Chapter 422: Schemes in the Replicated Underworld

Beep. Your credit balance: 16 points.

Beep. Your credit balance: 19 points.

Beep. Your credit balance: 690 points.

Standing on the dungeon’s main street, Yenir pulled out identity cards for three people with a mix of admiration and disbelief.

The first two cards belonged to him and Uncle Liang; the last one was for the Otherworldly Ghost.

“Rich woman…”

That large-breasted woman, whose name he still didn’t know, had contributed 690 credit points even after her death. Compared to his and Uncle Liang’s fortunes, it was a staggering sum.

After spending a few minutes gathering intel on this replica world, Yenir roughly realized that its economic system mirrored that of the real world.

A flying car costs 20,000 points, and even the cheapest nutritional paste is priced at just one point per serving.

By conversion, the money left by the Otherworldly Ghost equated to over 60,000 points from the pre-apocalypse era—a considerable sum in this world.

If all went as expected, it was likely amassed by the killings committed by the Young Girl’s Otherworldly Ghost.

“It’s unrealistic to have Li Dafu simply scam the materials,”

“Yinglong is extremely cautious… Even if Li Dafu seems like just an NPC, asking for real-world goods would immediately set off alarm bells with Yinglong.”

“Besides, the Renmane isn’t cheap. Without enough incentive, Yinglong would never part with it.”

Habitually toying with his ring, Yenir continuously crunched the numbers in his head.

He planned to have Li Dafu pose as an NPC, using mission rewards as bait to trick Yinglong into handing over his goods.

But this replica world lacked missions, and Yinglong proved even more wary than Yenir had anticipated.

So he resolved to play it safe and set up the groundwork first.

“Li Dafu only has one chance to appear—it has to pay off in one go…”

“To pull off the scam on Yinglong, we need to lay out at least three bait points in advance…”

“Step one: Convince Yinglong that this replica world is teeming with mission NPCs.”

“Step two: Deploy several NPCs with high rewards to lower his guard and gradually lure him in.”

“Step three: Elevate Li Dafu’s status so that Yinglong believes he’s dealing with a key NPC…”

“Only then can we possibly trick him out of the Renmane…”

“So…”

He scanned his surroundings.

Yenir fixed his gaze on the coordinates Blood Nightingale had sent last, and a plan began to form.

After exiting through the entry point, the structure of the dungeon’s underground was far more expansive than he had expected.

Apart from the metallic, iron-clad sky that hinted they were still below ground,

the rest of the area was impressively vast. The first level rose to about 30 meters, making the street look nearly identical to the surface.

Skyscrapers towered overhead while countless humans hurried along the road. Every so often, a maglev flying car zipped by in style.

“The NPCs we set up must be compliant, and their rewards must be native to this world. Otherwise, Yinglong will surely become suspicious.”

“That means I’ll need plenty of credit points to hire manpower. Six hundred just isn’t enough.”

“So, step one: fund up first…”

Lifting his head, Yenir fixed his gaze on a large building not far away. At its center, a vivid sign nearly seven or eight meters wide flashed the words ‘Bar’ in bold red and yellow—a sign of lavish decor.

On a floating platform on the building’s 11th floor, several hovering flying cars were parked.

Undoubtedly, even on the brink of apocalypse, wealth disparity remained extreme. The rich could still enjoy the finest commodities.

…………..

“Welcome to the Di Bo Fair. Please present your ID card.”

Thumping music and dazzling lights spilled from behind the gold-embellished main door. Tailing a well-dressed NPC, Yenir searched the crowd for his target.

Noticing a servant reaching out for an ID card, he casually produced the two identity cards.

Outside the clubhouse lobby, twenty sharply dressed servants in suits stood in two neat rows, each with a refined appearance and robotic precision.

Whenever a high-status guest arrived, an attractive server in a revealing outfit would promptly greet them and courteously usher them inside.

“I suppose, even amid an apocalypse, as long as complete collapse is avoided, human nature doesn’t change,”

“Excess and decadence continue unabated—even with the invasion of Otherworldly Ghosts, these people indulge themselves without a hint of caution.”

Seeing that the so-called security checks were merely for show, Yenir chuckled lightly, unaffected by it.

Entertainment venues with such lax security were ideal for his plans.

Just as he had pinpointed his target and was about to swipe his ID card for entry, a seemingly courteous servant abruptly blocked him.

“Excuse me, based on your credentials, you are not permitted to enter here.”

“I’m sorry; please head to the lower-level area for service, or come back after you’ve leveled up.”

In a soft tone, the male attendant—his face heavily made up—raised his arm. A flash of disdain momentarily broke through his forced smile.

In his eyes, Yenir, dressed in the most basic attire, had the lowest possible credentials.

There was no doubt that the lower-class residents from remote areas were incapable of patronizing this establishment.

Yenir retracted his gaze and gave a puzzled look to the servant blocking his path, his brow furrowing.

But he didn’t waste time with words. A subtle aura exuded from him, and in the next instant, the servant’s face turned shockingly pale.

“Second-Stage status… is that sufficient?”

Glancing at the now dumbfounded servant, Yenir snatched his ID card and strode inside.

He paid little mind to the startled, bewildered looks on those behind him.

A Second-Stage Ghost Hunter? Although not top-tier, in their world his combat prowess was formidable enough. Entry was more than justified.

“Apologies, apologies! Of course, you have the right to enter!”

Coming back to reality, several servants—still mystified as to why a Second-Stage Ghost Hunter would dress so plainly—bent over in hurried apologies, while the servant who’d blocked Yenir stood pale with fright.

If they received a complaint, that rare job opportunity would be lost for good!

Meanwhile, inside, a man resembling a manager noticed the commotion outside. Realizing he had offended a VIP, he quickly approached Yenir.

“Sir, is this your first visit?”

“I truly apologize! Our training failed to meet the mark, causing you unnecessary trouble.”

Noticing that Yenir completely ignored him, the manager’s heart sank.

They didn’t fear offending rich clients, but angering a Ghost Hunter like Yenir was a whole different matter. With his Second-Stage strength, he was bound to stir up trouble.

“Perhaps, why don’t we try this… your visit today…”

“Who is your biggest client today? The wealthy sort.”

Before the manager could finish his forced smile, Yenir calmly interjected.

“Hmm?”

Momentarily stunned, the manager looked at Yenir as if recalling something.

“Ro… Mr. Luo?”

“He’s a major figure in the Dungeon Project under the Water Supply Group. Are you trying to…”

Quickly, the manager pointed to the top right inside, signaling that Mr. Luo was in the second-level private room.

Before he could say more, the unusually young Ghost Hunter strode briskly toward the second level.

“Planning to network with big shots? Perhaps ask Mr. Luo for some ‘henchmen’?”

“This is rather odd…”

Watching Yenir’s receding back, the manager shook his head and let the thought go.

In his eyes, scruffy Yenir with his Second-Stage prowess was clearly accustomed to fighting outside. A Ghost Hunter with ability but lacking influence—the earlier inquiry was likely an attempt to ally with Mr. Luo.