By the time Qi Yuan returned to Blackstone Town after his infiltration failed, the sky had already turned dark. The hydraulic machine that controlled Blackstone Town's gate had already been activated. If not for the guards recognizing him, he would have been forced to spend the night in the wilderness.
After returning to his residence and washing up, Qi Yuan went to see Old Luo again to prepare for the clean-up operation the next day. Since Xu Kui dared to challenge Si Tu, he was obviously not as kind as he appeared to be. He still needed to prepare some extra life-saving items. If he really died in the mine with a huge sum of three thousand Yuan, it would be a real tragedy if someone looted his bag.
A few hunters in the wilderness were lining up at the resource exchange point with their respective prey, waiting for Master Luo to inspect them. Unfortunately, most of them were weak insects such as black-toothed rats. There were not many things that could make Master Luo open his eyes. Most of them were handled by the bald man.
When Qi Yuan entered the exchange point, the bald man beside Old Luo suddenly leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.
Master Luo, who had been closing his eyes, opened his eyes and sat up from his chair. He looked a little excited.
He smiled at Qi Yuan, revealing a mouth full of big yellow teeth.
"Qi Yuan, you're finally here. I've prepared something good for you. Come and take a look. You'll definitely need it!"
Qi Yuan was slightly stunned. He was a little surprised by Master Luo's sudden enthusiasm.
Master Luo did not care about this. He led Qi Yuan through a side door, through a ten-meter-long corridor, and into his workshop.
The workshop was very messy. There was a metal workbench with four legs fixed to the ground in the middle. There were a few old machines on top of it. There were all kinds of materials piled up around the room. There was no lack of broken corpses of Rotten Wolves and black-toothed rats. Although they had been treated with antisepsis, the whole laboratory was still filled with an indescribable smell.
However, Qi Yuan's attention was not on these smells.
A huge brown insect corpse with its head separated from its body attracted all of his attention.
It had a hard carapace that seemed to be made of stone, sharp and ferocious teeth, and thick limbs. It was clearly the corpse of a Rock Lizard.
Of course, there was more than one Rock Lizard around Blackstone Town. However, this kind of insectoid that liked to live underground had a strong defense that could withstand firearms. Moreover, it was very fast. It was not an existence that ordinary hunters could hunt. Most hunters who encountered it would only turn from hunter to prey.
"I remember leaving it here. How come it's gone?"
Master Luo muttered to himself as he rummaged through the messy workbench. He almost overturned the instruments on it several times.
"Found it!"
Master Luo dug out a strange-looking dagger from a pile of pale fragments.
Its blade had a slight curve and was completely pale. Traces of dark red blood could be vaguely seen seeping out from it. The handle of the dagger was wrapped in a layer of fine black fur, making the entire dagger filled with a kind of austere aura.
"This is …"
Qi Yuan looked at the dagger in his hand and vaguely guessed its origin, but he didn't dare to confirm it.
"This is a dagger I made especially for you using the fangs of this Rock Lizard."
Master Luo stroked the pale spine of the dagger. His turbid eyes sparkled. He was very satisfied with this dagger.
Even those who didn't know anything about weapons could tell that this dagger was extraordinary!
"Specially prepared for me?"
Qi Yuan pondered over his words, but he couldn't figure out the meaning behind them.
In Blackstone Town, apart from Situ and Xu Kui, the two Tier 2 Hunters, Master Luo's name was the most frequently mentioned by the Wilderness Hunters. Apart from a few who complained about his bad temper, most of them wished to exchange for some special bullets or weapons from him.
Take special bullets like the armor-piercing bullets for example. Although they were expensive, as long as they could kill a rank-1 insect beast, they would be able to reap multiple returns.
Only a small number of powerful Hunters were qualified to trade for these things from him. The weaker Hunters wouldn't be able to get a single bullet even if they were willing to pay double the price.
However, Master Luo, whom he had only met for the second time, had taken the initiative to prepare such a sharp dagger for him.
One who was unaccountably solicitous was hiding evil intentions!
Qi Yuan didn't take the dagger from Master Luo's hand. Instead, he asked,
"Is there anything I can help you with, Master Luo?"
Master Luo chuckled. He was very satisfied with Qi Yuan's response.
"I do have a small favor that I need to trouble you with!"
"Please go ahead."
Qi Yuan didn't rush to help him. With Master Luo's special status in Blackstone Town, if he had to ask for a favor, it wouldn't be something simple.
Master Luo looked left and right. After making sure that no one was eavesdropping, he asked in a low voice, "Have you accepted Xu Kui's invitation to clear out the mines occupied by the insect beasts with him tomorrow?"
"Yes!"
Situ hadn't reacted strongly to Xu Kui's recruitment of Hunters so far, so Qi Yuan didn't choose to hide it. Since they were going to gather tomorrow, there was no point in hiding it.
"There's a big guy under Xu Kui called Luo Kui. Do you know him?" Master Luo probed.
"I've seen him once."
Qi Yuan nodded. The man with a buzz cut and a square face who invited him yesterday immediately appeared in his mind.
"If there's a chance, bring his arm back to me. Just one will do!"
Qi Yuan's face stiffened. I haven't even joined the group yet, and you're already asking me to start an internal conflict? Do you want us all to die in the mines?
Master Luo didn't seem to notice the change in Qi Yuan's expression.
He continued, "Luo Kui's arms are mechanical arms that were modified in Quicksand Shelter. If you can bring back one of his mechanical arms, I'll let you pick one … no, two items from my collection!"
Qi Yuan shook his head. Just as he was about to reject the request, Master Luo coughed and interrupted what he was about to say.
"I know it's dangerous, but for you, this is your only chance to survive!"
Master Luo glanced at Qi Yuan and said meaningfully, "Qi Yuan, don't worry.
"What if I told you that Xu Kui doesn't have much money in his pocket? He can't pay the promised rewards. What would you think?"
Qi Yuan frowned.
"You're saying that Xu Kui is trying to get something for nothing?"
"Although the Xu family behind Xu Kui has some power in Quicksand Shelter, they've run into a lot of problems recently. They don't have any extra money. Plus, Xu Kui is spending money like water. The money in his pocket won't last long!" Master Luo said.
"If he can't afford it, how could he have recruited so many hunters to clear out the mines?"
Qi Yuan was doubtful. The Hunters weren't idiots who could be easily tricked. Even he knew that he had to take the money first, so how could the Hunters fall for it?
Master Luo seemed to have seen through Qi Yuan's doubts and said, "The Hunters are too greedy. They've been blinded by Xu Kui's generous rewards."
"The Evolving Potion with an awakening rate of over 80%, Mechanical Armament, and Mechanical Modification are things that can't be touched normally. Xu Kui's empty promises are too tempting. Other than you, not many Hunters can resist."
Qi Yuan felt a chill in his heart. If Xu Kui offered these rewards, even if they were empty promises, the Hunters would most likely choose to take a gamble. This was because they would never be able to come into contact with these things through normal means. Only Xu Kui could offer them.
The best way to turn these rewards into empty promises was to bury all the Hunters in the mines!
He had already taken a portion of the rewards. If he chose to withdraw now, it would undoubtedly offend Xu Kui. In order to maintain his prestige, Xu Kui would definitely hunt him down with all his might. With two Tier 1 abilities, escaping from Xu Kui's all-out pursuit would be as difficult as clearing the mines alone!
"Although Xu Kui can control a Tier 2 Black Scorpion, his strength isn't that scary!" Master Luo narrowed his eyes and said.
"If it weren't for the Xu family behind him, Xu Kui's corpse would have been hung at the entrance of Blackstone Town by Situ."
"Although Xu Kui didn't plan to let you come out alive this time, before he kills the Shadow Lizard, the possibility of him killing you is not high. He still needs this mine as a foothold in Blackstone Town. If you can act before he does, even if you can't kill Xu Kui in the mine, it is very likely that you will be able to escape from the mine."
Qi Yuan pondered. Whether Master Luo was telling the truth or not, he needed to be prepared to fall out with him. Otherwise, if he was ambushed by a Tier 2 Transcendent, no matter how strong his steel defense was, he would not be able to escape from the mine.
"How many confidants does Xu Kui have?"
Master Luo's eyes lit up when he heard this. He coughed and said:
"In addition to the Tier 2 Black Scorpion, Xu Kui has two other confidants. One is called Lu Han. His ability is Tier 1 Firearms Control and Tier 1 Night Vision. His weapon is the same as the one in your hand, an Eagle-Ii revolver, but he has two guns!"
Two guns meant double the danger to other people, but to Qi Yuan who had steel defense, two guns were the same as a single gun. One gun could not break through his defense, and two guns could not break through his defense.
Even if they were loaded with armor-piercing bullets, as long as his vitals were not hit, he would not be seriously injured!
This was why steel defense was more powerful than enhanced defense!
"The other one is Luo Kui I mentioned before. His ability is Tier 1 Strength and Tier 1 Enhanced Defense. With his two mechanical arms, his strength should be about the same as this Rock Lizard."
Master Luo played with the dagger in his hand and looked at the Rock Lizard's corpse in the corner. He said faintly, "If you can kill this Rock Lizard, you can definitely kill him!"
"How did you know?" Qi Yuan suddenly asked.
Although Qi Yuan had expected Hu Hao to discover the Rock Lizard's death — after all, the sound of gunfire in the mine could not be hidden from the miners — he was still a little surprised that someone had locked onto him so quickly. The Annihilation Warhead was a powerful trump card, and he did not expect it to be exposed so suddenly.
Master Luo took out a deformed armor-piercing bullet from the drawer of the workbench and threw it to Qi Yuan.
"You used my gun and the armor-piercing bullet I made to kill this Rock Lizard. You even left the bullet in the corpse. I only need to look at the bullet's line of fire to know who fired the shot."
Qi Yuan glanced at the bullet in his hand and realized that he had underestimated Hu Hao. Or rather, he had underestimated the new generation of Extraordinaires.
"Between the two, Luo Kui is the most dangerous. He used to be a Wild Hunter with Tier 1 Strength and Defense. He was stronger than most of the Wild Hunters in Blackstone Town. Later, he was recruited by Xu Kui. During one of their hunting trips, Xu Kui encountered a Tier 2 Armor-Piercing Beast and almost died in the wilderness. In the end, Luo Kui sacrificed his own arms to block the Armor-Piercing Beast's attack for Xu Kui. That was how they managed to kill the Tier 2 Armor-Piercing Beast."
"Xu Kui later brought him back to Quicksand Shelter and carried out a mechanical modification. He replaced his original hands with a pair of modified mechanical arms, which increased Luo Kui's strength instead of decreasing. He even had the battle record of tearing apart a Corrupt Wolf with his bare hands!"
Master Luo had obviously done his homework. He had a detailed understanding of Xu Kui's strength.
With Tier 1 Strength and Defense, coupled with a pair of modified mechanical arms, Luo Kui was indeed a very dangerous target. However, that was only for other people. For Qi Yuan, as long as it was not a Tier 2 Defense, he would be able to destroy it with a single shot.
Compared to the two DPS Luo Kui and Lu Han, Qi Yuan was more concerned about Xu Kui's strength and the Tier 2 Insectoids in the mine.
"If you were unprepared and rashly entered the mine with Xu Kui and the others, your chances of survival would not be more than ten percent. However, if you were prepared in advance and had this dagger, you would have at least a sixty percent chance of coming out alive."
Master Luo said as he handed the dagger in his hand to Qi Yuan.
The dagger was light in his hand, but Qi Yuan would not underestimate it because of this. Back then, the Rock Lizard had used its fangs to pierce through his steel defense. The sharpness and hardness of this fangs were definitely stronger than most steel.
More importantly, this pale dagger had a trace of scarlet blood in it. It vaguely emitted the fierce aura of the Rock Lizard.
"That's the blood essence of the Rock Lizard!"
Master Luo squinted his eyes as he looked at the dagger in Qi Yuan's hand.
Although this was not the sharpest dagger he had made, it was the most suitable one for Qi Yuan.
"The Rock Lizard is the natural enemy of the Black-Toothed Rats. At the same time, it is also the same species as the Shadow Lizard. Before the trace of blood essence completely disappears, it can help you avoid the attacks of the Black-Toothed Rats. At the same time, it can reduce the hostility of the Shadow Lizard. As long as you don't take the initiative to attack, the Black-Toothed Rats and Shadow Lizards in the mine should not take the initiative to attack you. In other words, they will not prioritize you."
"If you can kill Luo Kui, you can use this dagger to cut off his mechanical arm!"
Qi Yuan tried to wave the dagger a few times. Although the Annihilation Warhead was powerful, once the enemy got close to him, a sharp dagger would be very important.
"You seem to be very sure that I will cooperate with you."
"Of course."
Master Luo smiled.
"Because this is a win-win deal. I believe in your strength and I also believe that you will make the right choice!"
"I need a motorcycle!" Qi Yuan suddenly said.
Master Luo looked at Qi Yuan with a strange look, "Do you know how to drive one?"
"That's my business. You don't have to worry about it."
"After this, I will give you a fully charged motorcycle. 60% new!" Master Luo directly gave a promise.
"I hope to see it tomorrow night!" Qi Yuan inserted the dagger into the leather sheath tied to his calf.
Master Luo showed a satisfied smile. He took out a box from under the workbench and pushed it over.
"This is also for you."
Qi Yuan opened the box. There were two silver armor-piercing bullets inside.
After putting the armor-piercing bullets into his pocket, Qi Yuan suddenly said in a low voice:
"I also need two loaded grenades."
Master Luo, who was smiling, suddenly froze.
F * ck!
Young man!
What's wrong with you?
Using a loaded grenade in a mine that was tens of meters underground, just how stupid were you to think about it?
"This is a prohibited item. All the grenades in Blackstone Town are controlled by Situ. I don't have any stock here!"
"I know you have it." Qi Yuan said in a deceptive manner.
"This is my last resort. I don't want to die with them in the collapse of the mine unless I have no other choice. Even if I really blow up the mine, you can still dig out Luo Kui's body from inside. The mechanical arm will still fall into your hands, and you'll still be able to save a 60% new motorcycle with a full tank of gas!"
Master Luo hesitated for a long time. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "One!
I only have one grenade! "
"Deal!" The corner of Qi Yuan's mouth rose slightly.