Chapter 105: Journey to the Headquarters

As soon as Liu Yiran finished speaking, Fang Tang and the other two shot forward like arrows released from a bow, charging straight at Octopus’s underlings.

The Daxia Dragonfinch flashed a cold gleam, aiming directly for the burly man’s throat.

Ta Meng and another big man engaged in close combat, their fists thudding into flesh—a contest befitting true men.

Xu Lin covered Fang Tang and Ta Meng, keeping an eye out for any sneak attacks from Octopus.

Octopus’s face grew darker, his tentacles unconsciously tensing as he fixed a deadly stare on Liu Yiran.

“Captain Liu, is this really necessary?”

“It’s nothing much. I just thought you could use a lesson.” Liu Yiran smiled amiably as she walked toward Octopus, seized one of his tentacles, and patches of withering began to appear across his body.

Octopus’s gaze grew vicious, and he raised a tentacle, reaching for Liu Yiran’s head.

She took two steps back, easily evading him.

“The ability to strip away talents from a sequence is truly remarkable. What is your power, if you don’t mind telling me?”

Octopus sneered, “If you’re so curious, Captain Liu, why not join our Underworld Shop? The benefits are far better than those of an Explorer, and there’s no danger.”

“Join the Underworld Shop?” Liu Yiran nodded with a smile. “That’s a tempting offer.”

Octopus chuckled, “If you join us, we can put today’s little incident behind us.”

“What a pity.” Liu Yiran shook her head. “If the Underworld Shop hadn’t been involved in so many shady dealings, I wouldn’t mind joining. But I do have one small flaw: a touch of righteousness. I don’t care for creatures like you.”

Octopus sighed. “That’s truly unfortunate. I admire your abilities.”

His entire body began to wither; some of his tentacles already crumbled into dust.

While their conversation continued, a head shot into the air and rolled to Octopus’s feet.

He glanced down and realized it was one of his own men. He whipped his gaze toward Fang Tang, who was just sheathing his blade.

“Captain Liu, you’ve chosen an excellent team member!”

“I think so too.” Liu Yiran beamed, clearly very satisfied with Fang Tang.

Fang Tang nodded to her, then took out the Fury Rocket Launcher, hefting it onto his shoulder and aiming it at the Underworld Shop.

With a thunderous roar, the rocket launcher spat fire into the shop, setting it ablaze.

“Wow, Octo, there goes one of your shops. You won’t make us pay for redecorating, will you?” Liu Yiran narrowed her eyes and grinned.

Octopus’s body was already rotting away, but his bean-sized eyes remained bright as ever. “It’s just a shop. At worst, I’ll redecorate. I only regret losing a few treasured items.”

Liu Yiran nodded, tightening her grip. “I hope you’ll remember one thing, Mr. Octo: no matter who’s backing you, no matter what chaos you stir in the Underworld, don’t lay a hand on my team. Understood?”

Octopus chuckled. “You’re a fine leader, Captain Liu. Your team must trust you deeply.”

Most of his body had turned to ash. He stared at Liu Yiran with those tiny, luminous eyes and said, one word at a time, “Captain Liu, the days ahead are long. We’ll talk again.”

With that, his limp head turned to ash as well.

With Xu Lin’s help, Ta Meng pounded the burly man into submission with his fists.

Ta Meng, eyes blazing, strode over to Fang Tang and clapped him on the shoulder. “Tang Tang, are you selling that rocket launcher?”

Fang Tang felt his scalp tingle at the nickname. It had started with Su Mang, and after Xie Ling got to know him, she stopped calling him “Big Boss Fang” and switched to “Tang Tang.” It didn’t feel strange coming from the girls, but hearing it from Ta Meng gave him goosebumps.

“It’s a spirit-bound item, and its ability has been upgraded. I’m not sure what it’s worth on the market—just pay whatever you think is fair.”

He tossed the rocket launcher to Ta Meng. Honestly, it had been gathering dust in his hands and wasn’t of much use. Killing enemies with the Daxia Dragonfinch was far more satisfying. Better to let Ta Meng have it where it’d be put to good use, and it suited him perfectly.

“An evolved spirit-bound item!” Ta Meng exclaimed, delighted. He pulled out his phone and produced three spirit-bound items. “Any item that can evolve is valuable. I won’t shortchange you—let’s trade for these three.”

The items were sunglasses, a cigarette holder, and a harmonica. All had decent abilities and were clearly Ta Meng’s prized possessions. Swapping them for a favored weapon was a win for both sides.

“They’re awake!”

As the group was clearing the battlefield, Su Mang’s voice rang out.

Fang Tang rushed over to find Su Mang comforting Xie Ling in her arms, while Liu Xu sat nearby, red-eyed from crying.

“How are you both?” Fang Tang asked with concern.

“Tang Tang… I was so scared!” Xie Ling burst out, crawling out of Su Mang’s embrace and crying loudly at Fang Tang.

Su Mang soothed her, rubbing her back, and said to Fang Tang, “She’s just a nineteen-year-old girl who’s new to this world. It’s natural to be shaken by something like this.”

Fang Tang ruffled Xie Ling’s hair. “Don’t be afraid. You have all of us now. You’ll never face danger again.”

Xie Ling nodded vigorously.

Liu Xu gazed at Fang Tang, her voice soft. “Xie Ling used her sequence ability and vomited a lot of blood. I’m worried there might be aftereffects.”

Fang Tang’s brow furrowed. Vomiting blood after using Sequence 111, the Lucky Roulette?

A moment’s thought and he understood. According to Octopus, Liu Xu and Xie Ling were supposed to be sent to a high-level area but suddenly appeared among ordinary resources. That must have been the Lucky Roulette’s doing.

As expected, the more advanced the sequence, the more formidable the powers. Whether it was Liu Xu’s Dreamlike Illusion, Xie Ling’s Lucky Roulette, or Liu Yiran’s Corrosion, each could turn the tide of battle.

Then there was his own eye: Sequence 011. It sounded impressive, but in reality, it just gave cryptic half-truths, and worst of all, it was a dirty old thing.

Comparisons are odious…

[I know you’re complaining about me. Do you really think I want to be mysterious? Blame your own lack of strength. If you reached the twelfth tier, I could tell you much more. It’s your own fault.

As for the little one, nothing serious—just a bit weakened. After all, what she did was nothing short of defying fate. My poor lovely waves!]

Oh, this damned eye never missed a chance to grumble about his lack of strength.

Hearing that Xie Ling was unharmed, Fang Tang relaxed and reassured her, “It’s fine. You just need to rest and recuperate.”

Liu Yiran and the others joined them, expressing their concern.

“The environment in the Underworld isn’t safe. It’s best to avoid wandering around in the future. In some people’s eyes, you really are defenseless lambs.

We’ll skip the Door of Evolution this time. Go back and recover. Leave the follow-up to me.

Fang Tang, Su Mang, you two come with me to headquarters.”