Chinese Superman

Chapter 169 The Other World Takes the Shape of Earth

The question from the blond guard made Qiao Chunxia's heart skip a beat. She instinctively sought help from Xia Xinghan in her mind: "Grandpa Ring, he asked if this is my first time here. What should I say?"

Xia Xinghan replied calmly, "You decide for yourself."

Qiao Chunxia bit her lower lip, quickly suppressing her feelings of dependence.

She looked up, not directly answering the blond-haired man's question, but instead pulled a crumpled hundred-yuan bill from her pocket and gently placed it on the broken wooden table next to him. Her voice was deliberately calm: "Entrance fee. If they let you in, you can; if not, I'll find another place's [portal]."

The blond-haired man glanced at the banknote, grinned, and deftly swept the money into the drawer. His roguish air softened slightly, but he still looked scrutinizing. "How can I not let them in? We're in business. I'm just explaining the rules to a newcomer."

He sat up straighter and pointed to the dark green vortex behind him: "This goblin mine is a low-level dungeon. Once inside, you can do the [Exit Quest] quest; you can only return after completing it. If you're lucky enough to stumble upon a [Hidden Quest], that's your good fortune. Also, our Wild Wolf Gang takes one-third of the loot from the dungeon."

17

"It's so dark!"

"You don't have to go in; the other gangs' [portals] are priced the same."

Qiao Chunxia gritted her teeth and nodded: "Okay."

"The most important point—" the blond-haired man raised a finger, his tone emphasizing, "You can't touch the [strategy mission], understand?"

Qiao Chunxia pursed her lips, a knowing look on her face: "I know. Once you complete the [Strategy Quest], this [Teleportation Portal] will disappear, and you'll lose a stable source of income."

This is common sense: when a dungeon entrance is controlled by a private individual or gang, adventurers are strongly discouraged from attempting to complete the quest.

Whether they live or die is irrelevant; just don't cut off their source of income.

The blond-haired man nodded in satisfaction: "Good, I understand. Good luck, little sister, but don't die in there!"

"Go in." He pointed his thumb toward the vortex behind him.

Qiao Chunxia said no more, took a deep breath, and resolutely cast her light into the quiet, swirling green vortex.

She adjusted the position of her arm shield, gripped her short sword tightly, and stepped into the vortex.

The moment she disappeared, the smile on the blond-haired man's face vanished.

He took out his phone and pulled up a photo that was clearly taken secretly—it showed Qiao Chunxia sitting in class reading.

Pure and beautiful, youth is the best makeup for a young girl, truly a high-class beauty.

He dialed a number and whispered, "Young Master Li, that girl in the photo has appeared. She just entered the goblin mine in Wild Dog Alley—yes, she's alone, looks like a novice here for the first time, and her gear is pretty shabby."

Okay, I understand.

On the other end of the phone, Li Yaozong, who was drinking in a karaoke bar, put down his phone with a sinister, triumphant smile. He abruptly stood up and waved to his several henchmen who were already prepared: "Let's go, let's go 'have some fun' too."

The henchman chuckled, "So that's why Young Master Li didn't order any girls to sing today. Turns out he had other plans."

The henchman rubbed his hands together: "Young Master Li, isn't she the woman you like? Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Li Yaozong sneered: "Just a woman, she really thinks she's something. If she behaves herself, she can be my girlfriend before I get tired of her. If she doesn't, heh—it's normal for some to go in but not to come out in the [Dungeon]."

"Leave one person to guard the [teleportation portal] exit in Wild Dog Alley. Although I don't think she can complete the [escape mission], it's better to be safe than sorry. The rest of you, come with me to find her."

A slight dizziness and a feeling of weightlessness came over me, as if I were passing through a curtain of icy water.

Qiao Chunxia's feet touched solid ground again, and the scene before her eyes had changed drastically.

It was dark and damp, filled with a smell that was a mixture of mold and fishy odor.

She was in a narrow mine tunnel, with rough, carved rock walls on both sides, dotted with a few specks of moss that emitted a faint green glow, but which did not provide any illumination. Under her feet was an uneven, gravelly ground, and in the distance, the mine tunnel stretched into deep darkness, its destination unknown.

-

Even more miraculously, the instant she steadied herself, a semi-transparent virtual panel appeared out of thin air directly in front of her:

[Instance: Goblin Mine]

[Danger Level: Easy (LV.1—LV.10)]

[Number of participants limited to 14/20]

[Main monsters: Goblins (low-tier), Vampire Bats (low-tier), Cave Slimes (low-tier), etc.]

[Description: This is a dark and damp mine, originally carved out by goblins, but later occupied by goblins. Some areas are at risk of collapse.]

[Time: 02:11:49:35]

The information on the panel is concise and clear.

Qiao Chunxia stared in surprise, and subconsciously raised her hand to wave in front of her eyes. She found that the panel seemed to be imprinted on her retina, and her hand passed through the light and shadow without any obstruction.

"Only I can see it? How amazing!" she exclaimed in a low voice.

"Grandpa, can you see this panel?"

"able."

Xia Xinghan's answer was concise and to the point.

"Countdown—it seems the [Dungeon] is about to flip."

Although Earth molded the other world into its own shape, the other world was not entirely at a disadvantage.

Each instance has a time limit. If the time limit is exceeded and the mission is not completed, the instance will be flipped, and the Earth will turn into a dungeon.

Originally, the official requirement was that the dungeon walkthrough must be completed before the flip after the dungeon appears, in order to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties and property losses. This was because the other world had been patched before the Great Cataclysm to prevent the gate from being blocked. After entering the portal, you would be randomly teleported to any corner of the dungeon.

However, once the strategy is completed, the portal disappears, which is a loss for the faction or gang that controls it. Therefore, if a portal appears in the suburbs or remote areas, they will let it flip freely.

For example, the "portal" in Wild Dog Alley, even if the dungeon is flipped, and the instance covers Wild Dog Alley and the surrounding abandoned industrial area, it will not cause much damage because of the sparse population.

As long as the Wild Dog Gang's cultivators kill the monsters that emerge from the [teleportation portal] in time, preventing them from completing the quest, the dungeon will flip back to its original state.

In this way, a sustainable dungeon can be farmed, maximizing profits.

"Put up your [Attributes Panel] and take a look."

"Attribute panel?" Qiao Chunxia thought to herself, "Check the attributes."

Sure enough, the dungeon description panel faded away, and in its place appeared the [Attribute Panel]:

[Qiao Chunxia]

Race: Human

[Level: Mortal Transformation Realm, Third Heaven]

[Status: Mild anemia (all attributes reduced), mild malnutrition, mild fatigue]

Occupation: None

[Talent: None]

Health Points: 184/210 (Mild anemia, low stamina)

【Magic Power: 83/95】

【属性：力量27（—2）/敏捷30（—1）/体质22（—3）/精神70/魅力30】

[Skill: Yin-Yang Sword]

[Equipment Slots: Backpack (White), Goblin Round Shield (Green), Goblin-Crafted Exquisite Short Sword (Green) ————]

Inventory: None

The information displayed on the panel is very detailed.

Qiao Chunxia carefully looked at the [Attribute Panel], where all aspects of her body were presented in a straightforward, data-driven manner.

"You're a bit weak."

Xia Xinghan commented bluntly, "Your basic stats are all below the normal level for the third level of the Mortal Transformation Realm, especially your physique. It's been severely weakened by blood loss and malnutrition. In this state, you can only kill goblins. If you encounter a mid-level monster, you're in big trouble."

Qiao Chunxia pursed her lips, her expression somber, but she did not refute.

But she had to kill a mid-level monster.

Only mid-tier monsters can drop magic cores, and only magic cores can be exchanged for high-tier martial arts at the [Martial God Temple].

"Alright, open the [Mission] panel and see what it means to leave a mission," Xia Xinghan said.

Qiao Chunxia switched panels, and task information appeared:

Main Quest (Walkthrough): Defeat the Goblin Miner Leader and destroy the goblin technology remnants deep within the mine.

[Mission complete: Kill 10 random goblins.]

Strategy Quest —

Qiao Chunxia rolled her eyes.

Even if you ask her to do it, she can't finish it.

The only thing to do first is to escape the mission, kill ten goblins, and get a way to survive.

She glanced at her equipment inventory again to check the attributes of the equipment her father had left behind.

Most of them are of green quality.

As a beginner's set, it's already pretty good, much better than the white set. It's just that the durability is a bit low, so it probably won't last long.

As for the inventory.

With a thought, Qiao Chunxia's backpack disappeared into thin air and was immediately stored in her inventory, which was quite convenient and wouldn't hinder the battle.

"These low-level dungeons are at most good for honing your combat skills."

Xia Xinghan's voice rang out: "Only mid-tier or higher monsters have magic cores. Moreover, killing monsters doesn't grant experience, and the equipment they drop is mostly junk white gear that doesn't fetch a good price."

He paused, seemingly lost in a brief recollection, his tone becoming somewhat unfocused: "Before the Great Cataclysm, the [Otherworld] treated Earth as their [Dungeon], and monsters swarmed out to hunt us."

"Now, the roles have reversed. The dungeons have been flipped, and their world has become an explorable 'Instance' in our eyes. However, the underlying rules remain unchanged: humans cannot directly gain level by killing monsters; monsters can become stronger and level up by killing humans—this is the deeply ingrained core path of this other world, and even though the will of Earth now has the upper hand, it cannot change the most basic 'setting'."

Simply put, the cultivation path in this other world is to kill "monsters" and level up.

This also means that the other world will inevitably continue to invade other worlds.

Qiao Chunxia listened with a mixture of understanding and confusion, then took out a brand-new miner's hat from her backpack, put it on, and turned on the flashlight on the brim. A bright beam of light pierced the darkness ahead.

"First, complete the escape quest and find the goblin," she muttered to herself, both to encourage herself and to report to the old man with the ring.

Qiao Chunxia began to carefully advance along the mine tunnel.

The sound of her footsteps was amplified in the silent passage, the gravel crunched under her feet, the dripping water on the rock wall, and the faint sound of the wind in the distance all made her nerves tense.

After walking for about a few minutes, a series of commotioning sounds came from ahead, along with the crisp sound of stones being struck.

Qiao Chunxia immediately turned off her headlamp, pressed her back against the rock wall, held her breath, and slowly peered out.

In the dim light of the green moss, about twenty meters away, three green-skinned, pointed-eared, fanged humanoid monsters were circling a pile of ore fragments, hammering with crude stone pickaxes, seemingly searching for something.

They were small and thin, only reaching about Qiao Chunxia's chest, with yellowish and cloudy irises and horizontal pupils like those of a goat.

Goblin!

Qiao Chunxia's heart was pounding and her palms were sweating.

This was the first time she had ever faced a real, living otherworldly monster!

It looks just like the pictures in the textbook, but it feels completely different.

Yes, it was that fishy, ​​pungent smell, along with the faint malice emanating from the monster.

How can looking at a tiger in a picture be the same as looking at a real tiger?

"The one on your left is closest to you, with its back to you—that's your chance. Remember, goblins may look thin, but their base stats aren't low; they're stronger than an average person. As long as you don't panic or let your guard down, you can easily take it down. For your first strike, use the power of Xingyi Drill Fist on your short sword—a straight thrust aimed at the back of the goblin's neck. You won't even need to use a single bit of spiritual energy."

Xia Xinghan's calm voice echoed in her mind.

He even told Qiao Chunxia how to make his moves.

This is a top-notch, hands-on tutorial from the Martial Ancestor!

Hearing the boy's voice that seemed to echo in her ears, Qiao Chunxia felt inexplicably calmed down, and her pounding heart slowly slowed down.

She recalled what she had learned in martial arts class, adjusted her breathing, and moved as lightly as a cat, slowly approaching with the help of the shadows.

Ten meters — five meters, three meters —

It's now!

With a sudden burst of speed, she used the Bagua Dragon Step technique, and her figure shot out like an arrow!

Her left arm, shield slightly forward, protected her upper body, while her right hand concealed her short sword behind her elbow. As she approached the goblin with its back to her, her waist and stance became one, and the spiraling force of her Xingyi Drill Fist was transmitted through her arm to the short sword with a "whoosh."

The short sword pierced the goblin's neck with precision, disappearing all the way to the hilt!

A sword through the throat!

Even with a twist of the blade, there was no fascia connecting the skin; the neck was torn apart directly, and the goblin's enormous head flew off immediately.

Before the goblin could even scream, its body stiffened, green blood spurted out, and it collapsed limply.