Warriors from the Liu Family, who were accompanying Liu Shichan for her protection, rushed over to treat her. Seeing their professional techniques, Chen Gu was able to relax.
The mercenaries were rescuing their comrades from the damaged combat vehicles. Leder returned with a few warriors, cursing as they arrived, "That damn thing is finally completely dead." His mood was foul, mostly because Boluo’s alchemical bomb had destroyed all the innards of the Sand Worm mechanical species.
After resting in place for half an hour, everyone was busy, leaving Chen Gu as the most idle person there. But even the most irritable mercenary didn’t dare to approach him and ask for "a hand." The President had demonstrated abilities far surpassing others in the recent combat, proving she was in a league of her own within this group. So, Chen Gu could only lament in the untamed northern winds... quietly being a perfect vase.
Liu Shichan had recovered. After a moment’s hesitation, she approached Chen Gu and said softly, "Thank you for saving me. We people of the martial world value our word as gold! What I said to you before will always hold true. If you change your mind, feel free to find me anytime."
After speaking, Sister Liu held her head high and walked back. The few Liu Family members sent to protect her quickly pulled her aside, whispering persuasions, clearly thinking their young mistress had taken a liking to the President’s pet.
Liu Shichan was stubborn; their persuasion clearly had no effect. Then, as her attendants looked up, they saw the President standing on a large rock. She was staring at them with an unreadable smile, a chilling glint flashing in her eyes!
The attendants shivered in fright. They hastily bowed and scraped, forcing smiles for the President, then turned and redoubled their efforts to persuade their young mistress.
Chen Gu said to Qing Ruyan, annoyed, "Why bother scaring them?"
Qing Ruyan raised an eyebrow. "Because it’s amusing."
Chen Gu shook his head. This woman’s behavior was bizarre; he really couldn’t figure her out. But as a method actor, he had an almost obsessive-compulsive determination to understand a character’s personality and inner thoughts. The less clear she was, the more he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
The team set off again. However, two vehicles were too severely damaged to be used, so people now occupied the vehicles originally intended for transporting supplies. With four people still unable to fit, four mercenaries donned single-soldier Mechas; two rode outside the lead vehicle and two outside the rearmost one.
In one of the middle vehicles, Leder was discussing with the others, "This Sand Worm mechanical species, according to the Confederation’s classification standard, is at least a Level Four Other Species."
Humanity classified enemies such as Mutants, Other Species, and the Alien Insect Race into nine levels, with Level One being the lowest and Level Nine the highest. This classification corresponded to the Energy Level of professionals, a detail most people were unaware of.
Initially, this system used Roman letters for identification: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon...
Later, this was deemed too complicated, so numbers were used directly. Only Mutants still used the old letter-grade system, though the new generation of professionals was also abandoning it in favor of straightforward numerical levels.
"Encountering such a powerful mechanical Other Species outside the Devil’s Pit makes me suspect something has changed inside. Everyone, please be extra cautious on this mission," Leder continued. Despite his warning, there was no intention of backing down. The client had paid, so the mission had to be completed. However, Leder’s words gave everyone pause, and Hu Ling quickly gathered his team to discuss.
Meanwhile, Dora, with the affectionate couple in tow, approached Qing Ruyan. "President, what are your thoughts?"
Qing Ruyan replied indifferently, "I require the client to pay the full compensation upfront."
Dora was speechless for a moment, but on second thought, it seemed appropriate. If something unexpected happens and we all die here, at least our life-risk payment will be secured, and our inheritance can go to those we care about.
"Alright, I’ll talk to them later," Dora agreed, then asked, "So, regarding the situation in the Yingudusi Devil’s Pit, do you have any theories?"
Qing Ruyan glanced at Leder and said calmly, "There’s no need to frighten ourselves."
Half an hour later, the convoy began to cross the majestic Morogule Mountain Range, where fierce winds made the heavy armored combat vehicles seem "unsteady." The hurricane slowed the convoy’s progress, leading to an attack by a swarm of Rust-Iron Pangolins, a Steam Mechanical Species, in the mountains.
These Steam Mechanical Species had limited combat power but were numerous—their nests were near a coal mine and an iron mine, allowing them to reproduce prolifically. The mercenaries couldn’t handle these creatures with energy guns, so ultimately, the professionals had to intervene.
This time, however, there was no significant danger. The President sat with complete composure atop a combat vehicle, doing her nails, not lifting a finger. Chen Gu became the most leisurely person in the entire team—he didn’t even need to do his nails.
Leder finally managed some gain this time, discreetly hiding away some mechanical innards. However, the innards of the Steam Mechanical Species were clearly inferior to those of the Energy Gathering Mechanical Species, so Leder remained displeased.
After crossing the Morogule Mountain Range, they entered the perimeter of the Yingudusi Devil’s Pit, where the group paused for a short break. Chen Gu jumped onto a vehicle’s roof and gazed into the distance.
Ahead lay a boundless expanse of gray-black clouds. Occasional flashes of blue or red lightning flickered within, sometimes like a live snake darting swiftly through the dense miasma. At other times, it resembled fireworks erupting in the night sky, instantaneously spreading across an immense area. Still other times, it was like a colossal, twisted sword thrusting violently from one side, instantly piercing the entire sea of clouds! A CRACKLING AND BUZZING sound came from everyone’s communication devices; strong electromagnetic interference had rendered them unusable.
Beneath the dense electromagnetic thunderclouds, the ground was a stretch of parched yellow. The undulations of the terrain were faintly visible near and far. Intermittent roars echoed from within, reminding any living creature of the extreme danger here.
Leder gathered everyone and, with a wave of his hand, activated a holographic map projection. Affected by the magnetic storm, the holographic map was unstable, flickering intermittently.
"This is a relatively reliable topographical map of the periphery, compiled from data gathered during previous expeditions into the Yingudusi Devil’s Pit," Leder explained. "Locations marked in red indicate possible sites of powerful mechanical species. Those marked in yellow are where the remains of super-lifeforms might be buried." Leder paused, then added helplessly, "As you can all see, there’s a significant overlap between the two."