Kacha!
The door to the underground secret room was unlocked. Situ grabbed the handle on the door and pulled hard. The heavy metal door slowly moved open.
Qi Yuan's mouth couldn't help but twitch when he saw Situ pull open the door. Was there really a need to lock a metal door that required the strength of a Stage Two Transcendent to open?
Was there anyone else in Blackstone Town other than Situ who could open it?
"My collection is all inside. You can choose whatever you want."
Situ pressed the switch, and the secret underground room lit up with orange light. An armory filled with all kinds of large-caliber weapons appeared in front of Qi Yuan.
The secret underground room wasn't big. It was only a few dozen square meters, but there was a dazzling array of weapons inside. Most of them were strange machines that Qi Yuan had never seen before.
"The things here are all weapons that the guards at the Black Steel Shelter replaced. Unfortunately, there aren't many people in Blackstone Town who can use those large-caliber guns. There are also some damaged mechanical weapons. Due to the lack of an energy core and the lack of a mechanic to repair them, they've been left here. They're no different from a pile of scrap metal."
Qi Yuan walked in without changing his expression. The light that represented the checkpoint was in the middle of the secret room. If Situ hadn't opened the door, he probably wouldn't have been able to get close to this checkpoint.
Although there were many weapons inside, there were very few that were more powerful than the Butcher and Death Reaper. He couldn't use those damaged mechanical weapons either. He could only look at them for fun.
Qi Yuan pretended to look at the weapons inside as he approached the checkpoint step by step. Finally, his right hand inadvertently brushed past the light beam. The notification of a successful checkpoint instantly appeared in his consciousness.
"Checkpoint successful. Reward: one talent point!"
"Check-in at all checkpoints in the area has been completed. Reward: one broken Stage Two Pass!"
"The new checkpoint area will be refreshed in three days!"
Check-in successful!
Qi Yuan's expression didn't change, but he waved his fist in his heart. Another powerful talent point!
Moreover, there seemed to be something very interesting.
Next to the light ball that represented the talent point, there was an irregular metal fragment. Its shape was somewhat like a broken key.
When Qi Yuan sent his consciousness into the shattered Tier 2 Entry Pass, he instantly received a message.
"Shattered Tier 2 Pass: Fuse two shattered Tier 2 Passes together to unlock a Tier 2 Transcendent Talent!"
Tsk!
The Tier 2 ability was coming!
Qi Yuan's eyes were filled with joy. The Stage 1 talents brought by the Talent Tree had already proven their strength. The Stage 2 talents would definitely be even stronger.
After obtaining the talent points, Qi Yuan tried to test the mechanical arm-like equipment that Situ had collected, but he did not receive any feedback.
Was it because the mechanical arm was damaged, or was the mechanical arm unable to fuse in the first place?
There were many types of mechanical arms. Other than the artificial mechanical arms that Luo Kui and the bald man had, there were also many exoskeleton mechanical arms that could assist in combat. Most of the mechanical arms that Si Tu collected were of these types.
Even a normal person would be able to unleash power that was comparable to that of a superhuman after being augmented by this mechanical arm.
If he could repair all the damaged mechanical equipment here, the strength of Situ's subordinates would increase by at least several times.
Qi Yuan silently retracted his right hand. After looking around, he found an irregular black metal block the size of a human head below the sign-in beam.
Qi Yuan casually touched the black metal. His fingers paused for a moment, then he pretended to ask casually.
"What's this?"
Situ picked up the metal block and shook it a few times.
"It's a type of high-strength associated metal in the black iron mine. Its weight is several times that of a normal metal of the same volume. I'm not very sure what kind of metal it is, but those mechanics might recognize it. They're very interested in this unique metal."
"I'm also very interested in it. I wonder if Chief Situ is willing to part with it?" Qi Yuan said with a smile.
Situ glanced at Qi Yuan and casually tossed the metal block in his hand over.
"Since you like it, I'll give it to you. It's useless for me to keep it."
Qi Yuan caught the metal block with one hand. His arm immediately sank. If Situ had not said so, he would have been crushed by the weight of the metal block.
A piece of metal the size of a human head was actually so heavy!
The weight of this metal block was at least 50 kilograms. Even with Qi Yuan's physical strength, it was still difficult for him to carry it with one hand.
After getting the stone, Qi Yuan picked a sniper rifle from the wall filled with weapons. It was considered as an advance payment for all his rewards.
"Although this sniper rifle is quite powerful, it's still a lot weaker than the Death Reaper in your hand. Are you sure you chose these two things?"
Situ clearly did not understand Qi Yuan's choice. Whether it was the special metal block or the sniper rifle, their value was only average. To Qi Yuan, they should not be of much use. They might even be more valuable than those damaged mechanical equipment.
Qi Yuan smiled and did not explain too much. He only said casually, "There were too many things, and I couldn't see clearly. I just randomly picked two that were pleasing to the eye."
Situ did not ask any more questions. After the two of them came out, they once again closed the heavy metal door with force.
Many residences in Blackstone Town were destroyed in the battle. The remaining houses were mostly stained with the flesh and blood of the Fallen Black-Toothed Rats. Situ directly ordered the servants to clean up a clean suite. Qi Yuan did not refuse. He took the things and moved in directly.
After Qi Yuan left, Situ returned to the room and sat opposite Master Luo. His brows were tightly knitted.
"Do you really think so highly of this Qi Yuan? He's only rank 1!" Situ said.
Master Luo glanced at Situ and said in a half-dead tone, "If you want to get through this crisis, you can only bet on him."
"Rank 1 is different from rank 1. Below rank 4, the gap between rank 1 and rank 3 is not insurmountable. This is especially true for rank 2 who have only awakened a few abilities. A rank 2 ability can only make a hunter stronger than a rank 1 in a certain aspect. It can't completely crush a rank 1 hunter. A rank 1 ability that is compatible with a rank 1 ability can allow a rank 1 hunter to defeat a rank 2 hunter head-on. The rank 1 abilities Qi Yuan has awakened are very good. You can't judge him with the strength of a rank 1 hunter."
"You don't suspect that he's a genetic warrior. Maybe he's hiding other abilities that are more powerful than you think."
Situ shook his head slightly.
"I know that Qi Yuan is not weak. Butcher and Viper died in the mine. Only he and Xu Kui came back alive. This proves that his real combat power should not be weaker than theirs. However, this time I'm facing New Moon Town. Other than Wei Tao, a rank 2 mechanic, he has at least four other rank 2 hunters under him. If he recruits a few more rank 2 hunters, his strength will be enough to crush Blackstone Town."
"The messenger sent to the Black Steel Shelter may not arrive safely. Even if he arrives, the investigator will at least arrive tomorrow afternoon. Wei Tao won't bet on luck with me. If he wants to take down Blackstone Town, he will definitely do it tomorrow morning with all his strength. These two black iron mines are too tempting for him!"
"Wei Tao is not weak. If I'm not injured, I can try to kill him. Now I can only barely suppress him. There's no way for me to win quickly. The brothers Shoulong and Shoucheng have just stepped into rank 2 not long ago. They can only deal with Wei Tao's strongest subordinate, Violent Bear. Although Hu Hao has four rank 1 abilities, he's only a rank 1. Holding back a rank 2 hunter is not a problem, but killing him is too difficult."
"Originally, I could have relied on the advantage in numbers to close the gap between us. But now that more than half of the soldiers under my command have died, even if we have the advantage in terms of defense, the opponent still has the advantage in terms of overall strength. Unless Qi Yuan is able to hold back two or more Second Stage warriors until I defeat Wei Tao, we have no chance of victory."
"Eleven has already switched to Luo Kui's mechanical arms. He can help you deal with a rank 2 hunter," Master Luo said calmly.
"You're willing to let Eleven join the battle?"
"I can't just watch you die in Wei Tao's hands," Master Luo said unhappily.
"Also, you seem to have forgotten about the corpse of the Rock Lizard."
"You're saying that Qi Yuan has the ability to kill a rank 2 hunter quickly?"
Situ's eyes lit up as if he had thought of something. However, after thinking for a while, he shook his head.
"Wei Tao's subordinates crawled out from piles of corpses. They won't be killed by a gun pointed at their eyes like the Rock Lizard. Unless Qi Yuan has the ability to aim, he won't have the chance to kill them."
"Xu Xiaoshuang is dead!" Master Luo suddenly said.
Situ's eyes moved slightly. He couldn't guess the meaning behind this sentence.
"Qi Yuan fired when she was driving the Metal Wolf away. He didn't use an armor-piercing bullet. He shot her in the forehead and killed her in one shot!"
Situ's eyes were filled with surprise. Although Xu Xiaoshuang hadn't been in Blackstone Town for long and hadn't fought, the Butcher still brought detailed information about her from the Hunter's Guild.
Not only did Xu Kui's sister have multiple rank 2 abilities, but she also had a rank 2 defense enhancement. Forget about the Butcher in Qi Yuan's hands, even Situ's Skull Crusher wouldn't be able to kill her in one shot if he didn't use an armor-piercing bullet!
Xu Xiaoshuang's defense was even stronger than the Rock Lizard's!
How did Qi Yuan do it?
Soon, Situ grasped another key point.
Qi Yuan shot Xu Xiaoshuang in the forehead when she was driving the Metal Wolf away. This meant that Xu Kui's marksmanship wasn't bad. He might be able to find an opportunity to kill her in battle.
"Qi Yuan's marksmanship isn't bad. He has a Death Reaper in his hands and a superpower that can increase the damage of bullets. If he uses my armor-piercing bullet, how many rank 2s do you think he can deal with?"
Master Luo narrowed his eyes and tapped his finger lightly on the tea table.
"As long as you can delay the enemy and buy him enough time, Qi Yuan's usefulness in battle will definitely exceed your imagination!"
Situ immediately sucked in a breath of cold air. If Master Luo's deduction was right, as long as he could block the enemy's ambush, Qi Yuan could kill them all alone!
After a moment of silence, Situ said hesitantly,
"Qi Yuan's marksmanship isn't bad, but he might not be able to control Death Reaper."
There was a big difference between a handgun and a sniper rifle. In the new era where guns were everywhere, most hunters could use handguns, but very few people could use sniper rifles, let alone a powerful sniper rifle like Death Reaper. There were only a few decent snipers in Blackstone Town.
Without a large number of bullets to train with, one could only rely on superpowers such as aiming to allow one to control a sniper rifle.
"That's why I said we should take a gamble on Qi Yuan." Master Luo stroked the goatee on his chin.
"If Qi Yuan can control Death Reaper, then Wei Tao won't be a threat. You might even have a chance to kill him in Blackstone Town. If Qi Yuan can't control Death Reaper, with his strength, he can at least kill a rank 2. Just based on the two items he chose, this is a good deal for you no matter how you look at it!"
Situ's eyes flickered as he nodded slightly. Although it was a little inappropriate to pin all his hopes on Qi Yuan, this was indeed his only chance.
"I have to go back and make bullets. The caliber of Death Reaper is too big. The stock from before is useless." Master Luo stood up and said.
"With Wei Tao's personality, he will definitely attack tomorrow. You should be prepared to fight at any time. Don't let yourself be caught off guard."
Situ nodded. In a situation where he was at a disadvantage, if he didn't guard against a sneak attack, he would be courting death.
"If there's a chance, this time I must finish off Wei Tao once and for all!"
…
Inside the room.
Qi Yuan locked the door from the inside.
The bald man had already sent over the items he looted from Luo Kui and the others. They were piled up in the corner.
Qi Yuan didn't have time to deal with these items at the moment. His attention was focused on the strange metal and the sniper rifle in front of him.
These two items were not randomly chosen, but because both of them could light up the gray ball of light and obtain new supernatural abilities.
The strange metal represented the strength of steel!
The sniper rifle, to be precise, was the scope on the sniper rifle. It represented the ability to aim.
Both were powerful and practical superpowers.
Looking at the strange metal and the sniper rifle on the table, Qi Yuan's excitement from successfully signing in slowly calmed down.
"The strength of steel is a superpower of the Combat Domain. This superpower can directly increase my strength. It can strengthen my physical fitness and greatly increase my close combat ability. It's a must. Even if I don't fuse it today, I will definitely fuse it in the future.
"Although the ability to aim overlaps with Gun Control, the compatibility between them is also very high. Aim + Gun Control + Annihilation Bullet, plus Death Reaper, I can easily harvest the life of a rank 2 superhuman from a distance.
"Should I fuse with the strange metal or the scope? What kind of superpower should I obtain?"
Qi Yuan fell into deep thought. If he considered it from a practical point of view, the strength of steel was obviously more suitable. With the strength of steel combined with the defense of steel, he could completely crush the majority of rank 1 superhumans. He could even directly confront a rank 2 superhuman. It would greatly reduce the possibility of being beheaded by the enemy in close combat.
He could even give the enemy an unexpected surprise!
You think I'm a sniper?
You want to ambush me in close combat?
Sorry, I still have the strength of steel and the defense of steel. I can still hammer you to death while standing still!
If it was the battle against New Moon Town, Aim was obviously more suitable. Although Gun Control allowed him to control the sniper rifle and increase his hit rate from Fate Shooting to having a certain hit rate, it was still far from being called a sharpshooter. If he wanted to accurately snipe from a distance, he needed to activate the talent of Aim.
The powerful combination of Aim + Gun Control + Annihilation Bullet + Armor Piercing Bullet + Death Reaper would definitely give the people of New Moon Town a surprise. Xu Xiaoshuang's death was proof. Even a rank 2 superhuman was headshot by the Butcher who didn't have armor piercing bullets. Unless the enemies of New Moon Town had a rank 3 defense, they would not be able to resist his snipe!
If there really was someone in New Moon Town with a rank 3 defense, then Situ wouldn't need to resist. He could solo Blackstone Town and get an ACE.
The weakness of choosing Aim was also very obvious. The method of long-range sniping was only used in very few battles. The chances of encountering a battle in the wilderness were much higher. He also couldn't carry Death Reaper with him. This greatly reduced the practicality of Aim.