Chapter 827
Chapter 827 - 813 Saving People
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"Uh, where did they all go?"
Due to some accidents, the "task" Lu Ping’an had before was completely forgotten by him.
It was only when he remembered those examinees that he sensed most of his "pets" had already died.
"Bone pins" could only control the demons in terms of strength and duration for a limited time; even if they hadn’t died, they were probably about to break free from control by now.
With this in mind, Lu Ping’an quickened his pace, trying to catch up with his "team".
He moved swiftly, and indeed, when he was on his own, these shallow-level Magic Monsters couldn’t stop him.
"...Thankfully."
When Lu Ping’an finally found the examinees, the situation was much better than expected.
The number of casualties was not many, the number of the injured was within a tolerable range, and most importantly, their expressions were not desperate enough; they clearly could still persevere.
In a sense, this was the result of Lu Ping’an speeding up the "iteration".
When Lu Ping’an found the situation going out of control, he deliberately accelerated the elimination rate of the "survival players", forcing them to continuously reduce their numbers, culling the weaker and keeping the stronger, constantly reorganizing.
As an "invigilator," he had fulfilled his responsibilities by selecting those reliable talents.
On the other hand, this rapid iteration was also protecting these newcomers... The ones with insufficient strength were weeded out early and didn’t have to face an increasingly harsh battlefield.
"...This time, it’s not as simple as it outwardly seems. It’s not an exam at all..."
With the information obtained from now, via Lei Huoren, Lu Ping’an was increasingly certain of what had happened; now was indeed not a time for the weaker to survive.
This time, Changping was playing a big game; they tried to turn this place into a wild "Hunting Ground" for continuous troop training and resource provision, while also setting the original guards free, effectively creating a top combat power out of thin air.
And in order to create a "Hunting Ground," a wave of clearing was naturally needed to adjust the intensity of this War Zone while eliminating the overly dangerous and unstable factors.
"We, the examinees, and even those who joined later, are nothing but bait..."
This place is still a part of Changping; it’s just that it has almost entirely become an Exotic Realm, but most of it is still embedded in Earth, just that it has become part of the Endless Abyss.
Therefore, it is still relatively independent... referring to the actual world of the Endless Abyss; reaching this area is not that easy. The high-level demons and "lords" here are relatively limited.
On the human side, the Changping forces are fishing; when the other side takes the bait, they can naturally proceed with targeted elimination.
To probe the military accumulation of the Abyss side, the high-order combat power, and then to clear out those clearly not suitable for "newcomers"... In this process, the bait is also mostly naturally expended.
The information Lu Ping’an had obtained earlier was incomplete, just speculation, and now it seemed to be confirmed.
And the invitation from Lei Huoren was quite direct, but even Lu Ping’an thought his bravado was too much.
"...Our two weapons, even upper-level demons of the Abyss might not be able to withstand. When the battlefield plunges into chaos, we can kill a few Big Fish. And if the lower Abyss is empty, we might be able to take a turn down there..."
This invitation was essentially a direct plunge into hell.
But to tell the truth, if it really worked out, whether it was the "Reward" one might get from killing a super Magic Monster or the wealth brought back from raiding the home of an Abyss Lord, it promised a legendary tale of risking little for vast riches, of becoming overnight wealthy.
And Lu Ping’an estimated that this invitation was indeed serious and relatively reliable.
After all, Lei Huoren couldn’t just watch his own sister die... as a Petmaster.
Of course, the most important reason was that Lei Huoren genuinely had a reason to do this.
His Profession as an "Allopos Executor" required him to continuously kill "sinners", especially during Advancement... and what kind of life form could be more evil, sinful, and Degenerate than an Abyss Lord, a destroyer.
Lu Ping’an figured this was likely his Advancement ceremony; it wouldn’t be necessary to tackle a demon of this level otherwise.
Lei Huoren had prepared the maps of the underworld, intelligence, undercover contacts, and specialized equipment; it seemed that if he gambled on it just once, there was a real chance of success.
"Thank you, you’re a good person, but I refuse."
Lu Ping’an refused directly and without giving face.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t tempted, but that he didn’t need to take the risk... His earnings didn’t primarily come from killing, and although the potential for advancement was huge, the risks were just as great, and he had no interest in risking his life unnecessarily.
Even if he didn’t obtain the True Words this time, he didn’t lose anything, as he would have to visit the Exotic Realm eventually, where they might not even be needed.
Seeing that Lu Ping’an refused, Lei Huoren didn’t say much and left directly.
His original plan didn’t include Lu Ping’an; he had merely come to deliver cat food... He knew that if he gave the food directly to Shuiyun, she wouldn’t accept it, likely just storing it away, which would render it meaningless.
However, if he entrusted it to Lu Ping’an, Ping’an would find a way to use it all on Meow. As to whether he might skim a bit off the top or keep it all for himself... Although there was no reason for it, Lei Huoren felt that Lu Ping’an wouldn’t do such a thing. It was not some unspoken manly understanding— merely that Lu Ping’an didn’t wish to, nor did he have any regard for it.
"...It’s a bit of a shame about this weapon and the armor."
Upon seeing Lu Ping’an’s "Abyss Beheading Sword," Lei Huoren was immediately tempted... With their abilities countering each other, it implied that they complemented each other in terms of ability configuration. If Lu Ping’an took the front and created an opportunity for Lei Huoren to launch a sneak attack, the success rate of the plan would significantly increase.
But since Lu Ping’an wasn’t interested, insisting further was pointless; Ping’an wasn’t someone who could be convinced by mere words.
Lei Huoren left to carry out his "plan" on his own, as time was incredibly precious to him, and he’d already wasted too much of it.
As for Lu Ping’an, it seemed he had come full circle and was back to his original position, starting to fulfill his duties as an "invigilator."
He first called together the remainder of his beast swarm... Some had been taken out by the candidates and the Magic Monsters, and some had gone Out of Control naturally.
After assessing the situation, he planned to "completely clear them out."
The ability of the bone pins had reached its limit, and continuing the control was pointless, especially as the number of Demons in the area increased. He wasn’t concerned about the quantity of materials for the moment.
In fact, since the more materials, the better, he even hesitated to use another ability to permanently create more Magic Pets.
In his Courtyard, within the Beastmaster zoo, life forms abounded. Normal research and iterative evolution were ongoing, and adding an Abyss branch appeared to be a good idea.
He divided his Spirit, remotely observing the candidates’ situations while gathering and adjusting his new beast swarm, planning to give those candidates a bit of a surprise.
But before the "surprise" was ready, a shock meant for him arrived first.
"Lu Ping’an Meow! I finally found you Meow!"
Right then, Meow suddenly popped out from behind the mountains, the Ghost Cat instantly becoming a reality, which even startled Lu Ping’an.
"I, I... I... what do you need from me?"
Ping’an almost let something slip, remembering the recently departed Lei Huoren; it was rare for him to lose his composure for a moment.
He was about to make a blundering excuse, claiming he hadn’t seen a certain person, nearly breaking the Contractor’s "agreement"... well, that was probably just a guilty conscience.
"Something has happened Meow! Sister Xia Qin is in trouble Meow!"
"What? Did she run into your brother... ahem, did she encounter some trouble?"
"She went down to the lower levels of the Abyss Meow! She told me to inform you Meow!" Remembering sister Xia’s leap downward, Meow was nearly in tears.
This time, Lu Ping’an found it hard to keep composed.
Xia Qin had reached fourth-tier; her strength was quite good, but to go down to the lower levels of the Abyss now? Did she think dying with a proper burial was too blissful?
Could it be that she saw Lei Huoren descend and followed him?
However, the development of reality was beyond expectations, yet within reason.
"Over there, someone was captured by the Abyss Demons and taken to the lower levels! Sister Xia saw it and jumped down to rescue them Meow!"
Lu Ping’an helplessly covered his face; this was all too in line with her "character setting," something so typical of Xia Qin that it was irrefutable.
"She... Did she say anything else?"
"She said there were many people captured down there, to save them if possible Meow. Oh Meow, she mentioned she brought a signal device."
Lu Ping’an let out a resigned sigh, stood up promptly, and behind him, his beast swarm was gathering.
"Wait a moment, I need to send these candidates... back home first."
With those words, the giant Knight of Flame descended once again, and this time, he truly came with a will to kill.
"We are short on time; let’s keep it simple. This is the last chance, whoever can’t hold on, better luck next year."
— End of Chapter 827 —