Chapter 104: Found

Cradle World.

Deep within a certain cave, inside a specially designed iron cage, a group of young women, disheveled and bound with temporal shackles, huddled together in fear. Outside the cage, shadows flickered past, and with each pass, more unconscious women appeared within.

Amidst the crowd, Xie Ling and Liu Xu leaned against one another, wary and watchful of their surroundings.

"Liu Xu, do you think the captain will come to rescue us?" Xie Ling whispered anxiously.

Liu Xu's gaze dimmed, hesitating as she nodded. "He will, he definitely will. Even if the captain fails, Fang Tang will find a way to get us out."

"But... Tang Tang is only a third-tier," Xie Ling replied uncertainly.

Liu Xu offered a gentle smile, reassuring her, "He won't let us down."

"...He absolutely won't," Liu Xu echoed, as if comforting herself, her tone tinged with hope.

"Maybe I have a way..." Xie Ling leaned in, whispering into Liu Xu's ear. "My sequence ability brings good luck. We might be able to escape."

"Really?" Liu Xu asked, delighted.

Xie Ling nodded. "Worth a try!"

As she spoke, a tri-colored roulette appeared in Xie Ling's eyes. The pointer spun swiftly, finally landing on the gray section. Suddenly, a stone from the ceiling fell and struck Xie Ling's head. Had her evolution not reached the third tier, the blow would have been serious.

Xie Ling fell silent.

Unwilling to give up, the girl spun the pointer again.

Gray... Black... Black...

One unexpected mishap after another assaulted her, leaving marks on Xie Ling's body, her face growing pale.

"If it's too much, stop," Liu Xu urged, worried.

Xie Ling shook her head with determination. "No, I must draw good luck!"

The pointer spun once more, teetering on the black-and-white line. Xie Ling's eyes sharpened, and suddenly she coughed up blood. The pointer shifted, landing on the white section.

"I did it..." Xie Ling murmured, her spirit depleted. Clinging tightly to Liu Xu, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

...

Underground basement of the cave shop.

Fang Tang was holding a tablet, reviewing a series of photographs—resources provided by Octopus. The sheer number made Fang Tang click his tongue in astonishment.

He finished browsing all the photos, but found no sign of Xie Ling or Liu Xu, and sighed deeply.

"Still nothing?"

Buzz!

The tablet vibrated, and two new photos suddenly appeared in the resource library. Fang Tang quickly opened them, his face lighting up with joy.

The new photos were of Xie Ling and Liu Xu.

Fang Tang immediately called up their images and handed the tablet to Octopus. "What’s the price for these two?"

Octopus squinted, eyes narrowing.

"Ho ho ho... Sir, these aren’t ordinary resources. I’m not sure what went wrong with the system, but these two ended up here. I’ll need to verify."

Octopus attempted to leave with the tablet, but Fang Tang grabbed his arm.

"I want these two. I’m not interested in any others. Name your price."

Fang Tang thumbed a gold coin, flicking it to Octopus.

Octopus chuckled, "Sir, these are meant for the high-tier area... and both are already reserved by distinguished guests. It’s quite a tricky situation!"

Fang Tang raised his brow, speaking coolly, "I don’t care about the high-tier area. No one can take away the ones I choose. If anyone has a problem, they can come find me."

Confronted with such resolve, Octopus was at a loss.

"Sir, this matter—"

Before Octopus could finish, Fang Tang held up five fingers. "Five thousand, I’ll take them!"

"It’s not about the money. I can’t explain to the high-tier guests!" Octopus protested.

"Eight thousand!" Fang Tang changed his offer. "I have plenty of money!"

Octopus replied, "It’s negotiable, but these are premium goods, the price—"

"Ten thousand! Is that enough?" Fang Tang flashed a single finger.

"Enough, enough!" Octopus beamed. "You’ll need to pay fifty percent deposit first."

Fang Tang tossed thirty elemental stones and instructed, "Hurry up, I’ve got things to do!"

"Yes, yes!" Octopus nodded and sped away with the stones.

Once Octopus left, Fang Tang took out his phone and notified Liu Yiran.

With preparations complete, Fang Tang sat calmly on the sofa, fingers interlocked, thumbs tapping—a picture of confidence.

Soon, Liu Yiran messaged that everything was ready outside.

Fang Tang smiled and continued to wait.

Time passed, and just as Fang Tang’s patience was running thin, Octopus finally returned, trailing several others—two burly men, each carrying an unconscious woman over their shoulders.

"Sir, your goods have arrived!"

Octopus extended a tentacle, gesturing for Fang Tang to pay the remainder.

Fang Tang shot Octopus a disgruntled glance. "Let me check first."

"Go ahead," Octopus replied, stepping aside.

The two burly men set the women down, and Fang Tang saw their faces—Liu Xu and Xie Ling, unmistakably. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"I’ll be taking them now. Until we meet again!"

Fang Tang smiled at Octopus, picked up Liu Xu and Xie Ling, and vanished instantly.

Octopus’s face darkened, waving a tentacle. "After them!"

The two burly men nodded and, like cannonballs, smashed through the basement door and charged into the corridor.

Reaching the surface, they spotted Fang Tang and shouted, "Hand them over!"

Fang Tang turned leisurely, smiling at the men.

"Who?"

"Ho ho ho, Sir, no one’s ever dared to mess with my cave shop before. You’re the first," Octopus floated over, staring coldly at Fang Tang.

Fang Tang shrugged. "Then I should feel honored, having set a precedent."

Octopus asked, "Do you know the consequences of crossing my cave shop?"

Fang Tang said nothing, but a voice rang out behind him. "You kidnapped my teammates. Do you know what that means?"

Liu Yiran stepped out from behind Fang Tang, patting him on the shoulder in approval. "Well done!"

Fang Tang shook his head. "They’re my friends. It’s only right... But I gave all my elemental stones to Octopus—thirty of them. How’s that going to be settled?"

"I’ll make it up to you later," Liu Yiran replied with a wry smile.

"Captain, you’re generous!" Fang Tang gave a thumbs-up, grinning widely.

Watching the lighthearted exchange between superior and subordinate, Octopus’s gaze grew colder.

"Captain Liu, are you determined to oppose my cave shop?"

Liu Yiran smiled slyly. "Whatever your cave shop does isn’t my concern, but you took my teammates. I tried to negotiate peacefully, but you refused to release them. Do you really think Explorers are pushovers?"

"Ta Meng! Xu Lin! Fang Tang!"

"Today, let’s tear down this cave shop together and see what this stinking octopus can do!"