He feigned madness for eighteen years, all for the power of a god.

Chen Mo continued:

"The mission intelligence only mentioned 'rotten worms,' but made no mention of this mantis-like monster."

"And the fact that the inner world hasn't been dispelled despite us killing so many people means there's something even more powerful inside this building."

"Then... what do we do now? Should we... retreat?"

The injured teammate spoke, his face pale.

His name is Li Wei. He's a newbie who hasn't been around for long. He came out with a friend to try and earn some extra money, but he almost lost his life.

He was terrified and just wanted to get out of this horrible place as soon as possible.

"Withdraw? Why withdraw?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another teammate, who hadn't said much, retorted.

This man, named Zhou Kang, was thin and unremarkable in appearance, but his eyes darted around, revealing a shrewdness and greed.

His eyes burned as he stared intently at the grotesque corpses of mantises on the ground, and he said excitedly:

"Are you all stupid?! This is a grotesque and bizarre creature! It's far rarer than ordinary grotesque creatures! Look!"

As he spoke, he carefully used a dagger to dissect the grotesque corpse of a praying mantis.

He pulled out a fist-sized, white crystal that emitted a faint glow.

"Bai Jing! It's Bai Jing!" Zhou Kang shouted excitedly.

"These grotesque monsters will definitely drop white crystals! One of these can sell for at least 50,000 on the black market! How many did we just kill? That's a huge sum of money!"

White crystal, a condensation of extraordinary power, is the core material for crafting various extraordinary items and potions.

While ordinary bizarre items may have a very small chance of dropping, it's like buying a lottery ticket – it's something you can only hope for.

Like before, they killed so many putrid worms, but didn't even see a trace of Bai Jing.

However, this rare and bizarre mutation is 100% guaranteed to occur.

Fifty thousand per piece!

This number made everyone present breathe heavily.

Risk and reward are always directly proportional.

The extra rewards, coupled with these valuable white crystals, were such a huge temptation that they reignited the passion in people's hearts.

Fortune favors the bold!

Wang Meng slapped his thigh and said fiercely:

"Let's do it! What's there to be afraid of! With Zhao... with Mr. Zhao around, what monster can't we kill?"

He instinctively wanted to call out "Zhao He," but he swallowed the words back.

He changed his address to "Mr. Zhao," his tone full of flattery and fawning.

Chen Mo also fell into deep thought, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

Only the newcomer named Li Wei remained terrified, shaking his head incessantly.

"No... I quit! No matter how much money you have, you need to be alive to enjoy it! I'm leaving! I'm leaving right now!"

He seemed to have made up his mind. Ignoring everyone's advice, he turned around and ran towards the elevator he had come from.

"What a coward!"

Zhou Kang spat out a disdainful spit.

Wang Meng also snorted coldly:

"Let him go. Keeping a coward like that around is just a burden. One less person means we can get a bigger share of the money."

Everyone watched Li Wei's figure disappear at the elevator entrance without saying anything more.

Bai Ye expressionlessly put the three Originium into his pocket.

Wang Meng and the greedy man were extremely envious.

But thinking of Bai Ye's terrifying strength just now, he ultimately didn't dare to say anything.

After all, Bai Ye dealt with these monsters almost entirely on his own, so they had no right to ask for a share.

Just as everyone turned around, preparing to continue exploring deeper into the building.

No one noticed that the shadow beneath Bai Ye's feet twitched slightly, as if it were alive, and silently covered the three grotesque mantis corpses.

The next second, the corpse vanished into the shadows like melting snow.

A new stream of information flooded into Bai Ye's mind.

[You have devoured "Shadow Slayer," fulfilling the unlock requirements.]

[New ability unlocked: Shadow Jump.]

[Shadow Jump: You can instantly jump anywhere within your field of vision where there is a shadow, up to a maximum distance of 50 meters.]

New capabilities!

A thought struck Bai Ye, and he instantly grasped the methods and techniques for using "Shadow Jump" as if it were second nature.

This ability is practically tailor-made for him! Whether it's ambushing, chasing, or escaping, it's an amazing skill!

He suppressed his joy, stood up, and caught up with the group that was preparing to continue their exploration.

The remaining people, lured by the money, decided to continue exploring deeper into the building.

They soon discovered the bizarre presence of three more praying mantises on another floor.

This time, with Bai Ye as their anchor and everyone prepared, the battle proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Wang Meng and Chen Mo were responsible for frontal containment, while Bai Ye would harass and control the area from the rear from time to time using "Twisted Shadow".

In less than two minutes, the three bizarre creatures were easily dealt with.

As soon as the battle ended, the greedy Zhou Kang could no longer restrain himself.

He shouted excitedly and was the first to rush forward, preparing to collect the three valuable white crystals before everyone else.

However, just as his hand was about to touch the grotesque corpse...

Bai Ye, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

His voice was cold, like a block of ice.

"It's best not to touch it."

Wang Meng glanced back at Bai Ye, pursed his lips, and assumed that Bai Ye wanted to keep all the spoils for himself.

Although he was unhappy, he didn't dare to say anything.

However, Zhou Kang, blinded by money, completely ignored Bai Ye's warning.

He glanced back at Bai Ye, a mocking sneer appearing on his face:

"What? Dr. Zhao, we killed this monster together. You want to keep it all by yourself?"

In his opinion, although Bai Ye was strong, he shouldn't be so domineering.

He felt that he had just contributed, so it was only right that he get a share of the profits.

He ignored Bai Ye and greedily reached out to touch the alluring white crystal in the grotesque corpse.

The instant his fingertips touched the crystal.

boom--!

A violent explosion suddenly rang out!

The raging flames and shockwaves instantly engulfed Zhou Kang's body.

He didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was blown into countless flying pieces of flesh and blood.

Bone fragments and pieces of internal organs covered the entire ceiling and walls.

In the distance, in the shadow of the building.

A man shrouded in darkness is admiring his newly completed "masterpiece" through a high-powered telescope.

Seeing the dazzling crimson fireworks, a sickly yet satisfied smile crept onto his lips.

"Those guys really took the bait."

He glanced at the line of blood-red text beside him, formed from dust particles in the air:

[Promotion Quest: Complete three spectacular bomb and fireworks shows.]

[Requirement: Every bomb and fireworks show must result in the death of at least one Extraordinary being.]

Current progress: (1/3)

"The first fireworks display has come to a perfect end."

He whispered, his voice filled with pleasure and madness.

"Next, it's time to prepare for the second round."