Chapter 332: A Good Samaritan
In the dormitory, Yu Xinghan asked, “What’s so urgent that you had to call me over? Couldn’t you just tell me online?”
Zhang Yu replied, “I’ve found a target. I’m planning a heist.”
Yu Xinghan paused, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, wanting to know the target first.
If it were someone like Ji Yuanshu or some high-ranking “Grandpa” from the Sixth, Seventh, or Eighth Layer, Yu Xinghan would advise Zhang Yu to endure it, telling him that patience would bring peace and that he’d gradually get used to it.
But if the target was some First Layer country bumpkin or the class’s bottom-dweller, Yu Xinghan would make a grand display of brotherly loyalty.
“Who the hell do these bottom-feeders think they are, messing with my bro?”
Then Zhang Yu revealed his target.
“The Dark Seed Territory,” Zhang Yu said. “I’ve discovered a Dark Seed Territory hideout and I’m planning a heist.”
Hearing this, Yu Xinghan breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, it’s just stealing from other criminals? Good, as long as it’s not robbing some rich guy from the upper layers.”
“But are you sure two of us are enough? What if they have strong fighters?”
Zhang Yu replied, “Don’t worry about that. I have reliable sources, and the success rate for this is high.”
“A reliable source?” Yu Xinghan mused inwardly. “It’s probably Zhang Pianpian.”
“Based on my observations over the past year… Senior Sister Zhang Pianpian doesn’t seem to be Zhang Yu’s fantasy object.”
As an experienced veteran, Yu Xinghan was utterly confident in his assessment.
“Living with such a beautiful and powerful woman day in and day out, without being neutered, and having no fantasies about her? There are only two possibilities.”
“Either Zhang Yu doesn’t like women, or their relationship transcends the typical male-female dynamic.”
And Yu Xinghan was certain that Zhang Yu wasn’t the kind of man who disliked women.
“Forget it. Their exact relationship is none of my business.”
“But if it’s Zhang Pianpian, a top student from the Talisman Department… does this mean the Righteous Gods are about to strike the Dark Seed Territory?”
Recalling how Zhang Yu had once fought Wang Yin on the side of the Righteous Gods on the First Layer, Yu Xinghan grew even more convinced of his judgment.
“Cleaning up the Righteous Gods’ mess, a black-market deal… that’s perfectly fine with me.”
In a flash of thought, Yu Xinghan convinced himself he had figured everything out. He nodded and said, “No problem, I’m in.”
With his decision made, Yu Xinghan left the dormitory to work overtime again.
Shortly after, Le Mulan arrived at the dormitory.
Upon hearing that Zhang Yu planned to seize the Dark Seed Territory, Le Mulan frowned. “I’ve heard the people of the Dark Seed Territory are all vicious and depraved, even kidnapping civilians to work the fields before silencing them.”
“Trying to seize it… that’s incredibly risky, isn’t it?”
Le Mulan sighed. “Zhang Yu, can’t we just sell seeds honestly?”
Zhang Yu replied, “Le Mulan, let me teach you something today. In Kunxu, reckless risks are unwise, but complete caution is equally foolish. As the saying goes, ‘No one gets rich without taking risks.’ Working steadily and honestly in Kunxu won’t get you ahead.”
He continued, “I can’t reveal the specifics of this plan just yet. Just tell me if you’re in or out. If you’re in, I’ll share the details.”
“If you don’t want to join, we’ll just pretend this conversation never happened.”
Zhang Yu knew it was unfair to put Le Mulan in such a difficult position. After all, she was completely in the dark, being asked to decide whether to follow him or not with no information to go on.
But Zhang Yu also understood that there was no other way.
Such matters were never fully explained in advance. It all came down to trust between companions.
Just as he trusted Zhang Pianpian enough to follow her lead, Le Mulan’s decision now rested solely on trust.
Le Mulan looked at Zhang Yu, her mind flashing through a series of images. They settled on the scene of his fierce battle with Wang Yin in Songyang City, reminding her of how right she had been to lend him money for his Foundation Establishment.
Le Mulan decided to trust Zhang Yu one more time.
“Then I’ll join.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang Pianpian reviewed the communication records between Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan, thinking to herself, “Looks like everything’s going smoothly.”
“Speaking of my younger brother, he always carries this unique aura about him, making him seem slightly out of place among ordinary people.”
“Yet he always manages to earn the trust of those around him.”
On the day of the operation, Zhang Yu and Yu Xinghan entered the Converging Dragon Garden construction site as usual, posing as Civil Engineering Department students.
Le Mulan, on the other hand, entered as a tourist.
Zhang Pianpian maintained constant contact with all three, providing support through the Spirit Realm Network.
Zhang Yu mentally reviewed the plan for the day.
In this operation, the trio would act as concerned citizens, collaborating with Zhang Pianpian to uncover a flour production hideout.
The exact amount of flour they would claim to have seized during the raid was entirely up to them.
To ensure this, it was crucial to leave no survivors at the scene.
As they spoke, the trio arrived at the entrance to the secret passage.
Zhang Yu announced, “We’re here.”
Zhang Pianpian replied, “Wait a moment. I’ll use their Bionic Eye to open the door now.”
“But the moment the door opens, they’ll be alerted.”
“I’ll temporarily override the surrounding surveillance and Spirit Realm Network. You have five minutes to eliminate them.”
As she spoke, the wall before them shuddered slightly before swinging open with a thunderous crash.
Zhang Yu declared, “I’ll go in first.”
Surging Gang Qi erupted around him as he shot into the passage like lightning.
Zhang Pianpian had already transmitted the hideout’s layout to them, and Zhang Yu had studied it countless times.
Moreover, an arrow materialized before Zhang Yu, guiding him toward his objective.
“The first thing we need to do after breaking in is secure the cargo and prevent them from destroying it.”
As Zhang Yu advanced rapidly, gang members swarmed him from all sides, unleashing a barrage of martial dao Gang Qi, fist shadows, and palm winds without warning. After all, they dealt in the most dangerous trades, where torture and murder were standard practice. Seeing Zhang Yu’s sudden appearance, they naturally showed no mercy in their attacks.
In an instant, several Humanoid Gang Qi flickered through the air, each executing different techniques: Back-Dragon Mountain-Flipping Hand, Dragon-Elephant Mountain-Crushing Palm, Limitless Cloud Hand, and others.
Not a single attacking gang member managed to get close to Zhang Yu. The Humanoid Gang Qi sent them flying, their bones snapping and flesh splattering as they crashed against the walls in a bloody mess.
Zhang Pianpian warned, “Apart from one Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the place, the rest are at the Qi Refining level. Remember, leave no survivors.”
As Zhang Yu continued his rampage, the remaining gang members watched in terror as their comrades were reduced to pulp with a single strike. They retreated in panic.
When Zhang Yu reached the storage depot, a shadowy figure swiftly approached from the darkness.
Zhang Pianpian: “He’s here.”
Above the shadows, a large X marked by Zhang Pianpian glowed, accompanied by the words: “Foundation Establishment. Entangle him.”
With a deafening roar, a five-meter-tall giant erupted from the shadows, instantly colliding with Zhang Yu.
Simultaneously, chaos erupted within the hideout. “Enemy attack!” someone shouted.
“Why can’t I connect to the internet?!” another yelled.
Some tried to flee towards the exit, only to be blasted back by Yu Xinghan’s fist.
“Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu has already engaged the Foundation Establishment cultivator. Your mission is to eliminate everyone else in the cave.”
As Yu Xinghan strode forward, his Bionic Eye clearly marked every occupant of the hideout with a red X above their heads.
With a soft chuckle, Yu Xinghan’s figure blurred into motion, leaving trails of shattered flesh and blood in his wake, atomized by his Gang Qi.
As Yu Xinghan cut a bloody path deeper into the cave, gang members from a side passage seized the opportunity to rush towards the exit. But in the next instant, a wave of Gang Qi swept through, freezing them solid and dropping them lifelessly to the ground.
“Le Mulan, hold the entrance to prevent anyone from escaping.”
“Once Yu Xinghan has cleared the remaining targets, the three of you will join forces to eliminate the Foundation Establishment cultivator.”
Meanwhile, the five-meter-tall giant watched Yu Xinghan systematically slaughter the Qi Refining Cultivators around him. He roared furiously, “Who are you people? Do you even know who’s backing this place? Once word gets out, reinforcements will arrive quickly! You’re all doomed!”
Amidst the crackling and explosive sounds, humanoid Gang Qi flashed around the giant, making him feel like he was being besieged by several Foundation Establishment experts. Though individually weaker than him, they were seemingly endless, constantly surging forward even after being shattered.
The giant took a deep breath, his Heart Bionic throbbing violently as he prepared to activate Heart Burning Mode, entering a super-burst state to unleash his full-power martial art.
But in the next instant, strings of payment notifications flooded his Bionic Eye, showing his savings draining away at an alarming rate.
“What?!”
Fear Talisman — Activated!
The sight of his rapidly dwindling savings sent a jolt of pain through the giant’s heart, freezing him in place for a moment.
Before he could realize this was merely an illusion conjured by the enemy’s Talisman, a torrent of information began refreshing in his Bionic Eye:
“Vajra Profound Creation — Each piece crafted by a master, your ultimate Bionic choice.”
“Dragon Soul Workshop — Perfected through unwavering focus.”
“Heart Creation Medical — Introducing the latest installment payment plan for medical advancements…”
Advertising Talisman — Activate!
As a flood of advertisements surged across his Bionic Eye, the burly man could barely make out the scene before him.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had already circled behind the burly man. With the Nine Heavens Cloud Void Force gathered in his palm, his blazing Gang Qi struck out in a thunderous blow.
Pfft!
The burly man spat out a mouthful of blood and retaliated with a palm strike, shattering only a humanoid Gang Qi construct.
At the same moment, a bone-chilling coldness seeped through the opponent’s Gang Qi, piercing into his body and causing him to shudder uncontrollably.
Shortly after Zhang Yu engaged the burly man, the remaining gang members were swiftly eliminated. Yu Xinghan and Le Mulan joined the fray, flanking Zhang Yu to corner their target.
The burly man roared in fury, unleashing a storm of palm strikes that lashed out in all directions like a maddened tiger.
Zhang Yu stood at the vanguard, his layers of Gang Qi and formidable physique allowing him to withstand the brunt of the burly man’s relentless assault.
Yu Xinghan activated the full focus state of the Heavenly Martial Heart Refining Art. Under the gaze of his Third Eye Mystic Power, the burly man’s movements appeared agonizingly slow.
With his Third Eye Mystic Power, he could effortlessly mimic his opponent’s techniques.
Yet, thanks to his exceptional martial arts aptitude, he didn’t need to copy the giant’s actions. He merely ran the giant’s moves through his mind, identified their weaknesses, and immediately launched his counterattack.
Meanwhile, Le Mulan retreated slightly, her palms slick with sweat infused with the medicinal power of stimulants. She channeled Ice Magic Power into her sweat-slickened palms and hurled the icy poison-infused liquid, relentlessly injecting the cold poison and medicinal power into the enemy’s body.
Watching his two roommates fight, Zhang Yu mused inwardly, “Even though we both share the same Dao Seed, our development paths have diverged significantly.”
“Compared to the Chain Formation Diagram’s enhancements, the Dao Seed seems more like a latent ability. Its potential manifestation still heavily depends on how the user cultivates it.”