Apocalypse Gachapon - Chapter 1862: Cruel start (3)

“So, how are the items in the store? A bit expensive, aren’t they?” Zizikaba said to the newcomers below, his signature annoying smile in place.

“It’s fine, they’ll get even more expensive. After this small cycle ends, the selling price will increase by another ten percent!”

The crowd below erupted in uproar.

After all, only a minority could afford to purchase items from other newcomers; most people’s needs had to be met by buying from the store. This time, the price had already increased by ten percent on top of an already exorbitant base, and now it was going up again. The points earned were just being returned to the store.

Look at how much fewer points there were at the start of these two small cycles compared to right after they ended!

“Also, many of you have made a lot of money using your jobs. Starting from the next cycle, you must purchase a fixed stall to sell items, and a 20% tax will be levied on the selling price. In other words, private transactions within the camp will no longer be allowed.”

This rule brought mixed feelings—those without crafting abilities were happy that the point gap wouldn’t widen too much, while those with crafting abilities worried they would have to fight even harder in the future.

“Was Zizikaba also in charge of the novice battlefield in the past?” Ye Zhongming suddenly asked Helsky and Jie Kui, who were the most well-informed.

But they didn’t know about this either and could only shake their heads.

“What’s up, Boss? Is there something special about it?” Jie Kui asked.

“Nothing,” Ye Zhongming said softly, looking at the figure in the sky. “I just find it strange that if he was in charge of the novice battlefield before, how has he managed to stay alive until now? Are the newcomers who made it out so good-tempered?”

The others laughed silently upon hearing this. It seemed that if Boss Ye made it out of here, Zizikaba would be in trouble later.

“Additionally, members currently ranked in the top five thousand on the points leaderboard will not be allowed to go to areas one through ten.”

This was another hard rule, one that would likely cost many lives.

In the view of many, the first ten areas offered the best cost-effectiveness. Although the points per life were relatively low, the strength of the creatures was not high. Coupled with their large numbers and variety, it was indeed a good place to farm.

Many people had “made their fortune” there.

Now that the top five thousand were barred from going, these people would have to venture into more dangerous areas, undoubtedly increasing the density of newcomers in other regions and raising the likelihood of conflicts.

“Oh, and this time, the elimination system for the bottom ranks will not have a fixed number. Instead, it will be ten percent of the surviving newcomers at the end of the small cycle. So, make sure to calculate your rankings carefully.”

This rule had a profound impact on those at the lower end. Since the number wasn’t fixed, newcomers near the elimination threshold might miscalculate their rankings and be directly eliminated.

Everyone discussed it for a few seconds, but soon fell silent—after all, they were all top-tier experts.

Seeing that Zizikaba hadn’t left, everyone’s hearts sank. What new trick did this guy have up his sleeve?

“How did you find the previous cycles? Feel like you’ve adapted? Well, good. Starting from this cycle, each area will have correspondingly added some lifeforms—stronger lifeforms worth more points. So, hunt to your heart’s content, or… die faster!”

“Alright, the third cycle begins!”

………………………………………………

“Boss, aren’t we going to the places we agreed on before?” Jie Kui followed Ye Zhongming to a completely new area, not quite understanding why they weren’t going to hunt the targets they had prepared for.

“Yeah, we’re not going,” Ye Zhongming replied without explaining further.

“Then… aren’t we going to follow Aimusi and take her out?”

Jie Kui asked again. He always felt that having an enemy like her around made everything uncomfortable. In his opinion, since they had plenty of points and weren’t afraid of elimination, they should just follow Aimusi and spend a cycle taking her out!

“Did you see that woman earlier?”

Helsky’s question gave Jie Kui pause. Indeed, he hadn’t seen any trace of that woman in the camp.

“You mean…”

Helsky nodded. “I specifically looked for her. Not because I wanted to take her out immediately, but because knowing her whereabouts would allow us to be prepared for anything. But that woman seemed to have disappeared. She must have been in the camp, but she was nowhere to be found.”

Helsky’s words cast a shadow over everyone’s hearts.

“Stop thinking about it. She’ll come to us on her own eventually,” Ye Zhongming cut off everyone’s speculation and clapped his hands. “We have two days to hunt here and earn as many points as possible. My idea is this…”

Ye Zhongming took out a map—a detailed information map of this area, available in the store for a steep price of fifty points.

He divided the team into smaller groups, assigning them different routes to travel, supporting each other. If they encountered something they could handle, they would quickly pursue it; if they ran into something troublesome, they would call others over to help.

Everyone approved this method, as it avoided allocation issues and increased efficiency.

Additionally, no one asked what they would do after the two days—clearly, Boss Ye had a plan.

Just like that, two days passed in the blink of an eye.

It could be said that the period was smooth sailing. Everyone’s points increased steadily, and their rankings generally rose or remained stable. Only Ye Zhongming and He’s rankings didn’t move.

This was normal—the higher the ranking, the fiercer the competition, and moving up even one spot was extremely difficult.

The old and new team members gradually grew familiar with each other through these two days of cooperation. The increased understanding clearly strengthened cohesion, and the atmosphere was significantly better than before.

On the last morning of this small cycle, the entire team gathered, eating while watching Ye Zhongming.

They knew the captain’s undisclosed plan was about to be revealed.

“Among you, who is not a commissioned warrior but was selected from their planet?”

Everyone was unsure what he meant, but obediently raised their hands. Only Helsky, Ye Zhongming, and Jie Kui were; all the others were commissioned by their respective races.

Ye Zhongming nodded. He and Helsky were both from Earth, and he had a good relationship with Jie Kui. This would reduce resistance to the upcoming plan.

“We are all newcomers now, but after a few cycles, we won’t be anymore.” Ye Zhongming looked around at everyone and said slowly, “Since most of you are commissioned warriors, you should know our mission after our newcomer lives end, right?”

“So, I think we need to look further ahead to ensure we can survive in the future.” Ye Zhongming paused, seeing everyone watching him quietly before continuing, “The races of the universe have failed too many times—no, they have never won. So my plan is…”

“To win because of me!”