16: Chapter 16 Armory? Buy it outright!

The next day, the sky remained gloomy. The light of the blood moon filtered through the thick clouds, staining the earth with an ominous dark red. A capable team departed from the Underworld Fortress, heading towards the abandoned industrial park to the north.

Lin Chen walked at the very front, his steps unhurried, as if he were not venturing into a perilous, danger-filled place but rather going on a casual outing. Behind him followed ten Yin Soldier Centurions, silent as iron, their nether auras merging into a continuous field that caused low-level Bizarre Monsters along the path to steer clear from a distance.

Zhang Hao and Su Qingyu followed closely. Zhang Hao's face was flushed with excitement, eagerly rubbing his hands together. The enchanted cleaver bestowed by Lin Chen hung at his waist, and his eyes were filled with longing for the armory and anticipation for any potential battles. Su Qingyu was far calmer. She carried a lightweight backpack containing emergency supplies and first-aid items, a habit she had developed as the "head steward." Her gaze lingered more on Lin Chen and the surrounding environment, carrying a sense of scrutiny and vigilance.

Qin Weiwei was also permitted to come along, ostensibly to "gain post-apocalyptic survival experience." She played the role of a sister who was both nervous and somewhat curious, sticking close to Su Qingyu. However, the corners of her eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, silently memorizing the route and potential dangers. She calculated in her heart that if she could gain control of this armory, or figure out how Lin Chen obtained it, it would be a tremendous achievement for her sect.

The closer they got to the industrial park, the more eerie the atmosphere became. The abandoned factory buildings loomed like skeletons of giant beasts in the mist. The air was thick with the smell of rust and an indescribable stench akin to rotten machine oil. On the ground, one could occasionally see huge, claw marks as if corroded by strong acid, along with scattered, twisted pieces of metal.

"Master, it's that largest factory building ahead. The underground entrance is inside," Zhang Hao whispered, pointing towards a massive abandoned workshop that stood like a castle. The workshop's large doors had long since vanished, and the dark, gaping entrance resembled a giant maw ready to devour anyone.

Faintly, one could hear the teeth-grating sound of metal scraping and the dragging noise of something heavy from within.

Without needing Lin Chen's order, two Yin Soldier Centurions transformed into two wisps of black smoke first, silently infiltrating the factory building to scout. Moments later, they returned. One of them raised its armored arm and traced a simple image in the air using nether energy—the image showed that on the wide sloping passage leading to the underground armory, at least twenty-odd bizarre creatures were entrenched.

They roughly maintained a humanoid shape, but their bodies were entirely composed of rusted, twisted metal. Their joints emitted creaking, grating sounds, and their arm ends were massive rusted pincers or drills. In their eye sockets flickered a dark red, malevolent light. These were precisely the "Rust Demon Puppet" mentioned by the system. Like loyal guards, they densely clogged the entrance to the passage.

Zhang Hao drew in a sharp breath: "Holy shit! So many hunks of metal? How do we fight this?" He weighed the enchanted cleaver in his hand, feeling that a swing would at most spark a few sparks.

Su Qingyu's expression also turned grave. These puppets clearly looked difficult to deal with, and there were so many of them. A frontal assault would inevitably incur heavy losses.

Qin Weiwei felt secret delight in her heart, but she wore a fearful expression on her face, shrinking behind Su Qingyu: "Brother, there are so many monsters... Shouldn't we... go back first?" She secretly wished for Lin Chen to suffer a bloody setback here.

However, Lin Chen merely glanced at the image traced by the Yin Soldier, his face showing no ripple of emotion. He didn't even order an assault. Instead, he alone slowly walked towards the factory entrance that resembled the mouth of a demon's lair.

"Master!" Zhang Hao exclaimed in alarm, wanting to follow, but Lin Chen stopped him with a gesture.

Everyone held their breath, unsure what Lin Chen intended to do. Was he going to deal with so many Rust Demon Puppet alone?

They saw Lin Chen walk to the factory entrance but did not enter. He extended his hand, palm facing up, and focused his will slightly.

Instantly, a vast nether aura spread out from him as the center! Countless illusory images of nether talismans, shimmering with a ghostly light, manifested and swirled around him, like a river woven from coins! The light wasn't dazzling but carried an esoteric power that seemed to pierce through the void and connect with the rules!

[nether domain asset system—Forced Acquisition Agreement, activate!]

[Target Asset: No. 7 Armory and all attached contents within (including the 'Rusted Puppet' species)]

[Payment Consideration: 200,000 nether talismans]

[Agreement Additional Clause: Clear current occupants, restore basic control of the asset.]

An invisible, grand force of rules, following the illusory nether talismans, suddenly expanded outward, like quicksilver spilling over, instantly enveloping the entire factory building and the armory beneath it!

Inside the factory, the teeth-grating metal scraping and dragging sounds abruptly ceased!

Then, under the stunned gazes of Zhang Hao, Su Qingyu, and the others, the Rust Demon Puppet that had been blocking the passage, radiating ferocious auras—the dark red light in their eye sockets began to flicker violently, and then... gradually shifted to a gentle, submissive shade of ghostly blue!

"Creak... creak..."

They stiffly turned their metal heads, then, like robots receiving the highest command, slowly and silently retreated to both sides of the passage, clearing a completely unobstructed path leading underground! They even lowered their heads slightly, as if paying respects to the new "owner"!

Throughout the entire process, there was no combat, not a whiff of gunpowder. Only the power of the nether talismans operated silently, using absolute "wealth" to crush all obstacles!

Zhang Hao's mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist, his eyes nearly popping out. He had imagined Lin Chen summoning more Yin Soldiers for a brute-force push, or using some immensely powerful talisman to bombard the place. He never expected... this method of simply "buying it"!

Su Qingyu was also utterly stunned. She knew Lin Chen's nether talismans were incredibly versatile, but this scene—using "money" to make monsters submit, taking the entire armory without shedding a drop of blood—exceeded her comprehension. This was no longer suppression on a power level, but on a rule level... sheer dominance!

Qin Weiwei felt as if struck by a thunderbolt, frozen in place, her mind blank. Bought... bought it? How is that possible?! Those fierce puppets just... surrendered? What kind of monster is Lin Chen?! An unprecedented chill shot up from her tailbone to the crown of her head! For the first time, she felt immense doubt and fear about whether her sect could ever defeat Lin Chen!

Lin Chen withdrew his hand, the illusory nether talismans around him slowly dissipating. He acted as if he had merely performed a trivial task, turned to the group still petrified behind him, and casually beckoned.

"Let's go. Time to inventory our new asset."

His tone was flat, yet carried an undeniable sense of control.

Zhang Hao was the first to react, letting out a wild, gleeful howl as he scrambled to follow. Looking at the Rust Demon Puppet standing solemnly like guards on either side, he danced excitedly: "Incredible! Absolutely incredible! Master! You're a god!"

Su Qingyu took a deep breath, suppressing the storm of shock in her heart, and quickly followed. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Lin Chen's back grew even more complex; amidst the awe, there seemed to be a hint of something else.

Qin Weiwei's face was pale. She forced her somewhat weak legs to move and followed at the very back. Looking at the puppets lining the passage with their ghostly blue, docile-as-sheep glowing eyes, she only felt a chill throughout her body. Lin Chen's methods were completely beyond her understanding.

The team entered the underground armory without any hindrance.

The heavy alloy doors had automatically opened the moment the acquisition was completed. The interior space was enormous. Rows of shelves were neatly stacked with various models of firearms, ammunition crates, single-use rocket launchers, and even several canvas-covered outlines that looked like armored vehicles! Though most were covered in dust, they were remarkably well-preserved!

"We're rich! We're really rich now!" Zhang Hao's eyes gleamed with avarice as he looked at everything before him.

Su Qingyu also showed a pleased expression. With these weapons, the defensive power of the Fortress would improve qualitatively!

Lin Chen merely gave the armory full of weapons a casual glance, seemingly unconcerned. His gaze fell on the deepest part of the armory, in an inconspicuous small room that resembled an office.

He walked straight towards it.

The room was spartan, containing only a metal desk and a chair. On the desk lay a few yellowed pages of paper, recording something in an ancient, non-Earth script. Beside them rested a palm-sized object that looked like a fragment of some black metal, its edges irregular and its surface etched with faint patterns somewhat similar to the runes of the Underworld Fortress.

Lin Chen picked up the pages and the metal fragment.

[Discovered Ancient Netherworld literature fragment (1/?)]

[Discovered Netherworld Token (Damaged) · underworld general token (1/4)]

The system's prompts echoed in his mind.

Lin Chen rubbed the cold metal fragment, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Just as he had suspected. This post-apocalyptic world, and the nether domain asset system he obtained, were intricately linked to the so-called "Ancient Netherworld."

He stored the literature and token fragment, turned, and walked out of the room.

Outside, Zhang Hao was still drooling over the armory full of weapons, while Su Qingyu had already begun directing the Yin Soldiers in a preliminary inventory.

"Stop gawking," Lin Chen said to Zhang Hao. "Arrange personnel and Yin Soldiers for batch transportation. Take what's useful. As for the useless stuff... we'll list it on the system later to sell for nether talismans."

Zhang Hao: "...Huh? Sell... sell it?" He felt his heart bleeding.

Lin Chen ignored him, his gaze seeming to pierce through the thick layers of earth, looking towards the unknown distance.

The armory was just an appetizer.

The real treasure seemed to have only just revealed the tip of the iceberg.