Chapter 144 Great Fire, Fourth Rank
Shen Yan smirked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice: "About half a year ago, not long after I arrived at the Northwest Base, I displayed a third-tier metal-type ability. People from the research institute came to me, wanting me to undergo regular checkups and 'data collection' under the guise of 'cooperating with research and providing better cultivation resources.' I refused."
"I encountered two more 'accidents' during missions. One was when I ran into a group of fourth-tier mutated beasts that shouldn't have been in that area, and the other was when I was ambushed by a team of unidentified superhumans. I managed to escape both times. But the others who went with me didn't make it back."
He paused. "I started investigating. I discovered that behind each of those 'accidents' were people from outside the research institute. What they wanted might not be just data. My special ability is 'metal structure sensing and reconstruction,' not just simple manipulation of metal. They might have been eyeing that."
"Is the wind-patterned stone very important to you?" Ruan Ning asked.
“Yes.” Shen Yan nodded. “My superpower has reached a bottleneck, and I need high-purity metals or minerals containing special rules of energy to stimulate a breakthrough. Wind-patterned stones contain natural wind-elemental energy patterns, which are helpful for my understanding of my superpower. The nest guarded by those golden eagles is the closest and best-quality one I can find.”
"You mean the things the research institute is looking for are related to mental mutations and special life forms?"
“Yes.” Shen Yan’s eyes were serious. “They are particularly interested in ‘living samples’ and ‘energy cores’. I overheard a snippet of their internal communications once, in which they mentioned words like ‘carrier’, ‘resonance’, and ‘primordial compatibility’. They also mentioned a place name, ‘Qinglin Town’.”
Ruan Ning was startled, but remained expressionless.
Shen Yan looked at her: "Have you ever been to Qinglin Town? Or have you ever encountered a similar place?"
Instead of answering directly, Ruan Ning asked, "What else do you know?"
Shen Yan could tell she didn't want to say more, so he didn't press her for details and continued, "The research institute has a deep cooperation with Zhao Chengkun of the 'Business Alliance'. Zhao Chengkun helps the research institute collect 'special samples' and supplies, while the research institute provides Zhao Chengkun with some... weapons and medicines that are beyond the ordinary level, helping him consolidate his power and suppress his opponents. The recent conflict between the 'Business Alliance' and the 'Hunter Alliance' in the warehouse area is partly due to the influence of a new batch of weapons provided by the research institute."
“Zhao Chengkun also helped the research institute deal with some ‘inconvenient’ things, such as making some people ‘disappear’. Occasionally, lone travelers or small teams would disappear silently from the base, leaving no trace. I suspect it’s related to the research institute’s ‘source tracing’ team.”
"You want revenge?" Ruan Ning asked.
A cold glint flashed in Shen Yan's eyes: "Blood for blood. But I alone am not strong enough. I need to become stronger, and I also need allies." He looked at Ruan Ning, "You might be the right person. Of course, that is, provided you are willing, and we have a common enemy."
Ruan Ning was silent for a moment: "You should recover from your injuries first. Only when you're alive can we talk about other things."
Shen Yan nodded, said no more, and closed his eyes to rest.
The next morning, the golden light in the corner suddenly disappeared.
The fiery creature opened its eyes, its golden pupils even deeper and brighter than before, with faint flames swirling within them. It stood up, its body seemingly larger than before, its fur even more lustrous, and its aura had clearly reached the fourth rank!
It walked over to Ruan Ning, nuzzled her affectionately, and made cheerful purring sounds. Its previous wounds had completely healed.
Ruan Ning patted its head: "Congratulations."
The fire has been extinguished. Although Shen Yan is still unable to engage in strenuous activities, he can now walk.
Ruan Ning decided to return to the base immediately, and the two of them and the dog (Shen Yan had been carried by the fire for a while) quickly left the area.
Because of the overwhelming aura of the fourth-tier Great Fire, they encountered almost no significant obstacles on their return journey. They reached the edge of the forest faster than expected.
Near the highway, Ruan Ning found a secluded spot and took out an off-road vehicle from his spatial storage.
Shen Yan's eyes flickered slightly when he saw the car appear out of nowhere, but he didn't ask anything.
It was already evening when we drove back to the outer city entrance of the Northwest Base.
At the checkpoint, Ruan Ning showed her ID card. During the inspection, the guard glanced at Da Huo, whose aura was noticeably different, and then at Shen Yan, who was seriously injured.
"What are the injuries on this person?" the guard asked.
“He was injured by a mutated beast; you can examine him,” Ruan Ning replied.
The guard routinely scanned Shen Yan, confirmed there were no signs of infection, and then let him pass.
Upon entering the base, Ruan Ning first drove Shen Yan to a relatively secluded but clean private clinic in the outer city, following directions given by Shen Yan himself. The doctor at the clinic seemed to recognize Shen Yan, and without asking any questions, immediately arranged for treatment.
“I will stay here to recover. I will come to see you again when I am healed,” Shen Yan said to Ruan Ning.
Ruan Ning nodded, then left the clinic with the fire.
She didn't immediately return to her rented apartment building, but instead went to the prefab housing area where Sun Hong and the others used to live. Zhou Min and Lin Yan had already been there, leaving points and food, and the remaining women were in relatively stable condition. They were all very happy to see Ruan Ning and Da Huo return.
After dealing with all this, Ruan Ning returned to her rented apartment in District 5, carrying the large fire with her.
Zhou Min and Lin Yan have returned and are cooking. They both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Ruan Ning and Da Huo return safely.
“The mission is completed, and the points have been earned. Sun Hong has also been settled.” Zhou Min reported briefly, “The base has been relatively calm these past two days, but the conflict between the ‘Merchant Alliance’ and the ‘Hunter Alliance’ seems to have escalated, with several people killed. The patrol teams have increased their patrols in the outer city.”
Lin Yan looked at the raging fire: "It's a success?"
“It’s reached the fourth tier,” Ruan Ning said.
Zhou Min and Lin Yan both showed joy. The team's strength had increased again.
"Where is Shen Yan?" Lin Yan asked.
“It’s been delivered to the clinic.” Ruan Ning sat down and briefly recounted the information Shen Yan had revealed about the research institute, Zhao Chengkun, and the “tracing the source” team.
Zhou Min and Lin Yan's expressions both turned serious.
"The research institute's ambitions are even greater than we imagined," Lin Yan said.
"Is Shen Yan a trustworthy person?" Zhou Min asked.
“Cooperation is possible for the time being, but we need to observe,” Ruan Ning said. “The information he provides matches what we already have. The enemy of my enemy, at least we can share intelligence.”
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