42: Chapter 42 Collect some interest first

"Entrance fee? What the hell is that?!"

Wang Kun watched as his soldiers fell in droves. His eight arms flailed wildly, nearly crushing the head of a Thousand Faces Cult Elder standing nearby. He had fought countless battles in his life, but he had never seen anything so preposterous—his men were half-dead from being charged 'admission tickets' before the fight had even begun.

"Cult Leader! We... we can't move!" a Thousand-Faced Cultist wailed as he lay flat on the ground. His HP had been docked down to 30%, leaving him without even the strength to crawl back up.

Then, something even more ridiculous happened.

Semi-transparent QR codes suddenly manifested over the soldiers lying on the ground, with helpful text labels next to them:

【Scan code to pay 100 nether talismans to remove Weakened status】

【VIP Package: 500 nether talismans for one hour of battlefield debuff immunity】

"This is too much!!!" Wang Kun was so enraged that he kicked a soldier away. The soldier traced an arc through the air before landing with a "plop" into a septic tank at the edge of the battlefield—an "unauthorized structure" Lin Chen had just temporarily constructed using nether talismans.

On the city wall, Lin Chen was holding his phone, checking the payment records while muttering, "Only two hundred thousand? What a bunch of paupers."

Zhang Hao finally snapped out of it and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Master is brilliant! This move is too ruthless!"

Looking at the enemy army wailing in the fields below, Su Qingyu couldn't help but ask, "When did you set these rules?"

"Last night," Lin Chen replied without looking up. "I was bored, so I decided to renovate the battlefield a bit."

His version of "renovation" was far more than just collecting entrance fees.

A few Thousand-Faced Cultists finally managed to scramble up and tried to retreat, only for a large pit to suddenly crack open beneath their feet:

【Triggered 'Desertion Fine': Fell into a manure pit, fine 500 nether talismans】

On the other side, several Corpse Monsters from the Deformed Legion tried to launch a sneak attack from the flank. They had only run a few steps before being blocked by an invisible wall:

【Triggered 'Trespassing Punishment': Entering VIP area, fine 1000 nether talismans】

The most miserable were Wang Kun's personal guards. They charged forward to protect their master, only for a chunk of flesh to drop off their bodies with every step they took:

【Triggered 'Overweight Fine': Weight exceeds limit, charged by the gram】

"Master! Look over there!" Zhang Hao suddenly screamed, pointing to the right side of the battlefield.

An elite squad of the Thousand Faces Cult had somehow managed to charge to the base of the wall while enduring the debuffs, likely using some secret technique. The Black-Robed Figure leading them raised his staff with a sneer:

"Lin Chen! Die!"

Terrifying black light condensed at the tip of the staff; it was clearly a powerful ultimate move.

Lin Chen calmly opened the system, found the Black-Robed Figure's avatar, and clicked the 【Special Attention】 option.

【Do you wish to levy a 'Skill Usage Tax' on this unit?】

【Tax Rate: Skill Power x 100 nether talismans】

"Yes."

The moment the Black-Robed Figure was about to release the skill, he suddenly shriveled up as if he had been sucked dry. That terrifying black light didn't shoot toward the wall; instead, it veered off and slammed into the middle of his own allies.

*Pfft—*

The Black-Robed Figure collapsed, spitting blood. Before he died, he heard a system notification:

【Skill 'Shadow Impact' requires a tax of 1200 nether talismans. Balance insufficient; deducted from HP instead】

The elite squad he brought was blown to bits by their own leader's skill. Those who weren't dead were twitching on the ground.

"That works too?!" Zhang Hao's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Su Qingyu held her forehead, no longer knowing what to say.

Wang Kun had completely lost his mind. His eight arms flailed wildly, knocking away the soldiers around him:

"Everyone listen up! Charge! Even if you have to use human lives to fill the way, get to that wall!"

Under his coercion, the enemy army began using the most primitive human wave tactics. When the soldiers in front fell, those behind stepped over their corpses to charge forward. The surviving soldiers spat blood as they ran, creating a scene of absolute carnage.

"Oh, quite tenacious," Lin Chen said, raising an eyebrow. He clicked another option:

【Do you wish to enable the 'Congestion Fee'?】

【Description: If more than 3 people occupy a unit area, a fee of 10 nether talismans per person per second will be charged】

"Enable."

The next second, even more agonizing screams erupted from the dense enemy ranks.

The soldiers huddled together were crushed by an invisible force, the sound of snapping bones echoing everywhere. Some tried to run toward open ground, only for a prompt to appear:

【Triggered 'Road Obstruction Fee': Illegal occupation of a safety passage, fine 200 nether talismans】

A Thousand Faces Cult squad leader finally couldn't take it anymore. He threw down his weapon and knelt, weeping:

"I'll pay! I'll pay, alright?!"

He reached out with trembling hands toward the QR code manifesting in the air, only to discover—

【Minimum Recharge Amount: 1000 nether talismans】

【Insufficient balance detected. Recommended: Apply for 'Loan Shark' service, daily interest 50%】

The squad leader looked up at Lin Chen on the wall in despair. "Can... can it be a bit cheaper?"

Lin Chen replied through a megaphone, "20% off if you get an annual membership!"

This sentence became the final straw that broke the enemy's back.

Soldiers began to turn their weapons, not toward the wall, but toward their own 'comrades' beside them.

"Hand over your nether talismans!"

"I can't take it anymore! Let me recharge!"

"Kill him! He just picked up some nether talismans!"

The enemy ranks instantly fell into chaos. To snatch that pitiful bit of 'recharge money,' the soldiers who had been fighting side-by-side moments ago began to slaughter one another.

Wang Kun watched his army collapse within the payment traps, his eight eyes turning blood-red with rage:

"Lin Chen!!! I'm going to tear you into ten thousand pieces!!!"

He suddenly exerted his power, his massive frame actually enduring all the debuffs as he charged toward the wall step by step. Everywhere he passed, even the payment traps were forcibly crushed by him.

"Finally, someone who can actually fight has arrived." Lin Chen finally put away his phone and beckoned to Zhang Hao. "Go, bring that over."

Zhang Hao ran back eagerly and hauled over... a POS machine.

It was the latest model, complete with a barcode scanner.

Wang Kun reached the base of the wall, all eight arms slamming into the structure at once:

"Break for me!"

With a thunderous boom, the city wall shook violently, and several cracks split open.

Just as he was preparing for a second strike, Lin Chen held the POS machine out in front of him:

"Damaging the city wall, fine: 100 million nether talismans."

"Cash or card?"

Wang Kun's movement froze mid-air, all eight eyes going blank at once.

He looked at the POS machine, then at the cracked wall, and finally at Lin Chen's serious face. Suddenly—

*Pfft—*

A mouthful of old blood sprayed three meters away, and his massive body crashed to the ground.

【Important unit detected in critical condition】

【Spend 1 million nether talismans to perform 'Forced Collection'?】

Lin Chen clicked "Yes" without the slightest hesitation.

Thus, under the gaze of over a hundred thousand enemy troops, the unconscious Wang Kun was forcibly "powered on" by the system. A skull mark automatically appeared on his wrist, and his balance displayed:

【-100 Million nether talismans】

Zhang Hao cheered from the wall, "Master! He owes you a hundred million!"

Su Qingyu looked down at the completely broken enemy army and said softly, "This battle... is already over."

It was indeed over.

When the surviving enemy soldiers saw that even their strongest commander had become a "debtor," their last shred of fighting spirit vanished.

The soldiers still standing threw down their weapons and voluntarily formed long queues, one by one scanning the QR codes floating in the air.

A Thousand-Faced Cultist wept as he recharged, "I only have 500 nether talismans left, can I get a weekly pass?"

Lin Chen watched the scene with satisfaction and gave an order to the Underworld Soldiers:

"Register them all into the inventory."

"They'll be our free labor from now on."

He specifically pointed to the unconscious Wang Kun:

"Keep this one in solitary confinement and make him work to pay off his debt."

"With eight arms, he should be able to do eight jobs at once."

And so, the army of one hundred and forty thousand...

Was completely wiped out.

They hadn't fallen to blades and swords, but to a trap of fees.