Chapter 75 - 64: Jackpot, We’re Rich

Chapter 75: Chapter 64: Jackpot, We’re Rich

"You happen to have enough seniority now. When we get back, I’ll discuss it with the Director and see about getting you promoted to team captain."

Zhou Zheng’s hand, hidden beneath his windbreaker, trembled violently as a look of ecstasy flashed across his face.

But he realized there were many people here and he needed to maintain his composure. He quickly recovered, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Vice Director Wang!"

The other members of the Anomaly Handling Bureau also cast envious glances and offered their congratulations.

Zhou Zheng responded with a calm exterior, saying things like "It’s all thanks to Vice Director Wang’s guidance," and "My qualifications are still lacking," but inside, he was bursting with joy.

’These three kids really are my lucky stars.’

’Normally, I would have had to grind it out for a few more years to become a division commander.’

’But I never expected the opportunity to come so soon.’

’That kid, Qin Lang, really called it.’

On the other side, the eliminated players were also staring at the screens in astonishment, chattering among themselves.

"That crip... no, I mean, who the hell is that guy in the wheelchair? He summoned four Elite Three-Star Soldier Types by himself. Holy crap, isn’t that a bit too ridiculous?!"

"I just realized, that guy’s pretty handsome. If he weren’t in a wheelchair, he’d definitely be a top-tier heartthrob!"

"So what if he’s in a wheelchair? This game can even accomplish Rebirth for severed limbs. With his Talent, he’ll be able to stand up again soon. I’m adding him as a friend the second he gets out. First come, first served!"

"Yeah, yeah! I’m gonna add him too!"

In the midst of their discussion, two more figures were teleported out of the Foggy Void Realm.

They were Yu Feifei, with her 1.2-meter-long legs, and the Second Generation Lord, Gu Feng.

Neither of them looked well; they appeared to be seriously injured.

Yu Feifei even spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot, her chest caved in.

The memory of what had just happened sent waves of fear through her.

That group of Knights began their charge, the black moon started to spin, and it felt as if an invisible force was pulling her toward them.

At the critical moment, she relied on her agile speed to dodge the fatal blow.

But she was still struck hard in the chest by an enemy’s warhorse and nearly lost consciousness.

If she hadn’t decisively given up by crushing the crystal at the last second, she would have been dragged into the Knights’ battle formation and utterly annihilated!

Gu Feng hadn’t fared any better. He had been surrounded by the Knights, who had repeatedly stabbed at him with a dozen or so long spears.

His body was covered in bloody holes, one of which was only a few centimeters from his heart. He had nearly been killed on the spot.

"Cough, cough..."

Yu Feifei wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said with difficulty, "Although I didn’t pass the tenth wave, I held on in there for a long time. I should have no problem placing in the top three this time."

But when she turned her head to look at the large screen, a look of confusion flashed in her eyes.

Four screens were still lit up, meaning four people were still inside fighting.

What shocked her even more was that there was a three-person team among them.

As everyone knew, the difficulty for a team was several times higher than for a solo player.

She had struggled so much on her own, yet this team had actually survived and even passed the tenth wave?

’How did they do it?’

As Yu Feifei watched in disbelief, another screen in the corner went dark.

"BZZZ..."

A flash of white light revealed a man who was not tall but had a ferocious aura.

Xiang Dong, covered in bloody holes, knelt on the ground as blood flowed rapidly from his wounds, turning him into a blood-soaked figure in moments.

However, unlike Yu Feifei and Gu Feng, he hadn’t quit midway.

Instead, relying on his terrifying combat skills, he had managed to fight and kill the Knight Captain.

Facing the remaining Black Moon Knights, he coordinated with his Soldier Types and eliminated half of their forces.

In the end, utterly exhausted and with his Soldier Types nearly wiped out, he had no choice but to give up the challenge.

Xiang Dong calmed his turbulent qi and blood, looked towards Yu Feifei and Gu Feng, and a victorious smile appeared on his lips.

"You two, it seems I still have the upper hand."

"First place in this Void Realm trial is mine."

In Xiang Dong’s mind, among all the players in this competition, only these two were worthy of being considered his rivals.

Since these two had come out before him, the Void Realm rankings were already decided.

However, everyone else was looking at him with a strange expression.

’What’s with these guys?’ Xiang Dong wondered.

’Were they stunned by my heroic performance just now?’

But when he turned to look at the screens, like Yu Feifei and the others, he froze completely.

"There are... still three people in there!"

"And they passed the tenth wave!?"

Every single contestant present had fallen to the iron hooves of the Black Moon Knight Order.

Yet the three people on screen were the only team to have cleared it, and they did so as a group.

"Gu Feng, Yu Feifei, who are these three?" Xiang Dong asked, still dazed.

Gu Feng, standing beside him, said helplessly, "You’re asking me? How the hell would I know?"

"Who knows where they popped out from."

He was even more frustrated than Xiang Dong. Before the competition, he had sworn he would take first place.

Now, not only was first place gone, he hadn’t even made it into the top three.

It was like a toad doing a somersault—utterly disgraceful.

"But... they should be coming out soon, right?"

Gu Feng watched the battle on the screen and said in a low voice, "The last wave was already extremely difficult for them. There’s no way they can continue challenging."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Everyone could see that the small team was at the end of its rope.

The main reason they managed to defeat the Black Moon Knights was that the woman in the Hatsune Miku T-shirt had pulled out a precious [Power of Earth] Scroll.

Otherwise, even if they had won, they probably would have suffered heavy losses, maybe even losing all their Soldier Types.

However, just when everyone thought they would withdraw...

...they saw the one in the wheelchair say a few quiet words, and then the three of them each took out another Brain Fruit and popped it into their mouths.

Seeing this, everyone understood their intentions and gasped in shock.

"They’re crazy! These guys are insane!"

"They’re actually going to challenge the eleventh wave!?"

"This is absurd! What are they thinking?!"

The players were completely bewildered, and the personnel from the Anomaly Handling Bureau grew anxious as well.

Elder Wang took a step forward, raising the hand he had held behind his back.

However, Zhou Zheng spoke with unusual calm, "Don’t panic. Let’s wait and see."

"They aren’t reckless people. On the contrary, from what I know of them, those three kids are very cautious."

"They must have their reasons for daring to do this."

Elder Wang’s outstretched hand froze mid-air. He asked doubtfully, "Zhou Zheng, are you sure?"

"In all these years, only a handful of Lords in all of Jiang City have ever cleared the eleventh wave of endless mode during their novice period."

"If something really goes wrong, even I won’t be able to rescue them in time."

Zhou Zheng’s hand in his pocket was trembling slightly, but he still said calmly, "Yes, I’m sure."

The crowd fell silent for a moment and said no more.

But their gazes on the large screen were filled with intense worry and uncertainty.

Could these three really create a miracle and pass the eleventh wave of endless mode?

...

...

「Meanwhile, inside the Foggy Void Realm.」

"Shen Xing... are we really going to keep challenging?"

Qin Lang’s voice was a little weak. "That last wave almost gave me a trauma. I’m afraid this wave will have monsters even more terrifying than those Knights."

Shen Xing mused, "Let’s try it first. If things go south, we’ll just bolt."

The other two said no more.

Years of fighting side-by-side had taught them to trust their friend.

Time passed slowly as the three waited in silence.

The rest time they were given this time was a little longer.

About five minutes had passed since the end of the last wave.

Just then, a peculiar sound came from the Fog again.

"WHOOSH... WHOOSH..."

It was as if something was beating its wings, radiating an invisible pressure even before it drew near.

The three of them simultaneously assumed combat stances, moving their Soldier Types to protect their front.

As the sound of beating wings grew closer, a massive silhouette emerged from the Fog.

When it stepped into the range of the firelight, everyone could see its full appearance.

The monster looked like a large bird, at least three meters long with a wingspan of over five meters.

It didn’t have a single feather on its body, resembling a giant, plucked fowl.

The most terrifying part was the enormous human face on its chest.

The face was androgynous, its skin an unnatural, deathly white, and its eyes flickered with extreme malice.

"This is bad, it’s a Human-faced Demon Bird!"

In the outside viewing area, many people recognized this monster, and a collective gasp erupted from the crowd.