Trickster Hunter.

Chapter 537 Cavities in Rock Strata
As a seasoned gambler, the original owner knew very well that this chip was definitely genuine. Its weight and texture were impeccable. The gold-stamped "Ten Thousand" lettering on the chip's surface reflected the light coming from not far away, giving it a special luster. From a certain angle, one could also vaguely see the laser-engraved characters used for anti-counterfeiting.

Ten thousand yuan is no small sum. These chips can be taken directly to the table or exchanged for cash of the same value. As for the handling fee, a two percent handling fee is only required when exchanging cash for chips, and not when exchanging chips for cash.

The original owner was filled with doubt. He didn't know why there would be a chip with such a large face value in the tunnel... Could it be something left behind by the missing people?

But who in their right mind would take their chips out of the casino?

Ordinary players either quit while they're ahead, exchanging their chips for cash and leaving, or they lose everything like the original owner and are "asked" to leave by security. Wealthy patrons, on the other hand, usually store their chips in the casino's safe after the game, retrieving them for their next game.

But regardless, the ten thousand yuan is now in his pocket...

The original owner was somewhat excited. The reward for this mission was only 100,000 coins, but now, picking up just one chip would give him one-tenth of the reward... If he could pick up a few more later...

"What are you doing?" A questioning voice filled with dissatisfaction abruptly pulled the original owner from his beautiful fantasy. The original owner was startled and subconsciously tried to hide the chips in his hand—but he quickly realized that the other person did not seem to see the chips lying in his palm at all, but was staring at his face with disgust, just like when she saw him at the North Gate of Dragon City.

"If you're still sleepy, you should go back to your doghouse and keep sleeping instead of standing here dazed!" The female hunter's tone was full of sarcasm. "What I hate most are those lazy dogs who don't do any work but still expect to get paid, you know what I mean?"

“I…” The original owner’s heart was pounding wildly. He no longer cared about the other party’s sarcastic words. He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and showed the chip to the other party.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" the huntress said mercilessly. "Just looking at your Down syndrome-like, idiotic expression makes me want to vomit!"

She was completely unaware of the chip that the original owner had picked up.

Even the three mercenaries standing by watching the show didn't ask where the chips in the original owner's hand came from.

It was as if this chip worth ten thousand dollars was completely invisible to them.

"N-nothing..." The original owner shook his head and quickly stuffed the chips into his pocket.

"Tch..." Seeing the original owner's submissive demeanor, the hunter felt extremely disappointed—it was as if she had thrown a heavy punch but hit a ball of cotton that was as light as a feather.

"I'll tell Brother Lei exactly how you behaved down the well," the female hunter sneered. "Don't feel wronged when Brother Lei deducts your reward."

"Whatever you want," the original owner muttered. At this point, he no longer cared about the 100,000 yuan reward for the mission. Subconsciously, a voice seemed to be telling him that as long as he continued forward, he could pick up more chips.

"Alright, stop wasting time. Since we can't figure out what this symbol means, we'll just have to keep going." A mercenary patted his rifle. "But to be honest, this symbol gives me a bad feeling. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled and be ready for battle at any time."

"I don't need your nonsense." The hunter untied the whip from her wrist and flicked it lightly. A slight cracking sound came from the air, and the barbed scales on the whip opened up one by one, with a faint smell of blood emanating from the gaps between the scales.

"If anyone continues to shirk their duties, hmph, my whip doesn't discriminate." The hunter looked at the original owner of the body without any attempt to hide her intentions.

"I'll lead the charge," the original owner suddenly said.

After confirming that no one else could see the chips except himself, a bold idea gradually took root in the original owner's mind.

"Hmm?" The female hunter looked at the original owner of the memories with some surprise. "Since you're so eager, then so be it. You lead the way."

After saying that, she stepped back.

Although she looked down on the original owner, she was able to survive in Dragon City for so long. She might have a bad temper, but she certainly wasn't stupid. She was well aware of the risks of taking the lead. In her opinion, the original owner's seemingly impulsive behavior was exactly what she wanted.

"This kind of useless hunter has no value other than being cannon fodder," the female hunter thought.

The group continued walking forward, and before they had gone far, the original owner of the memories who had been leading the way squatted down once again.

His actions startled the others. The three mercenaries immediately crouched down and raised their guns, aiming them at the depths of the well. The huntress's reaction wasn't as strong, but the way she gripped the whip tightly in her right hand betrayed her inner tension.

"Don't worry, my shoelaces just came undone," the original owner of the memories said calmly. "These shoes are so worn out, the shoelaces are all worn out, they come undone so easily."

As he spoke, he discreetly slipped a 10,000-yuan chip into his pocket right in front of the other four people.

"Damn it." The three mercenaries breathed a sigh of relief, holstered their guns, and stood up. "I thought something was wrong."

"You can't even tie a simple knot?" the huntress frowned. "What if your shoelaces come undone during a fight?"

The one-knot is a popular way of tying shoelaces in the military, and it is also very common among various field workers, free hunters, and mercenaries. This knot is not only not easy to come undone, but it can also greatly reduce the risk of shoelaces getting caught. It is one of the most basic military training contents. Not to mention these professional mercenaries, even college students who have received military training can tie it.

"No," the original owner said, acting as if he were completely unfazed.

"This is outrageous! He opened the door for something so outrageous..." The female hunter looked at the original owner in astonishment. "Why would Brother Lei choose a piece of trash like you to make up the numbers? Did all the free hunters in Dragon City die overnight?"

"Who knows? Maybe Brother Lei thinks I'm not bad." The original owner casually tied his shoelaces and stood up.

"You've got the skills... Heh, what skills do you have?" the hunter sneered.

The original owner didn't argue with her, but continued to walk forward silently.

About a kilometer deep in the well, the original owner of the memories squatted down and tied his shoelaces three more times. When he squatted down for the fourth time, even the three mercenaries who hadn't said much couldn't stand it anymore: "Hey buddy, if you don't know how to do the one-stripe knot, I can teach you... What kind of behavior is this, with your shoelaces coming undone every few steps? You need to know that we're in a dangerous environment where monsters could jump out at any moment, not on a picnic!"

"I think he did it on purpose, fucking, to disgust us by wasting our time!" the huntress yelled shrilly. "What the fuck are you trying to do?"

"My shoelaces really came undone." The original owner of the memories looked innocent as he showed the other four his work boots, which he had worn for almost ten years and were in terrible condition. "I'll go change my shoelaces after this mission."

"You don't really think you can go back, do you?" the huntress said, barely containing her anger. If it weren't for the fact that she was wary of Brother Lei, who had brought the original owner of this body, she would have already lashed out with her whip. "Once we get up there, and I tell Brother Lei, do you believe he'll skin you alive?"

"Oh..." The original owner nodded blankly, then gently pressed his palm against his pocket.

Six chips, each worth ten thousand, lay quietly inside.

Sixty thousand yuan… He did nothing. No strange creatures, no battles, and none of those “companions” who get greedy at the sight of something good. He simply bent down a few times, and sixty thousand yuan was in his pocket. He had never thought making money could be so easy…

"How about you go ahead and lead the charge?" one of the mercenaries suggested, glancing at the female hunter.

“Why should I do the task he took on himself?” the hunter immediately refused.

"Then let's not argue. If your shoelaces are going to come undone, just kill you and settle the score. After you're done, stuff them into your boots." The mercenary said to the original owner. "Anyway, you said you were going to change your shoelaces when you got back. If you can't untie them, just cut them with a knife."

"Ok."

The five walked another two hundred meters, and just as the original owner bent over again, the female hunter finally exploded: "You fucking pull this trick again? I'll chop your feet off right now so you don't have to tie your shoelaces anymore!"

"There's something on the ground." The original owner picked up the seventh chip from the ground, put it in his pocket, and then pointed to the ground.

"What did you say?"

Three mercenaries immediately surrounded him, their helmet spotlights focusing on the spot where the original owner was pointing.

It was a pool of blood, and judging from how fresh it was, it must have been left a few days ago.

"Hiss... Was there a battle here?" A mercenary gasped, glancing around warily. "Those missing people, could they have already...?"

"The employer said we need to see the person alive or dead. Even if the person is dead, as long as we can find the body and bring it back, we will get our full pay," another mercenary said. "Search carefully around here and see if there are any other traces."

The crowd immediately dispersed and began searching the surrounding ground, walls, and dome.

"There's a door here!" a mercenary suddenly shouted.

He shouted as he swept the ground a few times with the sole of his boot.

This is an airtight door flush with the ground, with a disc-shaped valve embedded inside. A thin layer of sand covers the top of the airtight door, making it difficult to notice that there is a door in this corner unless you look closely.

"Should we open it?" The mercenary squatted down and looked up at the others.

“I have a feeling those people didn’t take this route. Didn’t you notice the layer of dirt covering this door?” the huntress said. “This door has clearly not been touched in a long time.”

“Not necessarily,” the original owner suddenly said.

His eyes were fixed on the valve of the airtight door.

A golden chip was stuck diagonally in the groove below the valve.

“Why do you think that? Do you think they went through this door and then came back to cover it up with sand? Even so, they shouldn’t be inside this door now; they should be back in this well.” Another mercenary questioned.

"He doesn't know anything!" the hunter immediately scoffed. "He just thought there was a door here, so he got itchy and wanted to go in and take a look... Damn it, shouldn't an idiot like him have died in the no-man's-land long ago?"

“If you’re too scared to go in, I’ll go in.” The original owner said, reaching for the valve on the airtight door.

The other four immediately took two steps back, but none of them stopped the original owner's actions.

There wasn't even a verbal attempt to stop them.

In fact, they were also very curious about the back door... and the fact that the door was found near where the bloodstains were discovered made it easy to associate it with the missing people.

They had already walked quite a distance in the shaft, but apart from that strange symbol, they hadn't found any valuable clues. This "hidden" airtight door was arguably their biggest discovery since entering the pit, and there was no reason not to open it and take a look.

The original owner of the memory first picked up the eighth chip, then gripped the valve with both hands and turned it forcefully.

With a sickening sound, the airtight door slowly sank down, revealing a gap one meter long and half a meter wide.

The group exchanged bewildered glances before finally focusing their attention on the original owner of the body.

"You're going to lead the charge? You're not afraid to go down there, are you?" the huntress said coldly.

The original owner didn't say anything, but picked up a flashlight and shone it into the gap.

Below is a man-made tunnel, its walls covered with riveted steel plates. A long ladder is welded onto these plates, extending deep into the tunnel.

The original owner silently hung the flashlight on his waist and then climbed down the ladder.

The three mercenaries exchanged a glance and then climbed down as well.

The female hunter followed at the very back.

The metal tunnel wasn't long; even including the bends, the parallel section was only about fifty meters long. After the original owner crawled out of the tunnel, the surrounding area instantly opened up.

This is a huge cavity in the rock strata. It is unknown whether it was dug out by man or formed naturally. Compared with the cavities above the pit, it is insignificant. This place is about 30 meters high, and its depth and width exceed 200 meters.

But for the original owner, none of that mattered anymore.

Less than a hundred meters away from him, countless golden chips were piled up into a small mountain, the top of which almost touched the top of the cavity.

Each golden chip has a face value of 10,000 yuan.

(End of this chapter)