I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

Some things must be settled. With her current strength, she may seem very successful to others, but she is still far from achieving her goal. She needs to reach at least the ninth rank!

"Ah~ Little Momo seems to have become even more charming... This is the most interesting way to win her over!"

"Big sister is so cool... I really want her to torment Qianxue..."

The master and disciple fell into the same delusion. Yan Ziming, who had just made up his mind, suddenly felt a chill and his attractive aura vanished in an instant.

Conversely, the other side remained extremely silent, especially Hyde, whose heart was chilled.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

Although Shenshan-jun's strength is just so-so, he's still barely at the ninth rank!

Under normal circumstances, they would be guaranteed to win against Shenshan-jun, and it wouldn't take too long. However, Yanshan only did a brief test and ended the battle in an instant.

The difference in their strength is obvious.

"Now that the troublesome fellow has been dealt with, let's decide on the distribution... a total of five SS-grade obsidian crystals and fifty S-grade obsidian crystals, let's get started..."

"Five SS-grade obsidian crystals? I remember there were ten, and there were fifty S-grade obsidian crystals?" Qin Tianhai suddenly shouted, interrupting Hyde.

"Ten? Fifty?!" Lansenk couldn't help but repeat in shock. They had made a huge mistake, a mistake that was easy to figure out.

They simply allowed Yan Shan to cripple Shen Shan Jun, causing them to lose their sufficient deterrent power!

Can the two of them alone exert pressure on China and snatch food from Yan Shan's mouth?

Actually, that's not the case. In Yan Shan's view, China urgently needs resources like obsidian. Ten SS-grade and fifty S-grade stones are enough to match the value of the Shanghai Serpent, and even more so given the current scarcity of high-grade crystal cores.

"What? Is there a problem with this number?" Yan Shan said with a kind expression. If he hadn't just crippled Shenshan Jun with a punch, people would really think he was just a kind old man.

"this..."

Hyde was speechless. They were the ones who always tried to raise prices on the spot, but now they were the ones who had encountered this problem. To make matters worse, the other party was stronger than them. They were like a mute eating bitter melon—they had no way to express their suffering!

"Could you make it a little less?" Lanssenk's heart was bleeding; these things were enough to severely damage their strength.

"No!" Qin Tianhai said firmly.

"No, I think it could be even less."

At this moment, a leisurely voice came from the horizon, its profound cultivation causing Yan Zimo and the others to become solemn.

Another ninth-ranked player!

Upon hearing this voice, Hyde's face lit up with joy. This was the strongest person in their United States, who had been silent for over a year without any news, and now he had reappeared.

It is said that he had already reached the pinnacle of the Gathering Spirit Realm at that time. I wonder if he has broken through to the Void Spirit Realm now?

Based on their assessment, Yan Shan's strength was definitely at that level, and few could rival him.

"Luther, long time no see. How come you're still alive?" Yan Shan remained as calm and collected as ever, completely unconcerned about the arrival of another ninth-tier expert from the United States.

"Heh, you fought Death like that and you didn't die, so there's no way I'll die before you," Luther said calmly.

He suddenly appeared next to Hyde, looking a few years younger than the over sixty-year-old Hyde, but he was leaning on a cane, his aura was solid, and his eyes revealed a sense of etherealness.

The cane looked very special; Yan Ziming actually sensed a slight fluctuation similar to that of Mo Xin within it.

Yan Shan's eyes showed a hint of surprise: "It seems you've broken through. No wonder you dared to step forward and challenge others to a fight to test your strength?"

"You're joking, I'm just here to haggle," Luther said with a smile, straightening her back a little. "Of course, if we can't reach an agreement, we'll still have to stretch our legs a bit."

Having reached the Void Realm, he was already the strongest in the United States, and a battle with his old rival, China, was inevitable.

However, in a normal competition, he would undoubtedly lose, since Yan Shan had broken through to the Void Spirit Realm some time ago.

But in a life-or-death battle, no one can say for sure!

"Whatever, it depends on whether you can show sincerity," Yan Shan said with a shrug, seemingly unconcerned.

Then, Luther turned her gaze to Yan Ziming at the bow of the ship and uttered a startling statement:

"Yan Ziming...right? Are you interested in coming to the United States?"

Chapter 84 Agreement Reached

Luther spotted Yan Ziming at the bow of the Type 055 destroyer and made a startling remark.

Yan Ziming, who was heading back inside, suddenly froze. Just as he was about to refuse, Luther said again:

"You were disappointed by your previous meeting with Colin. He pocketed a lot of the benefits he offered. This time, I'm extending an invitation to you on behalf of the United States. You will receive much better treatment than you have now."

With the strongest leader of the United States personally issuing the order, the execution of the order is guaranteed, and no one will doubt the veracity of his words.

However, recruiting in front of everyone in China, especially in front of two pillars of China, is too blatant, isn't it?

Is there really any possibility of success?

If Yan Ziming truly intended to pledge allegiance, he wouldn't dare to express his opinion here!

Unable to figure out what he was up to, Yan Ziming paused for a moment before deciding on his words.

"Oh, Colin... is that the guy we sent to the station last time?"

Mu Mu suddenly interrupted, her smile as bright as a spring breeze, soothing and delightful.

"Don't admit to the truth about what happened between you and Colin; just make up a story."

The very faint sound reached Yan Ziming's ears, which made her heart skip a beat.

Surprised that Mu Mu would say such a thing, but knowing that she must have her reasons, Yan Ziming simply went along with her.

I added some embellishments as well.

"It seems so. He said he wanted to invite us to dinner, but it turned out he was trying to molest us. Sending him straight to the police station was really disappointing."

Yan Ziming stroked his cheek, looking quite troubled.

Ye Qianxue, who was inside the boat, was dumbfounded. What were her older sister and master sister putting on?

It doesn't match the scene at all!

Colin, that weakling, dared to molest her older sister. She wouldn't even need her older sister to make a move; she would kill him herself!

It doesn't make sense at all.

“Yeah, he’s just a scumbag who attempted to molest someone. You’re saying he pocketed a lot of benefits…what does that have to do with us?” Mu Mu asked doubtfully, her superb acting skills making it hard to believe.

"Heh, Galaxy, you're joking. Colin may not be academically gifted, but he's still one of our specialists. How could he possibly be a scumbag who molests young girls..."

A glint flashed in Luther's eyes as he tried to clear Colin of the shameful fabrications.

"Justice resides in the hearts of the people... isn't it? He's still sitting in the police station, and there's video evidence. You can ask him if you don't believe me."

Yan Ziming's lips twitched. The video Mu Mu was referring to must be the one taken by the onlookers, and there were even rumors that she had a scandal with Colin.

Anyway, none of those people who spread rumors about her will get away with it!

"Alright, let's put Colin's matter aside for now. I'll find out the facts later. I'll ask again, Yan Ziming, are you willing to become a member of the United States?"

Luther distanced himself from Colin and asked Yan Ziming again. Yan Ziming and Mu Mu exchanged a smile.

—As for the answer, didn't we already have the answer a long time ago?

She closed her eyes, smiled, and said, "No need. I, a mere woman, cannot accept such a generous offer from your country. I'm afraid I will disappoint you."

Only now, after his subordinates had just learned the details of what happened the day before, did Yan Shan understand Luther's intentions.

He clearly wanted to use that incident to make Yan Ziming lose trust within the Chinese military, in front of him and Qin Tianhai, both of whom were at the ninth level!

However, this guy's scheme was thwarted from the very beginning, because the two ninth-level beings placed absolute trust in Yan Ziming!

The reason is simple: besides being her niece, she was entrusted by the country with the important task of protecting the Qilin and building a friendly relationship with it, and indirectly killed the Grim Reaper. Furthermore, the charlatan personally vouched for her, and she also had the backing of a powerful figure in the Soul Heaven Realm. Even this trip to the deserted island was her idea.

With so many honors and so many contributions to the country, who would doubt her level of loyalty to the country?

Don't use the suspect, but don't use it.

The higher-ups in China aren't fools; they understand such a simple principle. It's a waste of time for Yan Ziming and her group to try and deny the facts.

However, based on Yan Shan's understanding of Luther, what he was about to do was certainly not so simple.

It is clear that their primary goal in wanting Yan Ziming to become a ninth-rank official is to win her over; framing her is secondary.

Yan Shan speculated that Luther was likely carrying recording equipment and intended to record videos, then use their snippets of conversation to create a truncated video and upload it online, leaving Yan Ziming with nowhere to go in China!

"That really fits their 'freedom of speech' style!" Yan Shan sneered inwardly.

Regardless of whether the facts are true or not, Yan Shan has seen too many of their methods of wantonly smearing everything about China, all under the guise of freedom of speech!

It is precisely because of China's remarkable contributions to the global fight against mutated species in recent years that it has gradually won back the world's people from being brainwashed by fake news from the United States, and its international standing has been greatly enhanced.

However, only a very small number of people within their organization know about Yan Ziming's glorious deeds. Ordinary Chinese citizens are unaware of them, and depending on the situation, they may need to be given another warning upon returning home.

Luther wanted to say something more, but Qin Tianhai cut him off:

"Stop wasting so much time and get the price agreed on. We've already wasted a lot of time."

Luther tapped the ground a few times with his cane in his right hand and said softly, "Fifty S-grade obsidian stones are fine, but ten SS-grade obsidian stones are too much, let alone the previous five."

Thanks to the United States' strict control over crystal core trading, they have a relatively abundant inventory of S-grade obsidian, unlike China, which has always been more lax in its control, leading to its current need to acquire it from various sources.

Moreover, it wasn't just the United States that contributed; the European Union, represented by Lansink, was also involved, so the cost wasn't too heavy when split equally.

However, SS-grade obsidian crystals are considered strategic resources among strategic resources. No country has a large stockpile; the appearance of even one SS-grade crystal core is enough for the United States Navy to send a nuclear submarine or fighter jet for escort.