Just the sight of Liu Yun leaping into the monster horde at the start had shocked countless onlookers. The only camera had been set up at the entrance to Monster Town, so it went without saying that Liu Yun had shown off for a reason.
"Hmph, he's trying to drive up his price! How could he be a Psychic?"
At the Limit Dojo, Zhuge Tao had received the news and watched the footage several times before making that remark.
Wu Tong, standing beside him, looked just as stunned. He hadn't expected Liu Yun to have changed so much since his return.
"If he really has this kind of strength, then our original plan to bring him back directly won't work! The HR Alliance and Thor Dojo will definitely interfere. They'll go crazy over him! The HR Alliance has also been increasingly eager to recruit agents in the China Region. They absolutely won't ignore a Psychic at the Advanced General Level."
Wu Tong calmly analyzed the situation. Before, it had seemed possible to bring Liu Yun back at little cost, as though nothing had happened.
But now that Liu Yun had demonstrated extraordinary strength, the other organizations would spare no expense to poach him. In a situation like his, loyalty was out of the question. He would definitely be swayed by someone else.
"Then make an offer too! Whatever it costs, we have to keep Liu Yun."
Zhuge Tao rose to his feet. He wasn't going to concern himself with this matter any longer; he had other duties. He left them with that one instruction.
At the same time, at the Thor Dojo, the purple-clad brawny man stared at Liu Yun's personal file, lost in thought. The information they had gathered was painstakingly detailed. They'd even investigated exactly what Chinese medicines Liu Yun had bought.
"What's going on? He bought Chinese medicine? Get me the exact same medicine he bought."
Leaning back in his chair, he gave the order. The purple-clad brawny man was imposing in stature, but meticulous in his thinking. He wanted to know how Liu Yun had managed to turn his fortunes around.
His subordinates immediately went to buy the medicine. It looked like they would be studying Chinese medicine for a while, especially the kind Liu Yun had purchased.
"Also, find out what Liu Yun's younger sister is doing! Start with his sister. We have to take this powerful Martial Artist away from the Limit Dojo."
Seeing his subordinate about to leave, he immediately added another instruction. Clearly, a person like this was extremely difficult to deal with. He knew how to use the information at his disposal to understand every situation he encountered as thoroughly as possible.
Across an ocean, the blond, blue-eyed foreigner on the HR Alliance's display screen was still visibly excited.
"We've received the latest information. Without a doubt, Liu Yun is the best candidate for our plan! He was once cast aside by mainstream society, and he harbors resentment. Now he's gained great power as well."
Outside the display, the blond woman frowned as she spoke.
"I was wrong. There are some exceptionally talented people in the China Region who are worth recruiting."
"But competition is fierce right now. I think acquiring this person will cost us several times more than he's worth."
The woman's estimate was remarkably accurate. Once the bidding began, there would be no way to predict what price would secure the deal.
"Whatever it takes. Acquire 'Yun Liu' as if we were recruiting a War God Level Martial Artist!"
They immediately raised his value to that of a War God Level figure. The HR Alliance was urgently seeking more strength in the China Region, so they had made up their minds and were willing to pay any price.
"Understood! Don't worry, Agent Smith. I'll make sure we get him."
The blond woman smiled faintly and tossed back her long hair, giving him a flirtatious, alluring smile. She looked certain she already had Liu Yun in the bag.
Liu Yun might have anticipated some of this, but he couldn't have imagined that these people would go so far as to start figuring out how he had healed his body and gained such tremendous strength.
Liu Yun entered Monster Town and soon killed several monsters.
There were many monsters in the town, but most belonged to just three kinds: the swift Shadow Cats, the brute-force-charging Iron-Haired Wild Boars, and the Tiger Mastiffs, whose speed and strength were more evenly matched.
Holding a long blade, Liu Yun walked through the ruins. The monsters he encountered most often were Iron-Haired Wild Boars, which liked to charge headlong. Just as he passed the ruins of a two-story building, an Iron-Haired Wild Boar with enormous bristles and a body the size of a small elephant came thundering toward him. Its short, thick snout nearly scraped the ground, and its eyes glinted with wild fury. Like a moving steel fortress, it charged through the landscape with unstoppable brute force, uprooting trees and smashing through everything in its path.
Yet Liu Yun remained remarkably calm in the face of what seemed like an unstoppable charge.
He turned slightly and leaped nimbly among the ruins, as if he had become one with his surroundings. He effortlessly avoided the Iron-Haired Wild Boar's first charge, which was powerful enough to bring down a wall. Then Liu Yun sprang into action like a hunting leopard. The long blade in his hand flashed coldly as it sliced through the air, striking straight for the boar's vital spot.
"Whoosh!" His blade swept down with unstoppable force. Under Liu Yun's precise swordsmanship, the Iron-Haired Wild Boar's seemingly impenetrable defenses crumbled in an instant. Blood gushed out. Its massive body let out a deafening roar of pain before finally collapsing helplessly among the ruins, unable to move again.
The air around them seemed to freeze. Every sound vanished, leaving only Liu Yun's steady breathing and the fearful growls of other monsters in the distance. He stood there, his War Blade untouched by blood, his gaze cold and resolute, as if what he had just done were no more than a trivial task.
"Hmph, that was too easy!"
Liu Yun casually killed several Shadow Cats that had been lurking in the dark before suddenly pouncing. His long blade still hadn't been stained with blood. Killing monsters without getting blood on it made it seem all the more like a true treasure of a blade.
He didn't want to waste time on a trial that couldn't challenge him. He'd been looking for a suitable place to establish a base ever since he arrived. The town was utterly silent and desolate. The buildings on either side of the street lay in ruins. Some had been ripped open by monsters' claws, exposing twisted steel frames; others had been consumed by fire, leaving behind only charred rubble. The air was filled with the acrid smell of smoke and an indescribable stench, the mingled scent of monsters and despair.
Amid the chaotic scene, Liu Yun's gaze suddenly fell on a half-collapsed subway entrance. It was partly buried beneath the rubble, like a portal to another world—dangerous, yet enticing.
"This used to be a residential area too. During a monster tide, the monsters broke through and turned it into a place of ill omen. Especially the subway. That was where the last civilians seeking shelter were all devoured."
He said this as he looked at the entrance, but he walked inside without the slightest hesitation. As he went deeper, the air grew colder and damper. Every now and then, he could hear the distant growls of monsters, enough to make anyone shudder.
Following the subway tracks, Liu Yun passed through one stretch of darkness after another. At last, their vision suddenly brightened—the space ahead opened up, revealing an abandoned factory. The factory's main doors stood half open, and the faint light filtering in from outside barely illuminated the interior. Most of the machinery was covered in rust, and the production line had long since stopped, but the factory's structure remained sturdy, offering the two of them a rare shelter and a potential base.
The factory was covered in dust and cobwebs, but several key areas, such as the warehouse and offices, were still usable. Liu Yun looked around, already forming a preliminary plan. He knew that in a world ravaged by monsters, a secure base was vital to their survival and development.
"Just as the reports said—there really is a lost factory here!"
Liu Yun hadn't come here by chance. He had already investigated everything about the town. At the same time, the crystal pendant on his chest suddenly began to glow and lifted into the air.
"A rudimentary industrial site. It can be used as a primary base!"
The Crystal Ball gave its assessment. Liu Yun was overjoyed. Given Earth's ridiculously backward level of technology, could an abandoned factory really be put to use?
"Is that really true? Were my calculations right after all?"
He was still a little apprehensive, but the crystal blazed with dazzling light, illuminating everything that had fallen into decay. After a rumble, power was restored throughout the factory, and some of the undamaged machines even began to run.
"There's no need to worry. After a quick conversion, this place will be able to produce Primary Auxiliary Combat Robots—and even Starships!"
The technology inside the crystal was incredible. With the industrial ruins as a foundation, he could immediately establish a reliable primary base. In fact, once the machines began operating, they had already built a robot capable of firing lasers!
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