Stronger with More Jobs

The five people braved the unique shadowy light of the "Abyss."

They swiftly headed towards the nearest outpost, Dingyuan Station.

The scenery along the way was even more desolate than before, with the earth seemingly plowed by countless giant scars, immense claw marks, glazed craters formed by solidified lava, and scattered remnants of Life Ghosts.

Occasionally, they could also see some abandoned gear fragments or congealed dark green blood clots, silently narrating the horror that swept across not long ago.

The journey was thrilling but uneventful.

After several hours, the silhouette of the fortress constructed of thick alloy and giant Life Ghost bones finally appeared at the end of their vision.

Dingyuan Station, they had arrived.

Entering the outpost's ground floor, it was still the familiar clamor, the murky air, and diverse Explorers bearing fatigue and hostility.

However, unlike Anvil Fortress, the atmosphere here seemed more somber and tense.

The air was filled with an oppressive sense, like a looming storm.

Many people were whispering, all discussing topics revolving around the Sighing Barrier, ruins, ant swarm, and core.

The five swiftly moved through the chaotic lower area, heading straight for the upper residential area.

They rented a relatively spacious suite, finally able to completely relax their tense nerves.

Resting, inventorying resources, treating wounds, swallowing Qi Blood Crystals to recover their state.

When the five sat around a simple metal table, the topic naturally turned to their next goal.

Thunderstorm Cloud Sea, Thunder Source Material!

"Last time we went in to familiarize ourselves first." Wei Banmeng's cool voice carried a sense of resoluteness, her fingertips sliding on the spread-out map, which marked the complex terrain of the Thunderstorm Cloud Sea's core area, "This time, we need to station long-term in the core area, holding out until we can't anymore before withdrawing. This means we need more thorough preparations and a more detailed plan."

"The choice of a stationing point is crucial."

Fang Qingyu spoke, his finger pointing to a relatively recessed area in the map's core region, a natural lightning harbor formed by several large charred rocks. Here, the terrain is lower; towering rock walls around block part of the direct lightning strikes, and the rock itself, tempered by Thunder Fire, is relatively stable and can serve as our temporary camp. But some arrangements need to be made in advance."

"What about the route?" Wei Banmeng looked at Fang Qingyu.

"Enter following the path from last time, reach the core edge, then bypass from here."

Fang Qingyu traced a winding path on the map that avoided several obvious Thunderstorm high-frequency areas, "This route is relatively concealed, with a slightly lower density of Life Ghosts, but it requires crossing a section of lava glaze terrain, where the ground is hot and slippery, so caution is necessary."

The group started discussing the resource list in detail.

Specially made double-layer insulated cloaks, and find some Profound Level Thunder Lizard Reversed Scales.

Powerful neural blockers for Thunder's paralysis effect and medicines for quickly repairing meridians...

Every item needed to be exchanged at the outpost's trade point using valuable contribution points or Life Ghost materials.

The five sorted some materials brought from the ruins and previous Life Ghost hunts, with Wei Banmeng and Lu Jiuyuan responsible for the exchange.

Shortly after Wei Banmeng and Lu Jiuyuan left, Fang Qingyu and Chu Kuanglan, along with Jiang Wei, planned to head to the simple canteen in the outpost's lower level to replenish some Energy.

Once they reached the staircase leading to the lower level, they saw a scene that rendered them silent.

More than a dozen Explorers, dressed in various outfits and spanning a broad age range, were silently packing their backpacks.

Most of them had weathered faces, with eyes weary yet burning with an almost obsessive flame.

The equipment wasn't particularly sophisticated, some even bore obvious repair marks.

The group swiftly stuffed the last of their supplies into their backpacks, checked their weapons, then wordlessly, one by one, walked out the heavy alloy gate of the outpost, their figures soon vanishing beneath the dim storm and leaden clouds outside the outpost.

Their direction was unmistakably towards the entrance of the ruins...

The smile on Chu Kuanglan's face vanished, and he murmured in a muffled voice, "Those people... are heading for the newly emerged ruins?"

Fang Qingyu gazed at those determined silhouettes disappearing into the rain and wind, his eyes deep, and he said nothing.

At this moment, Wei Banmeng and Lu Jiuyuan happened to return after finishing their resource exchange and witnessed this scene as well.

Wei Banmeng's cool gaze swept towards the direction of the empty gate, and she said calmly, "This is the epitome of most people in the 'Abyss.' Resources are scarce, and the future is bleak. News of a ruin appearing is the only light in the darkness. Even knowing it's a one-in-a-million chance, they still bet their lives on that single chance of breakthrough, betting on that one-in-ten-thousand possibility of bringing back something that could change their fate."

Fang Qingyu listened, slowly nodding his head.

He was himself the best beneficiary.

As Wei Banmeng said, if they could compete for the core in the ruins...

Even deeper into the core, skyrocketing isn't impossible.

Whether life is enough remains unknown.

Opportunities and death, on this land where nature reigns supreme,

are always two sides of the same coin.

Among those who left earlier, how many could come back alive?

How many could truly touch that light that changes fate?

No one knows the answer.

But this determination to wager one's life on a slim hope, in this brutal "Abyss," seems so ordinary.

After a brief silence, the five did not linger further, returning to their room with the large amount of exchanged resources.

The time that followed was filled with tense yet orderly final preparations, distributing resources, rehearsing responses to sudden incidents, repeatedly scrutinizing the determined route and stationing point details until they were etched in their minds.