Chapter 176: Chapter 156: Wei Yue’s Request (Part 2)

Give weapons to this group of survivors?

Out of the question. Ding Yang was terrified of an armed uprising.

Lin Qi offered Ding Yang no advice, only sympathizing with his current situation.

"Director Ding, we don’t have time for small talk. The situation in Shuining City is urgent, and I need to set out as soon as possible."

Lin Qi glanced toward the locomotive. The two Warriors assigned to operate it were already inside, ready to go.

Although Lin Qi didn’t need Hongshan Camp to send troops, he still needed drivers for the locomotive.

Ding Yang nodded, then looked at Lin Qi and Wei Yue with extreme concern in his eyes.

"Lin Qi, is it just the two of you? Isn’t that a bit too risky?"

Ding Yang had initially thought Lin Qi would be leading the Awakened squad from Mo University Camp. He hadn’t expected him to go with just one other person.

Lin Qi shook his head. "Bringing just her is enough. If the two of us can’t solve the problem in Shuining City, then bringing more people would be useless anyway."

"By the way, there’s one more thing I need to confirm with you, Director Ding. Please, I must ask you to tell me the truth."

Lin Qi’s tone was extremely solemn; this matter couldn’t be taken lightly.

Ding Yang quickly replied, "Please, Lin Qi, go ahead." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Lin Qi said, "I hope that while I’m operating in Shuining City, Headquarters won’t rashly send a plane or a squad to drop a nuke."

"If I encounter danger, my first priority will be self-preservation, not getting into unnecessary conflicts."

"And with the weapons arsenal of this M-Class Mecha of mine, I have more than enough anti-air capabilities."

Lin Qi was being blunt. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Wu Peihe.

He also made a point to specify his Mecha’s weapon configuration.

Although on the surface, it might not seem capable of shooting down an aircraft.

But in the current apocalyptic environment, for a fighter jet to be effective without losing its bearings, it must conduct low-altitude patrols.

The Six-barreled Electromagnetic Cannon, combined with the collection robot’s intelligent algorithms and Lin Qi’s Wizard Ability, Momentum Manipulation, could easily shoot down a plane without even using much ammunition.

Hearing this, Ding Yang quickly gave his assurance. "I’ve already dispatched someone to Headquarters to brief them on the situation in Shuining City and your mission, Lin Qi. What happened last time absolutely will not happen again!"

With Wu Peihe’s testimony, the official Dragon Country Headquarters now regarded Lin Qi with a whole new level of importance.

Even if the situation spiraled out of control to the point where a nuclear option was necessary...

...Headquarters would definitely dispatch a Tier Three Extraordinary to first ensure Lin Qi’s safety before using a nuclear strike to clean things up.

Such was the shock of Lin Qi’s technological prowess on the Dragon Country’s official Headquarters.

In the perception of the Dragon Country’s leadership, the apocalypse would eventually pass, and technology would remain the most important productive force.

To deny modern technology just because of the appearance of the Extraordinary?

Only a fool would make such a decision.

Although Lin Qi didn’t 100% believe Ding Yang’s assurance, it was better than nothing.

"With your assurance, Director Ding, I can rest easy for now. We’ll be heading out. Just wait here for my good news."

Lin Qi led Wei Yue back into the Mecha, choosing not to ride in the locomotive.

This was because Lin Qi was worried about unexpected dangers, which could put Wei Yue, his "knowledge base" of the Extraordinary Side, at risk.

The locomotive slowly started to move.

On the platform, Ding Yang and the other high-ranking members of Hongshan Camp all saluted.

In their eyes, the risks Lin Qi was taking were completely disproportionate to any potential gain. He was a hero going against the tide in this time of crisis, a person worthy of respect.

The locomotive, pulling the Mecha, slowly receded into the distance.

Inside the Mecha, Lin Qi watched the scenery change and estimated the locomotive’s speed.

It wasn’t fast, only about forty kilometers per hour.

This wasn’t the locomotive’s top speed, but it was likely the limit for rail transport in the apocalypse.

This railway network connected the entirety of the Dragon Country in the current apocalypse. Whenever a major incident occurred, information had to be relayed via the rails.

Because of this, no one knew how many other locomotives were currently running on the same line.

Forty kilometers per hour was the maximum speed for visual piloting that allowed for human reaction time, ensuring the train could be stopped in time in case of danger.

’By this estimate, it’ll still take a full five hours to reach Shuining City.’

’Counting the twelve hours of Meditation today, plus the two hours spent preparing and traveling to Hongshan Camp, I’ll only have five hours to act once I reach Shuining City.’

’It’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to resolve the crisis in Shuining City before the Door’s cooldown is finished.’

Closing his eyes, Lin Qi prepared to force himself into Meditation for a while.

The efficiency wouldn’t be optimal, and it would cause physical discomfort, but compared to the drawbacks, the benefits were just barely acceptable.

’It’s better than wasting five hours doing nothing.’

Just as he was about to begin his Meditation, Wei Yue, sitting beside him, suddenly spoke. "Are you going to Shuining City this time to stop the birth of the Blood Moon Envoy there?"

In Wei Yue’s perception, it seemed Lin Qi didn’t want any new Blood Moon Envoys to be created.

Just like how he had stopped her actions in Beining District.

Lin Qi replied, "No. I just need enough Tier Three Extraordinary Items. As for the Blood Moon Envoy? If it doesn’t interfere with me obtaining those items, I wouldn’t mind learning a thing or two about them."

What Lin Qi said wasn’t false. Collecting Tier Three Extraordinary Items and obtaining the first-class merit promised by Ding Yang were the main objectives of his trip.

Beyond that, if he could gain a deeper understanding of the connection between the Blood Moon Envoy and the Wizard Profession, that would be even better.

But if he had to choose between the two, Lin Qi would never waste the opportunity for the former just because he wanted to learn about the latter.

"I see."

Wei Yue nodded, carefully recalling Lin Qi’s previous actions.

It seemed Lin Qi truly hadn’t been intentionally stopping her from becoming a Blood Moon Envoy. His goal from the very beginning had been to kill that Tier Three Aggregated Monster and obtain the Tier Three Crystal Stone.

Having figured this out, a sliver of hope grew in Wei Yue. She asked Lin Qi, "If the ’trait’ to become a Blood Moon Envoy appears in Shuining City, could you stop that city’s original Moon Worshiper and give the opportunity to me?"

Wei Yue knew her request was rather audacious.

It was tantamount to asking Lin Qi to help her get rid of the Moon Worshiper who was supposed to be his counterpart, and then give her an internal recommendation to become his new colleague.

Hearing Wei Yue’s question, Lin Qi didn’t respond. Instead, he began to think.

’Even though Wei Yue can’t disobey my orders because of my status as a Wizard, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her own thoughts. She’s still a living, breathing person... just one who happens to be a traitor to humanity.’

He had a clearer understanding of Wei Yue’s current state.

Lin Qi continued to ponder more deeply.

’Let Wei Yue become a Blood Moon Envoy?’

’Seems like a bit of a loss.’

Lin Qi couldn’t be sure if Wei Yue would maintain her current state of absolute obedience to him due to his Wizard status after she became a Blood Moon Envoy.

This would cause him to lose a valuable Extraordinary knowledge base.

But if the Moon Worshiper in Shuining City became a Blood Moon Envoy, that would be a different story.

Lin Qi could test the waters and see what the relationship between a Blood Moon Envoy and a Wizard truly was.

If they were hostile, Lin Qi could kill the new Envoy without any loss to himself; Wei Yue would still be his useful Extraordinary knowledge base.

Thinking purely from a cost-benefit perspective, it was clear that Wei Yue was not a suitable candidate to become a Blood Moon Envoy.

As for personal feelings...

Lin Qi felt that he and Wei Yue weren’t that close anyway.

The reason he subconsciously planned to experiment on the Shuining City Moon Worshiper was simply because of his preconceptions; Lin Qi couldn’t be bothered to switch to a different Moon Worshiper to use as his Extraordinary knowledge base.

’Of course, if possible, having one more Extraordinary knowledge base would be a good thing.’

’After all, the whispers that the Moon Worshiper profession hears aren’t stable. Who knows if the Extraordinary knowledge possessed by two different Moon Worshipers might be complementary.’

"We’ll discuss it after we get to Shuining City and assess the situation."

After giving Wei Yue his reply, Lin Qi closed his eyes again and continued his uncomfortable Meditation.