"It's so big..."

Zhou You looked at the approaching airplane and, a realization striking him, exclaimed, "They're here already?"

"It only takes three hours by plane from Dawn City to Jiangnan Base."

Due to the plane's immense size, it didn't land inside the base but on an open ground outside. Commander Ren, upon receiving the news, personally went to greet it.

Shao Qi and Zhou You drove there in a truck. Clearly, it was a cargo plane, meant for transporting goods.

The people at Jiangnan Military District were stunned. They hadn't expected someone to come and collect cargo so quickly, let alone with such a large cargo plane. Given that most planes can't even fly nowadays, for this one to make it from Dawn City in such a short time speaks volumes about its exceptional quality.

"This is a stealth aircraft, capable of automatically blocking itself from the sight and hearing of birds. With its size, its cost must be astronomical. Only an institution like the Research Institute could afford to use it."

"They're here for that mutated bear, aren't they? It seems the Research Institute places great importance on this mutated creature. Those two are really lucky. I wonder how many points they can get in exchange."

"Sending out a stealth cargo plane like this, it must be of immense value. They're surely looking at hundreds of thousands of points."

"This will be national news. I've never heard of anyone killing a high-level mutated brown bear before. Even if they just took advantage of the situation, it's still a big deal."

"I heard from the members of the Dragon Exploration Team that they encountered the bear first. They lost five members and thought they'd be wiped out before they were saved. At the time, the bear wasn't gravely injured."

"I find that hard to believe. Only five people died after encountering such a beast? One swipe of its paw could kill five!"

"Maybe they received timely help? Long Dry's abilities are not weak. He can hold his own against a high-level mutant, buying time for his teammates to escape."

"What I heard was that Zhou You killed the bear all by himself. He alone was on the mountaintop battling the bear while the others retreated to the foot of the mountain, including Engineer Shao."

"That's getting more and more exaggerated. To defeat a fully-grown brown bear in its prime, one would need a martial master, right? Are you suggesting that young man is a martial master?"

The surrounding people chuckled upon hearing this. How could a seemingly young man in his twenties possibly be a martial master? Especially a slender-looking one at that. Many among them had inquired about Zhou You from the Dawn Exploration Team and hadn't received such an answer.

"I still think the bear was either already injured or Zhou possesses some incredibly powerful weapon. Think about it, Shao Qi is the chief engineer of the Sixth Military Factory. Going into the mountains with just one other person, wouldn't he have a formidable weapon?"

That point was undeniably logical. Shao Qi, being the chief engineer of a military factory, having a few life-saving weapons wasn't surprising.

As they approached the outskirts of the city, only then did they grasp the sheer size of the plane. It could hold not just one brown bear, but a hundred.

"Why would the Research Institute build such a huge plane?" Zhou You asked curiously, imagining its staggering cost.

Shao Qi, looking at the elder and younger individuals descending from the plane, said with a smile, "Their original intention was to capture the largest whale mutant from the ocean. There were rumors of a behemoth found deep in the ocean, likely an evolved blue whale."

Zhou You sighed, "That's an ambitious goal. I doubt I'd stand a chance against a sea mutant in the open ocean."

As they spoke, the elderly professor and the younger man approached them. They were headed directly towards Shao Qi and Zhou You but were intercepted by Ren Zhiyuan, who excitedly said, "Professor Zeng, it's been years, but you still look so young!"

Adjusting his glasses, Professor Zeng responded with a gracious smile, "Commander Ren, it's been quite a while indeed. Jiangnan Base owes much of its success to you."

Zhou You's mouth twitched. He thought he detected a hint of sarcasm in the compliment, though it seemed perfectly polite.

Ren Zhiyuan didn't notice any undertones and chatted warmly with the professor. Zhou You noticed the elderly man wanting to end the conversation several times.

In the end, it was the young man who approached and spoke, "Where's the brown bear carcass? Quickly, get it onto the plane. Expose it to the air for a minute; that'll significantly diminish its spiritual essence."

Behind them, staff members brought forth a truck, collaborating to lift the brown bear's remains onto the aircraft.

Chapter 065: The Power of Thunder and Lightning

Geng Qingluo's gaze fixed upon Zhou You. He was the young man who had used spiritual energy to detonate and kill a massive brown bear. He looked so dashing, quite different from what he had imagined.

He extended a hand toward Zhou You, saying, "Greetings, I am Geng Qingluo, a senior researcher at the institute."

Upon disembarking the plane, Zhou You recognized him. Wasn't this the owner of the dagger? The man with long hair was easily distinguishable.

He reached out to shake his hand, nodding as he said, "Hello, your reputation precedes you."

"Oh?" A slight smile tugged at the corner of Geng Qingluo's lips. After a while, he released Zhou's hand, placing his own into his trouser pocket. His face turned pale as he asked, "May I call you Brother Zhou?"

Zhou You's expression remained unchanged, pretending no covert rivalry had occurred. He chuckled, saying, "Mr. Geng appears quite youthful. Could it be that you're younger than me?"

Geng Qingluo's heart swelled upon hearing this, reveling in compliments about his appearance. His pale complexion gradually flushed, and he responded, "Young brother, you certainly have a way with words. I'm in my early thirties, definitely older than you."

Shao Qi, standing aside, impatiently questioned, "You two are no spring chickens. How much longer will you exchange pleasantries about age? Stop calling each other 'brothers.' You're not that familiar."