50: Chapter 50 Tank Engine

The three of them were sitting in Qin Chuan's living room.

Lin Yan sat on the side near the window, his tone calm, without any preamble: "Three days from now, there's a four-star party Dungeon. Jiang Ruoxue has invited us to join."

Qin Chuan, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, froze at these words, his back straightening almost reflexively.

Shen Xin also put down the half-eaten popsicle in her hand, the stick spinning half a turn between her fingertips as a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

"Four-star?" Qin Chuan's voice involuntarily rose half an octave before he subconsciously lowered it. "Shen Xin and I just reached Level 11. We haven't even touched a three-star one yet. Isn't going straight to a four-star a bit... too intense?"

A four-star Dungeon had double the difficulty; the monster strength, mechanical complexity, and survival pressure were incomparable to those of one, two, or three-star Dungeons.

Ordinary Awakened didn't dare touch them easily even at Level 13 or 14. For them to rush a four-star at Level 11 was practically walking a tightrope over an abyss.

Lin Yan raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze calm yet exceptionally resolute: "You said before that you wanted me to carry you."

Qin Chuan choked, his cheeks instantly flushing a bit hot.

That was a joke he had made casually when he ran into Lin Yan in the apartment hallway: "Boss, carry me when you go into a Dungeon next time. I want to get an S rating too."

At the time, it was just a throwaway comment; he never expected Lin Yan to actually take it to heart.

"I—I was just joking..." Qin Chuan scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward.

"I took it seriously." Lin Yan's tone remained unchanged, yet it carried an unquestionable steadiness.

Qin Chuan looked into his eyes; there was no joking, no impulsiveness, only absolute confidence.

He was silent for a moment before nodding heavily: "Alright! Boss, if you say we charge, then we charge!"

Shen Xin chuckled as she watched from the side, her expression softening: "I don't have a problem with it either. Actually, I've been waiting for this. Following you is much safer than blundering around on my own."

"The rules for a four-star Dungeon are unknown. You can only choose the difficulty; the type is only revealed after entering." Lin Yan's voice deepened as he got to the point: "Get your status maxed out over the next two days. Whatever you're missing in terms of items, potions, equipment, or skills, get them."

"Got it!"

"Understood."

The two replied in unison.

———

Three days passed in a flash.

During these days, Lin Yan didn't slack off at all, maintaining high-intensity physical and reaction training every day to hone his physical state to its peak.

At the same time, he listed all the surplus materials he had accumulated in his storage space and the old equipment he had phased out on the Federal Trading Platform, bringing in 520,000 Star Coins at once and bolstering his confidence even further.

The morning of the fourth day.

Lin Yan, Qin Chuan, and Shen Xin arrived at the Training Center together. As soon as they stepped into the hall, they saw that cold, tall, and straight figure.

Jiang Ruoxue was already waiting, dressed in a simple black combat uniform with her long hair tied high, revealing a clean and sharp profile.

Her aura was calm; clearly, she was ready.

Seeing the three of them approaching, Jiang Ruoxue nodded slightly.

Shen Xin was the first to wave with a smile, her tone relaxed: "Morning, Miss Jiang! Have you been waiting long? We'll be counting on you two big shots to carry us to victory today~"

"I wouldn't call it carrying." Jiang Ruoxue's tone was light but very sincere: "Your talents are strong; you are not a burden."

Shen Xin stuck out her tongue and patted her chest lightly, her tone carrying a hint of genuine nervousness: "To be honest, rushing a four-star right after breaking through Level 11 has my heart beating twenty times faster. I used to only ever think about three-star ones; four-star... just sounds scary."

Qin Chuan also scratched his head with a wry smile: "Me too. If it weren't for the Boss dragging me along, I wouldn't dare enter a four-star Dungeon."

Jiang Ruoxue's gaze swept over the two of them, her tone steady: "No need to be nervous. One of you has an A-grade armor-piercing core, the other is an A-grade support. Paired with Lin Yan and me, this composition is enough to handle a four-star Dungeon."

She paused and handed over two items she had prepared in advance: "These are temporary buff potions I prepared for you to increase resistance and stamina."

Qin Chuan's eyes lit up: "Wow, thanks, big shot!"

Shen Xin took them with a smile: "Then we won't stand on ceremony."

Lin Yan watched this, saying nothing more.

Jiang Ruoxue was thorough in her actions; he approved of that.

Jiang Ruoxue looked at Lin Yan, her expression becoming serious: "I have already selected you as teammates in the system. Please accept; there are no additional conditions. Once confirmed, we will teleport directly."

"Mm." Lin Yan nodded. "Check your status, get ready to enter."

Four white beams of teleportation light slowly enveloped the four of them.

The next second.

The white light surged, and space distorted.

Four figures disappeared into the teleportation array simultaneously.

———

The white teleportation light dissipated.

Lin Yan opened his eyes. Beneath his feet was soft grass, and above him was a deep blue sky.

The air carried the fresh scent of grass and soil, and in the distance were rolling green hills; the scenery was so gentle it didn't look like a destroyed world.

[Welcome to the four-star random Dungeon—Giant Invasion.]

[Dungeon Type: Survival Defense]

[Dungeon Rules: Dungeon duration is 180 hours. Successfully defend the city wall against the Giant Invasion for 72 hours, and the Evacuation Point will automatically activate.]

[Additional Tip: Those who do not participate in the defense or fail to reach the city wall will be judged as having failed the Dungeon.]

———

[Detected that the host has entered a new Dungeon; the Hextech Selection System has been triggered.]

[Current Hextech Quality: Gold Tier!]

Three golden light screens appeared out of thin air before him.

[Hextech #1: Tank Engine—Each unit killed grants +1% HP, +1% Physical Defense, +1% Magic Defense, and +5% Body Size. Stacks infinitely (losing 65% of stacks upon death).]

[Hextech #2: Super Brain—Gain a shield equal to 3x Magic Attack; refreshes 30 minutes after being destroyed.]

[Hextech #3: Madman's Pride—Your dash, jump, blink, or teleport skills provide 12% Physical Defense and Magic Defense, stacking up to 5 times.]

Another growth Hextech. He instantly selected the first one, Tank Engine.

After making his selection, Lin Yan only felt his heart beating violently, and the sound of an engine revving surged from his chest.

From the left came Qin Chuan's voice: "Boss."

To the right was Shen Xin. She was crouching on the ground, scanning the surroundings vigilantly, and then she saw Lin Yan and Qin Chuan, clearly letting out a sigh of relief.

From behind came Jiang Ruoxue's cold voice: "Everyone is here."

Lin Yan turned his head. Jiang Ruoxue was standing on a waist-high rock, arms crossed, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings before landing on him.

The four of them had been teleported together.

[Party Mode activated; four-person fixed party, experience shared.]

"In non-party mode, whoever lands the last hit gets the experience," Jiang Ruoxue said, jumping down from the rock, her tone calm. "In party mode, everyone receives the full experience from the monster, but there is a level difference bonus; lower-level players actually get more."

"Haha, Shen Xin and I are only Level 11, and the monsters here are at least Level 16. We can get a 50% experience bonus," Qin Chuan said with a chuckle.

Shen Xin looked around. "So, are we grinding monsters in the wild now, or should we go straight to find the city wall? The evacuation conditions state that those who don't participate in the defense or fail to reach the city wall will be judged as having failed the Dungeon."

Jiang Ruoxue said indifferently.

"I have an item that can locate the city."

Lin Yan looked at the Hextech he had just selected. "Then there's no rush. Let's kill some monsters first."

In the distance, on the other side of the hills, something was moving.

"Something is coming," Lin Yan said.

The four of them quickly entered combat mode.

A red figure appeared on the hill.

It walked out from behind the gentle slope, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly. It was five meters tall, equivalent to two stories. It had no skin; scarlet muscle fibers were directly exposed to the air, glistening wetly under the sunlight. The texture of the muscles was clearly visible, and every contraction was like countless snakes writhing beneath the skin.

It had no lips; two rows of dark yellow teeth were directly exposed, and the gums were black. Its eyes were two bottomless black holes, as if gazing into the void.

It lowered its head, and its black-hole-like eye sockets "looked" at the four of them.

[Monster: Brainless Giant (5-meter class)]

[Level: 16]

[HP: 10,000]

[Physical Attack: 700]

[Magic Attack: 100]

[Physical Defense: 500]

[Magic Defense: 500]

[Type: Common mob. Hunts and devours humans by instinct. Strange behavior, fast speed, capable of jumping.]