As for now...
Wei Huan ordered Doggo to pick a random direction and continue moving forward. Since he couldn't see far, he had to rely on luck. He wondered if there were many Two-Headed Shadow Demons in this layer of the world.
Thinking this, Wei Huan shifted his gaze between the two newly recruited Two-Headed Shadow Demons. They had clearly been fighting before, as their injuries were new. The one recruited first had been knocked away by the one recruited later, which was why it had directly crashed in front of Wei Huan.
It didn't look like they held any personal grudges; they were just newly born spirits. Like newborn infants, they probably didn't possess the concept of holding a grudge. Judging by the situation, it looked more like the primal instinct of wild beasts competing for territory.
This made Wei Huan even more convinced. After all, the Two-Headed Shadow Demon was a relatively powerful species, and its newborn state might not allow it to "live" crammed together like other Undead. Even the Corpes Bears possessed a sense of territory, let alone the Two-Headed Shadow Demon.
The problem, then, was how large the Two-Headed Shadow Demon's territory was. Could he really recruit enough of them by simply choosing a random direction? If this layer of the world was unimaginably huge, and the Shadow Demons were far apart, wouldn't he really have to rely on luck?
Speaking of luck, Wei Huan's luck had run out for the day. He stayed in the Great Tomb for a full 25 hours but only found one more Two-Headed Shadow Demon. Before the final time limit arrived, Wei Huan sighed helplessly, looking at the three Two-Headed Shadow Demons before him.
Clearly, the Two-Headed Shadow Demon's territory was indeed very vast.
After that, Wei Huan was ejected from the Great Tomb.
***
When Wei Huan opened his eyes, he was in the Captain's room. Through the one-way mirror, he saw a meeting taking place outside. During his cultivation, Mu Zhong and Cousin Mu had verified the information of all the new crew members and arranged their lodging, meals, and combat teams.
In addition, 200 new 'Criminal Sequence' Challengers had been added to the vehicle this time. They needed to be separated and assigned to different teams, as well as being assigned the Endless Prison skill. Xu Qingqiang's Endless Prison needed to imprison enough monsters to upgrade, and only after upgrading could he allocate five slots. Although the advanced wardens allocated could continue to recruit under their name, the supply still couldn't meet the demand. After all, not only Daxia, but other countries were also offering benefits that Wei Huan and Daxia couldn't refuse for Endless Prison slots, so some had to be distributed externally.
Over the past two months, Xu Qingqiang had been constantly catching monsters, fighting, and eating every day. This had left him looking haggard, constantly smoking, with a pair of narrow, sharp peach blossom eyes full of ferocity, like a deadly 'xiuchundao' sword. He looked like he wanted to cut anyone he saw.
Exhausted as he was, the effect was good. Under Mu Zhong's prior arrangement, the Criminal Sequence Challengers who boarded the vehicle were all granted the "Endless Prison" skill, becoming wardens of different ranks according to their military titles. After all, the Criminal Sequence Challengers were emotionally unstable, and this problem had to be solved before they could board the vehicle.
While Wei Huan was waiting for the handover with the scientific team in Vermilion Bird City for the past few days, Xu Qingqiang had taken a group of hungry convicts to hunt in the surrounding area, eliminating all monsters, large and small. This raised the safety level of the area around Vermilion Bird City to the highest among all cities. Even the private factions who had tagged along to test the gap between themselves and Tier 5 world monsters couldn't, as there were no monsters outside, leading to minor complaints.
Wei Huan stared blankly at Mu Zhong, who was holding a meeting in the conference room outside, rested for a moment, and then got up and left the room.
The door opened, and the conference room instantly fell silent as everyone looked over.
Mu Zhong smiled, "Done with cultivation?"
Wei Huan nodded.
Mu Zhong said, "Then come join the meeting."
Wei Huan shook his head, "I have something else to do."
After a brief response, Wei Huan turned into the elevator leading straight to the top floor and returned to his room. He needed to go to the Undead Ranch now. Although he had only recruited three Two-Headed Shadow Demons this time, they still needed to be enhanced. He was looking forward to the Tier 5 Two-Headed Shadow Demons and wondered if there would be any surprises after the enhancement was complete.
***
For the next while, Wei Huan stayed in the Undead Ranch, watching the Two-Headed Shadow Demons gradually grow stronger as they were enhanced. Their aura became more dangerous, and their strength surged. He was also very satisfied with their low level of intelligence. The Undead Legion didn't need to be too clever. After all, personal strength is negligible in group operations, and too many ideas can cause chaos. Their current state of ignorant obedience was the best.
Counting the time, another day had passed. Wei Huan felt a rare pang of guilt. With so much going on in the vehicle lately, the only reason he had such a peaceful environment to continue cultivating was that Mu Zhong had shouldered everything. Although his strength as a leader was paramount, his relationship with Mu Zhong was more than just that of a superior and subordinate.
Wei Huan teleported back from the Undead Ranch.
However, the sight outside the vehicle made him raise an eyebrow the moment he returned.
What was this!?
The Undead Ranch was located on Wei Huan's balcony. The over-hundred-meter-long balcony was furnished with leisure chairs, offering a 180° view of the outside scenery. Currently, the outside was not the familiar scenery of Vermilion Bird City but featured buildings with an exotic flair.
Wei Huan walked out a few steps in confusion. First, he saw the Aosam national flag flying atop the tallest building, and then he saw over a hundred Aosam war vehicles confronting them a hundred meters in front of the vehicle.
Seeing Aosam, Wei Huan's eyes immediately chilled. He asked, "Butler?"
"Hello, Captain, I'm here." The AI Butler's voice immediately came through his earpiece. It intelligently judged the reason for Wei Huan's summons and explained, "Just half an hour after you entered the professional training ground yesterday, our war vehicle received distress signals from Mr. Yake and Ms. Aggeris. After communicating with them, Vice Captain Mu made the decision to rescue them ten minutes later. We arrived at Aosam's Peanut City two hours ago. The rescue was not smooth. The Aosam Pioneering Army surrounded us within the city and blocked our departure. Vice Captain Mu is currently negotiating with the other side."
Wei Huan's brow furrowed tightly enough to kill a fly. "Connect me to Mu Zhong."
"Yes, Captain."
***
The communication was connected five seconds later. A virtual screen appeared in front of Wei Huan, showing Mu Zhong's figure.
"Phew, it's great that you're out," Mu Zhong let out an exaggerated sigh of relief upon seeing Wei Huan, then his expression turned serious and he said, "As you can see, we are currently in Peanut City, planning to take Colonel Yake away, but we've been blocked by the Aosam side."
"Specific details?" Although he said this, Wei Huan had already opened the teleportation gate and summoned his Undead army. First, the spine-chilling "caw-caw" calls of the Ghost Crows announced Wei Huan's move. Next, a giant Subterranean Beast, three hundred meters tall, emerged from a teleportation gate. Dwarfing the war vehicles like ants, it instantly intimidated the entire scene. Subsequently, the army of Facehuggers flying out of the Subterranean Beast's abdominal cavity, and other Undead emerging from the teleportation gate, occupied the entire field in the shortest possible time.
Separated by the war vehicle and the distance, Wei Huan didn't know how the other party felt at the moment. He only knew that if negotiation couldn't solve the problem, then military force would be used to intimidate and "help" Aosam make a faster decision.
In the virtual communication, Mu Zhong was visibly stunned for a moment, then broke into a smile. When he spoke again, he said, "It seems there's no need for negotiation; we can definitely take the person."
Wei Huan nodded. Yes, this was exactly how to solve the problem.
After suppressing the entire scene with one move, Wei Huan asked Mu Zhong, "What happened?"
Mu Zhong said, "Yake' whereabouts were exposed, and Aosam wanted to capture him. He reached out to our vehicle for help. You mentioned wanting Yake to be our teammate, so I arranged this operation."
After a pause, Mu Zhong said, "The situation was urgent, and I couldn't reach you, so..."
Wei Huan interrupted him, "Do whatever you deem necessary; you don't need to specifically explain."
Mu Zhong nodded, "I know, but even a couple needs to check in after a night away, right? Trust is one thing, but communication is more important."
"Mmm," Wei Huan's eyes softened. "I'm listening."
"So that's how it is," Mu Zhong smiled. "With your move, this matter is no longer troublesome. You're on the balcony, aren't you? Look down, Yake' vehicle is right between us and Aosam."
Wei Huan saw it but was not in a hurry to receive the person. Instead, he asked Mu Zhong, "How was the negotiation with Aosam going?"
Why ask this first at this moment? Mu Zhong instantly understood and laughed wryly, "How could I dare to be impolite? It's precisely because of the overly polite, diplomatic language that there was no conflict upon arrival. But continuing this standoff wouldn't have a clear end. Fortunately, you came out, so we don't need to waste time."
Wei Huan turned and walked to the edge of the balcony, resting his hands on the railing as he looked forward. Unbeknownst to him, his left eye had already lit up with green flame. His vision had descended upon the Hero-grade Demon Eye Lord. It flew through the Undead army and towards the Aosam forces. Trailing behind the Demon Eye Lord were three massive creatures with twin wings, a dragon head, a snake tail, and four legs with four claws: the Two-Headed Shadow Demons.
***
The cursing commander of Peanut City inside his war vehicle was drawn by the sudden appearance of the three monsters. He stared at them for a long while until a feeling of suffocation came over him, and he realized he had forgotten to breathe. Although he knew Wei Huan had gained a lot from the Colossus assessment world, and his personal strength had rapidly increased in a short time, seeing the Two-Headed Shadow Demon—a noble of the Dark Beast race—in his Undead army hit him hard.
Unknowingly, the tone of the Peanut City Commander, who was responsible for stopping Yake and confronting Mu Zhong, dropped several degrees when he spoke again: "...I really can't account for this if you proceed. Yake is a wanted criminal by our side. It is my duty to apprehend him since he appeared in my jurisdiction."
Mu Zhong was doing two things at once, conversing with Wei Huan while simultaneously engaging the commander. He said, "One Tier 7 Warden slot for Endless Prison, a hundred sets of the latest developed rune plates, and a non-weapon Platinum-grade equipment of your choice."
Mu Zhong's sudden change in style, abandoning diplomatic jargon to talk only about benefits, stunned the Peanut City Commander. Then, an uncontrollable look of greed appeared in his eyes. Any one of these items was priceless in his view, yet Mu Zhong offered them all at once. This fueled his further greed.
Mu Zhong saw his expression and knew the matter was negotiable. He didn't fear greed; he feared a fool. The issue was basically resolved at this point. However, Mu Zhong wouldn't indulge him either. Before the commander could ask for more, he spoke first, "Or we can have a fight. I trust the Commander knows which choice is more cost-effective, right?"
That single sentence instantly cleared the Peanut City Commander's eyes. Correct. Wei Huan wasn't incapable of outright seizing him. Aosam didn't dare to demand restitution for the blood debt of killing three hundred Challengers on Five-Star Island. Who was he, a mere city commander, to stop Wei Huan? Rather than losing both the person and the resources, or even his life, it was better to take these resources and distribute them. This would minimize the issue, and he could keep some for himself.
The Peanut City Commander quickly calculated and then looked up, saying, "Deal."
Mu Zhong knew this would happen and smiled, "Thank you, Commander."
***
Mu Zhong ordered the war vehicle to descend and stop in front of Yake' vehicle. Yake, who had witnessed the entire process, said nothing, simply driving his war vehicle into Wei Huan's vehicle in silence. Afterward, Mu Zhong ordered the war vehicle to fly high and quickly drive away from the city. Before long, the Undead army remaining in the city was also pulled back into the Great Tomb by the Hand of the Undead, disappearing from view.
The Peanut City Commander, who had obtained the supplies, was both happy and troubled. Just as he was figuring out how to smooth things over with his superiors, a video request came in. The grandson of the councilman, the man who had been assigned as Vice Captain on Aggeris' vehicle, appeared on the screen, raging: "Herman, why did you let Yake go? He's a wanted criminal!! By letting him go, you are equally guilty! I will report you to the House of Representatives for dereliction of duty! You've committed treason! You're an accomplice!"
The Peanut City Commander set down the Platinum Power Armor he had just acquired and silently faced the accusation. But deep in his eyes, a murderous intent surged. 'Idiot!' Times had changed long ago. Those old folks outside were only superficially glorious and had long lost real power. He was a legitimate City Commander in the Tier 5 world, yet he was being lectured by this brat. 'Damn it!'
***
On the other side, inside Aggeris' war vehicle, she used her Captain authority to monitor the conversation between her Vice Captain and the Peanut City Commander. A fierce, ruthless look also appeared in her eyes. Although she knew her war vehicle contained all sorts of undesirable people, it was time for the dormancy to end. The existence of those old relics was truly an eyesore, and most critically, they had raised this imbecile. Allowing such a tumor to continue existing would only push Aosam toward incurable sickness. A major reform was absolutely necessary.
It would start with purging the trash within her war vehicle.
***
Wei Huan was called downstairs by Mu Zhong and saw Yake accompanied by Mu Zhong on the first floor. Even in the tense environment of being hunted, Yake still maintained an elegant demeanor. When he looked over, he was handsome and bright, like the flame in the hand of the Aosam goddess statue. Despite encountering such injustice, his clear blue eyes remained pure.
"Welcome," Wei Huan stepped forward and shook Yake' hand. The two embraced warmly and courteously. Afterward, Wei Huan said, "We will be heading to the Tier 6 world soon. Please consider it. If you still have things to attend to, I can temporarily settle you in a safe place first."
Yake seemed surprised to be faced with this question immediately upon boarding the vehicle. But he didn't seem to have many other options.
Yake chuckled lightly, "I was planning to contact you after finishing my affairs. I'm sorry to have caused you to make a trip here. I will naturally go to the Tier 6 world. I'll be counting on you from now on, Captain."
Wei Huan also smiled, shaking Yake' hand again, "Welcome aboard, Colonel Yake."
Mu Zhong looked on, his eyes also curved in a smile, "This is wonderful! With such an excellent ranged specialist joining us, we no longer fear the Tier 6 highway assessment."
Yake finally boarded Wei Huan's war vehicle. As a hero of Aosam, his public reputation had always been high. Previously, Wei Huan had only hoped to get Yake on his vehicle, never believing it would happen. After all, as one of the pillars of humanity in the previous life, he fully possessed the strength to command a significant power. Unfortunately, the flapping of the butterfly's wings brought about huge changes. Yake' desire to uphold his inner sense of justice clashed with Aosam's orders, ultimately leading to this outcome.
***
Naturally, Wei Huan held Yake in high esteem and trusted the sincerity in his heart, so after he boarded, Wei Huan gave him the status of Temporary Vice Captain. He was, after all, a high-ranking officer from Aosam. The vehicle was mostly Daxia Challengers, and given the frequent friction between the two nations over resource competition, their relationship was extremely tense, if not outright hostile. Wei Huan wanted to entrust Yake with important responsibilities directly, but this integration would clearly not be easy and required Yake to put in the effort to truly assimilate into the vehicle.
On the way back, Wei Huan personally accompanied Yake to familiarize him with the war vehicle and introduced him to all the core members and outstanding combat personnel. He then brought Yake to the top floor.
With an extra person living on the top floor, Wei Huan and Mu Zhong's time alone was over. Fortunately, that person was Yake, a respected human hero who deserved the best treatment.
As for the other human hero... unfortunately, Jiang Yue was unable to advance to Sequence Six during this time. It was, after all, an evolution of life. Even with the Awakening Potion ready and the World Tree assisting her cultivation, the comprehension of the law still required personal effort. Haste makes waste. Jiang Yue had been aboard for two and a half months, but the distance to advancing to Sequence Six was still greater than imagined.
Wei Huan decided not to wait any longer. After meeting with Jiang Yue and confirming that she would stay in Vermilion Bird City to cultivate using the World Tree sapling, Wei Huan saw her off the vehicle. At the same time, the research team finally completed the final handover work. With everyone assembled, Wei Huan decided to depart.
Captain Fang saw Wei Huan off at the vehicle door, looking at him and saying, "Opportunity favors the bold, and luck never smiles upon the coward. You are now the spearhead of humanity, its lighthouse, its pioneer, and its navigator. I wish you good luck and smooth sailing. May our human race prosper and endure forever!!"
Wei Huan nodded, repeating, "May our human race prosper and endure forever!"
He then stepped onto the war vehicle without looking back. The war vehicle lifted off and departed from Vermilion Bird City. This time, they would head directly for their final battle in the Tier 5 world, Azure Dragon City. From there, Wei Huan would embark on the journey into the Tier 6 highway, transforming from a chase-light into a lighthouse illuminating humanity's path forward!
***
...
...
"Gurgle—"
"Gurgle—"
Darkness, suppression, coldness, and unknown creatures swimming deep within the turbulent water. The entire atmosphere of the world was filled with an intense aversion to humanity. This deep-sea world, neither touching the sky nor the ground, was not suitable for human survival.
Although Wei Huan had learned about the environment of the deep-sea world in his previous life, he still felt the malice of this world towards humans when he was actually inside it. It was no wonder that the humans who were deceived in the Tier 5 world would so readily trust the so-called "Atlantean humans" upon reaching the Tier 6 world, viewing them as the only reliable way for Blue Star humans to gain a foothold in this realm. After all, compared to previous worlds, the deep ocean was extremely unfamiliar to humanity. Human technology couldn't even explore the deepest trenches, so how could they build cities and establish human habitation in this world?
"Ascend."
Wei Huan's first command upon entering the assessment highway was to explore the limits of this world. Was the deep-sea world truly only deep sea? What were the world's boundaries like? Could the World Tree sapling, which he had suggested planting in this world, really thrive?
With this question in mind, the war vehicle traveled through the deep sea in a diagonally upward flight trajectory under his command. Similarly, even in this unknown world, Wei Huan was not afraid to use his "plow-style" treasure chest opening method. Wei Huan also considered that the treasure chests in this world were likely floating three-dimensionally in the seawater, so his "Ghost Crow Plowing Formation" was also converted into a three-dimensional one. Like a massive sphere, it ensured that there would be no escapees within a 30-kilometer radius centered on Wei Huan.
This approach was effective. Just five minutes into their journey, they had their first good news: a Silver Treasure Chest was opened. The resources popped up on the projection screen in front of the Captain's room.
[Obtained Silver-grade Endurance Potion X1]
[Obtained Engine Reinforcement Blueprint (IV) X1]
[Obtained Silver-grade Battle Axe X1]
[Obtained...]
Below were more than three types of materials. Some were used for mixing Awakening Potions, and some were essential materials for upgrading the war vehicle. Dropping three or five items might not seem like much, but if everything had to be purchased in the mall, it would cost a significant amount of points. Wei Huan was not short on points, but he couldn't waste them. He now had a huge operation with a thousand people to feed. Relying solely on points would bankrupt even him. Therefore, opening chests for free supplies was the priority.
"Did you notice? In the Tier 6 world, even Silver Treasure Chests can drop Tier 4 blueprints."
Mu Zhong was in the front driving cabin but maintained private communication with Wei Huan. He naturally saw the materials from the opened chest and shared his thoughts with Wei Huan.
"I noticed in the Tier 5 world that the dropped materials were already nearing the attribute ceiling. What I mean is that Tier 3 weapons had only slightly lower damage than Tier 4 weapons. Sure enough, in the Tier 6 world, even Tier 3 chests can drop Tier 4 weapons. Does that mean that when we reach the Tier 8 or Tier 9 world, opening Tier 3 chests might even yield Tier 5 weapons?"
Mu Zhong's "Tier 3 chest" referred to the Silver-grade Treasure Chest. The sequence of Treasure Chests in the Challenger World is Bronze Chest, Black Iron Chest, Silver Chest, Gold Chest, Platinum Chest, and Diamond Chest. Before entering the Tier 6 world, the equipment and materials dropped from chests matched the current chest grade, although the attributes would be higher than the equipment found in lower-tier worlds. However, the damage and attribute boost provided by the Silver-grade Battle Axe just opened exceeded the data of a Battle Axe from the lowest-grade Gold Chest.