568: Chapter 568 A World Full of Monsters and Opportunities

Chapter 568: A World Filled With Monsters and Opportunities

The commotion in the yard rose and fell in succession.

Pan Wendi, Panghu, Xu Hao, and the others were playing finger-guessing games and drinking, shouting at the top of their lungs.

At Bailing's table, the girls also gathered together, talking and laughing, forming their own circle.

Amidst this bustling and lively atmosphere, the main table in the corner appeared exceptionally quiet.

It was as if they were immersed in another mysterious and unknown world.

Fang Cheng leaned against the back of his chair, gazing at the professor with Focus.

Lin Chuqiao sat beside him, holding a juice cup in both hands, listening with keen interest as well.

Li Dingjian and Xiaosa likewise held their breath and pricked up their ears, afraid of missing even half a sentence.

"The mist inside was noticeably denser than outside, as if concealing something."

The professor took a sip of wine to moisten his throat and continued recounting that expedition experience to the people at the table.

"At that time, I felt something was wrong. We mercenaries who licked blood from the edge of a blade all had an instinctive alertness to danger."

"Yet those guys from the scientific expedition team looked as if they had seen some peerless treasure; their eyes lit up one by one, and they walked right up."

"The PhD leading them took out a set of complicated instruments from the metal case he carried and set them up beside the stone platform."

"Then, several other researchers took out many plasma bags and poured the blood all at once into the conduits connected to the instrument."

"Blood?"

Li Dingjian frowned slightly and couldn't help cutting in:

"Is this still doing scientific research? Why does it sound like a cult sacrifice?"

"You guessed right."

The professor's expression darkened slightly as he pushed up his glasses:

"That instrument seemed to be able to convert blood into some kind of biological electrical energy, injecting it all along the conduits into the groove beneath the crystal ball."

"As the blood was continuously inputted, that crystal ball spun faster and faster, and the originally faint blue light turned into a dazzling red glow."

"Not long after, wisps of black mist suddenly emerged from the space in front of the stone platform, gathering more and more, rolling and churning endlessly like ocean waves."

"At that time, a mercenary closest by failed to dodge in time and was devoured by the black mist."

"In just a few seconds, his entire body was as if splashed by strong acid; his skin and flesh rapidly blackened and rotted, and his screams echoed in the temple, making one's scalp tingle."

"It seemed the miasma in the jungle originated from these black mists."

Hearing this, Lin Chuqiao gripped the cup in her hand tightly, her complexion turning slightly pale.

She remembered the Inner World she had once encountered on Miwu Mountain, where similar terrifying scenes had also appeared.

"We were all terrified at the time, wanting to run outside with our guns, but those expedition members acted like nothing was wrong."

The professor paused and continued:

"They quickly opened several heavy suitcases and took out sets of silvery-white protective suits from inside, looking like the fully enclosed styles worn by astronauts, but more convenient for movement."

"These people were obviously well-prepared and skillfully dressed themselves neatly. Then that team leader shouted to us through his mask, saying that as long as we followed them in, the bounty for this mission would be doubled."

"And he also revealed that behind the door was an undeveloped new world, filled everywhere with treasures that could allow anomaly-users like us to undergo a complete rebirth."

"Double the bounty, plus the temptation of growing stronger... As the saying goes, men die for wealth just as birds die for food; how could a bunch of desperate outlaws like us withstand this?"

The professor sighed and shook his head self-deprecatingly:

"At that time, I was also young and hot-headed, single-mindedly thinking of returning to Dongdu for revenge. As long as I could grow stronger, I dared to barge into Hell itself."

"Thus, I also bit the bullet, put on the spare protective suit, and stepped into that cluster of black mist following them."

Speaking up to this point, the professor paused in contemplation, seemingly recalling the scene at that time carefully.

"The feeling of passing through the black mist was like being stuffed into a front-loading washing machine; the whole person was spinning dizzyingly, almost losing consciousness."

"When our feet touched the ground again and we climbed to our feet, the scene before us shocked everyone of us."

"That place was also a forest; the sky was a hazy leaden color, and the air was permeated with a faint scent of sulfur."

"One could imagine that without protective suits and respiratory filters, the air there alone could rot our lungs."

"Moreover, everything in that place seemed to have been magnified dozens of times."

The professor spread his arms and gestured as he spoke:

"Fern plants grew like towering ancient trees, mushrooms were like opened giant umbrellas, and even the beetles crawling on the ground were as big as millstones."

"That world looked just like Earth from millions of years ago, filled with a primitive and savage aura."

"We hadn't walked far when we bumped into a colorful giant mantis, whose size was fully as large as a car."

"Its forelimbs were like two sharp sickles; with a gentle wave, it cut a brother who didn't have time to fire his gun straight in half."

"In the end, it was only by risking our lives and employing heavy weapons that we blasted that monster into slag."

"Having lost two brothers as soon as we came in, divergences immediately arose within the team, and quite a few people got cold feet, arguing to go back."

The professor raised his cup and took a sip of wine, seemingly growing more spirited as the alcohol kicked in.

"At that time, that lead PhD didn't say anything and directly dug out a crystal like a sapphire from the mantis's shattered head."

"At that moment, everyone's eyes went straight."

Recalling the scene back then, the professor's eyes still flashed with a bit of brilliant light:

"Although we didn't know what that thing was, just holding it in our hands allowed us to clearly feel a pure energy flowing in our palms."

"And right at that time, the greed in the mercenaries' hearts overshadowed fear; no one mentioned going back anymore, and everyone only wanted to keep moving forward to reap more benefits."

"We protected the expedition team as we collected samples and groped forward."

"After about half a day, deep within that primeval forest, we unexpectedly discovered a shockingly massive city ruin."

"That environment was clearly a modern metropolis that had undergone a devastating disaster—deadly silent, eerie, and completely desolate."

The professor's eyes flickered, as if he could still see the scene back then, and slowly described:

"Looking out as far as the eye could see, there were high-rise buildings snapped at the waist, leaning crookedly against one another."

"The debris of reinforced concrete was covered with vines, like a giant net enveloping the entire doomsday city."

"We rummaged through the ruins and picked up quite a few golden utensils, as well as some ancient coins from who-knows-what country. Although corroded out of shape, one could still tell they were immensely valuable."

"The mercenaries stuffed them into their backpacks like madmen, and even I couldn't help myself, picking up two gold bricks."

"At that time, I thought that even without so-called opportunities, just based on this gold, bringing it out would be enough for me to live a life free of food and clothing worries for the rest of my life."

"In contrast, the people from the expedition team were terrifyingly calm."

"They turned a blind eye to gold, focusing solely on collecting soil samples and plant specimens, making meticulous records, and collecting the crystals inside the brains of the monsters we killed."

"And then?"

Lin Chuqiao couldn't help pressing: "Did you find any products left behind by technological civilization in that city?"

"None."

The professor shook his head, his face unable to hide regret:

"It was getting dark at the time, and the deeper we went into the ruins, the stronger the monsters we encountered became, and the harsher the environment grew."

"We successively encountered flying lizards that could spew venomous mists and some kind of humanoid terrifying monsters, suffering heavy casualties all the way."

"Seeing that the ammunition brought in was almost exhausted and the oxygen in the protective suits was running low, we could only flee in a panic and retreat the way we came."

"On that trip, of the nearly twenty-person team, fewer than ten came out alive in the end, and even several researchers from the expedition team perished."

The professor let out a long sigh, picked up the wine glass Xiaosa had just poured for him, and drained it in one gulp.

"However, I could also be considered to have turned misfortune into a blessing."

He put down the wine glass, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes:

"On the way running away, in order to fend off the monsters' pursuit, in my urgency, I swallowed the crystal I had previously dug out from the insect's brain."

"At that time, I didn't think much; I only wanted to survive and had to seek every power that could be utilized."

"Unexpectedly, after coming out, not only did all my injuries heal, but my Mental Energy also skyrocketed. Afterwards, using this as an opportunity, I successfully broke through the Bottleneck and advanced to S-rank."

After hearing these words, the people at the table, including Fang Cheng, fell into silence.

The evening breeze brushed past the courtyard of Yunlin Xiaozhu, and the charcoal fire emitted a crackling sound.

Listening with a burning heart, Li Dingjian couldn't help asking:

"Professor, where is the specific location of that ruin?"

"Since there are so many resources inside, can we also organize manpower to go in and rake in a fortune?"

"The current strength of the Illuminati should surely be much stronger than that mercenary team back then, right?"

The professor looked at Li Dingjian, smiled bitterly, and shook his head:

"Raven, you're thinking too simply."

"Not to mention the degree of peril inside, just the entrance barrier alone is something we cannot get past."

Seeing that everyone's faces carried confusion and they clearly didn't understand these inside stories very well, the professor patiently explained:

"As early as a hundred years ago, when these ruins first appeared, people might have still regarded them as legendary grotto-heavens and blessed lands or Shangri-Las."

"But with the deepening of development and research, various countries had long realized that those were resource repositories belonging to national strategic levels."

"That Borneo ruin I went to has long been jointly controlled by the local government and international financial consortiums now; the surroundings are heavily guarded by troops, and not even a fly can fly in."

"What is the difference between that 'Other Shore World', the 'Inner World' we often talk about, and the Secret Realm passed down by noble families?"

At this time, Lin Chuqiao could also no longer hold back her curiosity and asked.

"They are completely different in essence."

The professor answered without hesitation:

"The 'Inner World' usually refers to the dark side attached to the real world, being an aggregate of negative energy."

"Noble family Secret Realms are mostly small independent spaces opened up by ancient mighty figures through special methods, with relatively single rules."

"But the Other Shore World..."

The professor paused, his tone dropping a few degrees:

"That is a truly complete world with its own ecosystem and even civilization ruins. Its volume and degree of danger are more than tens of thousands of times greater than the first two combined."

Fang Cheng listened quietly and nodded thoughtfully.

What the Masked Man said previously basically matched the professor's personal experience.

He asked these things not out of interest in studying ancient civilizations, but to verify the conjecture in his heart.

That world filled with monsters and opportunities was simply the perfect leveling ground for him.

The harsh environment that others regarded as a path of fear might just be the opportunity for him to break through his bodily limits and substantially elevate his strength once again.

Unfortunately, that fellow Masked Man had bad luck and died before he had time to explain clearly.

And dead people, after all, have no way of speaking.

In Fang Cheng's heart, a bit of pity inevitably arose.

"Chairman."

Seeming to see through his thoughts, the professor raised his eyes to look at him and spoke in a deep voice:

"Although the Masked Man is dead, his accomplice Dragon is still alive."

"He just finished his first surgery and hasn't left the danger period temporarily. If he can keep his life, perhaps something can be asked out of his mouth."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly; he had just had this exact thought himself.

"And..."

The professor paused, his gaze growing profound, and continued to supplement:

"Based on the Masked Man's few words, coupled with the intelligence I've collected over the past half year or more, I guess that ruin entrance he spoke of is most likely in Xishan."

"Xishan?"

Fang Cheng was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

"That's right."

The professor's tone was assertive as he analyzed smoothly:

"Chairman, you should remember the incident last November where an explosion at the Xishan archaeological site triggered a mountain fire, right?"

"At that time, the military's actions were abnormally fast. As soon as the fire was extinguished, they directly sealed off the mountain for a month, and subsequently established a military restricted zone deep in Xishan, which hasn't been lifted to this day."

"Outwardly, they claimed it was for epidemic prevention needs, with mutated animals carrying infectious viruses, but this reason could only fool ordinary people."

"In our anomaly-users circle, the most guessed theory was that some Treasure Trove was hidden beneath that underground palace, for instance, the golden bumpa bottle flowed out from inside."

"And judging by my experience, a newly discovered ancient ruin entrance is definitely hidden there."

After listening, a trace of realization flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes, and all kinds of doubts that had previously weighed on his heart were completely resolved.

With the military making such a great fanfare and sealing things off layer by layer, what they plotted was indeed far from as simple as just an ordinary Ancient Tomb.

"It seems that when that unlucky bastard Dragon wakes up, I must have a good chat with him."

The corners of Fang Cheng's lips curved slightly, and he had a plan in mind.

"Alright, let's talk about these things later."

Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat heavy, Li Dingjian timely smoothed things over:

"Tonight is the team-building day for the Illuminati; we just need to drink wine and eat meat, and relax properly."

Fang Cheng smiled and pulled back his wandering thoughts.

Indeed, enjoy the wine today while we have it today.

He turned his head to look at the lively scene before him.

The charcoal fire of the grill in the yard was burning vigorously, and the camping lights cast a warm and bright glow over the entire courtyard.

Not far away, Pan Wendi and Panghu lost at finger-guessing and were sticking their butts out, being punished to do a Push-up.

The two's grimacing appearances provoked bursts of roaring laughter from the surrounding people.

Even the girls at Bailing's table occasionally cast sideways glances, their eyes carrying a bit of banter as they covered their mouths and chuckled softly.

Gazing at these vivid and lively faces, and listening to the noisy yet affectionate curses and laughter beside his ears, Fang Cheng was suddenly touched in his heart.

Except for Second Young Master Chen Xuan far away in Cui City's Tiannan Province, everyone of the Illuminati's founding core team could be considered fully gathered tonight.

In this hidden, mysterious, and peril-ridden world, he was the greatest reliance for this group of people, and also the leader they were willing to follow.

"Come!"

Fang Cheng suddenly stood up and raised the wine glass in his hand.

The originally noisy yard instantly quieted down.

Everyone stopped the actions in their hands.

Whether it was the frolicking and bantering Pan Wendi or the professor continuing to shell edamame, all of them looked uniformly towards that young man standing in the main position.

There was no need for extra mobilization, nor was there any need to speak pretentious and grand words.

Fang Cheng glanced around at everyone, the corners of his mouth lifting as he raised his cup of wine above his head and said in a clear, resonant voice:

"For all members of our Illuminati, from now on walking the same path all the way and helping each other hand in hand!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone looked at each other and smiled, rising simultaneously to raise their cups, their roars deafening:

"Cheers!"

The crisp sound of glasses clinking accompanied by laughter and cheers rang out across the night sky.

It was like the prelude to an oath, drawing back the curtain on the rise of this emerging organization.