Chapter 157 : Chapter 157
157. The Greatest Risk
A perfect method.
Lu Zheng didn’t raise any objections.
He knew he wasn’t an expert in this field, so once he confirmed that Yi Ning’s plan carried no obvious risks, he nodded at her.
Admittedly, Lu Zheng’s behavior here was somewhat against the Hero Association’s rules. But he had never been the type to rigidly follow every regulation—otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to D-City early to enjoy a semi-retired life.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Zheng waved at Yi Ning.
“Just like that?”
Yi Ning was puzzled by his casual attitude.
Based on his usual dawdling, nitpicking ways, she had expected Lu Zheng to spend more time agonizing over her access to the Hero Association’s monitoring system.
“Isn’t this what you wanted? Why aren’t you happy?”
Lu Zheng was puzzled too.
But being sharp as he was, after thinking for a bit, he realized what Yi Ning meant. He explained his decisiveness.
“When I was on the phone with Qiu Yu just now, I heard her typing up a report. The higher-ups will know soon enough. I’m not an expert in that area anyway, so I’ll just wait and hear what they say.”
“Fine.”
Yi Ning shrugged.
She rose from the sofa and beckoned him to follow.
After leaving the reception room, Yi Ning led Lu Zheng through the base, winding around until they arrived at a room that felt familiar to him.
It was Yi Ning’s laboratory inside the base.
As Yi Ning stepped inside, the lab lights automatically lit up, flooding the space with white light.
Lu Zheng followed, looking around curiously.
He had been here before while helping Yi Ning clean up her messes, but no matter how many times he visited, it never failed to impress him.
Unlike Dr. Mandel’s laboratory, which was traditional, Yi Ning resembled more of a factory workshop.
It must have been built using some kind of spatial technology beyond Lu Zheng’s understanding—because the lab was several times larger than the base itself looked from outside, stretching so far that the end couldn’t be seen.
Large, inscrutable machines were neatly arranged by category.
But on the floor, strange-shaped parts lay scattered everywhere, tools tossed about without care.
Not “clean and orderly,” but rather “chaotic and disorganized.”
Clap clap!
Yi Ning clapped her hands.
Two flat flying machines descended from above, landing steadily before them.
“You’ve even got transport?”
Lu Zheng tapped the one before him with his foot to test its stability. Satisfied, he stepped on.
Yi Ning was already standing atop hers, hands clasped behind her back, leading him toward their destination.
“What else did you expect? It’s too big—what, you think I’d run everywhere on foot?”
Lu Zheng’s face twisted awkwardly.
Last time, he had run through here on foot. If not for the signboards Yi Ning had installed, he would’ve been lost for ages.
As the flying machines carried them, Lu Zheng felt an odd sense of familiarity about the route.
When he spotted a sign pointing to the junkyard, he realized why—it was the same path he had taken before to dispose of one of Yi Ning’s broken evil inventions. Except then, he had run on the ground. Now, he was flying overhead.
So he looked toward that familiar direction.
And sure enough, only seconds later, the junkyard sign appeared.
“We’re…?”
Lu Zheng looked at Yi Ning.
Yi Ning’s face was calm. “Heading to the alien planet.”
“Did you forget? My trash bin links directly to that planet. We’ll just take the trash route.”
Trash route…
Lu Zheng’s face twisted.
Was Yi Ning trying to imply he was trash?
…
Soon, the two landed before Yi Ning’s trash bin.
Yi Ning hopped off her flyer. Once Lu Zheng joined her, she clapped again, sending the two machines away.
Then she pulled from her pocket something that looked like a toy gun.
“Before heading to the alien planet, we need to prepare.”
She pointed the toy gun at herself and pulled the trigger.
A yellow ray enveloped her instantly.
After a moment, she released the trigger and aimed the barrel at Lu Zheng.
“This thing helps us adapt to the alien planet’s environment, which may differ from Blue Star’s. Just one shot at you, and it adjusts the surrounding conditions.”
“Oh, I get it—it’s like an Adaptation Lamp, right?”
Lu Zheng quickly answered.
By now, he was used to Yi Ning pulling Doraemon-like gadgets out of nowhere.
But sadly…
“Pffft—”
Yi Ning made a big X with her arms across her chest.
“The lamp's look and glow is just my personal quirk. At its core, this thing just puts you in a space suit that doesn’t affect daily life. It’s nowhere near as magical as an Adaptation Lamp.”
She fired the ray at Lu Zheng, then handed him some small gadgets she thought might be useful on the alien planet.
…
When they were both ready, Yi Ning opened a panel in the wall, pressed a few buttons, and pulled out a keyboard to type.
The space within the wall began to twist, transforming into a multicolored warped tunnel.
Lu Zheng leaned forward curiously, trying to peek inside. But before he could, Yi Ning held out a hand to stop him.
“Don’t rush. I need to shorten the distance a little first. Throwing trash in is fine, but this time it’s the two of us. If we get lost in the tunnel, that won’t be funny.”
She kept typing.
Soon, Lu Zheng’s view filled with a strange landscape, growing closer and clearer until the warped tunnel disappeared entirely.
“Whoosh—”
A fierce gust blew from the space gate, the pressure difference forcing Lu Zheng to squint.
It seemed the air pressure was different on the other side.
“Okay!”
Yi Ning clapped her hands, pushed the keyboard back, and grinned.
“Landing’s up to you!”
“?”
Lu Zheng blinked in confusion. He hadn’t even gotten a look inside when suddenly a heavy shove came from behind—he toppled headfirst into the trash bin.
Behind him, Yi Ning stretched her limbs, then hopped in after him.
On the other side, Lu Zheng found himself under a bright blue sky, clouds close enough to touch.
Only then did he realize what Yi Ning meant by “landing’s up to you.”
He felt like slapping himself for ever thinking this plan had no risks.
No risks?
Yi Ning herself was the biggest risk.
She had opened the portal directly in midair!!!