Chapter 90: Into the Depths of Hell’s Gate

Outside the Zhenjiang Security Zone, Yenir made his way alone through the wasteland to the suburbs.

Whoosh–!

The blade burst into flames.

Hiding in an abandoned residential building, he gripped his longsword in his right hand, which suddenly flared with fire and pierced the half wall before him.

A wave of heat slammed into him, warping the air as the metal quickly reddened and began to melt.

Seeing the glowing, spark-flecked blade, Yenir guessed its temperature must be at least 2000 degrees.

Under its searing enchantment, any creature struck would instantly suffer burned muscle tissue and severe internal damage.

Consumes 270 points of spirit energy per second…

Not bad…

Sensing the drain of spirit energy in his body, Yenir was pleased with the flaming sword. Ordinary awakeners might only activate it during critical battles, but his reserves could support several small skirmishes.

He had also tested his thrusting dagger, which proved to be about half as potent as the Spiked Thunder Boots.

The Spiked Thunder Boots grant the Thunder Dash skill; the Blood Soul Armor comes with a built-in shield, and the Blood-breaking Leg Armor offers leg blades—augmented further by the skills from both weapons and the Unyielding trait from the Vow Necklace.

All in all, his gear provided him with six combat skills.

It was clear he had essentially thrown money at his combat power, creating a formidable fighting force.

It might seem underwhelming to be set up as a Tier-3, but that dungeon wasn’t all about non-stop teamwork.

And besides, who says a Tier-3 always has to go all out?

Satisfied with his current strength, Yenir muttered quietly and chose not to dwell further on it.

He just needed to get to the dungeon before his skills cooled down.

Slipping out of the Safe Zone via various backroads in the wasteland, he hadn’t yet seen any sign of those tracking him.

……

Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!

A motorcycle roared along the abandoned edge of the suburb, drawing a horde of zombies from a nearby residential complex.

Their groans were weak as the decaying zombies, like shuddering machines, extended their withered, dried-up hands in a futile attempt to drag Yenir off his bike.

A dagger flashed, slicing through several zombie heads like a silver fish before returning to Yenir’s grasp, buzzing relentlessly.

These things have been around for a long time…

After glancing at a zombie corpse with its skull punctured, Yenir felt certain he had chosen the right path.

There were no bustling supermarkets or factories from before the apocalypse here; few survivors dared search this area.

Thus, the zombies hiding here hadn’t ‘updated’ in ages.

After long decay, their bodies looked like boneless chicken claws with the slimy flesh barely clinging to the bones.

A few female zombies were rotting from their ample chests, their shriveled hearts barely visible through the chest bones.

The scene was a grim palette of decay, like a desolate grave.

Kicking up a cloud of dust, Yenir left the area far behind and headed straight for the mine.

Indeed, his target this time was the mid-to-high tier dungeon, Hell’s Gate.

…….

Six hours later, the sky darkened.

Hiding behind a bungalow at the edge of the mining area, Yenir carefully observed the mine, cordoned off by barbed wire.

Before the apocalypse, this was one of Zhenjiang’s rare gold mines, complete with well-developed facilities that made it resemble a small town.

But now, as the least valuable gold mine in the apocalypse, hardly any awakeners would search for supplies here.

Nothing edible, nothing usable.

People would rather haul a bag of cow dung than gold—dung burns, but gold, though slightly industrially valuable, is far less practical than scrap iron for most survivors.

Hell’s Gate, like the Skeleton Academy, is an area-specific dungeon with entrances in battle zones nationwide.

Whether by design of the Doomsday System or mere coincidence, any area abundant with similar structures would trigger a specific type of dungeon.

For instance, hospitals transform into Silent Hospitals, schools become Skeleton Academies, and amusement parks shift into Haunted Amusement Parks.

Depending on their nature, the dungeon contents differ.

Take Hell’s Gate, for example; the dungeon primarily drops spirit energy crystals and enchantment materials—a target Yenir selected after careful deliberation.

Enchantment materials are far more valuable than mutant materials, and spirit energy crystals can boost power beyond Tier-3, making them extremely prized.

If luck struck and he unearthed a big chunk, it could be worth more than an entire piece of Blue Equipment.

There’s no one here… At least, Zhenjiang hasn’t seen anyone enter this dungeon recently.

Observing a few faint tire tracks in the distance, Yenir deduced something.

It made sense: Zhenjiang fielded more Tier-3 fighters with overall strength exceeding that of Tianfeng, but with so many dungeons and wild mutants nearby, no one was compelled to come here. In reality, Hell’s Gate is no simple dungeon—aside from a few seekers of enchantment materials or spirit energy crystals, most awakeners keep their distance.

But for Yenir, already aware of what to expect inside, he had his own strategy.

A weight lifted off his shoulders.

Though entering the dungeon would randomly pit him against other Battle Zone awakeners, he preferred to avoid those from Zhenjiang.

After all, he had already outclassed Zhenjiang’s beasts; if an enemy recognized his sword technique, it would be truly unlucky.

Inside the mine, Hell’s Gate is an underground dungeon…

On every lower level, you’ll face attacks from zombies or mutants. At the final floor, a Tier-3 elite mutant awaits.

Moreover, every seven levels, one floor will spawn a special mutant—a sort of elite.

Mulling over his strategy, Yenir decided to end his run at level 14.

At his current strength, he planned to muddle through at the first level 7 encounter, saving his skills for level 14; otherwise, he’d never grab the kill from a Tier-3.

Going deeper, though he could use his sword technique one or two more times, the risk was too great.

With some skill cooldown time still left, Yenir decided to lie low in an abandoned bungalow, constantly regulating his state.

The wind howled.

Crouched in a cobweb-filled corner, Yenir became as motionless as a stone, waiting silently.

……

Four o’clock in the morning.

Inside the desolate mine, a shadow approached rapidly.

Approaching the dungeon’s fluid barrier, Yenir inhaled deeply and pressed against the shield.

Beep. “Enter Hell’s Gate dungeon? Minimum entry level: Tier-2 Beginner! Dungeon difficulty: Extremely High.”

“Confirm!”