Chapter 406: Learning from Each Other
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Both of them arrived at the restaurant specially set up for the members of the Firearms Bureau. The restaurant was empty as it was still as early as 9 o’clock in the morning. They picked a seat at random and sat down.
"Master Yang, could you bring the alcohol? I left it here and also prepared a few dishes for Minister Luo!" Ling Zhong-an said.
"Sure! I'll give my best to make sure the dishes are superb, just for you!" The chef manager said, with a happy smile. At the same time, he also tried to remember the new minister, as he was far too inferior to accidentally offend a person with such high powers.
The alcohol was served right after they sat down.
There were more than ten bottles of alcohol and all of it were amongst famous brands of white wine before the apocalypse. It was very valuable and exclusive, as not many people had the chance to find it, and it was not something you could easily obtain, even with a lot of food stamps. Luo Yuan stole a glance and realized that there were only 12 bottles, all of which were from five different brands.
"Let’s drink, let’s drink!" Ling Zhong-an twisted the bottle cap open and filled Luo Yuan’s bowl with alcohol. "Cheers!"
He lifted the bowl and then finished it. Luo Yuan followed suit.
"I can’t taste the alcohol anymore. It makes me feel like quitting these drinks for good." Ling Zhong-an filled Luo Yuan’s bowl again and sighed.
He was an alcoholic in the past and had a habit of drinking a lot before the apocalypse, but ever since his evolution, he had not even had his first drink.
"I didn’t exactly give it much thought. I don’t drink that much… even until now," said Luo Yuan, as he drank another bowl of alcohol.
"I guess you have not experienced the most interesting part of drinking yet. Take a sip before going out in winter. The experience of feeling the warmth flowing through your body is incredible!"
"Seems like I’m not as lucky then." Luo Yuan smiled and said.
Drinking alcohol was as easy as drinking water for the two of them. They finished half a dozen bottles even before the dishes were served.
"Something very serious had happened just recently, hasn’t it?" Ling Zhong-an suddenly asked. He had always been a very straightforward person and was inclined to ask questions when things were uncertain.
"What are you talking about?" Luo Yuan asked in surprise.
"For example, you were suddenly promoted to be the deputy minister. You were a Vice-Captain, weren’t you?" Ling Zhong-an said.
"It’s a long story." Luo Yuan shook his head and drained the alcohol in his bowl.
"Is there something you don't want to reveal, or are there certain confidential policies that you are required to abide by?" Ling Zhong-an whispered softly. Even if he did not know anything about politics, he was familiarizing himself ever since he was promoted to deputy minister for such a long time now.
"Are you sure you want to know? It’s bad for you, though!" Luo Yuan raised his head and asked, as he looked at Ling Zhong-an.
Ling Zhong-an smiled and said, "Nothing to be afraid of."
"Alright. You know the nuclear fusion device exploded, right?" Luo Yuan hesitated and asked.
Ling Zhong-an nodded seriously. The news of the explosion was widespread, thus making it impossible for him to be unaware of it at all. Besides, the lab was not too far away from the headquarters of the Firearms Bureau. He even saw the explosion from afar, when it happened.
Luo Yuan poured some alcohol into his bowl and then smudged a few words on the table with it. He wiped it away after showing Ling Zhong-an. He couldn’t care much about confidentiality at all. Besides, Ling Zhong-an was not just a regular person; there was nothing to hide.
"Are you serious!?" Ling Zhong-an was shocked and asked. He looked frightened but he quickly calibrated his emotions. Although it was only a short duration, the chefs from afar were frightened by his expressions and most of them were pale with fear.
Luo Yuan was calm as he had plenty of experience in this. "I have nothing to gain if I lie to you. Didn’t you realize that the Reconstruction Area looks rather abnormal recently?" Luo Yuan whispered.
"No wonder…. Now I know." Ling Zhong-an mumbled as he seemed to have recalled something.
The atmosphere suddenly turned into a stressful one. Both of them were only drinking and remained silent for a long time.
"Ahh, let's stop drinking! Let's find a place to fight!" Ling Zhong-an was getting frustrated as he continued drinking, refusing to continue. He had been single this entire time ever since he evolved, hence there was nothing to lose.
He was never afraid, even if he had broken into the high commission alone or had countless guns and a tank pointing directly at him. He finally had the support he needed when he found his lover, whom he grew up with. He also had a weakness ever since then. However, he did not want her to risk her life by staying with him, even though he was not afraid to die.
...
Both of them were powerful enough to destroy simply anything. Hence, a regular training hall did not suffice. Luo Yuan and Ling Zhong-an left the headquarters of the Firearms Bureau and adjourned to the outskirts.
Luo Yuan inserted his Zhanmadao into the ground. The saber was threatening as it had the power to hurt someone despite being stationary. However, one would probably die or be handicapped, if the saber did manage to hit or cut them. It was definitely not suitable for that kind of activity.
Ling Zhong-an took a glance at the saber and grew confident in his skill of defense. However, he was not confident enough to allow Luo Yuan to use his saber. He warned, "You’d better be careful though!"
Luo Yuan rolled up his sleeves, exposing his muscular arms and exclaimed, "Come on!"
Right after he shouted, Ling Zhong-an stomped hard, and the ground immediately shook, producing a booming sound. A huge pit was formed instantly as the ground was cracked and he was rushing towards Luo Yuan like a bolting arrow!
Luo Yuan squinted his eyes and strong wind immediately started blowing, forming a big cyclone before it could hit him. His powers were as scary as a ferocious dragon. The velocity of the wind was even faster than the speed of sound, killing all the small plants wherever he went. It was akin to having a very long, destructive tail behind him.
However, he had witnessed this kind of scene too often and was not affected at all. Those level seven mutated beasts which he had chanced upon before were ten times scarier than this.
Luo Yuan drew a big circle in the air and slightly stepped back, with his feet crossing and moving at the same time.
Both of them seem to be approaching each other. Suddenly, a huge fist came from the sky and penetrated the air particles. It hit on Luo Yuan as hard as a meteor that fell onto the earth.
Yet, Luo Yuan was well prepared. He shook his body and managed to escape from being hit by the huge fist. At the same time, his hand shot out from behind his waist stealthily and instantly locked Ling Zhong-an’s chin.
Ling Zhong-an instantly went flying towards the air and he was not able to control his body. Luo Yuan was too busy to bother about the numbness in his arms and immediately punched Ling Zhong-an's abdomen! As he curled up due to the sudden pain, Luo Yuan quickly took the chance to give him a hard kick and Ling Zhong-an was once again hurled into the air.
It was impossible, even for the experts, to fight for an hour or a whole day, and it did not take much time to find out who the winner was. Besides, the opponent had issues coordinating his body despite being very strong, which was a common disadvantage of evolved humans, due to the imbalance of their attributes.
Luo Yuan stepped back and looked at Ling Zhong-an, who was lying on the floor after being kicked to about 30 to 40 meters away. Luo Yuan could feel that Ling Zhong-an was neither injured by the punch nor could feel the pain at all. He was like a robot beneath human skin. But wait, it would have been smashed up terribly even if he were to be a robot.
Ling Zhong-an flipped up from the ground. His shirt was tattered and only a few small pieces of cloth remained on his body.
"That was fast! I really can’t beat you in such average conditions. Looks like I’ll have to use more power on you then!" Ling Zhong-an said with a surprise.
He twisted his neck and cracked his joints. Luo Yuan tossed the tattered shirt away, exposing his muscular body. As the leader of the Firearms Bureau, he must instead possess a strong body, if he did not have the ability to create any monumental breakthroughs. That was the reason why the Reconstruction Area took great care of him.