This assassin is upright

Chapter 475 The Power of the Key

Filled with curiosity, Yu Zhun continued to flip through the diary.

January 3rd, Sunny

Perhaps Lady Luck is on my side; in a seemingly ordinary ruin I recently gained control of, I discovered over a hundred A4-27s!

[These war machines became almost legendary after the cataclysm, with the vast majority said to have been destroyed in the cataclysm. It's surprising that some remain.]

[If I hadn't seen it in a document before, I wouldn't have been able to recognize it at first glance.]

Even more fortunately, someone somehow managed to integrate them into a single control center. This means that only one person needs to control all the war machines; their combined power is terrifying, and even a fifth-tier being might not be able to defeat them.

With it, I finally have a trump card to face the catastrophe.

Speaking of catastrophe, I've been trying to glean more information over the past period, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to. However, there's no doubt that it's like a dark cloud approaching me, constantly making me uneasy.

【...】

June 3rd, Sunny

The catastrophe is drawing ever closer; I have a premonition it could strike at any moment. But today, I received some good news.

Higgins, the guy who tampered with the Roland mine ruins, has had his team return. He likely knows the secrets from back then.

I will never forget what I discovered unexpectedly in the ruins of the Roland mine. The entire Rebella squad, who perished there, had been transformed into terrifying monsters, but their strength had been greatly enhanced.

[Rebella, who was only at the third rank back then, even broke through to the fourth rank. It took me a lot of effort to finally kill him.]

There is no doubt that an astonishing secret lies there.

Perhaps this secret relates to the catastrophe of that year, or even the source of the anomaly. If I could obtain this secret…

Perhaps I can break through to the fifth rank, which would give me more confidence in the face of the impending catastrophe.

The diary ends abruptly here, and Yu Zhun's expression after reading it is enigmatic and difficult to decipher.

He was fairly certain that the so-called catastrophe that Fred felt was him, after all, he was the one who ultimately killed Fred, and he had also returned from Area 62.

But looking back at Fred's mental journey, one can see how interesting fate is. In order to resist the catastrophe, he captured members of the Black Hawk team and interrogated them about Yu Zhun's whereabouts.

But it was this very action that brought about the real catastrophe.

With a touch of melancholy, Yu Zhun took out a seemingly unassuming key and examined it closely.

According to Fred's diary, the key was likely related to the catastrophe or the source of the anomaly.

In this way, its significance is probably more important than I thought.

The only uncertainty now is where the lock corresponding to the key is located.

If we can find it, the truth may come to light.

The diary mentioned the control method of the war machine. Yu Zhun followed the same method and put on the helmet to control the war machine. After a somewhat clumsy operation, he vaguely felt that one of the machines had established a connection with him.

Then came the second and the third.

“Interesting.” Yu Zhun showed interest, then sighed, “It’s just a pity that these war machines are too big of a target.”

It's probably impossible to take them out of here.

Besides Fred, District 37 has six other equally formidable figures.

He and the Black Hawk team can't handle such a large piece of meat right now.

"Then let's make a deal with them."
-
"Boss, there shouldn't be any problems with Yu Zhun, right?"

Having escaped the Dark Dragon team's headquarters and temporarily hidden in a remote area of ​​District 37, Rat suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

Black Hawk paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"I am not sure."

"But I believe Yu Zhun wouldn't do something he wasn't sure of."

"What's there to worry about?" Wolf Fang leaned against the trunk of a crooked tree and said lazily when he heard this. "Since Yu Zhun was able to repel the opponent once, he is naturally confident in repelling the opponent a second time."

"If you ask me, what we should be more worried about is..."

Will Yu Zhun still travel with us?

Upon hearing this, the group fell silent.

If before, Black Hawk, as the leader of the Black Hawk team, could still rival Yu Zhun in strength, then now, Yu Zhun's strength has far surpassed all of them. This incredible rate of improvement is beyond their reach.

For Yu Zhun at this moment, including Black Hawk, the four of them had probably become a burden. The huge difference in strength made it unrealistic for them to continue operating as a small team.

Thinking of this, Black Hawk sighed softly.

Perhaps... our destiny is...

"team leader!"

The shouts coming from afar brought Black Hawk to an abrupt halt.

He suddenly turned his head to look in the other direction, and Yu Zhun was walking quickly towards him.

"You guys are really hiding in a really remote spot." Yu Zhun looked around as he approached and couldn't help but laugh. "I almost didn't find you."

Black Hawk's expression was complicated for a moment, then he smiled with relief, "After all, we've caused such a big commotion, we need to lay low for a while."

"Fred is dead?"

“That’s right.” Yu Zhun nodded. “And I also got a lot of good things from him.”

At this point, Yu Zhun turned to look at Mouse, "Mouse, do you know A4-27?"

“I know,” the mouse said casually. “It’s an old-fashioned war machine. These things can be controlled remotely, so they won’t cause any casualties, and they have amazing firepower.”

At this point, the mouse paused slightly, as if it had guessed something, and its eyes widened as it stared intently at Yu Zhun.

“We currently have one hundred of these.” Yu Zhun smiled slightly.

"One hundred units?!" Mouse couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his breathing becoming rapid instantly. He knew all too well the value of one hundred A4-27s.

But then, as if remembering something, the mouse's expression turned dejected.

"What a pity, I can't take it with me."

Although the others didn't quite understand what it was, they could guess its value from the rat's description. Hearing the rat say this, Black Hawk couldn't help but speak up.

"Why can't I take it with me?"

“Because they’re too big.” The rat’s expression was somewhat helpless. “If I remember correctly, each of these things is over three meters tall and requires remote control to move. If we take them away, the entire District 37 will be watching us.”

"What's the difference between this and carrying a lot of fat through a pack of wolves?"

"Even if we manage to leave District 37 safely with them, are we going to have to carry them with us the whole way?"

"These big guys require a lot of resources just to operate."

Upon hearing this, Black Hawk and his two companions fell silent.

Just by listening, they could tell how precious this thing was.

But now I can't take it with me, which is such a pity.

"It's alright." Yu Zhun smiled. "I've already thought of a solution."

"Since we can't take it with us, let's exchange it for something we can take with us."

“Ordinary excavation teams probably couldn’t handle these war machines, but the other six strongest excavation teams should have no problem.” “The other six?” Black Hawk was taken aback. “What do you plan to do?”

“You don’t need to do anything.” Yu Zhun shook his head. “I’ve already hidden those one hundred A4-27s in a place that only I know about.”

“Fred is dead. It’s impossible for the other members of the seven excavation teams to be completely unresponsive. They will definitely investigate the situation immediately, and after finding out what happened, I believe they will come looking for us.”

"At that time, we will be in control."

“So…” Yu Zhun paused slightly, “there is only one thing we need to do now.”

"That means finding a place where they can find us and settling down."
-
The Black Hawk team's wait didn't last long.

At Yu Zhun's suggestion, they openly returned to the place where they had first entered District 37 and settled down there temporarily.

Just two days later, the first visitor arrived.

She was a woman with a hot figure, dressed in revealing clothes, but her aura was so powerful that no one dared to look at her for long.

"I am Keina." The woman introduced herself, then her gaze swept over the five members of the Black Hawk team with a strong sense of scrutiny, finally landing on Yu Zhun.

"Fred, did you kill him?"

Although it was a question, Keina's tone was quite certain.

She sensed a terrifying danger emanating from Yu Zhun.

Only someone like that can kill that cunning fox, Fred.

“It’s me.” Yu Zhun said with a smile. “The leader of the Wolf Pack, one of the seven major excavation teams, personally arranged this. I am truly flattered.”

"No need for formalities."

Keina went straight into the house, sat by the fireplace, and after a moment of silence, slowly said, "Fred should have something in your hands now."

"I came because I'm interested in those things."

"If I were you, I would have left District 37 after killing Fred, but you didn't. So, if I'm not mistaken, are you planning to wait for a suitable trader?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly it.” Yu Zhun nodded, readily admitting it.

"I do have some good things here."

“But I’m worried…” he paused slightly, “that you might not be able to eat by yourself.”

As Yu Zhun finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the room.

Can't eat?
Keina felt an urge to scoff.

She and Fred were both leaders of one of the seven excavation teams. What did Fred have that she couldn't possibly accept?
"Tell me, what is that thing in your hand?"

"One hundred A4-27 war machines."

Upon hearing this, Keina's expression froze slightly.

If it's something like that, she really can't eat it.

Not to mention that offering something of equal value would bankrupt her Wolf Pack team, even if she did offer it, the other five guys wouldn't stand idly by.

Thinking of this, Keina placed one hand on her thigh, tapping it lightly. After a moment, she looked at Yu Zhun and asked, "Are you interested in joining the Wolf Pack?"

Ok?
Upon hearing the other party's sudden and abrupt question, Yu Zhun and the other four were all taken aback.

“Your skills are far inferior to those of your partners,” Keina said calmly. “I think you’re better suited for a better excavation team.”

“Join our Wolf Pack team, and besides me, you will become the person with the most say in the team, even…” A strange light flashed in Keina’s eyes.

"If... then I can listen to you."

Keina has very delicate features and looks to be only in her early twenties. When she says such words with a certain hidden meaning, the expressions of the other members of the Black Hawk team all become complicated.

Yu Zhun's current strength has reached a point where he can make the leader of one of the seven excavation teams throw himself into his arms.

Would he really still be willing to stay with Black Hawk Team?

"Thank you for your kind words." Unlike the others who were nervous and worried, Yu Zhun didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard what the other person said. "However, I have no intention of changing teams, and I don't plan to stay in District 37 for a long time."

"Tsk~" Keina clicked her tongue slightly in dissatisfaction and did not continue trying.

She had already said all that, and Yu Zhun was still unmoved. She had nothing else to offer that could sway him.

After all, the other side has the strength to kill Fred, and now they have a hundred A4-27 war machines, making them no less powerful than any of the seven excavation teams.

The original plan was to use a united front to absorb all these war machines, thereby gaining a powerful ally and rendering other excavation teams powerless against them.

In retrospect, her idea was too idealistic.

"In that case, let's just wait and see."

Keina left a message and sat down by the fire.

She stopped talking and showed no intention of leaving.

A moment later, another figure lifted the tent flap and strode in.

He was a tall, thin man. He glanced at Keina sitting in the corner, and then his expression became more playful.

"Wow, it's quite lively here."

Like Keina, he sat down by the fire before looking at Yu Zhun.

"I apologize for coming uninvited."

"If I'm not mistaken, you're the one who killed Fred, right?"

"To be honest, I've never liked Fred, but I couldn't kill him. Now that you've killed him, I should thank you."

"Thank me empty-handed?" Keina, who had been silent, spoke up quietly.

“Uh…” The tall, thin man paused for a moment, then reluctantly took out a core from his pocket and placed it in front of Yu Zhun.

"A third-tier mutated beast core, as a token of my gratitude."

"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet."

"My name is Pontes."

Upon hearing the name and seeing the third-tier core handed to him, Yu Zhun's lips twitched slightly.

During his two-day stay in District 37, he made a point of learning about the seven major excavation teams. The man in front of him, Pontus, was the leader of the Night Owl team, one of the seven major excavation teams.

But he also had another nickname: miser.

For a dignified near-fifth rank to use a third-rank core as a thank-you gift, it seems that the rumors he heard about Pontus were indeed true.

After expressing his gratitude, Pontes sat by the fire and said nothing more.

"Aren't you going to ask what it is?" Keina couldn't help but ask.

“There’s no need.” Pontes shook his head. “If even a rich heiress like you hasn’t made a move, then I certainly can’t afford it either.”

Keina frowned.

Unlike the other members of the seven excavation teams, the Wolf Pack team was founded by her father and inherited by her. Although she is capable enough, she is still occasionally teased.

"Then let's wait for the others."

(End of this chapter)