Chapter 430: The Dungeon’s Conspiracy

“Uncle Liang, let’s split up!”

With a quick glimmer in his eyes, Yenir pulled up the official dungeon map and, studying it intently, spoke in a low voice.

Based on Blood Nightingale’s curt reply, he confirmed that the keywords he had read from her lips matched his own suspicions.

The disaster that nearly wiped out the Far Frontier twenty-seven years ago… was tied to the upgrade required for the Sword God System.

Two seemingly unconnected events are now eerily intertwined. Four materials correspond to four special mutant creatures emerging from the depths—Yinglong might have witnessed some of these secrets back in the day…

If it were merely about the disaster, he might not have given it a second thought.

But once these clues linked to the Sword God System, how could he not be amazed?

Still, no matter how much Yenir pondered, he couldn’t piece it together.

The information was too scarce. Reluctantly, he abandoned further investigation. The immediate priority was to gather the Core of the Otherworldly Ghost—without strength, everything else was worthless.

“A third-stage Otherworldly Ghost can shatter into fragments. Lingering here would be a complete waste of time…”

“Sure, in theory I could trick Yinglong into handing over his stockpiled fragments, but the risk is too high…”

“I’ll split up with Liang Shu. He’ll set the bait while I hunt the Otherworldly Ghost on my own…”

With Liang Lie in tow, Yenir silently leapt from the top of the building, like a phantom, and headed straight for the 7th Floor.

Before departing, he made sure to compliment Director Chen on his wife’s charm. With Uncle Liang keeping watch, he was sure that even after his exit, Chen wouldn’t dare entertain any ulterior motives.

“Securing the Human-Faced Falcon Bone Liquid is our number one priority.”

“Besides, trying to swindle two materials from Yinglong is far too difficult given his vigilance.”

“While the Human-Faced Falcon holds merely sentimental value, I want to collect every fragment of the Otherworldly Ghost Core.”

“The difficulty in tricking them varies completely—we don’t need to complicate things further.”

Mulling it over in his mind, Yenir landed smoothly and decided not to dwell on it.

Yinglong wasn’t a fool. Pilfering even one material was dangerous enough. If anything went awry and Yinglong caught on to his scheme, the fallout would be a nightmare!

That’s why Yenir preferred to handle the trouble himself by hunting the Otherworldly Ghost.

As for having Uncle Liang hunt the Otherworldly Ghost or fetch the Elite Gear? Yenir couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t the right plan.

His sword technique was way too destructive… carrying out an assassination on a third-stage Ghost in the city was no match for Liang Lie’s stealth.

“Bang!”

After dashing swiftly through the city and leaving the 6th Floor behind, Yenir openly displayed his strength. He had no plans to return, so he wasn’t worried about drawing unwanted attention.

Even in the dead of night, his physical prowess made the entire city seem as bright as day.

Glancing briefly at the exit of the lower city, he decisively led Liang Lie in that direction.

His plan was crystal clear.

Keep it simple. Wanting too much only leads to mishaps. He couldn’t afford to end up with neither the Ghost fragments nor the Human-Faced Falcon.

“A third-stage Otherworldly Ghost is no challenge for me. It’s merely a waste of time—I can collect them on my own.”

Originally, he intended to follow Yinglong once they blasted a path out—first con the materials, then shadow Yinglong all the way to the final floor.

It would save time, effort, and worry.

That way, he could avoid exposing himself while letting Yinglong pave the way.

As for the Otherworldly Ghost Core, he planned to wait until Yinglong descended to the 9th Floor, when monitoring became impossible, then find a way to secure a special variant.

At the final showdown, if there was a suit reward, he might even take a gamble!

But mere observation for too long was simply time wasted.

“Collect fragments while orchestrating human contact with Yinglong in the dungeon…”

“It might be a hassle, but maybe I can level up the system right inside the dungeon!”

“That way, when it comes time to contest for the suit, I might just pull off a miracle!”

Satisfied with his revised plan, Yenir felt a surge of excitement.

Even though something about this dungeon stirred a sense of unease, everything still struck him as too coincidental.

Yet he couldn’t deny—everything was unfolding even more smoothly than he’d imagined.

Just thinking about the upgrade effects for the Sword God System—a modest boost would massively enhance his combat power! If he could push his abilities with a third-stage bonus…

SSS-Level Sword Technique—I’m sure my Third-Stage Beginner could easily outdo a Third-Stage Advanced!

Trailing behind Yenir, Liang Lie, noting the sudden surge in his mood, glanced back in mild surprise.

But like a well-oiled machine, Liang Lie felt nothing stirring inside.

For him, his sole mission was to protect Yenir.

Beyond that, nothing else mattered.

…………….

“Creak—Creak”

Entrance to the 8th Floor.

On an abandoned high-rise, Yenir’s gaze grew intense as he silently scanned the vast ruins of the old city.

Each level down from the 7th Floor, the abandoned underground city looked increasingly devastated. A quick look revealed that the lower city had clearly endured brutal battles, with collapsed concrete and rebar structures dominating nearly half its area.

Hundreds of wrecked armored vehicles, burnt and mangled, lay scattered haphazardly along the main roads.

On closer inspection, many of these vehicles still harbored the faint outlines of charred corpses.

“The closer you get to the core, the more severe the damage on the armored vehicles supporting the inner city…”

“Judging by the corrosion, they’ve been there for over a decade…”

“Many armored vehicles bear enormous claw marks—it seems that a high-stage Otherworldly Ghost in its mutant form isn’t much different from the usual mutants?”

Recalling the documents he’d gathered, Yenir’s eyes flickered, as if replaying the scars of that ancient battle.

It all erupted from within…

The troop movements were clear—they had been reinforcing from the 7th Floor downward…

It was obvious: the Otherworldly Ghost had broken in from within. The battle scars indicated that, back then, a barrage of third-stage attacks wreaked havoc.

The entire city was nearly in ruins.

At the very core of the city, in what looked like an administrative center, there lay a vast, oval chasm.

On several massive metal plaques with peeling paint, one could faintly make out the inscription “District 8 – Peace Building.”

“This Replica World is honestly strange… so many things defy logic…”

After glancing southeast, Yenir clung to a half-collapsed building like a lizard, plummeting rapidly downward.

“The Safe Zone on the 6th Floor and the area on the 8th Floor are less than a hundred meters apart in a straight line.”

“Even with the thick reinforced concrete overhead, a third-stage Otherworldly Ghost could easily tunnel its way up…”

“And the 6th Floor is humanity’s most critical frontline in this world, yet the troops guarding it are practically just for show…”

Shaking his head, Yenir recalled what he had witnessed while descending from the 6th Floor.

On the 7th Floor, Otherworldly Ghosts had already taken hold, while the nearby 6th Floor was set up like a child’s make-believe fort, with a seemingly sturdy wall.

Yet, security checks were virtually non-existent.

A quick swipe of an ID Card granted access—there was no real safety.

It was as though the people in this world didn’t realize the need for thorough inspections… such a simple measure to keep Otherworldly Ghosts at bay, but it wasn’t implemented.

Consequently, numerous Otherworldly Ghosts infiltrated the 6th Floor and began attacking the humans.

“It’s probably linked to the system’s settings…”

“After all, this dungeon is essentially just a dungeon—a lot like a video game. Much of it defies logic…”

“Take the dungeon where Li Dafu is trapped, for example. Their world is about the size of a single city, yet the inhabitants feel nothing amiss—instead, they even retain memories of life outside.”

Suppressing his unease, Yenir chose not to dwell on these trivial details.

After the apocalypse, these dungeons exist solely to help humanity increase their strength. Pondering the logic or meaning behind these places is nothing but self-inflicted misery.

“According to the official hunter data here, a suspected third-stage Otherworldly Ghost was spotted at the sewage treatment plant on the 8th Floor.”

“A week ago, a ghost hunter squad tried to salvage equipment from that plant, only to be nearly wiped out…”

“If all goes as expected, the Otherworldly Ghost that attacked them should still be lurking here.”

After quickly cross-referencing the information with Yinglong’s location, Yenir dashed toward the target area.

Yinglong had also been spooked on this floor not long ago, but since they were moving in opposite directions, he wasn’t worried about running into him.