The workshop wasn't any smaller than the hall outside, and the furnishings were more or less the same. There were all sorts of oddly-shaped skeletal samples, but Ding Meng still saw the energy control panel at the innermost corner. The blue screen had already risen, displaying the various data diagrams of the Prototype, as well as a new concept map.
In fact, the Prototype had not changed much. From the outside, it still looked like a single black-armored warrior.
Ceng Kang placed the metal box on the table and pushed it to Ding Meng. "I've already repaired your suit. The data doesn't mean anything. You'll only know the effect after you put it on."
Ding Meng hurriedly opened the box. After he put it on, the system's voice rang out. "Welcome to the Prototype. The system is now generating the operating program for you …"
The control panel on the mask did not change much. It was still the same as before, but there was a slight change. Ding Meng could smell an indescribable stench coming from within the Prototype. His tolerance was already quite good, but this stench still made him want to vomit.
"Why is it so smelly?" Ding Meng frowned.
Ceng Kang adjusted the screen and answered unhurriedly, "Forgive me for being blunt. Your suit looks simple, but its operating principle is extremely complicated. I'm very sorry. Even with my skills, I can't restore it to a 100% state. I can only repair it as much as I can based on the principles. First, from the degree of damage, you must have gone through a very difficult battle. Your psionic energy conversion almost exceeded its capacity. In other words, you damaged it yourself …"
As he said this, he gave Ding Meng a meaningful look. Ding Meng replied in a low voice, "Yes, I did use it to its limit."
Ceng Kang continued, "Secondly, the defense of this suit is very good. I found that the material used to fuse it is also an unknown biological fiber. The main damaged part is this fiber, so I used the bone armor to add the bone material. In terms of defense, the defense of the suit has been raised to a new level."
Ding Meng asked, "You're saying that the toughness of the suit has increased?"
Ceng Kang said, "Against psionicists, devouring monsters, and genetic warriors, the armor's defensive capabilities have improved, but against technological energy sources, its defensive capabilities have decreased. Do you understand what I mean?"
Ding Meng naturally understood that this meant that the Prototype's defense against technological weapons had dropped.
Zeng Kang added, "Because of the addition of skeletons, which are taken from the Endless Forest, and there is no highly industrialized processing equipment here, you will inevitably smell the stench. But don't worry, in the Endless Forest, this stench is only good for you. Once you get used to it, you will be fine."
Ding Meng said, "Thank you, Professor Zeng!"
Zeng Kang continued, "Because it hasn't been completely restored, some of its functions have been limited. Please understand."
Xiao Ai explained, "After my tests, I discovered that this Prototype can no longer use 'Extreme' mode. It only has three modes left: Easy, Hard, and Hell. This isn't good news for you."
Ding Meng nodded. "Still, thank you, Professor Zeng."
Zeng Kang said, "Don't be in such a hurry to thank me. The annual Great Hunt is about to begin. I believe you know this by now. The Endless Forest is getting bigger and bigger, and the monsters are getting more and more numerous. This year will be the year when the population of Health Town is the highest. I hope that the expansion of the monsters will be effectively contained."
Ding Meng frowned. "Has it not been contained in the past?"
Zeng Kang shook his head helplessly. "In the past, Yang and my technology was not mature enough, but this year is different. Our respective technology should have taken shape. This year is the year with the most hope. I don't have much hope for the others, but I have high hopes for you!"
"Oh?"
Ding Meng immediately raised his guard. Zeng Kang's words and actions were always calm and indifferent, but Ding Meng had a feeling that this person was not as simple as he seemed. "Professor, you have so much confidence in me, an outsider who has only been here for less than a month?"
Ceng Kang looked at him silently and said word by word, "I'm not interested in knowing where you came from. I only know that you and your two followers don't belong to this place, so you should leave, but not now."
Ding Meng's eyes flashed. "When should I leave?"
Zeng Kang said, "After the Great Hunt is over, I will be the first to recommend you return. The Realm of Gods is where you should go. It is not suitable for you to stay on Madison …"
He paused and finally said something shocking. "And it is even more inappropriate for you to stay on the Butcher!"
Sure enough, Zeng Kang did not hide the fact that he killed Ying Chengli's group. It was just like the Black Gold Base. If you wanted to mingle in the mines, you could not hide it from Machine Gun and the general. Similarly, if you wanted to cause trouble in Health Town, others might not know, but Yang Wei and Zeng Kang would definitely know. These two people were actually the controllers of Health Town.
Ding Meng pondered and said, "Professor, you don't want me to get too close to the locals?"
Zeng Kang said, "That is one of the reasons. There is another thing you don't know. Although the Butcher is a pirate ship, it is also under the command of the Golden Shield Alliance. I don't know what you plan to do, but the Butcher is now nowhere to be seen and has not taken off. You have undoubtedly cut off their source of income. You just saw that the captain of the ship has changed. I am telling you this for your own good."
Ding Meng lowered his head and pondered for a long time before he said, "Professor, what do you want me to do?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Zeng Kang's face. He did not expect Ding Meng to be so quick-witted, so he said calmly, "I want you to find the leader!"
Ding Meng curiously asked, "Leader?
What leader? "
Zeng Kang said, "In the core of the Endless Forest, the leader of the Devourers!"
Ding Meng asked calmly, "What exactly is this leader?"
Zeng Kang did not answer him directly this time. Instead, he slowly paced back and forth in the room as if he was thinking about something. After a long time, he said, "I have been doing research here for more than 20 years. When I first came here, the Devourers were not as strong as they are now. But today, they are far beyond what humans can compete with. In my research, the body structure and bone material of the leader of these monsters must be a new generation of practical materials. I have always believed that biological technology is ahead of mechanical technology …"
Ding Meng thought to himself, So this is your real purpose for staying in this broken place for 20 years.
Zeng Kang said, "If you let Yang find the leader first, and the three starships of the Golden Shield Alliance launch an attack, everything will be annihilated. Then, there will be nothing left for me to do research."
Ding Meng said, "You want the leader's skeleton?"
Ceng Kang said, "I'm not asking you to hunt down the leader. I don't think you can. As long as you can bring back some of the remains, I can analyze the composition and improve your battle suits, including the one you're wearing. I'm confident that I can improve it to an unprecedented level."
Ding Meng pondered and said, "Okay!"
After leaving the research institute, Ding Meng immediately rushed to the seaside to meet up with Ding Meng and the others.
Xiao Ai could not help but ask, "You believe what that guy said?"
Ding Meng said, "He shouldn't be lying, but I keep feeling that something is wrong."
Xiao Ai said, "You didn't ask where the leader is, and he didn't say the exact location of the leader. But he seems to be sure that you can find it."
Ding Meng sneered. "He didn't think that I can find it. He thought that Ding Meng and the others must know the exact location. There must be something to it."
Xiao Ai sighed. "Alas, it's a pity that Little Rascal isn't here!"
Little Rascal's Level One Authority had the ability to detect lies. All along, Ding Meng's opponents had relied on Little Rascal and Ding Meng's logical reasoning to determine if they were lying. However, Xiao Ai did not have this ability. It was hard to judge whether Zeng Kang's words were trustworthy or not.
This time, not everyone in Jun Ling's group set off. Only Jun Ling, Elephant, Little Arrow, Junior Leopard, and Qinqin rode the swordfish across the sea. After all, the six of them were relatively strong. The other six stayed on the island with Fujen Zhen on Xue Yue Mountain. The Butcher could not be exposed now. Moreover, Jun Ling had also prepared for the worst. If the six of them died in battle, the remaining six could ensure that their race would not be completely wiped out.
However, after listening to Ding Meng's explanation, Jun Ling's expression became unnatural. "The core position that Professor Zeng mentioned can't possibly have the leader."
Ding Meng frowned. "Why?"
Little Arrow walked up and explained, "A long time ago, even before the Devouring Monster, there was a forbidden area in the deepest part of the prairie. No one could enter."
Ding Meng curiously asked, "What kind of forbidden area?"
Little Arrow explained, "It's called the forbidden area. We have never seen it before. My grandfather once said that anyone who entered the forbidden area, regardless of whether they were human or animal, never came out. As for what it was like inside, no one really knows. Our ancestors believed that the forbidden area should be a place where the gods existed. Mortals should not disturb it."
Ding Meng did not think that this saying was ignorant. Humans were always full of curiosity and reverence towards the unknown. Therefore, they were used to explaining it in terms of gods and ghosts. For example, in ancient times, if you let an uncivilized person see the Holy Grail Federation, he would probably think that this was the world of the gods.
Ding Meng said, "You should know the route to the forbidden area, right?"
Jun Ling said, "I only know the approximate route. I might not be able to find the exact location."
Ding Meng said, "The Big Hunt is about to begin. I've calculated that about 60,000 psionicists have entered the Endless Forest. There are also three starships from the Golden Shield Alliance. Can this force reach the forbidden area?"
Jun Ling pondered and said, "It's hard to say. However, I don't think that any starship can really enter the core area. There are too many strange phenomena in the depths of the Endless Forest. Even experts from the Realm of Gods may not be able to explain it clearly!"