While Stronghold 144 was in a state of jubilation, the gigantic lizard, Midnight, was crawling at an extremely fast speed in the Gobi Desert that led from the Sorcerer Nation to the Middle East.
The seemingly desolate Gobi Desert actually had an extremely rich ecosystem and rich species.
For example, wild horses, wild donkeys, ibex, argali, rock sheep, lizards, stone chickens, wolves, lynxes, foxes, and a large number of rodents.
Many people thought that there would not be a single animal for dozens of kilometers in the Gobi Desert. But in fact, the density of these creatures was much higher than they thought.
These creatures had been living peacefully in the Gobi Desert. However, the arrival of Midnight was like a sandstorm that scared these creatures that were hiding in the dark and made them scurry in all directions.
It was like animals were taking refuge before an earthquake.
When Midnight crawled across the Gobi Desert, the dust kicked up by its gigantic paws was as terrifying as a sandstorm.
But what was even more terrifying was that when a wild donkey was frightened by it and tried to run away, Midnight easily caught up to it. Then it stuck out its tongue and licked it.
On Midnight's back, Luo Lan, Zhou Qi, Ren Xiaosu, and Yang Xiaojin were dumbfounded as they watched this scene.
Luo Lan gulped and said, "I've only seen lizards lick mosquitoes before, but this is the first fucking time I've seen one lick a donkey."
Zhou Qi muttered, "It's my first time seeing it too."
It had to be said that this scene was too shocking.
Luo Lan could not help but recall how desperate the Berkeley family had been when they faced such a terrifying creature.
Be it its aggressiveness or size, a creature like Midnight was enough to shock anyone who saw it.
However, the focus of Ren Xiaosu's observation was more practical.
When Midnight licked the donkey just now, even Ren Xiaosu's dynamic vision could not capture the trajectory of its tongue. In other words, Midnight's attack had exceeded Ren Xiaosu's reaction range.
If Ren Xiaosu were to face Ling Chen, regardless of how tyrannical Old Xu's physical fitness was or what other trump cards Ren Xiaosu had, once such a thing got close to him, only death would await him.
Ling Chen only needed to roll Ren Xiaosu on her tongue, and that strong tongue would immediately squeeze Ren Xiaosu until all the blood vessels in his body burst.
This kind of thing could only be dealt with by heat-seeking missiles. Ren Xiaosu suspected that even a heavy machine gun might not be able to penetrate Ling Chen's skin in an instant.
Of course, hitting a fixed area could penetrate the skin, but the problem was that this thing wouldn't just stand there and let you hit it.
Ling Chen was still crawling quickly. From time to time, he would lick a goat or a donkey to replenish his energy.
Putting everything else aside, the lizard's movement was as smooth as flowing water. The four of them did not feel the slightest jolt when they sat on its back.
Luo Lan lamented, "I thought to myself that I was already very strong after training, but now it seems that I'm still lacking."
At the end of the day, the most useful aspect of Luo Lan's ability was that it could "pseudo-resurrect" someone. No matter how powerful Luo Lan was, there was a limit to how much he could buff the heroic spirits.
For example, if the heroic spirits' physical fitness was 3 when they were alive, Luo Lan would probably be able to buff the heroic spirits up to 4 after constant training as the person who cast the spell.
Therefore, if the heroic spirits did not have an advantage in numbers, it would not be very meaningful. Firearms could make up for some of the shortcomings, but there would always come a time when the ammunition would run out.
Ren Xiaosu suddenly asked, "You rejected the invitation to visit the Northwest. What exactly made you so eager to return to the Kyung Clan?"
Luo Lan replied, "There's no need to hide this from you. Before I went to the Sorcerer Nation, the Wang Clan had already sent an invitation to the Kyung Clan. They want my younger brother, Qing Zhen, to make a trip to the Central Plains."
"To the Central Plains? Why? "Ren Xiaosu was stunned for a moment.
"It should be because Wang Shengzhi wants to have a chat with my younger brother." Luo Lan said casually, "Maybe he wants to join forces with the Kyung Clan to besiege the Northwest? To be honest, if the Kyung Clan and the Wang Clan really join forces, the Northwest will definitely not be a match for them. However, who can accurately guess Wang Shengzhi's thoughts? He's an idealistic lunatic. If you're not as crazy as him, you won't be able to guess what he's trying to do. "
"And then?" Ren Xiaosu frowned and said, "Has Qing Zhen decided to go or not?"
"Of course not." Luo Lan said, "Who would dare go to the Central Plains at such a critical juncture? What if they don't let you come back? Although everyone says that Wang Shengzhi is the last gentleman in this era of the wastelands when it comes to personal morality, just look at what he's done. He can be said to be cold-blooded and ruthless. It's like he's willing to sacrifice anything for his ideals. Against such an opponent, who would dare bet their lives on his morals? "
Ren Xiaosu heaved a sigh of relief. "It's good that he rejected me."
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu suddenly realized he had already encountered quite a few idealists. Wang Shengzhi was one of them, and so was Yang Anjing. Strictly speaking, even P5092 and Jiang Xu were also idealists.
However, everyone's paths had always been different. Wang Shengzhi and Yang Anjing were easily ostracized by others, while Jiang Xu and P5092 were liked by the people around them because the former was always sacrificing others to fulfill his ideals, while the latter would not do so.
But when it came to whether Wang Shengzhi was in the wrong or not, Ren Xiaosu always felt a little conflicted and found it difficult to give a clear answer.
Ren Xiaosu said to Luo Lan, "Then what are your plans after you go back this time?"
"What other plans could I have?" Luo Lan said solemnly, "The Wang Clan invited Qing Zhen over. Although Qing Zhen rejected them, they definitely won't give up. So I'll go back to my brother's side first in case the Wang Clan causes any more trouble. You should also know that Wang Shengzhi is not someone who gives up easily. "
"I still feel that you have something to worry about," Ren Xiaosu said.
"Of course I do." Luo Lan said, "You should know about the Kyung Clan losing all of their nanomachines, right? The 2,000 nanosoldiers who went to Mount Zuoyun to support the war have also gone missing. They're probably being controlled by someone."
"You've mentioned this before." Ren Xiaosu nodded.
"What we're worried about now isn't the nanomachines, but the fact that we don't know how many of our military systems have been infiltrated by that AI." Luo Lan said, "Although we've taken a lot of precautions before this, and Qing Zhen might even have predicted that this day would come, many of our military systems still exist independently, the power of the AI might be even more terrifying than we can imagine."
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. "You're worried that the Kyung Clan's military systems will be controlled by the AI?"
"In theory, yes." Luo Lan said, "Although we've put up physical isolation, Qing Zhen said it's still not safe enough. Actually, I don't know much about these things either, but don't underestimate the AI. "
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu, who had regained all of his memories, recalled a piece of news from before The Cataclysm. There was a plan called "NitroZeus," which involved the participation of thousands of military intelligence personnel. They would then launch cyber attacks on the infrastructure and nuclear facilities of hostile countries.
Ren Xiaosu did not know much about the Internet, but his father, Ren He, did. After all, the Qinghe Group's predecessor was a huge Internet empire.
At that time, Ren Xiaosu asked Ren He, "Nuclear facilities should be physically independent systems, so how can the enemy hack into such an independent network?"
At that time, Ren He's answer was, "There are actually many ways, but the NitroZeus plan is going to use a method called" ferryman. "No matter how sealed off a military base is, it will still require external information or equipment. For example, computers and other equipment can be brought in, or even printers and the like."
The person who brought the equipment into the military base would not know there was something wrong with it, and this person was known as the ferryman.
The equipment would definitely go through a strict inspection before it was brought into the base, but whether or not it could be detected would depend on who had the better means.
As for how to make someone a ferryman, that was another complicated project. At that time, Ren He did not discuss it with Ren Xiaosu.
Ren He only said that there was no such thing as an absolutely safe system in this world.
Then Ren Xiaosu asked Ren He, "Dad, how did you know they were planning to use this method?"
Ren He replied, "Of course I saw it when I hacked into their military system."
Therefore, based on this incident, Luo Lan and the others' worries were not groundless.
In terms of technology, Zero must have far surpassed all the information technology experts in the world. Its computing and learning abilities were incomparable to humans.
If Zero really took control of the Kyung Clan's military system, that would mean the Kyung Clan's military system would collapse completely.
Ren Xiaosu asked, "What do you think the probability of this happening is?"
Luo Lan spread his hands. "50%? 80%? No one knows. The point is, from a human's point of view, it's very difficult to really guess how powerful an AI is. It's just like how you can't guess the level of civilization of an actual alien. "
In Luo Lan's world, he had categorized an AI as an alien.
Ren Xiaosu took a deep breath. "Since we know this is a possibility, we'll have to be more careful."
"Mhm." Luo Lan said, "I will. It's precisely because of this speculation that I need to hurry back to Qing Zhen's side. If there's anything that needs to be done, I'll be able to take over as well."
Ren Xiaosu was taken aback. He realized that Luo Lan had always been the one to handle the most dangerous matters in the Kyung Clan.
It was the same when he went to the Li Consortium to seize the nanomachines' neural connection technology, the same when he went to the Yang Clan as a hostage, and the same when he went to the Central Plains to form alliances.
It seemed like all the dangerous matters were handled by Luo Lan. This seemed a little unfair to Luo Lan.
Luo Lan looked at Ren Xiaosu and suddenly said, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be pushed into the frontlines like an idiot. Just like you and Yan Liuyuan, an older brother has to take the frontlines for his younger brother, right?"
Luo Lan chuckled and said, "Of course, you're much better than me. Although Little Liuyuan has grown into a powerful leader, he still can't compare to you. But I can't do it. I just have to be at ease and serve as a foil to Qing Zhen. As a younger brother, he's much better than an older brother like me. "
For a moment, Ren Xiaosu did not know what to say.
This time, there was another reason why Ren Xiaosu insisted on sending Luo Lan back to the Kyung Clan's territory.
A behemoth like Midnight definitely could not be brought back to the Northwest. Based on its appetite, it would only take a few months for it to finish licking all the sheep in the Northwest, right? More importantly, those sheep were collective property, so they could not be eaten casually.
Before leaving the Warlock Nation, Ren Xiaosu even specifically turned around and instructed Mego, "Don't use your summoning techniques for no reason in the future and eat less of Fortress 178's sheep. Otherwise, I'll make you pay for all the sheep you lose in the future. The next time I come to the Warlock Nation, I'll make you pay me back with interest."
Mego was dumbfounded at that time. When he saw Ren Xiaosu turn around to look for him, he was quite happy.
But who could have expected that the Young Marshal of Fortress 178 would only be thinking about those sheep every day!
Right now, Ren Xiaosu had to send Midnight to a place suitable for it before he could return to Stronghold 144.
If he wanted to see Midnight again in the future, he could just use a summoning technique to summon it to his side. It would not be too troublesome.
Ren Xiaosu thought about it seriously. Midnight and Dusk had lived in the volcanic crater of the Jing Mountains for more than 200 years, but they had never eaten anything in the Jing Mountains.
Therefore, he thought that Midnight and Dusk should be able to maintain their own needs by absorbing heat. There happened to be a suitable place in the Duanduan Mountains in the Southwest, and Zhou Qi had been there before.
The four of them sat on Midnight's back. In just a few hours, they crossed the border and arrived near the Kyung Clan's Stronghold 93.
When they got here, Ren Xiaosu realized Yang Xiaojin had quietened down a lot.
This used to be an area under the control of the Yang Clan, and Yang Xiaojin had been here many times. Now that she was revisiting this place, some of her past memories would inevitably come back to her.
Midnight arrived in front of a factory warehouse and stood there quietly. The garrison troops and workers in the factory nearly peed their pants when they saw this behemoth.
The workers ran in the opposite direction of Midnight. Some of them hid in the workshops, some hid in the underground bunkers, and some ran out into the wilderness.
Midnight looked at these people curiously. But it remembered its master did not allow it to eat humans, so it did not stick out its tongue to lick them.
Ren Xiaosu asked Luo Lan, "Where are your men? Couldn't we have just sent them to Stronghold 93? Why did they have to come to this factory? "
"Wait a minute." Luo Lan whistled at the factory warehouse. The warehouse's door suddenly opened, and more than a dozen off-road vehicles drove out. It was as though they had been waiting there for a long time.
Luo Lan explained with a smile, "Of course it's best to be careful. Who knows if there are spies in Stronghold 93? After I meet up with them here, we'll head straight for Stronghold 111. That's the safest route. "
Everyone climbed down from Midnight's back. Someone from the off-road vehicles immediately rushed out with equipment to check Luo Lan's condition. This was to ensure that Luo Lan was still healthy.
Ren Xiaosu was shocked to see this. Luo Lan said a little helplessly, "This was arranged by Qing Zhen."
Ren Xiaosu said, "Since you've arrived safely, I'll be taking my leave now."
When Luo Lan heard this, he pushed away the medical staff beside him. He gave Ren Xiaosu a gentle hug and said, "Take care, bro. I don't know when we'll meet again."
"We'll definitely meet again." Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, "Even if you don't come to the Northwest to look for me, I'll still go to the Kyung Clan to look for you."
Luo Lan thought for a moment and said with a smile, "It's a deal."
"I hope that everything will be resolved by then and we won't have to fight and kill each other anymore," Ren Xiaosu said in a serious tone.
At this moment, Luo Lan suddenly said solemnly, "I'd like to ask a favor of you."
"What is it?" Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.
"If Qing Zhen gets into danger one day, please help him out." Luo Lan said, "Although my brother is very smart, everyone's plans will go awry at some point. How can there be a person who can truly take everything into account?"
Ren Xiaosu looked at Luo Lan. Even at the moment of their departure, this guy was still thinking about how to give his brother another layer of insurance.
"Alright, I promise you," Ren Xiaosu said.
Then he took out a red Eye of Truth from his storage space and handed it to Luo Lan. "You've seen this before. It's the Eye of Truth. I'll give it to you to save your life."
"Save my life?" Luo Lan was startled. "I don't know witchcraft. Didn't they say witchcraft takes a long time to be effective?"
"You don't need to practice to open the Gate of the Secret Key." Ren Xiaosu explained to Luo Lan how to open the Gate of the Secret Key, as well as some of its secrets. Luo Lan's eyes immediately lit up.
"You're saying that as long as I drip blood on it and twist it ten times, I can open a spatial gate and go to the place I want to go the most?" Luo Lan said happily.
When Luo Lan saw the 6th Field Division pass through that iron gate, he was very envious and felt that it was very magical.
But he didn't expect that he would be able to master this method one day.
Luo Lan wasn't an idiot. He knew very well how useful the Eye of Truth and the Gate of the Secret Key could be.
"Yes, a person can only open it once in their lifetime, so you have to treasure it. This thing can save your life at a critical moment," Ren Xiaosu said seriously.
"Thank you, Xiaosu." Luo Lan suddenly said emotionally, "Every time I owe you a favor, I want to return it to you as soon as possible, but it seems like there's no end to it."
"Do we still need to talk about this between us?" Ren Xiaosu said with a smile.
"Right, does Miss Xiaojin have the Eye of Truth?" Luo Lan asked politely. "Why don't you give this red one to her?"
"You don't need to worry about that. She has something better," Ren Xiaosu said.
"Oh …"
Speaking up to this point, Ren Xiaosu suddenly remembered that Yang Xiaojin still lacked some materials to open the Gate of the Secret Key.
It wasn't that she lacked the Eye of Truth, but that she lacked a door.
Immediately after that, Luo Lan, Zhou Qi, and the others watched as Ren Xiaosu walked to the warehouse's entrance and forcefully cut off half of the warehouse's metal door, storing it in his storage space.
Everyone present was in a mess when they saw this scene. Initially, those who came to help Luo Lan thought that Ling Chen was the most terrifying existence. But now, they felt that they might have been wrong. This person in front of them, who would cut off half of their metal door without saying a word, was the truly terrifying one, alright?
Ren Xiaosu was also a little embarrassed. He said to Luo Lan, "I'm going to give this to Xiaojin to open the Gate of the Secret Key. Sorry, sorry."
After saying that, he pulled Yang Xiaojin and climbed onto Ling Chen's back again. Then, he urged Ling Chen to run toward the Broken Mountain Range southwest of the Kyung Clan.
Zhou Qi was stunned for a moment. "This must be the legendary escape through the door. The ancients didn't lie to me."
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