Chapter 128: Sophia the Welder [Please Subscribe!]

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment before turning his gaze toward Sophia.

"So, you're saying that the relationship between Base 72 and Base 37 is quite deep, and the Master Brain also favors this side. Are they simply hoarding resources and striving to seize control of mission worlds?"

Sophia nodded, her expression conflicted. "After that, Waldner became very guarded against me. I can feel that some secret must be buried in the great war forty years ago."

Zhou Yi paused, then reached out to ruffle Sophia’s long hair. "Don't be so down. Although I prefer a laid-back life, who wouldn't want their own base and to become a lord in their own right? For now, we must remain patient and low-key. Especially right now—we don't know what kind of devastating blow the bases and the Spacetime City have suffered. And at this point in time, us being dumped into this mission world... could it really be a coincidence?"

Sophia bit her lip and tapped on the control panel. Although it was covered in buttons, it was still far from user-friendly; the only functional feature was the storage compartment.

"I don't know either. After all, I wasn't even born forty years ago. Everything I know is hearsay. Just as you said, I feel that being dropped here might have a purpose. If the four of us didn't possess corresponding attributes and knowledge of mystical arts, we would have already perished in the tsunami."

Zhou Yi laughed, lifted his sleeve, and took a sniff. The smell of sweat mixed with sea salt was nauseating.

"Enough talk. Let's get some rest. We should be able to leave here by tomorrow. For now, we just need to find a safe place to hide our strength and improve our abilities as much as possible. If this is truly the precursor to a second great war, we at least need to be able to protect ourselves."

Sophia smiled. Having spoken her mind, she felt closer to Zhou Yi. She also lifted her arm to sniff, and indeed, the smell was truly unpleasant.

"I'm going first!"

She went inside, and Zhou Yi didn't argue. He stood by the window, tempted to have a smoke, but after feeling around for a pack, he decided against it. Having escaped a shipwreck, it would be highly suspicious to have cigarettes on him. Better to endure.

Sophia’s willingness to lean on him was a bit unexpected, but he didn't think less of her. Although she was a cyborg, she had her own thoughts and was quite innocent. After all, Waldner was a deeply unsettling person. From the first time they met, he had felt uncomfortable. Even after his legs healed, Waldner kept sitting in a wheelchair. Later, when he saw Zhou Yi leveling up, he tried to both guard against him and win him over. If he was planning something, it wouldn't surprise Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks, struck by a thought: Was Sophia’s behavior related to Waldner? Could it be that Waldner once tried to possess her? And because of that, in Sophia’s perception, true recognition and loyalty included giving herself physically?

Shaking his head, Zhou Yi pushed the thought away.

Sophia came out after her shower, drying her hair as she walked over to the two beds. She glanced at Zhou Yi. "Which side do you want to sleep on?"

Zhou Yi waved his hand. "Pick whichever you like; it doesn't matter to me. I'm going to shower, so you go ahead and sleep. We're both exhausted from the last couple of days."

Sophia nodded and walked toward the bed by the window. She had changed into dry clothes—a short-sleeved t-shirt and denim shorts. As her fair legs flashed into view, Zhou Yi quickly averted his eyes and ducked into the bathroom.

When he finished washing and came out, Sophia seemed to be fast asleep, her breathing deep and rhythmic. Zhou Yi lay down, but he couldn't sleep. His mind kept racing with potential problems this world might face.

They had escaped the immediate crisis, but was that really all there was to it? The bases had been attacked—all of them. Was it an assault by the Hunter race, or was it a betrayal from within, perhaps by people like Waldner and Ivy King? After all, when they returned to Base 72, they hadn't seen Waldner. Everything was far too abnormal. If it were truly a betrayal, even hiding in this world might not be safe.

However, without any prompts, he was completely in the dark, and overthinking wouldn't solve anything. Gradually, Zhou Yi relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, shortly after breakfast, people from the embassy arrived. They brought passports for the four of them, along with plane tickets. The efficiency was impressive. With nothing to pack, they followed the embassy car directly to the airport.

After a nearly fourteen-hour flight, they finally arrived in China. At the airport, they replaced their identification documents and obtained bank cards. With Fatty there, there was no need to worry about money. After paying the fees, the four of them found a hotel.

Once settled, Zhou Yi looked around and his gaze finally landed on Sophia. Since that night, her trust and reliance on him had reached a new level; it was a state of "whatever you say, I'll do."

"Now that we're back in China and temporarily out of danger, we need to discuss our next step. Should we find a place to cultivate and quietly wait for word from the base, or should we travel around this world? After all, no one knows if there are dangers here. What do you all think?"

Cheng Zhi looked at Fatty and nudged him with his leg. Fatty rolled his eyes at him. "I'm fine with whatever. If the boss wants to be a couch potato, I'll happily be idle. If the boss wants to hunt for Hunters, we'll go hunting. Or if we want to find a place to level up, that works too."

Zhou Yi didn't speak. Fatty’s answer was as good as nothing, but it was clear he just wanted to follow his lead. In his heart, Zhou Yi wanted to find a place to improve; after this incident, he felt the deficiency in his abilities. They had been a hair's breadth away from being wiped out.

However, looking at the unresponsive control panel, this situation would likely persist for a while, so hiding away forever didn't seem realistic. Plus, there was that stone egg in his body, waiting to be fed from time to time. Luckily, it was currently dormant, having not yet digested the last stone he’d fed it.

He suddenly thought of the colorful stones he had tossed into the storage compartment. He had no idea what they were and perhaps should find somewhere to have them identified.

Zhou Yi looked at Sophia, who smiled back. "Actually, it’s not that complicated. We can find a house to rest in, and we can cultivate there—we have the spirit stones on us anyway. After we recover, we can take a trip to Yunnan, rent a car, and call it a vacation. If we want to go abroad, that's possible too; there are emerald mines there, and across the border is Myanmar, which is rich in jade and gemstone deposits."

Zhou Yi pondered this and nodded slightly. Only what was in his possession was truly his; everything else was useless. "Fine. Fatty, go find a house—a detached villa would be best. Also, for the trip to Yunnan, handle the funds and supplies. You and Cheng Zhi are in charge of that; I think you both have experience."

Fatty blinked, not daring to object, while Cheng Zhi nodded. "Can I have a laptop first? I have nothing right now and can't do anything. What I had at the Solomon Islands was temporary, and I'm broke!"

Sophia flipped her hand, and a laptop landed in Fatty’s grasp. Fatty looked at Sophia, then at Zhou Yi, and completely gave up. It was the same laptop they had swiped earlier. He hadn't expected Sophia and his boss to share the same trait—a thief never leaves empty-handed!

Though he grumbled internally, he didn't slack off. With a flurry of typing, they selected a villa—not in the city center, but in a decent location—and rented a car. The group headed straight for the villa.

They bought plenty of food and necessities, and the four of them finally settled in. Fatty installed surveillance around the villa and hunkered down to juggle funds, as the trip to Yunnan would require a significant amount. He and Cheng Zhi began their work.

Watching Fatty’s methods, Cheng Zhi was deeply impressed. If he’d had those skills back in his day, he wouldn't have had such a hard time. But then, he realized it was just modern technology.

Cheng Zhi took on the role of the cook. After the group tasted his Shandong-style cooking once, they couldn't stop praising his skills. Sophia shut herself in her room to study the fire-attribute spirit stones and the book on mystical arts. From that room, flashes of light and heat erupted like someone was welding, and everyone made sure to give it a wide berth—no one wanted to end up as roasted duck.

Zhou Yi took the largest master bedroom. Fed and rested, he closed his eyes and began to organize his storage compartment. Half of the space was already taken up by a mess of things. He rummaged through it and pulled out the jar of colorful stones.

"...This is... dragon essence..."