Chapter 1588: Go if you want
Apocalypse Gachapon
The dangers of the Ice Crystal Swamp seemed almost nonexistent in the face of Cloud Peak's forces. Whether it was the White Tiger Beetles lurking underground or the Blowdart Dolls, they might as well have been made of paper.
This left both Zienke's and Old Man's teams utterly dumbfounded.
The Ice Crystal Swamp had earned its reputation as a "non-dungeon death zone" for good reasonâcountless lives had been lost to build its infamy. Yet, in front of Cloud Peak's team, none of it seemed to matter.
Old Man had taught their method of dealing with the White Tiger Beetles, but it achieved unimaginable results in Cloud Peak's hands. Every beetle within the team's path was rooted out, no matter how deeply hidden.
Some of the Female Guard's battle beasts possessed extraordinarily sharp hearing, detecting the slightest movements long before the beetles could strike. Even the most deeply buried White Tiger Beetles were exposed seconds in advance.
As for the Blowdart Dolls, they posed even less of a threat. With the ice birds soaring aboveâimmune to their attacksâthe dolls' positions were exposed from afar, making ambushes impossible. Instead, Cloud Peak's forces raided one of their camps, capturing four live Blowdart Dolls.
Aside from their blowdarts, the little creatures had no other significant offensive capabilities. Once caught, they were powerless to resist.
Had Cloud Peak not been in a hurryâand carrying too many Blowdart Dolls been cumbersomeâthe number of captives could have been far greater.
By the time they exited the Ice Crystal Swamp, they still hadnât encountered the Ghost Mist, much to Ye Zhongmingâs disappointment. He had a theory about it, but he couldnât verify it without encountering the phenomenon.
Zienke hadnât been asked to follow Ye Zhongmingâheâd chosen to do so himself. The reason was simple: his team had been severely weakened. Continuing alone in the dangerous ice plains would likely lead to their swift annihilation.
An eight-star evolved might seem invincible, but nature was always the most formidable force on this planet, and mutated lifeforms were the deadliest threats.
Meeting Ye Zhongming reignited Zienkeâs ambition to rebuild his team. Following him back to Yakutsk was part of that plan.
Of course, he also genuinely wanted to forge a good relationship with this Eastern powerhouse.
Befriend those stronger than you, dominate those weakerâno matter where you were, that was a solid rule.
When passing through the territories of two powerful mutated lifeforms, Zienke witnessed the might of Yellow Ball, Yangos, Nine Treasures, and the Undead Dragon-fish effortlessly hunting down creatures of the same level. He⊠promptly knelt before the evil dragon.
At that moment, he was thoroughly convinced. Ye Zhongming didnât even need to lift a finger to kill himâhis battle beasts could tear him apart in seconds.
As for why he knelt to Yangos? He said his family lineage spanned over a thousand years, and Western fire dragons had always been their totem.
Ye Zhongming internally scoffed but kept his thoughts to himself.
The team moved swiftly with no nine-level lifeforms blocking their path and no dangers like the Ice Crystal Swamp. Days later, they arrived at a small town dozens of kilometers from Yakutsk.
This was the rear base of the human coalition. Zienke had departed from here earlier and knew the placeâand its peopleâwell.
When he led Ye Zhongmingâs group into the town, the level eight battle beasts had mysteriously vanished. Zienke didnât dare ask where theyâd gone. Instead, he guided Cloud Peak to meet the local human coalition leader, Peijia, the townâs overseer.
Peijia was a tall, burly Black man whose presence alone exuded immense pressure when he wasnât smiling.
At a glance, Ye Zhongming deduced that this town must be the coalitionâs supply depotâtheir logistics hub. Otherwise, they wouldnât station an eight-star evolved here.
Peijia embraced Zienke warmly, suggesting a decent relationship between them.
After introductions, however, Peijiaâs warmth toward Ye Zhongming cooled significantly, his gaze turning scrutinizing.
When Zienke requested temporary lodging for Cloud Peak, Peijia didnât immediately agree.
"Peijia, Mr. Ye saved my life. I vouch for himâhe wonât cause any trouble. He just wants to rest among fellow human evolved before heading further north."
Seeing his friend hesitate, Zienke grew visibly embarrassed and quickly pledged guarantees. He was desperate to prove his worth to Ye Zhongming. How could he expect future benefits if he couldnât even handle this simple request?
Peijia studied Zienke curiously, noting his unusual deference to the Easterner. Even when meeting Akinasâthe coalitionâs recognized top leaderâZienke hadnât acted this way.
Assuming Zienke must be seeking something from Ye Zhongming rather than being awed by his strength, Peijia deliberated before speaking.
"You can stay, but youâll follow our rules. Each person must pay one level five demon crystal per day. In return, weâll ensure your safety and privacy."
It was protection money. Zienkeâs expression darkened.
A daily toll of one level five crystal per person meant Cloud Peak would be shelling out nearly a thousand crystals daily, equivalent to seven or eight five-star evolution potions.
Even for an eight-star evolved like Zienke, that was steep.
His old friend wasnât doing him any favors.
Just as Zienke prepared to assert himself, Ye Zhongming agreed without bargaining.
Zienke immediately shut his mouth.
Whether Ye Zhongming genuinely intended to pay or planned to renege later, Zienke was ready to back his decision unconditionally.
Peijia was taken aback. Heâd expected hagglingâmaybe settling for a dozen five-star potions or one six-star. But the Easterner hadnât even countered.
"Then⊠letâs cooperate happily." Peijia narrowed his eyes and extended a large black hand toward Ye Zhongming.
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Cloud Peak was assigned the western edge of townâan area that was, in a word, too good. It was the safest spot in the entire settlement, adjacent to the heavily guarded supply depot. Here, they could rest without fear.
Zienkeâs mood improved upon seeing the location. At least Peijia hadnât taken their money and dumped them in a pit.
After bidding Ye Zhongming farewell, he retired to recuperate, his injuries still not fully healed.
Cloud Peak set up camp, posted guards, and settled in.
When night fell, Red Hairâwhoâd vanished earlierâreturned. With her strength, the foreign sentries never stood a chance of detecting her.
"Well?" Ye Zhongming set aside a freshly crafted materialâa fang from the level nine Snow Wolf King he intended to use for something.
Red Hair naturally stepped behind him, her hands gently massaging his shouldersâa habit sheâd picked up from Xia Lei.
"Itâs tricky." Red Hair, now nearly indistinguishable from a human, frowned. "I couldnât locate the Talking Lady. If not for Yangos and the ice birds accompanying me, landing in the city wouldâve been difficult."
"Oh? The mutated lifeforms inside are that strong?" Ye Zhongming raised an eyebrow.
"Very. I sensed thirteen power fluctuations at my level, plus a few⊠ambiguous ones. I couldnât pinpoint them."
If Red Hairâwith her keen sensesâwas uncertain, the situation was truly unusual.
Ye Zhongming fell silent. He hadnât expected a single city to harbor so many level eight lifeforms. Those ambiguous readings were likely also level eight, possibly with unique abilities.
Could there be a level nine?
Logically, no. If a nine-level existed, the human coalition wouldnât dare maintain its current formation. A million evolved might besiege a lone level nine, but against an army led by one? That was suicide.
But things werenât always so straightforward. Perhaps a level nine was hiding, biding its time to devour the Talking Lady the moment she evolved, thereby amplifying its own power.
Either way, Ye Zhongming would have to face it.
"I saw the black cat. The one mentioned in Zienke and Old Manâs intelâit is the Talking Ladyâs twin lifeform."
Another anomaly.
The Talking Lady and the black cat shared a lifebond and energy exchange as twin lifeforms. If she was evolving, the cat should be too. Upon awakening, theyâd both reach level nine.
That was their strengthâand their vulnerability.
Once evolved, theyâd possess unmatched power for their tier. But during the process, they were utterly defenseless.
Since the Talking Lady was a psychic lifeform, Ye Zhongming had assumed sheâd rely on controlled zombies for protection. Yet, the black cat wasnât in an evolutionary state!
That⊠wasnât normal.
"Heh." Red Hair smirked. "Maybe because the Talking Lady and I were rivals, the black cat didnât trust me. It wouldnât reveal her location. But it did say⊠it wants you to go."