Damn it! Let's smash the darkness together!-Chapter 533 - 140 I, Without a Knife to Slay the Dragon, Can Only Return to My Hometown to Start a Business (Soliciting Monthly Tickets)

"Ah, who would’ve thought that in this vast wasteland, after running all morning, we’d encounter only these two monsters," complained Gu Pan, as she gently wiped her blood-stained sword. A sense of unsatisfaction was written all over her fair, flawless face, which could be summarized in two words: unbeatable.

She had been dragged out to pioneer the wasteland by Xu Shu early in the morning under the pretense of "challenging oneself, breaking through limits."

Since becoming a Transcendent and leaving the city for "hunts," she hadn’t truly ventured into the wasteland. Today was her first time "crossing the border to pioneer."

The enemies they encountered were a pair of monsters caught in the midst of an affair.

One was a Flying Head Monster, with only a head remaining, all its organs on the head, which sprouted a long horn from its forehead when aroused.

The other was a Slaanesh Demon, utterly disgusting and ugly, with skin like sludge and burst sores on its body, blooming like wretched plum blossoms.

Their strength wasn’t particularly formidable, and since they were caught off guard at the peak of their high, what chance did they stand to fight back?

Thus, Xu Shu and Gu Pan took one each, splitting up to shatter the enemies, taking them down directly.

Among them, Gu Pan’s performance especially surprised Xu Shu, who finished hers off with just two strikes.

Then, Gu Pan followed Xu Shu in a killing spree that turned up nothing much, returning safely to the border line.

Little did she know that their "luck" this time was because Xu Shu had already charted a safe route through the Tai Chu Scroll’s Journey mode.

Otherwise, had they blundered about, they might have stepped right into a swamp filled with monstrous frog-fish heads and become frog food themselves. Would they still be able to speak so grandly then?

Behind them were places like the parking lot full of skulls, or the strange stores selling old movies that would be eaten by vinyl records—the sinister glass shards waiting to decapitate someone at any moment. And what about those pre-civilization ruins? Any one of them could make an entire Pioneer team disappear without a trace.

Not to mention the tombs that created illusions, enticing people to venture deep within. That Third Rank "Yin King" witch had a voracious appetite; even a Second Rank team going in might not suffice to fill the slightest crevice of her belly.

Still, even with such formidable entities around, on the wasteland, they could only be considered the lowest "powers" there were.

Other terrifying, fearsome monsters emerged endlessly.

Once humans left the boundary line and entered the wasteland, saying there was a death trap every five steps wasn’t an exaggeration.

As for the Third Rank Yin King’s tomb, although Xu Shu had experimented in the simulation with ways to bait her to the boundary line and exploit the Star Tower’s defense mechanisms to kill her successfully,

Alas, the cost was too high, requiring the sacrifice of his aunt’s life.

Such a ruthless and unscrupulous act, after some deliberation, Xu Shu decided he could not do it.

Even though in the Journey mode, he could casually throw away the lives of Gu Yue Ming and Gu Pan for fun, in reality, he was somewhat more humane.

There need to be boundaries in being human. Otherwise, what’s the difference from a beast?

So this time out, Xu Shu chose the lowest-cost "field duo" mode: hit and run, with no lingering attachments to battle.

By this time, the sun was high in the sky, and the three set up camp inside the border, taking the chance to eat some food and replenish their strength.

On the ground lay two white, gleaming Erosion Crystals, each with a dozen fluffy spirals slowly rising within.

This was the morning’s harvest.

Xu Shu gnawed on a tasteless compressed biscuit, his gaze heavy with thought.

Only two more attempts left. What to do next?

Continue exploring the wilderness, hunting down solitary weak monsters?

But adding yesterday’s attempt, that meant three "Journeys" for just two Erosion Crystals’ safety.

Even then, he would have to share the spoils with his teammates. The efficiency was frankly not that high...

Gu Yue Ming, sitting nearby, seemed to be pondering a similar issue, his expression vacant as if his mind wasn’t quite working.

Gu Pan, on the other hand, was energetic. Right after lamenting that the grand wasteland bore no worthy opponent for her sword, she turned her attention to the spoils of war.

She glanced at Xu Shu, who seemed to be at a difficult crossroads in life, and at Gu Yue Ming, who was staring blankly into space. Clearing her throat, she called for their attention.

"Ahem! I think that among us three, the one with the biggest contribution should get to absorb this crystal," she declared firmly, looking to Xu Shu to see his reaction.

"?"

Where did she learn this cunning ploy of striking with a borrowed knife?

Are we all going to die over these two crystals today?

Xu Shu rolled his eyes at her suggestion.

But Gu Pan’s question firmed up Xu Shu’s resolve.

They couldn’t go on like this!

With his current strength, continuing to hunt outside at a similar crystal acquisition rate to before was terribly inefficient.

Gone were the days when he could level up blissfully with just a few First-tier Crystals.

Enhancing the Second-order Curse Seal would consume more of his resources, and the income from daily wilderness hunts just wouldn’t cut it.

So, after a moment of deep consideration, Xu Shu decided it was time to switch to a more profitable method.

"Boss, stop eating, let’s hit the road," Xu Shu directed.

"Alright, which way to next?" Gu Pan asked, not taking offense at being ordered around by Xu Shu but instead showing an eager expression.