297: Chapter 297 Sword Light Across the Land, Instantly Killing a Thousand Meters

"How much?" Chen You picked at his ear, wondering if his hearing had been damaged by the cold.

The leading blue goblin laborer puffed out its chest, thudded its broken iron pickaxe onto the ground, and repeated itself with righteous indignation.

"Thirty million gold coins! That's three thousand years of basic salary plus liquidated damages, and we haven't even factored in inflation or mental distress fees!"

Chen You laughed out of sheer anger.

Thirty million gold coins?

If Director Li Guoan knew he was being played for a sucker here, he'd probably mobilize missiles to blow up the game server directly.

He was rich, but he wasn't stupid.

Thirty million gold coins? Even a blackmailer wouldn't dare suggest such a number!

"Fine, let's straighten this out."

Chen You folded his arms and looked down at the group of short blue goblins.

"You say you've worked for three thousand years. But as for the ore mined during those years, I haven't seen so much as a speck of dust."

"As the current representative of the investors, I see no output and no revenue. On what basis should I settle the bill with you?"

The blue goblin laborer was stunned.

They clearly hadn't encountered someone who didn't play by the rules like this.

"The son pays the father's debts! You're wearing his tag on your waist, so you have to pay!" the laborer leader gritted its teeth.

"Cut the crap." Chen You's gaze swept over the surroundings, lingering on the bandage-wrapped bodies of the laborers.

He activated Gazing at Qi to See the Heart.

In his vision, these laborers had no vital signs at all; instead, they were covered in a layer of red light representing deception.

And beneath their feet, a strange, deep-blue spiritual energy was surging into their bodies through the bandages.

"Trapped for three thousand years, yet you're still jumping around without eating or drinking?" A cold sneer curled on Chen You's lips.

"I think you aren't workers at all. You've almost sucked all the spiritual energy out of Cangxing City, haven't you?"

"A bunch of cable-stealing rats parasitizing the ruins, and you dare mention labor laws to me?"

Being exposed on the spot, the wrinkled face of the blue goblin laborer leader instantly stiffened.

In the next second, its pupil-less white eyes suddenly flared with a crimson light.

Hundreds of laborers around them let out a non-human roar simultaneously. The bandages on their bodies snapped inch by inch, revealing shriveled yet metallic-glistening forms beneath.

The disguised nameplates above their heads vanished instantly, replaced by crimson, real health bars.

[Star Marrow Thief (Elite), Lv. 35]

[Star Marrow Thief (Elite), Lv. 35]

"Can't keep up the act? Showing health bars when you lose the argument—this game really does follow logic after all." Chen You gripped the hilt of the yuhuang sword with a reverse hold.

"Kill him!" the leader shrieked, leaping high with its iron pickaxe raised, aiming straight for Chen You's face.

Hundreds of Star Marrow Thieves pounced on Chen You from all directions like a pack of frenzied zombies.

Chen You stood his ground, not even intending to dodge.

"I have no money to give, and as for my life, you can't take it."

Clang!

The clear, cold ring of the sword instantly drowned out the roars of the crowd.

Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique—Chaotic Stars!

Chen You flicked his wrist, and the longsword traced a profound arc in the air.

Originally, this move could only cover a range of about a hundred meters.

But at this moment, the Mythic-grade Destiny Divine Stone slotted in his equipment bar, [Divine Might Like Hell], suddenly glowed with a blinding golden light.

Divine Stone effect triggered: Area of effect attack judgment expanded to a thousand meters!

Boom!

Hundreds and thousands of sharp, peerless golden sword qi erupted from Chen You as the center, expanding outward in a ring like the shockwave of a nuclear explosion.

Wherever the sword qi passed, the air was torn apart with a piercing screech.

The laborer leader at the very front didn't even have time to scream before being instantly shredded by over a dozen strands of sword qi.

Then the second row, the third row... hundreds of Star Marrow Thieves were as fragile as paper toys before the storm of sword qi.

The sword qi spread for a full thousand meters, slicing through large swaths of abandoned scaffolding and minecarts.

Three seconds later, the storm subsided.

Within a thousand meters of Chen You, there was no longer a single standing creature, except for the bronze stone slab beneath his feet.

The ground was littered with scattered blue ashes and broken iron pickaxes.

[Killed Star Marrow Thief (Elite), gained 1500 Experience Points]

[Killed Star Marrow Thief (Elite)...]

System notifications flooded the screen frantically.

Chen You glanced at his experience bar; this wave had caused it to jump significantly.

At the same time, from the blue ashes on the ground, small motes of deep-blue light slowly drifted up and gathered automatically in Chen You's palm.

[System Notification: You have collected star souls. Current star soul collection progress: 23%.]

Chen You looked at the progress bar before him and raised an eyebrow.

"So that's how it's played."

What wage claims, what hidden plot? After all that, it was just a large-scale mob-grinding collection quest.

Now that the mechanics were clear, there was no need to be polite.

Chen You looked up toward the Star Marrow Thieves over a thousand meters away who were still peeking out, having not been caught in that previous sword strike.

"Stop hiding! Didn't you want to settle your wages?"

Chen You channeled his spiritual power, his voice echoing through the vast, inverted mining area.

"Today, Boss Chen will personally pay your salaries! One sword for each person, fair and square!"

Before his voice had even faded, Chen You's figure flickered, turning into an afterimage as he charged into the depths of the mining area.

For the next half hour, this inverted city that had been silent for three thousand years welcomed the most ruthless "capitalist" in its history.

Relying on the range boost from the Divine Stone and his own insane attributes, Chen You rampaged through the mining area.

Those Star Marrow Thieves, who were previously so arrogant, were now being slaughtered until they cried for their mothers.

They tried to run, but before absolute speed and a thousand-meter AOE skill, any struggle was futile.

"Don't run! Weren't you quite the talkers just now?"

Chen You kept up a constant stream of chatter while dealing massive damage.

As the last Star Marrow Thief hiding under an excavator was pierced by sword qi, the progress bar before Chen You finally let out a crisp chime.

[System Notification: star soul collection progress: 100%.]

All the deep-blue light clusters merged in mid-air, turning into a fist-sized, crystal-clear...

Crystal that looked like a miniature basketball, slowly landing in Chen You's hand.

Before he could check the item's attributes, the entire Cangxing Mining Area suddenly shook violently.

Rumble—

The massive chain connecting to the abyss began to swing wildly, letting out a tooth-aching sound of metal grinding.

Then, the largest bronze pedestal in the center of the mining area split open, revealing a huge fissure.

A blinding red light erupted from the rift, completely suppressing the surrounding blue starlight.

The temperature rose sharply, and the frost on the ground evaporated instantly.

Chen You stepped back a few paces, gripped the yuhuang sword, and stared intently at the rift.

"Is the main player finally coming out?" Chen You stood ready.

According to game logic, this was definitely the kind of spectacle that preceded an Epic-tier BOSS appearance.

Just as he thought an ancient giant beast or a projection of a god would crawl out from underground...

From the depths of the rift, a rhythmic drumbeat suddenly echoed.

"Untz-tiss, untz-tiss..."

Chen You was stunned.

Then, a rough, raspy voice with heavy metal reverb boomed from underground, following the beat.

"Yo! Three thousand years! A whole three thousand years!"

"That despicable man, stole my gold and cut my plan!"

"Locked me in this cold abyss, with only blue eunuchs for company, I guess!"

"He said he’d be right back, told me to guard the track!"

"But after three thousand nights, I haven't even had a bite!"

"Skr~!"

A segment of extremely hardcore, rhyming, and resentful rap echoed over the vast mining area for a long time.

Chen You stood there, his sword nearly falling to the ground.

"Newcomer, was that freestyle of mine fire or what?"