Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Lin Yu's mind raced.

Joining a fixed squad, especially one composed of special abilities like Voidwalkers, offers obvious benefits for exploring the Black Mist world—greatly increased safety, information sharing, and the ability to challenge more dangerous areas for greater rewards.

However, there are also drawbacks, mainly because he has too many secrets: the statue of the True Lord, the portrait of Nezha, the core of the world's power, the heart of the nightmare world... any one of them is enough to attract covetousness.

In addition... to be honest, his current situation is also somewhat special.

"My situation is rather special," Lin Yu pondered for a moment, neither immediately agreeing nor refusing.

"It might cause some... additional trouble." He selectively revealed a bit of information, both as a probe and as a form of honesty.

"Troublesome?" The Voidwalker raised an eyebrow, seemingly perking up a bit.

"If a 'freak' like you calls it trouble, it's probably not a small matter. Tell me about it? Our team, I can't say for sure about anything else, but we do have the capacity to handle trouble. Besides, in the Black Mist World, who doesn't have their secrets and enemies?"

He spoke in a relaxed tone, and his three teammates behind him nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with his statement.

Lin Yu briefly recounted his grudges with the shelter and the possible relentless pursuit by former shelter leaders 002 and 003. Of course, he omitted key details such as direct system intervention and Old Chen's gift, only stating that he had disrupted the shelter's important plans, leading to its destruction and thus incurring a deadly enmity.

"The asylum... so that's what it's like." The Demon Slayer pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a knowing glint in his eyes. "No wonder those guys have suddenly become so quiet lately."

"Forced containment, overstepping authority, humph, I've disliked them for a long time." The ancient warrior spoke in a muffled voice, his voice like the grinding of rocks.

Qinghu chuckled and said, "Making an enemy of the former manager is indeed quite troublesome."

However, since the system has ruled that they violated the rules and disbanded the organization, it means that they had already lost power.

Even without the added advantages of privileges and most resources, a Diamond-level opponent, while still dangerous, is not invincible.

Voidwalker yawned and chimed in, "That's right, and, Witcher, the fact that you were able to push them to this point proves your strength and potential."

"Investing in promising stocks and taking on the corresponding risks is fair, especially..." A sly glint flashed in his eyes.

"When dealing with these 'remnants of the previous dynasty,' sometimes it's better to have more people, share intelligence, and support each other than to fight alone and be attacked from the shadows."

Their reaction surprised Lin Yu. Instead of showing fear or backing down, they seemed to have a "long-standing dislike for the shelter" attitude.

"It seems you have a very bad impression of the shelter."

Lin Yu said.

"It's not that they have a bad impression," Voidwalker corrected, "it's that their style of doing things has long aroused the resentment of many top players."

We're considered relatively well-off; we'd rather more of them died.

It's just that they have high authority, deep-rooted influence, and the guise of tacit approval from the system, so many people dare not speak out against them.

Now that the tree has fallen, the monkeys have scattered; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it down. You don't really need to worry too much. To be honest, those guys made quite a few enemies before, and now I think they're the ones who are more of a headache."

Lin Yu nodded, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

The attitude and strength displayed by the Voidwalker squad are indeed very appealing.

Collaborating with them can improve exploration efficiency and safety in the Black Fog world.

As for the issue of secrets being exposed, as long as it doesn't involve the core issues, some trump cards and capabilities are not necessarily off-limits.

"Okay." Lin Yu made his decision without further hesitation: "I can join, but there are a few conditions."

"Tell me about it," said the Voidwalker.

"First, I maintain relative independence in action, and I have the right to decide whether to participate in a certain action based on my judgment."

Second, the distribution of loot will be based on contribution. I need to have the right to prioritize items that match my abilities, and I can compensate everyone with other equivalent items.

Third, I will selectively share some of my abilities and information, but please do not delve into their origins.

Lin Yu explained clearly and logically.

The Voidwalker nodded without hesitation.

"Sure, those are reasonable conditions. In fact, even if you don't say anything, these are already in our team's default rules, since we're just a team."

In short, welcome to the Witcher.

For now, our team doesn't have a fancy name; just think of it as a temporary exploration group.

And so, Lin Yu became a member of this elite diamond-level squad.

"Since we're new teammates, consider this a gift as a sharing of information." Voidwalker said, tapping his finger in the air, and a purple stream of information flowed directly into Lin Yu's player panel.

"This is our analysis of the characteristics of known high-value resource points, danger zone markers, and some powerful projections in the currently explored areas of the Black Fog World. Although it is not complete, it should be better than you exploring on your own."

Lin Yu quickly glanced through it and nodded. This intelligence was extremely valuable, marking several locations that were suspected of producing diamond-grade or even obsidian-grade resources, as well as some strange entities that required specific methods to deal with.

This will save him a lot of exploration time and avoid unnecessary risks.

"Thank you." Lin Yu sincerely expressed his gratitude, and then returned the favor by taking out the [Damaged Coordinate Badge].

"This is what I found at that altar earlier. It points to a broken game world. According to your information, what is the value of exploring this type of world?"

"A shattered world?" The demon assassin stroked his chin. "These things are rare these days, and their value fluctuates wildly. If you're lucky, you might find materials or even more powerful materials or inherited knowledge. If you're unlucky, you'll leave empty-handed, or even encounter a trap."

After examining the badge for a while, Qinghu said, "Although your badge is damaged, there is still some residual spatial power inside, the void. See if you can locate it."

The Voidwalker took the badge, carefully sensed the spatial fluctuations on it, and shook his head: "The energy is too thin. My ability can only sense extremely vague directions. The distance and specific coordinates are completely uncertain."

However... it's not entirely hopeless.

The Voidwalker pondered for a moment, then said to Lin Yu, "Witcher, do you trust me?"

"Why do you ask that?"

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and said casually.

"If you trust me, leave this badge with me for now. There's a skilled restoration master in my neighborhood who should be able to quickly repair a small part of this badge. Then I can use the spatial energy inside to pinpoint the exact location of that world."

However, this is on the condition that you trust me and are willing to leave your things with me temporarily.

The Voidwalker began to explain.

"I see."

Lin Yu nodded thoughtfully. Without thinking too much, he said directly, "Then you can take it."

This surprised the Voidwalker, who asked curiously, "Really? You believe me like that? You don't seem like someone who's easy to talk to, Witcher."

"This thing isn't that important to me. If you really take it and run away, I don't care. Consider it repayment for the information you gave me before."

Lin Yu said nonchalantly.

He wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't care that much about the badge. Therefore, he wouldn't mind if the Voidwalker really ran away. In fact, it would allow him to see someone for who they truly were, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Hehe, then forget it. Your favor isn't worthless."

Upon hearing Lin Yu's answer, the Voidwalker chuckled and immediately put away the badge.

He then continued, "Now that you've joined our team, let's work together from here on out. I happen to know of a ruin that we've never dared to enter before because of the strong guards. Now that you've joined, we can give it a try."

"Can."

Lin Yu nodded.

"You mean... [Molten Core Relics]?" On the other side, upon hearing the Voidwalker's words, the Demon Slayer adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes behind the lenses, but more so excitement.

"That's right." The Voidwalker nodded, tracing a line in the air with his finger, and a simple map made of purple dots appeared, marked with a constantly flashing crimson mark.

He explained to Lin Yu, "The Molten Core ruins that the Demon Slayer mentioned are one of the few major ruins we know of in this area."

There lies a slumbering projection of a Radiant Stone-level Lava Demon, along with three Diamond-level Flame Demons. The defensive forces are extremely strong, so we have only ever dared to operate on the periphery and have never officially entered the area.

Similarly, with its formidable defenses, the area is naturally rich in resources. According to our reconnaissance, there are numerous [Radiant Stone-level Flame Cores] condensed by lava demons in the core area.

In addition, the ruins contain a large amount of [diamond-grade lava vein crystals], which are also quite valuable resources.

Lin Yu nodded upon hearing the Voidwalker's explanation.

It is indeed a very tempting target, but it is also extremely difficult.

A monster of the Obsidian level. You have to know that Lin Yu's current level is only Platinum. Even if he goes all out, he probably won't be able to defeat an enemy of this level.

On the other side, Qinghu frowned slightly, her voice soft yet wary: "Radiant Stone level... it's very difficult. Even if our team has five Diamond-level combatants, we probably still can't defeat it. Void, do you have any plans?"

The ancient warrior stood with his arms crossed, his body covered in totem tattoos that seemed to glow faintly. He said in a deep voice, "It is indeed very difficult. I don't have much confidence against a monster of the Radiant Stone level."

All eyes were on the Voidwalker, eager to hear what gave him such confidence.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've made ample preparations for this plan. My plan is to use my spatial abilities to directly infiltrate the core area where the Lava Demon is sleeping and set up a [Spatial Isolation Barrier]."

This barrier can't trap it for too long, but it can temporarily block its external perception, making it think that everything outside is normal.

He continued to explain, "Once the barrier is successfully erected, it will be time for us to take action."

Demon Hunter, Ancient, Demon, the three of you are each responsible for stopping a Diamond-level Fire Demon.

Blue Fox, you're the fastest. You're in charge of sneaking deep into the ruins and stealing the [Flame Core] and [Lava Vein Crystal].

After succeeding, immediately return to support the others, concentrate forces, and quickly eliminate the three guards before the lava demon notices, then immediately retreat.

"The key to the plan is speed. I'm not sure how long the barrier can last, but it definitely won't be too long."

Once the barrier fails and the lava demon awakens, we must immediately flee far away and must not linger in battle.

Therefore, our primary objective must be, and can only be, the [Flame Core] and the [Lava Vein Crystal]. As for the three Flame Demons, it would be best if we could kill them, but it doesn't matter if we can't.

The Voidwalker emphasized this in a serious tone.

Lin Yu quickly digested the plan.

It must be said that while this plan does involve risks, the potential rewards are equally astonishing.

He thought for a moment and said, "The most important part of this plan is whether your barrier can work."

The Voidwalker nodded and said, "Yes, so to reduce the risk, you can't make a move until I successfully trap that guy in the barrier. This will minimize the chance of something going wrong."

The demon assassin frowned and said, "That would be taking too much risk for you."

The blue fox and the ancient warrior nodded as well.

The Voidwalker waved his hand: "Don't worry, you all know me. I value my life the most. I will set up personal space imprints and group space imprints in advance. If my barrier doesn't work, I will immediately trigger a retreat."

Furthermore, if my plan goes awry and the barrier works but fails to hold that guy for too long, I can activate the group spatial imprint to teleport us away together.

The only risk is that activating the group spatial imprint takes one minute, but with the abilities of the five of us, withstanding a Shining Stone-level being for one minute shouldn't be difficult.

Since the Voidwalker had already put it that way, Lin Yu naturally wouldn't refuse. He nodded and said, "Okay, I have no problem with that."

The other three did not object further.

"Alright! Let's not delay, let's set off!" Seeing that no one had any objections, the Void Walker waved his hand, and purple spatial energy surged around him, enveloping the five people.

The next moment, the surrounding scenery changed rapidly, as if we were traveling through a bizarre tunnel.

This ability to leap through space in groups further increased Lin Yu's evaluation of the Voidwalkers.

Before long, the five appeared on a scorching, barren, red land.

Ahead lay a massive, crater-like abyss, with a thick stench of sulfur and terrifying heat waves hitting you, the air thick with suffocating fiery energy.

Deep within the rift valley, a low, heart-beat-like sound faintly echoed, each beat causing the earth to tremble slightly.

This is the [Molten Core Ruins].

"I sensed it; that guy is still asleep."

The Voidwalker closed his eyes to sense his surroundings, then opened them again: "Proceed according to plan. I'll go ahead first. Wait for my signal!"

His figure blurred and disappeared as if merging into space, without causing any energy fluctuations.

Lin Yu, the Ancient Warrior, the Demon Slayer, and the Green Fox hid at the edge of the rift valley, waiting quietly.

Time passed second by second, but the scorching heat deep in the rift valley showed no signs of abating.

Lin Yu could sense that three energy fluctuations of the initial stage of diamond level were patrolling and wandering in different directions below the rift.

The colossal entity deep within, resembling a volcano, possesses an energy level akin to the deepest abyss. Even its slumbering pressure inspires awe.

Obsidian grade, truly lives up to its name.

About ten minutes later, a barely perceptible purple streak of light flashed past the four of them.

This is a sign of the Voidwalker's success.

"action!"

The demon assassin let out a low growl.

The four of them shot into the ravine like arrows released from a bow.

The interior of the rift valley appears even more expansive than the exterior. The ground is solidified lava, with dark red magma flowing through the fissures, and bubbles occasionally bubbling and bursting out.

Three enormous fire demons, made of burning rocks and pure flames, immediately spotted the intruders, roared angrily, and charged from three directions.

"Lock on your targets!" The ancient warrior roared, his body suddenly expanding, the totem patterns on his skin glowing with a dazzling red light. He seemed to transform into an ancient giant, charging towards the fire demon on the far left with an indomitable momentum.

He used no fancy techniques, but threw a punch directly. The force of the punch was powerful and savage, and it collided violently with the giant claw of the fire demon, producing a dull thud.

The demon assassin then faced the enemy on his right, elegantly removing his white gloves to reveal pale, slender fingers.

Facing the surging flames, he smiled slightly and formed a strange hand seal in front of his chest.

In an instant, countless twisted and wailing demonic phantoms appeared behind him. These phantoms surged toward the fire demon like a tide and began to frantically devour its fire energy.

Lin Yu naturally faced off against the one in the middle.

He held nothing back, instantly activating the [King's Battle Technique].

At the same time, the Sharingan and the Heavenly Eye (pseudo) were activated simultaneously, instantly revealing the energy flow nodes of this fire demon.

"Roar!" The fire demon swung its giant lava fist down, carrying an intense heat that could incinerate everything.

Susanoo!

Lin Yu neither dodged nor evaded, but activated Susanoo. A huge black skeleton condensed around him, blocking the Flame Demon's attack. At the same time, the Demon-Slaying Sword was drawn with a clang, and Samadhi Fire suddenly rose on the blade.

laugh--!

The sword struck the fire demon, and the Samadhi True Fire, like a leech, instantly spread up the fire demon's arm.

The opponent's flames, powerful enough to melt steel, instantly began to melt away like ice and snow encountering a branding iron when they met the Samadhi True Fire!

The fire demon let out a painful howl as it tried to mobilize more fire energy to extinguish the real fire on its arm, but found it was completely useless.

The Samadhi True Fire could not be extinguished by its energy at all; on the contrary, it grew stronger and stronger.

Lin Yu pressed his advantage, activating the [Spatial Leap] technique. In a flash, he appeared beside the Flame Demon, thrusting the [Demon Slayer Sword] straight at an energy node in its chest.

At the same time, the kaleidoscope pattern in the left eye rotates—

【Amaterasu】.

Dark flames erupted at another joint of the fire demon!

【Kagutsuchi】!

The black flames instantly transformed into chains, binding the flame demon's legs and restricting its movement.

The Diamond-level Flame Demon was completely overwhelmed by Lin Yu's full power and was utterly powerless to fight back.

The combined burning of Samadhi Fire and Amaterasu Black Flame caused it immense damage.

On the other side, the three stopped the Flame Demon, and the Blue Fox's figure moved like a ghost, quickly penetrating deep into the ruins.

Her movements were incredibly fast; in just a few breaths, she disappeared from everyone's sight.

Meanwhile, the battle between the three and the Balrog continued.

However, Lin Yu's battle is almost over.

His [King's Battle Technique] attribute stacked up to over forty points. The Flame Demon was bound by black flames, and he then activated the Great Sun Demon, using gravity to suppress the opponent.

Under dual control, the Flame Demon moved at a snail's pace.

Lin Yu seized the opportunity, and Susanoo, wielding the enlarged Demon-Slaying Sword, pierced through its core with a single strike.

The Flame Demon's massive body froze, then collapsed and disintegrated, transforming into pure flame energy and a [Diamond-grade Source Crystal] the size of a pigeon's egg, burning with intense flames.

Lin Yu waved his hand and put the crystal away.

He looked toward the other two battlefields.

The ancient warrior and the fire demon were locked in a fierce battle, a clash of pure power, and the scene was extremely intense. However, the ancient warrior clearly had the upper hand and fought steadily.

The Demon Slayer, on the other hand, was even more at ease. He seemed to be toying with his opponent, with countless demonic phantoms trapping the fire demon in place and constantly weakening its energy.

However, neither of them managed to kill the other quickly.

Lin Yu immediately stepped forward to assist the demon assassin.

Even a one-on-one fight against a Flame Demon was no match, let alone a two-on-one fight. With Lin Yu's help, the two Flame Demons were defeated in less than a minute.

Just then, the figure of the blue fox emerged swiftly from the depths of the ruins like a wisp of smoke.

"We succeeded!"

"Qinghu said quickly, a look of joy on his face."

Lin Yu and the others nodded and immediately decided to retreat, then wait for the Void Walker to come out.

However, no sooner had Qinghu finished speaking than an unexpected incident occurred—

Rumble! ...

The entire Molten Core ruins suddenly trembled violently.

"Miscalculation, Plan B!" The Voidwalker's slightly disordered voice echoed in the minds of the four through spatial transmission.

Before the words were finished, the "rock" at the deepest part of the rift valley, which was as big as a small mountain, suddenly exploded. A huge demon, more than thirty meters tall, made entirely of dark red lava, with curved giant horns on its head and flames of destruction burning in its eyes, stood up.

The terrifying pressure of the Obsidian-level power swept across the entire rift valley like a tsunami.

The Lava Demon has awakened!

It spotted the blue fox at first glance because it sensed the aura of its own power source on the fox.

That was something it had painstakingly nurtured day and night.

It let out a deafening roar, and the sound waves turned into a tangible impact, shattering the surrounding rocks into dust.

"Humans... ants... how dare you steal my power! Die!"

The lava demon raised its enormous foot and stomped the ground! Boom! The entire rift valley floor instantly turned crimson, and countless pillars of magma erupted from the ground.

"Be careful!"

The ancient warrior roared, crossing his arms in front of him. The power of the totem erupted, forming a thick shield of light that blocked a pillar of magma fire that was heading towards him and the demon assassin. However, he was also forced to retreat by the enormous impact.