Chapter 158: Chapter 146: Underworld (Part 1) [Today’s 1st Update]

After three Nihong Country players cooperated to pass through several rooms, they finally reached a standard metallic room during their last exploration.

Just as Gamon was about to throw some fresh meat left and right to test for traps, someone behind him stopped him: “No traps, no need to test.”

This person was the “little brother” who whispered to Gamon when they encountered Yan Guang and others earlier.

“Hey!”

Gamon didn’t ask how the other party discerned there were no traps, but moved aside to make way for him.

Another person quickly fetched a chair from their dwelling, wiped it clean, and placed it behind the “little brother” for him to sit. Only then did he release the dwelling to prepare food.

“Mr. Watanabe, why did you spare those four players? Muraoka-san’s order was to kill anyone we encounter on channel 879.” Gamon approached, bowing his head to inquire with unusual respect.

“Kill them all?”

The man named Watanabe looked exceedingly ordinary, so much so that he had no distinctive features whatsoever, the kind where if you threw him into a crowd, you’d lose sight of him by the next second.

He chuckled lightly: “Haha, do you take Muraoka’s stupid words seriously?

Pian Zuo-kun, use your brain when doing things. In a channel of nearly a thousand people, even if the people from China were all pigs, kneeling in each room for you to kill, with ten chances a day, how long would it take?

Moreover, haven’t you noticed yet?”

Gamon was puzzled: “Notice what?”

Watanabe Shunyo said meaningfully: “This channel, the player survival rate is frighteningly high!”

“Survival rate?”

Gamon curiously opened the area channel, astonished to find that after being split, channel 879 still had 993 players alive!

This means that excluding the three outsiders, the original number of surviving players amounted to 990!

This is much higher than the survival rate in their channel 24!

Though they hunted players, they didn’t hunt aimlessly, but targeted non-organization players high on the combat ranking, selecting one to kill and seize their items.

Strictly speaking, from the split until now, no more than five players have died at their hands in channel 24!

Yet even so, there were less than eight hundred people left in channel 24 before they left!

In such an environment, channel 879 still has nine hundred and ninety survivors!

What kind of survival rate is this?

“Could this channel be a rare gathering place for allies?” Gamon whispered.

Watanabe Shunyo also looked at the area channel, noticing a few names on the leaderboard, and was instantly moved.

“Chu Xiao, Ye Kai, Ye Yuan, Li Zheng!”

He muttered these names, seeming to have an epiphany: “Have these people gathered in one area?

No wonder Lin Feng died in less than two days, with these experts joining forces, even if Muraoka and I teamed up, we might not be able to win!”

Gamon also saw the combat ranking and was both surprised and somewhat worried: “Mr. Watanabe, with these people around, our mission…”

Kill people right under the noses of these experts?

Initially, it might not attract attention, but once the death toll grows, or if they fail to kill with a single blow and information leaks.

Subsequently, they will become outcasts in channel 879, hiding and fleeing like mice on the run.

Watanabe Shunyo thought carefully for a moment, then said: “Suspend the mission. First, find out why these people have such a high survival rate. If it’s confirmed that we can plunder, then make plans!”

“Understood!”

Gamon nodded, then went to sit by himself, flipping through the historical information in the area channel.

…

Li Zheng had just entered the Underworld for a few minutes when he suddenly received a message from Yan Guang, asking him to withdraw the genetic potion materials list he had been displaying on the area channel.

“Why withdraw this thing all of a sudden?”

Although Li Zheng didn’t know what was going on, he instinctively withdrew it.

Just in time, before Watanabe Shunyo and the others left Phoenix Mountain where they were.

…

“Huh? When I first checked the information, wasn’t there an item displayed next to Li Zheng’s avatar?”

As Watanabe Shunyo was comfortably gathering information, he noticed that the item Li Zheng displayed had disappeared without him noticing.

“Was it intentional, or has it been sold and the transaction completed?” Watanabe only wondered for a moment before dismissing it.

It should be some rare item with a high asking price, which just happened to be sold.

This kind of operation is very common in channel 24.

Some people have ample dwelling space, and by chance, acquire a rather special item. If they list it at a high price in the trading hall, given that trading environment, by the next time they encounter danger, they might be dead before anyone notices the transaction.

Because of the high asking price, it doesn’t sell quickly, so they create a piece of information to display next to their avatar in the area channel.

Generally speaking, the players who do this are relatively highly ranked.

Only these people’s displays are convenient for others to see, and they have the capability to acquire some rare items.1

The organization Watanabe Shunyo belongs to sometimes selects targets to hunt based on the information those players display.

He flipped through the historical chat records,2 finding that originally, many players were showing off their loot information.

However, strangely enough.

Judging from the wording of these players, why do those obtaining Black Iron Level materials seem happier than those obtaining advanced materials?

And shortly after they entered channel 879, Chu Xiao spoke in the area channel to welcome their arrival.

The original message was: Welcome to the three players from Nihong Country to channel 879, wishing you a successful exploration.

After that, the number of players showing off loot immediately decreased.

Eventually, it was mostly just small talk, with no useful information.

“Something’s fishy.”

Watanabe Shunyo combed through historical information but didn’t find much useful intelligence.

“Let’s just lay low for a while.”

Closing the chat hall, Watanabe Shunyo crossed his hands under his chin, looking thoughtful: “And that woman, why is she here too? What is her purpose?

Did she detect our intentions and enter here in advance to intercept us?

Or is it that… there’s something here that Kunlun needs?

“Have the people from Nine Heavens infiltrated here as well?”

“It seems there are more secrets in this channel than I expected! Kato-kun, what does the BOSS say?” Gangmen Pianzou sat in a corner, focused, his gaze wandering as if searching for some information.

In fact, he was secretly chatting with someone else.

“The BOSS wants you to continue lurking. Once you discover anything, report immediately! We will arrange for personnel to assist you.”

The reply came quickly. After reading it, Gangmen Pianzou switched to the trading hall without showing any emotion, and started checking the transaction information of players on the battle power list one by one.

…

“What’s wrong?”

Zhan Zhouzhou asked when she saw Li Zheng suddenly pause, thinking he had discovered something.

Li Zheng retracted the materials list and shook his head, “Nothing, Yan Guang just suddenly told me to retract the potion material list, so I got delayed a bit.”

“Retract the material list?”

Zhan Zhouzhou was also a bit puzzled, but since they were currently exploring the dungeon, she didn’t ask more and just gestured for Li Zheng to continue moving.

In the Underworld, this dungeon truly lived up to its name, existing in an underground world.

Li Zheng and the team had been wandering for almost ten minutes without finding any signs of recent biological activity or encountering any hostile creatures.

It was completely dark here, and nobody could see their own hand in front of their face, so the entire team took out their usual lighting tools.

Candles, lanterns, flashlights, oil lamps, and the like.

Most of these were Black Iron Level, with very limited illumination range and short lifespan.

Li Zheng never thought one day he’d rely on the Mysterious Declaration to light a small surrounding.

Once he took the Mysterious Declaration out from his residence, the blue-white “flame” ignited, resembling a small sun, instantly illuminating the area around them for nearly ten meters.

After absorbing Abyssal Walking, the Mysterious Declaration had finally become useful for illumination.

Whether it was the range, brightness, or duration of illumination, it overshadowed all lighting tools prepared by the others.

Thus, without question, Li Zheng, carrying the Mysterious Declaration, gloriously took the lead at the front of the team.

Under the light, Li Zheng and the team finally saw the environment inside the dungeon clearly.

It was another underground passageway, eight meters wide, with a height of between two to two and a half meters.

Very spacious, but not very high.

On the ground, three railroad tracks were laid side by side, extending into the darkness, as if leading to the Abyss, with no end in sight.

Li Chun did not sit on the little spider this time, closely following behind Li Zheng, clutching tightly onto his clothes, “Uh, this place is so scary, do you think there’ll be ghosts?”

Zhan Zhouzhou looked at her and pulled her close, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you.”

“Mm.”

Li Chun turned to hold onto her clothes, timidly, burying her head behind Zhan Zhouzhou at the slightest disturbance.

The little spider followed, staying close behind its owner, its eyes darting around, wary of any potential danger.

Xiao Siyuan quickened his pace to catch up with Li Zheng, walking beside him, “What kind of monsters do you think we will face in this dungeon?”

Li Zheng looked at the rails and said, “A type of intelligent creature that uses some simple tools and is relatively short in stature.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Their limbs might be seriously degenerated and have a fear of light.”

Xiao Siyuan nodded and expressed his opinion, “It’s very similar to what I thought, but there’s a slight difference.”

Li Zheng continued looking forward and asked, “Which point?”

“Fear of light.”

“Fear of light?”

Xiao Siyuan nodded: “Based on the worn condition of the outer part of the tracks, it hasn’t been used for a long time.

This implies that this section of the track is likely abandoned.

Would you continuously supply lamp oil to keep such an unvisited place well-lit?”

“You mean…”

“Don’t you think this environment is very similar to habitats of several races often mentioned in fantasy novels?” Xiao Siyuan didn’t answer directly but instead asked a counter-question.

“I know this one!” Another player invited by Li Zheng stepped in, interjecting, “Cavemen, Kobolds, Goblins, Dwarves–these four creatures are fairly common in various fantasy novels, and except for Goblins, the gathering places of the other three races are mostly underground.”

Li Zheng turned to look at him, “You read novels in your leisure time too?”

Lu Li casually laughed, “Of course! A lunatic’s thinking is broad; how else could I broaden my mind without reading some whimsical stuff?”

“…” Li Zheng was momentarily taken aback and asked him, “Do you think you have a mental illness?”

“Haha!”

Lu Li laughed heartily and patted Li Zheng on the shoulder, “Be confident, just remove those ‘think you have a’ words. I already have a mental illness.”

Li Zheng: “???”

Others: “???”

Little Sakura: “Eek eek!”

The little guy protested sternly because Lu Li hit its little paw when he patted Li Zheng’s shoulder.

Xiao Siyuan asked, “What kind of mental illness?”

As a doctor, meeting a patient would instinctively make him inquire about the general condition, even though he didn’t know much about mental illnesses.

“It’s something called…” Lu Li thought carefully but couldn’t remember the scientific name: “Just consider it as intermittent neurosis.”

“Acute Transient Psychotic Disorder?”

“Yes, yes, that’s the one!”

Xiao Siyuan was intrigued, “This illness is serious in some ways, but not that terrifying compared to other mental illnesses. It might not even be as severe as some mood disorders.

The most crucial part is, as long as the patient is willing to cooperate with active treatment, there’s a possibility of recovery.”

“Recovery?”

Lu Li pointed to his head with an odd expression, “Why would I want to recover from it? Ever since I got this mental illness, I’ve been full of life!”

Creak, creak.

Suddenly, a sharp metallic friction sound came from the passage ahead.