Ironclad: How can hand-crafted knight belts not be considered genius?

As soon as Jiang Ning finished speaking, the relaxed and playful atmosphere in the carriage instantly fell silent.

Xing blinked blankly, then subconsciously took half a step forward:

"ah?

Brother Jiangning, aren't you coming with us?

March 7th was also stunned, his face full of confusion:

"Splitting up?"

Why?! We finally managed to team up, it's so pointless not to explore the frozen planet together!

Dan Heng's eyes flickered slightly as he calmly looked at Jiang Ning, vaguely guessing that he had other plans.

Walter and Himeko exchanged a glance, both understanding.

They all knew that Jiangning was not a traveler who followed a set path.

Jiang Ning's vision seemed to extend beyond the immediate "expansion" to deeper, more distant, and hidden places unseen by others.

"Sorry, Little March, there are things on this planet that interest me."

Don't worry, you have my contact information. If you encounter any difficulties that you can't resolve, I'll be there whenever you need me.

"Alright, then you and Iz be careful."

Hearing this, March 7th nodded helplessly, then turned around and pulled Xing and Danheng to set off first.

"Let's go too, Iz."

Jiang Ning turned around, waved, and beckoned Iz to follow.

"Wait, Jiang Ning."

Walter Young suddenly spoke up, stopping Jiang Ning from leaving.

"Although I don't know what it is about this planet that has piqued your interest, there is one thing I must tell you."

Do not act rashly regarding matters involving the "Star Core". If you make any discoveries, please inform us first.

Himeko and I will be on the train providing you and March with all our assistance.

Jiang Ning looked at Walter Yang's serious face, and instead of giving a perfunctory reply, he nodded slowly, his tone sincere and steady.

"I understand, Mr. Walter."

I am well aware of the dangers of the "star core."

As Jiang Ning gently brushed his fingertips against the still-warm "Destruction" energy bottle at his waist, a restrained certainty flashed in his eyes.

He doesn't intend to recklessly disrupt the stellar core mutation.

On the contrary, his purpose in coming here was to figure out the rules of the star core.

"I will not rashly come into contact with the 'Star Core'."

However, the fluctuations in the core of this planet are too peculiar, and they are deeply connected to something within me.

I am merely investigating the source; I will never arbitrarily escalate the mutation.

Himeko stepped forward, her eyes gentle and filled with complete trust:

"We trust your judgment, Jiang Ning."

If you encounter any difficulties, please don't hesitate to ask.

"Don't worry, Sister Himeko, Uncle Yang."

Jiang Ning smiled slightly, her eyes clear.

"Let's go, Izu!"

Jiang Ning waved his hand and turned to leave, with Izzy following closely behind, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen.

…………

The biting wind, carrying swirling snowflakes, lashed down on the two of them.

As soon as you step out of the warm cabin of the train, the biting cold instantly seeps into your clothes. Even with the insulation of the cold-proof fabric, you can still feel the unique, deathly, and oppressive cold wave of the Arillow-VI.

The world was a gray-white expanse.

The boundless snowfield was desolate and lifeless, devoid of any living creatures or sounds other than the wind; the entire planet seemed to be frozen in time.

In the distance ahead, Xing, Sanyueqi, and Danheng followed the official road toward the upper administrative district, where the lights were still on and the order was stable.

According to the storyline, they will be guided by Sambo, then encounter Jepard along the way, and finally be brought before the current High Protector, Cocolia.

Then, they were interrogated, questioned, and arrested on trumped-up charges of being rioters.

But that's the main storyline of Elio's "script," not Jiang Ning's goal.

He didn't want to painstakingly persuade others to give up the "Star Core" and then be hunted down by a stubborn, wicked woman.

He could use that time to do something more meaningful.

With a thought, Jiang Ning brought up the system panel that had been dormant for a long time.

The three core taskbars of "Zero One's" tech tree have been activated.

The achievement tasks that result from this can be roughly divided into three categories.

According to Jiang Ning's summary.

The tasks that extend from "registering a company" are mainly aimed at expanding the company's scope and increasing its influence, and are used to accumulate "technology points".

The quests that extend from "Building Zea" mainly involve the Zero Series belts and various enhancement items.

The "Tech Points" reward is relatively low, but it is the mission route that best enables the upgrading of combat power.

As for the last branch, it is the task branch that Jiangning is currently most eager to advance.

Primarily focused on the "Humagear" group, it helps Humagears achieve iterative upgrades and is involved in the research and development and manufacturing of Humagears in other "work areas".

In addition to the basic "Tech Points" reward, Humagears are also key employees of Jiangning Future Company and are an indispensable part of the workforce.

Of course, there's also the most important point.

This mission branch and the evolution and upgrade branch of Zero-One Driver seem to be gradually merging.

Based on Jiang Ning's memory of the Zero One TV series plot, it's not hard to guess that this mission branch is 1000% related to the theoretical endpoint of the Zero One Driver.

——02 drive.

A technological achievement born from the wisdom of both races, representing the true union of humans and Humagears.

For Jiang Ning, who suffers from a severe fear of insufficient firepower, 02 is a must-have, and it is also the form he can build the fastest, according to his current estimate.

Even if I get a better driver later, 02 can still be used for Iz's self-defense.

As the only final form holder among the female riders of the Reiwa era, Izu's combat power is not to be underestimated.

Who can understand the sense of salvation that comes from a seemingly cute and helpless secretary suddenly pulling out a driver and giving you a hundred-ton (on paper, not counting the Honkai Impact universe) flying kick?

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but glance at Iz beside him a couple more times.

hmm~

My daughter has grown up, and her strength is as great as a mountain.

"Iz, I believe in you."

"?"

Iz's Humagear module flickered twice, still not understanding Jiang Ning's meaning, and tilted its head in confusion.

"Ahem... Let's not talk about that for now."

"Iz, is it stable to connect to 'Zea's' channel here?"

Faced with Jiang Ning's question, Iz stood still, closed her eyes, and the Humagear module by her ear flashed.

"No interference detected, President Jiang Ning."

"Okay, then there's no problem."

Let's go explore the lower levels.

The two changed direction, leaving the smooth official road leading to the upper district and stepping into the desolate ruins filled with broken walls and rubble.

Snow and wind buried broken metal pipes and rusted, massive mechanical wreckage.

Everywhere you look, you can see the traces left by the destruction of the old civilization.

The autonomous mechanical civilization that flourished before the Yalilo-VI catastrophe has been dormant under the ice and snow for hundreds of years.

As it moved, IZ continuously uploaded the scan data to the Zeya satellite in orbit in real time.

"President Jiang Ning, an artificially created underground fissure has been detected two kilometers ahead. It is suspected to be an abandoned passage left behind after the upper level sealed off the lower level."

The concentration of imaginary energy in the region is increasing, indicating signs of low-order fissure biological activity.

Simultaneously, it continuously captures long-distance constant computing power signals, whose characteristics match those of old-era autonomous machine clusters.

Upon hearing Izzy's report, Jiang Ning's eyes lit up.

"I thought it would take a lot of effort, but it seems I'm quite lucky."

Izzy, keep up, keep tracking the signal!

"Maybe we can find Schwarzro behind this by using these mechs!"

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