Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Ji Xinghai didn't care much about Rank 13's subsequent developments, but someone always managed to pass the information along to him.

The players who had been tricked before finally found Rank 13, who was hiding as an NPC in a mental hospital. He was killed once, then cornered and killed again at his respawn point. The third time, he learned his lesson, using a skill to block his pursuers right after respawning and then teleporting away.

The next cat sharpened its claws, ready for another game of cat and mouse.

"Let him be," Ji Xinghai said. "Tomorrow, I'm going to retrieve my mech."

Talking about his long-lost metallic companion made him feel a bit happier, his face lighting up with a sunny smile.

Tata informed him that he would be testing out the new mech tomorrow. Recently, he could only quickly solo B-level monsters and struggled with A-level ones, so he missed the human-made metal beast—every time he jumped around fighting monsters, he felt like an annoying fly that couldn't be swatted away.

"There's one more piece of news. The ancient text on those four metal plates (which Hungry Academy students found while focusing on fixed secret realms) has been traced back."

"Oh?" Ji Xinghai became interested.

"It belongs to a civilization that has vanished. Due to tectonic shifts, the entire civilization sank beneath the sea."

Bill, on the other end, continued, seeing Ji Xinghai's interest: "This information can only be accessed after a student becomes a Historical Inheritor. Ordinary people searching online would only find mythological stories.

"However, I heard that there's a recent relic exploration activity within the Special Operations Group, limited to high-ranking members. If this is part of the main storyline, I suspect this activity is related to the records on the metal plates."

"So what do the metal plates say?"

"Currently, we can only speculate that it's about the mystery of a civilization's downfall. It was a highly advanced civilization. According to analysis, there should be nine metal plates. If numbered from left to right and top to bottom, we have obtained 1, 3, 8, and 9. The other five plates are either still in various secret realms or have been discovered by others."

Ji Xinghai pondered, "If students continue to grind monsters in fixed secret realms, they should prioritize purchasing high-star equipment and skills. As for anyone who finds the metal plates, whether now or later, each person will receive 100,000 contribution points, which I'll cover."

"No, no, I can't accept that..."

Before Bill could finish, Ji Xinghai interrupted: "No need. You're not as rich as me."

Bill: "...Well, that's true."

"I'll send some items over soon. Store them in the internal warehouse; if no one needs them, put them on the second-hand website."

It just so happened that many items dropped from the monsters he had recently defeated were not useful to him, so he placed them in the internal store for students to purchase.

Rare items rarely appeared on the official website, selling out instantly. After Ji Xinghai could solo A-level monsters with his mech, the top students of Hungry Academy bought their equipment and skills from him. The most sought-after items were those he obtained from soloing an S-level Phoenix, though the prices were so high that many were still paying off the installments.

"I'll check the restrictions for the 'Relic Exploration Activity' in the VIP backend. Ideally, several people should become VIP members before the deadline. Especially the top few, whether mech warriors or beast warriors, can easily become VIP members. Others can focus on grinding monsters in various fixed secret realms; perhaps there are still undiscovered metal plates."

"Understood, I'll relay the message."

Hungry Academy was a cohesive group, with Ji Xinghai as the leader, a very capable one at that. He provided many conveniences for others.

For instance, the student who recently became a beast warrior received an owl chick from Ji Xinghai, and the battle pet crystals used for leveling up were mostly obtained by him. Of course, these were all purchased on loan, and he was still working hard to pay them off.

So when he needed help, the entire academy would genuinely assist him.

After ending the call, Ji Xinghai immediately logged into the Special Operations Group website's backend and entered the VIP area. His level had risen after soloing S-level monsters, making it easier to access certain information.

"Tea Wither Civilization Relic Exploration... Ah, here it is. It's an S-level mission?"

Last time, exploring a secret realm with the 'Gun and Rose' team for resources was only an A-level mission. Could it be that exploring relics involves encountering S-level monsters?

He checked the registration requirements and participant limits.

If registering as a team, they must have completed three A-level missions. For individual registration, a warrior with a record of soloing A-level monsters, regardless of type, could apply. There was also a special category for support personnel, requiring a national-level advanced professional certification.

There was no limit on the number of participants; the more, the better.

Wow, no wonder it's a high-level mission.

Ji Xinghai scrolled down; there were still 13 days until the registration deadline.

He thought for a moment. Students training at Tata's place and already practicing virtual driving had a good chance. The student who wasn't a mech warrior but could solo B-level monsters in a metal combat suit also had a chance. Lastly, the student who became a Historical Inheritor needed to take the advanced professional exam.

And the beast warrior, since his highest-level battle pet was still a chick, would need to invest heavily to catch up with this event.

If this was part of the main storyline, it also meant the end of the current exam was near. Perhaps the settlement would occur after solving the mystery of the ruins.

Considering the registration and entry times, it would be about twenty days. That left only twenty days.

As far as he knew, the original joint competition with over 5,000 participants now had only about 2,000 remaining, with 1,000 on the leaderboard.

Hungry Academy's students, owning shares in the second-hand equipment website and having savings, barely managed to stay on the leaderboard.

But other academies hadn't fully mobilized yet, so the current rankings didn't mean much.

Hungry Academy's people needed to earn money desperately and absolutely avoid being pushed out of the wealth rankings.

After arranging all these matters, Ji Xinghai finally had time to drink tea, but it had cooled completely. The obedient black snake coiled around a green apple, quietly keeping him company.

He reached out to pat the rapidly growing black snake's head. "Your scales look even better now."

"Dad." The snake nuzzled closer. Its body had grown several times larger, and its voice had changed from a baby's to a child's, but it remained equally affectionate.

After two more advancements, the black snake looked different. It had developed beautiful fishtail-like 'ears' on its head, which stood up translucently like small wings. Its scales remained smooth and shiny, with only the ones on its head forming horns.

When it was still, it resembled a jade sculpture; when moving, it seemed like a fairy from a dream world, even those who disliked snakes wouldn't dislike it.

Apart from its appearance, its skills and strength had also improved significantly. The black snake could now handle B-level monsters alone, contributing greatly to Ji Xinghai's contribution points and experience.

Initially, he worried that the rapid growth might cause issues, but after extensive research, he found no other snakes like it. Ji Xinghai suspected it was due to feeding it high-star battle pet crystals.

After playing with the black snake for a while, Ji Xinghai sent a text to Rose, the leader of the 'Gun and Rose' team, asking about their recent plans.

"There are a few new secret realms." Rose spoke about the recent arrangements and asked Ji Xinghai if he was interested in joining.

"Does the leader know about the exploration of the Chakumu civilization ruins?"

"That mission has already wiped out three A-level teams?" Rose's voice became urgent. "You didn't sign up for it, did you?"

Ji Xinghai, who had been lounging lazily, straightened up at these words. "Is there something wrong with this mission?"

"Damn it." She couldn’t help cursing.

As a suddenly vanished ancient civilization, said to be technologically advanced, the Chakumu civilization ruins were once the hottest missions. Many believed that valuable data and relics could be found inside.

Of course, there might also be great danger.

However, most people thought that no matter how dangerous it was, it wouldn’t lead to total annihilation. Yet, three consecutive A-level teams entered, and except for one team leader who came out as a vegetable, everyone else was wiped out.

To avoid public panic, this incident was sealed away, known only to high-level teams like theirs.

After the three teams perished, the mission was also placed under lockdown.

So why did it reappear recently?

"Experts speculate that this continent will sink back into the sea within a month, so they can't wait any longer and want to explore it."

"Isn't the site underwater?" Ji Xinghai asked.

"No, it surfaced many years ago but was surrounded by the Special Operations Group due to its extreme danger. Moreover, this cursed continent has strange magnetic fields, making it impossible for ordinary ships and planes to enter its area. Satellite signals are disrupted, and nothing can be transmitted out. It’s not even on the map."

In the end, Leader Rose advised Ji Xinghai that for such a deadly mission, if he could withdraw his registration, he should.

Ji Xinghai said it was too late; he had already signed up.

Rose rubbed her temples and thought for a moment. "I'll find out which teams have registered for this event. If we can act together, there might still be a chance."

"Thank you, Leader."

He didn’t expect it to be such a dangerous mission.

Such a mysterious and dangerous place might even prevent resurrection. Ji Xinghai thought about it and explained the situation, leaving it to the trainees to decide whether they wanted to investigate further.

He then opened his panel to check his equipment and skills.

Player ID 101

Strength: 389 + 88

Agility: 412 + 86

Intelligence: 408 + 74

Skills: Mad Gambler (Five-star, usable), Bloodbath (Five-star, usable), Doomsday Tremor (Five-star, usable), Crimson Sun (Four-star, usable), Soldier Beetle Summoning (Four-star, usable), Rage Blood (Four-star, usable), Wind Surge (Four-star, usable), Mirror Forest (Four-star, usable), Sheep Transformation (Three-star, usable).

Equipment: Feather Robe (Five-star), Solitary Island Earring (Five-star), Phantom Sunlight Ring (Four-star), Fish Shock Pendant (Two-star)...

Pet: Ink Snake (Fifth Rank)

Level: 33 (First Place)

Contribution Points: 8.76 million (First Place)

The Four-star Mirror Forest was contributed by an A-level monster.

The Five-star skill Bloodbath and the Four-star skill Crimson Sun were contributed by the Firebird, which also gave Ji Xinghai a permanent upgrade card to enhance his originally Four-star Tremor skill.

Additionally, he had a Five-star Feather Robe, highly waterproof, fireproof, and radiation-resistant, with a built-in flying skill.

The most valuable skill was the Five-star Bloodbath, renowned as a godly healing skill.

Bloodbath: Triggers automatically when health drops below 30%. After triggering, 20% of the damage received is converted into healing. If health drops to 10%, 30% of the damage is converted into healing. If health drops to 0 and no other life-saving skills trigger, it triggers a full health revival once, entering cooldown afterward.

Ji Xinghai imagined himself facing a monster one-on-one. With his thin health and fragile body, he would quickly be reduced to 30% health, triggering the Bloodbath skill.

The monster attacks again, but only 80% of the damage is effective, with 20% converted into healing.

Grinding down to 10% health, the Rage Blood fury state triggers, boosting all attributes to 150%, while the monster’s effective damage becomes 70%, with 30% converted into healing.

Grinding down to 3% health, the Rage Blood berserk state triggers, boosting all attributes to 200%.

Grinding down to 1% health, the Rage Blood invincible state triggers, refreshing all skills.

Grinding down to 0% health, the Solitary Island’s ‘Spring Revival’ skill triggers, restoring health to 3%.

Grinding down to 1% health again, the Rage Blood invincible state triggers, refreshing all skills.

Grinding down to 0% health again, Bloodbath triggers, reviving him fully.

Wow.

That man with thin health and fragile body but just can’t be killed.

No wonder others thought he was cheating; he felt like he might be cheating too.

Of course, with what he currently had, he couldn’t handle S-level monsters without a mech.

He had almost no strong attack skills, mostly healing and control skills. Even using Mad Gambler three times could only take down 30% of the enemy’s health, and S-level monsters had far too much health.

So he still needed a mech.

Wonder how the repaired mech is, whether its stats are still the same as before.

With anticipation, the next day Ji Xinghai brought a box of pastries to Tata's house, where Tata was already waiting for him.

"Follow me." He pushed his lover into the hidden elevator, and Ji Xinghai went in with him. They descended to the very bottom of the base, and after exiting, they walked past the virtual training room to where the mechs were stored.

"Why aren't the lights on?" As soon as Ji Xinghai spoke, the lights came on, revealing a sleek mech primarily in silver-gray, adorned with dark gold stripes.

"This..."

"It’s based on the frame of your third-generation Hunter, with everything else added later. Since the Special Operations Group authorized a 30% reimbursement, we might as well use it." Tata looked at the new mech, which was slightly lighter and more streamlined than the Blue Comet. "This is your consciousness-connected mech. Give it a name."

"My consciousness-connected mech?"

The previous Blue Comet had been borrowed from Tata, but now he would have his own mech? Ji Xinghai’s gaze toward the unfamiliar mech changed instantly.

"How do I get up there?"

As soon as Ji Xinghai asked, the giant metallic figure activated. It half-squatted down, one hand reaching out near him, palm up, while the cockpit door on its chest opened.

Ji Xinghai turned to look at Tata, who remained still, nodding at him.

He stepped onto the palm of the mech and was gently lifted into the cockpit. Inside, instead of connection equipment, he saw a sleep pod resembling a glass coffin.

It was almost identical to the sleep pod they used when entering the holographic world.