Chapter 374: The Dinosaur Protection Association Has No Future!
The UFO flew away, rapidly disappearing into the skyline, leaving Cheng Tian on the ground with a hint of regret as he watched it all unfold.
Unfortunately, once the UFO completed its capture and a new mission prompt appeared, Aoko vanished from Cheng Tian's vehicle matrix list. Otherwise, he might have already forcibly boarded the UFO using the "Matrix Jump" effect.
However, if he were to try and destroy the enemy's flying vehicle from the inside right then and there, a parachute-less jump would be the least of his worries; the "Scavenge" option among the mission rewards would likely become unusable.
"...Did you plan this all along?"
Because they were in a party, Eileen, who had also received the mission trigger prompt, approached Cheng with a suspicious look.
Originally, she was annoyed that she couldn't prevent Cheng Tian's collection from being taken, but once the mission prompt flashed, she couldn't help but wonder if Cheng Tian had orchestrated the whole thing.
"Not that deliberately."
Cheng replied noncommittally.
Admittedly, Cheng Tian had indeed set the mission trigger target on the aliens, but their strong interest in mechs was not within his prior considerations. He was still thinking about how to find the aliens, and then the aliens came out and took the bait themselves.
"So mysterious."
Eileen rolled her eyes at Cheng Tian and didn't press further.
It was as if no matter what happened to Cheng Tian, there was no need to trace its origins or even think too much; overthinking would only bring discomfort.
If she were to truly pursue it, the laboratory they were currently in would be the biggest problem.
Construction-type skills weren't unheard of among players, and there were quite a few items, but she had indeed never seen anyone use them in a dungeon... Cheng Tian adjusted the current list of his vehicle matrix and began to ponder how to find the alien base.
He glanced at the remaining time for the dungeon mission on his panel, a little over 13 days. This time was linked to Cheng Tian's spatial Detention duration, meaning the alien base must also be a place that could be found within 13 days.
In that case, the original levels of Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and Adventure Island 3 were more likely.
"Three conjoined volcanoes"
Cheng Tian wrote this condition on the whiteboard.
In Adventure Island 3, the alien spaceship was hidden in a location with three conjoined volcanoes, and the surrounding terrain and vegetation distribution leaned towards a tropical rainforest climate.
But when he wrote down "Tropical Rainforest Climate Zone," he added "Cataclysmic Climate" and a question mark after it.
The Cataclysmic Climate in the Cadillacs and Dinosaurs dungeon entry might lead to sudden climate changes at any time, meaning the "Tropical Rainforest Climate" entry was likely inaccurate. The only accurate part might be the three conjoined volcanoes.
"Need a new world map."
Cheng Tian's oil pen tapped the whiteboard repeatedly, leaving small black dots.
Under the impact of the Cataclysm, many original land areas had actually been submerged, and while many places still retained their original names, the actual territory had disappeared. Moreover, the wilderness areas had become extremely dangerous due to the habitation of super-powered dinosaurs. Forces capable of re-mapping the Earth's continental plates after the Cataclysm, if not entirely nonexistent, were certainly rare.
Cheng Tian quickly wrote down "Dinosaur Protection Association" and "Fessenden Institute."
The former, despite its flawed ideology, would inevitably have records of dinosaur distribution to ensure their constant protection.
The latter, as the current leader of the hottest industry and collecting dinosaur corpses worldwide, also had a high probability of possessing new maps.
Of course, the Dragon Hunters were also a good group. Although Cheng Tian still wouldn't casually sign his laboratory contracts with them, using their channels to search for maps was clearly a viable method.
Coincidentally, the Swamp Jungle Dragon Hunter community was currently in a frenzy discussing the appearance of the UFO and its theft of one of Cheng Tian's mechs. Many felt a surge of excitement and also entertained the idea of searching for the UFO.
Although they didn't know whether the UFO contained humans or aliens, as long as they could find the UFO, they would most likely find the stolen mech as well.
At that point, whether to use it themselves or sell it to Hammond Innovation Labs, it would be a good option.
The Dragon Hunters, who originally entered the profession for money, naturally wouldn't mind temporarily switching to treasure hunters for money.
Of course, those who started to have such thoughts were limited to those with outstanding abilities, greater ambition, and who were unwilling to be subservient. The Dragon Hunters and merchants who were just trying to make a living continued with their usual routines... This included Jack Tenrec, from the original Dinosaur Protection Association faction, who was the least prominent protagonist in Cadillacs and Dinosaurs.
Cheng Tian's understanding of the game was truly profound, especially his ability to grasp details overlooked by others.
Just from a heavily modified old Cadillac, he guessed that the owner, Jack, might be nearby, and he was right. Jack was indeed there, and he witnessed everything firsthand, from the establishment of the laboratory to the appearance of the Crimson Tyrannosaurus, the crushing combat power of the mechs, and the UFO's predatory act.
From a player's perspective, Jack's presence was very low. His attack power was inferior to the strongman in the team, his recognizability was not as high as the yellow-hatted character in the team, and his sex appeal could not be compared with the only female teammate. However, he had one thing that his other old teammates could not match.
That was, he owned a large auto repair factory!
In the original plot, his repair shop even appeared as an entire level, and from the movable backgrounds, one could see that Jack's car wash was truly extraordinary.
So, while others had to go underground due to their sensitive identities, Jack was able to continue as an auto repair shop owner and conduct more transactions with the growing Dragon Hunter team.
Unlike others, Jack's stance was now leaning towards neutrality. To be precise, Jack was bewildered by the initial flame attack from the Crimson Tyrannosaurus itself, and after reading Fessenden's report, he realized that those super-powered dinosaur populations had become an ecological enemy of humanity.
And the growing Dragon Hunter community's demand for vehicle purchases and repairs was skyrocketing, which made Jack's business flourish.
However, it was also because of Jack's actions, which clearly involved aiding the enemy, that he became estranged from his former close teammates, especially Hannah, who almost completely cut ties with him.
This situation also left Jack somewhat bewildered.
But the appearance of the mech was like a beam of light shining on his face. That uncontrollable, deep-seated love for vehicles made him feel a stronger need to search than anyone else present.
However, he was equally clueless about how to find the UFO's whereabouts and wondered if he could cooperate with Hammond Innovation Labs—
"Tsk~ It's Fessenden, sharp nose."
Hearing the sound of rotor blades, Jack looked up and saw a helicopter bearing the Fessenden Institute's insignia slowly approaching, clearly targeting the laboratory.
A sense of crisis welled up in Jack's heart.