Black Tortoise City was in shambles. The beast tide that had swept through destroyed a large number of the city's facilities and structures, leaving the Challenger World night not only short of weapon protection but also lacking in lighting. The commander of Black Tortoise City requested that a portion of the vehicles leave the underground parking lot and use their headlights to illuminate the darkness, helping the city survive the night.
"Like sparks in the dark," murmured an extremely beautiful and sensual woman, standing by the vehicle's window, gazing into the distance. She wore a thin, sheer black veil that barely covered her exquisite, voluptuous body. Every gesture, even the turning of her wrist, was filled with endless temptation. In the Challenger World's dark night, she was like a goddess of the darkness, captivatingly sexy to the extreme, yet people dared not look directly at her, fearing that her sharp, formidable aura would blind them.
"A demon has been summoned..." the woman whispered, holding a glass of red liquid with fingers painted with red nail polish. She turned to look at the man behind her.
The man sat upright on the sofa in her room's living area, seemingly oblivious to the seductive scene before him. He was holding his forehead with his hand, his expression a little pained: "Demons have been on earth for a long time, Aglis."
The woman, or rather, the world-famous witch, Aglis—the second-ranked person on the combat power leaderboard, the woman who commanded Aosam's absolute combat power and voice—was now harboring the war expert currently wanted by Aosam: Yake.
Yake' handsome and dashing appearance was reflected in the woman's hazy eyes. A strange, dark perfume wafted through the room. She gazed intently at Yake, as if wanting to plunge into his pair of azure eyes.
"Achoo!"
Finally, Yake let out the first sneeze, followed by "Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!" Non-stop, until his nose was red and tears were welling up. He finally raised a hand: "Aglis, could you tone down your scent? I'm severely allergic."
The witch, who was pursued by the world, had the largest fan base globally, and captivated everyone with her dark perfume, looked on the verge of tears from the hurt. "Why are you the only one allergic? I just can't restrain my emotions!"
"I know, achoo, but, but I really can't, achoo, can't stand it, achoo achoo..."
So, the reason Yake refused Aglis's pursuit was found: he was allergic to her seductive power.
The unwilling Aglis pursed her lips and stared fixedly at Yake for a long time until, at a certain moment, her brow lifted, and she smiled again: "Yake, I've thought of a way you won't be allergic to. Are you willing to try it?"
"No." Yake refused outright. "We are just friends. Don't make our relationship too complicated."
"Just cooperate with me once, just once." As she spoke, Aglis walked up to Yake, leaning over and pushing the man against the sofa backrest. The woman's beautiful, seemingly bewitching face moved close to his. The second before she was about to kiss him, she whispered into Yake' ear, "Whether it succeeds or fails, as long as you let me try, I'll waive the agreed-upon reward. Okay?"
Yake was clearly hesitant. He owed Aglis far too many favors this time, almost to the point where he couldn't repay them without offering himself, but he genuinely had no romantic feelings for Aglis.
"What is the method?"
His question was a sign of giving in.
Aglis did not speak, but Yake distinctly felt a pair of cold, seemingly lifeless hands on his shoulder. Yake raised his head and saw a face almost identical to his own, but the man's pallid complexion clearly marked him as non-living, and when he opened his mouth, he revealed two pairs of sharp, pointed fangs. Yake knew what this creature was and frowned, telling the woman: "Aglis, I don't think your method is correct."
But at some unknown point, Aglis's enchanting voice had become serious again, and her expression was solemn: "This is the best way I can think of—to wipe away what Aosam has imprinted on you, to get rid of those preconceived notions, and to regain your freedom. Yake, my hero, you should be living for all of humanity, not like this..."
Finally, Aglis kissed Yake on the cheek with repressed restraint. Meanwhile, the man who looked identical to Yake but had a vampire's fangs bent down from behind, placing his sharp teeth against the artery on Yake' vulnerable neck.
Yake' entire body tensed, and he fiercely clenched his fists. But he remained still and did not speak again.
The smell of blood spread through the small room...
---
Many things happened that night, but after hosting Captain Fang, Wei Huan, as always, returned to his room to cultivate. He first organized his consumption during the battle inside the Grand Tomb.
The Undead side had almost no consumption. Because he did not use the Shaman's Blessing, as long as his Nether Power was sufficient, their numbers were infinite.
However, the Nether Flame Bombs were indeed completely depleted. Since Wei Huan had already anticipated the difficulties of the Tier 5 world and was semi-sealed, he had chosen to store the Nether Flame Bombs. From the time he was in the assessment world, he had only replenished the bombs, and combined with a small batch he had previously saved, they were all used up in the previous battle.
Now, Wei Huan had almost no Nether Flame Bombs left. This made him a little uneasy. He absolutely needed to stock up to a quantity that could easily handle a King-tier battle as quickly as possible.
Thinking of this, Wei Huan suddenly remembered something he had forgotten. He hastily left the Grand Tomb, and his consciousness returned to his body.
"Butler."
Wei Huan was lying on his bed. Mu Zhong was not with him. Mu Zhong was busy with the city wall repair and post-war reconstruction... even though there wasn't much to do, it was a rare learning opportunity for Mu Zhong.
"I'm here, Captain," the Butler's voice sounded from the ceiling.
Wei Huan said, "Project the warehouse screen in front of me."
"Understood."
As the Butler's voice fell silent, a virtual projection appeared in front of Wei Huan, displaying the data of the in-car warehouse and recent inventory records. There were too many items in the warehouse. Wei Huan used a voice command to search: "Super Energy Storage Canister."
The next second, a saucer-shaped, palm-sized Super Energy Storage Canister appeared before his eyes. Looking at this familiar item, Wei Huan felt a surge of excitement.
The golden loot he had seized along the way had dropped the Energy Canister he needed most! Including this one, he now had three. This meant that, without even using his own power, he could manufacture six Nether Flame Bombs every day! Although this quantity would take a long time to accumulate for a battlefield that often required hundreds or thousands of bombs, it was still extra income. He had three now; were four, five, or ten far behind?
Wei Huan retrieved the Energy Canister, immediately consumed the Nether Power inside it, and manufactured two Nether Flame Bombs. Adding his own Nether Power, didn't that immediately give him 19 more Nether Flame Bombs? It wouldn't take many days for him to be back at full strength.
After finishing this, Wei Huan also carefully examined the other Tier 5 Gold Treasure Chest drops. Upon closer inspection of the attributes of these gold-tier items, the Tier 5 items were indeed slightly higher than the Tier 4 items. After all, the world difficulty was higher. If Challengers relied solely on their own cultivation speed, the time spent on each tier would likely be very long in the later stages. For example, humans stayed in the Tier 4 world for three years. Many Challengers reached the Tier 4 Sequence ceiling during those three years and were stuck because they lacked the core materials. This kind of wasted time was likely not what the Challenger World desired, so the stats of high-tier equipment were indeed boosted.
However, Wei Huan had no need for gold-tier equipment. Even if these gold-tier items had slightly higher stats than his own, they wouldn't create a difference that would overturn his strength. Constantly changing equipment just for a stat boost of ten or twenty points would likely deplete everyone's DKP. Even with the boost, Gold equipment would never be stronger than Platinum equipment.
Wei Huan then discovered that the best material dropped from this Gold Treasure Chest was only a Tier 4-to-5 Core Material, not a Tier 5-to-6 one. Therefore, to obtain the core equipment for Sequence 6, they needed to explore Platinum-tier ruins or above, or kill the true Royal-tier monsters of this world.
"True Royal-tier monsters" are not the same as the Royal-tier monsters in the assessment world, whose strength was greatly suppressed and whose material drops were low-tier. True Royal-tier monsters are very difficult to kill. Even with Bloodlust, the semi-sealed Wei Huan was not confident he could kill a true Royal-tier monster.
After reviewing this, Wei Huan returned to the Grand Tomb to cultivate [The Spirit Medium]. He distinctly felt that after the frequent battles recently, his Qi mechanisms were more deeply entwined with the Grand Tomb, and his soul tentacles could now penetrate into the Tomb. He could vaguely "see" the high-tier Dark Beasts buried in the tomb, their tattered forms yearning for resurrection.
Cultivating, he fell asleep at some point, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw Mu Zhong's face. Mu Zhong was kissing his lower lip. He saw deep affection in his eyes. Although he didn't know the charm of his own battered face, a powerhouse never blames himself. He naturally reached up to clasp the back of his lover's head and deepen the kiss.
An hour had passed since he woke up, and the Challenger World's day had already broken.
Wei Huan and Mu Zhong had breakfast on the room's balcony. Mu Zhong asked him: "Do you want to go back to Blue Star? We solved two difficult problems yesterday, and especially after our Azure Dragon Legion showed its muscle, I think the Tier 5 world will be very peaceful for a long time. We can..."
"I think I'll stay here," Wei Huan shook his head. He wanted to find the Five-Star Island. Also, many people in the vehicle were waiting to advance to Sequence 5. This world still required time to explore and conquer; it was far from time to relax.
"But your ability is semi-sealed," Mu Zhong worried. He immediately saw Wei Huan's desire to go "wandering."
Wei Huan said, "I'll be careful. And you know, I'm very strong even when semi-sealed."
Mu Zhong raised his eyebrow, helpless: "Alright, but I can't accompany you every time. I'm learning the management of the Pioneer Corps. This is a rare opportunity..."
"And the Mecha Legion. I think the whole world is anticipating you becoming an Intermediate Technician. The veterans are desperate for it."
"Yes, so..." Mu Zhong took Wei Huan's hand and spoke earnestly, "You must pay attention to safety. Don't rush into dangerous ruins, at least until you recover."
"Mhm."
The two finally reached an agreement, and once they decided on something together, it represented the future direction of the vehicle, which was extremely important.
After eating, Wei Huan decided to go downstairs to talk to Elder Ju. In Elder Ju's room, he saw Dou Lin practicing calligraphy with puffed-out cheeks. Wei Huan thought the boy must now regret holding the lamp to welcome him and saying, "You've finally arrived."
After chatting with Elder Ju, Wei Huan went to the Cockpit. When they weren't marching, everyone except Cousin Mu—who treated the Cockpit as his office and was practically glued to his seat—was busy training or with other tasks. Wei Huan was about to leave, seeing he had nothing to do, but Cousin Mu called him back: "Boss, Ding Qi awakened to Sequence 4 during yesterday's battle. She summoned three pterosaur monsters. This special talent caught the attention of Commander Mu, who called her over early this morning. I think you should pay attention to this too. Ding Qi's talent seems very compatible with her profession's ability."
Wei Huan recalled Ding Qi from his previous life and nodded: "Good, I'll go see."
Entry into the Pioneer Corps General Command Headquarters and up to Mu Dehao's office was unobstructed. However, Ding Qi was not in the office, only Mu Dehao, who was in a meeting. Wei Huan was about to leave but was spotted by the sharp-eyed Mu Dehao, who called him back.
Mu Dehao said, "Come listen. If you have nothing to do in the base these days, come here."
Wei Huan nodded, found a seat, and saw Captain Ma Bufan smiling at him. There were a total of seven people, each being the head of a major department of the Pioneer Corps. Naturally, they were discussing post-war reconstruction and the next step's plan. Mu Dehao asking Wei Huan to listen in was a way of mentoring him. Nothing is more impactful than education through immersion.
Thus, a week passed. Wei Huan's stock of Nether Flame Bombs finally reached a level he was satisfied with.
That day, he said goodbye to Mu Zhong and Mu Dehao and led his team away without specifying where they were going. The places he could go in the Tier 5 world were places others might not be able to reach, and the places he couldn't go were certainly off-limits to everyone else. Therefore, protecting him with their own ideas would only be a constraint.
The Mu father and son said their farewells at the base. Watching the vehicle speeding away, Mu Dehao smiled: "He's going to walk ahead of us now."
"He wanted to leave long ago. His strength just hadn't recovered yet."
"I know you want to follow him, but I didn't allow it. Do you know why?"
"I know. If humanity can break through to the Tier 6 world, Wei Huan's vehicle is likely to be the first one to rush in. We are the Pioneer Corps then, and what I'm learning now, I'll be able to use later."
"Exactly. Study hard."
The white vehicle sped across the sea, creating a turquoise wake that looked like scissors cutting the water. The white foam trailed all the way to the horizon, like a pair of huge, unfurled wings.
The vehicle's speed was not fast. Before fully recovering his combat strength, Wei Huan's main task now was to continue exploring in the direction the Azure Dragon Pioneer Corps was responsible for, and in passing, open all the Silver Ruins and Silver Treasure Chests he could find along the way. Additionally, the treasure maps obtained from the Silver Ruins could be pieced together to acquire Gold-tier equipment. Although low-tier treasure chests only contained one piece of Gold equipment—a 0.5 rating between Silver and Gold adventure—this was always the approach of the Pioneer Corps: only exploring the currently manageable range, avoiding rash advances, viewing any casualty as a major loss, and adhering to the core principle of stable and steady progress.
Soon, Wei Huan found the first Bronze Treasure Chest of the day in the ocean.
The Butler AI said: "The treasure chest is located within the Qing 3 Island range, classified as a claimed treasure chest."
Wei Huan nodded. He knew.
The Archipelago World was a vast ocean, and humans could only settle on the islands scattered across the sea. The Azure Dragon Legion built its first supply point where they emerged. The next supply point should theoretically be built at a distance of a 5-hour base drive, about 10,000 kilometers away. Therefore, if the Azure Dragon Legion planted a flag and stationed troops on an island between the two supply points, the resources within a 20-kilometer radius would belong to the Azure Dragon Legion. However, because people were active there, building houses and being permanently stationed, it would also attract monster attacks. In other words, planting the flag and claiming the territory and resources was possible, but it came with a price.
Qing 3 Island was the first island outwards from the Azure Dragon Pioneer Corps' supply point and a very important outpost. Consequently, the Azure Dragon Legion had built facilities there, and there were island garrisons on duty every day and night. With people constantly present, the appearance of monsters was manageable. The weapons on the island could repel about 30 monsters attacking simultaneously, and since the island was very close to the supply point, reinforcements could arrive in minutes.
Wei Huan naturally did not want this Bronze Treasure Chest. He didn't even release his Ghost Crows. Today was mainly about familiarizing himself with the environment.
Continuing forward, he deliberately followed the path explored by the Azure Dragon Legion. After 40 minutes, Wei Huan saw Qing 4 Island.
"Qing 4 Island is an island where Dark Energy converges. The island has dense miasma, which makes it easier for monsters to breed. Additionally, human habitation on Dark Energy islands is prone to mental corruption. In severe cases, it can lead to brain collapse and irreversible damage," the smart butler continued to educate Wei Huan and the people in the cockpit.
In fact, everyone had read the data before setting out, but seeing the island with their own eyes was different. The island ahead was even larger than the island where the Azure Dragon supply point was located, but just looking at it gave a sense of foreboding. Wei Huan belonged to the Dark Element, but this Dark Energy was clearly different from his own, feeling much more unsettling and dangerous.
The trees on the island had a faint purple color, and the soil was red. Looking closely, one could see that the insects crawling among the trees were very large and engaging in the most primitive predation. On the map, this island was densely packed with red dots. This was normal; even a single mouse in the Tier 5 world could not be underestimated. The monsters on the island were all Tier 5. To establish a base here, a considerably large safe zone needed to be cleared.
Therefore, on one side of the island, a large area had indeed been cleared. And a Tier 5 vehicle was parked there. No people were visible, only the vehicle, which was the standard configuration of the Azure Dragon Pioneer Corps and had a military emblem affixed to it. It sat there quietly, like a beached ship, but as soon as Wei Huan's vehicle entered its radar range, the opposite side immediately sent a message: "This is the Azure Dragon Outpost. Please state your identity."
Wei Huan requested a video connection and looked at the female Captain on the screen: "Hello, I am Wei Huan. Do you need any assistance?"
The female Captain was over 40 years old, her face full of wrinkles, wearing a short, ear-length haircut. When she saw Wei Huan, her eyes lit up brightly: "Hello, Colonel Wei. This is just routine duty. The monsters on this island cannot be completely eliminated. We only need to be present here to ensure the island's ownership."
"Thank you for the explanation. You and your crew are working hard."
"It's no hardship, Colonel Wei. I wish you success in your mission."
"Thank you."
Continuing onward, they drove for a full hour before reaching Qing 5 Island. Qing 5 Island was smaller than Qing 4 Island, and it also had a convergence of Dark Energy. The situation here was exactly the same as Qing 4 Island: on an island thick with miasma and stacked with monsters, only one vehicle was garrisoned. Day after day, a single vehicle, alone on a solitary island in the vast ocean, faced thousands of monsters on the island while resisting the mental corruption of the Dark Energy. But as long as they remained there for a single day, they continuously declared the island's ownership, and the resources around the island belonged to the Azure Dragon Legion.
Rules are essential for order. Although this method was a bit troublesome, it prevented nations from slaughtering each other over resources. Those with the capability claimed more islands, and those without defended their own small plot, where treasure chests appeared every day, providing resources without any effort. This rule had benefits for both strong and weak nations.
After the same conversation with the garrison on Qing 5 Island, they continued for another half hour and arrived at Qing 6 Island. It was yet another Dark Energy island. This was precisely why pioneering the Tier 5 world was so difficult. An area like the Azure Dragon supply point, which was a habitable city for humans and where the two nearby islands were free of Dark Energy, was incredibly rare. This was why the Vermilion Bird Legion and the Aosam Pioneer Corps were in such a confrontation over the large island suitable for building a city, even resorting to underhanded tactics.
However, the situation at Qing 6 Island caused Wei Huan to repeatedly frown upon arrival. For some unknown reason, the monsters that were usually active on the island had come down to the coastline, forcing the garrison vehicle to retreat and fight on the sea. Wei Huan ordered the Butler to approach, but the other side quickly spoke: "Hello, Colonel Wei. This is the Zhou Lin vehicle, requesting your support."
It seemed the news of his forward movement had already spread, which was why Captain Zhou Lin immediately called for help. Wei Huan certainly would not refuse.
Wei Huan pulled his vehicle closer, the teleportation gate opened, and the Undead Scourge poured out. Island battles were much like territory battles; they were relatively safe. If they couldn't win, they could always run. Monsters wouldn't leave their territory, and once they lost their target, they would slowly disperse. Wei Huan and Captain Zhou Lin could have waited for the monsters to disperse on their own, but clearly, that wouldn't be necessary.
Wei Huan's Undead army descended upon the island. Although their combat strength was not at Wei Huan's full peak, dealing with these ordinary Tier 5 monsters was no problem at all. Additionally, the Combat Squad, which had barely fought since arriving in the Tier 5 world, jumped down from the vehicle with excited howls, joining the Undead army's assault. They were as ferocious as a pack of wild beasts let out to hunt. This surge of frantic excitement stunned Captain Zhou Lin, who forgot to mask her expression during the video call with Wei Huan.