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

Therefore, even though she was very willful in some things, Mandala had no way to deal with her and could only let her be.

"So... what do you want from me? Let me make it clear first, I don't have a second SSS-grade obsidian crystal on me."

"Don't worry, I didn't call you here for this matter. It's just... I wanted to get to know you again."

Mandala clasped her hands together on her knees, supporting her chin, and looked at Yan Ziming with a slightly scrutinizing gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Get to know each other again...? Do you want to have a 'deep conversation' with me?" Yan Ziming was taken aback, then said jokingly.

click-

The sound of breaking glass.

Mandala and Yan Ziming turned their heads at the same time and saw Fia, whose hands still had shards of glass, staring at them with a gloomy expression.

"Sorry, I accidentally used a little too much force. I'll aim more accurately next time."

Fia picked up the shards of glass from the ground and smiled grimly.

What the heck is 'shooting accurately'?!

Yan Ziming mentally ranted, but seeing that she didn't seem hurt, he decided to let it go as if nothing had happened.

Turning her head, she saw Mandala's warning gaze, mainly directed at Fia, and secondarily telling her not to get involved.

"Ha... Go on, how do you want to get to know me again?"

"Ahem, Miss Ziqing...or perhaps Miss Yan Ziming, is that right?"

".....what?" Yan Ziming pretended to be confused. Because she was wearing a mask, Mandala could not judge her based on her expression.

The premise is that Mandala was testing her.

Mandala had already confirmed that this person was definitely Yan Ziming; she was only asking about her true identity now to avoid surprising her too much.

"You don't need to pretend you don't know. We're partners now, so there's no point in hiding your identity anymore."

"No... I really don't know what you're talking about."

“Okay, if you say you’re not, then you’re not. We’ll still have a friendly working relationship, right?” Mancharo took a sip of red wine. The bottle was right next to him, and Yan Ziming recognized it—it was a world-famous wine!

The price of a single bottle has skyrocketed to an astronomical figure in the post-apocalyptic world, and it is especially sought after by people in the upper echelons of society. There have been instances of people using S-grade obsidian to purchase it.

Damn it, evil capitalism!

In his previous life, Yan Ziming was a heavy drinker. After transforming into a woman, he drank heavily every day due to life problems. Later, in order to take care of Ye Qianxue, he gradually reduced the number of times he drank. He would not drink high-proof liquor, and at most he would drink a few bottles of beer when he was happy.

"What, want a drink?" Mandala tapped the bottle with her fingernail, making a crisp sound.

Yan Zimo nodded.

"This bottle of wine was specially prepared for Yan Ziming~~"

Depend on!

This guy is determined to harp on this point, isn't he?

Well, I guess she wasn't testing me, but rather confirming that I am Yan Ziming... If that's the case, it would be better to continue the conversation.

Now that things had come to this, Yan Ziming understood the truth and stopped denying it. She proved everything with her actions—she snatched the bottle of expensive red wine and poured herself a glass.

Mandala smiled and raised her glass to Yan Ziming, "Ms. Yan Ziming, I wish us a pleasant cooperation, cheers."

"......cheers."

Yan Ziming hesitated for a moment, then picked up his wine glass and toasted her, drinking it all in one gulp.

Cool!

The aroma of the wine exploded on Yan Ziming's taste buds like an atomic bomb, a sensation that cannot be described by the word "exhilarating".

She wasn't afraid that something had been laced with her drink.

The instant she drank the wine, lightning passed through every corner of her body. Under the extreme heat, nothing foreign could remain inside her for long.

"what--"

Yan Ziming exhaled a breath of alcohol, mixed with some bluish-purple fragments.

The lightning had evaporated the wine completely, and to avoid impairing her judgment and being taken advantage of, Yan Ziming promptly spat it out.

"We've gone through all the necessary procedures, so you should tell me... what did you want to see me about?"

After savoring the rich aroma of the red wine, Yan Ziming spoke slowly.

"There's a business opportunity I'd like to discuss."

"Come on... I'm not as rich as you think. That SSS-grade obsidian crystal last time was just an accident, really."

Yan Ziming said with a self-deprecating smile, "According to Xian'er's later description, this was dropped by an SSS-level mutated species that she killed on the way, and there was no second one."

"No, as long as you're willing, you can definitely provide what I need."

Mandala said indifferently that she was satisfied with obtaining one, and it would be too greedy to ask for a second one.

What she wanted was something more special.

"You don't actually want me to sell you intelligence about China, do you?! Don't even think about it," Yan Ziming said warily.

Manchaluo put down her wine glass, brought her pretty face close to Yan Ziming, and traced her tongue across her lips, filling the private room with a rosy atmosphere.

"No, you're mistaken. What I want is... the reward you receive for your ranking in this Civilization Cup."

"Tsk."

"Huh? Was that just a smacking sound?"

“No, you misheard.” Mandala glared at Fia and then said, “It means exactly what it says. No matter what ranking you get, I will exchange the reward for twenty S-grade obsidian crystals.”

"Any ranking?" Yan Ziming pressed.

Mandala nodded with absolute certainty. "Yes, any ranking."

Yan Ziming thought back on the rewards for each ranking and said, "Actually, what you want most is the reward for the top three, right?"

"Yes, we simply cannot part with things made from sequence-level corpses."

Mandala readily agreed, offering twenty S-grade obsidian stones as a considerable token of her sincerity. Now it was up to Yan Ziming to decide whether to accept.

From the perspective of the conditions, it is undoubtedly of great benefit to Yan Ziming. However, Yan Ziming does not care about the top three rewards. In comparison, the twenty S-grade obsidian crystals are more attractive to her.

Considering that the government might not want to see such a thing happen, Yan Ziming said, "Give me some time to think about it."

"Is a week enough? The individual competition will probably end around that time."

"No need, I'll give you an answer within a day."

Yan Ziming shoved the wine bottle into his arms, sealing his fate.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Stars Are So Bright

"Sister Mo Sheng, I want to ask you something."

After leaving the luxurious private room at Manchaluo, Yan Ziming called Mo Sheng and told her the whole story of her encounter with Manchaluo.

"Sure, or rather, if you can get it, it's yours to keep, and we can't control how you decide."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ziming instantly transformed into a spirited young man (or woman), feeling like she had become a nouveau riche.

Twenty S-grade obsidian stones—one of which would be enough for her to live comfortably for a while; twenty stones would be enough to support her for a lifetime.

However, with Xian'er urging her on, she shouldn't think about staying at home like a salted fish for the time being.

"Okay, Sister Mo Sheng, I understand."

"If you can get into the top three, I'd be thrilled! Keep it up, twenty S-grade obsidian crystals are waiting for you!"

Just as Yan Ziming was about to hang up, Mo Sheng suddenly remembered something and called out to her, "Oh, right, there's one more thing. You're not allowed to pretend you didn't hear me and hang up!"

"...I didn't hang up."

Intuition told Yan Ziming that some trouble was about to befall her again. She wanted to pretend she hadn't heard and hang up, but Mo Sheng's words sealed off all her escape routes.

"There's a conference for scientists from different countries in a couple of days. I'm going to give you a task, and you can't refuse!"

Yan Ziming said with a long face, "My dear Mo Sheng, people always say that good sisters should support each other, so why do you always give me so many troublesome tasks after I met you!"

"Stop arguing. So many people are waiting for this opportunity but aren't qualified! Besides, you would never refuse the person you're asked to protect. If something happens to her, you'd probably be heartbroken. That's all."

"Hey—wait, no... damn it, he hung up! He has to tell me who it was!" Yan Ziming said speechlessly. How could she protect someone if he didn't even tell her who the target was?

From what Mo Sheng said, Yan Ziming knew that the person was someone she cared about. There were only a few people she cared about at the moment, and even fewer who needed her protection. When she thought of the word "scientist," Yan Ziming immediately thought of Jiang Lan.

It can't really be her, can it?

How could the top brass of the nation so easily hand over the person who holds the key to the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the United States, the nation's brainless axe?

Even with Mo Sheng around, it would be difficult to guarantee Jiang Lan's safety!

"Well... the higher-ups shouldn't be out of their minds."

After thinking about it for a while, he felt that since the Chinese leadership dared to send Jiang Lan, they must have something to be confident about. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, so he didn't need to worry about such things.

"Where have you been?"

Back in the waiting area, Qin Di went up to her and asked. He had been looking everywhere for Yan Ziming and thought she had abandoned her position as captain and run away. After all, that was the kind of person Yan Ziming was.