Four of them walked to the most central area and stood on a raised platform, looking down. Eight Zero E-Book (txt02.com) The diameter of the crater is approximately one kilometer, appearing roughly circular; however, viewed from above, it appears slightly wider from north to south and narrower from south to north, forming an ellipse. "Team, please take a look first. If you need anything, just let me know," said the young major who had been welcoming them, saluting. "Thank you," replied He Muqing, returning the salute. At the very center of the crater, a large drilling unit had already begun operation. As the major had explained earlier, geologists had detected strong energy beneath the surface, and soon afterward, another expert concluded that this energy resembled nuclear energy. Since it's energy, it absolutely can't be left buried underground—so the military leadership immediately decided to start drilling, no matter what, to bring samples to the academicians at the Chinese Academy of Sciences for study. In fact, the person serving as the overall commander of the drilling operation on site was himself an academian. Qin Feng shrugged and remarked, "We should bring Hou Bo and Yasui over—they might be more interested!" Both of them hold PhDs in physics and have deep expertise in energy fields, though not specifically in nuclear physics. Often, those so-called nuclear physics experts are merely nominal. Otherwise, why hasn't the Chinese Academy of Sciences produced an engine even comparable to Qin's new engine? He furrowed his brows and said toward the northeast, "Indeed, there are cultivators—brave enough to show up during the day and startle people!" "Where?" Hé Mùqíng quickly asked, only to find that when she turned that way, the people had already moved. No way, the other's rank was clearly higher than that of the three girls. It seemed the task of expelling them would have to fall on me. With a sense of helplessness, he said, "The other's rank is a bit high—your team might not be able to handle it. I'll go!" "Then what are we supposed to do?" Shu immediately asked. He smiled and replied, "There will definitely be some smaller fish and shrimp appearing. Then you'll have the chance to shine!" The three girls all showed the same look of reluctance, yet couldn't do anything—since they couldn't even spot the other, how could they possibly drive her away? Qin, taking advantage of the moment, flew into the small tripod and then headed toward the refuge of the cultivators. This gave him two advantages: first, he wouldn't be noticed by his own team, and second, he wouldn't be seen by the other side. The cultivator crouched behind a pile of scattered stones, holding a flying sword in hand, and stared intently at the drilling equipment for a long time without blinking. Qin Feng immediately recognized him as a lower-tier Void Stage cultivator, a solid mid-level expert in the cultivation world—no wonder he was so bold, daring to wander around freely during the day. As Qin Feng stepped out of the small stele and hovered five meters away from his opponent, he suddenly asked, "Good sir, what are you doing?" "That person bowed slightly. "I have no affiliation with any sect or school; my identity is with the Internal Security Special Operations Unit within the Ministry of National Defense," Qin Feng replied with a smile. "Ministry of National Defense, Internal Security," the man seemed clearly taken aback, expressing surprise: "As a cultivator, how is it possible for you to hold a government position in the mundane world? This is not permitted at all!" "Apologies," said Qin, the young man, surveying the man from head to toe, "I'm self-taught, with absolutely no connection to the cultivation world. Isn't that impressive? You appear to be a master of the Void Stage—how long have you been at that level, judging by your demeanor?" The man was once again startled: "You can actually discern my cultivation rank!" Wasn't that obvious? Didn't I just notice it myself? Could it be that you told me? He scoffed. "Void Stage, lower grade!" The man finally conceded—this clearly demonstrated that Qin's rank was indeed superior to his own. He bowed again: "I am Ma Yinghong, a disciple of the Golden Dragon Sect. May I ask your esteemed name?" Qin gave a modest "You must be Qin Feng," Ma Yinghong was amazed for the third time. This name he had heard repeatedly in recent times—rumors suggested that the decline of the Lin family and several embarrassments of the Bai He Gate were all linked to this man. More credible accounts claimed Qin Feng had reached the Hua Zhen stage, yet Ma Yinghong, himself at the Xingkong stage, couldn't detect any such level, indicating the rumors were likely false. It wasn't that the rumors were untrue—rather, Qin Feng had advanced so swiftly that, as he himself put it, he'd seemed to be launched on a rocket. Even people close to him, including his female companions, often couldn't clearly identify his exact stage. That explained why the Bai He Gate and the Lin family had suffered losses but never mentioned any plans for revenge—they simply couldn't compete. Ma Yinghong felt that, since he was now facing such a high-level practitioner, he ought to be more courteous. He smiled and said, "I wonder, Qin Feng, what brings you here?" Honestly, how difficult it is to understand the way cultivators speak! He hummed, "Am I a soldier? Everywhere I look, it's soldiers. What am I supposed to be doing here? And I ask you—supposedly someone stole our geologists' shovels. Did you do that?" Ma Yinghong flushed, saying, "Not stolen—borrowed. The shovel is of excellent quality and very suitable for use as a wind-blade shovel, so I simply borrowed it over!" Ni ma—doesn't that count as theft? Even if you initially intended to borrow it, what if you never return it? That's not theft—what then? Still, just one shovel. Qin, the young lord, won't mind that. What he cares about is what lies beneath the ground. Ma has been working here for so long—he should have something to show. He asked, "So, what exactly lies beneath?" "The truth is, I don't know," the other replied. "When the unusual phenomenon occurred last night, I was nearby meditating. So I came over—haven't had a chance to investigate yet!" Lying. Qin Feng certainly understood why he wasn't telling the truth—he was afraid that once he knew, the information would be claimed as his own. "You don't say it, I'll find out myself. What's so difficult about that?" Since you've chosen to remain uncooperative, don't be surprised if I turn my back on you. He said, "Exactly. This is Chinese territory, and the government and military are currently conducting exploratory missions, so they don't want outsiders involved. You come from where you came, and you'll go back where you came." Ma Yinghong's expression immediately changed: "Why? This is Chinese territory, and I'm a Chinese cultivator myself. Why shouldn't I stay here?"