Li Zhongjun took out a secret realm card and said, “I have a large-scale dungeon blueprint here. I hope you can help me clear it.”
“Don’t worry, the split will be fair—70/30. If there’s anything you need, you’ll also get priority selection. You only need to step in when team members are in danger.”
Bai Qiu was intrigued.
He hadn’t expected there to be a dungeon that even Zone 2201 didn’t dare to tackle alone.
He cast a detection skill—and was instantly shocked.
Asteroid Ore Vein (C+ Rank) — Super Large Dungeon (0/150), Level 30–40
Bai Qiu frowned.
A C+ difficulty, and a 150-player raid—no wonder Li Zhongjun hadn’t dared to develop it.
One mistake, and it could wipe out all 150 carefully trained elites.
However, judging from the name, this dungeon—Asteroid Ore Vein—likely contained abundant large-scale mineral resources.
And right now, basic mineral resources were exactly what every military base needed most!
Still, the C+ rating made Bai Qiu take it seriously.
The last time he cleared a medium-scale dungeon, the Dreamlike Flower Sea, it was only rated D+, yet it had nearly put him in danger…
A C+ large-scale raid meant there would definitely be Transcendent-level monsters guarding it…
Li Zhongjun said, “I understand your concerns, but this is a plan we have to push forward now. If we succeed in this raid, we’ll obtain enough resources to supply one—or even several—safe zones!
And right now, when you hunt monsters in the wild, your leveling speed has slowed down a lot because of your high level, hasn’t it?
Qingshan and you both have the same issue. So this large-scale raid is also a great opportunity for you to level up quickly!”
Bai Qiu glanced at his own stats.
Aside from his Mana reaching B-, and Spirit at C+, all his other attributes had reached C++.
Looking at his equipment and backup supplies, in peak condition he was confident he could defeat one or two Transcendent-level monsters alone—but protecting others would be quite difficult.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Qiu said, “Alright. But since it’s a super large-scale raid, we’ll need to make some preparations.”
Li Zhongjun immediately beamed. “Haha, good! That’s the kind of decisiveness a young man should have!”
Under Li Zhongjun’s command, numerous soldiers began mobilizing—equipment, weapons, food, medicine, water, tents…
Some also carried high-quality pickaxes, gas masks, lighting equipment, and all sorts of specialized tools.
Everything was clearly organized, as if they had done this countless times before.
Bai Qiu was impressed by their mobilization efficiency, though he couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless when he saw Li Zhongjun fully geared up in C-grade equipment.
“Commander Li… you’re going too?” Bai Qiu asked, somewhat uncertain.
Shouldn’t someone of his status be staying in the rear?
Why did it look like he was heading to the front lines?
“Haha, of course! I’ll personally command this operation. The affairs of the safe zone will be handled by my deputy! Don’t let my age fool you—I’m already level 24! Fighting on the front lines is no problem at all!” Li Zhongjun said boldly.
Seeing this, Bai Qiu turned to look at the silent Li Qingshan beside him.
Their eyes met—though he couldn’t see Bai Qiu’s face, he understood what he meant.
Roughly: Aren’t you going to try to persuade him?
To be honest, Li Zhongjun was probably close to fifty.
His base stats certainly couldn’t compare to younger people, and the system didn’t grant him better attributes just because of his rank.
Li Qingshan helplessly shook his head slightly, as if to say: I can’t do anything either. He’s the commander—when he’s set on something, who can stop him?
As the large-scale raid party formed, all 150 members—including Bai Qiu—were enveloped in pillars of light, and then instantly teleported away…
….
The moment he opened his eyes, Bai Qiu immediately activated his spiritual perception to sense nearby lifeforms.
He discovered that the nearest monsters were less than 200 meters away.
The teleportation of 150 people had instantly alerted the creatures nearby.
Bai Qiu swept his gaze around, but couldn’t spot them…
Looking around, he realized that although the area they were in was extremely spacious, it was actually a tunnel within a cave.
The terrain was uneven, with the cave ceiling about fifty meters above—relatively low for a large-scale dungeon.
The width was close to 300 meters, more than enough to accommodate 150 people moving side by side.
The cave was dim and without light, but the mineral veins embedded in the walls and ground emitted a faint glow, providing some visibility even for players without enhanced vision.
Although Bai Qiu couldn’t see the monsters, based on their aura, he could tell they were underground.
Moreover, in the distant ore veins, he sensed something familiar—Black Iron ore.
It seemed these creatures were attached to the Black Iron veins, which explained how they could move freely underground.
Bai Qiu noticed that the soldiers, led by Li Zhongjun, had already taken up battle positions immediately—but they hadn’t detected the enemies approaching.
Their formation was nearly perfect.
The Saber Class formed the front line, spreading out in a fan shape at both the front and rear to surround the group, ready to provide support at any moment.
Behind them, Rider units watched the surroundings, prepared for sudden developments.
Lancer spread out to occupy open ground.
Casters and Archers formed a circle within the formation, each maintaining space for movement and attacks.
Assassins activated stealth or invisibility, dispersing in all directions to scout and report.
As for the Berserkers, led by Li Qingshan, they stood near Bai Qiu and Li Zhongjun, ready to act at any moment.
There were also players of mixed roles—those whose combat strength was weaker but possessed other skills, such as cooks or those proficient in excavation.
These people stayed at the center, waiting for the frontline soldiers to clear the path before beginning their work.
“They’re here!” Bai Qiu warned. “Seventy meters ahead of me—underground.”
Li Zhongjun immediately shouted, “Frontline, take position! Pull them out and fight!”
Following his command, the Sabers fifty meters ahead of Bai Qiu lined up in a straight formation, planting their large shields into the ground as they shouted in unison, “Aggro locked!”
A red arc spread out from them, and the ground began to churn violently.
One after another, grotesque worms burst out from beneath the earth, charging straight at the frontline!
Detection!
Black Iron Worm — Level 30
Strength: D++
Magic: F
Endurance: D++
Agility: E
The Black Iron Worms were pitch-black, their shells smooth and reflective.
Each was about three meters long and as thick as a human thigh.
When they opened their mouths, a spiral-shaped external maw was revealed.
The Sabers drew their blades and brought them down in powerful vertical slashes over their shields!
Clang! The sound of metal colliding rang out.
The worms’ shells were only scratched with a faint white mark—the creatures themselves were unharmed.
Their shells had extremely high resistance to physical damage—it was practically made of Black Iron.
With similar attribute levels, physical weapons could barely break their defenses!
Clang! Now it was their turn to counterattack.
Their sharp mouthparts shot forward and bit down hard on the shields.
In an instant, the thick shields were gouged with half-centimeter-deep dents…
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Arrows rained down from above, followed closely by fireballs cast by the Casters!
Support from the rear came without pause—this was perhaps the difference between soldiers and ordinary people: calm, decisive, and precise.
“Gyaaah!!” As the sharp arrows pierced through their shells and the scorching fireballs struck them, the Black Iron Worms writhed and shrieked in pain!
“Hah!” Taking advantage of their high agility, the Lancers charged forward, thrusting their spears into the already-wounded areas of the worms.
Once the spearheads pierced through the shells, the Lancers twisted their weapons, tearing the worms open and killing them completely!
Even Bai Qiu couldn’t help but silently praise them.
The coordination was flawless, rhythmic, and efficient—like flowing water, and a pleasure to watch.
It should be noted that among these 150 people, the average level was only around 20.
Yet after killing these level 30 Black Iron Worms, quite a few of them leveled up on the spot…
Compared to Bai Qiu’s current level, leveling in the twenties wasn’t particularly difficult.
And in a super large-scale raid, even when experience was shared, the gains were still substantial—after all, they were defeating enemies nearly ten levels higher than themselves.
After Bai Qiu’s initial warning, the scouts finally picked up on the pattern.
They discovered that wherever the Black Iron Worms tunneled, the ground would bulge upward by about half a centimeter.
From that point on, there was no need for Bai Qiu to keep reminding them.
They began to consciously manage their skill usage and positioning, pulling the worms out of the ground and dealing with them through coordinated group attacks—wave after wave was suppressed with seamless teamwork.
Even in Bai Qiu’s own Zone 2233, no team had ever reached this level of coordination.
It was no wonder that even after being banned by the system for a week and then released, Zone 2201 could still grow into the second strongest region.
With such overwhelming momentum, elite monsters soon began to appear.
Large Black Iron Worm — Level 30 (Elite)
Strength: C-
Magic: F
Endurance: C-
Agility: E+
Skills: Burrow, Harden
The elite Black Iron Worms were essentially just larger and tougher versions of the normal ones.
Their attack patterns remained simple, so after a round of focused fire, they were quickly taken down.
Next came the lord-level monsters…
Even against lord-tier enemies, the team used various crowd control and armor-breaking skills, stacking debuffs before unleashing concentrated attacks.
In the end, they managed to defeat them without major danger.
“GRAAAH!!!” A sharp, furious roar echoed from underground as the ground trembled violently.
Several Sabers who were scouting nearby—holding already battered shields—were caught off guard…
A massive worm head burst out of the ground, effortlessly flinging several Sabers into the air, causing Li Zhongjun’s heart to tighten.
“Whoosh…” A light breeze passed by.
Li Zhongjun turned his head and saw that at some point, Bai Qiu had raised one hand.
With that gesture, the airborne soldiers—along with their shields—were lifted away from the monster’s attack range.
Looking over at Li Qingshan, he had already charged forward.
— The end of the Chapter–
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