Who said this card is outrageous?

They had seen this type of aircraft several times recently; it was one of the few technologically advanced pieces of equipment in the Binhai City Guard that could operate normally under the interference of rift energy.

Driven by both steam power and rune arrays, it is technically a creation of extraordinary power. Therefore, it is minimally affected by rift energy and is the core weapon of the city guards for rapidly deploying troops and carrying out rescue operations in complex environments.

The aircraft slowly circled once above the four people's heads, calibrated its position, and then landed smoothly on the open sandy ground not far away. Immediately afterwards, a large plume of steam shot out from the exhaust pipes, carrying a heat wave that made the surrounding air scorching hot.

The hatch opened immediately, and a man in the city guard uniform leaped out. He was around thirty years old, with a lean and upright build, and an old scar running from his brow bone to his jawline, revealing the sharpness and composure of someone who had been through many battles.

He strode up to the group, his gaze sweeping over them quickly. After confirming everyone's vital signs, he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief, his tense expression easing slightly.

"It's good that everyone is alive." His voice was a little hoarse from the battlefield, but his tone was noticeably relaxed.

In fact, upon receiving the distress signal from the battlefield, the city guards immediately activated their rescue plan. However, due to the recent war between Binhai City and the fishmen, all defense lines were short-handed, and the number of mobile rescue forces that could be mobilized was pitifully small. After much effort and coordination, they finally managed to free up an alchemy flying vehicle to come and provide support.

Fortunately, it wasn't the worst outcome.

The veteran crouched down, carefully examined the injuries of the men, and then leaned closer to check the breathing of the unconscious Fu Xing. He immediately stood up and waved decisively towards the direction of the aircraft.

Upon receiving the command, the pilot in the cockpit immediately initiated the transformation procedure: the short wings on both sides of the fuselage slowly retracted inward, and the high-speed rotating propeller folded and firmly fastened to both sides of the fuselage; four sets of load-bearing wheel frames extended simultaneously from under the fuselage, forming a six-wheel support structure in conjunction with the original chassis wheel set, and the entire fuselage slowly lowered its altitude, eventually transforming from an aircraft into a six-wheeled off-road beach buggy.

The aircraft mode has a limited weight capacity and can't carry six people. Only by switching to land vehicle mode can the transfer be completed smoothly.

After a flurry of activity, Fu Xing and his three injured classmates were carefully lifted onto the ATV. The veteran of the city guard then sat in the passenger seat, looked back at the four people huddled together in the back seat, and after confirming that everyone was seated and held on firmly, nodded solemnly to the driver.

The next second, the built-in alchemical power furnace roared, and the three sets of tires spun simultaneously, leaving deep ruts on the soft sand, carrying everyone towards the coastal city.

……

Upon returning to Weicheng, Fu Xing and the others were rushed to the city's central hospital, with several seriously injured individuals being directly admitted to the emergency room.

Because of the severity of his injuries, Fu Xing was placed in a separate bed for observation; he remained unconscious.

The doctor said that although he was physically and mentally exhausted, it was not serious and he just needed to rest and recuperate.

On the city guard side, Zhao Tieshan had already compiled a detailed report of the battle and submitted it to his superiors.

Two important points were mentioned: First, fourth-tier murlocs appeared, and the murloc army displayed unprecedented discipline and a reckless fighting style; second, the cards used by Yu Renjia in the battle played a key role, especially the third-tier blue card [Giant Shark Assault], whose power far exceeded the normal level of cards of the same tier.

This report quickly caught the attention of the city guard's top brass.

Including the fourth-tier murloc that appeared this time, they have encountered similar situations more than a dozen times in this period of time.

This means the threat of the Murloc Plague is escalating.

Then there were the cards that Yu Renjia and others used in the battle, and the card makers behind them also began to officially come into the sights of the city guards.

Chapter 48 I am who I am (Please read on!)

Zhang Che didn't sleep well all night; his mind was filled with thoughts of that vixen.

Fortunately, judging from last night's events, although Ahri was incredibly audacious, the countermeasures left by the ancestor were indeed effective. As long as she knows who the master is, she shouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

Zhang Che took a deep breath and channeled his mental energy into the card.

Blue light bloomed in the studio, and after the light faded, Ahri appeared in front of him.

Compared to last night, Ahri was noticeably more well-behaved today.

She still had that charming and alluring look, but her eyes had changed. They were no longer the provocative and cunning gaze from last night, but rather a cautious and submissive look.

Ahri stood obediently in front of Zhang Che, her head slightly bowed, her posture respectful, as if waiting for her master's command.

Zhang Che looked at her without saying a word.

Ah Li's eyes twitched slightly as she stole a glance at Zhang Che. Seeing that he didn't seem angry, she slowly raised her head, her face displaying a perfectly poignant expression. Her amber eyes were filled with a thin layer of moisture, making her look like a child who had done something wrong, waiting for her parents' forgiveness.

Zhang Che: "..."

It must be admitted that this vixen has an exceptional talent for reading people and assessing situations.

Zhang Che sighed helplessly.

Oh well, it's the cards I made myself after all...

Moreover, based on Ahri's performance last night, he was certain that the other party possessed a considerable degree of autonomy.

Even though they are now in a master-servant relationship, out of respect for the suspected intelligent life, he can let bygones be bygones when the other party offends him.

Zhang Che thought to himself.

Of course, there is an even more important reason—good looks are justice, a principle that applies everywhere.

"I can let bygones be bygones about what happened last night." Zhang Che leaned back in his chair, trying to make his tone sound as indifferent as possible. "If there's a next time, you'll have no reason to exist."

Ahri's eyes lit up, and most of the grievance on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a docile, ingratiating smile. She nodded gently, her nine tails swaying behind her as if expressing gratitude.

"Thank you, Master."

Her voice was so soft it could melt your heart, but this time, Zhang Che could tell that she was genuinely thanking him, not trying to seduce him.

Taking this opportunity, Zhang Che decided to ask some questions he had always wanted to know the answers to.

"Ah Li, I have a few questions for you. Answer honestly."

"Master, please ask." Ahri straightened up, her expression becoming serious.

"What is your current state of being? What exactly are you?"

Ahri tilted her head, seemingly pondering how to answer the question. After a moment, she spoke, her voice lower than usual, as if describing something even she herself wasn't entirely sure about.

“My body… is not a flesh and blood body in the traditional sense.” She looked down at her hands, her fingers clenching lightly in the air. “To be more precise, I am a construct made of magical energy and alchemical materials, capable of feeling temperature and emotions, and possessing a complete sense of touch.”

She looked up at Zhang Che, indicating that the power she could truly unleash depended entirely on the level and quality of this body, or rather, the card itself.

If Zhang Che were to upgrade her to a higher rank or quality one day, Ahri's power would also increase; but if the card were destroyed, she would also disappear.

Zhang Che nodded. This answer was similar to the knowledge he possessed. The essence of card summons was an aggregation of energy and materials. Although Ahri possessed a human form and independent consciousness, her underlying logic was not fundamentally different from that of other summons.

"The second question," Zhang Che paused, "Do you have any memories in your mind... that don't belong to this world? Like stories, characters, or things you've never seen before but feel very familiar with?"

Ahri's expression became subtle.

She was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Yes, I do have some... stories about another me in my mind. A place called Ionia, a forest called Kumangu, and some people I know but have never met."

“But the story isn’t complete,” she added. “It’s like a book with most of its pages torn out, leaving only scattered fragments. To me, those memories are broken, incomplete, like looking through a fog.”

Zhang Che looked at her without saying a word.

Ahri seemed to sense his thoughts and added earnestly, "But I am who I am. I am not that nine-tailed fox from Ionia. I am a completely new individual born under the rules of this world. Those memories are like a book I have read. Although the story in the book is wonderful, it is not my story."

Zhang Che remained silent for a long time.

Through the mental link, he could sense that Ahri was not lying.

Moreover, her explanation coincided with his previous guess: these cards, which were made up of information from past lives, carried some of the memories and traits of those characters, but they were not copies of those characters, but new individuals born under the rules of this world.

Just like Agumon is Agumon, but not the Agumon from the Digital World; Ahri is Ahri, but not the Ahri from League of Legends.

“One last question,” Zhang Che looked at her, “Why did you do that last night?”

Ahri's expression froze for a moment. She lowered her head, her nine tails swaying uneasily, as if she were organizing her thoughts.

After a long while, she whispered, "Because I want to know what kind of person my master is."

Zhang Che frowned: "What do you mean?"

“Because of the independent consciousness I have possessed since birth.” Ahri raised her head, her eyes shining with a seriousness bordering on obstinacy. “I need to know whether my master is strong or weak, kind or cruel, worthy of following… or only fit to be used.”

"And what was the result?" Zhang Che asked.

Ahri smiled, a genuine smile without any hint of coquetry.

"As it turns out, my master is much stronger and more tolerant than I expected." She bowed slightly, her nine tails swaying gently behind her. "Ah Li is willing to follow my master."

Zhang Che looked at her, remained silent for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"Alright, we can talk about this later." He stood up. "I have something to do, you can come back first."

Ahri nodded, then her figure turned into specks of light and disappeared, reverting to her card form.

Zhang Che put the cards away and was about to go to his studio when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Yu Renjia.

"Hey?"

Yu Renjia's voice came from the other end of the phone, much hoarse than usual, and sounded very tired: "Zhang Che, Fu Xing is in trouble."

Zhang Che was stunned for a moment: "What?"

“We fought a battle with the merfolk outside the city.” Yu Renjia’s voice was low, as if he was suppressing some emotion. “Fu Xing… was seriously injured and is now in the city’s central hospital.”

Chapter 49 Anti-human Organization

When Zhang Che arrived at the city's central hospital by car, Yu Renjia was already waiting at the entrance.

His complexion was noticeably better than when he was first admitted to the hospital, but he still looked a bit weak.

He was wearing a clean hospital gown with an overcoat over it, and Zhang Che could see the adhesive tape left from the IV drip on the back of his left hand.

After the two met up, Yu Renjia nodded to Zhang Che, then turned and led him toward the inpatient department.

After walking through the corridor and taking the elevator, Zhang Che finally saw Fu Xing, who was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, again in a ward on the third floor.

The ward was quite large, with two beds facing each other, and the lighting was good; it must have been specially prepared for them by the higher-ups.

Fu Xing occupies the bed by the window, while the bed by the door is empty, which should be Yu Renjia's seat.

The two are in slightly different situations. Yu Renjia seems to be doing much better, while Fu Xing is more accurately described as "lying down".

"Zhang Che, you've come to see me?" Fu Xing turned around when he heard the door open and immediately waved to greet him happily.

Then Su Wanqing, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, patted his shoulder hard.

"Ah—!" Fu Xing screamed in agony, his face contorting instantly.

"You've suffered such a serious injury, so behave yourself." Su Wanqing's tone was very calm, but the heartache and blame in her eyes were obvious to Fu Xing, even if he was slow to notice.

He grimaced and rubbed the spot where he had been slapped, feeling resentful: "At the force you applied, it's no wonder my injuries won't heal quickly."

Of course, he only dared to think these things in his heart; he would never dare to say them out loud.

At this moment, Zhang Che walked to Fu Xing's bedside and couldn't help but laugh, "Whose mummy has escaped?"

Although the words were somewhat joking, Fu Xing's condition was indeed not good at the moment. His right arm was in a cast and sling across his chest, his left leg was wrapped in thick bandages, and large areas of gauze were also applied to his chest and shoulders.

Fortunately, there were no injuries on his face, and you could still tell what he looked like before. He was lying on the bed, the blanket covering him up to his waist, and he did look rather miserable.