Card maker? No, I'm a mechanic!

"That's true, considering how loud the commotion was just now."

"Whether it has anything to do with them or not, it definitely needs to be kept hidden to some extent."

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Zhe had already taken refuge behind a large, sheltered rock.

He estimated the time and found that about twenty minutes had passed since the bomb was detonated.

Judging from the city defense forces' reaction speed, they should be arriving here soon.

"Buzzing..."

Sure enough, before he could even finish his thought, a deep rumble suddenly came from the distant sky.

Several blinding beams of light ripped through the night sky; it was the city defense army's armed helicopters rapidly approaching.

On the horizon, a convoy, billowing smoke, sped toward the mining area.

"They arrived quite quickly."

Seeing this, Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow and then took out his communication card to reconnect.

"Mr. Lin, I see your convoy."

"I'm right next to a huge rock outside the main road in the mining area. I'll give you a signal."

As he spoke, Jiang Zhe pulled out a blinding card and threw it into the air.

"Bang!"

And this already dazzling light became even more conspicuous in the darkness.

"I've seen it, just wait."

Professor Lin's brief and forceful reply came from the other end of the communication.

Immediately afterwards, a black command vehicle in the middle of the convoy broke away from the group and drove straight toward Jiang Zhe.

"Squeak..."

The vehicle came to a smooth stop, and as the window rolled down, Professor Lin's slightly excited face was revealed.

"Get in the car."

"Okay."

it is more than words.

Jiang Zhe grinned, then opened the car door and climbed in without saying a word.

Besides Professor Lin and the driver, a capable-looking middle-aged man was also sitting in the passenger seat.

Turning around, he couldn't help but look Jiang Zhe up and down with a hint of curiosity.

"Is this Jiang Chul?"

"Haotian, what do you think of my teaching assistant position?"

Professor Lin gave a casual introduction, but his tone carried a hint of pride.

The middle-aged man called Haotian shook his head and smiled slightly after hearing the teacher's introduction.

"Old Lin, this is more than just 'okay,' it's absolutely amazing!"

"Not only did one person clear the entire exchange meeting, but I also heard they were in the best form among all the core area ruins this time?"

"You flatter me, I was just lucky."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhe simply smiled modestly, showing no arrogance whatsoever.

"Luck is also a part of ability."

Jin Haotian nodded, but did not dwell on the topic.

No matter how famous Jiang Zhe is, in a situation like tonight, he is just a minor character.

"By the way, what are you doing here?"

Despite this, there was little doubt in Jin Haotian's eyes.

"Oh, I'm doing some work for the professor, and I happen to be collecting some special mineral samples around here."

Jiang Zhe uttered nonsense without changing his expression.

"Unfortunately, I just suddenly saw a strange energy fluctuation here, and I also saw a blue light."

"I thought it might be some kind of spatial fluctuation, so I quickly contacted Elder Lin."

"Indeed," Professor Lin chimed in at the opportune moment.

"I asked him to come and take care of some personal business, and it just so happened that this opportunity came up."

"Is that so...?"

Jin Haotian nodded upon hearing this, finding it reasonable.

After all, the old man used to order him around like that, often sending him out of town to look for this and that.

It seems that after all these years, he has remained true to himself.

"Alright, let's move on."

He gave an instruction to the driver standing beside him.

The command vehicle then started up again and accelerated to merge into the convoy.

……

A few minutes later, outside the gate of the Fiery Workshop mining area.

"Creak..."

With a screeching sound of brakes, more than a dozen armored vehicles lined up in a fan shape, completely blocking the gate.

The helicopters hovered in the air, and several powerful searchlights shone down instantly.

"Listen up, you inside!"

Just then, a soldier stepped forward.

At the same time, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and spiritual power was injected into it.

"We are the Tianlan City Defense Force!"

"We just detected abnormal changes in this area, which we suspect are related to spatial fluctuations within the ruins."

"You are now required to open the gates immediately for inspection!"

These words immediately caused a stir in the mining area.

The heavy door slowly opened a crack.

Immediately afterwards, a fat man covered in sweat led a group of security guards out with a big smile on his face.

The movements were so practiced that it was as if they had rehearsed countless times.

"Oh dear, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding, sir."

The fat man wiped his sweat as he bowed and explained.

"We were indeed testing a new type of mining explosive just now, but we may have made a bit too much noise and accidentally alerted everyone."

"But there's absolutely no issue with any relics."

"We're a legitimate workshop; how could we possibly get involved with something so dangerous?"

"Explosives? What kind of explosives have such a large energy fluctuation?"

The soldier who shouted snorted coldly, clearly not buying it.

Whether it's a misunderstanding or not is not for you to decide.

"Stop talking nonsense and open the door. We'll know what's right and wrong after we check."

"Oh, this..."

The fat man's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly put on a smooth, businesslike expression.

"Sir, as you know, we are law-abiding citizens."

"Highly confidential mining operations are currently underway inside the mine, which contains entirely classified facilities."

"If we let the brothers in without a proper search warrant, what if they accidentally cause some damage..."

He rubbed his hands together, forcing a smile as he continued to stall for time.

"How about this, give me another half hour and I'll contact headquarters right away."

"As soon as the authorization is granted, I'll immediately open the door and let them in?"

"Half an hour? Are you kidding me?"

Just then, the door of the command vehicle suddenly opened.

Jin Haotian, dressed in uniform, also came down, his gaze fixed on the fat man.

"By tomorrow, they'll probably have turned the land upside down."

He snorted coldly, his tone becoming even more forceful.

"The ruins are currently in turmoil, and the entire city is under martial law. Any abnormality could trigger catastrophic consequences."

He paused for a moment, then slammed a huge hat down on his head.

"Could this disturbance at the ruins be related to your Fireworks Workshop?"

"What! No, no, no!"

Upon hearing this, the fat man's legs went weak with fear, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

After all, he's just a gatekeeper who coasts along; if he gets labeled with that accusation...

Even if he had ten heads, it wouldn't be enough.

"Sir..."

He stammered and eventually could only stand there awkwardly, caught in a dilemma.

However, it was precisely during this stalemate that...

"Buzz..."

A surge of mental pressure suddenly erupted, and everyone present couldn't help but change their expressions upon seeing it.

Immediately afterwards, a kind-looking elderly man with a receding hairline slowly walked out of the door.

Although he walked slowly, he looked like an ordinary old man in the park.

However, his aura remained undiminished and even continued to rise.

Level 4 Card Master!