Chapter 417: Night Flight: Shadows Over the Dungeon

Late at night, aboard a fighter jet flying low.

Yenir rubbed his weary brow and set the map aside.

“Uncle Liang, if we strike first, can you hold off Yinglong for a few seconds?”

He asked Liang Lie, seated as stiff as a board in the cockpit, his tone heavy with concern.

They were already en route to the dungeon. Although its activation was still some time off, he had to hide nearby before Yinglong arrived.

He wasn’t planning to engage Yinglong head-on, but Yenir knew he had to prepare for the worst.

“Four seconds.”

“In a direct melee, I can hold him off for about four seconds.”

“If his target turns solely to you, completely ignoring me, that drops to just one second.”

With a slight lift of his head, Liang Lie spoke mechanically, as if he didn’t care at all what those four seconds might mean.

Four seconds was just enough time for him to survive under Yinglong’s assault.

Anyone else listening to Yenir’s question would have instinctively tried to dissuade him, but he never cared much about such objections.

“At best four seconds… at worst one second…”

Muttering under his breath, Yenir sighed inwardly.

As expected, Peak Third-Stage was too formidable. Even though Uncle Liang’s calculations took into account Yinglong’s lack of spiritual power and reliance on equipment skills, he still wouldn’t last long.

Glancing instinctively at the Divine Rage skill, he couldn’t help but feel things were getting tricky.

In the worst-case scenario, he would have to confront Yinglong directly.

That meant, as his only trump card against a real threat, he had to take out ten Peak Third-Stage foes in one split second…

Damn, just thinking about it felt unrealistic.

Unless his enemies lined up like idiots, just waiting for him to unleash all his SSS-Level Sword Techniques at once…

“The fewer direct confrontations, the better…”

“I haven’t even had a chance to test the Divine Rage skill yet. If its damage falls short or fails to take out Yinglong, I’m finished…”

“I do have a trump card, but Yinglong, being Peak Third-Stage and commanding the entire Bloodshadow Legion… it’s only natural that he’s packed some secret weaponry over the years.”

As he continuously envisioned scenarios for after entering the dungeon, Yenir rapidly rehearsed every possibility in his mind.

“Once inside, I must find a way to avoid Yinglong and steer clear of Blood Nightingale…”

“If Blood Nightingale finds out I lied about bringing even one Peak Third-Stage fighter, knowing my true hand, she’d have no hesitation in betraying me…”

Glancing at the private messages where Blood Nightingale ceaselessly bantered and probed about how many Peak Third-Stage fighters Yenir had brought, he could only feel headache rising.

He knew full well that Blood Nightingale’s cooperation, even her odd infatuation with him, was all based on the web of lies he had spun.

“That damn woman must have some history with Yinglong—maybe even a grudge…”

“I just wonder what secrets she’s hiding to be so bent on taking Yinglong down.”

Casually replying that he had brought ten Peak Third-Stage fighters into the dungeon, Yenir then left the conversation without further comment.

He understood why Blood Nightingale kept questioning him; if roles were reversed, he wouldn’t trust himself either.

To wrest Renmane from Yinglong’s grasp, theory dictated that Yinglong had to be killed first.

However, in theory as in practice, Yenir had never intended to simply confront him head-on.

In this world, if you wanted to snatch a “treasure” from someone’s pocket, your options were either to kill them or to trick them!

…………..

“Whoosh…”

With a burst of turbulent airflow and beneath a heavy layer of clouds, two figures fell from midair like silent stones.

Surveying the growing maze of dilapidated skyscrapers below, Yenir quickly scanned his surroundings.

This was once Shijiamu City, a small town that housed around 600,000 people before the apocalypse.

After the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse, the entire city quickly became a den for monsters. Over the decades, however, the undead were almost entirely eliminated.

Now, only the very core remained, with maybe a few scrawny zombies lurking in some forgotten corner, waiting for an unlucky soul.

At a glance, the ruined city looked like a pile of gray building blocks. Years of weathering had stripped large chunks of glass from the old facades, leaving them hideously patched like peeling wallpaper.

Over the decades, as hordes of survivors scoured the area, nothing but bare concrete and rebar remained.

Starving survivors swarmed it like locusts, stripping it completely clean.

“The dungeon entrance lies in the basement of the suburban telecom tower. Who knows how such a hidden spot was even discovered…”

“Thud! Thud!”

Following two heavy landing impacts, Yenir slowly rose to his feet and surveyed the bare building before him.

The entire glass exterior had been stripped away, and even the four metal signs of the telecom tower had been removed, leaving only rusted studs behind.

Looking at the dark building with its wide-open entrance—a grim gateway to a tomb—a chilling wind howled as it seeped inside, emitting eerie moans.

The reception counter in the once-bustling lobby had vanished as well. Judging by the signs of recent disturbance, it must have been cleared out not long ago.

“When a small trading caravan passed by, did they take even the last valuable items?”

“Not even a single chair was left… no wonder people managed to break into the basement…”

Gazing up at the ceiling stripped even of its light bulbs, Yenir tugged at his lips and couldn’t help but mutter in dismay.

After the apocalypse, survivors scavenging for supplies cared little about mere food. With industry in ruins, any pre-apocalypse manufactured good was a treasure. In Yenir’s memory, the most prized item wasn’t electronics but toilets.

After all, they required no maintenance and were beloved by those who enjoyed the finer things in life—especially the Awakeners.

“The dungeon seems to be a monster-infested world, teeming with creatures and a few NPCs.”

“I’ve heard that the tasks adapt in difficulty as you delve deeper.”

“The entrance location is random. Each team is assigned a random spot upon entry, and you can even communicate within the dungeon…”

As Yenir led Liang Lie deeper into the basement, he consciously floated in the air, careful not to leave any footprints.

Recalling the intel from Blood Nightingale, he also knew that his only advantage in this dungeon was his stealth.

“Yinglong must know the dungeon’s layout. He sent someone in before.”

“Before entering, all the information Blood Nightingale could gather was limited; the rest can only be discovered inside…”

“With such an information gap, I’m at a serious disadvantage… but at least I’m not planning to use the dungeon’s advantages to ambush Yinglong…”

Exhaling sharply, Yenir’s eyes soon caught a faint glimmer amid the darkness as they advanced.

Clearly, that hidden orb of light in the depths of the basement was the dungeon’s entrance.

Yet the dormant glow signified that it wouldn’t activate for a while longer.

Reaching out to touch it, an instant later a cold system prompt blared out:

“Beep. Contact with A-Level Dungeon: Wraith Battlefield.”

“Dungeon entry limit: 20 people.”

“As expected, it hasn’t opened…”

“Twenty people? Has Yinglong not filled his team because a full squad would mean even higher difficulty?”

“A-Level difficulty is not to be underestimated…”

Confirming that the dungeon was still closed, Yenir took a deep breath and decided to hide for the time being.

Yinglong lacked spiritual power, so he wasn’t worried about being discovered while hiding in this building.

After all, his own willpower far surpassed that of ordinary Peak Third-Stage fighters, and Liang Lie was even less of a concern.

However, before entering, he needed to set up his own arrangements.

Trying to deceive Yinglong was out of the question. Not only would it be impossible to trick him, but if they met, Yinglong would likely finish him on the spot.

Even the most skilled con artist couldn’t fool a Peak Third-Stage warrior.

But there was one exception.

“Li Dafu! Get out here!”

“Whoa!”

With a flash of white light, Li Dafu appeared out of the Summoning Space, his memory still stuck on how things were before his last exit.

“Master? You need something from me?”

Eyes wide in surprise, Li Dafu quickly curtsied and scrambled to appease Yenir, his posture embarrassingly servile.