Chapter 60 (Inner Volume)

Wu Jueji followed lazily, and although Wang Hu's legs were weak, he still gritted his teeth and followed.

He dared not question Gu Yunqing's decision and gradually got used to following it.

However, after taking only a few steps, Gu Yunqing changed direction and instead of heading directly to the cursed manor, she went to the quest board next to the town tavern.

He acts seemingly casually, but in reality, he plans every step carefully. Exploring unknown, high-risk areas is one part of the plan, but before that, more thorough preparation and... suitable teammates are needed.

Almost at the same time he stopped in front of the task board, another familiar figure appeared there.

You are heading north.

The silent monk continued to follow quietly behind him.

After their cooperation in the mine and the less-than-pleasant but memorable incident last night, the two met again. The atmosphere seemed a little more relaxed than before, with a hint of unspoken understanding between them.

Gu Yunqing spoke first, her tone natural, as if it were just a casual remark: "Mr. Jun, how about we work together on the next task?"

Jun looked up at him, meeting his clear yet all-seeing eyes. Without hesitation, she coldly replied, "Okay."

The nascent alliance was silently re-established, and this time, it seemed even more solid.

Wang Hu naturally followed Gu Yunqing, while the Silent Monk always looked to Gu Xiangbei for guidance.

Gu Yunqing's gaze swept quickly across the task board, skipping over the ordinary tasks with rewards of a few hundred yuan, and directly locking onto several tasks marked in scarlet and labeled "high risk".

[Cleanse the Aggregate of Resentment Deep in the Cursed Mine]: Due to the long-term accumulation of resentment, a terrifying and extremely dangerous spiritual creature has been born deep within the mine! Reward: 4000 yuan, 3 enchanted ores, 1 one-time exorcism rune.

[Investigation into Abnormal Withering in Silent Woodland]: Large areas of vegetation in the central area of ​​the woodland have withered, the source of which is unknown, possibly indicating an unknown entity. Reward: 3500 yuan, 2 Life Essences, 5 Special Wood (can be used for building upgrades).

[Drive away the swarm of vampire bats infesting the abandoned church]: The bats are numerous, and their leader is suspected to be a mutant. Reward: 3800 yuan, 4 pieces of tough leather, and 1 bottle of holy water (diluted).

Gu Yunqing pointed to the tasks and said to Jun Xiangbei, "These should meet our needs."

His strategy was clear: abandon low-reward tasks and actively take on high-paying, high-risk tasks.

The goal is not just to make money, but also to acquire special items and building materials that may be included in the mission.

These resources are crucial for Gu Yunqing to improve her survivability and cope with more challenging dungeons to come.

Jun Xiangbei glanced at the mission description, nodded, and had no objection.

His thoughts coincided with Gu Yunqing's.

Having experienced the pressure of fines, he realized that simply doing ordinary tasks step by step would make it difficult to achieve the goal within the deadline. He had to take a risk and maximize the gains from that risk.

Wang Hu swallowed hard as he looked at the mission descriptions, but seeing how calm Gu Yunqing and Jun Xiangbei were, he forced himself to suppress his fear, gripped his weapon tightly, and indicated that he would follow orders.

Although his time with Gu Yunqing was filled with danger, he also gained real knowledge and growth, and developed considerable trust and admiration for Gu Yunqing's judgment.

Gu Yunqing cheered for their group in the live stream:

"A powerful alliance—that's the right way to go."

"He only tackles the toughest challenges; no wonder he's a big shot."

"Brother Wang Hu is becoming more and more composed; he's making progress."

"Jun Shen and Gu Yunqing look really good together."

Just as they selected their mission and prepared to set off, Gu Yunqing seemingly casually moved his wrist, and a faint aura of bloodlust flashed past his fingertips. It was as if he had quietly drawn a trace of the power of the Chou Zangxue card.

Jun Xiangbei keenly noticed this subtle change. His eyes flickered, and he became even more curious about Gu Yunqing's hidden strength.

The group chose to clean up the aggregate of resentment deep within the cursed mine as their first objective.

They had previously cleared out scorpions from the mine, so they were relatively familiar with the terrain. Moreover, enchanted ores and exorcism runes were items they urgently needed.

On the way to the depths of the mine, the light grew dimmer, and the air was filled with a cold, damp atmosphere, mixed with a faint, unsettling whisper of resentment.

Gu Yunqing and Jun Xiangbei walked side by side, with Wu Jueji following behind Gu Yunqing in his usual carefree manner, while Wang Hu and Wu Yan vigilantly observed their surroundings.

As they walked, Gu Yunqing suddenly spoke, her voice not loud, but clearly reaching Jun Xiangbei's ears:

"Mr. Jun, do you feel that the rewards for this dungeon mission are somewhat unusual?"

Jun glanced at him from the north and asked, "What do you mean?"

Gu Yunqing's gaze swept over the ores on the mine walls that were faintly shimmering with an ominous light, and she slowly said, "Leaving aside the generous monetary rewards, the frequency and quality of these enchanting materials, special woods, one-time runes, holy water... far exceed those of ordinary survival dungeons."

He paused, then continued his analysis: "The resource abundance in this instance is extraordinary. However, correspondingly, the ferocity of the ghosts at night is increasing day by day."

"Even if an ordinary team chooses a sturdy house, they will probably perish in the mouths of monsters during daytime missions before they can even acquire resources, or be dragged down by heavy fines, wasting their achievement points in vain."

"This instance was created for the strong."

His words revealed the essence of this seemingly cruel rule of the instance—a selection mechanism.

We eliminate the weak by imposing hefty fines and nighttime dangers, and attract and cultivate the strong by rewarding them with abundant resources.

Jun Xiangbei listened attentively, a deep sense of agreement flashing in his cool eyes. He had vaguely sensed something before, but not as thoroughly as Gu Yunqing.

Jun Xiangbei replied, his voice steady, but his words were extremely arrogant: "Or rather, it was made for us from birth."

The two reached a high degree of consensus at the strategic level.

This shared understanding eased the sense of distance Jun Xiangbei felt due to Gu Yunqing's mystery, replacing it with a comforting feeling of meeting a kindred spirit.

The silent monk tried his best to understand the conversation between the two, occasionally nodding as if he understood.

Wu Jueji yawned, seemingly uninterested in these strategic analyses.

Wang Hu admired Gu Yunqing's vision and perspective even more, feeling that following Brother Gu was definitely the right decision.

People in Gu Yunqing's live stream started discussing this dungeon:

"Holy crap, Gu Yunqing's analysis is spot on."

"This instance is a large-scale selection field. The weak enter and only the strong survive. However, the resources are incredibly abundant, which forces players to compete and become stronger."

"The Divine Ruler understood instantly; is this the tacit understanding among the strong?"

"Silence: Who am I? Where am I? What are they saying?"

Uncle Wu: zzzz…

Wang Hu: My brother Gu is awesome, that's all!

During the conversation, the group had already ventured deep into the heart of the mine.

The resentment here was almost tangible, the temperature plummeted, and the eerie blue crystals on the rock walls shimmered with a strange light.

Suddenly, at the bend in the mine tunnel ahead, a huge, semi-transparent spiritual entity composed of countless twisted, pained faces lunged out—an aggregate of resentment.

It emitted a piercing, soul-piercing scream, and an invisible spiritual shock surged forth like a tidal wave.

Wang Hu and Wu Yan were the first to be hit, their faces turned pale, and their movements froze instantly.

"Hold fast to your mind." Jun Xiangbei shouted in a low voice, and a fierce sword intent erupted, which, like an ice wall, resisted the mental impact to a certain extent.

The silent monk clasped his hands together and chanted incantations. A peaceful power spread out, barely protecting him and Wang Hu.

Wu Jueji's eyes flashed, and his lazy demeanor was instantly replaced by a sharp edge.

He stepped forward, neither dodging nor avoiding, and directly faced the massive aggregate of resentment.

The aggregate extended countless tentacles made of resentment, carrying a chilling aura that eroded the soul, and lashed out fiercely at Wu Jueji.

However, a bizarre scene unfolded.

No matter how swift or strange the attacks of the aggregate of resentment were, Wu Jueji could always dodge them at just the right moment, or deflect them with his seemingly powerless hands.

His speed, reaction time, and even the strange force field that subtly emanates from his body to resist resentment all change in sync with the strength of the aggregate.

This is the strength of Wu Jueji's special ability, "50/50," which makes him stronger when facing stronger opponents.

He was like an indestructible reef, firmly blocking the aggregate of resentment and creating a stable output environment for those behind.

"Its core is in the center of those wailing faces, there is a dark purple crystal." Gu Yunqing's calm voice rang out. He drew on the power of Zhuge Jin's card and instantly found the enemy's vital point.

“Holy Light attacks or pure energy deal additional damage to it,” he added.

Upon hearing this, Jun Xiangbei did not hesitate. Instantly, a layer of extremely condensed icy blue sword energy covered his longsword, which also contained a trace of the intent to ward off evil.

He became a blur, his sword tip pointing directly at the dark purple crystal that Gu Yunqing had mentioned.

"laugh--!"

The sword energy, imbued with the intent to ward off evil, precisely struck the crystal.

"Awooo—!!!"

The aggregate of resentment let out an unprecedentedly shrill scream, its massive body twisting violently and its color dimming considerably.

Seizing the opportunity, Wu Jueji suddenly exerted his strength and threw a punch. It seemed ordinary, but it carried a strange "balancing" force and slammed hard into the flaw exposed by the aggregate due to the injury.

Gu Yunqing also made his move at the same time. He did not use Qiu Zangxue's power, but instead gathered a faint trace of the evil-dispelling power from Zhuge Jin's card at his fingertips. With a flick of his finger, he sent it shooting towards the dark purple crystal like a meteor.

Wang Hu and Wu Yan, despite their discomfort, launched their attack.

Under the combined attack of everyone, especially Jun Xiangbei's strike imbued with the sword intent of exorcising evil and Gu Yunqing's precise finishing blow, the aggregate of resentment finally let out a mournful cry of unwillingness and vanished with a bang, leaving behind only a dull purple crystal, several pieces of enchanted ore shimmering with a ghostly light, and a rune emitting a faint glow.

The battle is over.

Everyone was slightly out of breath as they looked at the spoils on the ground.

High risk, high reward; this time, they won spectacularly.

Jun Xiangbei bent down to pick up the one-time exorcism talisman, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Gu Yunqing, who was inspecting the enchanted ore.

During the battle just now, Gu Yunqing's precise insight, calm command at the critical moment, and the final pure power to ward off evil... all once again proved his extraordinary abilities.

This man is like an inexhaustible treasure trove; every encounter reveals new surprises.

The obsession with understanding and completely controlling this man grew stronger and stronger in Jun Xiangbei's heart, like a vine.

Gu Yunqing felt Jun Xiangbei's gaze, raised her head, and gave him a smile that was as gentle and distant as ever.

"A good haul, Mr. Jun. Shall we move on to the next location?"

Jun Xiangbei suppressed the turmoil in his heart and nodded: "Let's go."