Tan Jie didn't hide anything from his guests because the arms trade in Redstone Town was mainly controlled by the Red River people and the "Underground Ark." If he wanted to help the "Salvation Army" raise a batch of military exoskeletons, he would inevitably have to go through Mrs. Theresa or the Ark Management Committee.

Xue Shiyue, Zhang Qubing, and others were not only honorary chairmen of the Ark Management Committee, but they had also helped Mrs. Theresa find out the cause of her husband's death and recover the lost arms in time, helping this lady consolidate her power and channels.

In addition, Tan Jie had also heard that they had a close relationship with Lehman, a major smuggler of "United Industries," who focused on arms trade.

"A batch of military exoskeletons?" Jiang Baimian raised her hand and pressed the delicate monk mask on her face. "This is not a simple matter. Redstone Town and 'United Industries' have a good relationship, right? After so many years, you've only managed to get three military exoskeletons. Even if you add the ones gradually traded from the 'Underground Ark' over the decades, you can definitely count them on two hands."

To get a batch of military exoskeletons in a short period, unless they followed the official trade model of "First City" and "United Industries."

Tan Jie never showed any expression, making it impossible to discern his emotions:

"Their meaning is to first establish contact, complete the transaction of two to three units, and then, we don't need to worry about it."

Use Redstone Town's channels for initial contact, and after gaining some mutual trust, begin official smuggling trade? Jiang Baimian thoughtfully changed the subject:

"Captain Tan, please pass on a message that we want to meet with them. They can decide the specific time and location."

Even if the "Salvation Army" reached a formal cooperation intention with "United Industries," the subsequent transactions would definitely have to be carried out through smuggling, because "First City" was in between.

If they chose to bypass "First City," they would have to go to "Orange Company" first, and then use the "Golden Coast" to reach "United Industries."

Of course, before the Old World was destroyed, this could be done by sea, only contacting the "Golden Coast" or "Coastal Alliance," where small forces were rife. But now, the major powers with ports were too busy rebuilding other industries and lacked resources, so they naturally couldn't spare the time to build ships. Currently active on the sea routes from the "Golden Coast" to "Spirit Island" were old antiques aged seventy or eighty and up, with not a few over a hundred years old.

"Talking about military exoskeletons?" Tan Jie calmly asked in reply.

Jiang Baimian revealed a smile beneath her mask:

"No.

"You just need to tell them that we also came to Redstone Town this time to go to the Iron Mountain Ruins."

In the current era, specifically going to the Iron Mountain Ruins was itself a strange and puzzling thing.

Tan Jie didn't ask what this meant, nodding slightly:

"I will pass it on.

"I'll have someone tell you the specific results through the Ark Management Committee."

The pleasant exchange ended, and Tan Jie got up to see Xue Shiyue and the others off from the Security Office.

He glanced at Shang Jianyao, who rarely showed himself today, and said casually:

"You're not as active as before."

Shang Jianyao, wearing a monkey mask, sighed:

"I overexerted myself to show my strongman status, and the consumption was too great. I'm a little dizzy again."

He didn't say why this was so.

"Strongman status?" Tan Jie didn't inquire into his secrets either.

Shang Jianyao nodded:

"Should an Awakened at the 'Mind Corridor' level be considered a strongman?"

Tan Jie was speechless.

If he didn't know that this guy's mind was always abnormal, he would definitely think he was deliberately showing off.

Since the establishment of Redstone Town, except for the occasional Bishop of Fear who came to handle affairs, there had never been an Awakened at the "Mind Corridor" level!

Tan Jie had heard recently that Dimarco of the "Underground Ark" was suspected of being a strongman at this level, but the other party had already been killed by Xue Shiyue and the others, so there was no way to prove it.

"Tsk." Jiang Baimian couldn't stand it and teased Shang Jianyao, "Are you showing off?"

The honest Shang Jianyao answered frankly:

"Don't you think it's cool?"

As a price, no matter what, Tan Jie's face would not show any expression.

Long Yuehong muttered to himself:

Showing off his strength, wouldn't that make the enemy prepared and unable to catch them off guard?

That would be a complete loss!

Thinking of this, Long Yuehong subconsciously put his mechanical right hand into his pocket, trying to hide it.

Unfortunately, it was too obvious.

…………

In the evening, the sun was still hanging on the horizon, making the clouds look like burning fire.

The "Old Task Force" met the group suspected to be the "Salvation Army" in front of a towering high-rise building in Redstone Town, as agreed.

Because she suspected that the other party's "Mind Corridor" level strongman possessed a friendly ability similar to that of Kanna, the owner of the Dirty Parrot, allowing the Hill Men to unconsciously believe them and warmly entertain them, Jiang Baimian had Long Yuehong and Bai Chen monitor the meeting location from the top of an abandoned building 300 meters away in a straight line, ready to "awaken" herself and Shang Jianyao with sniping and bombing at any time.

Genaverre was arranged 600 meters away to prevent the actual range of influence from being stronger than the "Old Task Force" predicted.

They were like this, and so were the group suspected to be the "Salvation Army." Only the previous two met with Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao, while the others were scattered on the tops of buildings at different distances and in hidden places in the ruins.

The man with a square face and thick eyebrows, who looked only thirty-seven or eight years old, gave a simple self-introduction:

"Xu Datong."

He pointed to the young man next to him with sword-like eyebrows and a nose like a hanging gallbladder:

"Li Shouyi."

Jiang Baimian nodded, reporting her and Shang Jianyao's false names.

After the two sides completed the mutual greetings, Shang Jianyao, who had deliberately slept for a while in the afternoon, asked somewhat excitedly:

"Are you people from the 'Salvation Army'?"

Xu Datong had not encountered people who loved his own forces so much, but most of those were over forty years old.

In the late Chaotic Era and the first ten years of the New Calendar, humans lived in darkness, crushed by "Heartless Disease," aberrations, famine, war, and disorder.

At that time, the "Salvation Army," which bore the banner of "For all mankind" and was really doing so, was a veritable dawn in the eyes of many people, and they felt that their various measures were very necessary and could solve many current problems.

Xu Datong looked at Shang Jianyao and asked tentatively:

"Did your father or grandfather have a relationship with our 'Salvation Army'?"

"No." Shang Jianyao first shook his head, then stepped forward and pressed his left chest with his right hand, saying, "For all mankind!"

Xu Datong was stunned for two seconds and returned the same salute:

"For all mankind!"

Li Shouyi, who was next to him, reminded his committee member:

"He doesn't belong to our forces."

Xu Datong laughed:

"You, don't have such serious prejudices.

"In the Chaotic Era, as long as you are willing to fight to save all mankind and hold such ideals, whether you have joined the 'Salvation Army' or not, you are our brothers and sisters."

"Yes, yes!" Shang Jianyao nodded frantically.

Jiang Baimian's eyes turned slightly, and she tentatively asked:

"You seem to be older than you look?"

"I'm over fifty." Xu Datong, who looked only thirty-seven or eight years old, laughed, "I was just a little devil in the late Chaotic Era."

He didn't talk much about this and started the main topic:

"You are also very interested in the Iron Mountain Ruins?"

Jiang Baimian smiled:

"We visited the Hill Men and heard about your affairs."

Speaking of this, she decided to be "direct" a little:

"For that Buddhist holy site?"

Xu Datong was not surprised:

"So you are too..."

"We came into contact with the five major Buddhist holy sites while investigating the cause of the Old World's destruction and the origin of 'Heartless Disease,' and suspected that there were clues hidden inside." It wasn't Jiang Baimian who revealed this, but Shang Jianyao, who considered himself a member of the "Salvation Army."

Jiang Baimian didn't have time to stop him and could only listen.

Seeing Shang Jianyao treat people with sincerity and frankness, Xu Datong felt that it was necessary to say a little more:

"We noticed the Buddhist holy sites because we captured several special envoys from the Eighth Research Institute one after another. You should know about this organization, right?"

As expected of the "Salvation Army," they captured so many special envoys... Jiang Baimian asked instead of answering:

"What does this have to do with the Buddhist holy sites?"

"The Eighth Research Institute has been preventing us from investigating the origin of 'Heartless Disease' and some secrets of the Old World, which may involve the truth of that great destruction." Xu Datong further explained, "We found that in addition to destroying some secret laboratories of the Old World and killing people who possessed relevant information, they also deliberately wanted to bury the Buddhist holy sites, and of these, they accurately grasped the location of only the 'Iron Mountain Second Food Company.'"

The Eighth Research Institute actually values the Buddhist holy sites so much? Jiang Baimian immediately felt that there was really a problem here.

She pondered for a moment and pointed to Shang Jianyao, saying:

"My companion here has explored a psychological shadow that includes the 'Iron Mountain Second Food Company.'"