Chapter 104

The outside world.

Among a massive pile of boulders, hundreds of members of the Shark Guild lay hidden.

All eyes were fixed on the four young men at the center.

Those four were the third team, the last-minute substitutes.

Suddenly.

The team leader among them jerked his hand violently.

"We can… we can go in…"

As soon as those words were spoken,

Everyone around them froze.

That meant the second team had been wiped out entirely.

"How… how could this happen?"

The third team's leader was a young man with the codename Tie Tou.

He instinctively took half a step back.

The fierce eyes he once had were now filled with deep terror.

Not just him—his three teammates behind him were now pale as ash, trembling all over.

What exactly was inside that dungeon?

Why were even the formidable Dao Ge of the first team and the exquisitely prepared second team both annihilated?

The fear of the unknown was the most tormenting of all.

Meanwhile,

Zhao Tianling, not far away, also noticed the men's strange reaction.

He understood—the second team had been wiped out too.

"That doesn't make sense…"

Zhao Tianling frowned, as if speaking to himself, "With dual resistance gear for lightning and fire, plus ice-resistance potions—how could they be wiped out so fast?"

Beside him, Yamamoto Kenichi spoke in a voice chillingly calm:

"The lightning and fire resistance gear was neutralized; the ice-resistance potions were useless. The remaining two were a tank and a support."

He turned to Zhao Tianling, his eyes gleaming with insight:

"Director Zhao, once you eliminate all impossibilities, whatever remains—no matter how absurd—is the only truth."

Zhao Tianling suddenly realized, speaking with disbelief:

"You mean… that earth element we've always ignored, the one we thought he only used for survival?"

"Exactly."

Yamamoto nodded.

Zhao Tianling drew a deep breath, a deep shock flickering in his eyes.

At level 20+, mastering one element to its extreme was already considered genius.

Mastering two elements was monstrous.

And this Lin Mo…

Mastered all three: lightning, fire, and earth?

And each could serve as a primary offensive skill?

"Too terrifying…"

Zhao Tianling muttered to himself.

"Director Zhao, now that you know, it's easier to act."

Yamamoto reminded him.

Zhao Tianling glanced at him, then ordered someone to bring four bottles of high-grade earth-resistance potions.

"Tie Tou, drink this, go in, and kill Lin Mo—I'll credit you with a major achievement!"

He looked at the four members of the third team, his tone icy.

Tie Tou, the team leader among them, stared at the potion in his hand, his body shaking uncontrollably.

Suddenly,

"Thud."

Tie Tou collapsed to his knees, pounding his head against the ground in frantic pleading:

"Director! Spare me! I don't want to die!"

"Dao Ge is dead, Er Er is dead—we'll die if we go in too!"

With their leader breaking down, the other three members' mental defenses shattered completely.

All three dropped to their knees in unison.

"Director, please, send someone else!"

"I have an elderly mother to support—I can't die!"

"Director, there's something monstrous in there! Going in means certain death!"

"The Long Xu Class are devils! We die the moment we step in—no resistance will save us!"

This scene left the hundreds of Shark Guild members surrounding them stunned.

Desertion in the face of battle?

And right in front of the Director?

This had never happened in the history of the Shark Guild!

"You… you…"

Zhao Tianling trembled with rage.

He never imagined his elite troops would be reduced to this state of terror!

"Worthless! A bunch of worthless cowards!"

Zhao Tianling kicked Tie Tou over, furious:

"I've fed and trained you for years—now I need you to kill one man, and you're playing the coward?"

"Get up! Whoever refuses to go, I'll kill right now!"

Tie Tou remained on the ground, begging incessantly:

"Director, I've been in the guild so long—I may not have earned glory, but I've earned my sweat. Let someone else go this time…"

"Chairman, I've been in the guild this long—no merit, but I've certainly put in the effort; let someone else go this time..."

Zhao Tianling laughed bitterly with rage, "If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

Zhao Tianling, furious, let out a bitter laugh. "If you want to die, then I'll grant you your wish!"

At that moment,

Yamamoto Kenichi stepped forward.

He wore a faint smile as he whispered to Zhao Tianling:

"Director Zhao, don't act rashly."

"Killing them is easy—but who will go in for us if they're dead?"

Zhao Tianling froze.

He had wanted to enter himself.

But the dungeon's level restriction was 20–25—he couldn't enter.

But the level restriction for this dungeon is 20–25, and he simply couldn't do it.

Zhao Tianling sneered, furious:

"These cowards are broken! Even if I put a knife to their throats, they won't move!"

"That's because your method is wrong."

Yamamoto Kenichi stepped past him and walked to the four kneeling men.

He crouched down and gently straightened Tie Tou's disheveled collar.

"Tie Tou-san, correct?"

Yamamoto's voice was soft, as if chatting with an old friend.

Tie Tou looked up at the refined Japanese man, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Yamamoto lightly patted Tie Tou's shoulder, his voice dripping with persuasion:

"Tie Tou-san, you're a smart man. If you don't go in, what happens when Lin Mo walks out alive? Have you considered the consequences?"

"The Shark Guild murdering a Long Xu Class student is treason in your Dragon Nation."

"Then there will be no place for you in Dragon Nation."

"Your fate will be certain death."

Hearing this, Tie Tou and the other three turned ashen.

They knew Yamamoto spoke the truth.

If they committed this crime, there was truly no escape within Dragon Nation.

Yamamoto shifted tone, his voice softening:

"But if you go in, there's still a glimmer of hope."

"But if you go in, there's still a glimmer of hope."

"As long as Lin Mo is killed, as long as he dies inside..."

"I swear to you, I will use all my channels to get you out of Longguo the moment it happens, and send you to Yingguo."

"There, you will be heroes of our Great Ying Empire."

"Money, status—even any female celebrity you like—I can make her kneel before you and serve you the moment you name her."

"In Yingguo, you will hold supreme status and enjoy wealth and splendor beyond anything you could ever imagine."

With that, Yamamoto Kenichi stood up, looking down at the four men.

"On one side lies certain death—a hell. On the other, a paradise where even if the odds are low, success means everything."

"Ironhead, can you do the math?"

Silence.

Long, unbroken silence.

Ironhead's chest heaved violently.

He struggled desperately between fear and greed.

Fleeing meant certain death—and dragging his family down with him.

Charging in meant nine deaths out of ten—but what if... what if he won?

That would be ascending to heaven in a single step!

Long pause.

Ironhead suddenly lifted his head; fear in his eyes now mingled with the madness of a man with nothing left to lose.

"Fuck it... let's go!"

He gripped the Earth-resistance potion in his hand. "Brothers, we're dead either way! Might as well go in and gamble for fortune!"

Ironhead gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

"Win, and we get the brothel girls; lose... we can't lose!"

The three team members exchanged glances, then all stood up.

"Aaaahhhhh—!!!"

Ironhead roared, trying to purge the last of his fear.

He turned to Yamamoto Kenichi, voice hoarse:

"Yingguo man, I hope you keep your word!"

Yamamoto Kenichi nodded with a smile.

"I swear by the honor of the Yamamoto family."

"Go!!"

Ironhead crushed the Unauthorized Scroll in his hand.

Hum—!!!

Space twisted; a black fissure reopened and instantly swallowed the four men.

As the fissure sealed shut, the pile of rubble fell silent once more.

Zhao Tianling stared at the fissure, silent for a long time.

"Lin Mo... is proficient in Fire, Lightning, and Earth—his power is absurdly strong."

Yamamoto Kenichi adjusted his collar, icy killing intent flickering in his eyes.

"Director Zhao, precisely because he is strong, he must die."

"There's an old saying in Longguo: when a tree towers above the forest, the wind will surely break it."

"For the empire's future, such a monster must be crushed in its infancy."

Zhao Tianling let out a contemptuous snort. "Yamamoto, don't talk to me about imperial grand designs—I don't give a damn."

"I care about one thing!"

"Once this is done, you must immediately fulfill your promise—use your special channels to get me to Yingguo!"

Yamamoto Kenichi smiled faintly.

"Director Zhao, rest assured—I am a man of honor."

"As soon as Lin Mo dies, within three hours, you and your core members will be aboard a private jet bound for Yingguo."

Zhao Tianling snorted, turned away, and said nothing.

But his hand clenched into a fist so tight his knuckles turned white.

Honor?

Your Yingguo people have no honor at all!

If I weren't already trapped in a dead end here in Longguo, I'd rather die than stand beside you treacherous wolves.

Now, I've got no choice but to see this through to the end.