“You…” Linoah naturally understood what Zhang Wen was implying. Her seductive face flushed with anger instantly. She glared at Zhang Wen for several seconds, as if she might erupt in fury at any moment. But after a moment, the angry red on her face gradually faded.
“Alright, let’s stop joking around with nonsense. Let me be honest. I came to you this time because I want to cooperate. In a few days, we will lead a team into the Sandra Forest, and at that time, I need you to help me kill someone.” Linoah’s voice was cold, clearly still angry, and she had no intention of continuing any flirtation with Zhang Wen.
“Hey! I’ll say it again—why should I help you?” Zhang Wen countered.
“Because doing this isn’t just helping me—it’s helping yourself too.” Linoah gave Zhang Wen a cold glance. “A year ago, you recklessly declared war on the Guild without authorization, which greatly displeased several leaders of the High Council. Although the Guild has also been a headache for the High Council, what Mithril dislikes most isn’t enemies, but actions that disrupt the balance. You should know this very well!”
“Is that so? Then what are you planning to do? Kill me?” At this point, Zhang Wen knew it was pointless to keep emphasizing things like “I’m not a Mithril Hunter.” He decided to just accept the identity.
After all, the real Mithril Hunter was already dead, and from Linoah’s tone, most of his former subordinates and those who knew him were also long gone—any who might still be alive were likely out of touch. Even if Zhang Wen assumed the identity of that Mithril Hunter, there was little chance of anyone suddenly showing up to expose him.
“Hehe! Professor Zhang, why say such harsh words?” Seeing that Zhang Wen had accepted the identity, Linoah once again displayed her seductive smile. “Although the High Council leaders are quite dissatisfied with your actions, they are not unreasonable. We later investigated thoroughly and found out that you declared war on the Guild to prevent them from obtaining data from the Federation’s experiment. Considering the consequences if the Guild had gotten hold of that data, the leaders reluctantly agreed that your independent decision-making was in line with Mithril’s principles and not a mistake. However, your failure to report to the High Council and your subsequent disappearance have left them puzzled. Within the High Council, there have been repeated discussions: Professor Zhang, was your real reason for not reporting and acting alone truly just to prevent the Guild from obtaining the experimental data, or did you have your own hidden agenda regarding the Federation’s experiment?”
“Teacher Linoah, are you threatening me? If I don’t cooperate with you, will you report to the High Council that I indeed had ulterior motives regarding the Federation’s experimental data? Is that your intention?”
“Hehe, I never had such intentions,” Linoah said calmly, shaking her head. “Professor Zhang, whatever your original intentions were, they’re no longer important now. Everyone in the universe now knows that the Federation’s experiment didn’t completely fail. Although the Federation publicly announced that the experiment failed, claiming that the planets involved were reduced to ashes by a space-time anomaly, that planet indeed met such a fate as described. However, subsequent calculations revealed that an experimental subject broke through the space-time boundary…”
“Ah?” As Linoah spoke, Zhang Wen managed to maintain an outwardly calm expression, but inside his heart was already in turmoil. He didn’t hear a single word Linoah said afterward. His mind was completely overwhelmed with shock!
Because exactly a year ago was when he had suddenly arrived in this world!
Could it be that he was the experimental subject who broke through the space-time boundary? Then, during that experiment, could there have been others who also came to this world? In a daze, Zhang Wen thought of several questions he couldn’t answer himself.
“…In short, according to our intelligence, the Federation calculated that the final landing site of that experimental subject was here—on Kasares! Professor Zhang, you went to great lengths to infiltrate Kasares from Feibola, probably with the intention of targeting him! I admit, before this, if you could find this experimental subject, you would indeed have a great opportunity to gain enough capital to make a comeback. But now the situation is different. The Guild, the Federation, the Empire—all these giants have their eyes on Kasares. If you act alone, away from the organization, even if you find the experimental subject, how much chance do you really have of escaping under their watchful eyes? In the end, you’d just be doing all the work for someone else.”
Linoah was very satisfied with Zhang Wen’s shocked expression. She finished coldly and crossed her arms, waiting for his response.
At this moment, Zhang Wen realized that he seemed to have been drawn into a major event. Moreover, whether it was the Mithril Hunter identity he was currently pretending to be in front of Linoah, or his true identity as “Zhang Wen,” he was already deeply involved. Since arriving in this world, Zhang Wen felt for the first time that he was standing on the edge of a cliff. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of fear. If Linoah hadn’t come looking for him with all sorts of misunderstandings and revealed so much information, he might have died without even knowing how!
Although Zhang Wen had never heard of the organization called “Mithril” before, the information Linoah had revealed was enough for him to analyze the organization.
Firstly, this so-called “Mithril” organization didn’t seem to be a tightly-knit group. It appeared to be a loose alliance composed of many other underground forces. Or it could be understood as… a coalition formed by several Guilds joining together!
Secondly, within Mithril, the leader of each accepted underground force could enter its “High Council” and become a “Grand Commander.” It could be imagined that although these Grand Commanders belonged to the same organization, conflicts among them were certainly not rare! For a fallen Mithril Hunter like himself, they wouldn’t help him rise again; instead, they might even take advantage of his misfortune.
After a long silence, Zhang Wen finally recovered from his shock. The news Linoah had delivered was so shocking that he had completely lost his usual composure. Fortunately, the shock he displayed was entirely natural for the Mithril Hunter he was pretending to be. Linoah couldn’t detect any flaws in his act.
As for the truthfulness of Linoah’s words, Zhang Wen didn’t really doubt them. In fact, Zhang Wen had always been suspicious. After all, the current Emperor of the Empire didn’t seem like someone who would send his two most trusted subordinates tens of thousands of light-years away just to help his sister find a place to study!
In a flash, Zhang Wen had already made his decision. Linoah coming to him was indeed a golden opportunity! He could use this chance to find out exactly what had happened in the Federation’s experiment a year ago. As for the experimental subject that the Guild, the Empire, and others were searching for—was it really himself? Zhang Wen certainly didn’t want to wake up one day and suddenly find himself turned into a lab rat in some unknown laboratory!
“Hmph, you’re right. If I go looking for that experimental subject on my own, I might indeed end up doing all the work for someone else. But if I cooperate with you, wouldn’t I still just be working for others? Maybe my fate would be even worse!” Zhang Wen quickly regained his composure and deliberately asked Linoah coldly.
“Hehe, that’s certainly a possibility. But, Professor Zhang, do you really think you have any other options at this point? Without our cooperation, you’ll be crushed by giants like the Guild and the Empire. But working with the organization at least gives you a glimmer of hope.” Linoah smiled, elegantly crossing her long, perfect legs.
“Fine. How do you want to cooperate? Let me make this clear—I won’t do anything beyond my capabilities. You said earlier you wanted me to help you kill someone? Who do you want dead? If it’s one of the Guild’s or the Empire’s two elite guards, then you’ve come to the wrong person. I don’t have the ability, and I won’t recklessly go after them.”
“Haha, don’t worry! I know that when Professor Zhang was in power, you always relied more on wit than brute force. How could I be so foolish as to ask you to confront the Guild or the Empire’s elite guards?” A faint smile flickered across Linoah’s lips as she gave Zhang Wen a cold glance and said, “This time, the one we’re targeting is the experimental subject!”
“The experimental subject?” Zhang Wen raised his eyebrows in surprise, not even bothering to address the mockery in her words.
“Exactly! The experimental subject! Whether it’s the Empire, the Federation, or the Guild, they all hope that the experimental subject is still alive. Only then would they have a chance to extract the Federation’s previous experimental data from him. But we are exactly the opposite. Mithril’s principle is balance. Professor Zhang, you should understand this very well. No matter who ends up capturing that person, it will be of no benefit to us in maintaining the balance of this world. Therefore, our goal is to make sure that person dies!” Linoah’s voice was still melodious and pleasant, but Zhang Wen clearly sensed a chilling coldness within it.
“Do you already have a way to find the experimental subject?” Zhang Wen’s heart tightened as he stared intently at Linoah.
“Hehe! That’s not something Professor Zhang needs to worry about. Since we’re partners, you’ll naturally know how to find the experimental subject when the time comes.” Linoah smiled faintly as she stood up.
Although Zhang Wen was eager to know whether Linoah truly had a method to detect the “experimental subject,” he was even more determined not to act rashly. It would be extremely disadvantageous for him if Linoah discovered either his impersonation of the “Mithril Hunter” or his unique identity.
Therefore, Zhang Wen did not try to stop Linoah. He simply waved his hand casually and watched her leave the small house.
After leaving Zhang Wen’s cottage, Linoah did not immediately return to the temporary dormitory of the representatives from the Psychic Arts Department. Instead, she strolled toward a small grove near the back gate of the academy. She stopped at the edge of the grove, and soon a man emerged from the trees.
“Hey! My sweetie, you really scared me stiff. If that idiot just now had said he wanted you to sleep with him before cooperating, would you really have gone through with it?” The man complained as he removed two small earpieces from his ears.
“Do you really think that’s possible?” Linoah coldly stared at the man, the seductive charm she had shown to Zhang Wen completely gone.
However, when Linoah wore that icy expression, her cold and alluring demeanor made the man standing before her even more infatuated.
“Hehe, I was just worried about you…” The man said jealously as he approached Linoah.
He tried to wrap his arm around Linoah’s slender waist, but she skillfully evaded him. Facing Linoah’s icy stare, the man awkwardly coughed and pretended to scratch his face as he continued complaining, “Seriously, with me by your side, what can’t you handle? As long as we follow that ‘key’ person, we should be able to find the one you’re looking for, right? Why bring Zhang Wen into this? His strength is barely at the seventh or eighth level. Partnering with such a weakling, aren’t you worried he’ll hold you back?”
“Hmph! I have my reasons for cooperating with him. It’s none of your business. I promised you, and after completing the mission, I’ll fulfill my end of the bargain. As for that guy…” Linoah snorted coldly, a trace of disdain flashing in her eyes. “What’s so hard about dealing with him? He’s just a pawn! Once we find the experimental subject… we won’t even have to do it ourselves. The Guild will handle it for us.” Linoah took the two earpieces from the man’s hand and then, expressionless, walked away along the artificial lake.
“Tsk! Bitch, you really think you can treat me like a dog just because you’ve got a few bucks and a sexy body! Just wait, there’ll come a day when you’re kneeling in front of me, licking my toes!” As Linoah’s graceful figure disappeared along the lakeshore, the man’s lips curled into a sinister sneer before he quickly walked away in the opposite direction.
“Sigh! Looks like I still need to pay a visit to the arena. I wonder if Zack and Cloud are still alive?” After both Linoah and the man had long disappeared, Zhang Wen stepped out of the small house, muttering to himself.
Zack and Cloud were seasoned martial artists, so naturally they wouldn’t die from the small training Zhang Wen had assigned them. Quite the contrary, their performance in the arena even impressed Iron Mask quite a bit.
In fact, the reigning champion of the Kasares arena had heard many rumors about the martial arts department of the Almeythis Academy. When Zhang Wen asked him to help train Zack and Cloud, he initially thought it might take several days before the two could adapt to the fighting rhythm of the arena.
Although the two young men were initially beaten black and blue, they astonishingly adapted to the arena very quickly. By that evening, they had completed the first phase of their special training and could easily defeat ordinary fourth-stage opponents using the techniques taught by Zhang Wen.
After completing the tasks assigned by Zhang Wen, the two young men did not return to rest. Instead, they continued challenging higher-level opponents. However, when facing fifth-stage adversaries, their battle energy no longer functioned as effectively as before, failing to help them escape entanglements when they encountered trouble. Without the advantage of battle energy, Zack and Cloud soon found themselves in danger again. Thus, when Zhang Wen arrived at the arena the next day, the two were still struggling in the lowest-level hall.
Nonetheless, the progress and achievements of Zack and Cloud’s training were enough to satisfy Zhang Wen. He spent half a day at the arena, met with several “old friends,” and then quietly left.
At this point, Zhang Wen had already provided all the help he could offer to Zack and Cloud. From then on, how far they could go under Zhang Wen’s guidance would entirely depend on themselves.
Meanwhile, during the time Zhang Wen returned to the Kaemur Arena, the martial arts department at Almystus Academy was in a state of chaos. As soon as the representative teachers from the psychokinetic department returned to the academy, their first action was to report the matter of the survival competition. Then, Instructor Xin personally issued an order: the martial arts department must assemble participants for the survival competition as soon as possible.
Originally, the martial arts department teachers, who had been gnashing their teeth in jealousy upon hearing of Zhang Wen’s outstanding performance at the banquet, immediately changed their expressions when they heard they were expected to select two people to lead the survival competition team.
Everyone in the martial arts department of Almystus Academy knew exactly what kind of department they were and how poorly they had performed in previous survival competitions. This was destined to be a suicide mission! Moreover, after the competition, the losers were very likely to become scapegoats for Governor Termis.
Only a fool would participate! As soon as the teachers and students of the martial arts department at Almystus Academy fully understood the situation, they all made up their minds. Conveniently, there was also the perfect excuse of a terrorist threat. Within half a day, a large number of martial arts department teachers and students submitted leave applications and hastily packed their bags and left the academy. Before Instructor Xin could even react, he found that most of the martial arts teachers and students had already left the school.
To make up the required number of participants, Instructor Xin had no choice but to grit his teeth and select a few seemingly better candidates from the few remaining people.
Looking at the group of students whose strength barely reached the early fifth stage, with several not even reaching the peak of the fourth stage, both Instructor Xin and the representative teachers from the psychokinetic department had already lost all hope for this competition. Fortunately, Instructor Xin timely stopped a few teachers who had already packed their bags and were preparing to leave.
With the addition of two teachers, Idirter and Goldin, both reaching the middle fifth stage, the psychokinetic teachers’ confidence, which had sunk to the bottom, was somewhat restored.
In the following days, Almystus Academy focused all its efforts on the three representative teams for the survival competition. Instructor Xin personally took charge, conducting a series of rigorous training sessions for the martial arts team members who had been temporarily selected for the representative teams. Several of the academy’s largest and best training grounds were transformed into forest-like environments to provide the team members with simulation training.
Five days later.
Regardless of how desperately the hastily-prepared representatives of Almystus Academy wished for more preparation time—more and more—the survival competition officially began under the constant urging of Governor Karayan.
Most first-time visitors to the planet Kasares might be misled by the thriving environment of its capital city, Kasares City, assuming it to be a peaceful and prosperous planet like most imperial administrative worlds.
Although the two young men initially suffered from being beaten black and blue, they quickly adapted to the arena at an astonishing speed. That very night, they completed the first phase of their special training and were able to easily defeat ordinary fourth-tier opponents using the techniques taught by Zhang Wen. After completing the tasks set by Zhang Wen, the two young men did not rest but instead continued to challenge higher-tier opponents. However, when facing fifth-tier opponents, their combat energy could no longer help them escape from entanglement as it had before. Without the advantage of their combat energy, Zack and Cloud soon found themselves in trouble again. Therefore, when Zhang Wen returned to the arena the next day, the two were still struggling in the lowest level of the hall.
Regardless, the progress and results of Zack and Cloud’s special training were enough to bring Zhang Wen some satisfaction. He lingered in the arena for a short while, met with a few “old friends,” and then quietly left. At this point, Zhang Wen had provided all the help he could to Zack and Cloud. How far they could go under his guidance would now depend entirely on themselves.
During the time Zhang Wen was back at the Kaimel Arena, the faculty and students of the Almicus Academy’s Physical Arts Department were in a state of chaos. Upon their return to the academy, the representative teachers of the Mental Arts Department immediately reported the survival competition. Instructor Xin then personally ordered that the Physical Arts Department must quickly assemble a team to participate in the survival competition. The Physical Arts Department teachers, who had initially been green with envy after hearing about Zhang Wen’s outstanding performance at the banquet, all changed their expressions when they were told to select two people to lead the team in the survival competition.
The state of the Physical Arts Department at Almicus Academy and their poor performance in past survival competitions were things Zhang Wen didn’t know, but the other teachers in the Physical Arts Department were all too aware! This was destined to be a self-destructive competition! Moreover, after the competition, the losers were likely to be used as scapegoats by Governor Temiso! Only fools would participate! Once the faculty and students of the Physical Arts Department at Almicus Academy understood the situation, they all made up their minds. Coincidentally, there was now the perfect excuse of a terrorist attack. Within half a day, a large number of faculty and students from the Physical Arts Department submitted leave applications and hurriedly packed up and left the academy. Before Instructor Xin could even react, he found that most of the Physical Arts Department teachers and students had already left.
To assemble a team, Instructor Xin had no choice but to reluctantly select a few from the remaining individuals who seemed somewhat capable. Looking at the group of students whose strength was at most at the early fifth-tier stage, with several not even reaching the peak of the fourth-tier, both Instructor Xin and the representative teachers of the Mental Arts Department had already lost hope for this competition. Fortunately, when selecting teachers, Instructor Xin managed to stop a few who had already packed up and were ready to leave. With the addition of two teachers, Idirt and Golding, both at the mid-eighth-tier stage, the confidence of the Mental Arts Department teachers, which had hit rock bottom, was somewhat restored.
In the following days, Almicus Academy focused all its efforts on the three teams for the survival competition. Instructor Xin personally took charge, subjecting the temporarily selected Physical Arts Department team members to a series of grueling training sessions. The largest and best training grounds at Almicus Academy were also transformed to resemble forests, providing the team members with simulated training environments.
Five days later. No matter how much the Almicus Academy representatives hoped for more preparation time, the survival competition officially began under the constant urging of Governor Kalayan. Most first-time visitors to the planet Casares might be misled by the thriving environment of the capital city, Casares, thinking it is a peaceful and prosperous planet like most administrative planets in the empire. However, those who live on Casares and make a living there know that the first impression of visitors is completely wrong! In fact, within the entire empire, if Casares is not the most chaotic in terms of public security, no other planet would dare claim the first spot!
Just thirty kilometers outside the city limits of Casares, you will find the area teeming with robust martial artists, destitute adventurers, cunning and shameless speculators, vicious thugs, gamblers, heavily made-up prostitutes, and various unemployed rogues wandering between small towns, hoping to strike it rich like the 19th-century American gold rushers! Occasionally, you might also notice the sudden appearance of many heavy-duty mental vehicles, rarely seen in the empire, in some small towns. These heavy-duty mental vehicles are often accompanied by a large number of guards armed to the teeth with top-tier combat equipment and a few lavishly dressed young masters and ladies.
The reason these people gather on Casares, enduring chaos and oppression without leaving, is invariably three words: raw stone. If sea urchin stone is an extremely important strategic resource for a country, then raw stone is an indispensable necessity for a nation! This is because, in this universe, the only mineral that can store mental energy and convert it into usable energy is raw stone! With raw stone, mentalists can light up the bulbs in their homes, drive mental vehicles on the roads, and allow spaceships to traverse space, conquering one planet after another. Just like the steam engine in the steam age and the internal combustion engine in the electric age on Earth, raw stone is the root of all technology in this world!
Casares is the planet with the richest reserves of raw stone in the empire—bar none. Of course, if it were just raw stone itself, it might not be enough to attract so many adventurers, let alone those young masters and ladies who never worry about money. What truly attracts these people is another peculiar function of raw stone. As early as thousands of years ago, when people first began using mental energy, it was discovered that in places with raw stone veins, there often appeared strange creatures or extremely rare associated minerals. Initially, most people thought this was just a coincidence. But as the empire’s territory gradually expanded, they slowly realized that this was no accident! Raw stone veins possess this peculiar characteristic. Over time, they cause the surrounding materials to undergo strange changes. On Casares, the planet with the richest reserves of raw stone in the empire, this change is particularly evident!
Since the empire discovered and occupied Casares, there have been constant claims of various rare treasures being found on the planet. This has made many fortune-seeking explorers flock to Casares. Forty-seven years ago, an explorer named Jones organized a team and entered the most famous Sandra Forest on Casares. In the Sandra Forest, they discovered a massive natural sea urchin stone crystal! After enduring countless hardships to bring the sea urchin stone crystal out of the terrifying forest and auctioning it off for a staggering 1.7 billion empire shields at the imperial auction house, explorers from across the empire rushed to Casares like madmen.
As more and more people became overnight millionaires through their adventures on Casares, even more people flooded into the planet, including many adventurers from the federation and the alliance. Then, many who were not adventurers themselves but hoped to profit from adventurers also came to Casares to set up camp. It was these people who, in places beyond the empire’s jurisdiction, formed small towns centered around explorers. Eventually, successive governors of Casares had to admit that the planet had become inseparable from these reckless adventurers.
However, the adventures of these explorers on Casares were by no means easy to succeed. In fact, those who entered the terrifying forest were constantly risking their lives. Because what accompanies raw stone veins is not just priceless ores. Any native of Casares knows that the Sandra Forest has another more popular name among the planet’s adventurers: the Forest of Terror.
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