"You guys must have a lot to talk about," said Mu Zi as he nodded in understanding.
Gong Yi, Reynolds, and Cao Hong revealed their brightest smiles upon seeing Wang Zhong. Having reached Tutankhamun meant that they had arrived in a whole new world. Everyone could start afresh. There was no longer a need to disguise or worry. It was a brand new life for all of them.
"Dude, you're really terrible!" Gong Yi couldn't help but comment.
Wang Zhong was totally stunned as he could not recall him doing anything bad.
"You made us owe you a great debt of gratitude. How can we pay you back?" Gong Yi teased, making Cao Hong and Reynolds laugh as well.
"Yeah, it's giving me a headache. The biggest debt is a debt of gratitude. Haiz, if I wasn't so old, I might marry you to repay my debt." Sister Hong continued to tease. "Actually, it doesn't matter. Big sister here will help you find a more suitable one. You will definitely be satisfied."
"Forget it, girl. Wang Zhong's style isn't the same as yours." Reynolds was a little too honest.
Wang Zhong felt warm as he allowed them to tease him. From the cursed lands to the desert, it can be said that they had gone through various tests; but as they got nearer to the end, the tests grew easier. Be it the scheming Gong Yi, the disappointed-in-the-world Reynolds, or the supposed relationship-know-it-all Cao Hong, all of them had persisted to the end and revealed their most fragile sides to each other. That was definitely more shocking than life and death itself.
"Wang Zhong, you managed to send out a distress signal? Why didn't we know about it?" Gong Yi and the others were surprised. When they were in the desert previously, everyone had tried all kinds of methods to do so, but there was no signal at all in that area. Furthermore, Wang Zhong hadn't brought any equipment with him.
In the beginning, Wang Zhong was also baffled. He pondered for a long while before he recalled that he had attempted to seek help by trying to enter the Fifth Dimensional World. Although he did not succeed in doing so, his Soul Signal had been left there. Mu Zi probably could sense his coordinates as he had once marked his coordinate signals on Mu Zi and Aiolos when they were in the Fifth Dimension's secret realm.
As for how Mu Zi managed to find him or sense his danger, the only explanation was that Mu Zi was extremely powerful. Although Wang Zhong had not entered the Heroic Soul Stage, he could clearly sense Mu Zi's power as he had already improved greatly. He could also confirm that Aiolos was truly much more powerful.
"He is a friend I met in the Fifth Dimension. He probably discovered my dimensional coordinates," said Wang Zhong with a smile.
The three of them stared at each other, shocked. Being experts at the Heroic Soul Stage, they obviously knew what dimensional coordinates were. Wasn't that how experts at the Heavenly Soul Stage confirmed each other's locations?
The problem was that Wang Zhong hadn't even reached the Heroic Soul Stage, and that little baldy looked even younger than him. Although they had seen a lot of the world and had accumulated a wide range of insights and information, they certainly felt like country bumpkins at this moment.
Reynolds pondered for a while before he commented on Mu Zi. "The little baldy seems scary. I feel like if he were to fight me, I might not even last for three seconds."
Gong Yi nodded in agreement. "As you guys know, my Dharma Idol could slightly alter one's luck. Just like my ability, they seem to stop working when it comes to both of you. The world is really full of wonders."
Gong Yi sighed with deep feeling. The three of them would never attempt to infringe on Wang Zhong or Mu Zi's privacy, but they would definitely speak their minds with their close relations.
"The Federation is truly too full of themselves sometimes. There will definitely always be experts all around the world. If Mu Zi is placed in the Federation, he might even cause an uproar. Yet he is here unknown in the desert. This is really unfathomable."
Wang Zhong smiled, as he was proud of his friend. "I will be stronger."
Having just survived a calamity, Wang Zhong couldn't help but show off a little. Everyone laughed, of course. They still felt that Mu Zi was stronger, but that was because they did not have enough knowledge about Wang Zhong's true power. On the other hand, Wang Zhong's power was what gained him Aiolos and Mu Zi's approval.
They were not solely looking at Wang Zhong's current ability, but more at his powerful Spiritual Soul core. In other words, their way of measuring one's power was far purer than the ways of the Holy Land. It appeared that Wang Zhong had far more unpredictable abilities and potential than Aiolos and Mu Zi.
"We have already decided to stay here."
After all the light-hearted greetings, Gong Yi began to talk about more serious matters. In the past few days, he had seen and pondered a lot, but he was mainly thinking about their future. Both Mu Zi and Wang Zhong had a hand in everyone's survival. If it were not for Wang Zhong's perseverance in dragging the three of them along with him, when Mu Zi came, only Wang Zhong would have been found by him. Thus, even though Wang Zhong was the youngest of the four, all of them had long regarded him as the core of their team. When it came to future plans, he would definitely be included in them.
"Mu Zi has a very high reputation in the Katchirda Village. I heard that he helped the people here handle a large beast tide in the past. He is worshipped like a god here. If we stay here, our skin color can help us maintain our secret identities and we can all enjoy rather high living standards," Gong Yi said with a smile. "The three of us have already discussed it. In our current situation, it's impossible for us to return to the Federation for the time being. We are all looking to you, Wang Zhong. We understand that you definitely still want to go to the so-called Holy Land, but frankly, the civil war in the Federation is too serious. Even with your identity as CHF's number one expert, they still dared to resort to underhanded means. Although our abilities are only average, we did gain a lot from this experience. With Mu Zi and your huge potential, we can definitely make a name for ourselves in Tutankhamun!"
Wang Zhong replied without even thinking about it, "There is something I cannot let go of in the Federation. Besides, these little things can't beat me down. The worse the means they resort to, the stronger my desire to go back will be. Debts must eventually be repaid."
Cao Hong smiled. "See, I know what I'm talking about. I knew this kiddo wouldn't scare easily. The more provoked he is, the fiercer he will get. Frankly speaking, I also agree with Wang Zhong's choice. We may not be able to help much with our current situation, but on analyzing it, we can't avoid the Federation if we want to become more powerful. I don't want to spend a lifetime in the desert either. It will be bad for my skin."
Gong Yi rolled his eyes. "Do you think the situation can be changed so easily?"
"Gong Yi, are you able to find out more about the Federation's current situation?" asked Wang Zhong suddenly.
The three of them looked at each other, and Sister Hong sighed. "We were planning to tell you only after you fully recover, but it seems like you can take the news anyway."
Cao Hong filled him in about Tianjing and Assassin's situations. It was no secret then. It was undeniable that Gong Yi really had his ways. Even in the Empire, his network and connections could still be operated normally. Money was needed everywhere. This time, he had won the bet and made a lot of money. As for how he got it, Cao Hong and Reynolds would never pry as they just needed to know that Gong Yi was trustworthy.
The three of them were a little worried that Wang Zhong would overtax his nerves, but Wang Zhong's condition was actually okay. The core message was that the space station operated by Ma Dong had been completely overrun and that Ma Dong and Emily went missing. There was good news though. Scarlet went to the Holy Land. It should have been due to elder Greene's abdication, as well as the Old Potter family. Wang Zhong could not ask for more as the current situation was already considered all right. As the headmaster was part of the Old Potter family, it was assumed that the Tianjing Academy would be safe, with the Holy Land headmaster spearheading the situation.
This was already the best situation possible under the Gui Family and the Zhao Family's interference and sabotage. The situation was acceptable to him, but he could not tolerate the happenings.
He had to go to the Holy Land. He wanted to know how the Federation's core secret base looked like. To collect his debt, he needed to know both himself and his adversaries, in order to beat them at their own game.
"If possible, try your best to contact Ma Dong. I think Assassin still has some hidden assets. Such an old family cannot possibly be uprooted with one blow. Emily and Ma Dong can be trusted."