Translator: AnubisTL
To be honest, the process had been simpler than they'd imagined.
There weren't many alien race settlements in the area.
They did encounter several settlements, but all were reduced to ruins, clearly slaughtered by someone who had arrived earlier.
After clearing eighteen alien race settlements, they finally succeeded in locating the mechanical race city, its population now unknown.
Today was the third day.
For the previous two days, Chen Jiang had remained at the top of the race kill rankings.
He secured the top ranking with 3,629 kills on the first day and 2,728 kills on the second.
The rewards for both top rankings were a random one-star item for all human players.
To be honest, Chen Jiang hadn't expected to claim the top ranking twice.
He hadn't been paying attention to the kill rankings at all, nor did he care about being first.
The reward for topping the race kill rankings was a collective bonus, offering little individual benefit to him, so he saw no point in competing for it.
After all, he had more important matters to attend to.
But for some reason, the mechanical race had fallen completely silent, allowing him to secure the top ranking with a mere four-digit kill count.
The mechanical race city before them was their primary objective.
This city was far more heavily guarded than City 18.
The abandoned buildings and warehouses along the city's perimeter had been completely razed, replaced by a seven-meter-high wall encircling the entire city. The constantly flickering electric grid atop the wall was clearly electrified.
Moreover, the wall was riddled with holes, spaced approximately one meter apart. Through these openings, the dark, menacing barrels of machine guns protruded.
At that moment, directly ahead of Chen Jiang and his group, a long line of people was slowly advancing through the checkpoint into the city.
Standing beside the checkpoint were numerous cold-faced, fully armed soldiers and an array of formidable heavy weapons.
Before each person entered the city, a figure clad in a completely sealed protective suit would deliver a heavy punch to their face. After patiently waiting three seconds, they would then allow the person to proceed into the city.
This procedure was applied to everyone without exception.
"Is this specifically to guard against human players?" Scar Dog grumbled, his expression sour. "What's the mechanical race implying? Do they suspect we human players would sneak into their city to cause trouble? Where's the trust between races?"
Human players, when attacked, would have two lines of text appear above their heads: "Player" and their name.
There was no way to hide their identity.
Human players had no chance of passing this test.
This meant their plan to infiltrate the city through the chaos had failed.
"This is only natural," Chen Jiang said, his eyes showing no surprise. He scrutinized the scene for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and remarked, "Back in City 18, I sensed something was off. If the mechanical race had known about the Ten Thousand Races Arena's arrival for some time and had ample time to prepare, why would they have done nothing, like in City 18, even leaving unfinished buildings standing?"
"Reinforcing the entire perimeter wall and upgrading their defenses—that's what they should have done."
"But it doesn't matter."
"We still have an energy block to activate the phantom gate and enter the city."
"But..." Scar Dog frowned slightly. "We don't have a map of this city. We can't choose the best landing spot. What if the phantom gate's exit opens right in front of a group of fully armed soldiers resting outside?"
"No map? Then we'll make one." Chen Jiang turned to Li Hao.
"I..." Li Hao hesitated, his face showing reluctance. "I can only manifest a map within a thousand-meter radius centered on myself. The wall is at least seven hundred meters away."
"So, standing here, I can only manifest the area three hundred meters behind the wall."
"That's too small a range. Anything could happen."
"Simple."
Chen Jiang pulled the blind man's eye mask from his pocket and tossed it to Li Hao. "Put this on."
"What's this?" Li Hao asked, glancing down at the item with a hint of surprise before quickly putting it on.
The next moment—
Li Hao's body vanished instantly from Chen Jiang and Scar Dog's sight.
"Oh?" Chen Jiang raised an eyebrow. He really couldn't see Li Hao anymore. He tentatively reached out to where Li Hao had been standing.
He could feel a solid presence, but he couldn't see it.
This meant the item granted invisibility, not true invisibility.
"Brother Jiang," a voice floated through the air. "With this mask on, it's pitch black—not even a glimmer of light. I can't even see the map manifestation."
"Wait a moment." Chen Jiang pondered briefly before turning to Scar Dog. "Give him your walkie-talkie."
"Yes, sir."
[Item Name]: Owl Walkie-Talkie (Two Units)
[Item Tier]: One-Star Item
[Item Effect]: Allows for communication within a ten-kilometer radius using particle transmission, making it impossible to intercept or eavesdrop.
[Item Description]: See that small cap at the top of the walkie-talkie? Open it, and you'll find a red button. Pressing it will instantly detonate the glorious bullet inside, with no delay!
The explosion is powerful enough to obliterate you. You can use this to take out enemies in a suicide attack, but only if you get close enough.
They acquired this item from an item shop in City 18.
"Take this walkie-talkie. We'll guide you. Just follow the sound and try to stick to the walls, circling the area."
"Use your map manifestation ability to visualize the terrain within a kilometer in your mind first."
"When you return, project the map into the air so we can all review it together."
Li Hao's innate ability was map manifestation.
He could mentally map any area he had traversed and project it at will.
Theoretically, if Li Hao physically explored the entire planet, they could possess the most accurate global map imaginable.
"Yes, sir!"
A voice crackled through the air.
Scar Dog groped through the air and tucked the one-star owl walkie-talkie into Li Hao's chest.
"Brother Jiang, I'm heading out now."
"Alright."
"First, walk two hundred steps to the left."
Not long after, a faint voice came through the walkie-talkie: "I've reached the spot, Brother Jiang. What's next?"
"Wait a moment."
Chen Jiang's expression turned slightly odd as he gazed at the empty wilderness to his left. Suddenly, he realized he had overlooked a crucial variable.
The plan itself was sound.
Li Hao would use the blindfold to enter an invisible state. Then, guided by walkie-talkie instructions, he would bypass the heavily guarded checkpoints, circle the city walls, and gather information about the city's layout and the most suitable landing spots.
But...
They had just realized that even they couldn't pinpoint Li Hao's exact location, making precise instructions impossible.
As for relying on calculations...
That was even more absurd.
Chen Jiang had complete confidence in his computational abilities. If Li Hao followed his instructions perfectly, he could guide him around the city walls without ever seeing his position.
But the problem was...
No one, even with perfect vision, could walk a hundred steps in a perfectly straight line while blindfolded.
In other words, Li Hao's current position deviated significantly from his expected location.
To issue the next command, he needed to know Li Hao's exact coordinates.
Just then—
A group of about a dozen mechanical race players, returning from the wilderness and conversing in hushed tones, were heading straight toward the checkpoint.
If their path remained unchanged, they would inevitably collide with the invisible Li Hao.
This was far from ideal.
(End of the Chapter)
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