52: Chapter 52 The Surprise in the Abandoned Mine
On the light screen of the Mission Hall, the solo mission marked in deep red hung prominently at the very top like a solidified bloodstain.
The Students around, who were originally loudly soliciting business or bargaining, now subconsciously kept their distance from the light screen, and their whispering voices also lowered significantly.
"Level 3 High Danger? And a mandatory solo mission? Whose name are they calling out?"
"The Abandoned Mine... I've heard of that place. It used to be used for mining energy ores, but it was abandoned after the vein dried up. Many mutated creatures are entrenched inside; even a Third-Rank Martial Artist would have a slim chance of survival if they went in."
"This mission is clearly a trap; whoever takes it is out of luck!"
Amidst the discussion, everyone's gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward the isolated figure standing in the corner of the hall.
Wang Pingan.
Everyone saw what kind of life he had been living in the training camp these past few days.
Cold had declared that he would completely block all channels for him to obtain points.
And now, only three days remained until the final deadline for paying the "rent."
His points were still an eye-catching "0."
Just at this moment, the points system "perfectly" issued him a mandatory high-danger solo mission.
The implication was self-evident.
In the crowd, Cold had his arms crossed over his chest, a Cold, gloating smile playing on the corners of his mouth.
The two lackeys beside him didn't even bother to hide the schadenfreude on their faces.
"Big Brother, we don't even need to do anything now; Chief Instructor Lei Bao personally arranged a graveyard for him!"
"Hahaha, the Abandoned Mine! Nine out of ten people who go into that place come out horizontally! This kid is dead for sure!"
Cold looked at Wang Pingan's calm profile, the malice in his eyes almost overflowing.
Go ahead.
I'll be waiting to collect your corpse.
Just when everyone thought that Wang Pingan would show an expression of despair or anger.
He moved.
He stepped forward, and under the gaze of countless astonished, amused, and gloating eyes, he walked straight to the console in the center of the Mission Hall.
He extended his finger.
And lightly tapped on that blood-red mission information.
【Mission Accepted】
A Cold electronic prompt sounded on the light screen.
The entire hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone looked at Wang Pingan with the eyes of someone looking at a madman.
He actually... really accepted it?
Without a hint of hesitation?
The smile on Cold's face became incredibly brilliant at this moment.
Stupid.
Truly foolish.
Is this what happens when one is pushed to the edge and starts to give up?
Wang Pingan ignored everyone's gazes and turned to walk toward the equipment area outside the camp.
...
The entrance to the Abandoned Mine was like the maw of a giant beast waiting to devour people.
Rusted metal supports and abandoned tracks were scattered at the entrance, and a foul odor mixed with rust, decay, and dampness kept pouring out from the depths of the pitch-black cave.
Wang Pingan took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The light was instantly swallowed.
Extreme darkness and Cold dampness wrapped around him completely.
【Eye of Truth】, activate.
The world before his eyes instantly changed.
In his vision, the dark cave turned into a 3D model composed of countless data streams and energy lines.
A large amount of complex and chaotic energy particles floated in the air like turbid mists.
He walked into the depths along the only main mining tunnel, unhurriedly.
He walked for about a hundred meters.
A faint "rustling" sound, like claws scraping against rock, came from the darkness ahead.
Wang Pingan stopped.
In his 【Eye of Truth】 vision, a dozen red light spots representing biological energy were emerging from the crevices of the rock walls from all directions at an extremely fast speed, flanking toward his location.
They were coming.
The next second.
A dozen black shadows darted out from the darkness like arrows released from a bowstring!
It was a type of lizard-like creature with a pitch-black body, the size of a hound.
Their limbs were extremely sturdy, with sharp, knife-like curved claws between their toes; every kick left clear marks on the hard rock walls.
Mutated Underground Lizard.
Each one had strength comparable to a peak Second-Rank Martial Artist!
Facing this sudden siege, Wang Pingan still had no expression on his face.
He didn't even take out his weapon.
Just as the first mutated lizard opened its foul-smelling mouth full of fangs and was about to pounce in front of him.
He moved.
The Qi and blood of a Third-Rank Martial Artist erupted unreservedly at this moment!
Phantom Step perfected!
His figure left a faint afterimage in place, but his real body had already appeared like a ghost at the side of that mutated lizard.
Meteor Fist Technique perfected!
Without any earth-shattering momentum, it was just a seemingly ordinary straight punch.
Bang!
The fist landed precisely on the lizard's temple.
【Inch Force】 erupted!
The fierce mutated lizard couldn't even let out a scream before its entire head exploded like a smashed watermelon!
Red and white splattered all over the ground.
Having succeeded with one strike, Wang Pingan's movements didn't pause in the slightest.
His whole person turned into a ghost shuttling rapidly through the darkness.
Every time he dodged, he avoided fatal pounces and bites by a hair's breadth.
Every time he threw a punch, it struck the most vulnerable vital points of these monsters with extreme precision.
Head.
Heart.
Spine.
The entire mine tunnel was left with only the dull sounds of fists hitting flesh and the crisp sounds of bones breaking.
This was no longer a fight.
This was a massacre that was shockingly efficient.
In less than thirty seconds.
A dozen mutated lizards with strength comparable to peak Second-Rank Martial Artists had all turned into Cold corpses on the ground.
Wang Pingan slowly retracted his fist, his breathing not even showing much disorder.
He walked to the side of a lizard corpse whose head he had smashed, preparing to continue deeper.
Suddenly, he stopped.
In his vision, amidst the brains of the lizard corpse, there was a faint, pure energy light spot, completely different from the surrounding complex energy, that was slowly dissipating.
He crouched down and used his finger to poke around in that pile of filth.
A light blue crystal the size of a fingernail, emitting a faint glow, was plucked out by him.
【Low-level energy core discovered, convert?】
The system's prompt sounded in his mind.
Wang Pingan's eyes lit up.
"Convert."
【Energy core converting...】
【Conversion complete, obtained pay-to-win points: 3 points.】
Wang Pingan looked at the pay-to-win points value on his system panel, which had jumped from 12272 to 12275, and his breathing quickened slightly.
It could work like this?
These mutated creatures were actually moving "pay-to-win points"?!
He suddenly raised his head and looked into the depths of the pitch-black mine, which in his eyes was filled with red light spots.
That gaze was no longer the calmness of executing a mission.
But rather the look of... a wolf that had been hungry for three days and three nights, seeing an entire sheepfold.
One hour later.
Wang Pingan walked out from the depths of the mine.
He found the three missing exploration beacons, the process so easy it was almost boring.
And in his hand, there was a heavy bundle wrapped in the hem of his combat uniform.
Inside were hundreds of energy cores of varying sizes.
After he converted that bundle of energy cores into pay-to-win points.
【pay-to-win points: 12772】
It skyrocketed by a full 497 points!
After a while, he walked unhurriedly into the still bustling Mission Hall.
Everyone noticed his appearance.
Seeing him return safe and sound, many people's faces showed expressions of disbelief.
Cold's expression sank instantly.
How is it possible?
He actually came out alive?
Under everyone's gaze, Wang Pingan walked to the mission submission terminal and put the three exploration beacons inside.
【Mission confirmed...】
【Target retrieval complete...】
【Mission rating: Perfect.】
【Points reward being issued...】
The next second.
On the light screen in the center of the hall, the glaring "0" in Wang Pingan's points account began to jump crazily!
【Student: Wang Pingan】
【Current points: 1500】
The noise in the entire hall stopped abruptly.
The gloomy expression on Cold's face froze completely.
Wang Pingan looked at his points account and nodded with satisfaction.
He turned around, his gaze sweeping across the silent crowd, and finally landed precisely on the livid Cold.
He stepped forward and walked over slowly.
The Students in front of him subconsciously retreated to both sides like Moses parting the sea.
Wang Pingan stopped in front of Cold and showed a gentle smile on his face.
"This mission is not bad; the returns are quite high."
He paused, and in that gentle smile, there was an extra touch of "concern" that was just right.
"By the way, Student Cold, your points don't seem to be enough to redeem next week's Grade A nutritional meal, right?"
"Do you want me to... lend you some?"