On the other side, Lin Bei dispatched ten security robots, produced overnight, each leading ten shadow tanks to hunt down the remnants of the Expeditionary Force.
This also helped Lin Bei explore the map; otherwise, a completely dark map interface was always an uncomfortable sight.
At this current stage, Lin Bei was confident that no one in the Survivors' sea area where he was currently located had the strength to defeat a Combat team consisting of ten shadow tanks.
Not even Bei Bei Nan Gua!
"Right, my Combat Power is currently 25,000 points. That means... it should be equivalent to 250 Bei Bei Nan Gua's Combat Power."
"Time really flies. I remember back then... I was just a weakling."
Lin Bei muttered to himself.
Afterward, he went to the Dungeon Entrance, looked at Da Hei, who never let go of his cigarette, paid for a ticket, and Teleported into the Underworld.
This time, the surrounding environment had changed again.
Unlike the previous two times, the location where he Teleported to this time was near a dilapidated village.
A Bonfire was burning at the entrance of the village.
It was a pity the firelight was faint, as if it could go out at any moment.
Without another word, Lin Bei took three steps in two, directly took out a barrel of excellent quality Fuel, and poured it onto the fire.
Whoosh!
The flames shot up, instantly turning into a roaring blaze.
"Hm, this way it won't go out."
Lin Bei nodded in satisfaction, then carefully surveyed his surroundings.
This time, there were no strange papers covered in scribbles next to the Bonfire; instead, there was a worn-out, sheepskin-covered booklet.
It looked somewhat familiar.
"It looks a lot like a Survivors' Handbook, but upon closer inspection... it seems a bit different."
Lin Bei reached out to touch the booklet.
However, as soon as his palm touched the sheepskin booklet, it vibrated slightly and transformed into a cloud of grayish-white glowing particles, drifting towards a certain spot within the village.
It seemed... to be guiding something.
At the same time, a notification sound rang in Lin Bei's ear.
[Notification: You have triggered a Hidden Quest - Altar of the Disqualified Ones.]
[Quest Content: Follow the guidance of the parchment book, go to the sacrificial ground, kill all returning Disqualified Ones, and destroy the altar.]
[Quest Reward: character summoning card (excellent) ×1, disqualified ones ring (excellent) ×1, "Spirit Cultivation Method" ×1]
"This quest... actually rewards a character summoning card?"
Lin Bei was overjoyed, already anticipating what kind of companion would be summoned this time.
However, Lin Bei didn't rush to follow the white light particles directly into the village to find the Altar of the Disqualified Ones. Instead, he continued to deploy hundreds of shadow tanks into the black Mist Area outside the village.
The hidden quest was a secondary task; for Lin Bei, the top priority was to complete the main quest—lighting all the Bonfires and eradicating the Mist Monsters.
Although Lin Bei said his Combat Power had already surpassed 25,000 points, he still had no intention of personally dealing with those Mist Monsters.
Everywhere was a bombardment of artillery fire, then the Tank Army advanced, sweeping everything before them.
All he had to do was replenish the shadow tanks' ammunition in time.
Speaking of which, since his profession advanced to Ammunition Expert, the firepower of these shadow tanks had increased by more than just a little compared to before. With hundreds of shadow tanks simultaneously covering and striking the target area, the visible area became a fiery inferno, extremely terrifying.
This time, all the Bonfires in the Mist Area were quickly lit, totaling one hundred and forty-four, the most he had encountered since entering the Underworld.
However, the overall map-clearing time was less than half of what it took during his second entry into the Underworld.
This indirectly confirmed the significant enhancement that Lin Bei's Ammunition Expert professional skill now provided to these shadow tanks.
He glanced at his attribute panel; his experience points had accumulated to several million.
If he were to directly perform an Island Upgrade, this experience would be enough to raise him to the level cap.
"But even if the Island Upgrade is available, now isn't the best time to level up."
Lin Bei withdrew the shadow tank army, approaching the village while pondering:
"Leveling up to gain Combat Power can trigger Critical Hit effects. Since that's the case, it must be saved along with those supply treasure chests for the last day of the Hot Season, to be used in conjunction with the 'Super Luck' status."
"By then... if a high-multiplier Critical Hit is triggered, my Combat Power is estimated to easily break through the 100,000-point mark."
"As for now... I'll just keep exercising daily to increase my Combat Power."
"Moreover, I previously obtained the title [Hunter] for being the first to kill a Disqualified One. Once activated, it allows me to absorb a portion of the target's Qi and Blood Power to replenish myself."
"Although this Qi and Blood Power cannot directly transform into my Combat Power, it's not much different from the energy in food. By using the Perfect quality training equipment in the training room, this Qi and Blood Power can gradually be converted into my own Combat Power."
"Therefore, I don't need to rush to level up in a short period of time."
Soon, Lin Bei arrived at the village entrance.
Looking up, the village was dim, filled with a decaying aura of death.
"The decaying aura here is a hundred times denser than in the Small Wooden House before!"
"It seems joining a faction was indeed a good thing. Otherwise, with my luck, who knows when I'd encounter such a prime dungeon!"
To be safe, Lin Bei prepared in advance this time, holding a Frost Ice Repeating Crossbow in one hand and Fine Snow Dance in the other.
Ready to attack, ready to defend.
If there was any movement, he would act immediately.
If he found himself surrounded, he would retreat at once.
He had already activated his energy shield, so even if he was ambushed, he wouldn't panic at all.
"It's a pity the village entrance is too narrow; otherwise, I would have just driven the tanks in."
Lin Bei regretfully glanced at the dilapidated village entrance.
He had punched the crumbling walls at the village entrance earlier, and even with his current high Combat Power, he only left a fist print.
This showed that the buildings here had strong defenses, and trying to force his way in with shadow tanks was somewhat unrealistic.
As for saturation bombardment?
Don't be silly, with so many houses here, they were like blind boxes waiting for him to open in Lin Bei's eyes!
Therefore, he didn't want to watch them be destroyed in artillery fire!
After all, a single Small Wooden House had provided him with many good things before. With so many houses here, even if the quality of the items inside wasn't as good as the first Small Wooden House, the harvest would definitely not be bad!
Lin Bei stepped into the village and immediately felt an oppressive aura from his surroundings.
Lin Bei frowned, feeling a little flustered.
But before he could think further, a strange power surged within him, instantly sweeping away the oppressive atmosphere.
"This feeling... is it mental pollution again?"
The familiar sensation from within his body made Lin Bei raise an eyebrow.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was his Super Intuition being triggered again.
Super Intuition could enhance all his six senses and Combat awareness, while also making him immune to all mental pollution.
Otherwise, he would have been affected the moment he stepped into the village.
"This place... is indeed not simple."
Lin Bei took a deep breath and continued deeper into the village.
Meanwhile, in a golden palace, a young girl with long pink hair sat before an instrument, carefully watching everything unfolding on the screen.
When she saw Lin Bei hesitate only slightly after entering the village before continuing deeper, her tense nerves immediately relaxed, and a sweet smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"It seems he can fully adapt to this level of mental pollution."
"In that case... he indeed qualifies to enter the advanced areas to search for those lost world fragments."
"This investment... is not a loss."
Afterward, she took out a pink wristband, very similar in appearance to Lin Bei's Survival Bracelet, and operated the machine in front of her a few times.
Soon, light flashed, the pink wristband disappeared, and the next second, it appeared in Da Hei's hand.
"Uh-huh, okay, okay, like this? Uh-huh, uh-huh, I understand! Don't worry! Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh..."
Da Hei extended a dark finger to his head, as if setting up an antenna, nodding and agreeing as if on a phone call.
After a long while, he withdrew the dark finger from his head, looked at the pink wristband in front of him, and muttered sourly:
"Damn, a newcomer Survivor gets Lord Aleria's exclusive communicator, but I, a thousand-year excellent veteran employee, don't get such treatment?"
"Sigh, demons are truly worse off than humans; it infuriates this demon!"