On the plane, Hong Fei lay back, observing the blue card in front of him.
The front displayed Tony's Mark I Armor, a rather goofy iron figure.
The text on the back described this skill card.
Active Skill Card: Fast Memory (Blue)
"After activation, it significantly enhances your memory ability and speed."
The first thing worth noting, of course, was the color of this skill card.
Unlike the White card Frank had dropped, this one was a beautiful, starry blue. Particle effects flowed along the edges like comets.
Judging by the lighting effects and function, this blue card was clearly a higher level than the White card.
Secondly, this was an Active Skill Card, which Hong Fei could control, turning it on and off at will.
Finally, how exactly did this Fast Memory skill perform?
After equipping the card into the card slot and activating the ability, Hong Fei casually picked up a magazine and began reading.
One minute later, feeling that nearly half the energy in his body had been consumed, Hong Fei deactivated the Fast Memory ability and closed his eyes to recall.
Instantly, countless fragments emerged in his mind, assembling themselves rapidly and orderly. The magazine pages formed directly in his brain. Not only the text and punctuation, but even the details of the pictures and the texture of the paper were vividly clear.
He opened the magazine and compared them one by one.
Not a single detail was off.
With a subtle smile, Hong Fei tossed the magazine aside and walked in front of Frank.
Frank sat with his legs wide apart, holding a Cross-blade with a pitted surface and a twisted, broken edge, examining it repeatedly.
"Still looking at it?"
Frank said without raising his head, "You're simply not an ordinary person."
Hong Fei replied, "I was born extraordinary."
"I suspect you aren't human."
"That's a bit much." Hong Fei curled his lip. "I'm also an Earthling, just a little stronger than the average person. And I can tell you clearly that in the future, there will be more discoveries that defy common sense. It's like a sudden downpour, continuously impacting ordinary people's worldviews. You should start adapting now, to avoid being laughed at later."
As he spoke, he took the severely damaged Cross-blade from Frank's hand. His fingertips brushed over the notched blade, and he sighed, "Ordinary materials are indeed a bit lacking. In the future, I must use the best materials to make a good blade."
Frank sneered. "I don't think any material exists that can let you slash bullets with an initial velocity of 850 meters per second, especially hundreds of them in a short time."
Hong Fei tossed the blade aside and said patiently, "Look at you, your perspective is too narrow again, isn't it? The Universe is so vast; such materials must exist, and they even exist on Earth itself."
Frank was clearly unconvinced; he simply lay back and ignored Hong Fei.
It wasn't very far from Sokovia in Eastern Europe to Afghanistan in Central Asia, much closer than the distance from the northwest to the southeast coast of their homeland.
The plane landed at the airport where Hong Fei had departed. The military officer in charge had been waiting on the ground for a long time. As soon as he saw Hong Fei appear on the gangway, he opened his arms from afar and let out a boisterous laugh.
Hong Fei instantly beamed with a smile, turning his head slightly to say to Frank behind him, "That damn bastard charged me another million."
Walking down the gangway, Hong Fei also opened his arms. After the two quickly approached, their chests collided, and they hugged tightly, patting each other's backs, looking like inseparable brothers.
"Colonel Abu, my old friend, I'm very happy to see you again. But you really didn't need to come in person; you know I was already prepared to come and pay you a visit."
Colonel Abu, with his full beard, smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits. He said in not-so-fluent English, "Hong, my dear brother, with a distinguished guest like you arriving, I couldn't possibly sit at home with peace of mind. Only by coming to greet you in person can I express my respect for you."
Hong Fei laughed loudly and walked outward side by side with Abu, talking and laughing loudly all the way, looking extremely harmonious.
Frank watched the backs of the two with a face full of disdain, while Numbers Three to Five carried Tony on a stretcher behind them.
After leaving the airport, Number One and Number Two, who had arrived in Afghanistan early, were waiting outside, each driving a car. After reluctantly boarding the vehicles, Abu was still waving goodbye to Hong Fei outside the car.
Only after the car had driven far away did Hong Fei turn his head and rub his sore cheeks.
"In the future, as long as I can enter the country normally, I will never look for him again."
One million per visit. Who could stand that?
Frank, standing to the side, said sarcastically, "Didn't he respect you very much? He even came to greet you in person."
"Hmph, that wasn't any greeting. From the very first second I appeared, someone had been aiming a gun at my head from afar."
Although he could understand the other party's defensive mentality, Hong Fei's own discomfort was equally understandable.
In short, the two people who were laughing and talking just now were actually harboring their own hidden agendas. Hong Fei was smiling because he thought he might come back in the future, while the other party was thinking about long-term gain while also not wanting to affect his reputation with others. After all, managing this airport, his illicit income wasn't limited to just Hong Fei's business.
Had it not been for the circumstances, the other party would have opened fire immediately, and Hong Fei would have been dead before he knew what hit him.
The two cars sped along the road. After entering the desert, they suddenly turned onto a small path. After more than four hours of bumpy driving, Hong Fei and his group arrived at a desolate valley, covered with gravel and scattered with bullet casings.
After getting out of the car, everyone jumped around to loosen their muscles and bones. Frank said, "This is the place chosen by Number One and Number Two. I've checked the topographical map; it fits your requirements perfectly."
Hong Fei nodded, and the group walked into the cave together.
Unlike the unbearable heat on the surface, the cave was very cool. Moreover, there were many sandbags piled at the entrance. Further inside, it branched into several paths, with roads crisscrossing like a maze.
However, there were bullet holes of all sizes everywhere inside and outside the cave, clearly indicating that a fierce battle had taken place here.
Frank added, "This used to be a stronghold for a group of militants, but after an incident, the U.S. military swept through. No one should come here for a while."
Hong Fei asked, "That works. We only need one night. What about the retreat route?"
"Inside, there's a tunnel that leads to the back of this rocky mountain."
"Good! A good place. How did you find this?" Hong Fei looked at Number One and Number Two.
The two looked at each other with serious expressions. Number One spoke up, "Boss, when we were scouting in a nearby village, we met a survivor who had escaped the U.S. military sweep. He was very willing to sell this place to us."
"Oh? How much did it cost?"
Number One grinned, "Nothing."
Hong Fei didn't ask for details, but gave Number One a very affirmative look.