Chapter Eighty: The Platinum Chest

Xie Ling’s transformation into an Evolver brought Fang Tang a moderate surprise. Once her strength rose, the two of them could enter the Gate of Evolution together.

There was still more than a day before the arrival of the Fallen. The people on the public channel had begun to panic. As exploration continued and more people encountered the Fallen, the abilities of these adversaries were gradually revealed to everyone.

Fang Tang hadn’t lied to them—the Fallen truly possessed many unique abilities. Moreover, when they tried to confront the Fallen, the damage dealt by Tier-2 technology was laughably ineffective, as if scratching an itch, reduced to mere tickling toys. To face the Fallen, one had to rely on cold steel, hand-to-hand combat.

The crux was, they weren’t Evolvers yet. Unable to win against the Fallen, most people could only rely on teamwork to flee. Suddenly, more and more voices mentioned Fang Tang, their tone turning to public condemnation.

“Tier-2 tech is useless against the Fallen. Does anyone have advanced weapons?”

“I thought I was the only one who noticed. Against the Fallen, we really have no way to fight back. I just ran for my life, didn’t even get a good look.”

“Fang the Scrooge has powerful tech weaponry; why doesn’t he share it?”

“He clearly has advanced weapons, so why does he keep palming off this junk on us?”

“Exactly! That tech he has, the one like Doctor Octopus, is obviously higher-level. It should work against the Fallen, right? Why not share the blueprint?”

...

Lying on his bed, Fang Tang read these messages with a blank expression.

He’d known, back when he set those time-limited freebies, that this day would come. After all, humans were creatures of endless desire, bottomless wells of greed.

Fang Tang felt little about it. If these people weren’t greedy, how could he earn elemental stones?

After some thought, he sent a message to the public channel:

“The Mechanical Claw Arm is Tier-3 tech, requiring ten elemental stones and a heap of basic materials. I’ve used it myself; while versatile, it’s not particularly powerful. Coincidentally, I’ve just obtained a new Tier-3 blueprint: the Berserk Gatling. It requires five lightning stones and a hundred iron ingots. Anyone interested can contact me—the price is still one elemental stone.”

The channel instantly fell silent. Fang Tang’s message was so over the top that it dashed all hopes of freeloading Tier-3 technology. Forget the ten elemental stones for the Claw Arm—even the five for the Gatling were out of reach. Iron ingots, at least, might be scraped together.

Seeing that talk of Tier-3 tech had ceased, Fang Tang smiled faintly.

Isn’t this what they mean by “not giving up until the Yellow River is in sight”?

To his surprise, over twenty people still placed orders for the Berserk Gatling. After fulfilling the orders, Fang Tang drifted into a contented sleep. After a day’s labor, rest was finally his.

Fang Tang was lazy, but only if he could live comfortably and safely. His current life allowed him that laziness.

He slept deeply, waking to daylight again.

With five hours left until the Fallen erupted, Fang Tang was in no rush to explore.

The rules of the Catacombs: Danger is always accompanied by opportunity.

He’d gotten this clue—confirmed by Eyes and deduced himself. In other words, when the Fallen appeared, the resources in the catacombs would also upgrade. To maximize his gains, Fang Tang decided to wait a little longer.

He played with Yue Yue for a while, then pulled out his phone and opened the red notification bar.

Notification: Time remaining until the appearance of Fallen in zones D0023z0092, D0023z0093, D0023z0094, D0023z0095: 01:21:22.

All residents of these zones, beware of the Fallen and stay safe!

With just under an hour and a half left, it was time for Fang Tang to prepare.

He found Xie Ling, Liu Xu, and Ye Qing, and sent them a message: In an hour and a half, the Fallen will appear. Likewise, more powerful twisted rules will manifest. This is your chance—work hard to grow stronger. See you in the Cradle World.

One by one, the three women replied. Fang Tang just smiled and said no more.

After a delicious meal, the notification timer hit zero.

Almost at the instant the countdown ended, Fang Tang sensed a change within the catacombs. It was as if night had fallen in a blink, a stifling, oppressive air settling in.

He focused—these twisted rules weren’t as intense as those at the psychiatric hospital last time.

“Not even moderate—so this is just mild distortion?”

At ease, Fang Tang packed his things, shouldered the cross pickaxe, and looked at the nearby walls.

[Wow… wow… wow… That familiar scent, that familiar setup. Pity you’ve already endured moderate twisted rules—otherwise you could have improved here, and things would be lively in the catacombs. Now, in the five surrounding catacombs, three Fallen have suddenly appeared. With this density, those lacking power might not make it far. Of course, for you these Fallen aren’t even appetizers. Thanks to your Summer Dragon Sparrow’s Decapitation, with a bit of luck you could slice them down one by one. Ahead, there’s a platinum treasure chest—the first time we’ve encountered one.]

Fang Tang blinked, hefted the Summer Dragon Sparrow and the cross pickaxe, and walked toward the next catacomb.

Catacomb No. 151.

A radiant platinum chest sat quietly at the center. On top of the chest crouched a Fallen, green corrosive fluid dripping from its mouth. When it saw Fang Tang, it roared and charged.

A Tier-3 Fallen.

Had this been before, Fang Tang would have needed to take it seriously. Now…

With Shadow Dash activated, Fang Tang left a long afterimage, arriving before the Fallen in an instant. Blade flashed—the Fallen’s head soared skyward.

“Huh? Am I this strong now?”

He glanced at the Fallen, scratched his head, feeling a bit inflated. If he revisited that psychiatric hospital, he wouldn’t be so miserable as last time. With his speed, he could simply rush the dog on the third floor and dispatch the biggest threat there. Speed made all the difference!

Breathing out, Fang Tang opened the platinum chest.

The contents made him gasp.

Obtained: Recovery Solution x3, Life Solution x3, Tranquilizer x3, Nutrient Solution x3, Body Enhancement Solution x3, Pork x20, Beef x20, Fiber x100, Cotton x100.

Fang Tang licked his lips, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Having been in and out of the Cradle World many times, he knew these were highly sought-after supplies there.

No need to say more—the contents of this platinum chest were worth at least four elemental stones.

Don’t think that just because Fang Tang spent so many stones on sequences, everyone in the catacombs was the same. Fang Tang was an exception; most people, for sequences numbered five hundred and above, would need to toil for half a year to buy just one.

This spoke volumes of Fang Tang’s remarkable ability to amass wealth.

Of course, he spent it just as fast as he earned it—after all, he was here to get stronger!

Delighted, he packed away the supplies and took out the disassembly hammer.

He’d long wondered what materials a platinum chest could yield.

Platinum?