After Miracle City acquired a small web administrator, Jack's life became much more relaxed. He spent most of his time lounging around the mansion, with resources and income flowing steadily into his coffers.
**Adventurer 'White Little Deer' generated 1 point of mental power!**
**Adventurer 'Mandy' generated 1 point of mental power!**
**...**
**Adventurer 'Pig King' has died, mental power +1, soul crystal +1!**
**Adventurer 'Sarah' has died, mental power +1, soul crystal +1!**
**...**
Jack scrolled through the panel with satisfaction. With 160 Adventurers in town today, it promised a bountiful harvest. However, expenses were also rising. Some Adventurers discovered that clearing the novice mode had a high chance of dropping zombie soul essence, so they kept resetting the novice level, trying to milk Jack for all he was worth.
**Adventurer 'Daitou E' obtained 'zombie soul essence' from the Tidal Secret Realm, your mental power -1!**
**Adventurer 'Wool Warrior' obtained 'zombie soul essence' from the Tidal Secret Realm, your mental power -1!**
**...**
The Doomsday Frenzy Secret Realm costs 1 point of mental power for each ordinary essence extracted. However, this small expense was trivial to Jack.
The Adventurers might think they were profiting greatly, but Jack was confident. Ordinary Zombies had no manufacturing cost, and a mere 1 point of mental power per extraction was negligible compared to the territory's income.
"Keep grinding! Keep grinding! Fleece all you want!" Jack thought to himself. Most of the resources would be recycled, which was exactly what he needed.
Today, not only were many ordinary Zombies dropped, but also some special Zombies were sporadically produced.
**Adventurer 'Lonely Swordsman' obtained 'Smoker essence' from the Tidal Secret Realm, your mental power -4!**
**Adventurer 'Ethan Fields' obtained 'Exploder essence' from the Tidal Secret Realm, your mental power -4!**
**...**
Currently, Adventurers had challenged the Secret Realm around two hundred times, resulting in four special infected essences being dropped. These included Hunters, Smokers, Spitters, and Jockeys, each with a deployment cost of 3 mental power. Each defeated Adventurer required replenishment in the Secret Realm, resulting in a mental power consumption of 7 points per monster. This was manageable within Jack's resources.
As Boss Jack happily tallied his income, he heard a commotion in the Secret Realm Lobby, piquing his curiosity. He went to the hall to investigate.
"What's all the noise about?" he inquired.
Nancilia, the small web administrator, was engrossed in the Doomsday Frenzy Secret Realm content. "Ah, Lord, you're here..." she stammered, startled. "Adventurers have discovered a large monster Zombie, and several hunting parties have formed to defeat it!"
"Oh, a Tank Zombie. It was discovered so soon?" Jack was slightly surprised. He had deployed 3 Tanks and 5 Witches. Witches were more insidious than Tanks and were placed in darker, indoor spaces, whereas Tanks roamed open streets, increasing the likelihood of discovery.
Both monster types cost 20 mental power to create. Their strength and level, though not elite, were at the peak of ordinary monsters, making them rare and precious in Black Stone Town!
The Tank Zombie's massive size and ferocious fighting style offered an oppressive presence, stirring Adventurers' desire to conquer a great BOSS.
"Lord, should we take measures to stop the Adventurers?" Nancilia whispered. A precious monster, if defeated, could cause significant losses to a fledgling Underground City.
"It's alright, this Lord is magnanimous. Since I released it, I can afford to lose!" Jack replied boldly. This wasn't just to impress the little elf; he genuinely hoped Adventurers could defeat the Tank, as the territory urgently needed such combat power!
Currently, at least four teams were in action, finding the street where the Tank was active and launching premeditated challenges. However, they had failed seven or eight times before Jack arrived. Some were attacked by Chargers or other Zombies en route, leading to casualties or annihilation. Even when they encountered the Tank, they were brutally defeated.
The Tank's combat power was formidable!
At this moment, another team was challenging the Tank. The Secret Realm crystals were surrounded by focused Adventurers, oblivious to the Lord's presence.
"Come on!"
"Almost out of energy!"
"This time, let's take down this big muscle guy!"
This team learned from previous attempts, opting not to confront the Tank Zombie head-on. Instead, they adopted the tactic of circling a pillar. A fast Adventurer, lightly equipped, kited the Tank in circles while the others fired.
However, it was futile.
The Tank smashed through obstacles, capturing the circling Adventurer and tearing him apart. Then, it hurled concrete slabs and small cars at the remaining Adventurers, annihilating them.
The watching Adventurers were speechless.
"I told you this plan wouldn't work!"
"Too clownish!"
"Better to face it head-on!"
"Your firepower is too weak. You need upgraded weapons to defeat this guy!"
"Makes sense!"
"Lonely Swordsman and Sarah are trying again."
"This should be the last attempt. I hope it succeeds!"
Despite repeated defeats, the Adventurers persevered. Lonely Swordsman, Ethan Fields, Black Stone Hammer King, and Sarah regrouped. They prioritized scavenging for supplies, finding a shotgun, an assault rifle, and two submachine guns.
Lonely Swordsman: "With these and three oil barrels, it should be enough!"
Ethan Fields: "Lure the monster, dodge projectiles, don't confront it. It lacks intelligence. Once it falls into our trap, we're halfway there!"
"Let me handle it!" Black Stone Hammer King lured the Tank. The team took turns firing while retreating, not confronting it directly, leading the Tank into their trap.
The trap was filled with flammable materials and three carefully scavenged oil barrels. As the Tank approached, Sarah shot the barrels, engulfing it in flames. The Tank let out painful howls, invigorating the Adventurers.
"It's working!"
"This attempt's working!"
"This Zombie fears fire!"
"Great chance!"
"Hammer Bro, finish it!"
The fire inflicted significant damage, but it wasn't enough to kill the Tank. The Adventurers, running low on ammunition, launched a furious onslaught. Facing relentless bullets, the Tank shielded its head, then hurled cars at the Adventurers.
Black Stone Hammer King pushed Ethan Fields away, saving him but getting severely injured.
"No! Hammer Bro!"
The Tank roared and grabbed Black Stone Hammer King, ready to repeat its gruesome act. But this time, he didn't panic. Spitting blood, he laughed.
"You big fool, you're caught. Check this out!"
He held a lit homemade explosive. As the Tank grabbed him, the fuse burned out, detonating in the Tank's face.
Boom!
Black Stone Hammer King died heroically, leaving the Tank severely injured.
"Damn it!"
"Avenge Hammer Bro!"
The remaining Adventurers reloaded and attacked from different directions. Their last ammunition—if this failed, they were doomed!
Finally, luck favored the Adventurers. After enduring the onslaught, the Tank Zombie's massive body collapsed like a falling giant.
This monster was finally defeated!
The scene was chaotic. The three surviving Adventurers, covered in wounds and gasping for breath, stared in disbelief.
**Adventurer 'Black Stone Hammer King' has died, soul crystal +1, mental power +3!**
**Adventurer 'Sarah' generated 2 points of mental power!**
**Adventurer 'Ethan Fields' generated 2 points of mental power!**
**Adventurer 'Lonely Swordsman' generated 2 points of mental power!**
The crowd of Adventurers watching the live broadcast fell silent, then erupted in cheers throughout the hall.
They won!
For these young Adventurers, the battle was thrilling and incredibly exciting—a soul-stirring, exhilarating victory!
Thanks to Fafa Ah for 2300 Qidian Coins, Pure Man for 500 Qidian Coins, and Great Transcendence for 100 Qidian Coins for the tips!