Chapter 141 - 130: Raid Call to Arms

Chapter 141: Chapter 130: Raid Call to Arms

Among the first few batches of members, Old Yao was considered relatively "mediocre."

The once-rookie K was now an independent powerhouse whose mastery over Curse Objects surpassed even Old Yao’s. Members with more seniority than K—powerhouses like Li Wei, Old Wang, Duckbill Hat, Power King, and Locust Wood Man—had also successively refined their second Lifebound Curse Objects over the past few days, stepping into the veteran Refining Realm. Subsequently, they advanced deep into the Nightmare World.

Inside the Safe Zone, there was no shortage of qualified members and Dream Descenders who had broken through to the Refining Realm. A group of veterans headed Deep in the Nightmare to pioneer new territories, while a fresh batch of experts took up their mantle, continuously conquering the Shallow Nightmare.

At this moment, a three-person squad had been trekking through the Nightmare World for days and was finally nearing their destination.

"We’re almost there! According to the Manager’s quest hints, the Fire Shimmering Stone Vein is just ahead."

The ones who managed to snatch up this quest were the Xi Xue Squad. The team consisted of three people: the Silver-haired Witch, Xi Xue; the Rich Young Lady, Peaches; and Piaoxu Xu Qian.

Xu Qian was an independent expert whom Xi Xue had recruited. Xi Xue could manipulate her hair to traverse all sorts of complex terrain. Peaches carried over a dozen Curse Objects, making her adaptable to a wide variety of situations. Piaoxu Xu Qian herself was a support and reconnaissance-type Dream Descender.

While their combined combat power might not be overwhelmingly formidable, when it came to exploration and navigation, they held a distinct advantage over combat-focused Dream Descenders like Profound Sword and Rakshasa Sword, who had poured all their Skills into fighting. This was the key reason she had managed to secure the quest.

The journey so far had certainly not been easy. Even with a map and a compass in hand, sticking to their planned route was exceedingly difficult. They had taken wrong turns several times along the way. Fortunately, they had the Witchcraft Flying Eye to provide an aerial view, allowing them to identify a few reference points.

Through this trek, they had deeply come to realize just how arduous the journey was—and just how incredible the teams that traveled far into the Nightmare World truly were. Take the First Detachment of the Countermeasures Bureau, for example. A single expedition for them usually lasted half a month, or even a full month. Had it not been for their ability to intermittently return to the Safe Zone to rest, the trio probably wouldn’t have lasted even a few days.

This was the sheer gap in strength, experience, and methodology.

By now, all three were covered in dust and exhausted from the journey. Finally, after scaling a high wall, a mining area resembling a construction site appeared before them.

Rows of single-story bungalows and prefabricated houses could be seen scattered around the perimeter. It looked as though someone was actively mining the vein, but in reality, it was merely the natural evolution of the Nightmare World. Just as mountains, forests, and rivers were part of nature on Blue Star, these dilapidated, weathered buildings were simply a natural feature of this zone.

"Still, we can confirm that the Fire Shimmering Stone Vein definitely exists! As long as we scout the mining area and submit a report, our mission will be complete." Xi Xue had already picked up a few Fire Radiance Stones.

Some of the stones were lying exposed in the mining area, but the trio still didn’t dare to lower their guard. It was an established law that Fire Radiance Stones could repel anomalies. However, it was also an established law that in the Nightmare World, an Opportunity Treasure Land was always accompanied by immense danger.

"There really is danger here."

The three of them hid inside an abandoned prefab house, controlling the Witchcraft Flying Eye to venture deeper into the mining area. A gigantic, fiery-red beetle entered their field of vision.

"This seems to be a special type of anomaly—a mutated one! They aren’t afraid of the Fire Radiance Stones; instead, they feed on them?" Xi Xue muttered. "It looks like it’s only at the level of an ordinary anomaly. Why don’t I give it a try? Once I kill one, we’ll know exactly what we’re dealing with."

Xu Qian looked at Peaches, wondering, "Is your senior sister always this reckless?"

Peaches held Xi Xue back. "Let’s scout a bit more first."

Soon, they made another discovery. A single fiery-red beetle anomaly might not be that strong, but they were a swarming anomaly. Just through the Witchcraft Flying Eye alone, they observed anywhere from a dozen to two dozen beetles scattered throughout various parts of the mining area.

"Huh?" Peaches suddenly noticed three figures in the distance. They were acting stealthily, picking up scattered Fire Radiance Stones within the mining area.

The trio consisted of one girl and two boys, none of whom looked very old. Their attire was exceptionally rudimentary. They wore Battle Garments stitched from animal hides, covered in numerous patches and mending marks. However, despite their youth—likely high schoolers or college freshmen at most—their faces were resolute and their gazes sharp, as if they had been forged through countless trials of blood and fire.

"They’re probably... the Lost? Humans surviving in the Nightmare World!"

The moment Peaches cast her gaze over, the three of them immediately spotted her. The trio seemed to exchange a few words. The next second, they were sprinting swiftly toward their location.

"Greetings, Dream Descenders from the Present World. I am Luo Susu, captain of the Elk Camp. These two are my teammates, Li and Liang."

She approached them with goodwill. After all, their Elk Camp had previously received help from the Dream Descenders of Baijiang. Encountering Present World Dream Descenders again, Luo Susu thought they might be able to relay a plea for help—even though the village chief had said that the people of the Present World were too far away to save their Elk Camp.

Taking the initiative, she explained, "Most of the Fire Radiance Stones in this vein are buried deep underground. Mining them is very difficult because there are massive numbers of red beetle anomalies around, along with a Red Beetle King deep within. However, if you’re just looking to pick up a few Fire Radiance Stones, there is some exposed raw ore in these specific areas right here."

Xi Xue and the other two introduced themselves as well. Then, catching onto a crucial piece of information, a stray strand of hair perked up on Xi Xue’s head.

"So you’re saying that as long as we kill the Red Beetle King, we can conquer this zone?" Xi Xue asked.

Elk Captain Luo Susu was utterly bewildered. "???"

She couldn’t comprehend it; the number of anomalies here was terrifyingly high!

Xi Xue probably felt that to harvest the Fire Radiance Stones, they had to eliminate the danger first. But Shi An genuinely wanted to conquer this area.

As long as conquering the zone was a possibility, the sheer number of anomalies was absolutely not a problem. After all, he had an even greater number of Safe Zone members at his disposal. Worst comes to worst, he could simply issue a raid summons.