The next day, Zhong Yun hired a transport vehicle to move all the necessary equipment to the outskirts of the city. The largest item was the mountain transport mecha.

Although the Kingdom of Mins was not as strict as Davo regarding private mecha ownership, operating one within the city limits was strictly forbidden. Violators would be charged with endangering public safety.

Thus, Zhong Yun could only pilot the mecha once he left the city boundaries.

Even though millennia had passed and the entire topography had changed drastically, the coordinates of the vault should not deviate much from their original location. The vault, originally, was situated within the mountain forests west of Poli City.

The transport vehicle stopped at the foot of West Mountain. After unloading everything, Zhong Yun piloted the transport mecha and plunged straight into the forest.

Behind West Mountain stretched endless ranges, and deep within those ranges lay unexplored, primeval forests.

Zhong Yun sat in the cockpit of the transport mecha, which resembled a colossal spider with five long legs, ascending the mountain and formally entering the forest.

This mecha possessed five legs, nearly seven meters tall, each splitting into three prongs at the base, like an animal's claws, capable of gripping deeply into soil and hard rock.

It boasted superb balance, allowing it to move freely through complex mountainous terrain, a transport mecha specifically designed for intricate topography. Following Zhong Yun's modifications, it also gained flight capabilities, though he chose not to activate them yet to avoid attracting undue attention.

"Anything stirring?" After walking for about four hours, Zhong Yun had penetrated over a hundred kilometers into the mountain range. He munched on high-compression food flavored like roast meat, chasing it with a yogurt-flavored nutrient paste. Half-reclining in his seat, he looked up as the panoramic simulation screen flickered to life. After restarting, his voice remained unchanged.

"This wretched place is truly vast," Zhong Yun muttered.

According to Xiao Ling, the vault was buried nearly twenty thousand meters deep, at the interface between the Earth's crust and mantle. Ordinary measurement techniques struggled to pinpoint its exact location. Even the specialized detector designed by Xiao Ling had difficulty distinguishing a metal-enclosed vault through twenty thousand meters of rock strata.

It would only react if the detector was within one hundred meters directly above the vault. This meant Zhong Yun had to sweep every potential square inch of the area.

The potential zone mapped out by Xiao Ling spanned nearly fifty thousand square kilometers. How much time would this require?

No matter the time spent, it had to be completed. Zhong Yun gritted his teeth. For Yu Daoqing, he absolutely had to find the vault.

The following days were monotonous. Apart from monitoring the detector, he occupied himself with assignments his mentor had given him.

Day after day passed, and the detector remained silent. This was an arduous test of patience, but Zhong Yun remained composed.

As the vacation neared its end, Zhong Yun had found nothing. He had already ventured deep into the interior of the primeval forest. He had covered the entire area demarcated by Xiao Ling. Just as he was preparing to give up and leave, he unexpectedly detected a group of people.

Seeing a team of over thirty individuals appear on the detector, Zhong Yun felt a surge of curiosity. Who would venture into this uninhabited, primeval forest?

Hunters? Sightseers? Explorers? Or perhaps, like him?

Zhong Yun decided to follow them discreetly to ascertain their identities and purpose for being there.

The group was nearly ten kilometers away. Getting closer with the sheer size of the transport mecha would make remaining unseen nearly impossible.

Zhong Yun concealed the transport mecha beneath a giant tree, taking only his weapons and the detector, and stealthily followed them wearing his environmental suit. This suit was high-grade equipment pilfered from the state treasury of the Hongxian Federation; it offered outstanding protection and incorporated anti-detection capabilities.

Fortune favors the bold, and Zhong Yun possessed a physical combat level of the nineteenth grade, having passed the ninth level of "Combat Simulation Training" in martial arts, augmented by excellent marksmanship honed through rigorous practice.

He was equipped with a high-grade environmental suit, a high-performance miniature particle rifle, a close-quarters ion-vibration blade capable of delivering over one hundred thousand units of energy, two four-star mechas stored in his mecha key, and one "Lone Goose" unit of unknown rank. With such luxurious gear, he was confident in his ability to ensure self-preservation under any circumstances.

Zhong Yun crept forward silently, trailing them fifty meters behind. These people were fully armed, but they didn't appear to be hunting, nor did they look like tourists.

Their secretive movements suggested they were executing some clandestine operation. Their coordination was tight, clearly escorting the three individuals in the center.

Zhong Yun grew even more curious, his mind racing through possibilities: Mercenaries? Terrorists? Spies from another nation?

After following for over an hour, the group continued pressing onward. Zhong Yun decided to withdraw; regardless of who these people served, it had nothing to do with him.

At that precise moment, his detector reacted. Zhong Yun's heart skipped a beat. He focused on the display, but nothing showed.

A pang of anxiety struck him. Had he imagined it? Impossible; he had clearly seen a signal.

Just then, the detector displayed another spike, flickering briefly before vanishing again.

Zhong Yun was inwardly ecstatic. He had truly found what he was looking for without effort—beating the iron shoes searching everywhere, only to find it without trying. He momentarily felt grateful to this mysterious team; had he not followed them on a whim, he would have missed the vault entirely, wasting untold amounts of time.

Composing himself, he knew this was not the time for celebration. He needed to locate the vault first. Following the position indicated on the detector, the white dot pulsed intensely.

After walking a short distance, Zhong Yun sensed something was wrong; that escort team seemed to be heading toward the vault's location as well. A vague sense of foreboding washed over him.

Finally, the white dot on the detector stopped flickering and fixed itself to a single location. Zhong Yun quickened his pace.

Walking another twenty meters, his vision suddenly brightened. The trees ahead vanished, replaced by a wide, open clearing encircled by a tall metal wall.

Along the wall, something resembling an antenna stood erect approximately every ten meters. A sphere capped the top—an alarm sensor designed to sound off if any biological entity approached.

The wall was very high; only the tops of some structures were visible, suggesting the interior had been converted into a base. Who would establish such a base deep within this primeval forest?

Zhong Yun's face turned ashen. Anyone who tirelessly sought something precious only to find it already occupied by another would wear this exact expression.

"Damn it, they dared to snatch my prize," Zhong Yun growled through clenched teeth. "Whoever you are, you will disgorge everything you took from the vault."

After casting a cold glance at the imposing wall, Zhong Yun turned and left without hesitation.

The vault was, in fact, a spacecraft, one far more advanced than the Mars. The sole entry point to this ship was located inside the perimeter wall.

Digging a twenty-thousand-meter shaft was not the difficult part; the challenge lay in penetrating the ship itself.

Over the next few days, Zhong Yun moved his supplies closer and kept the base under constant surveillance. The base's defenses were extremely tight. Five aerial drones patrolled the skies around the clock, monitoring anything that approached from above.

Zhong Yun had once attempted infiltration wearing his invisibility cloak. The area inside the perimeter wall consisted of a nearly thirty-meter-wide open space riddled with tripwires connected to explosive charges, guarded day and night by dozens of personnel.

At the center of the base stood a massive structure built entirely of gold. Access was controlled by a single gate, which required passing through a corridor filled with various scanning rays.

Furthermore, every time the entrance door to the passage opened, it emitted a piercing screech, and the corridor lights flared up, illuminating the entire area as brightly as daylight.

Moreover, only one person could pass through the entry door each time it opened; if more than one person approached, they had to enter in separate batches.

Observing these stringent security measures, Zhong Yun frowned. Even with his invisibility cloak, sneaking past that gate undetected would be extremely difficult.

Not to mention the unknown number of traps awaiting him inside.

After days of observation, Zhong Yun could find no flaw, which vexed him. Did he have no choice but to resort to brute force?

After consulting with Xiao Ling, Zhong Yun decided to temporarily retreat. Most of the tools he brought were for detection. He hadn't anticipated the vault had already been discovered. Under these circumstances, those tools were useless. He needed to return and prepare a new set of appropriate equipment.

Packing up his gear and taking care to erase any trace of his presence, he was just about to leave when, by sheer coincidence, a group also emerged from the base.

Zhong Yun gave a sinister smile. "Time to collect some interest first. I want to see who the true owner of this base is."

A total of thirteen people left the base, twelve of whom were escorts protecting the central figure. They remained completely unaware that a harbinger of death was trailing them.

Seven days later, around noon, the group of thirteen stopped to rest, drink some water, consume high-energy rations, and then resume their journey after a half-hour break.

To safeguard the base's secret from rival factions, the family had invested heavily. Not only did they establish a large factory in the forest to serve as a decoy, but they also mandated that everyone entering or leaving the base must travel exclusively on foot. Every individual was required to wear anti-tracking devices to prevent surveillance.

This requirement posed little issue for the highly trained guards, but the researchers with poorer stamina struggled immensely. While the environmental suits offered protection from insects, the physical walking was genuine. Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand how arduous the terrain in a primeval forest truly was.

The journey from the base to the factory took a month, and they were required to take different routes each time. This presented a massive challenge for the research personnel.

Inside their protective suits, the protected individuals were also panting heavily. This type of work was truly grueling. However, this assignment was not available to just anyone. This base was the family's highest core secret; gaining access meant one had become a core member of that family.

Having spent half a year inside the base, the man hadn't tasted meat once. The thought of the vibrant, youthful mistress waiting for him at home sent a sudden surge of heat through him. Upon returning, he vowed to exhaust that little enchantress.

As his mind filled with such fantasies, disaster struck without warning. Two guards instantly collapsed stiffly beside him without uttering a sound, startling him profoundly. He reacted quickly, rolling to the ground and seeking cover behind a small mound of earth, shouting loudly:

"What happened?"

"Ambush—" Despite the suddenness of the attack, the guards displayed excellent military discipline, immediately scattering to find cover.

During this maneuver, three more people fell.

"It's a particle rifle—" one man screamed, but before he finished speaking, a faint white beam, barely visible in the sunlight, pierced the giant tree in front of him, passing straight through his head.

Against a high-energy particle rifle, such cover was virtually meaningless.

The twelve escorts were picked off one by one. By the time they all lay dead, the enemy's presence remained unseen.

The protected man, huddled behind the mound, heard all noise cease. The world fell into a terrifying silence, devoid even of bird song or insect chirps. Fear crept over him, and his entire body shook violently.

A shadow fell over him. The man flinched, his trembling worsening. "Don't kill me, don't kill me..."

Zhong Yun looked down at the figure prostrate at his feet, a flicker of disgust crossing his face. He kicked the helmet off, revealing a balding head.

"Look up."

The icy tone almost sent the elder, already consumed by terror, spiraling into an abyss. He seemed to snap back to awareness. "Don't kill me, I'll give you money... I have lots of money... Yes, yes, I'll give you money..."

"I don't want your money," the voice remained cold. "If you want to live, answer my questions obediently."

The old man seemed struck by lightning, his entire body rigid. He raised his head, his face contorted by fear. "You... you dream on! I... I will never betray the family..."

With that, he lunged toward the figure, only to be sent flying several meters back by a swift kick. He shrieked, "Kill me then! I won't say a thing..."

Seeing his frantic, almost crazed state, Zhong Yun sighed internally. A man so terrified of death would willingly die to protect his family's interests. Did the concept of 'family' truly hold such overwhelming sway?

He extended one hand, and a faint ball of purple energy materialized, quickly growing to the size of a basketball. He tossed it toward the elder. The purple sphere enveloped the man's head entirely.

Within the soft purple glow, the elder's twisted expression gradually calmed, and his voice softened until he seemed to fall asleep, his body utterly relaxed.

Seeing that he was in the desired state, Zhong Yun moved closer and whispered, "Open your eyes." His voice was ethereal, as if coming from a dream.

The old man’s eyes slowly opened, unfocused and vacant.

"What is your name?" Zhong Yun stared intently at his expression, asking the question. This was his first time employing this type of hypnotic technique, and a degree of tension tightened his chest.

"Ol... Olrick Dong," the elder mumbled dreamily.

A cold glint flashed in Zhong Yun’s eyes: The Dong family!

P: The last few days are here, everyone with monthly tickets, hurry and cast them! (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in to . for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading.)