Kou Haitao and his team had prepared two cars. Kou Haitao, Sun Jia, and Pei Zongyan would take one, while the rest of the hunters would take the other. However, not long after leaving the Black Chariots, Sun Jia suggested that Qi Yuan take the same car as them. Pei Zongyan was quick to object to this suggestion.
"Qi Yuan may have passed the test, but he is not an official resident. He is still a hunter. What gives him the right to take the same car as us?" Pei Zongyan said coldly.
Sun Jia ignored Pei Zongyan and looked at Kou Haitao, who had been silent since they got in the car.
Sun Jia's objection was not important. Kou Haitao was the person in charge of this trip, and his opinion was the final decision.
Kou Haitao looked at the two of them and thought for a while, then nodded.
"Qi Yuan passed the test, so there is no problem with him taking the same car as us."
Kou Haitao nodded, and Pei Zongyan knew there was nothing he could do even if he objected. The car stopped, and Sun Jia got out and called for Qi Yuan.
Kou Haitao sat in the passenger seat, while Pei Zongyan sat on the left. Qi Yuan sat on the right, and Sun Jia sat in the middle, separating the two with his body.
After Qi Yuan got in, Pei Zongyan put the car on silent mode and looked out the window alone.
Sun Jia also chose to ignore Pei Zongyan.
Now that Pei Zongyan had returned to the Black Steel Shelter, the only thing left for him to do was to attempt the Two-Star Glory trial. The chances of him surviving were slim, so there was no point in fighting someone who was about to die.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Sun Jia asked with a smile.
"To protect me," Qi Yuan said calmly.
"You are very smart." Sun Jia smiled, not surprised that Qi Yuan could guess the answer.
Qi Yuan had been targeted by Ke Shoulin and Feng Qian. If he was not smart enough, even with Tanqiu's protection, he would not be able to stay in the shelter safely.
"You are the first one to be targeted by those two before even entering the sanctuary," Sun Jia said. "You are the first one to do so."
With Ke Shoulin and Feng Qian's current status, there weren't many people in the entire Black Steel Shelter who were worthy of being remembered by them, let alone a wasteland refugee.
Qi Yuan couldn't help but curse in his heart. Wasn't this all caused by that woman, Tanqiu?
If it weren't for Tanqiu, he might still be able to survive for a while. Even if he entered the Black Steel Shelter, he wouldn't be in such a dangerous situation.
Before they even entered, the enemy had already started lining up.
Seeing Qi Yuan fall into silence, Sun Jia thought that he was afraid, so he patted his shoulder and comforted him.
"Actually, you don't have to worry too much. Ambushing you in this situation is like slapping the entire Danger Management Department in the face. They might not dare to do so."
Qi Yuan looked at Sun Jia, then at Pei Zongyan, and fell into silence again.
The two of you were forced into the assessment team. Wasn't it equivalent to Ke Shoulin and Tanqiu slapping the Danger Management Department in the face? The Danger Management Department had already endured it, so even if they were slapped again, the Danger Management Department would probably continue to endure it.
After being slapped so many times, they would get used to it. It didn't matter if there was one more or one less.
Judging from this point, the Danger Management Department's position in the Black Gang Shelter was really stable.
The two cars sped in the direction of the Black Steel Shelter in the wilderness.
Inside the Black Steel Shelter, it was a different scene.
Under the joint efforts of Ke Shoulin and Feng Qian, the Black Steel Shelter was bustling with activity.
Normally, the announcement of a new Tier 3 mechanical weapon would not cause too much of a commotion. However, the additional item this time was too special. It even involved the reputation of the entire Black Steel Shelter. Therefore, many people who were not interested in it at first turned their attention to it.
Like the gathering points outside, the main buildings of the Black Steel Shelter were hidden beneath the ground. There were nearly one hundred thousand people living in this huge underground city.
Because of the barrier of the wilderness and the various disputes of interests, there were very few people coming and going even between shelters that belonged to the Doomsday Munitions.
However, this time, there were a few guests with very special identities in the Black Steel Shelter.
In a luxurious room, a middle-aged man with a blue whirlwind embroidered on his chest frowned.
"The duel will begin in three hours. Why isn't Yang Jing here yet?
Did something happen on the way? "
A middle-aged woman in a complicated palace dress glanced at him and said faintly, "With Meng Ba following him, Yang Jing's safety is not to be worried."
"If you have time, it's best to study the opponent Yang Jing is about to face. According to the news we received, the Berserker released by the Black Steel Shelter this time is stronger than we expected."
"Zheng Yan, although I don't know why you took the initiative to come to the Black Steel Shelter to participate in this press conference without receiving an invitation, you should know very well that in this duel, Yang Jing is not only representing himself, but the entire Storm Shelter."
"The invasion of the Spirit Beast last time not only greatly damaged the strength of the Storm Shelter, but also made us lose face. Among the 21 shelters of the Doomsday Munitions, we have been ranked last for 12 consecutive years. The board of directors has not only been thinking of ways to increase our strength, but also ways to restore the lost face. If Yang Jing loses, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to explain to the board when you go back."
"Explain?"
Zheng Yan glanced at the woman, and his expression slowly became cold.
"What does Yang Jing's victory have to do with me?
I don't need to explain to anyone! "
The middle-aged woman and Zheng Yan looked at each other.
"As a fourth-level researcher, even if you continue to be so arrogant, the board of directors won't do anything to you. However, you're not alone. You still have your family. They don't have the protection of being a fourth-level researcher. Once someone takes their anger out on them because of you, I'm afraid their future will not be as smooth as before!"
"I don't need you to worry about my family's affairs!
I've never accepted any threats! "Zheng Yan said coldly.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became oppressive.
After a short silence, the middle-aged woman sighed and said, "I'm not threatening you.
"I'm not threatening you. I'm just giving you a friendly reminder. If what I said just now caused you to misunderstand, I can apologize to you."
"I just want to tell you that although the Berserker is only a Level 3 mechanical equipment, Feng Qian's plot is not just to promote it."
"For this press conference, the Black Steel Shelter also invited people from the Dragon's End Shelter and the Quicksand Shelter. If they don't have a 100% chance of winning, they will never do this!"
"So what?" Zheng Yan said disdainfully.
"Since Feng Qian and the others invited people from other shelters to participate and used actual combat to show the Berserker's performance, this press conference has become a competition between the shelters."
"Since the Quicksand Shelter and the Dragon's End Shelter dared to participate in this press conference, they definitely didn't deliberately put their faces on the ground for the Black Steel Shelter to step on!"
"If I don't have enough confidence, why do you think I'm here? Do you really think I'm here to embarrass myself?"
When the middle-aged woman heard this, she seemed to have thought of something.
"Is there any progress in the research of the thing you brought back from the Mechanical King Court?"
"Don't ask about things you shouldn't know!" Zheng Yan scolded.
The middle-aged woman was not angry. Some things were indeed beyond her authority. She changed the topic and continued, "I've heard that the leader of the Dragon's End Shelter this time is Dragon Throat. The leader of the Quicksand Shelter this time is Full Night!"
"Dragon Throat and Full Night?"
Zheng Yan was taken aback when he heard this. Forget about Dragon Throat, they were old acquaintances, but he had never heard of Mi Ye.
There weren't many interactions between the shelters, but the elites who stood at the pinnacle of power were familiar faces. And the name Mi Ye reminded him of the Xu family, which had fallen not long ago in Quicksand Shelter.
The Xu family was a deep-rooted family in the Quicksand Shelter, and they held two seats on the board of directors. Unless the Quicksand Shelter was destroyed, such a powerful family should not have fallen so suddenly.
But the Xu family had fallen, and it happened very quickly. After the Xu family fell, the power gap left in the Quicksand Shelter was not divided among the other board members. Instead, it was taken over by someone called Mi Yi, who came from the Gate of Truth headquarters.
It was rumored that the Xu family's fall was due to the Mi family's efforts.
Mi Yi was a very capable person. Although he had not been in office for long, the Mi family had now completely replaced the Xu family. They had successfully taken root in the Quicksand Shelter, and they were slowly becoming the strongest family in the Quicksand Shelter.
The name Mi was not common, and if this person called Full Night was the leader of the Quicksand Shelter, he was most likely a member of the Mi family.
Although the Quicksand Shelter and the Black Steel Shelter belonged to the Gate of Truth and the Armory of Doomsday, the two shelters were not far from each other. They were in the same safe zone. Although the Mi family had replaced the Xu family, it was reasonable for them to take this opportunity to visit the Black Steel Shelter.
However, the problem was that Mi Yi was not a moderate, but a hawk. Now, many people had begun to speculate whether Mi Yi's arrival would worsen the already unstable relationship between the Quicksand Shelter and the Black Steel Shelter.
The Quicksand Shelter and the Black Steel Shelter were two behemoths. Once the conflict between the two sides intensified to a certain extent, there was no one above to mediate the conflict. It was entirely possible that a head-on war would break out.
Zheng Yan suddenly stood up and said, "Stay here and wait for me.
"You stay here and wait for Yang Jing and the others. I'm going out!"
The middle-aged woman in the complicated palace dress frowned but did not say anything to stop him.
Although Zheng Yan's strength was not strong, he was a fourth-level researcher. Just like the Black Steel Shelter, the researchers in the Storm Shelter also had a special status. They were not people she could easily order around.
Moreover, she could vaguely guess that Zheng Yan suddenly went out to find Tan Qiu. Due to his personality, Zheng Yan did not have many friends. However, his relationship with Tan Qiu had always been good. This trip to the Black Steel Shelter was possible because of Tan Qiu's cooperation.
Tan Qiu had now become a rising star in the Black Steel Shelter. He had the potential to compete with Feng Qian, the veteran fourth-level researcher. For Zheng Yan to be on good terms with Tan Qiu was good news for the Storm Shelter.
Not long after Zheng Yan left, he quickly found Tan Qiu. The two met in Tan Qiu's private living room.
"The conference is about to begin. Why are you in such a hurry to find me?" Tan Qiu asked.
"Yang Jing and Meng Ba haven't appeared yet. I'm worried something happened to them!" Zheng Yan said.
Although Yang Jing was only a third-level aptitude user, his identity was special. If something happened to him, it would be difficult to explain.
"Don't worry. My people have already met with them. Before the conference begins, they will be here," Tan Qiu said.
Zheng Yan raised his eyebrows slightly. He didn't expect that Tanqiu's people had already met Yang Jing before he had even met him. However, he didn't know what kind of deal the two sides had to make Yang Jing and Meng Ba almost forget about the press conference.
But since Tan Qiu did not say anything, Zheng Yan was not going to ask. As long as nothing happened to Yang Jing, it was fine.
"The last time you sent me a letter, you said someone solved the problem I encountered. Is that true?" Zheng Yan asked.
"Of course it is true!" Tan Qiu smiled.
Zheng Yan coughed. If Tan Qiu had not tempted him with this little secret, he would not have put down his work and come all the way from the Storm Shelter to the Black Steel Shelter.
"I'm already here. Why don't you call them over for a chat?"
"Don't worry!" Tan Qiu said.
"The latest issue of 'Hope' is coming out soon. You can find the answers you want on it!"
Zheng Yan looked at Tan Qiu in shock.
"If the answer is already in Hope, why did you invite me over?"
It was not easy to travel from the Storm Shelter to the Black Steel Shelter. There was a lot of risk involved, and it took a lot of time. For Zheng Yan, there was never enough time.
"Because you are a member of the academic committee!" Tan Qiu laughed.
"Someone solved your problem. I think you wouldn't mind doing him a small favor!"
At this moment, Zheng Yan finally realized that he had been tricked by Tan Qiu. Even if he did not come, when the latest issue of Hope was sent to the Storm Shelter, he would get what he wanted.
Tan Qiu tricked him into coming to the Black Steel Shelter purely to use him as a tool.
"You liar!" Zheng Yan pretended to be angry.
He was not really angry. Although he could get the answer to his problem from Hope, he wanted to meet the researcher who solved his problem in person.
For those who only knew how to fight and didn't know how to do research, Zheng Yan always gave people the impression that he was arrogant because of his talent. However, for those who were accomplished in research, Zheng Yan had always been easy to talk to and was willing to waste a few days for this meeting.
"I heard that the Mi family is leading the team at the Quicksand Shelter," Zheng Yan suddenly said.
"Don't worry about them," Tan Qiu said lightly.
"They are mainly here for Xu Geng. A while ago, Xu Geng appeared in the North and injured Mo Sheng. It is expected that Mi Yi would send someone here."