Chapter 136: The Man in Black [Second Installment!]

Zhou Yi cast a glance at Sophia. The harvest here had been bountiful, and his stash of spirit stones was effectively full. Even if they stayed, there was no guarantee they would find another water rat capable of excavating them, so it was time to leave.

"We’ll head out shortly. We can return to the villa; we don’t have enough space to carry all these spirit stones. We can absorb some of the ordinary ones, but honestly, this storage box needs an upgrade. It feels too small now; it can’t hold much of anything."

Sophia looked Zhou Yi up and down, a look of helplessness on her face. "Opening the storage box for you was the limit of my authorization. I can’t expand it any further unless you become a territory lord. By then, the storage space will be about the size of a dozen-square-meter room."

"I was just saying. Call them; we’re leaving now. But we can’t leave these things behind; we have to take them with us."

Sophia had no objections. Even though it was an abandoned mine shaft, there was always a chance someone might come exploring. If they ran into hunters, the residual aura on these items might lead them right to their location.

Thinking of this, she quickly stood up and called the other two. Cheng Zhi used material from their tent to pack the items into two large bundles. The Fatty curled his lip but stepped forward, conscientiously shouldering one.

Although Sophia was close with their boss, she was still a deputy lord and a woman, so neither Cheng Zhi nor the Fatty dared to order her around. And so, with Cheng and the Fatty carrying the packs and Zhou Yi leading Sophia by the hand, the four of them made their way out.

As they walked, Zhou Yi glanced at Cheng Zhi. The wounds on his hands and body had mostly healed; he figured since his injuries were more severe, they hadn't completely closed, but his spirits seemed high. Feeling the gaze, Cheng Zhi quickly asked, "Is something wrong, sir?"

Zhou Yi gestured with his chin toward the direction of the mine shaft they had visited earlier. "Did you find anything in the tunnels you went to?"

Cheng Zhi shook his head and said, "There was all sorts of junk in the tunnels they had excavated, but we didn't find anything of note. Those people must have evacuated in a great hurry, as if they dropped everything and ran. I don't know if it was because of that water rat."

Zhou Yi nodded. That was likely true; if they were just ordinary people, they would have had no way to fend off such a creature.

"Let’s clear out."

With that, he waved his hand toward the tunnel. The water that had been diverted into the surrounding walls began to seep out rapidly. Since the place had been flooded anyway, it was better to keep it that way, leaving no traces of their visit.

Having finished, he turned and headed up. Their ascent was much faster than their descent; despite carrying heavy loads, the path was clear of danger. Once they emerged from the mine, the heat outside was intense, but it put their minds at ease.

The Fatty and Cheng Zhi loaded the supplies into the vehicle. Zhou Yi looked around; coming to this world had been fraught with peril, but the rewards were substantial, which brought him some comfort.

Without further delay, he and Sophia approached the car. A layer of dust had accumulated on it, mixed with muddy grime. Zhou Yi frowned slightly. Before they went down, the car hadn't been this dirty despite being driven for two days. Why was there so much dust now?

The Fatty ran over from the trunk, brushing dust off his hands and clothes. "Boss, the car is so dirty. We were only down there for a few hours; how did it get like this?"

Zhou Yi didn't speak. He looked around; beyond the sound of insects and birds, there was nothing unusual. "Get in the car; let’s leave first. This place feels unsettling."

As soon as they got in and Cheng Zhi turned the key, he was stunned—the engine wouldn't start! The Fatty looked nervous, tapping Cheng Zhi on the arm. "Don't panic, try again!"

Just then, Sophia sat bolt upright, staring at the distant mountain peak, her expression guarded. Zhou Yi followed her gaze but saw nothing. "What is it?"

Sophia pointed toward the spot. "People. A lot of them, at least a dozen. But I can't sense their auras; they seem to have intentionally masked them. These aren't ordinary people from this world."

The Fatty shivered and reached down to grab a metal baseball bat from the floorboard. "What kind of people? Miners? Or are there hunters here?"

Sophia shook her head; she didn't know.

Zhou Yi quickly commanded, "Stay calm. Sophia, you drive; this car is too much for Cheng Zhi to handle."

Cheng Zhi jumped out of the driver's seat. Sophia didn't even leave the car; she slid through the gap into the driver's seat, fingering the key. She didn't rush to turn it, appearing to sense the car for a moment before twisting the ignition. This time, the engine roared to life. Cheng Zhi hopped back in, and the Fatty swapped seats with Zhou Yi—he knew his own limitations and stepped aside for his boss.

Zhou Yi projected his consciousness to scan the mountain ridge. He did indeed detect twelve figures, but they were just lying there, motionless. "Drive quickly. They aren't moving, so we won't strike first."

Sophia nodded and slammed on the gas. The car surged forward, heading in the opposite direction toward the gap in the valley—the way they had come, where there was a relatively flat mountain road.

As the car moved, the people on the opposite ridge began to move as well, closing in at high speed. It was similar to Sophia’s movement technique; with just a few leaps, they reached the valley pass. Now, even without Zhou Yi saying a word, the Fatty and Cheng Zhi spotted them.

They were all dressed in black with face masks, carrying firearms. This discovery made the Fatty shout repeatedly, "Boss, they have guns! All dozen of them have guns!"

Zhou Yi pursed his lips. In all the worlds he had visited, no one had used firearms. This world was indeed dangerous. But who were these people? Why were they waiting here, and why were they so arrogant?

There was no time to ponder, as the group had already blocked the path. A burst of gunfire erupted, striking the ground. Sophia slammed on the brakes, staring at the men.

The black-clad figures tightened their encirclement, aiming their weapons at the four occupants of the car. Finally, a tall, burly man stepped forward. He had slightly wavy flaxen hair, deep green eyes, and a wolf-like gaze, his excitement at finding prey evident.

Upon seeing this man, the fingers gripping Sophia's steering wheel turned white. Zhou Yi glanced at her. "You know him?"

Sophia let out a soft sound. "He’s Black Panther, a cyborg like me. We were selected from the same orphanage, trained and screened through layers of tests, and then assigned to different bases. His abilities are devious; he possesses two elemental affinities and has studied illusions from the hidden ones in the Spacetime City. Many have fallen for his tricks. He is Aivie King's right-hand man and the de facto ruler of Base 37."

Zhou Yi was startled. He looked at the man outside the car. He hadn't expected someone to cause Sophia such disgust and fear; it showed that his abilities were extraordinary. Moreover, Sophia had mentioned before that Aivie King had a special relationship with Waldner. Since Aivie King was a renowned warrior in Spacetime City, it stood to reason that his deputy would be formidable.

"Don't be nervous. We have to face what we have to face. They have guns; even if we abandoned the car to run, you and I might make it, but the Fatty and Cheng Zhi would be done for. Let's go out and talk; let's see what he wants. If we're all in the same world, it's better to coexist peacefully if we can."

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping out. Sophia knew that hiding in the car wasn't an option; she had to face it, and Black Panther had come specifically for her. But seeing him made her sick; there was none of the excitement one might feel seeing someone from their base.

The Fatty and Cheng Zhi naturally followed Zhou Yi, gripping their baseball bat and machete. Although they couldn't compare to the firearms, it helped bolster their confidence.

When Black Panther saw Sophia step out, he flashed a smile. However, Sophia did not approach him; she stood with Zhou Yi and the others, back-to-back, keeping a wary eye on him. Under these circumstances, no one in their right mind would believe Black Panther was just there to say hello.

"Ha, still the same, aren't you? Do you think I’m going to eat you?"

Black Panther grinned and took two steps forward. Sophia held a fireball in her hand, staring coldly at him. "I don't think holding guns is a sign of friendliness. Why stop me? Just say it."