Zheng Zha looked out at the sun-drenched world, then turned back to Chu Xuan. “Chu Xuan, analyze the current situation for us. Where exactly are we, how do we get to that island of Sonar, and what dangers might we encounter—analyze everything.”
Chu Xuan nodded. “We should be in a coastal city quite close to that island, at least an eighty percent probability. However, we don't actually know the island’s precise location. So, our first step is to find a way to locate it. This should be easy to look up online, as the island must be part of this nation. Once we have the coordinates, we can rent a yacht to get there. Still, something feels off to me—where exactly, I haven't pinned down yet, perhaps due to insufficient data. For now, let’s find somewhere we can exchange these gold bricks for US dollars.”
Zheng Zha nodded, then addressed the others. “Alright, let’s make assignments now. Myself, Chu Xuan, and Ba Wang will head out to exchange the gold. The other four will wait here in the warehouse. If an emergency arises, Wang Xia can use the communicator to reach us, or you can use your own judgment.”
Wang Xia nodded. Before he could speak, however, the seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth, Luo Gandao, jumped in first. “Can I go with you? If this is America, can you take me along to see what it’s like? I know you’re probably heading to a nightclub or maybe the black market. It doesn’t matter; I absolutely won't cause trouble. I’ve just always wanted to witness the American underworld.”
Zheng Zha looked at him, suddenly curious. “Aren’t you afraid of the places we’re going? There might be fights or robberies, you know. What happens if we can’t look out for you then? You could be killed for no reason.” Luo Gandao chuckled twice. “I have great confidence in my own judgment. I don’t know about your character, but your strength is formidable. Just looking at these two, they must be military personnel. But compared to them, I feel like your power might be even greater. I don’t know why, but I get that intuition the moment I see you.”
Zheng Zha paused for a moment, then smiled at him, walking toward the warehouse exit with Chu Xuan and the others. As they walked, he asked, “Intuition? Is it a premonition about a powerful individual? Is your intuition ability very strong?” Luo Gandao followed closely behind the three, smiling as he replied, “It’s not about whether my intuition is strong or weak; it’s just instinct. When driving a car or a motorcycle, intuition is often more important than skill. My intuition is sharp; it often helps me beat people whose skills are far superior to mine, simply because of this instinct.”
Zheng Zha’s mind stirred, and he quickly asked, “Can you drive many types of mechanical vehicles? Which ones? And can you operate flying mechanical units?” Luo Gandao’s face reddened slightly, and he laughed sheepishly. “I’m just a poor student; how could I possibly drive many types of mechanical vehicles? Everything I know, I learned in the arcades. I can handle motorcycles, sports cars, race cars, and helicopters should be fine too, but anything else, I wouldn’t know how to use…” Zheng Zha sighed. “It’s alright. When we get back to the ‘Main God’ space, you can practice real-life driving skills extensively in the basement. I’m not very knowledgeable about this area either. Chu Xuan, Ba Wang, are either of you familiar with driving?” Ba Wang boomed carelessly, “I’m just a heavy weapons specialist. Do you think a weapons man should be overly familiar with driving machinery? I’m completely clueless about that stuff.”
Zheng Zha muttered, “It’s fine if you don’t know, but stop putting on that smug look like you’re the only one who doesn’t understand. What about Chu Xuan? Any thoughts on machinery?” Chu Xuan was currently deep in thought. When Zheng Zha asked, he nodded. “I have no other thoughts on the immediate matters, but if he truly has a strong intuition regarding piloting, then I think there is a high-tech enhancement very suited for him. It’s expensive, perhaps, but if he progresses step by step, he could become a powerhouse among us, comparable to you. Based on current projections, there’s about a seventy percent chance of that happening.”
“Oh?” Both Zheng Zha and Ba Wang looked at Chu Xuan with surprise. After making such a statement, the man retained his usual cold and detached expression, as if he hadn't been the one speaking. The youth, Luo Gandao, suddenly became excited. He pointed at himself and asked, “Really? I can become a powerhouse like you too? What is it? Are you going to make me pilot a tank or a helicopter? Hahahaha, if it’s something like that, that would be fantastic!”
Chu Xuan said coolly, “Impossible. At least, we can’t bring a helicopter or a tank directly into a horror movie world. The beam of light the ‘Main God’ projects downwards is quite small—unless you only bring in the pilot’s seat… I reviewed some enhancement data last time. There’s a C-grade side mission exchange item: Combat Micro-Robot. It looks like a chibi, bipedal little bear, equipped with various facilities for a pilot inside. It’s about 1.8 to 1.9 meters tall, meaning you could basically sit inside it and enter a horror world. For B-grade, there’s the Tri-Formed Fortress Mecha exchange, and A-grade even offers the Gundam Prototype exchange. I think…” Luo Gandao had already burst out in delighted shouting, “No way! That ‘Main God’ space actually has Gundam exchanges? Are you kidding me? Do you know the power of a Gundam? If we could really fight riding a Gundam, every horror movie would be completely…” Chu Xuan cut in directly. “First, the energy issue. These exchange units are not infinitely powered robots. Once the energy is depleted, and you haven't returned to the ‘Main God’ space, that so-called Gundam is just a piece of scrap metal. Second, the weaponry. The robot itself only possesses melee strength. But close combat is too dangerous in many worlds, like the Star Wars movie universe. And some horror movies offer zero defense against external threats, like The Grudge or Final Destination. These are scenarios where even a Gundam wouldn’t save you. Do you still think a Gundam is invincible in horror movies after hearing that?” Hearing this, Zheng Zha nodded repeatedly. “This is exactly what we concluded in our discussion the other day: use high-tech weapons to survive the early and middle stages of a horror movie, and rely on personal enhancement and skill upgrades later on. Relying solely on robots or other high technology in the late stages, or against other reincarnation teams, could instantly cost you your life. For example, Zhan Lan, with her stronger mental power, could certainly control a pilot with weaker mental strength, couldn't she? It’s the same principle as the evolved Alien I encountered before; their physical strength was so great they could have easily torn me apart, but their mental fortitude was extremely weak, allowing Zhan Lan to control them easily. That’s how I managed to escape the horror movie Alien 4. Your Gundam gives me the same feeling.”
Luo Gandao nodded silently, but he still said excitedly, “Regardless, piloting a robot has always been my dream. I hope one day I can fight while piloting a mech, hah hah. Don’t laugh at me; everyone has dreams, right? And this is mine. No matter what, even if it’s piloting the worst Combat Micro-Robot, I want to pilot those things, even if it means death.”
The others fell silent. The remaining three clearly had some emerging hope for the young man. Although piloting a robot into a horror movie sounded incredible, considering the exorbitant exchange value of those machines brought them a measure of psychological balance. In any case, the three held out some hope for the young man’s future development.
At that moment, the group walked from the flat ground onto the outside street. It was immediately obvious that looking west from their position, a modern city lay just beyond a bridge. The group was standing on the riverbank opposite this city, and their current location was clearly much more secluded.
Zheng Zha glanced at the distance to the bridge and sighed. “Alright then, let’s move faster. We need to reach the city on the other side of the river as quickly as possible. Damn it, we have gold but no cash…” The others were equally frustrated, so the three of them began jogging forward. Unfortunately, while Luo Gandao might have a natural talent for driving, his physical conditioning was poor. After jogging for only a few minutes, he was already starting to wheeze. Zheng Zha and the other two were helpless, but Ba Wang began looking around excitedly. When he spotted a sedan approaching their way, he happily made a motion as if to collide with it. The car indeed braked hard and stopped. A large, bald, white man immediately rushed out, ready to yell an angry reprimand, but when he saw Ba Wang’s physique, the bald man immediately lost his voice, freezing in place while staring at Ba Wang.
“Brother, want to earn some money? Give us a ride to the other side of the river, and we’ll pay you with yellow gold.”
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