Chapter 301: Another Trip to the Catacombs

　　At the Catacombs entrance.

　　It seemed that the authorities had not employed a new guard, as there was still only a lone guard at the entrance. In the end, the man with the scar on his face had not come back after all.

　　When Fang Ping arrived at the entrance, he placed his hand on the alloy wall without saying anything.

　　Although Fang Ping had only met the scar-faced man once, he would never forget the promise he made with him that day. Smiling, the man had told Fang Ping that they would demolish the alloy house together on the day they finally subdued the Catacombs.

　　‘It’s a pity that we won’t get to tear down the building together now. I guess I’ll have to do it all by myself someday.’

　　Some people could never be forgotten, even if one had only met them once.

　　The lone guard noticed Fang Ping’s gesture and seemed to recall something, as one could see a trace of nostalgia flicker in his eyes.

　　Without elaborating, the guard said with a chuckle, “Fang Ping, why don’t you film some advertisements again when you’re free? You could even star in a movie. We’re so sick of watching the same advertisements again and again. You should come up with some new ideas…”

　　Fang Ping did not know whether to laugh or to cry at that. He said rather helplessly, “I managed to catch a glimpse of them when I passed by the lobby just now. Uncle, I think you should pay me some advertising fees, don’t you think?”

　　“I’m broke.”

　　The guard denied all culpability and chuckled, “Go on in then. Be careful, both of you.”

　　Qin Fengqing started walking through with a relaxed expression, commenting indifferently, “The Catacombs are the best place to get rich. There’s nothing to worry about.”

　　The guard burst out laughing and said with a slight nod, “That’s true. You treat the Catacombs like an ATM anyway, Qin Fengqing.”

　　“Of course I do. It’s practically an ATM if you ask me.”

　　Qin Fengqing smiled mischievously and went into the alloy house with Fang Ping.

　　…

　　A few minutes later, both of them arrived at the passageway plaza of Hope City.

　　This time, Xu Mofu was nowhere to be seen. This was not surprising, as there was no reason for him to show up for two Rank-4 martial artists like themselves.

　　A powerhouse from the army was seen guarding the entrance of the alloy house.

　　The powerhouse smiled and nodded as soon as he saw both of them coming towards him. Fang Ping and Qin Fengqing were actually quite famous in Hope City.

　　One of them had managed to survive despite being hunted down by a Rank-6 martial artist the first time he entered the Catacombs.

　　The other frequented the Catacombs and was always being hunted down by other martial artists.

　　To date, so many people had died. However, both of these young men had still managed to level up and become middle-ranked martial artists instead. The only explanation was that they were exceptionally lucky.

　　Acting if as he were very familiar with the place, Qin Fengqing asked, “Old Zhang, what’s the current status? Tell us what’s going on.”

　　The guard eyed him and said casually, “My surname is Liu.”

　　“Oh. Well then, Old Liu, what’s the situation like?”

　　Qin Fengqing did not care what the guard’s name was. There were so many people around here that he considered it a waste of time to remember everyone’s names.

　　Fang Ping remained silent and just kept looking up at the ugly sun.

　　‘I’ll just pretend that I don’t know Qin Fengqing for the moment. If he wants to embarrass himself, that’s none of my business.’

　　The guard did not dwell upon Qin Fengqing’s gaffe, but smiled and said, “The troops at Sky Gate City have retreated and they haven’t launched any recent attacks. However, there’s word from the reconnaissance team that Sky Gate City is now forging close ties with East Sunflower City.

　　“In General Xu’s opinion, there is a chance that the two cities might continue to cooperate and even join forces.

　　“Sky Gate City suffered heavy losses this round. Half of their high-ranked martial artists were killed, and many middle and lower-ranked martial artists ended up dead or wounded. The city is no longer able to attack Hope City anymore.

　　Both Sky Gate City and East Sunflower City are located quite close to each other as well…”

　　Upon hearing this, Qin Fengqing asked abruptly, “What about West Phoenix City in the northwest? Are they showing signs of movement?”

　　“West Phoenix City?”

　　After thinking for a while, the guard shook his head and answered, “No, they’re not, at least not for the time being. The situation over there is still the same. We seldom go to the northwest, but the military is keeping a close eye on every city. We’ll be the first to know if an alliance is formed.”

　　“Oh, I see.”

　　Qin Fengqing did not ask any further questions and started walking towards the city. Fang Ping hurried to catch up with him.

　　“Where are we going?”

　　“The missions hall.”

　　Qin Fengqing continued rather scornfully, “Kiddo, you’re just a newbie here, so you better listen and learn.

　　“Since we’re in Hope City, we may as well go and have a look at the missions hall. Who knows, we might be able to earn some extra money.

　　“Occasionally the Military Department or some major foreign companies, like the pill or weapons companies, put out mission requests.

　　“They’re usually super easy tasks, such as collecting some martial arts medals or perhaps some Catacombs outfits. I’m not sure if these people are planning to enter the Catacombs or if it’s just a stupid hobby of theirs, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re giving away free money.”

　　Now that he had the chance to shine, Qin Fengqing seized the opportunity to give Fang Ping a proper lecture.

　　Fang Ping just listened in silence; there was no harm listening to his senior anyway.

　　‘Just you wait, Qin Fengqing… I’ll be sure to get you back for what you said just now.’

　　…

　　At the missions hall.

　　There were no display screens or any form of electronic devices around here, so the two young men could only look at the physical notice board for mission requests.

　　There were quite a lot of people in the missions hall at the moment.

　　Fang Ping even saw a few acquaintances among them, as well as several instructors from the university.

　　The instructors greeted Fang Ping and Qin Fengqing with a smile when they saw them. They also made a point to ask about the current situation in MCMAU.

　　The instructors’ moods brightened considerably when they found out that MCMAU had obtained permission to expand its pills and weapons production line.

　　Actually, the six Peak-ranked powerhouses who were in charge of the Catacombs had already known about this. These other instructors had just returned from Hope City, which was why they were unaware of it.

　　After chit-chatting for a while, Fang Ping and Qin Fengqing started going through the mission requests pinned to the notice board.

　　‘Collecting a vast collection of medicinal herbs for a favorable price.’

　　‘Purchasing energy ores regardless of purity level.’

　　‘In need of energy hearts…’

　　‘Acquiring corpses of demonic beasts regardless of rank…’

　　‘Purchasing live sea beasts…’

　　To his surprise, Fang Ping even saw a request for purchasing a restaurant. He glanced at it, dumbfounded, and asked, “Are you sure people like to eat this sort of thing? They’re not cheap.”

　　He could not forget just how exorbitant his meal at the restaurant in Hope City had been last time.

　　“The fact that you can’t afford it doesn’t mean that others can’t,” Qin Fengqing said rather disdainfully with a hint of nostalgia, “It tasted pretty good if you ask me. The sea beast that we ate was really fresh too. However, sea beasts aren’t that easy to catch, and it’s dangerous to venture out to sea, so I’ve only had it a few times.

　　“Speaking of which, do you know what’s the tastiest food down here in the Catacombs?”

　　“What is it?”

　　Fang Ping had never eaten any meat or vegetables from the Catacombs before.

　　Back then, he had not eaten anything in the Jiao’s forest, merely maintained his energy by condensing his Vitality.

　　“A mine mouse.”

　　Qin Fengqing licked his lips and said contentedly, “The meat of a mine mouse is really tender, and the taste is…even better than that of a woman…”

　　“Did something happen between you and a mine mouse or what?”

　　“Shut up!” Qin Fengqing snapped angrily and was about to say something else, but someone interrupted by asking, “Qin Fengqing, you’ve eaten a mine mouse before?”

　　Qin Fengqing replied smugly, “Of course!”

　　The person who asked the question was a middle-aged man. After hearing Qin Fengqing’s answer he raised an eyebrow and said, “Mine mice are usually found only in energy mines. Where did you catch yours?”

　　Qin Fengqing looked at him in disdain and sneered coldly, “I must be out of my mind if I were to tell you that. I didn’t even tell the Military Department when they asked me about it. I didn’t report it to MCMAU either. How could I possibly tell somebody like you?

　　“When I reach Rank-7 someday, I’ll go and mine there myself. Anyway, I’m the only one who knows where the place is, and I’m not telling anybody about it!”

　　It seemed as if Qin Fengqing did not care to let others know that he had discovered an energy mine. Discovering it was one thing, being able to mine it was another.

　　There was no point knowing where it was if one could not mine it.

　　Everyone knew that many high-ranked creatures were to be found in the energy mines as well.

　　However, this was not what the middle-aged man was curious about. He smiled at Qin Fengqing and asked, “Qin Fengqing, just stop telling tall tales, will you? How could you have possibly come back from an energy mine alive?”

　　“I can’t help it if my luck has been too good,” Qin Fengqing declared arrogantly. After a while, he cleared his throat and said, “Well then, stop beating around the bush to try to take advantage of me. I’m sure that there are many high-ranked creatures inside the mine. I didn’t dare to venture too deep, so I just strolled around the outer area and left.

　　“What’s important is that I’ve eaten a mine mouse before. The taste is just superb!”

　　Quite a handful of people heard what he said. Some burst out laughing, while someone else deliberately provoked him by saying, “Qin Fengqing’s clearly boasting. I’m not sure where he heard about mine mice, but I must say, his acting skills are pretty good.”

　　“Believe me or not, it’s up to you!”

　　Qin Fengqing ignored them and strode out after looking at the notice board one last time.

　　There was no need to register to accept a mission. All one had to do was to check for highly requested items and bring them back once one had obtained them.

　　…

　　After leaving the missions hall, Fang Ping asked, “Did you really discover an energy mine?”

　　“What do you think? Take a guess.”

　　“I’m not going to guess, you idiot. It’s not like I don’t know where the energy mines are located anyway. As a matter of fact, I know where three of them are. I’m just not capable enough to mine them yet.”

　　Fang Ping did not care too much whether or not Qin Fengqing answered him, as there was a map in MCMAU.

　　Apparently, a powerhouse from MCMAU had discovered three energy mines, but it was extremely dangerous to set foot there.

　　Two of the mines were dominated by Rank-8 creatures, whereas the other one was said to be dominated by Rank-9 creatures.

　　All these energy mines were located deep inside the Catacombs, near the central mountain range.

　　Knowing where the mines were located was one thing, venturing into them was another. Fang Ping was not so stupid as to set foot there.

　　However…just how many places had Qin Fengqing been to? How could he have discovered an energy mine? Even if he managed to come back alive, did this mean that the creatures inhabiting that mine were not that powerful after all?

　　Qin Fengqing smiled mischievously and said, “I just told you not to take advantage of me, didn’t I? If I’m not wrong, I think the energy mine I came across wasn’t one discovered by MCMAU. I don’t think other people know about it either. Anyway, it’s not a big one, so I guess the degree of energy dispersion around the area isn’t that high. It should only be inhabited by some Rank-7 creatures.

　　“I’ll go mining as soon as I reach Rank-7.

　　“If I really can’t mine it, I’ll auction it off and sell it to the highest bidder. I’ve got to make some money out of it no matter what.”

　　Fang Ping did not question Qin Fengqing any further. Instead, he asked, “What about now? What do you plan to do?”

　　“Now?”

　　Qin Fengqing was dumbfounded. He then replied, “Well, we’re going to head out of town and begin our journey to the Catacombs, of course. It takes time to travel a few hundred kilometers, you know. We shouldn’t be waste our time when we arrive at the Catacombs either. Please tell me you’re not planning to get a girlfriend in Hope City, right?

　　“Anyway, let me tell you this: some female martial artists in Hope City are terrible. Even so, you can always try to sweet talk them if your taste in women is a little unusual.”

　　“Just shut up, will you?” Fang Ping interrupted forcibly. The two of them did not waste time in idle chatter after that and headed towards the North Gate.

　　…

　　Outside the North Gate.

　　When Fang Ping and Qin Fengqing looked back, they noticed that there were a few extra craters on the walls of Hope City. The earth outside the city walls was also stained red with blood.

　　Both of them had already left this place when the war broke out.

　　Even Fang Ping himself was not sure exactly how many people had since died.

　　Meanwhile, Qin Fengqing continued to hurry along the road in silence. It was not so dangerous around here yet as they were still within a 10-kilometer radius from the city walls.

　　The two of them maintained their pace and hurried along without wasting any unnecessary Vitality. After about an hour of traveling, Qin Fengqing suddenly stopped in his tracks.

　　Before them was a vast area peppered with many lakes both great and small.

　　Qin Fengqing stood there for a while, just looking at the scene, before saying suddenly, “I wonder which of these is the Vice-chancellor’s?”

　　Fang Ping had also realized by now how these lakes had come about.

　　On the day the war broke out, a great many powerhouses decided to go down together, causing damage across several kilometers of land. It was not hard to imagine just how vicious the battle had been.

　　Although Fang Ping was not familiar with the area, Qin Fengqing was.

　　Previously, there were no lakes here.

　　Fang Ping stayed silent and did not answer his question, but Qin Fengqing did not mind. He glanced at the lakes and asked as they continued on their journey, “How powerful do you think we have to be, to take control of the Catacombs?”

　　“I don’t know.”

　　“I don’t think even a Rank-9 martial artist can do it.” Qin Fengqing smiled and continued sardonically, “How long does a martial artist’s journey take? Nobody knows. Commander Li and his men are already Rank-9 powerhouses, but they still failed to take control. Don’t tell me that there’s a Rank-10 or something after Rank-9?”

　　“I don’t know.”

　　“I knew it. You don’t know anything, do you? I should’ve known that you wouldn’t be able to give me an answer.”

　　“If you already knew, why did you still bother to ask?”

　　“What nonsense is that? It’s just the two of us here. There’s nobody else around. I’ll die if I don’t talk.”

　　“Can you please stop talking?”

　　“Why should I? Who knows, I might end up dead tomorrow. For now, I should talk as much as I want while I’m still alive and well since I might not be able to do that in the future.”

　　“…”

　　All along, Fang Ping had been aware that Qin Fengqing was a chatterbox.

　　Previously when they went on a mission together, Qin Fengqing also talked non-stop.

　　However, back then, they were not alone. Now, Fang Ping had no choice but to endure Qin Fengqing’s incessant chatter all by himself.

　　As they continued walking, the landscape around them gradually became less desolate.

　　Since the last battle, the area around Hope City had been barren without even a single tree in sight.

　　However, as they continued on their journey northwestward, trees began cropping up again, and they could even see some hills.

　　“West Phoenix City is located about 500 miles northwest of Hope City, but we’re not going there this time. We’ll continue our journey slightly to the northeast instead…”

　　“Why did you all end up fleeing in that direction? Weren’t you guys planning to carry out a robbery in Sky Gate City?”

　　“Oh please, you call that a robbery?” Qin Fengqing retorted, “I was just there to withdraw some money, get it?”

　　After that, he thought it necessary to explain himself, so he said, “Besides, we didn’t go to Sky Gate City. We went to a large village instead. Apart from the Thirteen Cities, there are still several villages and towns in the Catacombs, so we went to one of them.

　　“I don’t know whether that village is governed by Hope City or Sky Gate City, but it doesn’t matter. All the villages are the same if you ask me.

　　“Anyway, the village we went to was quite powerful. We came across a few Rank-5 powerhouses, and there were quite a number of Rank-4 powerhouses as well. Wang Jinyang and I managed to kill a few of them, but we didn’t dare flee towards Sky Gate City, so we ended up fleeing towards this direction instead. That was when I came across the energy mine that I was talking about earlier…

　　“It’s common knowledge that there are high-ranked powerhouses at the Catacombs forts. It’s possible for a market town with a population of more than ten thousand people to be governed by a high-ranked powerhouse as well. High-ranked powerhouses are rarely seen in villages, so a village is considered powerful if it’s governed by a middle-ranked powerhouse. However, some villages are just inhabited by commoners.

　　“It’s important to choose a good location when you rob…withdraw money. It’s a waste of time to choose a village inhabited by commoners, as there’s nothing else to do besides killing a few folks. Although our race is at war with the Catacombs, I don’t see the point in slaughtering a bunch of weak commoners.

　　“It’s best not to go to any market towns either. If you really have to choose a place, you should go for the larger villages. There are martial artists there, so you’ll need to cultivate. I’m certain you’ll be able to find some energy ores there too. Even if there’s no ore, you should be able to come across some medicinal herbs that are infused with high concentrations of energy. They’re worth quite a bit.”

　　Qin Fengqing started giving Fang Ping a lecture on his robbery skills.

　　After going approximately 200 miles away from Hope City, Qin Fengqing stopped suddenly, eyed Fang Ping and said, “Take off your clothes!”

　　“What?”

　　Fang Ping scanned his surroundings but there was nobody else around.

　　‘Is this fellow seriously asking me to take off my clothes in the middle of nowhere?’

　　Before Fang Ping could ask any questions, Qin Fengqing was already taking off his own clothes. Once he had stripped down to his pants, he took out a set of garments from his bag and began putting them on. This sort of outfit was usually worn by humans who lived in the Catacombs.

　　“Don’t wear this around Hope City. Some of the martial artists out there don’t think before they act. They’re most likely to kill you on sight. You’re lucky if you only end up with some injuries, but there’s nothing you can do if they really intend to kill you.”

　　Qin Fengqing continued to talk about his ordeal with mixed feelings, “Back then, it didn’t occur to me that I should be more careful about this, so I just changed into clothes like these. However, it just so happened I bumped into a Rank-4 martial artist who was on the way back from a mission. He started hunting me down before I could even say a word.

　　“Motherf*cker, I kept telling him I’m human, but he still tried to kill me. He said that I was a Catacombs human who had mastered the human language.

　　“Damn, I was nearly killed. Besides, can a martial artist from the Catacombs speak such fluent Mandarin in the first place?

　　“I’ll never forget what he did to me. I’ll be sure to chop him up into pieces if I ever see him again.”

　　Fang Ping stifled a laugh while Qin Fengqing continued, “We still won’t be able to completely blend in even if we change our clothes, but we definitely won’t stand out in a crowd anymore. I don’t think those martial artists from the Catacombs will chase after us even if they spot us at a distance. It’s the human martial artists we should be cautious around.

　　“However, we’ve traveled quite a distance from the city, and this isn’t the usual spot where we’d launch an assault either. So I think the possibility of us bumping into some humans is fairly remote.”

　　Qin Fengqing had already finished changing his clothes while he was speaking. He even wrapped a cloth around his head, leaving Fang Ping speechless.

　　Qin Fengqing rolled his eyes and said in exasperation, “Hurry up and change. What are you waiting for?”

　　At that, Fang Ping began changing his clothes without any further delay. Since he had decided to tag along with an experienced fellow like Qin Fengqing, he should follow his advice. The fact that Qin Fengqing was still alive proved that it was worth heeding.

　　Right as Fang Ping shed his jacket and was about to put on his new set of clothes, Qin Fengqing’s eyes flickered suddenly.

　　To Fang Ping’s astonishment, he reached out and began feeling over Fang Ping’s body. Fang Ping glared at him in warning and growled quietly, “Stop it, or I’ll kill you!”

　　However, Qin Fengqing just stared at him earnestly instead, with a look of unsatisfied yearning.

　　‘Don’t tell me this bastard’s a masochist!’

　　“Leather amour from the hide of a Rank-5 white-eared beast…”

　　Qin Fengqing ignored Fang Ping’s death stare and swallowed. He continued running his hands over the leather amour and said, eyes gleaming with enthusiasm, “Damn, I don’t want to continue with the mission anymore. There’s nobody here anyway. I’m dying to do a big one…”

　　This bastard Fang Ping was so rich, even richer than that beggar Wang Jinyang!

　　A B-grade dadao and Rank-5 beast hide leather armor—these two items alone were worth a fortune.

　　“Fang Ping, I’ve never worn one of these before. Why don’t you lend it to me for a few days?”

　　Qin Fengqing begged eagerly. Fang Ping shoved his hand away and snapped, his expression black as thunder, “In your dreams!”

　　“Oh come on, don’t be so heartless. Just lend it to me for a while. I’ll give it back to you, I promise.”

　　“Are you going to stop touching me or what?”

　　Fang Ping was starting to regret going on this mission with Qin Fengqing.

　　‘He’s not planning to rob me, right?’

　　Qin Fengqing sighed and said regretfully, “Fine then. You don’t have to lend it to me if you don’t want to.”

　　Despite what he said, he could not help thinking to himself, ‘If Fang Ping is being hunted someday, he’d be willing to give up his dadao and leather amour in return for me saving his life, right?’

　　Meanwhile, Fang Ping was thinking to himself as well, ‘Qin Fengqing’s saber is B-grade as well. He’s such a poor beggar, that saber is probably all he has. Would he give it to me if I ask him for it?’