harleyscars Chapter 96: The World of Thunder
Chapter 96: The World of Thunder
"Wow, we've finally arrived!"
Babata waved his little hands excitedly, flying back and forth in front of the main control panel.
"Look, that's the outer docking port of Canglan Star. Wow, it's much more impressive than the one on Qiulong Star!"
Following Babata's directions, everyone's attention was drawn to the enormous ring-shaped metal space station. Tens of thousands of spaceships of varying sizes rose and fell in and out of the docking port.
Occasionally, one can even spot a few heavy warships, each the size of a small city, slowly patrolling the perimeter of the space station, exuding a powerful deterrent.
"The Cosmic Mercenary Alliance has an ironclad rule: only Star-level warriors are allowed to participate in this apprenticeship assessment," Qiu Jian reminded them.
Hong turned to look at Taino behind him and instructed, "Taino, put away the Purple Light Battle Armor first."
Taino's current true level is the first rank of the Hengxing Star, which perfectly meets the entry rules of the Thunder World. As long as he doesn't wear the purple light battle armor that can greatly amplify his combat power, there won't be any problems.
"Yes."
Taino immediately obeyed. With a slight thought, the imposing dark purple battle armor transformed into a stream of light and was stored in his spatial ring.
After completing all this, the spaceship, under Babata's precise control, smoothly entered the public docking port of Canglan Star.
The heavy hatch opened slowly with a soft "hiss".
Hong, carrying a black spear in one hand, was the first to step out of the hatch. Thor and Luo Feng followed closely behind. After them came Taino and Fuxi, a ninth-level spiritualist slave of the Hengxing star.
The group of five officially set foot on the land of Canglan Star.
As soon as they stepped out of the airport's internal passageway, a gravitational pull far exceeding that of Earth acted upon them. However, for Hong's team, who were now all at the Heng-level, this gravitational pull was merely a gentle breeze.
Their destination was Thunder City, the only entrance to the Thunder World on Canglan Star.
Following the map provided by Babata, the five deliberately concealed their presence and blended into the crowded streets, making their way slowly towards the headquarters of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance.
But just as they were about to reach their destination, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd ahead.
A young man dressed in a magnificent golden battle suit, with an arrogant expression, was seen striding recklessly through the middle of the street, surrounded by hundreds of fully armed level nine bodyguards.
The bodyguards, each exuding a fierce aura and with undisguised murderous intent in their eyes, deliberately released a powerful primal energy pressure, forcefully shoving aside any loose martial artists who had gotten too close. For a moment, the street was filled with complaints, but no one dared to actually step forward to argue.
"This guy's got quite the entourage," Thor muttered in a low voice, clearly annoyed.
Hong led the group, bypassing the rioting crowd, and entered the headquarters building of the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance.
The hall was bustling with noise.
Hong ignored the various gazes directed at their ragtag army and walked straight to the most dilapidated-looking metal counter, saying succinctly, "Five people, to conduct the trainee mercenary assessment."
The staff member in charge of reception didn't even look up, skillfully operating the virtual screen a few times.
Hong promptly paid the registration fee of 10,000 Black Dragon Coins per person.
Soon, five hexagonal adventure cards with a cold metallic sheen, five thick quest instruction manuals, and a light screen map showing the simplified terrain of the Thunder World were pushed out by the staff.
Hong picked up one of the mission manuals and slowly unfolded it.
"The assessment objective is simple," Hong said, pointing to a few brief lines of text in the manual. "Submit three Windhorn Stones. Also, you'll need a horn from a One-Horned Iron Rhinoceros. Deadline: one month. Failure or death inside will have no bearing on the Mercenary Alliance."
"Only those who emerge alive with the quest item are qualified to receive the Apprentice Mercenary Badge."
After confirming that all equipment and supplies were in order, Hong waved his hand.
"Walk."
The five of them stopped there, ignoring the malicious probing glances in the hall, and followed the signs of the internal passageway to a heavily guarded detached villa at the deepest part of the compound.
Upon entering the villa, at the far end of the second floor, a large door radiating spatial fluctuations stands quietly.
This is the only entrance to the world of thunder.
The five people exchanged glances and stepped inside one by one.
Accompanied by a strong sense of spatial tearing, the light before my eyes finally faded away slowly.
When everyone saw the scene before them again, even though they had prepared themselves mentally, they couldn't help but tense up.
The sky was a somber, oppressive gray-black. Thick, swirling clouds hung low, seemingly ready to collapse at any moment. Countless lightning bolts, like giant dragons, raged wildly deep within the clouds, each clap of thunder causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble slightly.
Beneath my feet lies an endless desert, with the wind whipping up sand and gravel, exuding an aura of desolation.
The most terrifying thing is the gravity here.
Taino, a martial artist who had just entered the first level of the Hengxing realm, felt his legs go weak and almost knelt down. He had no choice but to immediately activate the genetic energy within his body.
"The gravity here is at least three thousand nine hundred times that of Earth," Luo Feng said in a deep voice from the side.
Just as the five of them had regained their footing and were still adjusting to the harsh environment, a sharp whooshing sound suddenly came from the dark clouds above their heads.
An elite squad of ten martial artists and mentalists was rapidly passing overhead.
The leader, a green-skinned psychic with pointed ears, casually swept his powerful psychic energy over Hong and the other four, then let out an undisguised sneer.
"Hmph, I thought I'd run into some tough nut to crack. Turns out, they're just a few low-level Constant Star minions." The green-skinned warrior's voice was full of sarcasm.
One of his companions burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, Captain, look at their pathetic state. This ragtag team of penniless bastards isn't even qualified to be our bait! Don't waste your energy on them, hurry up and claim your territory in Wind and Thunder Canyon, or there won't be any spots left!"
This small team clearly didn't bother to take action against Hong and his group.
They released their powerful aura as peak ninth-tier Hengxing level beings, flashing over the five people's heads and transforming into streaks of light before quickly disappearing beneath the distant thunderclouds.
When someone bluntly and rudely insults Thor as a nobody to his face, Thor immediately raises an eyebrow.
"I really want to drag that green bastard down from the sky," Thor muttered angrily.
A cold glint flashed in Luo Feng's eyes. Although he didn't speak, the mental power in his mind began to surge unconsciously.
At this moment, Hong turned around and raised his hand to press down on Thor's battle sword, which was already slightly raised.
"Try to control your temper, second brother."
"In a place like Thunder World where there are no rules, the smartest choice is to be a nobody that everyone looks down on. Our goal is to complete the mission and get mercenary qualifications, not to fight with people."
Luo Feng instantly understood Hong's intention and immediately nodded in agreement, saying, "Big Brother is right. If others treat us as weaklings that can be easily crushed, then we can conveniently avoid direct confrontations between the top teams. This kind of disguise of strength might actually be surprisingly effective at crucial moments."
Hong didn't continue the topic; he tapped the topographical map on his wrist's quantum computer. The pale blue holographic projection flickered slightly in the gale.
He quickly established the coordinates of his group on the map.
"Three hundred kilometers to the southwest of here is the Longsuo Mountain Range."
"According to the map, the area around Demon Moon Lake in the mountains and the surrounding forests are the habitat of one of our mission objectives: the Iron Rhinoceros. Our first step is to get the easiest thing to obtain: the Iron Rhinoceros horn."
Hong put away the map and began assigning positions to the formation.
"My second brother and I will lead the way. My third brother and Taino will provide support in the middle, maintaining constant mental coverage and early warning within a 50-kilometer radius. Fuxi, you will be responsible for guarding the left and right flanks."
"Yes!" the five answered in unison.
"remember."
Hong's gaze slowly swept across this desolate, ancient land.
"The native beasts here are ferocious, but easier to kill. What's truly terrifying in this place are those who will stop at nothing for profit. Humans are a hundred times more treacherous than beasts. Be on your guard, everyone! Let's go!"
At a command, the five of them stopped and crouched low, clinging to the uneven ground like blurry afterimages, silently making their way towards the Dragon Lock Mountain Range in the southwest.
However, none of them noticed.
Just after the five figures completely disappeared at the horizon, a faint, eerie silver light flickered silently beneath the dark red rocky ground where they had just stood. It was as if some ancient will, dormant for billions of years, was secretly watching all outsiders who had stepped into this world, before falling silent once more.