Section 526: The Price
It took Ye Zhong three days to modify the entire defense system. During these three days, Christin watched as Ye Zhong repeatedly dismantled and reassembled those massive cannon barrels with astonishing proficiency. Her initial fear gradually turned into accustomed familiarity. By the third day, she was already stepping forward to assist him.
These behemoths' firepower opened her eyes. She herself had an obsession with weapons far beyond that of ordinary people. Among them, those powerful artillery arrays suited her taste the most. Only now did she realize that her previous heavy firepower was simply trash! Violence was an element innate to Christin's blood. After recovering from the initial shock, she began to study these compact yet devastatingly powerful weapons with great enthusiasm.
However, their complex structures soon made her dizzy. She knew that the knowledge she was currently learning was still only the most basic part of Ye Zhong's knowledge system. It was still far too early to research these heavy weapons, but this still couldn't hinder her preference for them. If Ye Zhong hadn't stopped her, she would have been eager to fire a few test shots to see if the power was really as formidable as Ye Zhong claimed.
But what puzzled her most was that these heavy weapons couldn't be operated with divine thought at all. So how was targeting done? Ye Zhong never explained this question.
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Truthfully, Ye Zhong simply couldn't be bothered to explain. To properly explain this issue would likely take several days, and his time was currently tight. Where would he find so much time to spend on this? So he simply didn't explain.
After spending three days, he finally completed all the work. All the firepower was concealed, with no hint of it visible from the outside. This point made Christin admire him immensely.
Just then, Ye Zhong suddenly received an alert from the room's optical computer: someone was approaching. Without changing his expression, Ye Zhong entered the room, closed the door, and activated the holographic screen. On it, a man and a woman were approaching. Ye Zhong recognized the woman – it was Shu Mo'er. The man, however, was a complete stranger.
What were they doing here? Ye Zhong frowned.
He walked out of the room into the courtyard and closed the door properly.
A knocking sound rang out.
Christin went to open the door, and immediately her voice, full of pleasant surprise, was heard: "Mo'er妹妹 (Mò'ér mèimei - Mo'er little sister), come in, come in, quickly."
Shu Mo'er smiled brilliantly: "Christin姐姐 (jiějie - big sister), little sister has come to visit."
Christin chuckled: "Little sister is only coming now? Your big sister has been waiting for you for several days."
Ye Zhong watched coldly from the sidelines. Nothing could convince him now that this Shu Mo'er didn't have some ulterior motive. Behind Christin, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The two entered the courtyard. Shu Mo'er bowed to Ye Zhong: "Hello, Mr. Ye Zhong."
"Hello," Ye Zhong returned the greeting. Although he felt such hypocrisy between them was completely unnecessary, he was no longer the novice he once was. Having experienced all sorts of situations, he was quite familiar with these basic social skills.
Shu Mo'er wasn't wearing her veil today. Her flawless, jade-like countenance was fully presented to everyone. Even just standing casually, her serene, willow-like demeanor made people unable to resist taking a second look.
"This is my friend, Wei Zheng," Shu Mo'er introduced. After learning Ye Zhong's address from Christin last time, she had been planning when to visit again. However, she didn't expect Wei Zheng to pester and insist on coming along this time. Considering safety concerns, especially after the mysterious expert Nei Wei'er encountered that day, which created a strong sense of crisis among everyone, almost all agreed that Wei Zheng and Shu Mo'er should go together. Unwilling to make it too obvious, Shu Mo'er had no choice but to agree.
"Hello," Wei Zheng greeted Ye Zhong with a smile. Ye Zhong keenly detected a flash of hostility that vanished in an instant within the other's gaze.
Sure enough, they harbor ill intentions, Ye Zhong thought, becoming alert. He had already decided that if a fight broke out later, he must act decisively!
Christin whistled, gave Wei Zheng a flirtatious glance, and said with a charming laugh, "Hello, handsome!" Wei Zheng's eyes lit up, and he greeted her with great courtesy.
"姐姐 (Jiějie - Big sister), aren't you going to invite us in?" Shu Mo'er said to Christin with a light laugh.
Christin's eyes shifted, and she smiled coquettishly, "Little sister, you're mistaken. The master of this place isn't me." She wasn't that foolish. Ye Zhong had once sternly warned her that she was not allowed to enter the inner rooms without his permission, otherwise, she would bear the consequences. If it were before, she might not have taken it seriously, but after seeing all those powerful weapons in the past couple of days, Christin understood one thing.
Her teacher, this stone-faced man who seemed almost expressionless, was not as harmless as he appeared. Beneath that nearly unchanging face surged an intense, overwhelming killing intent.
Even she wasn't allowed to enter; how could she dare to let these people in without permission? So she deftly passed the ball to Ye Zhong.
The gazes of all three fell upon Ye Zhong.
Ye Zhong still wore his stone face: "Sorry, the inner rooms are not available for reception."
No one had expected this response. Treating visiting guests this way was extremely arrogant and rude behavior.
The atmosphere in the courtyard became very awkward.
Shu Mo'er's face turned pale then flushed. Wei Zheng's expression was even more unpleasant. Where had they ever encountered such a situation? As sixth-level shooters, wherever they went, people tried their best to curry favor, practically clinging to them.
Christin also hadn't expected Ye Zhong to respond so resolutely. She stammered, wanting to say something. But meeting Ye Zhong's cold, sharp gaze, she immediately swallowed the words that had reached her lips.
Ye Zhong had no interest in exchanging pleasantries with them. These two had no connection to him, and he never had any fondness for people with ulterior motives. Moreover, the house was filled with various instruments and biological cultures everywhere. If these were seen by others, it would likely cause an immediate uproar.
Wei Zheng was inherently proud and arrogant. How could he accept such a blunt and humiliating rejection from Ye Zhong, which offered him no way to save face?
His face darkened. "What do you mean by this, sir?" Shu Mo'er beside him remained silent.
Ye Zhong looked directly into Wei Zheng's eyes and said calmly, "Don't understand?"
Wei Zheng stared unblinkingly at Ye Zhong, his face as dark as stormy water.
Ye Zhong remained composed, his muscles slightly relaxed, like a leopard ready to spring into action. Once triggered, his attack would be swift and thunderous! No one could have imagined the terrifying power hidden within his seemingly rather slender frame.
Shu Mo'er on the side was also prepared, though not to help Wei Zheng. Instead, she intended to separate the two if a conflict broke out. If they killed a weaponsmith just because he wouldn't let them in, their reputation would suffer severely. Shu Mo'er knew that Wei Zheng's tolerance wasn't as broad as he always pretended it to be.
Wei Zheng's eyes flickered. Just as everyone thought he was about to strike, he suddenly broke into a smile. "Haha, Mr. Ye certainly has character. Since it's inconvenient for you today, we'll visit another time. Farewell."
With that, Wei Zheng was the first to walk out. Shu Mo'er gave Ye Zhong a deep look and followed wordlessly.
Christine, who had been watching, stuck out her tongue and looked Ye Zhong up and down in surprise. "Can't tell, you've got some guts! You know, they're both Level Six Shooters. If it came to a direct fight, you'd be in trouble!"
"Oh," Ye Zhong responded vaguely, but didn't argue. Verbal sparring was useless. In fact, when Wei Zheng had locked onto him with his mental perception earlier, Ye Zhong was confident he could break free and take down both of them. But he had chosen restraint. He had no concept of what a Level Six Shooter meant. He only knew that the woman named Sha Ya from last time was a Level Eight Shooter. So a Level Six Shooter probably wasn't that impressive.
However, the strength of the other party's mental perception had surprised him somewhat.
The flicker in Wei Zheng's eyes made him realize that this matter probably wouldn't end so easily. He wasn't afraid of trouble; that had nothing to do with how powerful the opponent was.
"They're helpers invited by Doga. Apparently, it's about that over-ten-meter-tall giant in black armor that appeared over the Two Shores Forest last time. Hundreds of fighter craft couldn't catch it. Pretty tough, huh! Don't know what nerve Doga touched, but he went and gathered a bunch of Level Six Shooters. With him included, thirteen in total. A luxurious lineup. They're just waiting for that giant to appear again. They're pretty bored right now." Christine whistled, her luscious red lips incredibly alluring.
"So that's it." Ye Zhong finally understood who owned that blue aircraft. So the owner was actually Doga, known as the number one expert in Yeta City, a Level Six Shooter. Only then did he grasp the level of strength a Level Six Shooter possessed. That aircraft had forced him into an extremely狼狈 situation, a memory still fresh in his mind.
If thirteen aircraft of the same caliber surrounded him, escaping wouldn't be easy.
"Scared now?" Christine teased. "Heh, I was wondering what treasures you have inside that you won't even let anyone take a look. Now you've even driven away my little Mo'er and the handsome Wei. Poor me." Christine put on a pitiful expression.
Ye Zhong ignored Christine's odd antics. He made up his mind that no matter what, he absolutely could not pilot Chen out again during this period. It was too dangerous.
Night fell. Ye Zhong was organizing data. The analysis results from the daytime had just come out; this was the final set of data from this batch of samples, and he needed to compile this data first. Christine was already asleep; the day's events had taken their toll on her spirits.
Suddenly, an alarm startled Ye Zhong: "Intruder detected."
An intruder? Ye Zhong's mind stirred.
He opened the holographic screen, which clearly showed Wei Zheng's figure.
Wei Zheng had found some excuse to slip out this time. The humiliation from the daytime weighed on his mind, leaving him feeling stifled all day. Being so arrogant and proud, when had he ever suffered such an insult? Both Shu Mo'er and he had returned to Doga's courtyard and hadn't mentioned a word about what happened during the day.
Causing a scene openly in someone else's home, if seen by others, would be seen as bullying the weak. It wouldn't look good if word got out.
But, if no one saw? Heh heh, Wei Zheng sneered coldly inwardly, his handsome face showing a trace of ferocity. Shu Mo'er was still shut in her room alone, sulking. But what good did that do? That damn fellow was probably still gloating over there.
Thinking of that hateful, stone-faced expression made Wei Zheng gnash his teeth.
He sped quickly towards Ye Zhong's courtyard. His powerful perception allowed him to avoid danger in advance. He wanted to see exactly what unspeakable secrets that guy was hiding in his house. Heh heh, maybe there were even some high-level weapons – that would be a windfall for him.
If the other party discovered him... a glint of killing intent flashed in Wei Zheng's eyes. Some things would just have to be done.
Ye Zhong was somewhat speechless. Wei Zheng's sprinting movements looked very amateurish. Ye Zhong didn't understand – whether stealing or robbing, both were highly technical tasks. With skills like his, how dare he attempt such a dangerous operation?
Watching Wei Zheng coldly on the holographic screen, Ye Zhong had already made his judgment.
If during the day Ye Zhong was still wary of being surrounded by his companions, now that the other party had sneaked over at night, he was delivering himself right to his doorstep.
Several dark openings suddenly appeared in the thick wall.
Wei Zheng was currently about two kilometers away from the large courtyard. This area, being close to the Two Shores Forest, was completely deserted. This made him brazen, not bothering to conceal his movements at all.
What was a weaponsmith worth? He was a Level Six Shooter! He was extremely自负 about this point.
Suddenly, a sense of danger rose in his heart.
He instinctively stopped, his mental perception rapidly spreading out around him.
His face changed, and he猛地 rolled backward.
A thumb-thick beam of light left a bottomless hole in the spot where he had just been standing.
An ambush! He finally displayed the corresponding strength of a Level Six Shooter. He immediately drew his beam gun, using his mental perception to probe the surroundings. He was unusually furious; luck seemed determined to work against him today. He encountered a detestable guy during the day, and now an ambush at night.
However, rage did not cloud his mind. In fact, he was extremely calm at that moment, holding the beam gun in his hand. The moment his spiritual sense detected the slightest movement, he would fire immediately.
How dare they attack even me? Do they have a death wish?
Huh? Why is there nothing? His spiritual sense couldn’t find any living beings, let alone the attacker.
Ye Zhong watched as Wei Zheng rolled backward as if anticipating the attack, and his estimation of him immediately rose by a few notches.
However, Ye Zhong had no intention of stopping there. The defense system he had equipped for so long could finally serve its purpose, and he could also test its power.
Another beam shot out. In a panic, Wei Zheng rolled again, disregarding his dignity, narrowly avoiding the beam. Wei Zheng was now furious—he still hadn’t located the sniper.
If he hadn’t expanded his spiritual sense to its maximum range, he would have been pierced by those two beams long ago.
Carefully hiding behind a large tree, Wei Zheng cautiously scanned his surroundings. The impatience in his gaze vanished, replaced by extreme wariness.
His first thought was: Could it be a Level 8 shooter ambushing him?
But aside from the question of where a Level 8 shooter would come from, if it really were a Level 8 shooter, Wei Zheng believed those two shots would not have missed. And if it wasn’t a Level 8 shooter, why couldn’t he find any trace of the attacker?
This uncertainty put immense pressure on Wei Zheng, making him hesitant to act recklessly.
Could there be a Level 8 shooter in that large house? This thought startled Wei Zheng. If that were the case, it would explain why the other party had shown them no respect during the day. Wei Zheng was well aware of the gap in strength between a Level 8 shooter and himself.
A sense of regret welled up in his heart—he feared he had bitten off more than he could chew this time. However, a glimmer of hope remained. Since he could still evade the attacks, perhaps the other party was holding back. It seemed that, although he would suffer today, his life was likely not in danger.
Contrary to Wei Zheng’s self-righteous assumptions, Ye Zhong had no intention of holding back. The fact that Wei Zheng could dodge those two attacks was entirely due to his own skill.
If Ye Zhong’s defense system only had those two firing points, it might make Wei Zheng look disheveled but wouldn’t pose a threat to his life.
But would Ye Zhong’s firepower system consist of only two points?
Five straight beams cut through the night sky.
The moment these five beams were fired, Wei Zheng sensed them, and this time, he was scared out of his wits! Five consecutive shots! It really was a Level 8 shooter! The higher a shooter’s level, the faster their firing rate. For top-tier shooters like Level 8, their consecutive shots would appear as if fired simultaneously. The resulting fire net was more powerful and harder to evade.
Although Wei Zheng was arrogant, he had genuine skills. Without hesitation, he raised his beam gun horizontally in front of his chest!
A blinding white light suddenly erupted from the beam gun, while the other four beams narrowly missed him and buried themselves in the ground.
Wei Zheng broke out in a cold sweat. The black wooden body of his beam gun now bore a thumb-sized dent, still warm to the touch.
Was this a test? Wei Zheng felt uneasy, engulfed by intense fear. In that last attack, four of the five beams weren’t aimed directly at him but were meant to block all his escape routes. If he had tried to dodge the beam aimed at him, he would have been pierced.
If he hadn’t reacted quickly and used his beam gun to block the shot aimed at him, he would have been finished today.
Wei Zheng’s performance surprised Ye Zhong. Even Ye Zhong himself would need some luck to dodge those beams. He never expected a shooter to hold out for so long under such an attack. And this was only a Level 6 shooter—what about a Level 8 shooter? What a terrifying profession!
While marveling, Ye Zhong activated several other firing points.
Truth be told, Ye Zhong would have preferred to use the artillery array. Such area-of-effect attacks were the most suitable and straightforward for someone like him, who was clueless about long-range attacks. However, considering the commotion it would cause, he suppressed this tempting idea.
The number of firing points had now increased to twelve, meaning each volley consisted of twelve beams.
The fire net formed by twelve beams finally made Wei Zheng despair! In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind—regret overwhelmed him.
Thud, thud, thud!
Seven beams struck his body directly, leaving seven bloody holes, one of which was right over his heart. Poor Wei Zheng, a respectable Level 6 shooter, died without even understanding who had attacked him.
By the time Ye Zhong reached the spot where Wei Zheng had fallen, he was already dead.
After a moment’s thought, Ye Zhong picked up Wei Zheng’s body and disappeared into the forest on both sides. It took him a full two hours to return, and the body had been completely disposed of.
Ye Zhong first returned to his room and came out holding a bottle filled with liquid. He went to the spot where Wei Zheng had fallen, tossed down a gray-green seed covered in small thorns, and then poured out the liquid from the bottle.
Soon, inconspicuous gray-green thorny vines began to grow rapidly, covering the ground in no time. All traces were concealed by them. These gray-green vines mixed with other plants, quickly becoming indistinguishable.
This was a fast-growing plant cultivated by the research group. Its original purpose was to rapidly improve soil structure in harsh environments like deserts. The liquid in the bottle was its growth accelerator.
After completing all this, Ye Zhong quietly returned to his room.
The attribute analysis of the samples had been fully completed, and the database Ye Zhong needed most was finally ready. Except for over 400 relatively rare plants that the shop hadn’t delivered yet, Ye Zhong had completed everything else. In other words, his work could now be considered finished.
After some thought, he began storing these instruments into Chen’s space button.