Chapter 57: Chapter 56 Heavy Fog

Chen Xing knocked on the hard shell of the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab, feeling the steel-like sensation of the hit.

He was also about to test its tough scythes, “Taotie, come here.”

Taotie ran over, not knowing why and even sniffed the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab with its nose.

The crab gave off a fresh aquatic scent, and Taotie couldn’t help but bite down on it.

“Don’t bite.”

Chen Xing stopped Taotie; it was Zhao’s trophy, and what if it lost value from being bitten?

“No worries, bite all you like, the shell isn’t worth much,” Zhao Liang said casually. “Besides, it’s not that easy to bite through.”

Taotie glanced at Zhao Liang, then turned back and bit down on the back of the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab. Its small eyes paused in place, then let go, leaving only a row of tiny, rice-sized white marks on the crab’s back.

“Its shell, aside from its pincers, is the toughest part; its defensive capability at the same Energy Level is considered exceptional. Your little crocodile still needs to grow a bit before it can bite through its back shell.”

After selling the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab to a nearby safe zone, the group proceeded toward the last safe area while learning survival skills from Zhao Liang.

The closer to the rear, the deeper the water became—as if the entire city was a slanted chessboard, getting deeper as one moved further along.

Taotie’s movements had changed from its initial brash entrance into the water to caution now.

Because it had found some creatures in the water that seemed formidable.

They looked somewhat similar to the large crab from before.

An idea struck Taotie, who stealthily approached and peeked through a crevice at the large crab quietly nestled inside a house.

This Dance Scythe Ghost Crab was dozing off, its mouthparts twitching slightly, seemingly in the midst of a pleasant dream, with a trickle of white foam seeping from the edges.

“Does it look bigger than the one before?”

Taotie’s little brain whirred, realizing that its master and the others seemed to be hunting this creature.

Without delay, it flicked its tail, sending a brick from the riverbed flying like a baseball toward the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab’s forehead.

“Gurgle gurgle~”

The Dance Scythe Ghost Crab awakened abruptly, its two large pincers flailing about in confusion for a moment, and its eyestalks protruded from the sunken sockets, turning a full circle before finally locking on the culprit.

With a shift of its body, it faced Taotie sideways, its eight legs crawling at high speed.

Crash~

The grey stone walls were directly smashed down, the tough and burly body rushing through the clouds of silt raised from the riverbed, a scythe and a claw raised high as if to announce Taotie’s death sentence.

Taotie had darted upstream as soon as it flicked its tail, its tail wagging rapidly, moving swiftly.

But the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab following was even faster; with a kick of its eight legs.

It gathered its strength and shot forward, the agility belying its size allowing it to surge toward Taotie pre-emptively, and in the next second, Taotie was knocked out of the water, landing on the bank with a slap.

The water surface broke, and the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab emerged ferociously.

No sooner had it broken the surface than a ring of fiery red descended from above!

‘Skills: Fire Ring.’

A fist-sized ring of fire landed on the back of the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab.

It flipped the creature over, branding a pitch-black circular wound deep into its back.

The searing pain instantly brought clarity to the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab, which promptly attempted to escape back into the water, but the Blaze Hunting Bee was incredibly fast. Its slender bee claws landed on the crab’s back, hooking onto its body and pausing its retreat. The next second, another fist-sized ring of fire scored a hit on the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab’s lower back.

Bang!!!

The back of the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab burst open, as if a firecracker had been stuffed in and detonated.

Smoke billowed from its mouth…

The Dance Scythe Ghost Crab, which had been formidable just moments earlier, immediately wilted.

The Blaze Hunting Bee dragged it several times, barely managing to pull the Dance Scythe Ghost Crab ashore, appearing somewhat strained.

After observing this, Chen Xing reflected thoughtfully—the melee capability of the Blaze Hunting Bee seemed not so strong; it was more akin to a highly mobile mage.

His gaze shifted to the tail of the Blaze Hunting Bee. After releasing the lethal snipe, it had lost its stinger; it had yet to regrow.

Some bees die after losing their stingers; that’s because the poison gland attached to the sting is connected to their organs.

Once the stinger was clamped down and then forcefully pulled out, it would inadvertently drag out the intestines and viscera along with it. That’s why there was the saying that one would die after being stung.

But the Burner Hunter Bee clearly didn’t have that problem.

However, its tail stinger wouldn’t grow back immediately after being lost.

“Come on, take this new monster away.”

Chen Xing declined, “Me? This is your trophy, Brother Zhao.”

Even though it was Taotie who had lured it in, it was Brother Zhao’s Beast Taming that had slain the Level 33 Grim Reaper Hermit Crab.

They had already tried the hardness of its shell just now; without Brother Zhao’s intervention, Taotie alone couldn’t have dealt with the creature.

“I bought a ticket. Those who enter with a ticket can only hunt one creature. Only those who enter the Ze City Secret Realm for free each year can hunt three.”

Chen Xing was stunned; there was such a rule? He had thought that tickets bought later would allow hunting three creatures each time.

…

It wasn’t until after seven in the evening that Chen Xing and his group finally reached the last safe zone.

Regrettably, they never had the chance to encounter the Azure King Conch again. According to Zhao Liang, the Azure King Conch wasn’t as active as the Grim Reaper Hermit Crab, eager to strike proactively; rather, it resembled a hunter, preferring to wait silently in place to hunt.

By this time, evening was approaching. Although sun and moon could be seen in the Secret Realm, there was still a distinction between day and night, and it was synchronized with the outside world.

The last safe zone was located at the deepest part of Ze City.

This safe area was somewhat like a birdcage structure, with a circle of steel bars connected outside, and several five-story concrete buildings constructed inside. Outside the birdcage were the low-rise bungalows commonly seen in the Secret Realm. The external houses were uneven, like a slum, with the tall ones having three or four stories, and the shortest ones barely showing a corner of the eaves above the water.

Crossing the corridor bridge to enter the safe zone, there were two workers in green vests on duty.

The worker on the left glanced at Zhao Liang, then at the three students behind him, and lowered his head to record something on paper.

“Four people in total, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay,” the worker tore off a receipt and handed it to Zhao Liang, “This is where you will stay tonight, in area D on the third floor.”

“We want to sell this one,” said Zhao Liang, pointing to the Grim Reaper Hermit Crab they brought.

After a quick inspection of the critically injured Grim Reaper Hermit Crab, the worker said, “Level 33, weight 420 pounds, market price 160,000 RMB. Confirm the sale?”

“Let’s sell it.”

“Okay.” The worker then issued another invoice.

Zhao Liang took it and handed the invoice to Chen Xing.

“The location of this safe zone is quite deep. If you want to sell anything, the staff will do it on your behalf. The prices are set, and you can exchange this invoice for money when you go out.”

The staff member led the way in front, taking the four upstairs to the third floor.

Chen Xing noticed that many antiquated decorations were hanging along the stairway and walls. These decorations had distinct features, exuding a strong unique style, not like anything from ancient Great Xia.

Seeing that Chen Xing and his group were curious about the surrounding decorations, the worker explained, “These are relics unearthed from the ruins. Ze City was once an Exotic Region city. After this area was shattered, it fell into our world, becoming a Secret Realm. The city itself is a treasure. Centuries ago, the locals in Jincheng developed the Ze City Secret Realm, excavating some knowledge of Exotic Region civilization. Ze City has long been emptied out. Now, the utensils hung on the walls are the daily items used by the local people of Ze City.”

“Where did the people who once lived here go?” Chen Xing was curious. Such a big city, surely it once had a substantial population, at least in the tens of thousands.

The worker hesitated in his steps, and Zhao Liang’s voice came from the back, “I know a bit about this. Some have gradually integrated into Great Xia over these centuries, while others who refused integration, insisting that the Exotic Region was their root, were let go back.”

“Great Xia’s handling of people from the Secret Realm’s Exotic Region is relatively gentle. As long as they don’t cause trouble and behave well, they are allowed to return. Hence, Great Xia maintains relatively good relations with many powers in the Exotic Region.”

Chen Xing was surprised; he had always thought that there was a fierce struggle between their world and the other, both sides engaged in relentless conflict.

“Politics is all about making more friends and fewer enemies. The Exotic Region isn’t uniform either; they have many factions. Moreover, the Exotic Region is much larger than our world. If we really anger them, it wouldn’t be good for us.”

Seeing the surprised looks on their faces, Zhao Liang said irritably, “What’s with those looks? Do I seem like an illiterate brute in your eyes?”

After leading the four to their area, the worker went back.

The floor was almost empty, and later, a woman in green clothes came down from the upper floor, sitting alone in a corner, keeping a significant distance from the four.

Nighttime brought a chilling breeze.

The outdoor temperature dropped quickly, and a thick fog began to rise unknowingly. Outside the safe zone, the water level was quietly rising…

Amid the murky, cold waters, a vibrant red broke through the giant waves, rising slowly from the water.