Robin Lo approached Yang Zicang from the stabilized Interwoven Scene.
–What’s it like? Anything good?–
–There’s a bow that looks decent.– Yang Zicang raised his head from the gap.
Even a mediocre bow requires skill to be passable, and this hard bow was clearly crafted with care. But in Chronos’s world, its usefulness remains uncertain.
The two pried open the door together. Inside, apart from the bow and axe, there were two wooden chests under the bed.
They dragged them out. Inside Robin Lo’s chest were cold-weather bedding and two coats, while the other in Yang Zicang’s hands was a chest full of heavy ore.
–This ore can be traded for something at the base. Haha, we’re in luck.–
……
Carrying the items back to Liang Xi, the smell of roasted meat wafted over from afar.
Though the flavor wasn’t great, eating barbecue in such a setting still felt oddly enjoyable for them.
–Would be great if we had beer right now,– Robin Lo laughed.
Two hours later, Liang Xi, beaming with joy, emerged from the tattered wardrobe, a hard bow slung over his back, following Yang Zicang who held a Lance now stained red.
–Wow, wow, wow! Nearly eight years of Chronos, just like that!–
–With a Chronos War Device, a Level C Cross-Zone was completed in just three or four hours.–
Robin Lo stepped out of the rift with satisfaction.
–No wonder it’s a Cent-Arms; usually, everyone wastes a ton of time just waiting for the Chronos to recharge.–
–Yeah, one Chronos War Device really saves a boatload of time.–
Robin Lo tossed a rough spherical crystal stone with pitted surfaces, within which a forest’s image shimmered. This was the object that emerged at the very center after all zones were fully solidified.
It housed complete geographical features and 20N Chronos.
Shortly after all three emerged, the light within the rift dimmed, eventually returning to ordinary darkness.
–It can serve as our backup stronghold from now on.–
Robin Lo said, as he began rummaging through a room that looked like it had been abandoned for over a decade.
After the Nightmare Larva was destroyed, most of the items in the room had become extremely aged, resembling a heap of trash. They had lost some essential essence.
Yang Zicang paused to sense this haul, totaling 15N.
Compared to a Level B Cross-Zone, it seemed pitifully small.
But this was far easier than facing the swarms of monsters back in the rat’s nest.
–So C-class anomalies are everyone’s favorites. Their frequency crystals hold the most stable value, essentially trading one for twenty to thirty years’ worth of Chronos. With luck, you can even harvest some bizarre items from other realms.–
Saying this, Robin Lo, who had just found an old jewelry box in the wardrobe drawer, looked up with an odd expression, directing his gaze at Liang Xi, who seemed to be dwelling on something.
–Where’s your C-class frequency crystal from last month?–
–Captain Gu took it.– The young man sighed with a faint hint of disappointment.
Only now did he realize just how valuable the C-class frequency crystal was—there were perks to being weak after all.
Yet this month’s frequency crystal had likely already been delivered to Captain Gu too.
Robin Lo shoved a gold chain into his pocket, walked over, and patted the young man on the shoulder.
–It’s fine. Just resonate with a new team later.–
QuadMoxel quickly unfolded, and seconds later, Robin Lo turned his head with a grin. –Come on, let’s head to the next place.–
Liang Xi’s spirits lifted—Robin Lo’s evolved Moxel was literally a divine skill.
……
Although the sun had already dipped below the horizon, the sky was still fairly bright, and true nightfall was a long way off.
More and more people gathered near the mouse monster nest, determined to ensure that not even a single mosquito could slip inside.
Word among the crowd was that someone who’d participated in a similar battle last time was currently en route from headquarters.
……
When the exhausted trio emerged from yet another rift, Liang Xi collapsed weakly onto the ground.
Several wounds adorned his feet, and the fabric torn from his clothes to bandage them was stained crimson with blood.
Robin Lo carefully unwrapped the boy’s –bandages,– revealing scars forming over the injuries.
–Are they really healed already?–
The moment they entered the tangled land, the world spun out of control—because the flat ground Liang Xi had stood on shifted and turned into a gaping chasm. Far from the two Quads, Liang Xi lacked the ability to sustain the projection of his Scene. With only two threads left, he quickly vanished along with the shifting landscape.
–You scared the hell out of me just now,– Yang Zicang said.
–No big deal. They’ll recover in a little while.–
Liang Xi pointed to part of his wound that had already scabbed over.
–Is that what I’m talking about?!– Yang Zicang shot the young lad a helpless look.
Liang Xi’s body was covered in scars—marks left behind as if they’d been slashed, pierced, clawed, and torn by countless blades, guns, and claws. And indeed, that’s exactly what had happened.
–Ah, what a shame your ability is wasted like this—can only be used on yourself,– Robin Lo clicked his tongue in wonder.
They had all come to understand that the reason A-Liang dared to charge alone into monster nests was because he possessed a rare Moxel that could heal injuries. This Moxel could even stave off hunger.
It was an exceptionally rare ability, yet it could only be applied to himself.
–I’m sorry…– the young man said, –It’s probably because Moxel’s rank is too low.–
–Idiot, double stings aren’t your fault. Why are you apologizing?–
Liang Xi spoke weakly, –I’ve heard that Moxel’s birth level is still related to a person’s mental strength.–
His Moxel came from a small medical room, which Ah Liang and his father were lucky to find last month—a tiny chamber hidden inside a slaughterhouse.
In the neglected little kitchen within the slaughterhouse, medical supplies for emergencies were tucked under shelves blocked by pots and pans.
Liang Xi had unexpectedly gained the ability of a hidden medical room.
In this bizarre city, large hospitals—even clinics—had long been divided up by others.
To nurture a Moxel in those places would either cost a huge price—materials, gold and silver, or Chronos—or one would have to forcefully seize it or wait for a new area to emerge.
So Liang Xi’s luck couldn’t be considered bad.
–No worries, we can turn it into an ability sphere later. It’ll just cost a bit more.–
Robin Lo chuckled soothingly, then turned to look at Yang Zicang, drenched in sweat.
–Can you still hold on?–
The young man’s face was flushed, and he nodded.
No joke. Just now, to save time, the two of them entered different interleaving scene areas, frantically slaying the beasts within. Finally, using –terrain convergence,– they made the scene area where Liang Xi had vanished reappear.
As a result, he was almost completely exhausted.
After splitting the haul this time, each person gained twenty years of Chronos.
–Rest a bit, and we’ll continue. Ah, today was really exhilarating. If only every day could be this smooth.–
……
The third C-level space was located in a small park nearby.
Seven or eight people in the distance were entering the split-open ground.
–This is actually the safest headcount. But even so, ordinary people could get injured or even die. Let’s head to the next entrance.–
Just as the trio turned to leave, one sharp-eyed person shouted from afar.
–Boss, that guy just now seemed to be Yang Zicang.–
–Yang Zicang? The one with the Cent-Arms?–
Beside the garden fissure, Cao Maodian, who was at the back, and squad leader Yu Chen stopped in their tracks.
–It’s that gun in his hand, boss. That’s a Cent-Arms.–
–Headquarters should be keeping an eye on him, right?–
–Looks like they’re searching for interleaved spaces, heh. What good would Headquarters’ surveillance do? Once they enter an interleaved space, as long as he doesn’t activate Moxel, don’t we get our chance.–
Cao Maodian’s heart pounded wildly, his mind filled entirely with that gun.
Yu Chen narrowed his eyes and said, –We need to study this carefully. If someone’s been mentally communicating with him, there might be a chance to try it in the Cross-point.–
Having already descended a few steps into the crevice slope, the youth carrying a backpack turned his head back:
–Is it really him? Why make it so complicated. Like last time, we just need to make sure no one recognizes us, that’ll do. Besides, there’s a time difference from the outside now—those people out there shouldn’t be able to connect easily.–
–Heaven helps us,– they all thought simultaneously.
–That’s right. In here, everyone is paranoid. Who would dare entrust their lifespan to a guy who’s being hunted down?–
–We’ll just find a scapegoat to take the blame for the robbery, and then we’ll say we helped him retrieve the Cent-Arms from the robbers. Boss, we need to seize this chance.–
After pondering several times, Yu Chen said:
–Brother Cao, you have a point. If we pull this off, even if headquarters wants the item, we’ll have the grounds to purchase it first. Besides, our team still doesn’t have a Chronos Weapon—we can just keep this gun as a squad weapon. Let’s go. Follow them.–
Inside a truck converted into a camper van, at the edge of this acceleration zone.
—–This gun… keep it… let’s go, follow them.–
A conversation with slight background noise came from the speaker of the small TV.
The screen showed three people discussing a robbery plan at the entrance of the C-level –Interweave Zone-.
On the sofa, the man looked at the small TV screen in front of him with a strange expression.
–Since they know that outside the ‘Surplus World’, we have ways to monitor someone from a distance, why are they still discussing out there?–
He, dressed in the black uniform, scratched his head.
–Are these idiots brainless?–
–Probably. They think you haven’t entered the time acceleration zone yet.–
The boy, who had leaned his head over, blinked his big eyes and said:
–And besides, even though they know we can monitor someone from a distance, who would have guessed that your ability can even temporarily see those who have been in contact with the target?–
Cao, Yu, and a few others excitedly emerged from the Interweave Zone and quickly implemented their plan. They seemed quite experienced.
But these people forgot one thing.
They hadn’t discussed this robbery plan within the Interweave Zone, and timing-wise, it was right after Yang Zicang had just left.
–Heh, I hope these fools hurry up. I only have less than two hours left of my monitoring time on Yang Zicang.–
–Brother Yan, you keep investigating.– The youth tossed a small nut into his mouth.
[The side character storyline ends here.]
The Moxel device on Yan Yi’s chest flickered.
The small screen automatically switched back to Yang Zicang’s live feed, where the three were chatting as they walked across a round red-brick plaza adorned with an exotic atmosphere.
–Yang Zicang hasn’t activated the Moxel financing yet today. I hope he can do it again this time.–
The spirited teenager, who appeared to be fifteen or sixteen, jumped down from the large sofa and said with hands on his hips:
–There’s not much time left anyway. Let me go.–
–Well… alright, but be careful not to get exposed.–
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