Several years passed, and this antagonistic relationship grew ever more intense. Everyone in the world could see that a battle between the two empires was inevitable, and the victor would become the sole overlord of the South, contending with the Northern overlord for the ultimate dominion over the land.

In the past few decades, because the three nations were relatively peaceful, the no-man’s land served as a buffer and was also relatively tranquil.

However, in recent years, as the conflict between the Southern Zhou Empire and the Great Ying Empire escalated, the no-man’s land became increasingly chaotic, with open struggles breaking out in broad daylight.

As the saying goes, “Whoever controls the no-man’s land controls the future.”

Thus, today’s Riftwind City is a place of surging winds and gathering clouds, flashing blades and shadows, full of intrigue and danger.

Felix Newman did not tell Gavin Clark that the Black Dragon Platform had once suffered a tremendous defeat in Riftwind City, with its covert forces in the no-man’s land dealt a devastating blow. Nearly half of the entire no-man’s land strategy was crippled, even becoming a disgrace to the empire’s Black Dragon Platform.

At this moment, Gavin Clark knew nothing, like a strikingly handsome viper, slipping into Riftwind City—a nest full of danger and temptation.

Chapter 9: I’m Here for Chicken Dinner!

The journey to Riftwind City spanned thousands of miles, and the carriage kept moving.

Hyah, hyah, hyah, hyah, hyah... (I’ve discovered a way to update ten thousand words at once)

Along the way, there were no heroes saving beauties, no bandits robbing the road; everything went so smoothly it was dull and tedious.

Inside the carriage, Gavin Clark had only one thing on his mind: mind reading.

Was this the first cheat he’d gained after crossing into this strange world?

For the past few days, Gavin Clark had been studying this mind reading technique.

He discovered that, at present, his mind reading was, to some extent, an analysis and judgment of micro-expressions, eye movements, and gestures, rather than directly reading the other person’s brainwaves.

But this was already an incredibly powerful skill. He could magnify a person’s micro-expressions and subtle glances many times over, slow them down, and then, based on the person’s character, background, and other information, perform extremely complex calculations to arrive at a very precise answer.

For those with weak wills, he could even directly sense what they were silently mouthing, even if no sound was made—like that time at the execution ground.

Once he began using mind reading, it was as if he entered the perspective and mental world of Patient Sixteen.

However, his current level of mind reading was not as advanced as Patient Sixteen’s, because that person was a true lunatic, throwing their entire soul and spirit into mind reading. Perhaps that person really could directly peer into others’ brainwaves—if so, that would be truly extraordinary.

Even so, this mind reading ability was already an incredible cheat for Gavin Clark.

Once he fully acquired Patient Sixteen’s mind reading, he would reach a whole new level.

Moreover, there were a total of twenty-nine patients in the entire X Psychiatric Hospital. Did that mean the other patients’ talents had also fused into his body during the great explosion?

But for now, Gavin Clark could only sense the special talent of Patient Sixteen; the other patients’ extraordinary abilities seemed not to have awakened.

……

Five days later, Gavin Clark left the territory of the Great Ying Empire and officially entered the no-man’s land.

The no-man’s land was vast, covering 500,000 square kilometers—about the size of two provinces—with a total population nearing ten million, equivalent to a small country.

Within this region, there were more than a dozen feudal lords. The largest fiefdom exceeded 100,000 square kilometers, while the smallest was less than 1,000 square kilometers.

Riftwind Valley covered 13,000 square kilometers, with a population of nearly 400,000, ranking only sixth in the no-man’s land. However, its location was extremely strategic, wedged in a large mountain valley, easy to defend and hard to attack. It was not only a military stronghold but also the trade center of the no-man’s land.

Its main city, Riftwind City, was built within the valley—a natural, large-scale military checkpoint.

The land of Riftwind City was extremely barren, with very little arable land, so grain production was very low and could not meet its own needs. But heaven bestowed Riftwind City with a treasure: salt mines—an astronomical amount of salt mines.

Salt mines themselves were not rare, but most were inedible, even poisonous. The salt mines of Riftwind Valley, however, were top-notch, requiring little processing to be edible. After minimal refinement, the fine salt was as white as snow, making it the best treasure for brushing teeth.

Today, the annual salt output of Riftwind City not only supplied most of the no-man’s land but was also traded to neighboring countries.

Thus, although Riftwind City ranked only sixth in territory and population, in terms of wealth, it was among the very top.

……

The carriage traveled for three days!

Gavin Clark arrived outside Riftwind City.

This was not what he had imagined. According to his previous judgment, the no-man’s land should have been a wild and barren place, so there wouldn’t be any proper cities—at best, mountain strongholds or caves.

But the reality was completely different. Riftwind City was truly a city, and a rather prosperous one at that.

This city was located within a valley, so it had only front and rear city walls, while the massive mountains on either side served as its natural barriers.