As soon as Qi Yuan returned to the Iron Chariots, he saw Zhui standing at the entrance, chatting with a battered robot.
At first, Qi Yuan felt that it was a little strange. Although this method of giving up all of the carbon-based monkey's body and transferring one's consciousness into a metal can was considered the final destination of a Mechanic, very few Mechanics below Grade 4 would be able to do such a thing.
After all, it was a huge expense to remodel all of the machines. Most Wastelanders couldn't afford the cost, and maintenance was no small expense either. Even someone as powerful as Nana often teetered on the edge of bankruptcy.
However, as he got closer, Qi Yuan found the robot to be somewhat familiar.
Although the robot in front of him was in tatters, and the simulated skin on its head was mostly damaged, its data center was still 84.21% similar to the face in his memory.
Luo Shiyi looked at Qi Yuan and probed.
"Qi Yuan, Master Luo asked me to look for you!"
"You're Luo Shiyi!"
Hearing this familiar voice, Qi Yuan finally confirmed the other party's identity. When he was in Blackstone Town, he had already guessed that Luo Shiyi had undergone mechanical modification. Luo Kui's pair of mechanical arms had been taken away by him.
However, he didn't expect Luo Shiyi to have a completely mechanical body. He just didn't know whether he was a Mechanic who transferred his consciousness into a human body or a robot born from mechanical logic with mechanical consciousness.
Luo Shiyi's appearance was somewhat out of Qi Yuan's expectations.
Master Luo clearly didn't want to leave Blackstone Town. Qi Yuan was about to ask where Master Luo was when Luo Shiyi said, "Master Luo is dying!"
"Dying?"
Qi Yuan was slightly surprised. However, seeing the wounds on Luo Shiyi's body, Qi Yuan quickly connected the dots. Blackstone Town was in danger, and the two of them were lucky enough to escape after a fierce battle. Master Luo was heavily injured in the battle and came to the Iron Chariots to ask for help.
But why didn't he go to Qu Shi?
Didn't Su Li inform Qu Shi in advance? Didn't Master Luo know about this?
"Where's Master Luo? Take me to him!" Qi Yuan said.
Back in Blackstone Town, Master Luo was quite nice to him, although he had screwed him over with Xu Xiaoshuang.
"Don't worry," Zhui stopped the two.
"I've already sent someone to send some food over. He should be eating by now."
Were they dying?
He can still eat?
Qi Yuan looked at Luo Shiyi, puzzled.
"He's not on the verge of death, he's starved to death because he hasn't eaten for days!" Yu said with a smile.
In the face of Qi Yuan's questioning gaze, Luo Shiyi did not say anything. He only nodded in confirmation of Chi's words.
"Master Luo," Zhui said, "I, Master Luo," Zhui said, "Master," Zhui, Zhui, said, "Zhui"
"Luo 'Luo's Zhui,"
"Luo", "Luo"
"I'll arrange it right away," Yu said.
There were a lot of people in the olden era who loved wine, and Sickle was one of them.
After arranging the food, Qi Yuan said to Luo Shiyi, "I'll go see Leader Ling You first, then I'll come see Master Luo!"
Luo Shiyi nodded. He had only been in the Iron Chariots for a few days, so he didn't know what the name Zhui meant. However, from the greetings of the guards and hunters, he could tell that Zhui wasn't a normal ability user, but rather someone with a high position in the Iron Chariots.
This kind of person actually prepared food and drinks for Master Luo just because of Qi Yuan's casual words. Qi Yuan also seemed to have a clear conscience.
This already indirectly proved Qi Yuan's position in the Iron Chariots.
Qi Yuan wasn't weak in Blackstone Town, but he was only a rank one ability user.
In the Iron Chariots, there were rank three ability users everywhere. It was impossible for a rank one to have such a position.
Could it be that Qi Yuan had already advanced to rank three?
But how long had it been since he left Blackstone Town?
Luo Shiyi was shocked and confused. When he returned to his residence, he saw a young man squatting at the door, playing with guns in boredom. Judging from the shape of the two guns, Luo Shiyi was sure that they were Mechanical Armaments.
A powerful person with mechanical equipment was actually squatting by the door!
Luo Shiyi suddenly had a surreal feeling. It was as if after meeting that man called Zhui, everything had changed. However, he knew that this change wasn't because of him, nor was it because of Master Luo, but rather because of Qi Yuan.
That young man who left Blackstone Town without hesitation already had a shocking position in the Iron Chariots.
Xiao Hei looked at Luo Shiyi, smiled, and asked, "Did you see Qi Yuan?"
Luo Shiyi nodded.
"I saw him."
Xiao Hei looked inside the room and said,
"Sickle is drinking with Master Luo. The two of them seem to be in a good mood."
Sickle, who was also a veteran drunkard, lived not far from here. When Master Luo opened the bottle, he smelled the aroma and ran over. The two drunkards felt like old friends at first sight. With Qi Yuan as a common topic, they quickly began to call each other brothers.
Luo Shiyi took a look at the situation in the room. When he saw Master Luo eating and drinking with a one-armed old man with a flushed face, he silently retreated.
"You and Qi Yuan knew each other before?"
Xiao Hei, who was very friendly, quietly came up to him.
Luo Shiyi nodded. From the attitude of Qi Yuan and the other party, he could also determine that Qi Yuan's relationship with these people should be good. The two of them quickly chatted.
…
The dark wooden floor, the light wooden chairs, and the simple crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling. The moment Qi Yuan entered the living room, he outlined the whole picture of the room in his mind.
This room was not as luxurious as Situ and Xu Kui's room, but it gave a simple and warm feeling. It did not feel like a shelter leader's room at all. Instead, it felt more like an old family's room.
On the table was a white porcelain cup with a cup of strong coffee. The cup was emitting steam, and the aroma of the coffee filled the room.
Ling You was not in the room, but Qi Yuan did not dare to use area detection to avoid getting himself into trouble. No one knew if a tier 4 aptitude user could sense the existence of area detection.
After sending Qi Yuan in, Yu turned and left, closing the door behind him.
Qi Yuan was inexplicably nervous. Although he already had the strength of a peak tier 3 aptitude user, in front of Ling You, his strength was obviously not enough.
Why did Ling You look for him?
Was it because of the missing Asterite?
Or was it that monster girl?
Or was it because of the woman with the black veil — You?
Just as Qi Yuan was letting his imagination run wild, a blue light flashed. Qi Yuan only saw a blur in front of his eyes, and then he saw another person in the room.
Ling You had changed into casual clothes. She wore a loose white shirt, a pair of black trousers, and a pair of black high-heeled shoes. She looked like a casual urban beauty from the olden days.
Combined with the interior of the room, Qi Yuan suddenly had an illusion that he had returned to his original world. Everything that happened before was just a dream.
"Qu Shanhai said that you're going to the Black Steel Shelter?"
Ling You's cold voice interrupted Qi Yuan's thoughts.
Qi Yuan nodded.
"I've run into some trouble. Only by entering the Black Steel Shelter can I solve it."
Ling You glanced at Qi Yuan. If he needed to enter the Black Steel Shelter to solve the problem, it must have come from the Black Steel Shelter.
As a small fry in the wilderness, Qi Yuan had not only provoked a tier 4 monster that was suspected to be an energy body, but he had also provoked trouble in the Black Steel Shelter. Not to mention other things, his ability to cause trouble amazed her.
"The threshold for the Black Steel Shelter's recruitment exam is tier 3. There's only a month left until the exam. Do you have a way to reach tier 3 in a month?"
I don't!
Qi Yuan replied silently in his heart.
But soon, Qi Yuan remembered that there was still a tier 4 foodie residing in his energy heart. If it could recover its strength, it was not impossible for him to reach tier 3 in a month.
But this could not be revealed to anyone!
"Someone will help me sign up for the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory's recruitment exam!" Qi Yuan said.
The Black Steel Shelter's recruitment was not uniform across the entire Black Steel Shelter. Instead, it was done by the departments that needed manpower. It was just that the recruitment time was set on the same day.
Because many departments in the Black Steel Shelter did not lack manpower, they rarely recruited Wilderness Hunters. Only the Wilderness Investigation and Exploration Department, which the residents of the Black Steel Shelter were unwilling to join, would recruit Wilderness Hunters from the surrounding gathering points due to a shortage of manpower.
The Biology and Mechanical Laboratory was the same. They would often recruit Wilderness Hunters, but most of the time, they would recruit volunteers to serve as experimental materials. Occasionally, they would recruit assistant researchers.
Since Tan Qiu had spoken, there would definitely be a suitable recruitment position for him. In the words of the old era, it was like arranging a carrot pit for him.
But that was all Tan Qiu could do. Because with her authority, she could give out recruitment positions, but she could not directly decide who would occupy the carrot pit.
Within the Black Steel Shelter, there was a department specifically responsible for recruitment. They were responsible for the investigation, assessment, and recruitment of the recruited personnel. They were also responsible for the reliability of the recruited personnel.
If there were any problems with the recruited personnel, the recruiter would have to bear joint responsibility. Therefore, this department was very cautious when recruiting personnel. A Level 4 researcher could influence them to a certain extent, but the influence was very limited. For example, Feng Qian could influence Qu Shi to fail the selection, but he definitely could not directly make someone pass the exam.
If one wanted to step into the Black Steel Shelter, they would have to go through the predetermined assessment process.
The recruitment requirements for the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory were relatively strict. There were all kinds of assessment items. For Wilderness Hunters who had not received systematic training, it was like a welded iron door. Unless one was a very talented aptitude user, it was almost impossible for anyone else to enter the Black Steel Shelter through this way.
However, it was also the only recruitment department that did not have a requirement for the recruited personnel's strength.
For Qi Yuan, all he needed was a chance to step into the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory.
After entering the laboratory, Qi Yuan was confident that with his area detection, energy control, and data center, he would be able to get rid of Tan Qiu and Feng Qian's suppression in a short time. He would have enough strength to protect himself.
"How confident are you that you can pass the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory's assessment?" asked Ling You.
"At least ninety percent!" said Qi Yuan.
Ling You lowered her eyelids, picked up her coffee, and gently blew on it. This sentence gave her a lot of information.
As the leader of the Iron Chariots, she knew Qi Yuan very well. Since Qi Yuan could be recognized by Qu Shi, it would not be too difficult for him to pass the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory's assessment.
However, if Qi Yuan really wanted to step into the Black Steel Shelter, the biggest problem was not the assessment, but other places.
The first problem was that the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory would not release the corresponding quota!
Since Qi Yuan was so confident, he must have already solved this difficult problem. If he did not even have a quota, the registration for the examination would be empty words.
The second problem was dealing with Feng Qian's obstruction!
Qi Yuan had stayed in Qu Shi's office for a while and got along very well. Since he planned to enter the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory, he must have been mentally prepared for the feud between Qu Shi and Feng Qian.
This problem was not something that Qi Yuan or Qu Shi could solve. Unless there was someone in the shelter who was as strong as Feng Qian who was willing to help, anyone related to Qu Shi would not be able to pass the assessment. They might even be rejected during the assessment.
Therefore, Qi Yuan had a backer in the shelter, and his status was not low!
Thinking of this, Ling You quickly thought of a few names and finally locked onto Tanqiu's name.
If Tanqiu were to help, Qi Yuan might have a chance to break through Feng Qian's obstruction. However, Tanqiu had always believed in equivalent exchange. What could Qi Yuan use to exchange with Tanqiu?
As a chess piece in the battle between Tanqiu and Feng Qian, even if Qi Yuan successfully entered the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory, the outcome might not be good!
An assistant researcher involved in a battle between two level 4 researchers. The slightest carelessness could result in a tragic death.
Thinking of this, Ling You could not help but shake her head in her heart and give up on the idea of roping in Qi Yuan.
If Qi Yuan grew to level 4, he might have a chance to survive.
But now, he had no chance!
"You should know very well what kind of danger you will be involved in by entering the Biology and Mechanical Laboratory." Ling You said calmly.
"I know very well, but I have no other choice!" Qi Yuan said in a low voice.
From the moment Tanqiu took away the biological samples, this storm was already unavoidable. What he had to do was to pull chestnuts out of the fire. If the plan succeeded, even if he could not become a level 2 researcher, as long as he had the identity of a level 1 researcher, he would have room to maneuver around.
After a short moment of silence, Ling You suddenly asked:
"When you were in Blackstone Town, did you see a woman who looked like me?"
Qi Yuan was slightly stunned. A thought appeared in his mind. Ling You and that mysterious woman called Mystery were indeed related!
"I saw her once!" Qi Yuan said.
"What was her name?"
"Mystery!"
"Mystery?"
Ling You raised her eyebrows and repeated the name. Then she slowly said:
"Tell me the situation at that time."
Qi Yuan pondered for a moment. After organizing his words, he recounted his encounter with Mystery in detail. No matter what the relationship between Ling You and Mystery was, there was no need to hide it.
Furthermore, Ling You had just helped him solve a huge problem. Lying to a level 4 powerhouse was definitely not a wise choice.
After that, Ling You gestured for Qi Yuan to leave. After a long time, Ling You looked out of the window faintly.
"Ling You took two years to reach level 4. How much more time do you want to waste? When the super soldier project succeeds, the friction between the Gate of Truth and Doomsday Munitions will intensify. The Black Steel Shelter and Quicksand Shelter will definitely go to war. I don't have much time left!"