Not long after activating the flare, a familiar armored vehicle drove toward Chen Xu.
"Junior Chen Xu, why did you come out so quickly? Did you run into some trouble in the dungeon?"
Tang Hezhou's voice carried through the wind and sand before the vehicle even came to a complete stop.
The door opened, and Tang Hezhou stepped out, not seeing the disheveled state he expected from Chen Xu.
Instead, he saw Chen Xu standing with one hand on his hip, leg shaking casually, while the other hand held a sphere between his thumb and forefinger, examining it with a smug expression.
Tang Hezhou suddenly understood, "Hahaha! My junior really is a once in a generation genius! I think Principal Huang's evaluation was still too conservative. You aren't just a future general of Daxia, you are the future pillar of the nation!"
He hurried over to Chen Xu and saw at close range that it was indeed a Dungeon Core.
"Hahaha! Junior, the wind and sand are so heavy out here, get in the car quickly. You came all this way to Mohai, and I haven't even played the host yet. Tonight is on me! I'll take you to experience the local Mohai culture!"
Chen Xu stowed the Dungeon Core and followed Tang Hezhou into the armored vehicle.
"Junior, you probably didn't have much to eat in the dungeon, right? Here, have a Lightning Mutton Bun. I just bought it, and it is still hot," Tang Hezhou said, passing a bun from the front seat to Chen Xu.
"Thank you, Senior. I won't be polite then."
"But Captain, I bought that bun," the soldier driving the vehicle muttered.
"You blockhead! Have you never eaten one before, or did you not eat enough earlier? Junior Chen just came out of a dungeon. What is wrong with letting the hero eat first? Junior, go ahead and eat. Don't worry about him, he is just a bit of a blockhead. Just ignore him."
Chen Xu grinned and took a bite. This Lightning Mutton Bun smelled incredibly fragrant.
With one mouthful, the flavor of the mutton, the aroma of the bun, and the scent of various spices filled his mouth. As he chewed, the flavors blended to create a new, distinct aroma. Most magically, some of the mutton was in small granules, and when his teeth bit into them, they delivered a slight numbing sensation that was highly flavorful.
"Senior, this lightning mutton really does carry a charge!"
"Of course. The Lightning Sheep is one of the most important dungeon livestock in Mohai City. Linings made from their wool can increase electrical resistance. Their meat is rich in lightning energy, making it an excellent food source. The most precious part is the brain. Through the research of the academy and Heavenly Crafts Academy, the brain of a Lightning Sheep can be used to produce primary lightning affinity potions. It is truly a treasure from head to toe."
Chen Xu felt that these Lightning Sheep were indeed excellent and took another large bite of the bun. "It really is good. Why is it that all I ever run into are orcs or goblins?"
"Hehe, that is where the exploration team comes in. Besides figuring out the types of creatures, their strength, and the historical background of a dungeon, we also analyze whether there are high value crops or livestock for humans inside.
For example, if there are high value animals like Lightning Sheep, Daxia won't just send one 【War】 Dragon Seed into the dungeon. Instead, they will arrange for several more combat focused 【Hero】 Dragon Seeds to protect people from the academy or Heavenly Crafts Academy while they collect seeds and samples. Only after that is the space left to the 【War】 Dragon Seed to operate."
"So the exploration team is involved in that kind of business too. You guys have quite a broad range of knowledge!" Chen Xu began to admire Tang Hezhou. Based on his habits from his past life, he felt that such knowledgeable scholars were worthy of respect.
"Haha, we don't actually have that much stored knowledge. We are just equipped with the latest intelligent AI from the academy."
"Uh..." Chen Xu decided to take back his previous admiration.
"The dungeon was full of goblins, so it must have been smelly and disgusting, right? By the way, you can hand over the goblin materials you looted directly to the base later. They will help you convert them into the corresponding military academy credits."
"Oh? Isn't this the Dragon Seed base? Why are they giving military academy credits?" Chen Xu asked in confusion.
"Uh, well, goblin materials are too low level. They can only be exchanged for military academy credits. Dragon Seed points require high level materials."
"I see. Can a green dragon carcass be exchanged for Dragon Seed points then?"
"A what dragon?" Tang Hezhou spun around instantly, his face turning grim as he looked at Chen Xu. "Besides goblins, there was a green dragon in that dungeon?"
Chen Xu was startled by the reaction. "Yes, but it was just an injured green dragon. It must have fought with the goblin king. The goblin king died, and the green dragon was heavily injured and went into hibernation."
"This is a serious situation. Junior Chen Xu, after we return to the base, I might need to trouble you to provide all the records from your 3D recorder and cooperate with an investigation. But don't worry. Since the exploration team's mistake put you in such danger, the military will provide you with appropriate compensation." Tang Hezhou lost his previous humor and became very serious.
Seeing Tang Hezhou's features twisted with worry, Chen Xu couldn't help but say, "Senior, it isn't that serious, is it? I successfully cleared it and didn't suffer any losses."
"That isn't the point, Junior."
Tang Hezhou sighed and continued, "The role of the exploration team, besides what I mentioned before, is most importantly to trade small sacrifices for big victories. If an exploration error leads to a misjudgment of a dungeon's level, and instead of a prodigy like you, it was a more ordinary talent or a regular battle group that went in, wouldn't that result in massive losses?"
"Probably not. That green dragon was in a deep sleep. If they couldn't win, they could just exit the dungeon and call for reinforcements after getting the dungeon prompt," Chen Xu didn't think it was that grave.
"What if the green dragon hadn't been asleep? A legendary creature, whether injured or not, should never have been classified as a low level dungeon. Furthermore, this isn't a matter of whether it was a green dragon or a red dragon. According to you, there was a goblin king in the dungeon. The goblin environment created by such a legendary creature is easily distinguishable. This is clearly a case of professional negligence by the exploration team!"
Understanding the severity of the matter, Chen Xu stopped speaking and simply continued eating his bun.
After a few more bites, he finished the bun just as the armored vehicle drove up to a fortress.
A hemispherical device emerged from the fortress gate and scanned the armored vehicle.
"Stranger detected. Please present authorization."
"Requesting manual review. Reviewer: Le Yu."
"Manual intervention request received. Applicant: Tang Hezhou. Permissions verified. Transferring to reviewer Le Yu."
Just as the intelligent AI voice finished, Chen Xu noticed a message on his Soul-Inducing Token. It was from Mr. Le, whom he had met once during the meeting after his initial dungeon.
"Is that you at the gate?"
"It is me, Grandpa Le."
Then, the sensors on the fortress flashed with a blue light. A metal gate opened, and the armored vehicle drove inside.
After the vehicle stopped, Chen Xu and Tang Hezhou got out.
"Junior, follow me. I have already reported to the base on the way. The base's investigation team and Mr. Le will see you shortly."
Chen Xu nodded and followed closely behind Tang Hezhou.
Leaving the garage, they went directly into a spacious hall. Many people were walking to and fro, some wearing white lab coats and others in combat gear similar to Tang Hezhou's.
In the middle of the hall stood an elderly man in casual clothes. He seemed to hold a very high status, as everyone passing by greeted him proactively, and he nodded back frequently.
As they drew closer, Chen Xu looked at the man's face and suddenly matched it with the hazy silhouette from the meeting room.
"Grandpa Le, how are you so free? I thought a big leader like you would be constantly in meetings," Chen Xu said as he walked up to greet Le Yu.
"Haha! Chen Xu, my biggest task today is to receive you, the future of Daxia!" Le Yu spoke without any air of superiority. It seemed Tang Hezhou's style was inherited from this old man.
"Director Le," Tang Hezhou saluted.
Le Yu nodded, "Xiao Tang, thank you for your hard work. You may go back to your duties."
"Yes, sir!"
"Student Chen Xu."
"Grandpa Le, you can just call me Xiao Xu."
"Haha, you..." Le Yu shook his head. "Follow me."
Chen Xu followed Le Yu into a meeting room where three people were already seated. One was in combat gear, one in a white lab coat, and the other in a uniform Chen Xu hadn't seen before.
Le Yu walked into the room, pulled out a chair next to the three people, and sat down while gesturing for Chen Xu to sit opposite them.
"Xiao Xu, these three are members of the investigation team. On the far right is the General Captain of the Mohai Base exploration team, Liu Bowen."
The middle aged man in combat gear nodded toward Chen Xu.
"Hello, Captain Liu."
"In the middle is the representative for the academy at Mohai Base, Chief Researcher Fan Xue."
"Hello, Representative Fan."
"What a polite young man. No need to be so formal, just call me Sister Fan," Fan Xue responded with a smile.
"The one next to me is Director Jiang Xing from the Hanyuan Base in the North Mountain District. Originally, I was supposed to be the base official on the investigation team, but Director Jiang happened to be here for an exchange. To ensure impartiality, the higher ups asked Director Jiang to take my place."
"Director Le is being too modest. When a genius like Student Chen Xu is endangered by negligence, I would have come immediately even if I were still at Hanyuan if needed."
After saying this, he proactively reached out his hand to Chen Xu.
Chen Xu shook it. "Thank you for your concern, Director Jiang."
"Rest assured, Student Chen Xu, we will give you an explanation. First, please provide your 3D recorder. The investigation team will make a preliminary judgment based on the records and then follow up with you."
Chen Xu took the triangular object out of his storage ring and handed it to Director Jiang. Once he had it, Director Jiang led Fan Xue and Liu Bowen into a smaller side room to begin reviewing the records. Only Le Yu and Chen Xu remained in the large meeting room.
"Then, let's get back to the main point. Chen Xu, congratulations on passing the assessment. You are now officially a 【War】 Dragon Seed in the Daxia Dragon Seed Program!"
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