Chen Qi glanced at the area near the wormhole.
There were about thirty members of the faction in front of the wormhole, and probably ten Hunters who had come here alone.
In total, there were about forty people.
According to the intelligence, most of these forty people had come for the treasure mentioned by the old man.
They had come for that treasure?
Is the treasure you're talking about the same one I'm looking for?
If they really knew it was the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure, those guarding this place wouldn't be faction members.
They would be mercenaries specially trained by big corporations, or even special operatives from Shell Country!
The treasure mentioned in the old man at the newspaper's intelligence isn't likely the same treasure he was looking for.
Chen Qi looked curious and wanted to know more information:
"Is there more?"
The old man adjusted his glasses:
"Of course, when it comes to gathering intelligence, we are professionals, even Shell Country's official intelligence organizations might not compare with us."
"According to the information we've gathered, to obtain that special treasure, one must first obtain a key from the creature initially encountered.
As for the treasure location..."
A key...
The Deep Sea Hunter's treasure information did not involve a key.
"The chances are high it's not the Hunter's treasure."
Chen Qi made a preliminary judgment in his mind.
Then, the old man leaned slightly forward, scrutinizing Chen Qi in detail:
"Guest, the information I'm about to tell you is crucial."
"This treasure location is only known to the chosen overseer."
An overseer?
Chen Qi had participated in similar cracks.
In simple terms, there would be a 'werewolf' character whose goals differed from normal players. They would need to hunt those participating in the crack to earn greater rewards.
To obtain this treasure, one must defeat the first monster encountered and also extract the treasure location from the overseer.
Chen Qi said:
"Sounds quite troublesome."
After finishing the intelligence report, the old man adjusted his glasses and scrutinized Chen Qi from head to toe:
"Guest, the identity of this overseer has already been predetermined by the Black Rabbit gang.
For this crack journey, the Black Rabbit gang and the Wild Dog gang, two factions at loggerheads, have already joined forces."
"The crack can accommodate up to fifty-one people, but because of some issues, Black Rabbit gang's manpower is limited; together, they amount to only thirty people.
That means, you can completely ignore those squatting in front of the crack and just enter."
With no issue regarding the number of people, there's no need to queue up here anymore.
Chen Qi took a deep breath.
At this moment, the old man at the newspaper almost finished sharing the intelligence and kindly reminded:
"Guest, you're outnumbered and not well-suited to contend for the treasure,"
"Moreover, this crack has a high probability of dimensional distortion, further decreasing your survival rate."
"But if you're just aiming to pass through the crack and remain cautious, your chances of surviving should be about fifty percent."
Fifty percent, the old man cited a not-so-high figure.
He could see that Chen Qi's capabilities were somewhat above those of a regular First Order Transcendent.
But due to the involvement of the gangs and the high rate of distortion, the difficulty of this crack far exceeded that of a rank E crack.
If any unforeseen circumstances occurred, the survival rate would only be lower than fifty percent.
"Thanks, I'll be careful,"
Chen Qi nodded.
His primary goal was the Deep Sea Hunter's treasure, not the treasure they were talking about.
The opponent's intelligence was still very useful.
Chen Qi asked again:
"Thanks, is there really nothing you need?"
The old man smiled:
"No need, rules are rules.
By the way, guest, if you have useful intelligence, you can contribute to our newspaper. Depending on the value of your intelligence, we will reward you.
If it's valuable enough, we might even provide you with rare weapons that are hard to find on the market.
Just like the appearance of the woman in the cloak just now, my gut tells me, beneath her cloak lies not an ordinary appearance, possibly wriggling flesh or a body harboring insects.
Of course, safety always comes first, guest, you'd best maintain some distance from her."
"I understand, your newspaper only wants intelligence? You don't accept anything else?"
Chen Qi asked.
Many intelligence organizations also endorse a 'fencing' side business.
If he could get in touch with them, perhaps he could deal with some contraband.
The old man raised an eyebrow:
"No, we don't accept other things, intelligence is what we, the followers of the Lamp Phase in this city, seek."
"Lamp..."
Chen Qi's eyes lit up.
In Shell Country, it was rare to see Transcendents who followed the Lamp's Creed.
The Lamp symbolized hope, guidance, light, exploration, and other elements.
As expected, the newspaper organization behind Pelu was a quite powerful Lamp Phase organization!
The newspaper editor in front of him picked up a newspaper and finally said,
"May your journey through the crack go smoothly."
"And may your business prosper," replied Chen Qi.
After gathering intelligence, Chen Qi left the crack point.
The crack would open at noon tomorrow, which gave him time to prepare.
The most important piece of information he got from the elderly newspaper person was the name of the crack: "Hunting Ground."
Hunting Ground was a fairly common type of crack.
Each Hunting Ground had a different terrain, but the types of monsters and some processes within the cracks remained the same.
As a strategy content creator, he knew some special ways to complete the challenges!
If human factors were excluded, this crack would be a piece of cake for him.
In the Hunting Ground, it was possible to attract some monsters' attention with food.
Without hesitation, Chen Qi went to a mall and bought some ingredients needed for the Hunting Ground, as well as some cooking utensils, and some poisons that he might need.
If he were lucky enough to obtain special Transcendent ingredients inside the crack, he could cook them right on the spot.
Then, Chen Qi returned to the small travel boat and began practicing the Body Forging Skill.
With the aid of the Body Forging Skill and the Transcendent ingredients, his body had begun to show some modest muscle definitions.
After a night of practice, his strength increased by two points, and the punch he threw produced a slight whistling sound.
...
The next day.
Chen Qi got up early and once again came to the street where the crack's entrance was located.
The chaotic street was littered with overturned garbage bins, tables and cabinets thrown onto the street, along with disordered clothes, and many fresh bullet casings.
Boom boom boom!
Chen Qi looked up.
The crack was about to open, the wormhole's pulsation frequency growing larger, and the surrounding walls and ground continually cracking open.
A giant maw linking to another world was about to open!
Chen Qi stood on the street, scanning his surroundings.
Among the gang members, there was a man clad in light steam armor.
Beyond the gang members, there were also numerous tall Hunters wielding powerful shotguns and wearing heavy fur armors.
The cloaked woman from yesterday was also present. Hmm? The weeds on her mouth were still there.
Without exception, greed and madness shone in their eyes.
A journey through the crack could change a person's fate.
Just then, a member of the Black Rabbit Gang, holding a shotgun, eyed all the non-gang members present with a greedy look.
At this point, many people had not paid the 'entry fee'.
They needed to find an easy target to extract a little entry fee.
"You! You look pretty weak!"
The member of the Black Rabbit Gang glanced at the cloaked woman, noting her slender female frame, intending to extort money from her.
But suddenly, he noticed a strange bulge under her cloak and backed off.
Weird stuff, better not mess with it!
The cloaked woman breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Chen Qi, who was not far from her position. After her, the next easy target would be Chen Qi.
Here it came, his focus shifted to Chen Qi.
The Black Rabbit Gang member, holding a shotgun menacingly, walked over to Chen Qi and said,
"Damn it! Hey, this crack is ours. If you want to enter, you must pay the entry fee!"
Being targeted, huh... Chen Qi silently shook his head.
He despised gang members. Although these guys were not strong, they were very good at outnumbering their prey.
"Hey, did you hear me? This is our crack, stepping into our territory means you have to pay! We charge fifty thousand.
But you haven't shown us the respect we deserve, so including the respect fee, you owe us eighty thousand! Eighty thousand!"
The short member of the Black Rabbit Gang moved closer, stretching his neck and threatening again.
Chen Qi lowered his head, revealing icy eyes,
"The crack is already open. Instead of worrying about money, you'd better worry about your own life."
The weaker you appear to gang members, the more ruthlessly they bully you.
"It's open?"
The member of the Black Rabbit Gang was stunned, suddenly turning his head back.
At that moment, the giant mouth on the wall burst open with a fierce roar, and the surrounding walls and ground instantly shattered.
With a loud bang!
An intense storm swept across the street in an instant!
Within that gaping maw, the faint shadow of another world could be seen.
At the moment of opening, all those present instantly felt the enlightenment of the crack!
The intelligence was right!
Within this crack, there indeed were objects that could change one's fate!
In an instant, ten fully armed Transcendents, ignoring the watchful eyes of the gang members, charged into the crack like rampaging bulls!