Leaving Xu Linna's room, Xu Ruina returned to her room to rest. Shirley, however, pulled Zhang Chen back to her own room, closed the door, and then asked in a low voice:
"Master, you don't actually plan to go near the North Pole, do you?"
"To date, many people, including the Black-Tailed Swallow Legion, have tried to explore the vicinity of the North Pole because they discovered that the colder the place, the fewer mutated creatures there are."
"But none of the people who went there have ever returned. There are also rumors that there are terrifying creatures near the North Pole that can devour everything."
"Is this woman leading us to the North Pole, possibly leading us into a trap, and then she'll find an opportunity to escape?"
Zhang Chen said with a smile:
"It seems you don't trust this woman either!"
Shirley nodded, her face serious, and said:
"Maybe it's a woman's intuition, maybe it's an assassin's intuition, but I always feel like she's hiding something from us!"
"Although she's a native and we're轮回者 (reincarnators), and our interests are not aligned, but... she gives me an uncomfortable feeling."
"But I can't pinpoint exactly what the problem is!"
Zhang Chen nodded and said:
"I have the same feeling. Some of what she says is true and some is false, but I can't accurately distinguish."
"Previously, I captured a native in a parallel world, and he described his laboratory as being on the extreme north icefield. Two target cities have now been locked on."
"We can't abandon this place either, so I plan to split into two groups. I'll take Xu Linna to check near the North Pole."
"Meanwhile, organize a team to check the laboratories in the two target cities."
"Understood, Master. Just tell me your orders, and I will comply!" Shirley said, patting her chest.
"Yes, I plan to have you and Mo Ran and Qing Feng check the laboratories in these two target cities!"
"You've been through one reincarnation, so you understand the apocalypse better than they do."
"But in terms of combat, try to let Qing Feng and Mo Ran handle it, and you can be responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence from the shadows!"
Zhang Chen said.
In terms of combat power, although Shirley had also reached the strength of an evolver, she was still far behind Qing Feng and Mo Ran.
After all, Qing Feng was the second strongest among the current batch of轮回者 (reincarnators) and possessed martial arts skills, making it effortless for him to fight opponents of higher levels.
As for Mo Ran, it was even more so. After this transformation, the Spider Queen felt like she was just one more transformation away from the state she was in when she nearly killed Zhang Chen. Therefore, her strength was not to be underestimated.
With these two present, there would basically be no major problems, and any unexpected situations could be resolved.
"Okay, Master!"
Shirley nodded gratefully, knowing that Zhang Chen didn't want her to take risks.
"By the way, there's one more thing I need your help with!"
Zhang Chen suddenly had an idea and said.
"Master, please speak. It's my duty to serve you, there's no need to say 'help,' you are too polite!"
Shirley said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, then follow me!"
Zhang Chen pulled Shirley into the bedroom and gently pushed her to sit on the bed.
"Huh?"
Shirley's pretty face suddenly turned red.
Did Master finally figure it out? Finally decided...
"Are you ready?"
Zhang Chen asked with a mischievous smile.
"Yes, Master, I've been ready for a long time!"
Shirley was excited, yet also a little scared, her chest heaving continuously.
So nervous that she couldn't help but close her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling.
"Then I'll begin!"
Zhang Chen took out a metal sphere from his ring and operated it quickly.
A surge of energy flowed from Zhang Chen's body into the metal sphere.
Then Shirley suddenly felt that her whole body was drained of strength, and a powerful gravity pressed her tightly onto the bed.
Zhang Chen quickly moved Shirley's legs onto the bed as well, positioning her in a spread-eagle pose.
The larger the contact area, the smaller the pressure exerted, and it wouldn't be too painful.
"What... what's happening... my body can't exert any strength, and the gravity seems to have increased significantly!"
Shirley said lying on the bed.
"Yes, I'm using the native's skills to interfere with the ring!"
"I want to study the ring's operating principles and find a way to make the natives' influence on the ring ineffective!"
"Otherwise, if you encounter natives, you will definitely be at a disadvantage!"
Zhang Chen said.
In fact, he had another concern: what Xu Linna had said about all轮回者 (reincarnators) dying with her if she died.
This was a truly terrifying matter.
This was tantamount to directly wiping out the human population of several worlds!
Zhang Chen did not want to be manipulated by Xu Linna using this matter, as it would put him in a very passive position.
"Yes, I can endure it, Master, you go ahead and research!"
Shirley said.
Although the pressure of gravity was a bit great, lying on the soft bed was much more comfortable than lying on the cold ground.
From the very beginning, Zhang Chen's gaze had never left Shirley's ring.
Under the effect of absolute vision, the energy flow within the ring was clearly visible!
The entire ring had an energy that was completely different from Shirley's own. Although the color was the same, upon closer inspection, subtle differences could still be discerned.
This energy did not participate in the flow of energy within Shirley's body, but it could block the flow of energy within Shirley's body.
The metal sphere from the native had activated the ring's energy interruption function.
In reality, Shirley's energy was still there, but it was like being acupunctured, completely unable to be utilized.
Zhang Chen got onto the bed and sat next to Shirley, lowering his head to carefully study the ring on her hand.
Although the energy within the ring was not powerful, it was indeed complex and intricately programmed. It would not be easy to fully crack.
Most importantly, Zhang Chen did not want to damage the ring's storage function.
If survivors lost the ring's storage capabilities, their survival environment would definitely deteriorate further.
How much food and water could a backpack hold for just a few days? Moreover, it was easily damaged or lost during combat.
Most importantly, food could also expire and spoil, which would be a fatal blow!
Zhang Chen pondered for a moment.
Suddenly, he had an idea!
Yes, he didn't need to make it so complicated. He only needed to disable the ring's ability to receive commands.
It was equivalent to going offline!
The data was still on the hard drive, but without an internet connection, it couldn't be remotely controlled, and there was no fear of hacker intrusions like those from natives!
No sooner said than done!
Zhang Chen repeatedly manipulated the metal sphere, adjusting the ratio of weakening the ring's capabilities.
As the operations became more frequent, an energy construct within the ring caught Zhang Chen's attention.
"It must be you!"
Zhang Chen reached out and gently touched the dark red ring on Shirley's hand. In an instant, a bright white pure energy flowed from Zhang Chen's body, slowly entering the ring.
After a while, Zhang Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with satisfaction:
"Done!"
At this time, Shirley's sweat had also soaked the bedsheet, and her gaze towards Zhang Chen was filled with a resentful look...