An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 39 Brilliant Plan
Inside the stronghold, Wang Long spoke loudly with great confidence.

Compared to two days ago, his muscles were much more muscular, making him look like an ox. He even seemed to have grown a few centimeters taller, giving him an extremely imposing presence.

It's obvious at a glance that killing monsters these past two days has leveled him up again, and he has now reached the mortal level 4!
The improvement in his level clearly gave Wang Long a strong sense of confidence. He seemed to have become the same bully he used to be in school, relying on his physique to bully his classmates. Even his attitude towards Shen Zhuo had become more contemptuous.

In his view, Shen Zhuo was just a rich second-generation with a good family background, but his management of the team was too weak, especially in the matter of Chu Xiu.

They were practically being manipulated by others.

Moreover, Shen Zhuo did not hide the fact that he had bought his job.

This made Wang Long even more convinced that Shen Zhuo was good for nothing except being born into a good family, and that he himself would lead the team better as the leader of this stronghold.

Before Shen Zhuo could even speak about Wang Long's suggestion, Yun Lu objected immediately: "How can you do that! The price was set long ago, how can you just change it like that? Chu Xiu can also change the cost of upgrading equipment!"

Wang Long remained silent, but Wu Xinyi sneered, "What does it matter? Our equipment is basically complete, and we've also gotten quite a few good items recently. Instead of continuing to look for him, we should save our karma points to upgrade our combat skills."

"I can't stand his arrogant attitude. He's unwilling to suffer any loss, as if we're begging him."

"It's not that exaggerated, is it?" Yunlu whispered in defense of Chu Xiu.

Upon hearing this, Wu Xinyi became even angrier. Unlike Wang Long, who had a grudge against Chu Xiu, her displeasure with Chu Xiu stemmed almost entirely from Yun Lu's inexplicable "favoritism."

"Little Deer, do you like him that much?" Wu Xinyi said angrily.

"Of course not! We've only known each other for a few days." Yunlu waved her hands repeatedly.

"Then why do you always protect him?" Wu Xinyi continued to question.

Yunlu lowered her head, and after a long while, she said hesitantly, "Actually, I just think he's very strong."

"Huh?" Wu Xinyi was stunned, and everyone else also showed a look of astonishment.

Strong? Chu Xiu?

Yunlu smiled sheepishly: "I don't know why either. He has a very reassuring scent, and I feel like he will protect me because I'm useful. Maybe it's just the survival instinct of a herbivore?"

Wu Xinyi said helplessly, "You really think you're a deer?"

Li Shan laughed and said, "Little Lu, it's probably because he was the first person you met here, so you subconsciously had a misconception. There seems to be a specific term in psychology to describe this."

"But to be honest, how strong can a support class with an energy level of 0.8 be?"

Yunlu remained silent, while Wang Long continued, "Yes, he's not strong, yet he swindled so many of our karma points. Are you really going to swallow this?"

"He was short-sighted and didn't join us before, and now he wants to buy meat cheaply? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

"You'd better think this through. Once the trial is over and you leave the abyss, we won't be able to get these karmic points back!"

Wang Long's voice sounded somewhat urgent.

Many others chimed in, mostly support classes who toiled all day to earn only a handful of karma points, while Chu Xiu earned ten times that amount! As fellow support classes, this huge disparity had long made them resentful of Chu Xiu.

Of course, there were also those who disagreed. It wasn't that these people had any good feelings towards Chu Xiu, but rather that they didn't want to cause any trouble when the trial was about to end.

The people inside the stronghold split into two factions and started arguing.

Guan Ke, sitting silently in the corner, rubbed his forehead speechlessly, looking at him like he was an idiot.

"What a rabble," she thought.

Guan Ke suddenly felt that perhaps it would be a better choice to stay on the sidelines from the beginning, like Chu Xiu, and use his advantages to earn causal points.

While blending in with this group provided excellent cover and offered many conveniences, it inevitably consumed a lot of energy.

These people had absolutely no sense of crisis; all they cared about were petty calculations. In contrast, Chu Xiu had boldly devised a plan to increase his advantage through nighttime hunting, and the difference in their strategies was like night and day.

"Okay, stop arguing."

At this moment, looking at the crowd discussing amongst themselves, Shen Zhuo tapped on the table.

"The prices of the food were set long ago, and they are not cheap, but very reasonable."

"Rules are rules, and there's no need to break them for a little benefit."

Shen Zhuo's words ended the argument at the stronghold.

But it was obvious that Wang Long was not convinced. After snorting, he walked out of the stronghold.

Li Shanchong said with a forced smile to the others, "Wang Long is just too impulsive. I'll go and try to persuade him."

He then followed them outside.

But as the door behind him closed, the apologetic smile on Li Shan's face vanished instantly.

He followed Wang Long, and the two walked silently down the corridor.

Once they were far from the stronghold, Wang Long finally spoke: "What do you mean?"

Li Shan said without hesitation, "Let's do it tonight, this is the last chance."

Upon hearing this, Wang Long, who had been fierce, hesitated for a moment: "Are you really going to kill someone?"

Li Shan sneered: "What, are you scared?"

“How could that be? I just…” Wang Long’s expression shifted between light and dark. “I just don’t feel completely confident.”

Li Shan scoffed, "We're both level 4. You know that once you reach level 4, the experience gained from killing corpses will decrease drastically. There's absolutely no way Chu Xiu will reach level 5."

"Two level 4 combat classes, are they afraid of a support class of the same level? Not to mention, our equipment isn't bad either!"

Li Shan's words seemed to persuade Wang Long somewhat, but he still hesitated and said, "We don't just need to win, we need to do it cleanly and efficiently. If this matter is exposed, I'm afraid we will be expelled from the stronghold."

Li Shan sneered: "What doesn't involve risk? If you're afraid of this and that, why did you even come to the Abyss?"

"If we miss this opportunity, where will we find another fat sheep as stupid as Chu Xiu?"

"You should know in your heart that awakened individuals like you and me, who are not outstanding in terms of profession or talent, cannot develop without being ruthless. Do you want to be Shen Zhuo's dog for the rest of your life?"

Li Shan's words completely solidified Wang Long's resolve. The hesitation in his eyes vanished, replaced by a fierce killing intent. He grinned maliciously and said, "Tell me, what do you want to do?"

“Don’t worry,” Li Shan licked his lips, “I have devised an excellent plan and made multiple preparations.”

"Do you remember my [Decoy] skill? It's that thing made with ghoul blood; it attracts ghouls, and all we need to do is apply it..."

"And the [Type 005 Corpse Venom] that exploded this morning, we can mix it into Chu Xiu's food."

"We might be able to win Gao Yuan over by sowing discord. Although he just rejected us, he likes Yunlu, and all we need is..."

"We can borrow Xinyi's pistol as a form of insurance."

"Most importantly, a lone wolf like Chu Xiu, even if he disappears, will only be assumed by others to have made a mistake while hunting, making him an excellent target."

Li Shan became more and more excited as he spoke, listing several plans in one breath, each of which was enough to easily take the life of a level 4 mortal awakener.

This prompted someone behind him to exclaim in admiration:
"Great plan."

(End of this chapter)