Chapter 262: Base City Trial Operation

“This is?”

Before Chen Yiming could figure out the reason, a scene similar to the human spirit appeared on the figure in his mind.

A golden energy vortex appeared above his head, and a silver energy vortex appeared under his feet. The scattered light spots that entered from the cracks fused into the silver energy vortex under the feet of the small figure.

“What!”

Chen Yiming’s consciousness jolted in shock.

The feeling was indescribable. It was like an ordinary person going hungry for a few days then feeling warm after taking their first bite of food.

The figure’s body glowed with a silver light. Chen Yiming could feel his spiritual power becoming more active, and his sense of touch gradually became more sensitive.

“Is this a transformation of my spiritual strength?” Chen Yiming said in shock.

The sense of touch was one of the manifestations of his spiritual power.

Gradually, with the silver energy vortex under his feet as a medium, the figure in his mind was completely bathed in silver light and began to absorb the silver energy.

In the outside world, there was also something strange about Chen Yiming’s body. A layer of silver flames flowed across his body, and the surrounding forest was illuminated by the silver light, making it seem as though it was daytime. It was as if the moonlight was being drawn towards his body.

Fortunately, Chen Yiming had chosen to settle down deep in the mountains. Other than a few mutant beasts, no one else would come here in the middle of the night. Furthermore, the aura he emitted when he was cultivating was enough to make mutant beasts stay far away.

…

This may be the first time he had received nourishment related to spiritual strength, and the energy needed for his strong physique to undergo transformation was not something ordinary people could compare to.

This time, Chen Yiming took a long time to absorb the silver energy. It was only when the sky turned bright that the silver flames on his body gradually extinguished.

In the space of the ring, the silver light on the figure slowly dissipated.

Chen Yiming’s consciousness let out a burp, but he soon felt hungry again.

“Are you hungry again after just eating?”

He looked at the space around him. The scattered light spots had stopped entering the space and were replaced by golden streams of light.

Before Chen Yiming could react, the golden streams of light nearby had already been sucked into the golden energy vortex above his head. The figure’s body lit up with a fiery red flame.

“It’s so hot!”

Chen Yiming felt extremely uncomfortable.

The golden streams of light were clearly not as gentle as the scattered light spots. Instead, they could burn and cause damage to his spiritual power.

At this moment, he felt like he had been thrown into a furnace.

However, it was not without benefits. If the scattered light spots were like spiritual nourishment, the golden streams of light were like exercise equipment that helped him to digest the food after dinner.

…

When Chen Yiming ran deep into the mountains to study the secret of the ring, at the same time, an official document was sent out from the Jiangnan province’s government office overnight.

Jiangdu City was located to the northeast of Jiangnan City, and was the city closest to the base city.

Early in the morning, the entire city was in an uproar. Almost all the shops that sold weapons, armor, and supplies were filled with people as soon as they opened.

These people were all martial arts practitioners. They were not members of the hunting teams, but members of the gangs and martial arts schools in the city.

Every one of them had a fanatical expression on their faces, and their bodies emitted an aura that made it clear that others should not approach them. It was as if anyone who dared to stop them would become their sworn enemy.

At a shop with a signboard that read “Hongyun Logistics Store”, the boss, Xie Zhenkang, stood nervously at the counter. Beside him was the young cashier, Wang Xia. The hair on her forehead was drenched in sweat, and the makeup on her face was smudged.

From time to time, sounds of knocking and shouting could be heard from outside the door. More and more footsteps could be heard over time. From the sound alone, it could be seen that more and more people had gathered at the entrance of the shop.

“Uncle Xie, what are they doing?” Wang Xia asked in a trembling voice.

She was just an ordinary girl who was working for a low salary. She did not want to get involved in something she could not deal with.

Xie Zhenkang looked at the pale Wang Xia and knew that if he did not give her a suitable reason, this shop assistant would probably quit on the spot and run away even if she did not get her salary.

“An announcement has just been made in Jiangnan City. From today onwards, the base city will be open for a trial operation. As Jiangdu City is the closest to it, we have been arranged to be the pilot city.”

When Wang Xia heard this, she did not feel better, but instead, her face turned even paler.

To ordinary people, the base city did not have much to do with them, but the chaos in front of them was real.

Seeing this, Xie Zhenkang could only comfort her. “Don’t panic. Jiangdu City is the only pilot city, so it’s impossible for them to let anyone destroy it. Look at the people outside. Aren’t they waiting patiently for us to open the door?”

How could this be called patient?

Wang Xia hesitated for a moment before informing her boss of her intention to resign.

Xie Zhenkang had no choice but to use his trump card. “How about I triple your salary for today?”

Wang Xia fell silent when she heard this.

You want me to take the risk for three times my salary?

“How about 10 times the salary?”

“Fine.”

With enough money, it was not impossible for her to take on the risk. Wang Xia agreed immediately.

Having 10 times her salary just for a day was more than enough for her to buy a good set of clothes. No matter how fierce those men looked, it didn’t seem that scary anymore.

Xie Zhenkang’s heart was bleeding.

It was not just a matter of giving Wang Xia 10 times her daily salary. Usually, he had business with many people outside the shop. Sometimes, he would buy goods from the provincial city and he would need to hire people to protect the goods along the way.

Sometimes, he would order supplies for large hunting teams and he would also hire those people to protect the goods along the way.

Now that those people were going to the otherworld to risk their lives, and it was their first time going there, it was not strange for them to request a discount and buy as many supplies as possible.

Due to their past relationship and the fact that there were many people they had connections with, and that the shop still needed their business in the future, how could Xie Zhenkang dare to reject them?

Xie Zhenkang had no choice but to open the door as per normal when the time came.

The people outside the shop felt relieved and rushed into the shop.

In less than a minute, all the supplies on the shelves were swept clean. One by one, the burly men squeezed to the cashier to line up and pay the bill.

From time to time, they would urge her to hurry up. Together with the fierce aura of the martial arts practitioners, Wang Xia was so frightened that she almost wanted to give up the increased salary, since it was only 10 times her salary for a day.

…

Outside Jiangdu City, in the wilderness, there was an endless stream of people rushing towards the city. Some of them came from cities that were further away and arrived much later.

At the four city gates in the north, south, east, and west, people were queuing up to enter the city.

The people in the queue were anxious and all wanted to be the first to enter the otherworld, causing a commotion in the queue.

Ding Xiongyi glanced at the city gate every few seconds. His team was moving at the speed of a turtle, and he wanted to cross the city wall and enter the city directly.

As an elite member of the Purple Peak Hunting Team, this was the first time he had been so frustrated.

Zhou Yuecheng, who was at the side, had a serious expression on his face. From time to time, he would check the supplies carried by the hunting team to prevent them from being stolen.

After nearly half an hour, the team suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong with that woman? She hasn’t been let in even after so long.”

Ding Xiongyi cursed when he saw the situation at the city gate.

Zhou Yuecheng took a look and realized that someone had encountered a problem and was being interrogated.

“If her status isn’t good enough, why is she here to join the queue? This person should be captured and sent to the prison!”

Not everyone with powerful martial arts abilities could restrain themselves. Many individuals or groups who had committed crimes had fled to the wilderness.

During the trial operation of the base city, some people tried to bluff their way through to enter the otherworld to fight for a future.

This was a rare opportunity for people in the disciple realm. In the past, when they entered the otherworld to explore, there was no stable stronghold to protect them.

The military had established a temporary stronghold, but such a stronghold would not be open to others.

This led to people who had at least mastered the transformation of internal force leading the team when exploring the otherworld in the past. The team members would all be at the warrior realm.

There were no supply points behind them, and they had to rely on the team to hunt and replenish their supplies.

With such harsh conditions, even if there were many creatures in the otherworld that the disciple realm could deal with, people in the disciple realm would not dare to take the risk.

At this moment, dozens of meters in front of the Purple Peak Hunting Team, a young man suddenly broke down. He was unwilling to enter the otherworld and wanted to go home.

The young man’s strange behavior immediately attracted the attention of many people.

Ding Xiongyi glanced at the young man. He had soft skin, was tall and thin, and looked like a young master. His already frustrated mood became even worse.

“Who are these people? Do they really think that entering the otherworld is like going on a vacation?”

Zhou Yuecheng saw the young man’s reaction and was also furious.

It was useless for someone like him to occupy a spot to enter the otherworld. It was obvious that he planned to hide in the stronghold and cultivate after entering.

While others risked their lives to explore the wasteland, this young master would be sitting in the stronghold and enjoying himself.

When many people thought of this, they could not tolerate it at all. However, this was something that the higher-ups of Jiangnan province had considered. Everyone present could only go with the flow.

After a while, the young man finally calmed down.

The elders in his family had allowed him to stay in Jiangdu City for the time being and not go to the otherworld with the team.

However, the discussion about this young man was still not over.

Ding Xiongyi suddenly became a little worried. “Yue Cheng, why do I feel that this trip to the otherworld is not as good as we thought?”

Zhou Yuecheng glanced at him and said, “Why do you have such thoughts? Look at the number of people queuing up behind us. Are there really so many people who aren’t afraid of death?”

Ding Xiongyi frowned. “Didn’t the person who caused such a commotion in Japan return to Jiangnan province?”

Zhou Yuecheng rubbed his forehead and said, “On the contrary, I feel that if that person makes a move, the risk we face will become even greater.”

Facing the surprised Ding Xiongyi, Zhou Yuecheng continued, “Think about it. Once that person makes a move, it won’t be a small matter.

As for the strength of our hunting team, other than the captain, the others can only be considered cannon fodder. Any random creature from the otherworld can wipe out the entire team.”

“Gasp!” Ding Xiongyi thought about it and realized that it was true. His face twitched in fear.

Zhou Yuecheng gestured to the people lining up behind him. “Most people have the same thoughts. As long as there is enough cannon fodder, we will most likely be fine.

Besides, the first batch of people who entered the otherworld would definitely not move too far from the stronghold. After the second and third batches, the vicinity of the stronghold would have already been picked clean.”

Hearing this, Ding Xiongyi suddenly understood the situation.

The further they were from the stronghold, the more uncontrollable the risk would be. This was the main reason why there were so many people in the first batch.

…

At the train station in Jiangdu City, soldiers were stationed a kilometer away from the entrance. There were three paths separated by steel railings, allowing those who wanted to take the train to the base city to pass through in an orderly manner.

Not only that, dozens of ATM-like devices had been temporarily installed 20 meters to the right of the train station. There was a long line in front of each device.

Due to the different rules of the otherworld, most technological products could not be used normally. Everyone who went to the otherworld not only had to buy train tickets, but also tickets to the space-travel passage.

If they planned to resupply at the stronghold, they would first need to exchange the money for the corresponding contribution points on the ATM-like devices. After that, there would be people who would bring a notebook to the stronghold to update their contribution points in the otherworld.

Similarly, the gains from the otherworld could also be exchanged for contribution points and exchanged for money after returning to the blue planet.

In addition, there was a certain amount of processing fee for each exchange. There was a notice informing people about these points on the ATM-like devices.

Tan Shoushan squeezed out of the crowd with a dark expression and walked towards the dozen or so people waiting by the roadside.

He was the head of the Mighty Dragon Fist School in Jiangdu City. It was not a talent selection organization established by a large sect, but a personal martial arts school.

Xiang Ling was Tan Shoushan’s wife. They were both in the warrior realm, but she was only slightly weaker than her husband. She was the deputy head of the Dragon Might Fist School.

She had already headed to the window of the train station to buy everyone’s tickets and tickets. She was just waiting for Tan Shoushan to exchange the 100 million yuan in his card for contribution points.

The expenditure for martial arts cultivation was unimaginable. Daily cultivation would already cost a lot of money. Given that there were two warriors in the team, the quality of their supplies had to be high. 100 million yuan was thus not a lot of money.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the machine?” Xiang Ling walked forward and asked.

The dozen or so disciples behind her had nervous expressions on their faces. No one was willing to start off on a bad note, and all of them wanted to go to the otherworld to achieve a breakthrough.

Tan Shoushan did not answer. He let out a long breath and stuffed a receipt into Xiang Ling’s hand.

Xiang Ling picked up the receipt and compared it to the flyer in her hand. She said in surprise, “Why is it so expensive?!”

The exchange rate between the Daxia Kingdom’s currency and contribution points was 100:1. 100 million yuan was only exchanged for 1 million contribution points. The warrior-level meals advertised on the flyer ranged from 10,000 to 100,000 points per meal.

As for the disciple-level meals, they ranged from 1,000 to 3,000 points.

Weapons, armor, and medicine were also not cheap.

In other words, 100 million yuan was only enough for them to live in the otherworld for about a week. This was the situation if they did not consider hunting on their own.

The disciples of the martial arts school also surrounded him and saw the number on the receipt.

This shocked every disciple. They had thought that the exchange rate would be 10:1.

Tan Shoushan said in a low voice, “This is to force everyone to participate in the exploration. When we get there, we will have to rely on ourselves to solve the problem. The items sold in the stronghold can only be used as a backup plan.”

“…”

When the disciples heard this, they fell silent.

This was quite different from their initial assumption. Having to frequently hunt creatures from the otherworld meant that the risk of going to the otherworld had increased greatly.

Tan Shoushan took in his disciples’ expressions and said, “It’s not too late to go back on your word. The train tickets and tickets are not expensive compared to the expenses there.”

Xiang Ling waited anxiously for her disciples’ decision.

The disciples of the martial arts school were like a real family. Of course, she hoped that all the disciples would be able to go to the otherworld to obtain a better cultivation environment.

Reality was cruel, especially at the disciple realm. It was not much different from risking one’s life.

However, they had no choice but to manage the stronghold this way. If they allowed everyone to cultivate comfortably in the stronghold, no one would be willing to take the risk to carry out the dangerous work of exploring the otherworld.

Moreover, the true experts had become strong after going through tough situations. They had all stood between life and death before.

Just as the disciples of the Mighty Dragon Fist School were in a dilemma, some people not far away tore up their tickets and started to leave.

The soldiers in charge of maintaining order ignored them and continued to stand guard at their posts.

Of course, no one dared to cause trouble and question the pricing of supplies in the stronghold.

This was because the main forces of the exploration were those who had mastered the transformation of internal force. At this level, money was already immaterial. One billion or ten billion yuan was nothing to them.

Ordinary warriors and disciples might have some say in a small place, but they did not dare to be presumptuous here.

However, after a while, the people who had torn up their tickets regretted it. Money could be earned again, and there was only one chance to be among the first batch of people to enter the otherworld.

Many people returned to the ticketing counter to re-purchase tickets, but they were told that there was a one-week interval between each purchase.