Chapter 2179 - 2172: Otherwise, I’ll Have to Reason With You

Zhang Menglong examined the harpoon lodged into the ground. He had seen this when purchasing equipment; it was a powerful weapon specifically designed for blood pond environments. It could reduce resistance by over 90%, and even had its own propulsion system, combining human power and technological might.

Its intended target, even a seventh-grade Transcender, would find it difficult to evade in the blood pond environment. Initially, it was created to fend off Blood Slave Beasts, but after some use, explorers gradually realized conventional weapons weren’t effective against Blood Slave Beasts, leading to its phase-out.

Later, it was increasingly used for another purpose: ambushing other explorers.

Every year, many explorers were stealthily killed by such weapons, even drawing the attention of the Holy Soul Alliance.

Among the Holy Soul Alliance, explorers attacking each other for profit was strictly forbidden, with numerous laws passed to restrict them. However, such occurrences remained common.

Especially to prevent enemies from seeking revenge or reporting to the Holy Soul Alliance’s inspection group, the ambushers’ principle generally is to leave none alive, employing very cruel means.

Of the deceased explorers, over sixty percent were killed by such harpoons. Consequently, to curtail such behavior, the Holy Soul Alliance strictly controlled these harpoons. While they could be purchased, they required real-name registration, and each harpoon had a unique serial number and marking, allowing injuries inflicted upon humans to be traced back to the weapon.

Since then, incidences have significantly decreased, but complete avoidance remains difficult because once the perpetrator destroys the evidence, no trace is left!

"Who’s there?" Zhang Menglong immediately looked in the direction from which the harpoon had flown, and Zelans and others also watched cautiously.

"You managed to dodge that attack; as a first-grade Transcender, you truly are special!" a somewhat hoarse voice came from the entrance of the cave.

The opponent was likely two to three hundred meters away. They couldn’t visually or otherwise perceive the attacker, as in the blood pond, anything beyond five meters was indistinguishable.

But Zhang Menglong, relying on his powerful Soul Power, could clearly see the attackers.

They were an eight-member team wearing black exploration suits. Even if standing in front of them, their identity would be hard to discern based on appearance. In such a place, even with a blatant attack, one might not know who the enemy was.

"Who are you? Don’t you know that attacking explorers leads to the Holy Soul Alliance’s judicial court?" Zelans questioned.

"Foolish, if I told you my identity, and you managed to escape, wouldn’t I be doomed? Of course, I won’t tell you who I am."

Their voice was synthesized through a device, providing no clue to their identity.

"I wondered why your team just landed and, in less than ten minutes, hurriedly returned to the blood pond. As expected, you discovered something special, and it was unexpectedly this rookie who found it," the attacker seemed very interested in Zhang Menglong.

"I’m really curious how a first-grade Transcender earned a top-level explorer license and dove to such depth."

"They don’t seem greatly disturbed by the blood pond," Zelans said.

Clearly, the attackers had tracked their team, observing them.

If the attackers were within tens of meters, they should have noticed them, implying that the attackers were monitoring from a certain distance.

But how were they doing this? Until now, no device allowed explorers to observe their surroundings in the blood pond beyond five meters, relying solely on instinct or feeling.

"Aren’t you curious how we observed you?" the opponent taunted, "But I don’t plan to tell you. You can leave now; the Supreme Crystals here are ours. However, as a token of gratitude and generosity, we’ll give you those you collected earlier."

In their words, they already considered themselves the owners of this batch of Supreme Crystals.

No member of Zelans’ team was willing to accept this outcome.

They had only mined less than 20% of the Supreme Crystals in this area. Although their gains were substantial, Holy Soul Alliance rules stipulate limited mining rights if they discovered the location first.

"Why?" Zhang Menglong tilted his head, "Just because you have more people?"

"Whew!" Another harpoon, but this time, the target wasn’t Zhang Menglong but Soren, who was about 200 meters away!

Soren didn’t possess Zhang Menglong’s strong danger perception abilities. By the time he sensed danger, the attack was inescapable.

Despite his best attempts to dodge, the harpoon still pierced his shoulder!

To combat the water pressure here, his entire body was in a very special state, which was abruptly shattered when his shoulder was wounded, causing the blood pond to crush his whole arm instantly.

Soren gritted his teeth, striving not to scream, yet his trembling body revealed the pain he endured.

"Obviously, we rely on more than numbers alone," the attacker chuckled, "In this blood pond, we can easily manipulate you, but you are helpless against us!"

"I’ve changed my mind; hand over the Supreme Crystals you just collected, and then you can leave."

"How can this be? He appears completely unaffected by the blood pond environment," Soren muttered through gritted teeth.

Even a Transcender Peak’s visibility in the blood pond merely extended to fifty meters. Were they beyond Transcenders?

But why would such beings resort to petty theft to seize others’ Supreme Crystals?

"Two eighth-grade Transcenders; the rest are seventh-grade Transcenders. Not very powerful," Zhang Menglong quickly had Gou Dan analyze their strength, realizing they had some special method like his to minimize the blood pond’s effect on them.

"Let’s go; these people are suspicious!" While Zelans felt indignant, he prioritized his team’s safety, leaving few alternatives.

"Don’t go," Zhang Menglong smirked, "I’m quite interested in them."

"Hey, how did you manage it?" Zhang Menglong inquired, "I advise you not to be unwise; better tell me directly, or I might have to reason with you."