Yue Jiaxue smiled faintly, then took out an a-grade metal and placed it on the table:
"Master Duan, please also take a look. Is this suitable for forging weapons?"
Duan Wuye looked at the seemingly ordinary Pigeon egg-sized metal on the table, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. Clearly, this was not the trunk of a high-level zombie.
Nowadays, the highest quality and most durable weapon material was undoubtedly the trunk of a high-level zombie, but this metal… it was probably an unknown metal that Firefly had stumbled upon somewhere.
But how could the metal ores on Earth compare to the trunk of a high-level zombie?
Duan Wuye picked up the metal, thinking to himself, "I'll pretend to test it in a moment, then subtly inform them that while this metal is extraordinary, it still pales in comparison to the trunk of a high-level zombie."
With that thought, he lightly weighed the metal in his hand, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing. He smiled and said, "This metal is indeed quite special. May I experiment with it?"
"Please, go ahead…"
Yue Jiaxue's lips curved into a smile, and she gestured for Duan Wuye to test it as he pleased. They probably hadn't even seen a-grade metal before.
Upon hearing this, Duan Wuye stood up and walked to the villa's courtyard, with everyone following closely behind. Duan Wuye took a deep breath, and with a thought, a forging platform instantly appeared out of thin air, with flames burning fiercely. A giant hammer, constructed of energy, materialized in his hand.
Holding the forging hammer, Duan Wuye gently placed the a-grade metal on the forging platform, and the flames immediately enveloped it.
Duan Wuye secretly mused: His forging hammer could easily flatten ordinary metal. The inconspicuous metal on the forging platform would undoubtedly be flattened with a light strike. He must pretend to exert his full strength; if he flattened it too easily, it would make them lose face.
Having decided, he acted! Duan Wuye took a deep breath. To make it more convincing, Duan Wuye even leaped into the air, gathering all his strength. The giant hammer descended with a whooshing sound, striking hard;
His momentum was like a rainbow, and he put on a full display of exerting his utmost effort;
Just as the giant hammer was about to strike the metal, Duan Wuye stealthily withdrew more than half of his strength. Duan Wuye felt that this act was the most exquisite performance of his acting career.
Perfect! This way, even if the metal was flattened, it wouldn't make the other party lose face.
However, the moment the giant hammer touched the metal, a strong recoil force came back. If he hadn't secretly withdrawn his strength, he would have surely made a fool of himself with this blow;
He stared dumbfounded at the metal; its surface was completely unharmed, and the flames rolled around it but could not erode it in the slightest.
"What kind of metal is this! How is this possible!"
Duan Wuye was utterly shocked. The toughness of this metal far exceeded his imagination. This was impossible; even the Six Horizontal Bars-defensive Tank Zombie's trunk couldn't compare!
Duan Wuye stood rooted to the spot, the shock in his eyes gradually turning into fanaticism. This metal had limitless potential and would surely be able to forge weapons beyond imagination.
Taking another deep breath, Duan Wuye's eyes gleamed. He carefully repositioned the metal, his abilities surging rapidly. The forging platform's flames intensified, and Duan Wuye gripped the giant hammer with both hands, concentrating all his strength into a single point, then struck down fiercely once more.
"Clang!" The giant hammer collided with the metal, emitting a deafening roar. Flames instantly splattered, and the forging platform trembled slightly. Duan Wuye's arm felt a slight numbness, yet the metal remained completely intact, not even a single mark left on its surface. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
Duan Wuye's old face flushed. This time, he had truly made a fool of himself. There was no need to try again; he couldn't even leave a mark on the metal's surface, let alone forge any weapons from it.
Duan Wuye's old face was red. He put away the forging platform, carefully holding the Pigeon egg, reluctantly handing it back to Chief Zuo, and said with disappointment:
"I'm sorry, Chief Zuo, I was arrogant. This metal… it far exceeds my knowledge. I cannot forge it…"
Chief Zuo took the metal, smiling, "No worries, Master Duan. This metal was also something we acquired by chance. Its hardness surpasses all other metals we have seen."
Seeing a hint of disappointment in Duan Wuye's eyes, Chief Zuo's lips curved into a smile, and he added:
"Master Duan, if we can melt this metal, would you be able to forge it?"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Duan Wuye's eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he stated firmly, "If it can be melted, I will devote all my strength to forge an unprecedented divine weapon!"
His tone was firm, and his eyes shone like torches, but inwardly, a storm was brewing. How could this metal possibly be melted? It was unheard of, but since the person in front of him dared to say it, they must have a method!
Meanwhile, the members of Fengyu Squad were all stunned beyond words—who was that? That was a big shot from Sunshine Base, a top-tier blacksmith, yet he was now helpless against an inconspicuous piece of metal!
.............
After another discussion with Duan Wuye, Da Mi Tao drove ahead, leading Fengyu Squad and Duan Wuye towards the base.
Upon reaching the base, Duan Wuye and Fengyu Squad were impressed by the complete facilities of the base, though not overly surprised. Then, they were stunned by the Firefly Ten Maidens who had rushed to meet them.
They were not shocked by the beauty of the Firefly Ten Maidens, but by the three hovering mutated zombies that accompanied them—those were three two-line vertical bar hovering mutated zombies, plus six companion beasts!
Adding Yue Jiaxue's two-wheel mutated zombie and two companion beasts, the strength of this Yinghuo Team was truly terrifying!
Duan Wuye's breathing quickened. Such a terrifying team, if befriended, would surely bring endless opportunities for future cooperation.
The eager Duan Wuye was anxious to see what method the Yinghuo Team had to melt the a-grade metal.
Chief Zuo no longer delayed and led everyone directly into the Second Floor of the base. When they saw Hotuntun and Hotutu melting the a-grade metal, Duan Wuye and Fengyu Squad were dumbfounded. The companion beasts of the two-line vertical bar zombies were actually so terrifying.
Duan Wuye was deeply shocked, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism, as if he had seen the doorway to a new world.
Soon, Duan Wuye and the Firefly Maidens began a heated discussion. As for what they discussed? Naturally, it was the blueprints and styles of weapons.
As a forging master, Duan Wuye had unique insights into the structure and style of weapons. He proposed a series of designs that were both aesthetically pleasing and practical, each fully considering the user's ability characteristics and combat style.
The Firefly Maidens nodded frequently, their eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation.......
Because there were too many weapons to forge, this forging process was long. The Firefly Ten Maidens were even more diligent, all going out to hunt zombies and gather supplies during the day.
As for why they had to hunt zombies; the quantity of weapons to be forged this time had increased, and the a-grade metal was insufficient. The amount of three-line zombie crystals previously collected by the Yinghuo Team was also not enough, requiring them to hunt zombies to exchange for more three-line zombie crystals.
As for Chief Zuo's task, it was to train the students and improve their combat effectiveness.
Another half a month passed in a flash, and the training for the students also came to an end;
Fengyu Squad had returned to Sunshine Base a week ago after collecting their supplies.
During this period, Pang Du Du and Yuan Gun Gun jointly produced four kongling crystals.
Ying Xingxing and Ying Yue Yue jointly produced four life crystals (the name the maidens gave to the milky white Pigeon eggs).
Hotuntun and Hotutu jointly produced six chi re crystals (the name the maidens gave to Huo Er's Pigeon eggs).
As for Iron HanHan and Iron BenBen, they had been continuously manufacturing a-grade metal.
Everyone also made a new discovery: once an Alien zombies reached the two-line vertical bar level, it no longer produced Pigeon eggs; instead, its companion beasts produced them.