The snow had stopped long ago, but there were still white remnants on the roofs and roadsides, all covered in silver.

Jiang Baimian ignored Shang Jianyao's attempt to make a giant snowball and smiled at Lei Yunsong, Lin Feifei, and the others:

"Let's have a good chat when we get back to the company."

The turmoil before had come too suddenly. They hadn't had time to get self-assembled radio transceivers, and the mission was already completed. They could only contact Chen Xufeng, the intelligence officer in charge of Weed City, again, report the general situation to the company through him, and apply for basic supplies for Lei Yunsong's team.

In the end, the company instructed Chen Xufeng to prepare two cars, enough food for more than half a month, and corresponding weapons and ammunition for Lei Yunsong's team, so that they could return to the underground building as soon as possible for debriefing and psychological trauma treatment.

Lei Yunsong, whose eyes didn't seem to be fully open, pressed the car door while responding to Jiang Baimian:

"You must not forget to contact the people from 'Mechanical Paradise'.

"They must have some of the secrets of the Old World's destruction!"

In their previous exchanges, the recovered Lei Yunsong, Lin Feifei, and the others recounted their team's reasons for going to Weed City and their subsequent experiences:

They had discovered several broken chips originating from intelligent robots in a wilderness wanderer settlement in the south.

After repairing, cracking, and restoring the data, they extracted some useful information from them.

This information told them that the chips came from the robot guards of "Mechanical Paradise"—they were attacked by enemy forces during a trade transaction, suffered heavy losses, and some components were scattered as a result.

In addition to their origin, the term "Master Brain" appeared repeatedly in this information, giving the impression that it had already occupied every industry in "Mechanical Paradise"—no matter which aspect of life, no one could escape its control.

In addition, some of the timestamps in the information indicated that the "Master Brain" was likely to have existed and been put into operation before the Old World's destruction.

In order to verify these matters and obtain more intelligence, Lei Yunsong's team chose to come to Weed City and start their investigation from the local Hunter's Guild—they had close cooperation with "Mechanical Paradise."

Wilderness wanderers of humble origin were obviously unlikely to be treated equally. To make the inquiry go smoothly, Lei Yunsong deliberately chose the best hotel and behaved in a way that showed that he and his team had a large force backing them.

They didn't know when they were targeted by the "Anti-Intellect Church's" "Father," but they were certain that it was after they went to North Street and visited the City Lord that they encountered that sickly man.

Regarding Lei Yunsong's "request," Jiang Baimian "mm"ed and said:

"Ultimately, it depends on the company's arrangements.

"The lead you found may very well make you responsible to the end."

Lei Yunsong sighed upon hearing this:

"After going back, we may not have the opportunity to go on field missions again.

"Our team will likely be disbanded."

Having worked in Old Task Force for so long, they still had some feelings and obsessions about this matter, so they hoped that Jiang Baimian's team could take over this lead, investigate it, and give them an answer.

Jiang Baimian comforted him:

"It depends on the final evaluation results. The chances are still pretty good."

Lei Yunsong glanced at his team members and smiled:

"This is actually a good thing.

"We all have families, and every time we come to the surface from the company, we are very uneasy, afraid that we will never go back. Well, this time we almost really didn't make it.

"Being able to transfer to internal affairs as a whole is a blessing in disguise. We don't have to worry about our wives, children, parents, and siblings anymore. Anyway, we have been adventuring in the graylands for many years and have been to many places, which is better than most of the company's employees. Well, we should be content."

You say that, but I can tell you're a little reluctant... Alas, company employees who are used to surface life rarely don't miss the outside world, even if it is full of danger... Jiang Baimian muttered to herself, put on a smile, and waved her hand:

"No matter what the final result is, it's a good thing, at least we went back alive.

"Have a safe trip!"

"See you later!" Lei Yunsong and the others also waved their hands, pulled open the car door, and got in.

After watching their vehicle drive towards South Street, Jiang Baimian slowly exhaled and said to Shang Jianyao beside her:

"How many times have you tasted it? Why do you still have expectations?"

Shang Jianyao was biting the giant snowball he had made again.

"I'm just thirsty," he replied vaguely.

Jiang Baimian clicked her tongue and walked towards the bulletproof SUV that Xu Liyan had sent:

"It's time for us to do things too."

As she spoke, she turned her head and waved to Bai Chen and Long Yuehong behind the second-floor window, signaling them to get busy.

After all, the Eugene Slaver Hunting Team was still outside the city, and the mission to capture the "kidnapper" was still pending.

And the latest news that Bai Chen had inquired about was that after a brief shootout, the Eugene gang had elected a new leader who inherited the slaving certificate.

The new leader obviously didn't want to find Eugene. He just wanted to catch the "real culprit" to show that he was loyal and to win people over.

Throwing away the giant snowball in his hand, Shang Jianyao entered the driver's seat and started the car.

—Because Long Yuehong didn't open the window, Shang Jianyao gave up the idea of throwing a snowball at him, as that would break the glass.

"There are two things next," Jiang Baimian, who was in the passenger seat, leaned back, took out Chen Xufeng's "reply," and said simply, "First, find Xu Liyan and show that we are from 'Pangu Biology,' hoping to establish a mutually beneficial relationship; second, personally interrogate the fake 'Father' once to grasp as much information about the 'Anti-Intellect Church' as possible."

This was the new mission assigned to them by the company.

Because Shang Jianyao had been immersed in playing in the snow for the past two or three days, Jiang Baimian was worried that he hadn't been listening carefully at the time, so she had to repeat it again.

"We are already in a mutually beneficial relationship," Shang Jianyao said as if he and Xu Liyan were brothers for life.

Jiang Baimian sneered:

"How long can this last?

"The company also saw that Xu Liyan had a rift with the 'First City,' so they thought about whether they could win him over.

"If we succeed, then even if you guys go from 'deep brotherly love' to 'severed ties,' we won't have to worry about not being able to leave Weed City."

A relationship of interest is the easiest to change and the most stable.

Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and then asked:

"What is a mutually beneficial relationship?"

"It means that everyone is not together in name, but they earn money together, enjoy blessings together, and in times of trouble, um, they will provide some support depending on the situation. In short, being able to conveniently bury a nail and make the 'First City' uncomfortable will definitely satisfy the directors," Jiang Baimian explained casually.

"They're like children," Shang Jianyao commented.

Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes at him.

...

As the City Lord's bosom buddy, Shang Jianyao saw Xu Liyan without any effort.

He was still followed by the robe-clad Mechanical Monk Jing Nian.

As soon as he saw Jing Nian, Shang Jianyao began to sway his body gently with a strange rhythm, and was then glared back by Jiang Baimian.

"City Lord Xu, there is something I would like to discuss with you," Jiang Baimian signaled with her eyes that this was not suitable for Zen Master Jing Nian to hear.

Xu Liyan shook his head with a smile:

"Given my relationship with Jianyao, feel free to say anything.

"Well, don't worry about the Zen Master. We have a confidentiality agreement, and the monks have always been very trustworthy."

Jiang Baimian didn't insist, pulled out the chair opposite the desk, and sat down.

She smiled slightly:

"City Lord Xu, have you ever considered strengthening your own strength?"

Hearing this, Shang Jianyao glanced at his team leader and tightly closed his mouth.

Xu Liyan's expression suddenly became serious:

"What do you mean by that?"

Jiang Baimian's gaze swept from Xu Liyan to the Mechanical Monk Jing Nian, and then she withdrew it:

"Like this attack, once the enemy breaks through the bodyguard's blockade and restricts Zen Master Jing Nian's activities, you, City Lord, are like a lamb to the slaughter, and others can do whatever they want to you.

"I know that you can hire many bodyguards, including the Guild's 'Advanced Hunters.' Normally speaking, it is difficult for anyone to assassinate you, but there are always exceptions. If your own strength can be enhanced, then at a crucial moment, it may be a winning move.

"You should be very clear that there are too many unconventional weapons and humans in this world."

For Xu Liyan, the "Father" incident was the most dangerous situation he had experienced since birth. Every time he thought of his shivering and helplessness at the critical moment, he felt frightened and uneasy, so he had nightmares for several days.

"Then what should I do?" Xu Liyan tried to make himself appear less anxious.

Jiang Baimian smiled:

"In the graylands, there are many ways to improve yourself, but very few that transcend the ordinary:

"One is to become an Awakened, but that really depends on fate. It's not about trying hard, it's not about having power and influence, you can succeed; second is to upload your consciousness and become an 'Eternal,' which is indeed a great temptation for humans in their later years, but City Lord, you are still young and have a lot you haven't enjoyed; third is mechanical modification. Given your relationship with the 'First City,' it is not that difficult, but you may not be able to get the best equipment, and the image is not that good..."

After saying a lot, Jiang Baimian changed the subject:

"You see, my bio-prosthetic limb has no abnormalities in appearance, but it has capabilities that surpass humans."

Silver-white arcs of electricity jumped between her fingers.

Xu Liyan was silent for a moment and said:

"You are from 'Pangu Biology'?"

"Yes," Jiang Baimian replied with a smile, "Compared to immature genetic modification, bio-prosthetic limb technology is already quite reliable."

Xu Liyan looked at her silently for more than ten seconds, and finally asked:

"What do you want?"

Jiang Baimian laughed:

"We don't want much.

"It's enough for us that you are alive, that you still control Weed City, and that you still maintain Weed City's freedom.

"If we can also buy some items here that we can't buy through normal trade, we would be very grateful.

"City Lord Xu, you can't maintain balance by putting the weight on one side of the scales."

Xu Liyan pondered for a moment and did not answer directly:

"I'll think about it."