128: Chapter 128 Enhancing Foundation

A-Shu had someone pour two glasses of water and sat down opposite Zhen Lu.

Zhen Lu picked up the water glass, took a sip, and asked casually, "I see you have quite a lot of Skill Scrolls. How come? Does this Wasteland World particularly produce Skill Scrolls?"

A-Shu rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward.

"This Wasteland World is indeed more prone to producing Skill Scrolls than other worlds. The reason is simple: there are many players here, the frequency of people coming and going is high, and many people die. With so many players dying, the abilities and skills they've awakened naturally drop more often."

A-Shu leaned back against the chair and continued, "In this world, most abilities are obtained by consuming mutation potions. The potions are all much the same, so the types of abilities you get are repetitive and very limited. Moreover, the abilities awakened from drinking these potions all turn into passive Skill Scrolls after the person dies, which greatly reduces their value."

Zhen Lu set the water glass on the table and looked up at A-Shu. "The two major groups of yours have been fighting all this time; why don't you completely wipe out the other side?"

A-Shu leaned back in his chair, the corner of his mouth twitching. "It's not that we don't want to wipe them out; it's that we can't."

He paused, as if considering how to explain this situation clearly.

"Most of us have built ourselves up by grinding for skills and slowly accumulating attribute points. Levels don't come easily, and the status of an Ability User is something you trade your life for. In this world, you become a blank slate once you die. So, neither side has many true powerhouses, and even if they do, the strong try to avoid direct confrontation. The leaders on both sides know it; whoever loses their core combat power first won't even need the other side to strike—they'll be swallowed up by other factions just because they can't hold their ground."

He spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "We don't have any big rich kids throwing money at us. Most of us are middle-class, using our time here for entertainment. Although there are many conflicts, we can still manage to get by. Things like killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of your own just aren't worth it."

A-Shu continued, "Conflicts of this scale like today's—if you guys hadn't been here, we might have been completely wiped out. Large-scale team battles of this level are rare. I think this time, it might be because the Xueqi Organization is planning something big; the team has already issued a notice for everyone to be on full alert."

Zhen Lu heard this, his fingers pausing on the rim of the glass for a moment. He looked up at A-Shu with a steady tone, but his words carried immense weight. "I can help you eliminate their experts. I'll let you monopolize the resources of this entire city."

He leaned forward slightly, "If they are completely wiped out, then all the Skill Scrolls I haven't obtained yet will belong to me. Furthermore, I need you to do something for me over these next few days; it will only take a few days."

His gaze rested on A-Shu's face for a moment. "You can communicate this with your higher-ups. Those are the conditions. Whether it works or not, give me an answer as soon as possible."

A-Shu looked into Zhen Lu's eyes, his tone filled with cautious probing, "I can report this matter."

"But may I ask what your level is? If we go to war, we need to understand clearly before we can make decisions."

"C-rank." Zhen Lu's tone was flat. "Among C-ranks, I have no rivals. You can report it to your superiors that way."

The expression on A-Shu's face changed visibly.

He had been looking at Zhen Lu with the eyes of someone regarding a strong person, but now there was an extra layer of weight in his gaze. Their team's experts were only D-rank, and with the Xueqi Organization suddenly launching a conflict of this scale, he had suspected they hired a C-rank expert. If Zhen Lu could truly be unrivaled among C-ranks, then this partnership would be completely different.

"Understood." He picked up the data pad, stood up, and walked two steps toward the door before looking back at Zhen Lu with a tone that carried a newly made decision. "I will report to the higher-ups now. I'll give you an answer soon."

After speaking, he pushed the door open and walked out quickly.

Shen Yue leaned back in her chair, tilted her head to look at Zhen Lu, and said nothing, though the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

Zhen Lu picked up the water glass, finished the last sip of water, set the cup on the table, and waited for A-Shu to return.

A-Shu returned quickly.

His pace when pushing the door open was much faster than when he left. He sat back down opposite Zhen Lu and got straight to the point: "The higher-ups have agreed; this deal is now struck. They will immediately start investigating the specific locations of the Xueqi Organization's high-level combatants. All the combat power distribution of their higher-ups will be uncovered, and then we will plan how to make our move. The higher-ups said to let you rest first; as soon as the intelligence is gathered, we will notify you immediately."

Zhen Lu nodded.

Just then, someone in the camp was handing out breakfast. A-Shu had someone bring over a few portions, and the few of them gathered around the old wooden table to have a simple breakfast.

Just as they finished tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, the sound of an engine came from outside the camp. A vehicle from the city stopped at the camp entrance. A player jumped out of the passenger seat, carrying a sealed metal box in his hand. He walked quickly into the main building in the center of the camp, set the box on the table, nodded at A-Shu, and turned to leave.

A-Shu opened the metal box; inside were two sealed Skill Scrolls. A-Shu then took out another scroll from his person.

Zhen Lu picked them up and confirmed the labels one by one: Energy Affinity, Cell Activation, Slow Self-Healing.

He didn't hesitate and applied the three scrolls to his body one by one.

White light flashed in succession. He closed his eyes and felt it for a moment; it felt as if a few layers of fine mesh had been added inside his body. The tentacles of energy absorption extended outward a bit, a very faint warmth radiated from deep within his cells, and the rhythm of his body's self-repair was recalibrated by a notch.

These three were all things that enhanced his foundation; they had no flashy moves, but they were exactly the supplement his current foundation needed.

By the time it was almost noon, A-Shu pushed the door open and entered again.

This time, his expression was tighter than before, and his speech was much faster.

"The Xueqi Organization's high-level combatants have already gathered at their stronghold in the city; they must have some plan. We just received instructions to have me take you into the city first, to stand by near the stronghold, ready to respond at any time."

Zhen Lu stood up and pulled Shen Yue up from where she was leaning against the chair back.

The three of them left the camp and got into an off-road vehicle.

A-Shu sat in the passenger seat, scrolling through the latest intelligence on the data pad while giving directions to Zhen Lu.

The midday sun in Huolei City was intense. The city gates were wide open, and the off-road vehicle passed through the queue of people entering the city, driving toward the direction of the Xueqi Organization's stronghold in the city.

By the time Zhen Lu and A-Shu arrived at the station, the battle had already begun.

The Xueqi Organization had launched a surprise attack. Although the station was prepared, they had been pushed into a defensive posture.

Several makeshift bunkers on the perimeter were blown to pieces. Gunsmoke billowed up from every corner of the ruins, and the sounds of gunfire and metal clashing came from deep within the station, occasionally mixed with a short, sharp scream.

A-Shu jumped out of the car, grabbed a team member who was retreating, and roared, asking about the situation inside.

The team member's face was covered in dust; he was panting so hard he couldn't form a complete sentence, only replying in broken fragments.

The enemy has an expert who is extremely difficult to deal with; everyone who charged to the front has been defeated.

Zhen Lu turned his head to look at A-Shu. "Who is the enemy? Point out which one, and I'll take care of them."

A-Shu didn't hesitate and charged into the station with him and Shen Yue.

The enemies they encountered along the way were pointed out by A-Shu one by one. Zhen Lu unleashed his telekinesis, and those Xueqi Organization members rushing over with guns were struck by the telekinesis before they could even get close, flying out one after another to slam into the bunkers, sliding to the ground while screaming.

Shen Yue followed closely behind, her gun muzzle always trained on the blind spots to the side that Zhen Lu couldn't cover, occasionally firing a shot to precisely take down stragglers creeping in from the flanks.

Those who possessed superpowers met the same fate, posing no threat to Zhen Lu.

When they rushed to the core area of the station, A-Shu suddenly raised his hand and pointed to a sturdy figure emerging from behind a bunker directly in front of them.

The man was extremely tall, his shoulders and back muscles bulging, his hands bare, and his knuckles covered in calluses.

He didn't walk fast, but every step made the ground tremble slightly, and the surrounding gunfire and shouting quieted down a bit the moment he stepped out.

He had no weapons on him, but his body itself was the most dangerous weapon.

This was a Martial Artist, at least C-rank.