Morning.
A vertical take-off and landing transport aircraft hovered above the Crimson Moon Knights' base. Nangong Jilin and others raised the Nuwa-grade shields around the villa, causing the transport aircraft to stop on the road. The cabin door opened, and a man in military uniform, a lieutenant colonel with two stars on his shoulders, stepped out. He held a delicate box in his hands and said, "I'm looking for Lin Zhao. I have a package for him."
"Oh~~~"
Nangong Jilin stepped forward, his Emperor Yan-grade armor rippling. He smiled and said, "I'm sorry, but this residence is currently under strict protection by our Shen family, and we can't let you in. How about... you give me the item, and I'll pass it on to Lin Zhao?"
"Hmm?"
The lieutenant colonel narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Lord Crimson Moon asked me to deliver it to Lin Zhao personally. I won't hand it over to just anyone. Your Shen Group is indeed powerful, but... we in the military don't play by those rules."
"Hmph hmph~~~"
Nangong Jilin chuckled a few times, "People brought out by Murong Feiyue are indeed different. Alright, I'm just kidding. I'll go find Lin Zhao and have him collect the package himself?"
"Okay, thanks!"
"You're welcome~~~"
A short while later, Lin Zhao walked out from the living room. The moment he saw the other person's appearance, he guessed what was in the box, a smile of excitement on his face. "Xihe-grade armor?"
"That's right."
The lieutenant colonel recognized Lin Zhao and nodded with a smile, "Take it. Lord Feiyue said to train diligently in its use. You indeed need to learn to protect yourself."
"Mm!"
Lin Zhao took the box and nodded with a smile, "Thank you, and I apologize for the trouble!"
"You're welcome!"
The lieutenant colonel gave Lin Zhao a military salute. Lin Zhao felt a bit awkward, as he couldn't exactly greet him with a fist-and-palm salute in real life. So, he could only nod and smile, watching the other person return to the plane. With the roar of the engines, the large military transport plane slowly ascended, breaking through the aerial shield of Suzhou in an instant, and heading east.
Lin Zhao held the box, feeling delighted.
"Xihe-grade individual combat armor system?" Nangong Jilin asked.
Beside him, several Shen family bodyguards also looked on with envy.
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded, "What? Is it that strange? Your Shen family is wealthy and powerful, so you should be quite familiar with this kind of armor by now?"
"It's different."
Nangong Jilin shook his head, "The highest-grade armor systems on the market are Emperor Yan-grade, and you need purchase authorization to acquire them. Otherwise, you can only buy them on the black market. As for the Xihe-grade in your hands, it's the most advanced armor system globally, exclusively for military use. We can't buy it even with money."
"Is that so..."
Lin Zhao grinned, "That's truly... delightful..."
Nangong Jilin nodded and smiled, "Has the young lady woken up yet?"
"She's up and having breakfast with us. We'll go online to level up after eating."
"Mm-hmm."
Nangong Jilin chuckled, "That's good, that's good~~~"
...
Lin Zhao returned to the living room. Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Ding Chi, Roman, and others gathered around, watching the unboxing ceremony of the Xihe-grade armor. It truly lived up to its reputation as the world's most advanced armor. The box was exquisite. After opening the outer packaging, there was a fingerprint verification. Residents of the Hua Xia region had their fingerprints registered in the system long ago, so Lin Zhao placed his fingers for verification. The second layer of the box opened, followed by a DNA authentication system. Lin Zhao pressed his palm again, and this metal protective layer unlocked. Beneath it was a fist-sized piece of nano-armor. The data within the armor flashed, indicating it had completed its identity binding with Lin Zhao. The moment he picked it up and placed it on his left arm, the nano-armor unfolded, fitting snugly around Lin Zhao's elbow like a light ring.
"Is that it?" Ding Chi asked.
"Not yet."
Chen Xue smiled, "Do you know how to activate it?"
"No."
Lin Zhao said with anticipation, "Teach me?"
"Mm."
Chen Xue gently tapped the armor, and its outer layer peeled away, revealing a fiery red insignia. She smiled, "Just press it with your finger."
"Okay!"
As Lin Zhao pressed it, his whole body trembled. The armor system began to extend, and the nano-materials covered his entire body in an instant, forming a dense, solid armor around him. Only his head was exposed, but a water-like shimmering shield surrounded it, the helmet of the armor system, allowing him to breathe, perceive the outside clearly, swim, and resist fire and impact. It had numerous functions. Furthermore, an operational interface appeared in Lin Zhao's vision, scanning everything in the living room and analyzing its threat level. Chen Xue's armor on her elbow was highlighted as the highest threat.
"Whoa..."
Lin Zhao's brows furrowed, experiencing the various differences of wearing armor for the first time. No wonder this armor was so expensive. If an ordinary person wore such a set of armor, they would be practically invincible!
"Alright."
Chen Xue smiled, "Mentally recite 'Deactivate armor state'."
"Mm?"
Lin Zhao nodded. The moment he thought of these words, the armor on his body retracted, eventually returning to the small, light armor box on his elbow. This armor box was very small and almost invisible when wearing a shirt.
"Awesome..."
Ding Chi and Zhang Jun both gave a thumbs-up.
Shen Xingchen sat to the side, drinking tea, and said with a smile, "Next time, there should be no problem with being a hero saving the damsel."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao scratched his head, "Xingchen, you're not as cute when you're being sarcastic."
Shen Xingchen pursed her lips and said no more, continuing to maintain her cuteness.
Mo Chenxue, standing nearby, blushed. She naturally knew who Shen Xingchen was referring to with the hero saving the damsel, but she didn't know what to say. She walked to Lin Zhao and tugged at his sleeve, "Brother, thank you..."
"It's nothing."
Lin Zhao smiled and nodded.
Roman pursed her lips, her beautiful eyes fixed on Mo Chenxue. This Mo Chenxue seemed a little displeasing!
...
"Alright."
Lin Zhao turned and said, "Everyone go online and do what you need to do. While our energy is high early in the morning, Xue, can you find a place to train me on how to use the armor?"
"Sure."
Chen Xue smiled and nodded, "This villa was custom-made by the military for Sister Feiyue, so there's an underground training room downstairs. Shall we go?"
"Let's go!"
Lin Zhao excitedly walked side-by-side with Chen Xue to the basement.
Then, everyone watched their retreating backs, each lost in their own thoughts.
Shen Xingchen: Going to the basement already? A man and a woman alone... I really want to follow and see. Otherwise, how can I live up to A Yan's instructions...
Mo Chenxue: Brother and Sister Chen Xue have such good feelings for each other...
Roman: Damn, it's over...
Ding Chi: Basement and a top-tier beauty Vice-Alliance Leader.Avi?
Zhang Jun: It's over. Such a good cabbage like Chen Xue is going to be gobbled up by this pig A Zhao...
...
For a full hour, the sound of continuous striking echoed from the training room. Chen Xue, the emotionless woman, beat Lin Zhao for an entire hour. After an hour, Lin Zhao lay limply in the corner of the training room. He gently tapped his arm, deactivating the Xihe-grade armor's training mode, and waved his hand, "Come help me. I'm going back for a shower before going online."
"Is that all you've got..."
Chen Xue looked at him and smiled.
"Am I that bad?" Lin Zhao asked.
"Your stamina is okay, but your power and speed are a bit lacking."
After saying that, Chen Xue realized how awkward the statement sounded and her cheeks flushed. "Don't overthink it, I'm just talking about the training, nothing else..."
Lin Zhao glanced at her, "What could I overthink? I've never had a girlfriend in my life, I'm a poor nobody, and I have no appeal to women. I don't fully understand what you're saying."
"No appeal to women?"
Chen Xue felt a black line appear over her forehead, wishing she could punch him again. Is he truly foolish or pretending to be? Even I'm starting to like you a little, and you say you have no appeal to women? Aren't Leng Yan, Roman, Mo Chenxue, and the others women? And... they are all stunningly beautiful women. Did this guy's brain get frozen by the cold wind on Xue Yu Tian Chi?
Chen Xue looked concerned and, after helping Lin Zhao up, touched his forehead.
"What? I don't have a fever," Lin Zhao said.
"It's nothing, I'm just checking if your brain is waterlogged..."
"Chen Xue, you bastard..."
"Ah, Alliance Leader, spare me, it hurts~~~"
...
A short while later, Lin Zhao and Chen Xue both took a cold shower and went online.
"Shua!"
Lin Zhao appeared on Xue Yu Tian Chi. It was the middle of the night in the game. The heavy snow had just stopped, and Xue Yu Tian Chi was covered in snow. The ground crunched with every step. Lin Zhao leaped up and landed on a high platform in the camp, gazing north. The northern land was pitch black, but within it, faint wisps of fluorescent light seemed to flicker and rise from the snow. The light wasn't very bright but had extreme penetrating power, visible from Xue Yu Tian Chi dozens of miles away.
And these faint lights were not solitary. They crisscrossed the northern land, a total of ten of them!
"What are those?"
Lin Zhao stared into the distance, frowning.
Not far away, Xiang Ji, who was sharpening his sword on the city wall, glanced in the distance and said, "It's nothing... They've been there for many years. Perhaps they are some lost treasures from the Upper Five Realms during the Great Battle of Xue Yu Tian Chi. Over the years, many treasure hunters and thieves have appeared in the territory of Xue Yu Tian Chi. I don't know if they've found any treasures."
Lin Zhao frowned. He felt that those were not treasures. On the contrary, he could sense wisps of sword intent rising from the locations of those fluorescent lights. After all, he was a sword cultivator and possessed a Sword Cultivation Lake, giving him a stronger perception of sword intent. As for Xiang Ji, he was a brute, a ninth-realm martial artist who couldn't possibly sense any sword intent.
He walked forward and conversed with Xiang Ji, discovering there were still no quests. So, today would be another day of grinding. He couldn't be idle. Every bit counts. Diligence leads to prosperity. The entire Xue Yu Tian Chi awaited his rebuilding!
Drawing his sword, mounting his horse.
Descending the mountain, slaying demons!