At dusk, the clouds in the sky are getting thicker, and birds and mosquitoes fly in swarms in the mountains and forests, flying up and down, mixing with the heat and humidity remaining during the day, like smoke and miasma. So much so that the light cast by the setting sun blurred out and turned into a strange yellow mist, filling the forest.
On the edge of the mountain forest, on the highland near the water, in a temporarily opened clearing, the Deep Blue Cluster temporarily landed to rest.
About a dozen kilometers northwest of them, there was a column of gray and black smoke rising and drifting away. It could be seen clearly with the last bit of sunlight.
That was the latest result of the Deep Blue Cluster, an underground aberrant bacterial colony that was still in a period of rapid expansion. Judging from its location, it is possible that it is a branch of "Baifengjun", the most famous extraordinary lair near Lake City in the west of the Great Golden Triangle...
Since it is not the true form of "Baifeng Lord", everyone doesn't care too much. The purpose of clearing this abnormal bacterial colony is actually to ensure the safety of the surrounding environment during the limited time of landing and rest.
Although strictly speaking, they are still within the sphere of influence of "Baifeng Lord", and such behavior is somewhat "offensive", but if the big boss who dominates everything does this, what do they think of these little pawns?
When there is time for worry or aftertaste, it is better to seize the time and finish the things at hand.
Yes, it is said to be resting, but in fact, what is really resting is only the Dark Blue Walker equipment.
The Deep Blue Walker exoskeleton armor is certainly the pinnacle of Earth's military technology, but as long as it is a mechanical device, it cannot avoid maintenance.
The more sophisticated the equipment, the more so.
What special alloys, maglev motors, high-energy storage boxes, bioelectric induction systems, etc., all sound high-end, but if we really want to engage in long-distance maneuvers, we are still far away from them. No lubricants, coolants, cleaners...and of course spare parts for various wear parts.
What's more, from the underground engineering camp outside Huaicheng, all the way to the depths of the vast mountains on the west side of the Golden Triangle, flying for three to four hundred kilometers without touching the ground, the whole journey was a completely new experience for people and equipment systems.
The resulting consumption and wear may not necessarily be covered by conventional first- and second-level maintenance items. The system self-check function must be turned on, and the coordination and cooperation of the operator is required.
As a result, during this break, everyone could only take turns to take a breather, and the limited mechanics were so busy that they vomited blood.
Zhao Xi is no exception.
Even though he had earned the title of "Maintenance Engineer" through multiple rounds of exams and competitions during his limited service time, he seemed to have distanced himself from the top soldiers. But as long as there is the word "xiu" in the title, the job is still the same.
In fact, he felt that he was particularly miserable today.
It was just busy, but the biggest boss he had ever encountered in his life was right next to him.
Ronan is very interested in the repair and maintenance of the Blue Walker exoskeleton. During the break, he no longer engaged in those mysterious theories and preaching, nor did he choose and combine those magical "land cards" and "creature cards". He just chose Zhao Xi, the unlucky guy, and followed him with interest. , join the work of the mechanics.
It’s true that I joined in: I watched it at first, but then I started to use it directly without adding any trouble. It’s very skillful!
Except for the occasional statement from a superior person such as "Professional engineering movements should be developed", most of the time, he is no different from a skilled worker.
They can cooperate with others and work alone, ask questions when they don't understand, and communicate in a timely manner during operations. It is obvious that they have formed very good working habits.
This is not a staged show, but it is more terrifying than a show.
Zhao Xi felt very awkward. Due to his current understanding of "camp" and "position", he seemed to be exposing secrets, and in full view of the public.
The problem is, Meng Tu, the nominal commander, pretends not to see it. What can he do?
The feeling of embarrassment and helplessness coexisted with the smoothness of quickly solving the tasks at hand, making the awkwardness continue to increase. Zhao Xi felt that he needed to say something, even if it was an awkward chat:
"Um, Mao Yan is really... fooling around with you?"
"Help each other."
Still very humble... passed it, right?
Zhao Xi curled his lips secretly: "You are the main one."
"Oh, there's more I can do right now."
Zhao Xi's mind flashed with Maoyan's lazy and unruly look, and he sighed from the bottom of his heart: "She has such a wild temper. Only a boss like you can control her."
"I can't say...there are burrs here, please replace them in advance."
"Okay. By the way, when she comes back this time, she has more work to do. Did you develop it?"
"Cough!" Fries coughed heavily. He was worried and kept following behind. At this time, because he was Zhao Xi's direct superior, he intervened:
"What Lao Zhao means is that Maoyan is now engaged in drone reconnaissance, and it's impressive. We never thought before that the psychic perception of ability users can cooperate so well with mechanical equipment."
Ronan opened the accessories box and selected suitable spare parts. Without raising his head, Ronan said casually: "It should be said that the theory and technology have developed to this point, and it has just entered a period of change. If you study hard, your skills will be updated more frequently. Maoyan... She’s already lazy.”
"The change was initiated by you, and by the way, you got rid of the rest of us."
Frith is the kind of person who really has the guts.
Zhao Xi grinned as he heard this.
Ronan's response was quite gentle, just like his dexterous operation in the transmission module room under the side of the exoskeleton. There was no irritating stickiness or friction, but only the crisp and smooth sound that should be made when the accessories are combined:
"No. It is true that many of you have made some short-sighted modifications, but with the development of movement technology, the replacement of in-house movements should become the norm. Basically, the negative impact can be minimized."
“Then we fell from the front to the back.”
Fries seems a bit aggressive. He has always been like this. In the end, he complained: "I came here for the prestige and treatment. But after being stabbed, times have changed. After retirement, I may have to rely on disability subsidies to live... ...What kind of boss did Maoyan find?"
Speaking of the emotional part, he slapped Ronan on the back - this young man was bending over to change accessories, his posture was too sloppy. alright!
The scene froze for a moment.
The most frozen person was Frith himself. The surroundings were so quiet that he could hear the blood flowing in his ear canal.
In these few seconds, only Ronan remained in his original state, still hunched over, and responded calmly:
“Qualified equipment can be mass-produced, but qualified fighters are difficult and in short supply.
"In addition, some designs of the Deep Blue series movements are hidden and not responsible enough, but the basic patterns and shapes are still very classic, and there is nothing wrong with them. It is more important to have correct thinking formed in actual combat."
Fries didn't respond immediately, he hadn't recovered yet.
Instead, Zhao Xi asked in a low voice: "In a few years, there will be fewer places to fight..."
After all, Fries had a big heart. He came back to his senses as soon as he was buffered. He laughed loudly and said in a louder voice: "You have control over places like the Golden Triangle. Go back and launch a full-scale counterattack. As long as you are not like some people who want to do something. Any kind of industry must come to an end at some point. Come on, it may as well come to an end...parallel imports, what do you think?"
Because of the water radical in his name, he was given this nickname. Zhao Xi was used to it. He grinned: "I am a technician. I am popular whether I fight or not. I don't really come here to make a lot of money."
"Are you really not going to fight again?" The person who spoke this time was Fireman Banner. He had been eavesdropping for a long time and couldn't help but interject, "Why do I feel that a full-scale war is about to begin?"
"Probably not..." As a technician, Zhao Xi still wanted to make money safely.
"I'll fight for it."
"..."
Fries continued to complain: "The determination of disability seems to be nothing..."
He is the commander after all, and there are some things he dares to think about: "Speaking of which, with the correct thinking you mentioned, can one learn the Diagram of Heaven, Man and Demon no matter what version of the movement it is?"
"You can, but you won't learn much."
"Yes, it is indeed affected."
Ronan walked to Zhao Xi, lowered his head to look at the self-test program interface, and patiently replied: "At present, there is no difference for everyone. Some barriers are not easy to pass, and the feasibility of multiple levels needs to be verified."
"Isn't it even possible with a movement that's 'responsible enough' as you said?"
"It's not a problem with the movement."
"Well, not even ordinary people and ability users who have not been transformed?"
"no."
"Then what kind of inexplicable thing is this?" Fries complained habitually, but suddenly realized something and looked at Ronan again.
The latter was still staring at the self-test interface, checking the operation manual one by one, and said smoothly: "Anyway, let me try it first."
"You...first?" Fries was in a daze.
Zhao Xi's thinking slowed down for more than a beat, and he thought he understood: "In this era, the eldest brother, don't laugh at the second brother. Ordinary people are not immune to anything." Fris came to his senses and curled his lips: "The era of distortion. , who is still the White Lotus? If there are aliens, maybe all of us will be terminally ill and disabled at level 10."
Ronan sighed: "Is there a possibility: aliens are not much better."
Fries was startled, then laughed loudly.
It has to be said that the atmosphere in the Deep Blue Cluster is relaxing, and the fearful or hostile looks directed at Ronan are decreasing.
Ronan was chatting with Zhao Xi and Fries. Although there were only a few people who dared to interrupt like Banner, many people looked over secretly, listened with their ears open... and frowned and giggled along with the conversation.
Meng Tu stood aside quietly. His work was forced to be postponed, but he still had to work hard, ahem, to stand up for the last shift.
It was this position that he was about to leave that helped him observe all this from a relatively detached perspective.
There is no doubt that Ronan is charming.
The powerful ability, extremely close distance, and most importantly, the high-intensity information output throughout the day, as well as efficient feedback, made a group of originally resentful Burners unknowingly radiated by his charm.
The Burners began to understand:
They were not standing at the top, and there was no dead end ahead.
Many people started thinking. No matter what you think about, reason itself is the enemy of emotion.
Of course, it's impossible to eliminate everyone's hostility.
And this was probably never Ronan's purpose.
Seeing that the maintenance had come to an end, Ronan had already packed the tool box. Meng Tu gathered his thoughts for a moment and walked over to report on the work: "After this round of rest, it will probably be better." It will take about ten minutes. Currently, 'Baifengjun' has not responded. Do you think we should continue to advance or consider setting up camp?"
"It's getting late..."
Not only was it getting late, but while Ronan was pondering, the sun behind the mountains in the west seemed to be grabbed by someone and suddenly pulled below the horizon.
The sky suddenly darkened, and there was still a bit of warm yellow color in the distance. Nearby, there was a large cloud of smoke and mist rolling up. It was green and blue, wrapped in the breath and chirping of birds and animals in the mountain forest. For a moment, it swept away the heat and humidity, and the chill. Heart and spleen.
Meng Tu looked at the changes in the surrounding environment, frowned, and spoke faster: "Considering the wilderness conditions, if you sleep in the wild, you still need to have basic defenses, and you can prepare them now; if you want to march at night, walk from the sky, I lack experience and need you to make a decision.”
Ronan said "Oh": "The situation is basically under control now, and the sampling efficiency is also very high... Accordingly, everyone is also very tired, and there is no need to maintain a high state of tension."
Those around who could hear this conversation breathed a sigh of relief. But at the same time, people's eyes turned to Meng Tu, who felt his shoulders sink vaguely. He took a breath and gave a clear opinion:
"The underground flora just defeated is likely to be related to 'Baifengjun'. If you stay here for a long time, it is difficult to ensure safety. The mountainous area where we are located is 150 meters away from Guanglin, the satellite city in the north of Lake City. If you walk many kilometers from the sky, you can choose to go directly to the city to rest, but you need to pass through the core sphere of influence of 'Baifengjun'. If you are marching normally, I don't recommend this."
Even though he said he didn't recommend it, Meng Tu couldn't help but peek at Ronan's face: This man looks quite peaceful, but what if something arouses his rebellious mentality?
Speaking of which...he hasn't even passed the stage of changing his voice.
Ronan made no comment.
Meng Tu breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "In addition, if you veer slightly to the southeast and bypass the dangerous area, about 70 kilometers away, there is an advanced base in Lake City. Just now, the Lake City Close Defense Force Headquarters proactively contacted and was willing to provide Barracks.”
"Lake City Close Defense Force?" Ronan laughed when he heard this, "Someone from Lake City just contacted me and wanted to show their kindness as a landlord."
Meng Tu took it for granted: "President Gao?"
"His confidant."
Meng Tu was surprised: This...is just putting on airs! We are almost at the end of our rope. Are we really going to stop making even a single phone call?
He didn't dare to say that he thought so.
Ronan didn't mind at all, he just thought thoughtfully:
"Baifeng-kun..."
Meng Tu's scalp feels tight. I think many people have similar feelings:
Don't make things extraneous!
Isn't there nothing about "Baifeng Jun" on your homework map?
Fortunately, Ronan just turned this troublesome nest of aberrations around his mouth and immediately showed his face:
"It's up to the guest to do as he pleases. Since I've made arrangements, just go."
