Chapter 696: The Hidden Dungeon Entrance
by xennovel“Commander Huang, you’re taking him with you right now?!”
“According to regulations, we should be heading to Base 1 for…”
“What’s the rush? Have my orders suddenly become meaningless? Even if the plan succeeds, that’s for the next phase. I’ll just take this kid along. Tell Zhang Tong I took him! He knows how crucial that dungeon is to me!”
With a cold laugh, Huang Bayun swept his hand dismissively, his eyes filled with impatience.
No one knew that, in his eyes, that man’s plan was downright terrifying—if it succeeded, not only could everything be ended, but it might even push human limits into Fourth-Stage territory!
But what did it have to do with him? As long as that guy was in charge, they’d remain under his command forever!
(If I can locate that dungeon—with what I saw, there’s definitely something Fourth-Stage hidden deep inside!)
(Six years! I’ve been stuck at Peak Third-Stage for six long years! If I complete that dungeon, maybe I’ll even become Fourth-Stage! At least I’ll get a glimpse!)
With a steely resolve, Huang Bayun gripped Yenir in a seemingly friendly manner, completely ignoring the horrified stares around him as he prepared to leave.
Meanwhile, Yenir, witnessing the sudden turn of events, felt not fear, but a surge of delight.
In his plan, he intended to infiltrate the very heart of the Rebels, controlling a few high-ranking officers to get closer to Mother.
Hong Tiangang might have been a decent candidate, but judging by how Hong and the others treated that middle-aged man, Yenir quickly realized that Huang Bayun was the better choice—especially since he’d take him right to the dungeon!
Why had he never been able to control the Rebel High-Ranking Officers before?
Because he never had the chance to strike! Because he was too afraid of drawing attention!
Yenir could hardly believe someone would voluntarily step forward—choosing the time and place at will! Although Huang Bayun was no pushover, for Yenir it wasn’t an issue at all!
Suppressing his excitement, Yenir feigned nervousness as he asked Huang Bayun:
“C-Commander, are we leaving now?”
“Then what about my test… Didn’t you say there were important figures to meet?”
“No time for tests now! Kid, you should be grateful to me. Just get me to that dungeon and trust me, you’ll be incredibly glad for your choice today!”
“Important figures?”
“Boom!!”
A massive sonic boom exploded.
Without wasting a moment, Huang Bayun decisively left the base with Yenir, leaving behind a group of stunned onlookers including Hong Tiangang.
———-
“Whoosh—Boom!”
The wind howled ferociously.
High above the Tianjin Battle Zone, Yenir, struggling against the forceful wind pressure, clutched onto Huang Bayun. Though he appeared to be a Second-Stage fighter, he was even more concerned that his companion might bolt away.
(Once we leave the Tianjin Battle Zone, whether underground or out in the wasteland, it’ll be my chance to strike!)
Noticing Yenir’s anxious demeanor—totally oblivious to his hidden agenda—Huang Bayun couldn’t help but snicker inwardly, a flash of envy and greed crossing his eyes.
At the hall, to allay Yenir’s suspicions and win over the others,
he made sure to vouch for Yenir, acting as if he trusted him completely, not even bothering to ask about Yenir’s S-Level Skill.
It wasn’t out of generosity at all—he had already planned to find a way to consume it!
(An S-Level Skill! I only possess something that bolsters my physical combat. Judging by this kid, he must have acquired the simplest, yet most brutally powerful offensive skill! And it’s a divine technique that lets you grasp a rule as you use it!)
A flicker of irritation crossed his mind.
Once a skill is learned, it becomes personal. But that didn’t mean there was no way to wrest it away from Yenir!
Just imagining the rewards of completing the dungeon—a Fourth-Stage prize, possibly even snagging Blood Shadow and an S-Level Skill—Huang Bayun could already picture his strength skyrocketing!
The only thing that made him uneasy was Yenir’s true identity.
Yes, although Yenir seemed nothing more than a test subject, being such a rare, perhaps even unique, specimen meant that eliminating him could stir up massive trouble!
(Forget it, we’ll worry about that later. First, we must reach the dungeon!)
“Kid, are you sure the dungeon entrance you stumbled upon is right near the Tianjin Battle Zone? And there’s absolutely no abnormal activity around it?”
Abruptly halting midair, Huang Bayun surveyed the land below as he questioned Yenir.
“Yes, Commander Huang.”
“How could I lie to you? Do you see that abandoned factory? The way in is near the underground warehouse. We discovered it while evading mutated beasts!”
“The dungeon entrance is actually a timing orb that only appears sporadically!”
“There’s a countdown when entering, and time itself seems to slow down the moment you step in!”
Drawing on what he had witnessed in the Otherworldly Ghost dungeon during the Sword Ceremony, Yenir wasn’t worried that Huang Bayun wouldn’t believe him.
The actual difficulty of the Otherworldly Ghost dungeon nearly rivaled Fourth-Stage, and its method of entry was the strangest he had ever seen!
Sure enough, the once skeptical Huang Bayun paused, his gaze fixed intently in the direction Yenir indicated.
A timing orb? A countdown? Time slowing down!?
Although it wasn’t exactly like his first Sword Ceremony run, Huang Bayun was now even more convinced. The more advanced the dungeon, the more pronounced the discrepancies in time—the details perfectly matched those of the second stage in the Sword Ceremony dungeon!
He couldn’t believe that a mere Second-Stage fighter would know all this; the only explanation was that Yenir had truly experienced it!
“Alright!”
Without a moment’s hesitation!
In an instant, Huang Bayun surged toward the ground with Yenir. Just before landing, he unleashed a torrent of energy from his right hand that leveled the surrounding ruins!
“Boom!!!”
Amid the deafening explosion, the underground that Yenir had mentioned was revealed.
Almost simultaneously, a Mental Energy Scanning spread out, and within moments the entire factory was scanned—only to reveal that the hidden entrance Yenir described was nowhere to be found.
“Kid?! Where’s the entrance you mentioned?!”
“Wait a minute! There’s no sign of a recent battle, not even a trace of Spirit Energy! Didn’t you say you were chased by a Third-Stage monster…”
Suddenly feeling a pang of unease, Huang Bayun whipped his head around to look at Yenir.
But instead of the terrified look one might expect, he only saw a pair of eyes that shimmered with silver.
“Just kidding, dumbass.”
Dimensional Slash!
Mind Storm!
“Boom!!!”
In an instant, the crimson Mind Storm devoured everything in its path!
———–