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墨書 Inktalez
Cao Mingzhe nodded, a glint of cunning flashing across his face. I thought he must be pleased that things were going according to his expectations; I was already asking questions instead of refusing to hear any information.
"I knew you would ask this question. I've wanted to tell you about these matters for a long time. Even if you refuse to join the Task Force, I would still let you know. Perhaps the approach would be different, since you are the only one willing to enter there after us." Cao Mingzhe leaned slightly forward. "If you don't go this time, we are very likely to follow in Xiao Guolin's footsteps. Then, it will only be you left."
Perhaps seeing no expression on my face, Cao Mingzhe sat back in his chair, pulled out a wooden box from the drawer, opened it to reveal half a box of cigars. He took one out, clipped the end, and handed it to me.
Money was not an issue. I admitted that when it came to the Task Force, money truly was not a problem. Louis Vuitton cigars cost several hundred dollars each. For someone like me, who struggled to make ends meet, several hundred dollars was indeed a significant amount.
The cigar had a peculiar aroma, somewhat reminiscent of the bitter or toasted scent of Cuban coffee. Perhaps it was because the taste of truffles still lingered in my mouth; this cigar presented a complex flavor profile but was also quite invigorating. After all, I wasn't accustomed to smoking cigars.
Cao Mingzhe exhaled a puff of smoke and leaned back comfortably against his chair. "Fortunately, my taste buds haven't gone bad; otherwise, life would be too dull."
"Eternal Gate. I believe you've seen it."
I nodded in silence. I had already decided to speak as little as possible—preferably not at all—and just listen.
"Only those holding the key to Eternal Gate can approach it; otherwise, without exception, they will be attacked by Heimanluo."
My mind buzzed for a moment. I certainly knew I would be attacked by Heimanluo, and I had previously been pursued by Heimanluo to the brink of death multiple times. But how did Cao Mingzhe manage to approach the Eternal Gate? He had no chance of survival against Heimanluo on his own.
I couldn't help but wave my cigar in the air. "What about you? How did you get into the Eternal Gate? Don't tell me you defeated that beast in a one-on-one fight."
Cao Mingzhe was silent, standing up and walking into another room. Moments later, he returned with another wooden box, opened it, and pushed it in front of me. My eyes and thoughts froze instantly.
Inside the wooden box lay a piece of hexagonal iron!
I stared for a while, my expression likely one of utter astonishment.
Suddenly, I leaned forward. "Is this the iron from Song Guilong? Did the Song Team come out?"
Cao Mingzhe sat down across the table again.
"You should know that there are two replicas of this iron; the one the Song Team took was a replica. This piece cannot be moved without special authorization. At that time, the Song Team didn't have that capability."
"And this piece?"
"This is the original."
I had never seen this piece of iron before. Even for the replica, I had only seen its photos. The wooden box was lined with blue velvet, making the iron appear as rare as a diamond and as fragile as an egg. I cautiously reached out to touch its surface, feeling its coldness and smoothness. I slipped my hand into the gap between the iron and the box, trying to take it out. But I failed; the box was custom-made, leaving almost no space between them.
Cao Mingzhe reached out and grabbed the box, flipping his wrist. With a loud clank, the piece of iron fell solidly onto the mahogany table.
Seeing my astonished expression, Cao Mingzhe casually remarked, "Don't worry, nothing can destroy it. This is the hardest material in the world."
"Are you sure?"
"The current methods have already proven it."
"Current methods? Can you be more specific?"
"The Rockwell Hardness Tester. You should know about it. The strongest known material is Aggregated Diamond Nanorods, and after being measured with the Rockwell Hardness Tester, this piece of iron is much harder than anything else known on Earth."
"How much harder?"
Cao Mingzhe shook his head. "It's off the charts. The two aren't even on the same level; there's no comparison. 'Much' is just my way of saying it; a more professional term is hardness—experts call it strength, and it's several grades harder than the hardest known material in our world. Not just a few times harder; experts mean there’s a fundamental difference."
Cao Mingzhe's expression was serious, as if this were a significant matter. But I didn't grasp the deeper meaning or its hidden value and asked in confusion, "So what? It's just a piece of super-hard alloy."
This piece of iron was slightly thicker than my palm, about the same thickness as Fatty's hand. Its length was comparable to mine. The hexagonal iron was flat and seemed to have no front or back, but I had seen its other side and knew that the side facing up was actually the reverse. Its front had faintly visible patterns.
I grabbed it and turned it over; it was quite heavy, probably weighing as much as a chunk of gold of that size. It felt very cold, like holding a piece of ice. Sure enough, faint patterns appeared on the other side.
"If its hardness is unparalleled, how were the patterns engraved on it?" I asked, pointing at the Hexagonal Iron.
Cao Mingzhe didn’t look at the iron. He looked at me instead. "Those patterns are internal, not on the surface. You can consult an expert about that; our Task Force has specialists in this area. Don’t trouble yourself with me; I’m not from a technical background either."
I thought about it and realized he was right. Cao Mingzhe wouldn’t be more knowledgeable than I was in Materials Science.
I bit down on my cigar, letting the smoke obscure some of my expression. I knew I had lost my composure a bit earlier, but it was hard to avoid; the appearance of this iron was too unexpected.
I adjusted my mood. "So, Heimanluo didn’t attack you?"
"That's right. And it didn’t show up at all. I’m quite curious about what it looks like."
I closed my eyes and shook my head. "It's better if you don’t know; its appearance won’t leave you with a good impression."
That was the truth; Heimanluo had taken on the form of Fatty, and even I didn’t want to face it again.
After a moment of silence, Cao Mingzhe nodded. "Yeah, in its primitive state, Heimanluo is ugly and more savage. Even if it doesn’t attack me, it wouldn’t put me in a good mood."
Although I didn’t respond to Cao Mingzhe’s comment, I gleaned some information from it. The people who had interacted with him earlier hadn’t informed him that Heimanluo had shapeshifting abilities, and it was likely that its final form would resemble Fatty.
This was an unexpected situation. I could understand why Jack didn't disclose this matter to him. The American Guy was serving AE, and I even suspected that AE or the United States Government had a hand behind it. Naturally, he wouldn't lay all his cards on the table with someone like Cao Mingzhe, who had ties to the Chinese government.
Tang Yumo certainly wouldn't have any good feelings toward Cao Mingzhe. In the eyes of the Hakka People, Fatty was the number one enemy, and Cao Mingzhe would probably rank above me; I would only come in third.
However, what I couldn't comprehend was why Xiao Ting didn't disclose this information to Cao Mingzhe. Of course, this was under the assumption that Fatty had informed Xiao Ting about the situation. Would Fatty really keep this from Xiao Ting?
I silently shook my head. I didn't believe Fatty would keep secrets from Xiao Ting.
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