Chapter 384: Chemistry

"What kind of job? Tell me about it."

Li Cheng typed with interest; the toy factory now operated 24/7, continuously producing props, equipment, and skill scrolls, generating steady daily income.

Even if he gave up striving and drowned himself in bars and nightclubs, he wouldn't go bankrupt anytime soon—considering players' precarious lives, these entertainment venues on Poor Street all offered VIP monthly subscriptions.

Changsun Yao knew his financial strength, so if it were merely a mercenary-level task, she wouldn't—and didn't need to—seek him out specifically.

"We and over a dozen other mid- and small-sized guilds discovered a massive portal in the Killing Ground two weeks ago; after spiritual divination, tarot readings, and predictions by Gao Seng,"

"we unanimously concluded that behind the portal lies an extremely valuable resource—at least equivalent to a 【Legendary】-quality relic, possibly even a core component of a Hidden Chamber."

"But the complex interior is teeming with hostile entities, so we need help. I've sent you the details."

Changsun Yao sent a text document with images, detailing the situation thoroughly.

As everyone knows, Hidden Chambers are the most valuable strategic resource in the Killing Ground—without exception.

The 【Simulated Star Corridor】 provided the Special Affairs Bureau with limitless energy,

the 【Horn Chamber】, capable of mass-producing simplified security guards, helped establish the Global Supernatural Alliance's top guild status.

Precisely because of its formidable functions and scarcity, possessing a fully functional Hidden Chamber has always been a key benchmark for major guilds.

All factions poured massive resources inward to organize teams exploring the Killing Ground, and offered astronomical bounties outward to collect any and all clues about Hidden Chambers.

Valuable intelligence: ten thousand game coins.

Significantly valuable intelligence: eighty thousand game coins.

Crucial, verified intelligence: five hundred thousand game coins.

If the intelligence directly points to a Hidden Chamber, major guilds offer prices including—but not limited to—core positions within the guild, free selection of epic equipment, or power infusion to raise one's level to 35.

Precisely because of this, a new profession has emerged within the Killing Ground—bounty hunters.

These individuals, like gold prospectors, spend their lives inside the Killing Ground, risking death to explore ruins, scavenge useful materials, hunt native creatures, gather clues about Hidden Chambers, and trade them with major guilds for money.

Living a life of blood and danger, dreaming of overnight riches.

Some regional powers—like mid- and small-sized guilds in Brazil, Thailand, and South Korea—lack the strength and capital to cast wide nets like the big guilds,

yet they don't want to become mere bounty hunters, working for the big guilds.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Precisely because of this, mid- and small-sized guilds worldwide—including Changsun Yao's 【World Nuclear Peace House】—have formed cooperative alliances: those with money contribute money, those with strength contribute strength, jointly exploring the Killing Ground.

If a rare resource—or even a Hidden Chamber—is discovered within the Killing Ground,

the final spoils are divided among members according to contribution, enforced by a magical contract—this model is called "Pin Hao Jian."

Li Cheng skimmed the text at a glance; according to the exploration logs, the portal led to an unknown-location supermassive complex, permitting only lifeforms below level 30 to enter, with each teleportation occurring at a different location.

Over the past two weeks, the alliance of twenty mid- and small-sized guilds had continuously sent robots, robotic dogs, and drones into it,

most of which were destroyed within an hour; only a handful managed partial exploration and transmitted video footage back.

After detailed analysis, the portal could remain active for at most 48 hours—this was the final chance to obtain the relic.

"People die for wealth; birds die for food."

Li Cheng sighed sincerely; one game coin could fetch 15,000 to 16,000 cash on the black market, and any player who had left the beginner phase was a millionaire or billionaire,

yet desire had no limits; under the Killing Ground's deadly pressure, everyone had to strain every nerve to strengthen themselves and survive through relentless missions.

The average lifespan didn't even outlast a Yao Niang—when you thought about it, it was pretty miserable.

We're all fighting to live. mp4

"Sorry, I'm not interested. You should find someone else."

Li Cheng politely declined.

The PPT she offered did look tempting—the entire Killing Ground had only a handful of 【Legendary】-quality items, all held by top-tier players,

and a complete Hidden Chamber was beyond price,

yet he already had the toy factory, didn't lack money, and with enough high-quality relics, he could even gamble for a chance to forge epic equipment—no need to risk it.

"Wait a moment, first watch this video."

Changsun Yao sent a thirty-second video recorded by a robotic dog, showing the robot slowly walking through a dark, abandoned building resembling a biochemical lab,

in the night-vision footage, clear traces of severed limbs and dried blood stains were visible on the floor.

Boom!

A loud crash came from ahead; the robotic dog, sent solely to gather intelligence, instantly surged forward silently, chasing the sound to the stairwell.

There stood a seven-meter-tall, two-headed, horse-like humanoid, clad in heavy metal armor, its two hands bound with chains, each connected to a massive axe and a spiked club,

moving through the stairwell in a bizarre, crawling posture.

Just from the weight of the armor and axe, one could tell this humanoid's physical strength equaled at least a level 20 pure melee player.

The robotic dog didn't alert it; instead, it crouched low, opened its back panel, and released a hummingbird-sized micro-drone, slipping forward silently.

As the distance closed, the two-headed horse's gait grew increasingly unnatural—until the hummingbird drone circled to the front and revealed the full sight—

the humanoid's chest armor had been torn open, leaving a clean, precise wound at the heart—clearly dead for a long time.

It was a three-meter-tall, beetle-like creature, its entire body covered in chitinous red carapace, walking upright on its hind legs, its four robust forelimbs—like human arms—easily lifting the seven-meter-tall corpse of the humanoid and moving through the stairwell.

Perhaps sensing air disturbance, the beetle raised its forelimbs and fired chitinous spines from its palms, striking the hovering hummingbird drone with pinpoint accuracy,

then abruptly snapped off the dead humanoid's arm, seized the axe, and hurled it backward, cleaving the robotic dog in two.

The signal cut off, frozen on the image of the axe slicing through the camera lens.

Li Cheng's pupils shrank sharply; even through the night-vision, he felt a powerful thrumming emanating from the beetle creature.

Like a Northeastern tiger whose territory spanned hundreds of kilometers, sensing the faintest scent on the wind and knowing another of its kind was near.

The creature, like him, was an Infected by the Insect Lord's Divine Corruption—perhaps even closer to the Divine Corruption's origin.

"This footage was captured by the robotic dog I sent in; experts confirmed the insect in the video is a direct descendant of the Insect Lord's Divine Corruption. For some unknown reason, it too is trapped behind the portal."

Changsun Yao said: "Interested?"

"You know, the Divine Corruption Host is my brother; the Infection Effect of the Worm Lord is unimaginably potent, and it has excellent synergy with me,"

Li Cheng answered without hesitation: "I accept this commission."

(End of Chapter)