[You have entered the Second-Level Abyssal Bone Dungeon [Nightmare Level]. Please be careful and proceed with caution.]
With a slight feeling of weightlessness, Gu Chen and the others emerged into a damp, dim cavern. The air was thick with a sour, fermented aroma that lingered in the nostrils for a long time.
"This smell, damn, so sour!" Lin Yuan cursed, quickly covering his mouth and nose, his stomach churning.
Gu Chen frowned slightly, and Lin Qingqing and Su Ran began to dry heave in shock. The two women immediately covered their mouths and noses, their faces revealing expressions of unbearable pain.
While this pungent odor wasn't threatening, it would definitely affect combat capabilities.
Xu Xia was the only one who didn't notice anything unusual, as he had been wearing a metal mask.
Seeing the others' reactions, Xu Xia immediately produced four masks of the same design from his spatial ring.
"Come on, everyone, put it on. This is the N99 respirator I designed. It purifies the air in the dungeon and has call, night vision, and automatic capture functions."
"Respirator, N99?"
Lin Yuan quickly grabbed one and put it on. The sour, foul smell in his nasal cavity was quickly filtered out, replaced by refreshing air.
In an instant, the whole world became beautiful.
Gu Chen, Lin Qingqing, and Su Ran also quickly put on their masks and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I remember the latest mask on the market is the N98 produced by Yongsheng Group. What's the origin of your N99?" Lin Qingqing asked.
"The N99 is an upgraded version of the N98. Pre-sales are scheduled to start at Yongsheng Group's new product launch in three months." Xu Xia's voice echoed from the mask.
"What, this is the latest respirator? It's not available to the public yet? How did you get it?"
Yongsheng Group is one of the country's most cutting-edge technology groups. Thanks to its advanced weaponry, it has secured large orders from the Zhenyuan Army, even surpassing several other military industrial groups.
The Xu family is the de facto controller behind the Yongsheng Group.
Rumor has it that a key figure within the Xu family, whose exceptional research and development capabilities have brought immense technological advantages and commercial value to the Yongsheng Group, earning it a designated partner with the Zhenyuan Army.
"Wait, your last name is Xu?" Lin Qingqing asked, her tone filled with surprise. "Are you the genius of the Xu family? The one who developed the extraordinary weapon capable of killing the Abyssal aliens, securing the Yongsheng Group a major contract from the Zhenyuan Army?"
"I wouldn't call myself a genius, but the Zhenyuan Army is certainly quite pleased with my design," Xu Xia said with a smile.
The others' gazes towards Xu Xia changed.
It was him!
I heard the Xu family treated him with the same level of security as a patriarch. Why would such a key figure follow Gu Chen to the Abyss?
Gathering materials?
What materials were so precious
that a key figure from the Xu family had to come in person?
Gu Chen, though curious, didn't take it too seriously. Everyone had their own secrets, and they were simply teaming up to explore the Abyss together.
After overcoming the unbearable sour and rancid aura, he summoned the Vampire Lord.
Journeying through the wilderness to the Boneyard, the Blood Lord had reaped a bounty. He let out a deep, dark roar, and a swarm of blood-red figures suddenly appeared in the dungeon.
A full fifty Blood Lords—that was the current limit of what could be transformed.
Of these fifty Blood Lords, the highest was level 13, the lowest was level 10.
Because of the [Blood Lord's Inheritance] transformation limit, a Blood Lord couldn't exceed three levels.
The first level 13 Blood Lord was transformed from the corpse of Wang Chongshan, a level 29 Blood Lord.
The sudden appearance of a swarm of blood-red figures ahead startled Lin Yuan and the others, nearly believing they'd been ambushed by aliens.
"Don't be afraid, it's my skill," Gu Chen called back the four who were about to retreat.
"What?" Xu Xia looked incredulous. "How can a summoner have so many summoned beasts?"
"There's only one summoned beast, and the others are its summoned units,"
Gu Chen explained, then ordered the Blood Lords to lead the way.
Soon, a low roar echoed from the darkness, and a lizard-like humanoid emerged from the darkness.
Its broken, ugly head was stained with blood, and a pair of scarlet eyes gleamed with brutality. Its limbs were short and thick, severely disproportionate. Its body was covered in rotting flesh, and in some places, even the white bones were exposed.
Was it an orc?
I'd never seen such a short, ugly orc before!
Gu Chen barely needed a command before the Blood Lord activated his abilities. Bullets lit up the pitch-black dungeon like lightning, crackling and pelting the orc.
Orcs are known for their strength and stamina, and their movements are swift, but the Blood Lord's lightning-fast attacks left it no chance to dodge.
In an instant, the orc's health bar was depleted, and it collapsed to the ground with a wailing sound.
[Kill Beast Chimera Level 12, +1765 Experience]
A level 12 alien was instantly taken down by the Blood Lord's single ability.
Even after the alien's death, six death tentacles formed from condensed black mist sprouted from the spot.
This was a secondary skill of the Corrupted Sphere; each time it struck a target, a death shot would occur.
[Fatal Shot] fires six bullets with the skill's effects, and as a result, six death tentacles appeared near the alien's corpse.
However, the death tentacles only lasted for two seconds, a breath, before dissipating into black mist.
"Beast-corpse chimera? That's a mouthful," Lin Yuan grumbled, looking at the unsightly alien corpse on the ground.
"It's actually a failed test subject,"
Xu Xia said. "The Boneyard was once a place where the dwarves carried out cruel punishments. Countless dwarves died here. Later, a voodoo shaman arrived and fused the dwarf corpses with orcs, creating these half-corpse, half-beast chimeras."
As he spoke, Xu Xia distributed four antidote potions.
"The chimera's attacks inflict poisonous damage. If you're unlucky enough to be hit, you must use an antidote immediately, otherwise you'll become poisoned and continue to lose health."
Gu Chen took a tube of healing potion, the green liquid shimmering like jade.
[Antidote: Use to quickly dispel poisoning.]
On the trading platform, antidote potions are three thousand yuan a tube, not cheap.
"Thank you."
Gu Chen stored the antidote potion in his personal space and ordered the vampires to continue clearing the way. As they walked, he said,
"I bought some strategy guides at the Zhenyuan Army base. The final boss of the Nightmare Abyss is located in an uncertain location, very secretive, and difficult to find."
"But one strategy guide mentioned that to trigger the final boss, you must kill all the aliens on these three levels, leaving no one alive."
"If you don't kill any aliens, the conditions for the final boss to appear won't be triggered."
"So, if you want to get the record-breaking reward after clearing the level, you can only compete with monster-killing speed."