figures, emitting shrill cries, surged wildly out of the darkness.
"Watch out, it's a fourth-tier Blade Bug!"
With a single command, "Gun Like a Dragon," the Crimson Firmament Alliance immediately unleashed their full firepower.
On our side, Ruolin and I took the lead, each wielding Power Sword, and "crack, crack, crack" we cut through the Blade Bug that the Blade Worms were so proud of, greatly limiting their output.
In the back row, Cai Cai and Fatty, the two Firepower Specialist, unleashed a barrage of fire. Under the barrage of large-caliber bullets from their Explosive Gun, the Blade Bug' carapaces shattered continuously, and green blood gushed out, creating a truly gruesome sight.
"Ding Han, look over there!"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruolin looked warily into the depths of the insect hive, where a blue figure was curled up in a ball, rolling rapidly towards the Player Faction like a gear.
The second one, the Spirit Exploding Bug!
"Damn it! There are also Spirit Exploding Bug!"
Xu Tian's face turned pale. "What do we do?"
"Unlimited control!"
Gun Like a Dragon shouted, "Dark Priest, attack! Fear it! The rest of you, concentrate your fire and pick it off!"
Immediately, several Dark Priest, including Huo Bingzhi Ri, stepped forward, raised their longswords, and unleashed a series of fear spells. Finally, the spell succeeded when the third fear spell landed, stopping the Spirit Exploding Bug's rapid rolling. Its body stretched out, resembling a small blue turtle, revealing a round, bald head.
"Smash its head, quick!" shouted the Worldly Uncontested voice.
Everyone went all out, and I took out my Pink Explosive Gun. In just a few seconds, I unleashed 60 large-caliber bullets on the head of the Spirit Exploding Bug. The Headshot and Exceptional Strike hits were a sight to behold. Perhaps it was because of the high firepower and damage amplification, but one person's output was enough to keep up with 2-3 Firepower Specialist!
Just as fear was about to wear off, he raised his hand and immediately followed up with a Dragon Binding Rope!
"Shuashuashua~~"
Golden vines formed from condensed Yuan energy suddenly rose from the ground, instantly binding the Spirit Exploding Bug's body tightly, rendering it unable to move!
Quickly switch magazines and continue aiming and firing with the Explosive Gun!
The Spirit Exploding Bug hissed loudly, bound in place and unable to move. Moreover, unlike other Spirit Exploding Bug units, its self-destruct damage was terrifying. So, probably for balance reasons, the Spirit Exploding Bug's health was only about 30% of that of a boss of the same tier, a mere 4 million, making it extremely easy to defeat.
In short, as long as players don't underestimate the enemy and detect the presence of the Spirit Exploding Bug in advance, they generally won't be wiped out by the Spirit Exploding Bug.
At this point, I could also try the combo of Explosive Charge + Power Sword Decapitation, but I don't know how the Spirit Exploding Bug's self-destruct mechanism works. Will it immediately self-destruct if a player appears around it? If so, this tactic can be disregarded. No rush, I'll try it again when the invincibility cooldown is over.
In less than 20 seconds, the Spirit Exploding Bug was seamlessly controlled by various techniques, sizzling and yelling incessantly in place. Finally, its energy was exhausted, and its body was blown into a pile of dark blue blood!
"Continue!"
Carrying my Power Sword, I stepped over the corpses of the Spirit Exploding Bug and continued leading the group deeper into the hive.
Along the way, insects emerged one after another. Although they posed no great threat, for safety reasons, everyone proceeded cautiously, and the pace of progress was not too fast.
It was almost nine o'clock in the blink of an eye.
Xu Tian, clutching a blue Explosive Gun, said wearily, "How far have we traveled underground...?"
"At least three kilometers."
I looked behind me, frowning, and said, "Don't you think the structure of this insect nest is quite unique? It's shaped like a tunnel, extending all the way from outside the city into the city..."
Xu Tian suddenly realized. "You mean, like that insect nest in East Lake, they're going to launch an attack from inside the city?"
The Gun Like a Dragon, and even Shen Jin showed a look of astonishment. For a moment, everyone's expression became much more serious.
"That's most likely the case. Let's move forward quickly."
"Clear!"
The group quickly advanced, reaching a depth of nearly 300 meters into the insect nest within just ten minutes. They then saw a swarm of burrowing insects digging frantically underground!
At the same time, a pink light flashed within the swarm of burrowing worms.
"Watch out, it's the Pink BOSS!"
The Gun Like a Dragon, prompting a hurried warning!
"Whoosh!"
The pink figure suddenly leaped up and darted along the wall, its body rolling and flashing with a fierce light. Before a Crimson Firmament Alliance assassin could react, he was instantly cut in half at the waist!
"49992!"
That's almost 50,000 damage in one hit, that's brutal!
As the Crimson Firmament Alliance assassin triggered the Resurrection Sacred Canon and departed, everyone scattered and prepared for battle. Meanwhile, Gun Like a Dragon casually shared the BOSS's attributes in the team chat.
[Claw Bug] (Pink BOSS)
Level: 65
Attack: 10000-12500
Defense: 5000
Qi and Blood: 20,000,000
Skills: [Strength Enhancement Lv10] [Agility Enhancement Lv.10] [Claw Storm Lv.10]
Details: Claw Bug, a powerful Tier 6 Zerg unit, evolved from the Lord Bug. Its body is greatly enhanced, giving it terrifying strength and speed. As a "warrior" in the Zerg swarm, it has an extremely strong hunting instinct. If you encounter Claw Bug, running away is the best policy!
With an attack cap of 125W, plus the Hidden Bonus and level suppression from the Pink BOSS, it's no wonder that it could one-shot a well-equipped level 52 assassin!
Around them, a group of players unleashed their control skills, but to no avail. The Claw Bug was bombarded with a barrage of misses, completely ignoring skills like Psionic Entanglement, Fear, and Stardust Tendril. The Pink BOSS already had high control resistance, and with at least a 10-level level advantage, the hit rate of control skills was probably less than 5%!
"Hiss~~~"
The Claw Bug hissed, its deep red eyes instantly fixing on me.
No way, high-level Zerg can even detect a player's combat strength and specifically target the strongest player to kill them first?
The next second, the Claw Bug charged forward like lightning, charging into a hail of bullets. Its body flipped in the air, and its claws, evolved from its forelimbs, gleamed coldly as they crushed down like a spiraling storm!
"Depend on!"
I gritted my teeth and unleashed a flurry of attacks: Battle Roar, Tian Gong Kai Wu, Overpowering Momentum, Annihilation Rock Armor, and Stardust Wall. Then, my body sank, and I slashed my sword fiercely at the long tail of the Claw Bug.
In an instant, his neck, chest, and arms were struck by sharp claws one after another, the Stardust Wall shattered, and his health bar plummeted!
"15787!"
"17565!"
"14772!"
"9873!"
After this swift and fierce attack, a "Lightly Injured" symbol jumped out from above. It was a bit embarrassing; he had been injured in just one contact!
My lightning-fast sword strike cleaved the Claw Bug's tail, leaving it covered in blood and dealing over 30,000 damage, but unfortunately, it didn't inflict Crippling Blow wound.
"Superior!"
Behind them, three figures flashed by: Gun Like a Dragon, Worldly Uncontested, and Shen Jin, as they charged out to try and contend with the Claw Bug!
I quickly got up, used the Medical Box to restore 50% of my health, and looked up to see the Gun Like a Dragon a beautiful trajectory change in the air. In a split second, it thrust the head of the Power Gun into the abdomen of the Claw Bug!
"Pfft!"
"24882!"
The damage wasn't low, but it didn't inflict any "slicing" type of Crippling Blow damage; it just poked a hole in the opponent, so it didn't deal much damage!
"Hiss~~~"
Instead, in pain, the Claw Bug roared, its abdominal barbs extending outwards and Gun Like a Dragon with a "plop." Gun Like a Dragon cried out in pain, and at the same time, the Claw Bug nimbly turned its body, Gun Like a Dragon's body, and suddenly lunged to the side. Two claws pierced out from its chest, one piercing through the wrist of Shen Jin was holding the sword, and the other piercing through his chest.
"Holy crap..."
Everyone was shocked; the Pink BOSS's fighting skills were far beyond their imagination!
The next second, the Claw Bug opened its blood-red maw and with a "plop," it bit off Shen Jin's rather handsome head!
Emperor Jin, died suddenly!
Although the golden light of the Resurrection Sacred Canon revived Shen Jin, the death of the Ash Domain Guild leader was somewhat embarrassing.
The instant the Claw Bug killed the Ember Domain, the Uncontested One swiftly Whirlwind Slash Worldly Uncontested Rising Dragon Slash, directly charging to the BOSS's rear and catching him completely off guard!
"Boom!"
The dragon has successfully ascended; the Claw Bug's body pauses briefly in the air!
"Pretty!"
How could I miss such a golden opportunity? I darted forward, the blade gleaming with Ash Sweep light, and with lightning speed, I slashed three times at the Claw Bug's tail, which was at least half a meter in diameter!
Instantly, the flames blazed brightly, and the Destruction Field roared. Although the Claw Bug's keratinous exoskeleton was quite tough and had some resistance to Power Weapon, the three slashes completed in an instant still perfectly severed its tail!
"4108782!"
Its tail landed heavily on the ground, yet it continued to twitch.
The moment the Claw Bug felt the pain, it opened its blood-red maw and hissed loudly, spurting out crimson blood that shot directly into Gun Like a Dragon's face. Fearing that the worm's blood might contain toxins, he hurriedly retreated, spitting wildly.
"Hiss--"
The next second, the Claw Bug turned around and swept its severed tail, knocking Worldly Uncontested the indifferent creature with a "thud." At the same time, several sharp claws on its forelimbs opened and pounced directly at Zhang Ruolin, who had come to its rescue!
Immediately, accompanied by clanging sounds, the claws of the Claw Bug scraped against Ruolin's shield, creating sparks and deep grooves. At the same time, Zhang Ruolin's health bar plummeted. The player and the shield were one; the impact of the opponent's fierce attacks on the shield was also borne by the player!
However, Ruolin is also holding Power Sword!
The next moment, she actually abandoned the cyan shield, lowered her body, gripped her sword with both hands, and launched a close-range Rising Dragon Slash at the BOSS. The moment the sword light rose, the two front claws of the Claw Bug were severed, and deep red blood gushed out!
"Hiss~~~"
The Claw Bug swayed, turned around, and swung its claws to attack Zhang Ruolin, but Zhang Ruolin easily blocked it by raising another shield.
"Ding Han!"
In the distance, Worldly Uncontested clutched his chest, then exclaimed excitedly, "The Claw Bug's tail is its balance organ. By cutting off its tail, you've directly affected its agility and accuracy. You can fight with confidence now!"
"Clear!"
I took a step closer and instantly unleashed a Cold Star Piercing Bone. Just as the Claw Bug was frozen, I leaped into the air and slashed out with three sword strikes, severing all the remaining claws on its forelimbs. Instantly, the Claw Bug was reduced to a stick, devoid of its claws!
"Kill!"
After the Gun Like a Dragon spitting out its breath, it returned and plunged the Power Gun deep into the head of the Claw Bug, causing extremely high damage. Meanwhile, I attacked the Claw Bug's neck one sword after another. Its neck was protected by a thick layer of keratin, just like the protective layer that some animals form on their bodies by rubbing resin. It was very thick, and even the Destruction Field of the Power Sword could not cut through it completely in an instant!
So, after I unleashed over 40 sword strikes, with a "crack" sound, the flames burst forth, ripping the ugly head of the Claw Bug off its neck!
Finally fixed, the phone keeps ringing in my ear--
[Congratulations! You have defeated the Claw Bug (Pink BOSS) and obtained the item: BOSS Ability Crystal x1!]
[Battle Notification: You have defeated the Claw Bug (Pink BOSS), gaining 8,200,000 character experience points. You also gained 4,100,000 Experience Points through extraction at the Essence Furnace!]
"Holy crap, it's finally over..."
Worldly Uncontested his longsword, he couldn't help but sigh.
Although the overall strategy to defeat this Claw Bug was relatively short, the process was extremely dangerous. Even Shen Jin, the "Emperor of Ember," one of the Three Sovereigns and One Emperor of Huaining City, was instantly killed once!
Furthermore, the reason we were able to kill the Claw Bug in such a short time is simply because Huaining City has three Power Weapons!
Looking at the entire National Server, there are only these three Power Weapon so far, and they are all located in Huaining City, leaving players from other cities with nowhere to complain.
It's said that some players went to their GM to complain about this unfairness, but the GM replied that there was nothing he could do about it.
No question, let's open the treasure chest first.
As I took the treasure chest out of the Dimensional Storage Space and opened it, a pleasant bell rang in my ears.
[Congratulations! You have successfully opened your [BOSS Ability Crystal] and obtained the item: [Wind Whisperer -42 Improved Version] (Quality: Pink)!]
"Ah?"
I was slightly taken aback; they'd actually gotten a pink sniper rifle!
Winter AMR, time to go home!
The next second, the Wind Whisperer's attributes came into view--
[Wind Whisperer -42 Improved Version] (Quality: Pink)
Rank: Fifth Tier
Base Parameters: Firepower 3500-4000, Rate of fire 80 rounds/minute, Magazine capacity 8 rounds, Attack range 3000 meters
Strength: +60
Agility: +58
Physical strength: +56
Weight: 12.5KG
Specialty: Night vision, equipped with a night vision aiming system
Specialty: Muffler, equipped with a muffler
Blessing: Headshot Enhancement - When Headshot effect is triggered, there is an 85% chance to trigger double damage.
Strength required: 550
Required Agility: 400
I shook my head at the Wind Whisperer's attributes until I saw the "Headshot Enhancement" stat, and then I finally smiled!
To be fair, in terms of firepower, this pink Wind Whisperer is rather unqualified as a pink sniper rifle. A firepower cap of 4000? Seriously, isn't that too low?
After all, the Pink Explosive Gun has a firepower cap of 2000 points!
According to my estimate, the Pink Wind Whisperer's firepower needs to be at least 5000 points to be considered passable. After all, sniper rifles have a slow rate of fire, and re-aiming takes time. In reality, sniping an opponent from a distance only takes 1-2 shots. If you can kill them, you kill them; if not, there's no chance. Experienced opponents disappear in an instant and won't show their faces again to give you another chance.
But with this Headshot enhancement, it's a different story. As long as you aim accurately, the 85% chance is no different from 100%. Basically, every shot can deal 6 times the damage. Taking out a Psionicist's head with two shots from a distance is definitely not a problem. A couple more shots might even blow out Super Weapon Master's head!
This thing is pretty good.
It was directly equipped in the sniper rifle position, replacing the Winter AMR.
This Winter AMR is an orange sniper rifle, outdated and even no longer appreciated by players like Cai Cai and PangZi. However, it has fulfilled its historical mission and will be disposed of to Old Ma when we return to base.
"Ding Han, look over there."
Ruolin gently nudged my shoulder and pointed to a spot not far away.
At the end of the insect nest, there was a crack in the gray wall, a dark hole that connected to another insect nest.
"Flare."
At the command of "Gun Like a Dragon," the Chaos Demon King stepped forward and fired a flare into the crack.
Under the light, all the players gathered in front of the crack gasped in shock. Inside the adjacent small insect nest, there were countless insect embryos, all attached to the rock walls of the nest, looking like a swarm of silkworm eggs laid on mulberry leaves.
"Depend on..."
Carrying my Power Sword, I stepped into the adjacent small insect nest first. I immediately saw that the insect eggs were blood red and seemed to be starting to hatch, with a tiny black head appearing inside.
"Damn it, it's Lord Bug!"
Gun Like a Dragon followed, frowning as he said, "Holy Lord Bug Insects! There must be at least tens of thousands of Lord Bug eggs, right? If all of these hatch, there will be at least Orange BOSS, and there will be plenty of cyan and Pink BOSS too! That's going to be terrible!"
"Wrong."
Cai Cai said, "The Zerg encyclopedia clearly states that only the Star Nest Queen can give birth to Lord Bug. Where is the Queen?"
"They may have already left after laying their eggs."
The Worldly Uncontested said, "The Star Nest Queen is highly sought after within the swarm, responsible for laying eggs everywhere; theoretically, she should be very rare to see."
"If that's the case..."
Cai Cai narrowed her eyes. "The truth should be that a Star Nest Queen secretly infiltrated the underground of Creek City to lay its eggs and then left. These embryos are close to hatching. The reason why the insectoids outside exposed their nest and attacked Creek City was actually to join forces with this brood of Lord Bug, or to provide them with nutrients?"
"Cai Cai, this is the first time I've known you were so intelligent," Xu Tian exclaimed in admiration.
Cai Cai reluctantly accepted these words.
"How so?"
"Ding Han, "Gun Like a Dragon Churu, "How should we deal with these Lord Bug?"
Immediately, a player from the Crimson Firmament Alliance suggested, "Why don't we wait a bit, establish a base here, or find a way to accelerate the growth, and kill the Lord Bug as they hatch? We can then grind experience like crazy here and enjoy the joy of reaching level 60 and advancing to a sixth-tier class ahead of time. What do you all think?"
"You think you're raising poisonous insects?"
"Gun Like a Dragon" was the first to object. "The Zerg swarm is intelligent and will certainly not be willing to be manipulated by humans. Besides, what if they realize the danger and hatch all at once? If tens of thousands of BOSS- SS-rank Zerg attack at once, can the players in Huaining City handle it? If they can't, won't they wreak havoc on the entire Creek City?"
"Alliance Leader Long is right."
I nodded. "Why not just burn it down and end it all?"
Agreed.
The Worldly Uncontested said, "If you see an insect, just kill it. We're here to kill insects, nipping the crisis in the bud. That's the best solution."
"OK, then there's no need to discuss it further."
Gun Like a Dragon said, "A Tian, send the flamethrower squad up and wipe out all these Lord Bug. We'll stay here and watch."
"Alright, brothers, let's go!"
A group of players from the Crimson Firmament Alliance began burning the Lord Bug embryos.
I tried to shatter a Lord Bug Embryo with a single sword strike, but there was no Experience Points reward, so there's nothing more to say.
"Boss."
At this moment, Kou Mei, the most curious member of the team, pointed upwards and said, "What's up there? Why does it look like there's light up there?"
"I don't know either, we'll find out when we go up."
So, while the Crimson Firmament Alliance was burning the insects, I led my team uphill.
Just then, a bell rang in my ears, signaling that the task assigned by the Guide had been completed!
[Congratulations! You have completed the mission "Reinforce Creek City" (S-rank)! Rewards: 19.4 million character experience, 1 Charm Value, and an additional reward: "Resurrection Sacred Canon" (S-rank recovery item)!]
Another Resurrection Sacred Canon! That's great! The total number of Resurrection Sacred Canon is back to 5. Feels so reassured!
A few seconds later, he led everyone through a gap into the sewer. The light that Kou Mei had mentioned actually came from a sewer manhole cover above.
"Snap!"
Gently lift the manhole cover and carefully look outside to make sure it's not on the road, lest you get Headshot by a car as soon as you climb on it.
Fortunately, the manhole cover was on the side of the road, and it was already dark outside.
He pushed open the manhole cover and climbed out.
Behind them, Ruolin, Cai Cai, and the others also climbed up and politely put the manhole cover back in place.
"Huh?"
I looked into the distance and was taken aback.
Dozens of meters away, the lightbox of an internet cafe was lit up, indicating it was open for business. Looking through the glass door, you could see some young men and women with a flamboyant, "emo" style playing Audition Online. Even from that distance, we could faintly hear the screams of the spacebar being pressed.
Feiyang Internet Cafe!
That's right, that's the Feiyang Internet Cafe that Lu Xiaobei and I used to run, and this place is the long-lost Qianjin Street!
What a coincidence!
In fact, if this small underground insect nest hadn't been discovered beforehand, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Once the swarm of high-level insects bred from those ten thousand Lord Bug reached the surface, Feiyang Internet Cafe would probably have been the first to suffer!
"It's Qianjin Street..."
Ruolin looked around nostalgically, then walked straight to a roasted sweet potato stall to enjoy the local delicacy with Kou Mei.
Faye, Bingzi, and Gushi squatted by the roadside, each lighting a cigarette, and surprisingly blended into the city's atmosphere, looking no different from the flamboyant young people playing Audition Online in internet cafes.
I took out my phone, took a picture of Feiyang Internet Cafe, and sent it to Lu Xiaobei.
Immediately, she replied with an emoji of someone covering their face and crying.
"Ding Han, is this our old Feiyang Internet Cafe?"
"Um."
I replied, "It's quite a coincidence. The Zerg have hidden an underground hive right beneath Feiyang Internet Cafe. If we players hadn't come, Feiyang Internet Cafe might have been the Zerg's outbreak point."
"Ah?"
Lu Xiaobei sent an amazed emoji, then said, "Let's make a video call. Take your phone into the internet cafe; I want to see what our internet cafe looks like now."
"Good."
As I was making the video call, I quickly crossed the road, and when Lu Xiaobei answered the call, she saw her sitting on the plane.
"Xiao Bei, what are you doing on the plane again?"
"What else can I do? I just got back and you're already gone. My colleagues in BH City are waiting for me to record, so I can't delay. I should go back to Beihai first and finish the recording work. Hurry up and go to the internet cafe, I need to check it out."
So, holding my phone, I walked into the internet cafe "with Lu Xiaobei." Everything was the same as before. After Zhou Beichuan took over the internet cafe, he operated it almost exactly the same way. Business seemed pretty good. The occupancy rate at 9 pm was at least 80%, which was quite good for an internet cafe in Creek City.
"Sigh, nothing has changed..."
Lu Xiaobei held her phone in one hand and covered her mouth with the other, almost crying.
Hello... May I ask...?
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind.
"This..."
I turned around and saw a familiar figure standing behind me.
Sakura!
She's still working here!
"Ding Han?!"
Sakura was also surprised, covering her mouth as she looked at me. "You... it really is you... how did you come back?"
"Not just me."
I turned the camera around so she could see Lu Xiaobei was video chatting with me.
"Xiao Bei!"
Sakura snatched the phone, her face beaming with joy. "It really is you?"
Lu Xiaobei was so excited that his eyes sparkled. "It's me! It's me!"
As far as I know, after leaving Creek City, Lu Xiaobei and Sakura rarely contacted each other. Moreover, now that Lu Xiaobei is a big star, Sakura probably feels the difference in their status even more, so she never takes the initiative to talk to her on WeChat.
So the two of them started chatting, while I sat down next to an empty computer, waiting for my phone to arrive. When I got bored, I even fixed a few computers in the internet cafe that had "out of order" signs on them, gaining a lot of Skill Experience.
Speaking of which, after leveling up Applied Mathematics to Tier 5 (the maximum level) last time, I used up a lot of Skill Experience, and I have very little left. I absolutely can't slack off on earning Skill Experience while coding. Perhaps... I could take a temporary position at Yuening's after-sales service department? Go there regularly to help them clear out their inventory of appliances awaiting repair?
That's a good idea. It would be best to bring the fat guy along for the assignment, otherwise just relying on assembling machines to earn Skill Experience is too inefficient!
Soon after, the two of them finally finished their work, and Sakura returned the phone to me.
"I'm about to take off, I'm turning off my phone right now, bye-bye!"
Lu Xiaobei waved to me.
Have a safe journey!
I nodded, hung up the video call, and then my gaze fell on Sakura's slightly protruding belly.
"Sakura, have you gained weight recently, or is it what I imagined?" I asked.
"Is it what you imagined?"
Sakura's face flushed inexplicably. "My boyfriend and I are already engaged, and we plan to hold a wedding ceremony after the baby is born."
"Oh oh..."
I nodded, knowing that doing happy things often yields positive results.
Originally, I had planned to take this opportunity to discuss with Lu Xiaobei about transferring Sakura back to Huaining City. She was quite capable and could manage the branch in Donghu District or the new district. However, after seeing that she was pregnant, I immediately gave up on this idea.
People are different. All Sakura wants is a stable life, so even if you give her a high salary to work at Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe, the final result may not be what she wants.
Let things take their natural course; that's best.
After chatting with Sakura for a bit, I left the internet cafe and led everyone on motorcycles, like a group of chuunibyou (delusional) teenagers, away from Creek City and back to Huaining City via the south Teleportation Array.
In the Player Black Market, everyone processed their winnings one by one.
My transaction volume was the largest. After selling off a bunch of equipment, including the orange Winter AMR, I replenished my stock with a batch of Wind Whisperer ammo. In the end, I made a whopping 800,000 from this trip to Creek City!
Top gamers are really doing well; their income levels are just... indescribably wonderful!
Ruolin and Cai Cai were making their transaction, I pulled Fatty aside.
"Are your Skill Experience sufficient lately?" I asked.
"Not enough... How did you know?"
"I don't have enough either."
I raised an eyebrow slightly. "I'll have Xiaoying arrange for us both to have temporary positions in the Yue Ning Repair Department, so we can clean faulty appliances when we have free time? What do you think?"
"Can!"
The fat man immediately agreed, saying, "I've had this idea for a while, but I couldn't say it, for fear that President Manager Lin think I'm not doing my job properly and that I'm not capable of great things."
"Let me handle this."
"OK!"
So I sent Lin Qingying a message to tell her I was coming back right away.
Lin Qingying replied briefly, "I'm in a conference call. I'll be quiet when I get back."
I arrived at the residential area a little before 10 o'clock.
He secretly put away his motorcycle, went upstairs, and when he opened the living room door, sure enough, Lin Qingying was sitting quietly on the sofa in her work clothes, listening to her subordinate's work report.
I walked up to her and typed on my phone. "Want some noodles? I'll cook."
She nodded, then typed a few words on her phone. "Ending in ten minutes."
That's about right, but you also need to add the time it takes to boil the water.
Ten minutes later, Lin Qingying put away her notebook and got up to help, only to find that the noodles were already cooked. The two then sat together and ate the delicious Master Kong braised beef and egg noodles.
"Xiaoying, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Okay, you go ahead."
"I'd like to get a temporary position in the maintenance department of Yue Ning Group. I can have a salary or not. Both Fatty and I need to have a temporary position there."
Can I know why?
She looked at me, puzzled. "I invited you to join Yuening's R&D team before, but you refused."
"It's different. I'm just on temporary assignment, working as a regular employee. I won't be taking up any of Yuening's human resources. I can even repair appliances for Yuening and handle some minor, basic problems."
"What exactly is the reason?" I asked, leaving her completely confused.
I immediately told her everything about Practice Makes Perfect and about my Skill Experience.
No wonder...
Lin Qingying smiled with relief, "I repeatedly invited you to join Yuening, but you just wouldn't leave Luo Mei's repair department. So that's what it was about..."
"Otherwise what?"
"All right."
She smiled slightly, "I'll talk to Shen Man. You can contact Shen Man directly about this matter; she'll handle it for you."
"Um!"
I nodded emphatically, another worry finally lifted from my mind.
The next morning.
As usual, I ate breakfast with Lin Qingying at the breakfast stall downstairs. The stall owner knew what kind of breakfast we would order without us even saying a word.
Halfway through the meal, a figure walked in from the entrance of the residential area and sat down next to us.
She was a stunning beauty, wearing a leather jacket, sunglasses, and long, slightly wavy hair.
"No, who are you?" I asked, surprised.
Lin Qingying also looked over in surprise.
"You can't recognize me just because I'm wearing sunglasses? My counter-surveillance skills aren't very good, Ding Han..."
The other person took off their sunglasses, and it was actually Su Wei!
"Su Wei, what brings you here?"
I came here specifically to see you.
Su Wei tilted her head and looked at Lin Qingying, then smiled and asked, "This beautiful lady... is she your girlfriend?"
"That's right, isn't it beautiful!?" I said, hands on my hips, looking smug.
"Pretty!"
Su Wei couldn't help but chuckle, extending her hand and saying, "Hello, I'm Su Wei, a friend of Ding Han, and the commander of the Crimson Dragon Legion 99th Division."
A look of surprise flashed across Lin Qingying's eyes. She reached out and grasped his hand, saying, "Yue Ning Group, Lin Qingying."
"Oh, wait a minute..."
Su Wei hesitated for a moment, then suddenly surprise flashed in her eyes. "You're the young lady from the Yue Ning Group who returned to Yuening not long ago? No wonder you look so familiar, I've seen you on a magazine cover..."
As she spoke, Su Wei looked at me meaningfully. "No... you even managed to snag such a beautiful woman, Ding Han... I really underestimated you before!"
I chuckled and said, "That's true. Sometimes when I dream that she's my girlfriend, I often wake up laughing..."
Lin Qingying blushed and gave me a playful sidelong glance.
"I'm sorry, I disturbed your breakfast."
Su Wei smiled and said, "Manager Lin, I heard that your Yue Ning Group is one of the key technology providers for the power system of China's military Power Armor. Since you are Ding Han's girlfriend, let's add each other on WeChat?"
"Okay!"
Lin Qingying quickly took out her phone and added Su Wei on WeChat.
Her business acumen was very sharp, and she certainly knew that maintaining good relations with the military was extremely important. As the commander of a ten-thousand-strong army, Su Wei was actually considered to be in the middle to high ranks of the Crimson Dragon Country's military and had a certain amount of influence.
This connection could be quite important to the Yue Ning Group.
"Su Wei, what's wrong?" I asked.
"There's something interesting going on, and I'd like to invite you to come and see it."
Because she was unaware that Lin Qingying already knew my identity, she spoke rather cryptically.
"Alright, after I finish eating, would you like some too?"
"Sure, there's enough time, boss. One of the same breakfasts, please."
"Okay!"
So, Su Wei had breakfast with us, and then Lin Qingying drove to work, while I got into Su Wei's car and drove directly to the military helipad in the distance. We boarded a heavy helicopter, took off, and headed straight for the southwest of Huaining City.
Southwest, the Wall of Life.
A high wall, constructed of steel and heavily guarded, stands tall, and our helicopter is parked on the helipad of the Wall of Life.
Stepping off the helicopter, I followed Su Wei along the Wall of Life. In the distance, four heavy helicopters were hoisting a huge instrument, slowly lowering it into a facility resembling a missile silo. As the slings rotated, the instrument descended deep into the ground.
"What is that?" I asked calmly.
"The Zerg signal detectors can detect depths of up to 10,000 meters underground. Once a Zerg swarm approaches, we can detect it in advance. We have prepared tens of thousands of such signal detectors, which can be networked along the entire Wall of Life in the Crimson Dragon Country, making it impossible for the Zerg swarm to hide."
"Awesome..."
I sincerely exclaimed in admiration.
It seems that the high command of the Crimson Dragon Country probably foresaw the Insectoid Uprising long ago; otherwise, they would not have been able to complete such a massive project in such a short time.
"Just so-so, not bad..."
Su Wei looked at me meaningfully and smiled, "Ding Han, I'll ask you one more time: are you willing to join our Crimson Dragon Legion?"
"I don't want to!"
"I knew it."
She rolled her eyes, not angry at all, but just complained, "With such a great girlfriend, I wouldn't want to go to the army and suffer either..."