After their eyes adjusted to the dark environment, Gu Chen and the others began to look around.
Everywhere they looked, there were traces of spider silk covering them.
These spider silks were like layers of gauze, crisscrossing on the surrounding rock walls and the top of the cave, with some gray-white spiders the size of rice grains crawling on them.
On the ground, there were messy debris everywhere, including insect shells and dry skeletons, scattered among the spider silk on the ground, exuding an atmosphere of decay.
Lin Yuan walked a few steps to the side, looked at the dense spider silk on the cave wall, and subconsciously reached out to pull it to the side.
For a moment, a lot of dust fell, making him covered in dust.
"This touch, this dust, is actually the same as the real thing!" Lin Yuan's tone was full of amazement.
"First time in a dungeon? Look at how useless you are." Lin Qingqing rolled his eyes at him.
"Hehe, this is my first time playing a dungeon that requires payment. This dungeon looks just like the Abyss."
"Although the dungeon is artificial, everything here is incredibly close to the real Abyss. Otherwise, why would they charge so much?"
The dungeon plaza lists the fees. A first-level Hell-level dungeon costs one million per person, a staggeringly high price. In
the early Shenxia Empire, dungeons were monopolized by the aristocracy. Ordinary people were ineligible to enter dungeons. To level up, they had to risk their lives by entering the Abyss. It wasn't
until the current ruler came to power and initiated a series of reforms, purging many recalcitrant nobles, that dungeon ownership was nationalized.
Subsequently, the empire issued a new policy, allowing ordinary people to enter dungeons by paying a user fee.
At the same time, to allow more professionals the opportunity to level up, the empire embarked on a massive infrastructure development effort. Over the course of nearly a decade, teleportation arrays were built in every Abyss plaza.
This led to a surge in the number of professionals in the Shenxia Empire.
Even Xiao Nanfeng, the foremost figure in the Shenxia military, known as the Shura God of War, rose to prominence only after the new policy was announced.
Therefore, the opportunity for ordinary professionals to excel now is entirely due to the series of new policy reforms implemented by the Lord of Shenxia.
At this time, Xu Xia stood beside Gu Chen and asked, "Brother Chen, according to the strategy guide, the Insect Control Clan lives outside the Spider Cave. If we can get their help, we can complete the level as quickly as possible."
"However, to obtain the Insect Control Clan's help, we must first convince their clan leader, which is not easy."
Lin Yuan nodded pretentiously and came forward. "Old Gu, do you have a plan?"
Hearing this, everyone looked over.
Gu Chen thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes."
Lin Yuan's face suddenly lit up with joy. He had been waiting for Gu Chen's words. It seemed that this time, he was sure to win.
Lin Qingqing's eyes lit up, and she quickly stepped forward and asked, "Master, what should we do next?"
"We just entered the dungeon and are right outside the Spider Cave. Should we go to the Insect Masters' territory and persuade them first?"
"I've also read some strategy guides about the Spider Cave. The Insect Masters' leader is very arrogant. Even the entire Insect Master clan believes they are gifted and reluctant to help ordinary people like us."
"To convince the leader, we must produce two pieces of epic equipment. Furthermore, we must give them half of the experience gained from each kill—"
"It doesn't have to be that complicated." Gu Chen waved his hand, interrupting Lin Qingqing. "My plan is simple. First, kill all the Insect Masters, then kill all the spiders in the cave, and finally, kill the Ghost-Faced King Spider."
Lin Qingqing was stunned, almost believing she had misheard.
She subconsciously glanced at Lin Yuan, Xu Xia, and Su Ran, noticing an indescribable complex expression on their faces.
Lin Yuan clicked his tongue and advised, "Old Gu, we're killing the aliens, not the Insect Buffs. Don't confuse the two."
Gu Chen shook his head and said in a deep voice, "In this dungeon, the Ghost-Faced King Spider is about to unleash an insect plague, and the Insect Buffs live just outside the Spider Cave. It's a matter of life and death."
"Yet they have no intention of resisting the alien invasion. Instead, they deliberately make things difficult for us professionals. So, what's the point of having them?"
Lin Yuan nodded in agreement after hearing Gu Chen's words.
It made sense!
While the main mission of the professionals was to stop the Ghost-Faced King Spider from unleashing an insect plague, it was also a disguised way of saving the Insect Buffs.
However, the Insect Buffs, including the clan leader, were arrogant and looked down on the professionals who entered the Spider Cave. They not only demanded equipment and items, but also demanded a share of the experience.
Even in a Hell-level dungeon, epic equipment wasn't guaranteed.
The Insect Buff leader grabbed two epic pieces of gear and demanded to split the experience points with the pros. They practically took all the good stuff.
Yesterday, Lin Yuan spent the entire day playing Tiger Vanguard in the living room on his PS5, barely checking any strategy guides.
By the time Lin Qingqing and the others returned that evening, having sold their gear and scraped together enough cash, Lin Yuan still hadn't defeated Tiger Vanguard.
Su Ran approached, bewildered, and asked, "What game are you playing? Why do all the monsters look the same?"
That casual question immediately broke Lin Yuan's defenses.
He battled with all his might until late at night, leaving him even less time to consult strategy guides.
Now that he knew about the Insect Buffs, he spat on the ground and angrily declared, "Alright, I'll listen to Old Gu and kill those traitorous Insect Buffs first."
"Killing the Insect Buffs seems even more difficult!" Xu Xia felt his nerves weaken.
Before this, pros had essentially been split between two directions in the Spider Cave.
One option was to charge directly into the cave, fight through the hordes of spiders, and ultimately slay the Ghost-Faced King Spider.
Of course, this approach was quite challenging and required absolute certainty.
Otherwise, the cave was teeming with spiders, and a single mistake would result in the overwhelming swarm devouring them without a trace.
After all, the spiders here were all aliens, and eating humans was standard practice.
The second option was to enlist the help of the Insect Control Clan.
The Insect Control Clan was exceptionally gifted, their abilities inherently countering the spiders. Their assistance would greatly reduce the difficulty of the level.
However, they would also pocket a significant portion of the rewards for clearing the level. However,
Gu Chen's decision was unprecedented.
Killing the Insect Control Clan first, then the Ghost-Faced King Spider, meant a dramatic increase in the dungeon's difficulty!
After all, they were a whole clan!
Although Gu Chen's decision was somewhat difficult to accept, Xu Xia nonetheless chose to cooperate.
A subtle glow flashed from his space ring.
Boom!
A technologically advanced mechanical armor appeared before everyone's gaze.
The cool red and gold design, with its sleek, powerful lines, is a perfect fusion of technology and art.
Xu Xia quickly donned his armor, and the Eternal Source Crystal on his chest shone with a brilliant blue light, like a dazzling star in the glittering universe, illuminating the dim cave.
"Let's go, then. Our destination is the Insect Control Clan's territory. I'll lead the way."