312: Let’s go to the Star Sand Cave!

At the Military Airport, as a plane sliced into the clouds, Shen Bei and Zhuang Bifan departed from Beijing, officially embarking on their journey to the Dungeon.

Do not expect comfort in a Military cabin, as it was a transport plane.

It was already good enough that Shen Bei and Zhuang Bifan didn't have to stand.

Even with the somewhat bumpy flight, it couldn't stop Zhuang Bifan from constantly admiring his appearance in the mirror.

After a moment of self-admiration, Zhuang Bifan sighed to himself.

Shen Bei tilted his head.

Why did it give him the feeling of a youth who knows no sorrow, yet forces himself to speak of it to compose new verses?

At this moment, Zhuang Bifan, as if enlightened, said, “I think this world is unfair.”

Shen Bei didn't quite understand; they were already Martial Artists, and it was still unfair?

Then how were ordinary people supposed to live?

Shen Bei tentatively asked, “How is it unfair?”

Zhuang Bifan spread his hands and said, “Why do Martial Artists have to measure combat power by attribute? If it were measured by attractiveness, I'd be first, and you'd be second to none.”

Shen Bei: …

Damn your grandpa.

You actually want to suppress me?

“You've got it backward,” Shen Bei corrected Zhuang Bifan's perception. “I am invincible.”

Zhuang Bifan thought Shen Bei had no idea about his own looks, so he simply turned his head to look at the scenery outside the window.

Shen Bei was still puzzled; this wasn't Zhuang Bifan's usual personality. Shouldn't he be admiring himself in the mirror?

It took Shen Bei a while to realize that the cabin window could also reflect his face…

…

Three hours later.

The plane descended, successfully landing in Xingsha City.

With no one to pick them up, Shen Bei and Zhuang Bifan jumped off the plane, retrieved a car from the garage, and drove towards Xingsha City Center.

The Military Airport was in a very remote location, and there was still some distance to travel.

The green mountains were like a painting, and the clear lake was like a mirror.

A ray of golden sunlight pierced through the thin mist, scattering across the land, creating ripples as if in a dream.

Shen Bei, driving the Military's old Santana, couldn't help but feel poetic, giving a thumbs up and saying, “Exotic flowers adorn the gate, jade-like grasses perfume the bridge. Stone cliffs stand tall with moist moss, high precipices boast long green lichen. Upon closer inspection of this blessed land, it truly rivals paradise!”

Zhuang Bifan in the passenger seat stared blankly, looking at Shen Bei strangely.

Shen Bei poked him with his elbow and said, “My promising Martial Artist, who is guaranteed admission to Beijing Martial Arts University, are you not going to comment on my poem?”

Zhuang Bifan's mouth twitched, and he asked oddly, “I remember your cultural studies scores plummeted below the lowest exam score in human history. How did your mind… suddenly become enlightened?”

Shen Bei laughed heartily: “Articles are naturally formed, and a clever hand occasionally finds them.”

Zhuang Bifan: …

At this moment, Shen Bei changed the subject, smacking his lips and saying, “Let's hurry and find a restaurant first. Stewed offal or quick-fried tripe, anything to get some greasy food in our mouths. Once we enter the Dungeon, we'll only be able to eat compressed biscuits. That stuff is drier than my aunt's foot-binding cloth.”

Zhuang Bifan actually nodded in agreement with this point.

Not long after.

The old Santana's exhaust pipe began spewing black smoke, and it finally drove into Xingsha City.

The Permanent Dungeon in Xingsha City had a very special geographical location.

Most Dungeons appeared in the suburbs or in remote wilderness areas.

However, the Dungeon in Xingsha City was located within the city, although not in the city center, it was once a bustling area.

Later, due to the appearance of the Dungeon, development in the surrounding area was halted, and the real estate market was in disarray.

After all, it was a Dungeon, and its danger was self-evident. It was possible that one day it would be breached by Outsiders, and the surrounding residents would be the first to suffer.

The two did not rush to the Dungeon immediately but instead wandered around the city and found a restaurant, ordering a table full of local specialties.

This was their last hearty meal before entering the Dungeon.

Once inside, they would only have energy bars and dry rations.

Soon.

The dishes were served.

The classic Chopped Chili Fish Head was a must-order.

In Shen Bei's opinion, the Chopped Chili Fish Head itself wasn't necessarily that delicious, but the sauce mixed with noodles was something else entirely.

It was incredibly delicious.

Mao's Braised Pork, Steamed Cured Meats, Xiangxi Grandma's Vegetables, Mushroom and Egg-Free Egg…

They each took a few bites, tasting everything.

Overall, the dishes were predominantly spicy.

After eating their fill.

The two arrived at the Xingsha City Dungeon.

The outer defenses of the Dungeon were similar to those of the Luan County Earth Cave.

Various heavy cannons were set up, and the muzzles of multi-barreled high-speed machine guns gleamed with cold light.

The garrison Military patrolled back and forth.

A large number of Martial Artist teams gathered at the Dungeon entrance, waiting to enter.

The sheer number of people was like fish migrating during their spawning season.

Some Martial Artists even had makeshift tents set up nearby, seemingly having been stationed there for some days.

Shen Bei was a bit puzzled; logically, so many people shouldn't be gathered at the Dungeon entrance.

To put it bluntly, the Dungeon was like a restroom, accessible twenty-four hours a day, at any time.

Zhuang Bifan went to gather information, while Shen Bei took the slip from the Military to collect supplies.

The supplies included Medicinal Pills, food, water, and so on.

Not long after.

The two reunited.

Shen Bei distributed the supplies, stuffing his share into his satchel.

Zhuang Bifan had it much easier; he simply tossed his into the mirror.

Shen Bei was a bit envious; it was practically a storage space.

According to Shen Bei's understanding, there were storage “Wonders” in this Martial Artist world.

But their numbers were very few.

If one was lucky enough to kill a wealthy Outsider in the Dungeon, it was still possible to obtain one.

However, so far, Shen Bei had not seen any Martial Artist with such an item.

Perhaps some Martial Artists had them but simply hadn't been seen using them.

In any case, storage-type Wonders were rarely sold, and even if they were, the price was astonishing. With Shen Bei's wealth, even looking at one would be disrespectful to his wallet.

“I've got some information,” Zhuang Bifan said, carrying his mirror. “Originally, we didn't need to wait so long in Beijing; it was all because of some accident that happened in the Dungeon here.”

Shen Bei curiously asked, “What happened?”

“Some time ago, the Xing Sha Dungeon was attacked by a large Outsider army, caught off guard, which led to the road between Hope Camp and Blade Camp being cut off.”

As Shen Bei listened, he opened the map of the Xing Sha Dungeon, his finger rubbing back and forth on it.

The explored and detailed area of the Xing Sha Dungeon was vast.

Far more advanced than the progress in the Luan County Earth Cave.

Hope Camp was the starting point for humans in the Dungeon.

Thirty kilometers from Hope Camp was Struggle Camp, and extending another twenty kilometers was Blade Camp.

Fifty kilometers from Blade Camp, there was also Spike Camp.

The entire span exceeded 100 kilometers.

Compared to the 30-kilometer safe zone of the Luan County Earth Cave, the Xing Sha Dungeon's radiation range could be said to be quite extensive.

Outsiders cutting off the road between Hope Camp and Blade Camp meant that Blade Camp and Spike Camp were isolated.

This was fatal.

“The Military and the Martial Arts Management Bureau dispatched a large number of Martial Artists, and after more than ten days of fierce fighting, they finally forced the Outsider army to retreat.”

Zhuang Bifan sniffed and continued, “Only today, after the situation completely stabilized, were humans allowed to queue up and enter the Dungeon.”

As soon as Zhuang Bifan finished speaking, the Martial Artists waiting to enter the Dungeon to hunt for treasures and earn money stirred.

Shen Bei looked up.

The Dungeon had officially opened, and the crowd began to push forward, queuing up to have their documents checked by the Military, then rushing into the Dungeon like mad, as if arriving a moment late would mean someone else would snatch up all the good things, resulting in a loss of a hundred million.

Shen Bei put away the map and calmly said, “No wonder Bai Wei insisted on waiting a few days. Let's go, we're entering the Dungeon.”

Zhuang Bifan's expression was solemn as he followed behind Shen Bei, asking, “Do you have any ideas? The Dungeon is so vast; we need at least a direction to search in.”

Shen Bei didn't really have any specific ideas, but he had a basic thought: “It definitely won't be within a 100-kilometer radius. After all, that area has long been traversed by Martial Artists. Once we're inside, we'll run directly beyond 100 kilometers and see what the situation is then.”

The map of the Xing Sha Dungeon was extremely detailed, even marking the elevation of hills, and clearly indicating where there were forests, rivers, and ravines.

This showed that the Military had conducted a thorough exploration of the Dungeon.

Although Yun Zhiyi's incident happened several years ago.

But if there had been any major movements or disturbances within the 100-kilometer radius, they would certainly have been recorded, and someone would have investigated.

Naturally, the secrets of the Martial Dao Pinnacle would have spread far and wide.

The fact that only Yun Zhiyi knew about it now indicated that the place they went to back then must have been very far and very hidden.

However, Zhuang Bifan didn't quite agree with Shen Bei's idea. He was silent for a moment, then said, “Even if we cross beyond Spike Camp, wouldn't the area be even larger? How long would it take to search that, until the year of the monkey?”

Shen Bei, with a hint of teasing, said, “Are you in a hurry to get married?”

Zhuang Bifan shook his head, puzzled.

“Then let's set a small goal: spend ten years finding the correct location.”

As soon as Shen Bei finished speaking.

Zhuang Bifan turned and walked away.

“Hey, hey, where are you going?”

Zhuang Bifan tossed his hair: “Home! How many ten years do I even have?”

“It was just a joke, why are you so serious?” Shen Bei rolled his eyes.

Zhuang Bifan said very seriously, “Ten days. If there's no harvest within ten days, we leave immediately.”

Shen Bei patted his chest: “Don't worry, we will definitely find clues.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Just wait and see,” Shen Bei said confidently.

Zhuang Bifan: ???

…

Not long after.

The two passed verification and walked down the slope into the Dungeon.

This Dungeon was purely a massive underground cave entrance.

It wasn't as exaggerated as the Luan County Earth Cave, which had a crack spanning more than ten kilometers on the surface.

The rotating halo gate was right before their eyes.

This batch of Martial Artists numbered almost a thousand.

After gathering at the entrance to the Dungeon, they collectively marched inside.

Having entered the Dungeon multiple times, Shen Bei had completely adapted to the momentary sensation of his Soul being torn apart upon entry.

Opening his eyes again.

Hope Camp was right in front of him.

In the distance stretched an endless, desertified Gobi, as far as the eye could see.

Shen Bei looked up at the sky and asked Zhuang Bifan, “What shape is the sun?”

Shen Bei had once asked Qi Chuanyu this question in the Luan County Earth Cave.

Zhuang Bifan answered without thinking, “Of course it's round.”

Shen Bei clicked his tongue, it seemed Zhuang Bifan, like Qi Chuanyu, was also blind.

They arrived at the exit of Hope Camp.

Shen Bei glanced at the bounty board.

It was densely covered with various procurement requests.

Shen Bei took out his small notebook and started recording.

“What are you doing?” Zhuang Bifan asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Earning a little extra on the side.”

These were all tasks.

As long as they were tasks, they could activate the daily settlement panel.

Shen Bei really wanted to give himself a thumbs up.

He truly was an “ambitious, five-good youth.”

A “benchmark” that all Martial Artists should learn from.

After finishing his recording.

The two followed the large group out of the camp exit.

Immediately, many Martial Artists dispersed, forming groups and heading in various directions to explore.

Shen Bei and Zhuang Bifan followed a group of people, heading towards Blade Camp.

However, this journey was not as smooth as they imagined…