Chapter 375: World Map and Fast Travel
Cheng, who had contacted a bald butcher's subordinate through a paid hire and was trying to buy a map from the Dragon Hunter community through his channels, suddenly saw a projection flash before his eyes.
This was a function built into the lab's desk, and the projection showed Mina, the dark-skinned archer who was temporarily filling in as a customer service representative due to a shortage of staff.
"Aoko... Captain, a giant steel bird has landed near the lab, and a rooster-headed man calling himself Slicex has emerged from it, saying he wants to see our person in charge."
Perhaps still unaccustomed to the new way of addressing Cheng Tian, or perhaps simply disliking talking to men, Mina maintained a taut, delicate dark face, but she handled the matter well.
"Slicex? Oh, oh~ That's Slice, I understand."
When Cheng Tian first heard the name, his mind didn't immediately grasp it, as Mina's Japanese English rendition was indeed abstract. But after a moment of mental translation, Cheng Tian knew who the person was and decided to immediately give them a show of force.
The sturdy main gate of the lab, designed to withstand dinosaur charges, slowly opened, but the people outside remained motionless, still standing at attention.
As Dr. Fessenden's powerful enforcer and the person in charge of this operation, "Slice" Slicex, with his standard rooster-comb hairstyle and a boomerang with a sharp blade tucked into his waist, was actually a BOSS unit in the original game responsible for leading his subordinates to attack Jack's repair shop.
However, with the drastic change in social climate and Jack not provoking Fessenden further, the plot of occupying the repair shop did not occur. As Fessenden's powerful enforcer, he also didn't undergo a full genetic modification after suffering a defeat. Currently, having only undergone partial enhancements, he still belonged to the human category.
As the social status of the Fessenden Institute soared, Slicex also became a 'chicken and dog ascended to heaven,' elevated to an arrogant position by the flattery of countless peers. He also had a considerable number of actual dragon-hunting achievements, which made the rooster comb on his head stand even more tall and proud.
However, at this moment, his rooster comb, which had been styled with an unknown amount of hairspray, seemed to cater to its owner's mood, tilting directly to one side, appearing utterly dejected.
The arrogance in Slicex's eyes also vanished without a trace as the shadow of a light-blue humanoid mecha fell upon him —
What the hell is this? A mecha? Is it real or fake? What about the promised investigation of tamed Tyrannosaurs?
Slicex was confident he could cut through the flesh of mutated bloodline dragons with his boomerang, but facing such a steel construct... What exactly does this Innovative Research Institute do!?
Leading two subordinates who, even after their industry became legitimate, still hadn't completely shed their thuggish aura, the rooster-headed man entered the lab building somewhat dazedly, guided by the autonomous combat mecha "Blind Sapper." He then entered the reception room, guided by the dark-skinned Demon Breaker (Mina) who was moonlighting as a greeter.
In the past, seeing a dark-skinned woman would have made them leer, flirt, or even try to grope her. But after witnessing the completely genuine movement of the Brodia, the three former thugs now sat down stiffly and in order, like obedient elementary school students, not daring to speak casually.
Soon, Cheng Tian arrived, and seeing the visitors' reserved demeanor, he knew his intimidation had been successful.
"I am the chief director of the institute. You can just call me Aoko."
"A pleasure to meet you! My name is Slicex, head of security at the Fessenden Institute."
The rooster-headed man, choosing to speak properly in front of Cheng Tian, finally avoided further embarrassing Fessenden.
"Everyone's time is precious, let's get straight to the point. The purpose of your visit to our company is..."
Hearing Cheng Tian's question, a series of thoughts flashed through the rooster-headed man's mind, finally settling on the mecha. Then, as if resigned, he spoke the plain truth.
Simply put, Dr. Fessenden, the most authoritative figure in the industry, believed that Tyrannosaurs, as terrestrial overlords, were still powerful beings that humans could not tame at this stage. And Cheng Tian, who claimed to have tamed a Tyrannosaur, was a fake. The rooster-headed man's mission was to expose this falsehood.
However, he didn't see any Tyrannosaurs, but was instead utterly shocked by the mecha. Now, the rooster-headed man didn't even know what exactly to do, but at the same time, he also stated that if Cheng Tian was willing to communicate with Fessenden, he could provide a special channel.
Cheng Tian did not answer immediately, but pondered that Fessenden was indeed a master deeply rooted in dinosaur genetics. His judgment was entirely correct; Tyrannosaurs were simply impossible to tame normally. His own dragon was a bridle combat mount, not a domestication in the conventional sense.
If he were to get another Tyrannosaur, the only possibility for Cheng Tian to "tame" it would be to kill it again and hope for a drop!
...Do you have a new world map?
However, while the rooster-headed man was waiting for an answer, Cheng Tian suddenly asked this question.
"Yes, we do."
The rooster-headed man nodded.
"Can you give me a copy?"
Cheng Tian wanted to get it for free!
"If it doesn't include dinosaur distribution information, yes."
The rooster-headed man could make that decision himself.
Just like that, Cheng Tian actually managed to get a new world map for "Adventurer's Dinosaur New World." In return, Cheng Tian gave the rooster-headed man the green bone boomerang "Boomerang Bone," which had been eliminated by Utan and dropped when he killed the yeti in Metal Slug.
Although this bone stick was already an outdated item, it was a perfect fit for Slicex, the rooster-headed man who specialized in using boomerangs.
It might not be outstanding, but it was unique, and sometimes, the uniqueness is what matters when giving a gift.
The rooster-headed man was visibly satisfied and had already decided to re-grind the Boomerang Bone into a bone blade.
And after the map was in hand, Cheng Tian and Irene simultaneously received the following Space prompt:
[You have obtained the re-surveyed world map of "Adventurer's Dinosaur New World." The World Map has been activated, and you can actively travel to other marked areas.]
[Detecting that the current instance is an exclusive instance for you and your team player —]
[You can now, in a non-combat state, use NPC factions or your own aerial vehicles to "Fast Travel" to other areas. This movement will consume instance mission remaining time and restore your stamina based on the time consumed.
Fast travel will not affect your remaining time in Heaven's Chosen Space.]
With the map in hand, Cheng Tian immediately set his sights on the island of Java, Indonesia, with its tropical rainforest climate.
If he remembered correctly, there were over a hundred volcanoes there, and more than thirty of them were active.