At six o'clock in the morning, as dawn broke, the sandstorm also stopped.
The sun returned to the earth, bringing intense heat.
The natural environment is harsh for Level 2 challenges, but there is a gradual process involved.
The first day wouldn't present the challengers with too difficult an environment, so the sandstorm stopped as soon as it was light.
The chat room became lively again, with someone posting data tables.
[The national vehicle performance ranking, combat effectiveness ranking, points ranking, and lifestyle ranking all show Wei Huan still in first place. And I noticed that these statistics change every time I wake up. Did he secretly work on something last night?]
[Every morning when I wake up, I routinely bow towards the name of the powerful figure, hoping for their blessings.]
[Was there a sandstorm last night? Why can the big shot still drive, while I'm stuck shivering in my car?]
[Boss, could you wait a moment? I don't ask for anything else, I just want to drive behind you. Seeing your imposing figure makes me feel at ease.]
[Looking for experienced players to join me; hoping someone can start a racing team.]
[Same request +1]
[If you want to die, then form a car team. Didn't the school teach you that? Car teams are prone to running out of supplies. When you're low on fuel, are you going to ask a high-level player for help? You should explore and open the treasure chests yourself.]
[Let me tell you a secret: if a caravan encounters a high-level treasure chest, they'll beat their own teammates to a pulp.]
[The top players don't need to form teams; they can just continue selling discounted blueprints and equipment at the auction house. Our server has developed very well because of them.]
[Same as above +1, it would be even better if the discount could be lower (no, shut up!).]
The first night of the challenge has passed. The gentle environment and the confidence in Wei Huan have created a very good atmosphere throughout the region.
Amidst laughter and chatter, everyone began today's challenge.
Mu Zhong also got up, brushed his teeth and washed his face. He heated up some vegetarian buns for breakfast, along with a bowl of hot soy milk.
Breakfast was perfect too.
Wei Huan wasted no time, finished eating first, and then drove off.
During the day, the edges of the area still experience sandstorms, but it's much better than at night.
The purpose of these sandstorms is to serve as a "warning".
Challengers are warned that they have reached the edge of the road, and exploring further will double the risks.
Unless there are special circumstances, Wei Huan will not go inside. If it's just about opening chests, Ghost Crow is enough.
But that special circumstance soon did indeed occur.
A ghost crow flew out from the depths of the sandstorm, cawing loudly.
After advancing to the second tier, the ghost crows' intelligence improved slightly, making their perception of objects much more complex, and their communication with Wei Huan became simpler.
"I saw... ruins... a huge..."
Only Wei Huan could understand the language of the ghost crows.
A surge of joy filled my heart—I had discovered ruins!
He immediately turned the steering wheel and drove in the direction indicated by the ghost crow.
When Mu Zhong came over after finishing his work, he immediately noticed the course deviation.
They are driving further out onto the edge of the desert highway.
"What did you find?"
"The ghost crow told me there was a ruin."
The two spoke almost simultaneously.
Then Mu Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "You found the ruins so quickly?"
Then, in a matter-of-fact tone, he added, "With your plowing efficiency, it's not surprising."
Mu Zhong settled into the passenger seat and began organizing the supplies Wei Huan had acquired the previous night.
"Bronze-level items are still the most plentiful. To upgrade our vehicles to level three, we need resources from black iron and silver treasure chests. I've heard that high-level treasure chests are often hidden in ruins. If we don't find them there this time, I'll have to buy them from the shop."
At first, both Wei Huan and Mu Zhong were eager to upgrade their vehicles to level three.
Only Tier 3 vehicles can fearlessly tackle Tier 2 challenges.
The appearance of the "Undead Ranch" changed their minds.
Now that their strength has doubled and they are protected by an army of undead, completing the level two challenge is no longer a problem.
Now Mu Zhong wants to accumulate points, because later on there will always be resources that he can't get from opening treasure chests, so he can only buy them at high prices in the store.
With hundreds of thousands or even millions of points at the drop of a hat, let alone whether the landlord has enough surplus grain, even the dark beasts won't let you kill them at will.
We are all intelligent beings, and if we have suffered a loss, we will definitely try to avoid war.
Earning points in the later stages is not as easy as you might imagine.
Mu Zhong has started to be thrifty and manage the household well, and Wei Huan supports him. The two share similar values and get along very well.
Wei Huan continued driving deeper into the auction house, while Mu Zhong began listing items for auction.
The challengers, who had been waiting in the auction house for a long time, basically snapped up all the bronze equipment and level 1 blueprints.
The remaining black iron equipment, although very expensive, also sold well, especially the equipment usable in the farmer's sequence, which was basically sold out as soon as it was put on the board.
These items could be sold even at a 2% discount, but Mu Zhong only listed them at 20% off.
The auxiliary equipment is being sold at a 50% discount.
The chat room was very harmonious today.
Those who tried to stir up trouble yesterday have fallen silent after being criticized.
After all, challenging the world is too dangerous, and any supplies could be life-saving. Wei Huan and Mu Zhong's actions indirectly saved countless lives.
There's nothing to criticize, and forcing criticism would be low-class, so I'll just stop talking about it.
After the equipment was hung up, and the blueprints were only halfway up, Wei Huan suddenly said, "We're here."
Mu Chong looked up out of the car, gazing at the ruins, remaining silent for a long time. Then, he suddenly turned around: "Are you getting out of the car?"
The ruins are dangerous because you can't drive into them.
The challenger, now without the vehicle's protection, is half as strong.
Of course, Wei Huan has nothing to worry about.
But Mu Zhong still hoped he could be more cautious.
"No rush." Wei Huan was indeed very cautious and didn't insist on saving face. "I'll let the undead go in first to check, and I'll go in after I confirm there's no danger."
"Yes." Mu nodded, knowing that this was necessary. Some ruins were very special, and the mechanisms required the challenger to make contact in order to open them.
Wei Huan will definitely get off the bus, but he will feel at ease if he can carefully check for any dangers first.
Wei Huan dispatched ten of each of the three types of undead creatures—the wolves, the hidden cats, and the ghost crows—to enter the ruins.
Soon, they disappeared without a trace.
Mu Zhong said, "It seems..."
They found a way down.
"Some ruins are very large, like a maze-like underground palace."
"Yes, some people who went down there didn't die at the hands of the monsters in the underground palace, but were trapped in the maze."
"Exploring the maze will affect our performance in the gold medal challenge, and we must complete the challenge early to move on to the next one as soon as possible. What are your thoughts on this?"
Mu Zhong remained silent for a while, then chuckled, rubbing his forehead: "I'm getting more and more greedy; what am I going to do if I want it all?"
Wei Huan raised his eyebrows, a half-smile playing on his lips.
Mu Zhong said, "How about this, I'll give Xiao Dian a buff so it can send out more troops."
Wei Huan could certainly send more troops to explore, but that's Wei Huan's ability. Mu Zhong is greedy and wants more, so he should use his own abilities instead of just talking and expecting others to do it.
Wei Huan's army didn't have many small creatures like the Wolves and Hidden Cats, and the Ghost Crows weren't lethal, so he didn't have many exploration teams to choose from.
Mu Zhong's suggestion was a good idea; a facehugger with a diameter of one meter would definitely be the trump card for exploring the underground palace.
Thinking this, Wei Huan said, "We don't need the smaller one for now. It's an elite, and its main job is to protect us. Once it gets the buff, it will become weak and have to return to the Great Tomb after the buff ends."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Zhong saw one after another of the cave beast mothers appearing outside the carriage.
Huge, container-truck-like cave beasts appeared on both sides of them, spawning one every ten meters, totaling 20 cave beasts that almost surrounded the ruins.
Wei Huan really enjoys recruiting cave beasts. The feeling of "my little brothers can summon more little brothers" is not only great, but more importantly, these cave beasts can also make him "explode troops".
It is the core unit of his undead legion.
These cave beasts were not all that Wei Huan had recruited. The mere appearance of 20 of them created a sense of overwhelming fear and oppression, as if his vision were being filled by a colossal creature.
But in Wei Huan and Mu Zhong's eyes, it was a complete sense of security.
Mu Zhong struck the drumbeat, casting a faint blue light buff on the five cave beasts, tripling the number of troops they could summon.
The other cave beasts, though lacking additional attributes, numbered over 300 when they gathered together and flooded into the ruins.
Yellow sand, ruins, colossal objects, withered bones, and a vast number of skeletal spiders create a bizarre and absurd scene.
It's practically a horror movie.
The two people in the car, however, were quite relaxed. They even changed their positions out of boredom because they were uncomfortable from sitting for so long.
Finally, the first reward popped up on the screen.
[Obtained 1 Silver-grade Stamina Potion]
[Obtain vehicle exterior crash barrier blueprint (Part 3) x1]
[Acquire portable anti-tank missile x1]
...
Mu Zhong said happily, "A great start! The first thing we found was a silver treasure chest! There are definitely more good things in the ruins!"
Wei Huan remained silent, as he sensed that the number of summoned creatures was decreasing.
They were attacked by a treasure chest monster, and its combat power was not low. Even after upgrading to two stars, they still suffered heavy losses.
But the sheer number of people was ultimately unsolvable, and Wei Huan's brows soon relaxed.
Supplies appeared on the screen.
[Obtain Scales of the Serpent]
10]
"An alien species!?" Mu Zhong exclaimed in surprise, "We've encountered an alien species so early?"
Wei Huan pondered, "It's because of the ruins."
"The ruins are indeed dangerous, but I wonder how strong this mutant is?"
"□□Huan calculated the opponent's combat strength based on his own battle casualty ratio, 'It's equivalent to a third-tier lord-level dark beast, not counting territory.'"
Mu Zhong sighed: "With this level of strength, challengers at this stage would truly have no chance of finding a solution."
"The danger level of the Silver Treasure Chest will only increase, not decrease."
"Yes, this has blocked most people from upgrading, which is why Tier 5 vehicles haven't appeared until now."
Having obtained the items from the silver treasure chest, Wei Huan took out the stamina potion and handed it to Mu Zhong.
Mu Zhong didn't hesitate and drank it. This was the first silver-grade stamina potion he had ever consumed, and the improvement was significant, raising his stamina cap to 400 points.
This stamina stat has reached the stamina value of a two-star upgraded Berserker Bear.
Even if you bombard it with missiles, it won't kill it in one hit.
Faced with the powerful attributes of the professional, the anti-tank missiles obtained from this treasure chest become extremely useless.
Killing people is impossible, taking a taxi is like scraping your skin; humanity's weapons of war are rendered useless here, becoming mere tools for summoning monsters.
They not only had the blueprints for the vehicle exterior crash barrier (3), but they had even successfully upgraded them. Since keeping them was useless, Mu Zhong put them up for auction.
The level 3 blueprints sell for 200 points in the shop, and Mu Zhong listed them for 160 points, but they were still too expensive.
At this stage, there aren't many challengers who can afford silver items.
Someone in the chat room found this blueprint.
[A silver blueprint appeared on the auction house. Did the big shot just open a silver treasure chest? Jealousy is making me unrecognizable.]
[I know the silver treasure chest is beyond my reach, but I can't even see it. What should I do?]
[Didn't you guys notice how many treasure chests this player has? Is there some secret to it?]
[You're a necromancer, you've been doing this a lot, haven't you seen the videos online? When pro players mass-produce units, the rooftop, the ground, and the outer walls are covered in undead, holy crap! I'm speechless with shock for a year!]
[Excuse me, what's the procedure for awakening a necromancer?]
Watching the challengers' conversation in the chat room, Wei Huan's undead exploration army encountered another obstacle.
Five facehuggers died at once, but Wei Huan couldn't sense any change in their numbers. However, the mother beast of those facehuggers emitted a "whispering" warning sound.
Wei Huan waited nervously for a while, but his summoned creatures did not continue to decrease. He thought for a moment and said, "There are still traps below."
Mu nodded: "The underground palace is extremely dangerous."
After that, two more chests and a pair of alien black bat wings were found, and then a ghost crow flew out to tell him that the dungeon had been explored.
They traversed all the side paths, opened all the visible boxes, and even triggered many traps.
In total, it took 11 minutes. I obtained a silver treasure chest, two black iron treasure chests, and materials from two different types of treasure chest monsters.
Different materials can be used to upgrade certain special components that cannot be purchased in the store.
Mu Zhong asked Wei Huan curiously:
Shall we go in and explore?
Wei Huan nodded: "They can't distinguish valuable items, I have to go through them myself."
Mu Zhong knew that nothing ventured, nothing gained, but he simply told Wei Huan, "Be careful."
Wei Huan opened the car door and got out.
This was the second time he had to get off the bus during the road challenge.
Last time he risked his life for the diamond treasure chest, and this time hopefully there will be a surprise waiting for him as well.
Mu Zhong did not go in this time.
Given his current physical condition, following Wei Huan would only be a burden. Besides, there are a lot of things waiting for him at the auction house; different paths require different roles.
"Wei Huan," Mu Zhong poked his head out, "you choose a Crypt Beast Warrior and I'll buff him. It'll be faster and safer."
Wei Huan nodded, and soon after, a relatively large cave beast warrior, with a back width of about 1.5 meters, came running wildly from the ruins on all eight legs.
Mu Zhong buffed the cave beast warrior with agility and strength, but didn't buff its stamina because he didn't want it to grow bigger.
In addition, I buffed ten facehuggers and two cave beasts, saying, "They are your 'personal guards,' don't leave their protective circle."
They're armed to the teeth.
Wei Huan nodded, looking at the satisfied Mu.
Turning around, he stepped onto the back of the cave beast warrior, as steady and solid as a rock, without swaying or shaking.
Then, at Wei Huan's command, the eight legs of the cave beast warriors moved in sequence, allowing them to advance steadily and quickly even on the soft gravel.
In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the ruins.
This ruin is clearly not a product of human civilization, but more like the nest of some kind of creature.
The dried clay stands upright in the wind and sand, and you can see the plant roots hanging down from the broken edges, dancing in the wind.
Wei Huan's gaze fell on a semi-circular object resembling a broken eggshell, and he already had some ideas about this ruin.
In his previous life, he spent a considerable amount of time at the Level 2 Challenge stage, so he had some understanding of the ruins at that stage.
Perhaps that scaly serpent was the master of this ruin, and after hatching, it built its own nest underground.
When the challenge arrived, it and its home became a point of challenge in this world.
Upon entering the underground, it was indeed a cave built by a snake-like creature.
Wei Huan squatted down, and the cave beast warrior carried him directly into the long passage. The light in his vision was gradually taken away, and he was plunged into darkness.
Wei Huan brought lighting equipment, but he didn't use it.
The undead army lined up every five meters along one side of the passage, waiting for their master to arrive.
The green flames in their eyes were enough to illuminate a section of a cold, damp burrow.
Wei Huan blinked and quickly adjusted to the darkness.
As a dark-attribute professional, he is highly adaptable to darkness.
But he didn't like the fishy, foul smell emanating from the depths of the cave.
He ordered his cave beast mount to speed up; he was very experienced in exploring these kinds of nests, and they were still far from discovering any mysteries.
Before long, they arrived at the depths of the cave, where three paths appeared.
The ghost crows had been waiting here for a long time, cawing loudly as they announced...
What do you know at the end of these three roads?
In the middle is a silver treasure chest and a scaly snake.
On the left are two black iron treasure chests and a black bat.
To the right was a trap; several facehuggers had perished there, sinking into a viscous, swamp-like liquid and never emerging. Finally, a ghost crow flew across to confirm that there was no way out.
The crows weren't intelligent enough to fully describe their surroundings, but Wei Huan knew from experience that there was a cesspool on the right.
He wouldn't go to the right; if there really was a treasure map there, he'd accept his fate.
So...
Wei Huan looked at the fork in the road in the middle.
This is a place that must be explored.
The road wasn't deep; it ended in three minutes.
Suddenly, the view opened up, and a huge cave appeared before us.
The ground in the middle was smooth and had traces of coiling, suggesting that the scaled snakes usually slept here.
However, after being "captured" by the challenge world, it was put in a treasure chest and placed on its own bed.
A battle that will be either yours or mine is about to begin.
After surveying the surroundings, Wei Huan focused his attention on the walls.
The undead summons filed in behind them, found a corner and began to face the wall, the green flames in their eye sockets becoming the best source of light.
Wei Huan stepped onto the back of the cave beast warrior and slowly searched along the wall for any possible information.
After searching around, nothing was found.
Wei Huan did not give up.
His gaze began to fall, this time his target was the ground.
Soon, he reaped the rewards.
In the corner, he found a thick, triangular stone rubbing about the size of a basketball, with some lines engraved on it.
Here it is!
Fragments of a treasure map, their ultimate destination is a great treasure... perhaps a golden treasure chest, perhaps a special item, or if you're lucky, you might even find legendary equipment.
Wei Huan and his team members had collected a few pieces before, but they had never managed to collect them all, which even led to a perilous chase.
Even when faced with a common external enemy, some people still become greedy when it comes to wealth.
This time, Wei Huan plans to collect as many items as possible in an attempt to fulfill his dream.
Of course, if exploring for treasure slows him down, he can put it off for now, as there are also ruins in the road challenges to the left, right, and behind.
Treasure map fragments are special items and cannot be stored in the warehouse.
He recalled whether there were any elite units among the Ghost Ravens, and finally regretfully confirmed that he did not have any elite Ghost Ravens.
In the end, he summoned all the ghost crows and made them remember the shape of the stone slab.
What are undead minions used for?
It's about running errands for him when he doesn't want to do anything.
Whether the ghost crows remembered the stone slab is unknown, but the anus-peeling guy came over again and cawed "click-clack" next to Wei Huan.
It invited Wei Huan to sit on its back.
Wei Huan looked at its body covered in 2-centimeter-long bone spurs and firmly refused.
The anus-cleaning guy scratched the ground with its front paws, seemingly in great distress.
Wei Huan pretended not to see it.
Everything went smoothly; Wei Huan emerged from the ruins in just about ten minutes.
Back in the car, the message "[Obtained Treasure Map Fragment X1]" popped up on the screen.
It was the first time Mu Zhong had ever seen a treasure map, so he took the stone slab.
My arm suddenly felt heavy: "Tsk! It's a bit heavy, isn't it?"
Wei Huan confirmed that it was time to give Mu Zhong two bottles of strength potion.
Mu Zhong took out the stone slab. Since he had no legs, he placed it directly on the chair and carefully ran his fingers over the patterns on it.
After a while, he said, "Opening chests also has a very low probability of yielding treasure maps. I think we can try to buy them. How many points do you think would be appropriate?"
Wei Huan said, "Around 1200."
Mu Zhong thought for a moment and said, "Okay, a fragment is worth about the same as a silver treasure chest. Shall I try to collect it?"
"good."
Wei Huan restarted the car and drove off again.
Instead of returning to the original route, he decided to stay on this route, which was closer to the edge.
As expected, this route was quite dangerous, and soon he encountered quicksand.
The undead skeletons are too light to be easily swept up in quicksand.
But vehicles are not an option.
After they got stuck, Little Dot chirped and carefully used its four front legs to pull the car out of the quicksand.
The quicksand posed little threat to them, but they were unable to travel in this area.
Mu Zhong suggested taking a detour.
Wei Huan said, "Let Xiao Dian carry us in."
My thinking has been broadened.
That's true, who says a road challenge has to involve driving?
Under command, Little Dot obediently lifted the car and placed it on the back cover.
The level 2 dot easily carried them across the quicksand as if walking on flat ground.
Soon, the operation to penetrate deep into dangerous territory proved effective.
In this vast expanse of quicksand, even the ghost crows could not explore the entire area, for as they walked into the core, they soon discovered another ruin.
Mu Zhong stroked his chin: "Are there really that many ruins?"
Wei Huan thought for a moment: "High-level treasures are usually found in dangerous places."
"That's true."
Discovering ruins is like discovering a treasure chest, and the treasure chests in the ruins are very concentrated, plus there are treasure map fragments to collect.
It's so nice!