An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 183 Fists, Eyes, and Brain

"A rehearsal for the trials of the past?"

Qin Xiang's words made Chu Xiu raise an eyebrow.

It must be said that Qin Xiang seems to be truly devoted to the country. Knowing that he might not be able to stop Chu Xiu, he simply made this suggestion to make the subsequent Old Trials more likely.

He probably realized that Chu Xiu was a lone wolf and most likely not good at teamwork.

The old trials were extremely difficult, requiring the combined efforts of four of the most outstanding geniuses to possibly pass.

But in reality, his idea stemmed purely from a serious misjudgment of Chu Xiu's strength.

Clearly, even after witnessing the corpses that filled the cave, Qin Xiang's assessment of Chu Xiu's strength was only close to the King rank, still a significant underestimation.

“I prefer to act alone,” Chu Xiu said calmly.

He didn't want to share resources with others, and given his physical condition, being with others would only slow down the operation.

“I know, and that’s why I made this suggestion,” Qin Xiang handed over a tablet computer. “But I won’t let you lead the team for nothing. I can take this opportunity to apply to the government for a preliminary project, which can bring in a lot of funding.”

"How about five thousand karma points? Also, if you agree to this, I will immediately send my men back to Blue Star and, through internal channels, have the [Upgrade Flame] that you entrusted to me auctioned off at the auction house in Kyoto. As soon as you finish your exploration and return to Blue Star, you will receive payment immediately."

"And if you can bring all three of them out alive, I will give you an extra five thousand karma points."

"So, isn't this offer generous enough?"

As Qin Xiang finished speaking, Chu Xiu actually showed a look of interest.

Ten thousand karma points is quite a lot. Although he has been earning tens of thousands of points recently, he is not naive enough to think that he can have a continuous stream of opportunities.

Most of the time, even King-level Awakeners honestly farm and develop their strength, and they are lucky if they can earn one or two thousand karma points a month.

Ten thousand karma points are enough to make up for the resources taken by teammates, with plenty left over.

The latter was even more appealing to Chu Xiu. The value of the [Upgraded Fire Seed] goes without saying, and placing it in the auction house in Kyoto would not only attract the most users to bid high prices, but also have a relatively low commission rate from the auction house, maximizing the profit of this item.

After a moment's thought, Chu Xiu asked, "Is there a pre-selected candidate?"

"No, it's your choice. After all, going deep into the pit is very dangerous, and we can't force you."

"However, I do have a list here, and I have a suggestion for you."

"what?"

Do you know what the core components of a squad are?

Under Chu Xiu's questioning gaze, Qin Xiang held up three fingers: "A complete squad must have three responsibilities."

"They are the fist, the eye, and the brain."

"The fist is responsible for forceful attacks, the eyes are used to scout the situation and gather information, and the brain is used to process information and make the most rational decisions."

"These three responsibilities can be shared by multiple people or one person can be responsible for multiple responsibilities, but all of them must be fulfilled. Otherwise, it will be like a lame athlete, no matter how good the physical condition is, it will be difficult to pass the high-difficulty test."

"If there are still vacancies after the three roles are filled, a fourth person can be added to form a common strategy team of two fists. If the original three people are all strong, a support class can be selected to enhance the overall strength, or a multi-functional class can be selected to enhance the team's ability to adapt to changing situations."

“Some teams have everything they need, so they choose classes that excel in mental defense, such as [Priest], [Spellbreaker], and [Taoist Priest], to make up for their weaknesses. Since most Awakened Ones are lacking in mental defense, having one of these classes in the team will prevent them from being helpless when facing corruption or mental attacks.”

Qin Xiang's words made Chu Xiu look thoughtful.

The other party's suggestions are reasonable; they should all be based on the experience gained by predecessors in countless battles.

For him, there was no need to consider his fists anymore. Among awakened beings of the same level, Chu Xiu's combat strength was absolutely unmatched; no one could even see his back.

However, this does not mean that he has no weaknesses. He lacks knowledge reserves, long-range reconnaissance capabilities, wide-area search capabilities, mental defense capabilities, and pollution resistance capabilities.

Having three more teammates would certainly provide an extra layer of security for his exploration.

"The brain can be entrusted to Su Jinyu. This girl has a wealth of knowledge, which alone makes her stand out among the awakened ones here. She may be able to play an unexpected role, and her combat strength is no worse than that of an ordinary general-level awakened one."

"Besides, she needs my help, so I don't need to worry about betrayal or anything like that."

"The remaining two..."

According to Chu Xiu's wishes, the first thing to do is to choose a role responsible for reconnaissance. As for the last person, it would naturally be someone to help his good brothers develop, since choosing anyone wouldn't be of much help to him anyway.

However, he was also somewhat conflicted. Because he was carrying four pieces of [contaminants] and Rasputin, he was bound to be the main target of the calamity. He was fine on his own, and even if he was defeated, he was confident that he could retreat calmly. But he could not necessarily protect the safety of others.

Moreover, choosing Zhang Qingshan would easily expose one's true identity.

"I'll ask Aoyama for his opinion later. If he wants to venture deeper, I'll recruit him into the team so he can be taken care of by my side."

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiu picked up the list Qin Xiang had given him and began to examine it. It contained basic information about the awakened individuals that Qin Xiang had his eye on.

"Lin Li, Rank 4, Class [Hacker (A)]".

"The [Hacker (A)] profession is quite special. It can often play an unexpected role in scenarios with electronic devices. Moreover, its own strength of Rank 4 can also well simulate the combat power of the genius you cooperate with when you officially conquer the Old Trials in the future," Qin Xiang explained at the right time.

Chu Xiu remained noncommittal and continued reading.

With each page he turned, Qin Xiang would explain why he had chosen that person.

It must be said that Qin Xiang truly deserves to be called an elite operator. Although he only selected six people, each of them was a perfect fit for Chu Xiu, and most of them were generals with strong physical abilities.

However, Chu Xiu paused slightly when he saw the last page.

"Guan Ke?"

“That’s right, she’s in the same year as you, so it seems you two know each other,” Qin Xiang said.

Chu Xiu did not answer, but glanced at Guan Ke's information. His level 2 Fierce Rank stood out among a group of General Ranks.

"【Mechanic (A)】is a very comprehensive profession. It can create corresponding mechanical artifacts according to the specific needs of the exploration, which makes it suitable for various combat scenarios. At the same time, mechanical dogs and mechanical flies can perform reconnaissance tasks well. The skill 【Electronic Sub-Brain】unlocked at the Fierce Rank can greatly enhance the computing speed and can also store a large amount of relevant data in advance for easy access at any time."

"It can be said that this profession can simultaneously take on the tasks of brain, fist, and eyes. Although they are not proficient in any of them, they can still be considered very good team members."

“It’s just that the level is a bit low,” Chu Xiu said. “That’s true, but a mechanic’s combat power mainly depends on their own talent and the accumulation of mechanical creations, and it doesn’t have much to do with the level.” Qin Xiang said, pointing to a line of information on the list he gave Chu Xiu.

"What I value most about this woman is her talent."

“【Remote Control (B)】”

"This talent allows the mechanic to extend the control distance of mechanical creations several times over, which also increases the detection range of the mechanical creations under their command. Although the detection ability of mechanical creations is somewhat lacking compared to dedicated detection professions, few detection professions can possess such an extremely large detection range, making it particularly useful when facing enemies with weak concealment capabilities."

“Underground military bases inevitably contain numerous traps and ambushes. Compared to rushing in directly, prioritizing reconnaissance with a large number of mechanical devices is undoubtedly a wiser decision. At the same time, a powerful search capability will greatly enhance the efficiency of the operation.”

"I see." Chu Xiu nodded, a strange smile appearing in his eyes.

He roughly guessed Guan Ke's talent; it was definitely not [Remote Control (B)], but rather [Consciousness Attachment (S)], which could play a similar role but with a far more exaggerated effect!
Chu Xiu understood why Guan Ke had hidden himself.

This is the top talent for the Mechanic class. A Mechanic with or without this talent is a completely different class!

Ordinary mechanics fight using firearms, exoskeletons, and mechs in the early stages, and later on, they can build their own vehicles and mechs to drive in battle.

He's very strong, but in any case, he's just one person, so it's not exactly a crazy profession.

However, once consciousness is attached to it, a fundamental transformation will occur. A mechanic with this talent can disperse his consciousness on the machines he creates, directly building a massive mechanical army!

Those top-tier mechanics even possess their own space carriers! They can simultaneously operate thousands of cannons and fighter jets to launch attacks, and their terrifying destructive power is something even governments must fear!
This is why the Mechanic is considered the A-level profession with the most severe power imbalance.

A weak mechanic is no different from an ordinary combat profession, but a strong mechanic can single-handedly form an army or destroy a country!
Conscious attachment (S) is the key!
However, very few mechanics are born with this talent; most acquire it from the later stages of the Abyss.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is a trait with the same or even higher value as [Damage Sharing]. Even if it's only B-grade, it will cause countless people to fight over it!

"Her it is." Chu Xiu tapped his fingers lightly. "I'll choose the other two myself."

Qin Xiang was not surprised by this choice, but simply let Chu Xiu make the contact himself.

The other three King-level experts are also selecting team members, so there is a possibility that Chu Xiu will be rejected, and the probability is not low.

In the following days, he found Su Jinyu and Guan Ke and explained the relevant matters.

Su Jinyu needed his help, so she readily agreed, but also subtly hinted that she could offer him a bottle of the Elixir of Immortality as payment.

Chu Xiu agreed, but in return, she had to give him the causal points and items she received during the exploration, and she also had to give him the extra rewards from Qin Xiang.

The other three team members can also obtain resources from government projects, but less than Chu Xiu, with only 3,000 points each. However, this is still a lot for a fierce-level awakened individual.

As for Guan Ke, she was initially hesitant when she heard that she was going to go deep into the military base. After all, this girl seemed rough, but in fact she was more cautious than Chu Xiu. Chu Xiu would sometimes make radical choices for the sake of opportunities, while she only sought to develop steadily.

But after hearing about the extra resources offered as a reward, they agreed.

The development of the Mechanic profession requires a lot of resources, somewhat similar to the [Treasure Demon Lord] lineage of demonic cultivators. Before building powerful mechanical creations, it is almost equivalent to a blank profession.

Finally, after subtly inquiring about Zhang Qingshan's plans to enter the abyss, Chu Xiu extended an invitation to him.

Although this choice was somewhat unexpected, given the dragon's immense destructive power, it was not suspicious, especially since Chu Xiu deliberately delayed the invitation until the other generals had been chosen by several kings.

Upon hearing that this was a rehearsal for the Old Trials, Zhang Qingshan, a man with a grand narrative in his mind, naturally agreed to join without hesitation.

And so, the four-person exploration team was officially formed.

after one day.

At the edge of the pit, a dozen artillery pieces and hundreds of mortars were relentlessly pouring ammunition into the bottom of the pit.

Amidst the deafening roar, faint glimmers of fire emerged from the enormous crater that seemed to have swallowed all light.

Meanwhile, a large number of drones, operated by auxiliary personnel, carried lighting equipment deep into the abyss. These drones formed an interwoven detection network that could transmit the scanned images to the terminal in real time.

The government's approach is to first use radar to scan the general terrain, then send drones to scout out facilities that may contain military defenses or gathering points of corrupted organisms, and then use artillery to eliminate them in a targeted manner once confirmed.

After nearly a day of massive bombing, the military base's defenses have been significantly weakened. Footage from drones shows rotting creatures reduced to bloody scum everywhere, with severed limbs scattered about.

"Although the enemy's defenses have been severely damaged after a day of continuous bombing, the crater is too large, covering an area of ​​nearly 100 square kilometers, which is about the size of a small city. With this amount of firepower, we cannot harm the enemy's core."

"Therefore, we have only temporarily cleared out a few safe zones. Further exploration will be left to you all."

Qin Xiang said solemnly. In front of him were Chu Xiu and three kings leading four small teams.

"Your mission is to explore the area below from four different zones, laying the groundwork for the subsequent support teams to go deeper, while also gathering as much information as possible about the calamity, including its location, attributes, abilities, and so on, to prepare for the best possible elimination."

As Qin Xiang spoke, he gave each of the four people a terrain recorder, which could automatically scan the surrounding terrain and upload the data.

There is also a special communication device that enables long-distance communication and can locate the holder's position, facilitating the exchange of intelligence and mutual support between several squads.

"Please remember that our primary task this time is reconnaissance. Do not rush in or carry out a decapitation strike. We will proceed steadily after the main force arrives."

Faced with Qin Xiang's instructions, the four of them nodded. High-level creatures usually possess some special abilities that are extremely difficult to deal with, so information and intelligence are extremely important in high-level battles, and no one would be careless because of this.

Not to mention, going deep into the lair means that you may be surrounded and ambushed by a large number of corrupted creatures at any time. If you are held back by the enemy's King-level creatures, even a King-level Awakened could be worn down to death. It is safer to wait for fire support before taking action.

After giving instructions to everyone, Qin Xiang came to Chu Xiu alone and handed him a small electronic device.

"I will also be leading a small team in later, and we'll be located not far from you."

"This is an activation shield created by a King-level mechanic. It can be activated with just a small amount of energy, forming a sturdy protective barrier. Even King-level creatures would have to put in a lot of effort to break through it. Furthermore, it will alert me and transmit your location the moment it is activated."

"If you encounter any danger, activate this device immediately. Remember not to take any risks."

"Yes." Chu Xiu nodded, took the device, and glanced at it.

It is a King-level [Treasured] item, obviously very valuable, which shows that the government attaches great importance to it.

After Chu Xiu took over, Qin Xiang didn't say anything more and just led his men to the area he was in charge of. Chu Xiu then gathered his team members and stood on Zhang Qingshan's dragon back.

With a powerful push from its massive legs, the five-meter-tall, ten-meter-long behemoth leaped into the air amidst a shower of rubble, spreading its wings and gliding towards the bottom of the dark pit.

(End of this chapter)