Zhen Hua's Office.
After being treated by Jing Shaoyu, Zhen Hua's injuries had fully healed. He looked at the somewhat silent and uneasy Chang Gong Yan and his disciple in the office and said, "Please, have a seat."
Upon hearing this, Chang Gong Yan's expression relaxed slightly, but then he frowned again and asked, "Do you trust us?"
Zhen Hua replied calmly, "I don't trust you, but I trust my judgment. Now, tell me, what is your true background?"
At this point, Chang Gong Yan had no reason to hide anything. He explained in detail that he and Lin Yuhan were both blacksmiths from the Star Luo Continent. To be precise, he was the vice president of the Star Luo Continent's Blacksmith Association and had come to the Douluo Continent as part of a delegation for an exchange program.
Naturally, Zhen Hua didn't take Chang Gong Yan's words at face value. He made a phone call in front of everyone. As the only Divine Craftsman in the Douluo Federation, he had many connections, and it was easy for him to verify Chang Gong Yan's identity through his friends.
Once Chang Gong Yan's identity was confirmed, the next steps were straightforward. The likelihood of Chang Gong Yan being involved in the assassination attempt on Zhen Hua was minimal. Chang Gong Yan explained that he had been provoked by a blacksmith named Ning Fengzhi to challenge Zhen Hua at the Blacksmith Association.
Both Zhen Hua and Mu Ye showed expressions of confusion, as they had never heard of Ning Fengzhi.
"Could it be an Evil Soul Master?" Jing Shaoyu voiced his thoughts while inwardly吐槽ing the outrageous name Ning Fengzhi.
"Evil Soul Master?" Jing Shaoyu's words sent a shock through Zhen Hua and Mu Ye. Zhen Hua immediately said, "That's entirely possible!"
Mu Ye also didn't hesitate, "If it's an Evil Soul Master, then everything makes sense. In recent years, Evil Soul Masters have indeed become more active, causing destruction and terror attacks across the Federation. The entire Federation is cracking down on them, but I never expected them to target you this time. If they dare to cause trouble again, they must have a powerful backer!"
"Now that you mention it, I recall something. That blacksmith named Ning Fengzhi had an unusually cold aura when forging, different from a normal blacksmith's," Chang Gong Yan added.
"Heh!" Zhen Hua laughed, his voice icy cold, "Evil Soul Masters, huh? I haven't had the chance to face them yet, and they've already come knocking on my door. Good!"
The next steps were simple. Zhen Hua invited Chang Gong Yan and his disciple to stay at the Blacksmith Association while he began planning a counterattack against the Evil Soul Masters. Mu Ye, carrying Tang Wulin, went off to do who knows what, while Jing Shaoyu and Mo Hentian, after receiving a few instructions from Zhen Hua, set off back to the academy.
As the two walked out of the Blacksmith Association headquarters, Jing Shaoyu waved his hand, and a supercar appeared in front of them.
"Get in," Jing Shaoyu said, taking the driver's seat, while Mo Hentian walked to the other side, opened the door, and sat in the passenger seat.
The supercar started and quickly left the Blacksmith Association headquarters building. After a few turns, it entered the expressway from Heaven Dou City to Shrek City.
"Xiao Mo, it seems we've run into some trouble," Jing Shaoyu said with a serious expression, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.
"Huh?" Mo Hentian was slow to react, but before she could process Jing Shaoyu's words, a loud noise came from behind them, followed by a strong sense of collision and compression.
A car accident?
That was Mo Hentian's first thought, but what happened next left her brain in a state of shock.
Jing Shaoyu calmly pressed a red button on the steering wheel, and the impact from the rear-end collision quickly disappeared, replaced by a dizzying sensation of spinning and fainting. Mo Hentian felt a sudden weightlessness, and when she regained consciousness, she found herself in an extremely embarrassing position.
She was kneeling between Jing Shaoyu's legs, her hands resting on his thighs, and her head facing his stomach. Her face turned bright red, and she instinctively tried to stand up, but at that moment, Jing Shaoyu's gentle voice came through.
"Don't move!"
Mo Hentian froze, looked up, and realized they were no longer in the car but in a somewhat cramped space resembling a mecha cockpit. Jing Shaoyu was fully focused on operating various instruments.
She then remembered that Jing Shaoyu had mentioned they were in trouble.
Rewind three minutes earlier, Jing Shaoyu was driving normally on the road when a black car appeared in the rearview mirror, tailing them closely and showing no signs of slowing down. By the time Jing Shaoyu realized the car's malicious intent, it had already crashed into the rear of the God of Machine Zero.
Jing Shaoyu immediately activated the transformation, switching the God of Machine Zero from supercar mode to mecha mode, reducing the impact's effect on the vehicle. His eyes were locked on the black car, whose front was severely damaged.
He saw that at the moment of the collision, three black-clad figures flew out of the car. These three were high-level Soul Masters capable of flying in mid-air. They simultaneously exited the car, and the one on the left pulled out a portable Soul Guidance Cannon Shell launcher and fired a shell at the supercar-form God of Machine Zero.
Jing Shaoyu immediately understood that this was a targeted attack, though he couldn't be sure who the target was. Regardless, they were enemies.
The God of Machine Zero instantly transformed into a mecha, swiftly dodging the Soul Guidance Cannon Shell. The shell hit the road, exploding and cutting off the 20-meter-wide expressway, the flames engulfing a 50-meter radius.
A dark golden mecha flew out of the explosion's flames, hovering in the air. Though covered in dust, it had suffered no fatal or crippling damage.
The three black-clad figures were surprised. The one on the right said, "What's going on? The car turned into a mecha!"
"Don't worry about it!" the middle one said coldly, "At most, it's just a Black-level Mecha. Since the Soul Guidance Cannon didn't take him out, we'll handle it ourselves. Quick and decisive!"
"Understood!" the other two replied.
The three black-clad figures flashed, instantly surrounding the God of Machine Zero, their eyes filled with killing intent, their movements swift and decisive.
Inside the mecha, Jing Shaoyu took in the situation and felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He said, "Three Soul Douluos!"
The three Soul Douluos had positioned themselves strategically, blocking all escape routes. To escape, they would have to take down at least one of them.
Jing Shaoyu had already made up his mind. He shook his right leg and said, "Xiao Mo, get ready for battle."
"Yes," Mo Hentian immediately replied. Though she couldn't see the outside, she could sense Jing Shaoyu's tension.
The three Soul Douluos attacked simultaneously. Their Martial Souls were chains, surrounded by eerie black mist. Combined with their all-black Soul Rings, Jing Shaoyu was almost certain they were Evil Soul Masters.
The black mist-covered chains lashed out like agile serpents toward the God of Machine Zero. Under Jing Shaoyu's control, the mecha dodged the attacks with ease, but the three Evil Soul Masters didn't seem concerned.
The God of Machine Zero wielded a Soul Guidance Cluster Rifle, firing rapidly at one of the Evil Soul Masters. The intense Soul Power transformed into fierce flames, "rat-tat-tat," shooting toward the target.
The Evil Soul Master immediately swung his Martial Soul, the iron chains solidifying, the black mist churning. The Soul Guidance Cluster bullets were easily blocked. Then, with a swift motion of his hands, dozens of thick chains flew out from behind him, like deadly hooks, stabbing toward the God of Machine Zero.
Jing Shaoyu's expression remained calm, not discouraged by the failed attack. He hadn't expected the God of Machine Zero's attack to threaten a Soul Douluo. The mecha swiftly stepped back, dodging the counterattack, while the Soul Guidance Cannons on its shoulders began charging.
White Soul Power gathered at the two cannon mouths.
"Last-ditch effort!" the other two Evil Soul Masters sneered, then simultaneously exerted their power.
In an instant, countless black chains formed an Iron Chain Array, firmly locking the God of Machine Zero's limbs and torso. The cold, dark mist began corroding the mecha's body.
At the same time, the God of Machine Zero finished charging. Two Annihilation Energy Bullets were fired, rushing toward the nearest Evil Soul Master.
The Annihilation Energy Bullets were incredibly fast, carrying energy comparable to a full-force attack from a strong assault-type Soul Saint. They struck the Evil Soul Master, who had been dismissive, with a "boom—" The intense white light dispersed a large area of black mist.
"Third Brother!"
(End of Chapter)