A Certain Taste Called Home

On the same day.

Ma Shuo, from the Changping City Mecha Legion, sat in a mech transport vehicle with the window open, constantly breathing on his hands to warm them.

"It's so cold, so cold."

"This is truly awful; having to go out on fieldwork in this weather is unbearable."

"When I get back to the city in a few days, I need to go to the temple to burn incense and wash away this bad luck."

Sitting in the back, Xiao Rong, the Mech Master who looked great in her pilot's suit, suddenly stood up and closed the window.

"Are you crazy?"

"You're leaving the car heater on, opening the window and complaining about the cold. Have you lost your mind from the cold?"

Ma Shuo chuckled dryly twice, "I just want to get some fresh air."

As the two were talking, the transport vehicle stopped, and the driver in front shouted, "Horse team, we've reached the designated coordinates!"

"Alright." Ma Shuo stood up and patted Xiao Rong on the shoulder. "Go, tell us the name of that Mech Master we met on the way, what was it again? Right, Qi Yuan."

"Let's call him down too."

After Xiao Rong left, Ma Shuo picked up the communicator and said, "The whole team is on alert. Watch out for the giant beast. Keep the radar on high alert."

After saying that, he climbed into the rear mech transport bay.

A moment later, the transport capsule unfolded, and a mech sat up inside and left the transport capsule.

Inside the cockpit, Ma Shuo piloted the mecha forward, and after a moment, he saw a pile of ruins.

"That was truly tragic."

"Qi Yuan, pilot, did you hear that?"

"This is your base?"

A weak, feeble voice came through the communication channel. "Yes, this is our base."

Ma Shuo fell silent.

A few days ago, the ground monitoring department of the Changping City Production and Construction Corps detected a suspicious signal.

Judging from the spectral colors of that signal, it should be a behemoth of the Overlord Level.

However, the signal disappeared after only a few seconds. Because the signal was not far from Changping City, for safety reasons, the Changping Legion sent a team to investigate the location where the signal was found.

Ma Shuo had bad luck and drew a very unlucky lot, so he had no choice but to leave the Undercity with his partner Xiao Rong.

Unexpectedly, on the way, they encountered an old-fashioned mech that had run out of energy, which crashed into Qi Yuan, who had escaped from the base.

Based on Qi Yuan's description, Ma Shuo could be fairly certain that the monitoring department's instruments had not malfunctioned at the time.

Now that I'm here on site, I'm even more certain.

Next, personnel entered the base ruins to collect samples and began testing using various instruments. The most important test was to detect the special radiation emitted by the behemoth.

Once the radiation level reaches the level of Overlord Level, it can be confirmed that Overlord Giant Beast is present here.

Not long after, Ma Shuo received the message.

The behemoth's radiation level had reached the Overlord Level standard. He gave a wry smile, took out his phone, and reported the situation to the Undercity.

*

*

*

unconsciously.

Winter Solstice has arrived.

That evening, Luo Yan went to the ' Red Gate ', where the streets and alleys were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

Under the large banyan tree in the small square of Temple Street, red lanterns were hung everywhere.

A hint of the Lunar New Year atmosphere is gradually returning to the Undercity.

Luo Yan arrived at Jude Tower and went into his usual quiet room. Yang Tao followed Wen Zou there.

Yang Tao also placed a plate of dumplings on the table and looked at Luo Yan expectantly.

"Teacher, we eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice. Try some; I made them this afternoon."

Luo Yan felt a little dazed. Some faded images flashed before his eyes. In those images were warm lights, figures kneading dough in a small house, and bursts of hearty laughter.

These once familiar scenes now seem like a distant memory.

"Teacher?" Yang Tao called out softly when Luo Yan didn't respond.

Luo Yan snapped out of his daze, nodded, and picked up a pair of chopsticks.

Wen Zou wisely withdrew from the quiet room.

At this moment, Luo Yan picked up a dumpling, removed his mask with his other hand, revealing a young but cold face.

He tried taking a bite.

Feeling the soft and chewy dumpling skin, savoring the delicious meat filling mixed with vegetable juice, the taste of 'home' gradually spreads across your taste buds.

The dumpling was finished quickly.

Yang Tao blinked. "How was it, teacher?"

"Good."

"The minced meat was just a little bit too salty."

Luo Yan rarely offered comments, then put on his mask. "You have laid a solid foundation and awakened the ' Divine Treasure '."

"Tonight, I will teach you the Primary Cultivation Method, the ' Drinking Glow Technique '."

"Go to the practice room and get ready. I need to talk to Wen Zou about some important things, then I'll come find you."

Yang Tao glanced at the still-plenty of dumplings left on the plate, paying no attention to the cultivation technique, but instead focusing on the food. "Teacher, won't you eat a few more?"

A hint of a smile flashed in Luo Yan's eyes.

"I'll have someone pack some to take home and eat later." Hearing this, Yang Tao's eyes lit up. "Then I'll go prepare it."

Wen Zou came in after the little girl left.

"Sir, after this period of hard work, we have largely absorbed the assets from various sources."

"In addition, as you instructed, 'Iron Horse' has been given 1 million work points, and Old Guan and the others have begun planning to recruit more soldiers."

"Furthermore, ' Black Owl ' and ' Dark Blood ' have jointly sent an invitation to our ' Red Gate ' to attend their annual 'New Year's Eve Banquet' on New Year's Eve."

"Mountain Eagle said that they, the ' Flower Shirt ' group, usually participate as well."

"It's called a banquet, but it's actually a meeting of organizations Xiao Xiao to define their respective spheres of influence for the new year."

"This is an invitation."

As they spoke, the fake Taoist took out a red invitation from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Luo Yan.

Luo Yan took it, glanced at it casually, and put it aside. "I will be there."

The two then discussed some matters within the organization, such as its future development direction.

After Wen Zou took his leave, Luo Yan received a message on his phone.

This is a message sent from within the Black Witch organization.

The rewards for the last team mission have been distributed. Luo Yan received 1,500 contribution points and 5 million work points.

But these are just the surface-level issues.

The under-the-table spoils included a Survivor Camp, some of Cheng Baisen's personal assets, and two supply trucks from the 'Yellow Springs' organization.

The room was full of guns and ammunition, worth a fortune. Luo Yan accepted them without hesitation and used them to arm his men.

I put away my phone and headed to the practice room.

Luo Yan carefully explained the first level of the <Drinking Glow Technique Primary Cultivation Method to Yang Tao, which he had purchased from the 'Black Witch's' online store for 200 contribution points, and guided her in her practice.

So the night passed, and Luo Yan returned to the Academy the next morning.

Upon entering the classroom, Luo Yan heard the students talking animatedly. As soon as he stepped inside, Zeng Shan pulled him aside.

"Old Luo, have you heard, Commander Di?"

"No, you should now be called the City Lord."

"In short, City Lord Di Zheng has just announced something important."

"He plans to popularize Visualization Technique and lower the barrier to entry, allowing anyone over 12 years old to practice the <Foundation Establishment Art>."

"If you meet the requirements, you can practice the Primary Cultivation Method. If you can get into the Mecha Academy, you can obtain the intermediate cultivation techniques!"

"In this way, ten years from now, most of the residents of the Undercity will Visualization Technique!"