Chapter 71: Equipment Upgrade

“2333, so the Laolin Plan failed because he was sabotaged by his own wife.”

“Almost getting killed by your wife, can you imagine?”

“No wonder Xiaoxi always looks so guilty, this is killing me.”

“Looking at it this way, we really are tied by fate. If you hadn’t happened to disrupt the criminal’s operation, we might have just missed each other.”

Lin Zhen shook his head with a quiet laugh and said no more, returning his focus to repairing his weapon equipment.

To say there wasn’t the slightest trace of blame in his heart towards Yun Ruoxi would be a lie.

Anyone who nearly got killed by someone else couldn’t possibly stay completely calm—unless he was a true saint.

But the resentment he felt was never much to begin with, and after Yun Ruoxi’s nearly meticulous care over those ten days, what little bitterness he had left had already vanished.

All that remained was warmth and gratitude.

“Fate, huh?”

Yun Ruoxi softly repeated the word, waddling over to Lin Zhen’s side like a little duckling and watching him repair the weapons with focused attention.

The atmosphere returned to what it had been at the start.

With Yun Ruoxi’s praise, Lin Zhen worked more and more energetically, not only fixing the high-frequency vibration generator but also using cybernetic body parts from the cyborg to upgrade most of the equipment they wore.

The Retractable Sword was now fitted with a Qi Blast Module, allowing it to fire blasts with low damage but strong interrupting force.

The Electric Shock Gloves had been enhanced with the cyborg’s Power Core, vastly improving their endurance.

And Yun Ruoxi’s frequently used Shield Bracer had a Magnetic Absorption Module installed by Lin Zhen, so after being thrown, it could now return automatically.

Equipment enhancement +1!

If this were a game, that prompt would have popped up right about now.

“Amazing.” Yun Ruoxi tested the new equipment, experiencing for the first time just how much weight the line “Lin Zhen has exceptional creativity and is highly skilled at mechanical repair” really carried.

She considered herself well-studied in the theory of weaponry, but it was difficult for her to adapt and improvise like Lin Zhen did.

If 0001’s talent was insight, and hers was beast-like combat instinct, then Lin Zhen’s was undoubtedly this magical, transformative craftsmanship!

“I just grew up rummaging through scrap heaps, so maybe my hands-on skills are a little better than yours, but I wouldn’t call it amazing.”

Lin Zhen smiled modestly, put on his newly upgraded gear, and set out with Yun Ruoxi on the journey to the Rhombus Base.

They were already far behind the other trainees.

By day, the surroundings were silent and still, with hardly a trace of other trainees or criminals.

Which was perfect for making good time.

But when it came to hunting criminals, it was far from ideal.

It meant that either all the criminals along this route had already been killed by other trainees, or they’d chased after the others toward the Rhombus Base.

Yun Ruoxi had turned in six pairs of criminal ears, so between the two of them, they only had seven left—just one more to go to fulfill both of their hunting quotas.

They’d thought that on such a long road, they’d surely run into a criminal or two along the way.

They never expected it to turn out like this.

All they could do was pick up their pace toward the destination, hoping to complete their hunting task before the criminals disappeared for good.

After all, while there should be enough criminals for every trainee to finish the task, some might chase them down just to exchange for weapons, causing the criminal numbers to plummet.

If that led to their elimination, it would be an absolute injustice for Yun Ruoxi and Lin Zhen.

***

Days passed without a ripple.

Yun Ruoxi and Lin Zhen trekked through mountains and rivers, exceeding their daily travel targets every day.

At last, five days into Imperial Standard Time, they entered the hundred-kilometer range of the Rhombus Base.

All they had to do was look up, and they could see that colossal rhombic cube quietly hovering above the clouds.

The massive platform extending from its midsection resembled a planetary ring, blotting out the sky.

Yet, for all its immensity, the Rhombus Base somehow didn’t block the sunlight above—it hung there like a mirage, giving off an unreal sense of illusion.

“That’s breathtaking. This is why I love sci-fi—because human imagination is the most romantic thing of all!”

“It really looks like those Draconic UAPs I saw online!”

“Wasn’t there a sighting like this in Zhejiang before?”

“Those were already proven fake, come on.”

“Speaking of UAPs, does anyone have info on the Xiaoshan Airport Incident?”

Having come all this way without encountering a single criminal, Yun Ruoxi and Lin Zhen were now on high alert, not letting a single clue escape them.

That morning.

As they walked, Yun Ruoxi suddenly stopped in her tracks, her gaze locked onto a cluster of withered plants not far away.

“What is it?” Lin Zhen turned to ask.

“There.” Yun Ruoxi pointed at the withered plants. “I smell something burnt.”

“Come on, let’s check it out.”

Lin Zhen didn’t doubt her for a moment and strode over.

He’d already witnessed Yun Ruoxi’s extraordinary five senses in action over the past few days.

He didn’t smell anything, but if Yun Ruoxi said it, then there was probably something.

He crouched down and used his right hand to part the withered plants. Sure enough, there were unusual traces beneath.

Charred earth, the remains of carbonized plants, and discarded food wrappers.

Lin Zhen’s eyes lit up.

Trainees in the forest would never make a fire, as they weren’t allowed to cook food.

So the only ones who could have left these traces were criminals.

“These are traces of the criminals.”

He picked up a bit of residue and crumbled it between his fingers, then abruptly turned to Yun Ruoxi.

“There’s still warmth left. It was made in the last few hours.”

Yun Ruoxi’s lips curled in a faint smile. “Finally found them.”

This was the closest they’d come to their target in five days—they dared not let this group escape.

Otherwise, who knew when they’d find another?

These criminals had arrived in the forest long before they did and had survived thanks to their extreme concealment and counter-tracking skills, hiding deeper than anyone else.

Yun Ruoxi circled the traces of the fire, searching for clues about the direction the group had left.

After about a quarter of an hour, she led Lin Zhen in pursuit.

Along the way, she stopped and started, following the criminals’ traces, ensuring they didn’t stray from the trail.

And the farther they went, the fresher the tracks became. She stopped less and less each time.

At last.

Parting a patch of low shrubs, a string of fresh, shallow footprints came into Yun Ruoxi’s view.

She looked up to see several blurred figures moving through the distant woods.

Lin Zhen crouched beside Yun Ruoxi, took out the foam gun, and while aiming asked, “Do we make a move now?”

“No rush.” Yun Ruoxi pressed his gun barrel down and squinted at a spot to the side in the distance. “Look over there—we’re not the first ones on their trail. Other trainees are watching them too!”

“If we act now, they’ll just reap the benefits while we do the work!”