Chapter 9: Unmasking at the Speed of Light
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Quite a coincidence, this squad is all men. Judging by their positions and outfits, two of them clearly came as a team. Lu Wenwu activated his Insight Eye, discreetly scanning over the four one by one.
[Wei Long (D+)] 1700/1700
[Current Status]: Cautious, Alert
[Yuan Shi (D+)] 1600/1600
[Current Status]: Nervous, Guarded
Hey, the Spicy Stick Duo. These two, registered under real names, wore dark combat uniforms exuding toughness and grit—obviously military veterans.
On the far left of the circle stood a fiery-haired youth. Though his expression was cocky, like a big shot, inside he was trembling with anxiety.
[Super NiuNiu / Cao Xu (D+)] 1500/1500
[Current Status]: Fearful, Tense
Genji and Weilong, the so-called Spicy Stick Duo—what a joke!
On the far right was a man nearing sixty, his hair tinged with gray. He wore simple black-rimmed glasses, looking every bit the refined scholar.
[Ye Hongyuan (D+)] 2300/2300
[Current Status]: Calm and composed
Lu Wenwu was slightly surprised. This older gentleman, also registered under his real name, was at least level seven or above, with a health pool surpassing even the soldier Wei Long’s, boasting an astonishing physical attribute of 23. Truly, appearances can be deceiving.
As Lu Wenwu studied them, they were also sizing him up. The two soldiers and Ye Hongyuan’s gazes simultaneously fixed on Lu Wenwu and Maomao. It was clear they were astonished—this was the first time they’d seen someone bring a dog into a dungeon.
In the corner, the fiery-haired youth’s fearful gleam had vanished, replaced by disbelief and ecstatic joy as he looked at Lu Wenwu and the tongue-lolling Maomao.
“I’m super! Pancake Brother! No, no, no... Pancake God! You must be the Pancake God!”
Lu Wenwu: “...?”
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“You know me?” Lu Wenwu raised an eyebrow. “What kind of nickname is Pancake God?”
“Of course I know you! You were the first to complete the initial dungeon’s hidden quest—truly a god among gods!”
Super NiuNiu’s eyes were now aflame with enthusiasm.
“Back then, since you hadn’t registered an ID and were making egg pancakes among zombies, the brothers respectfully called you Pancake God.”
“Call me Big Brother, please. I’m good at pulling aggro and taunting—if it’s a sentient creature, I’ll make them furious. Compared to me, the Train King’s just a rookie.”
“Big Brother, I’m sticking with you this round. If you say ‘catch the dog,’ I won’t chase it... hey hey, sorry sorry, I wasn’t talking about you, cute Golden Retriever! Here, have some sausage!”
Lu Wenwu: “...”
Damn!
First round of flexible matchmaking and already unmasked, huh?
Weren’t most transcendents too busy to watch streams back then?
And someone recognizing him—ridiculous!
“So it’s really you?”
Yuan Shi and Wei Long spoke in unison.
Their faces immediately brightened, their vigilance easing considerably.
Ye Hongyuan also showed a look of realization and slightly bowed. “Thank you for your contributions to the country!”
“Not at all, not at all. We’re all descendants of Yan and Huang, doing what we can for our land.” Lu Wenwu quickly changed the subject. “Let’s skip the mutual flattery and focus on completing the task.”
[Task Prompt: Navigate on your own and reach the ‘City of Evolution’ before sunset.]
“My name has a ‘Five’ in it—numerical ‘Five’—I specialize in melee and some firearms.” Lu Wenwu introduced himself succinctly. His egg pancake stall was called ‘Brother Five’s Egg Pancakes,’ and the foodies usually called him Brother Five.
“Wei Long, level 8, commander of the Xinglong Army Special Ops, sniper specialist.” Wei Long glanced at the sky. “We need to hurry; time’s tight. By standard, these dungeons are extremely dangerous outside the city at night. We can’t afford delays.”
Yuan Shi chimed in, “I’m Yuan Shi, he’s my squad leader. I specialize in reconnaissance and mid-to-close range firearms. How about you all stay put while I scout the area?”
Lu Wenwu unclipped Maomao’s leash and petted his head. “No need. With Maomao here, we can just follow him straight.”
Maomao nodded proudly, sniffed twice, then turned to the group with a ‘woof,’ raised his paw, and started walking in a certain direction.
“Hey, Maomao’s really got a knack for this.”
Super NiuNiu kept his word and pulled out a sausage, unwrapping it to offer Maomao.
Maomao didn’t open his mouth but looked back at Lu Wenwu. Only when Lu Wenwu nodded did he eagerly devour the sausage, earning admiring murmurs from the group.
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Ye Hongyuan adjusted his glasses. “I’m the only one left to introduce myself. I’m Ye Hongyuan, level 10, chief orthopedic surgeon at the Imperial Capital’s First People’s Hospital. I’ve learned some healing skills and can perform simple surgeries. I have ample stamina and some self-defense capability.”
Hearing this, the four others all felt relieved.
They had a top-tier healer this round; their survival was well assured.
Two ranged DPS, one healer, one battle tank, and a humanoid taunt—this team composition was decent.
Yet Lu Wenwu sighed inwardly. Though still a complete rookie, the system had matched him with a high-difficulty dungeon.
Just because his hidden score was high!
The KFC mechanic was doomed.
With Maomao leading, the group moved with far more ease. Without taking any detours, the assassination squad soon approached the vicinity of the ‘City of Evolution’ as described in the task.
All were enhanced transcendents with vision far superior to ordinary humans.
Despite the distance and the dim twilight, they could clearly see the city’s outline.
The so-called City of Evolution was actually a lifeless modern city, lacking the classic makeshift walls of a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Due to years of neglect, the outer walls were mottled and weathered.
Numerous weathered corpses, so distorted it was impossible to identify their species in life, were scattered carelessly outside the city.
“This is a bit different from the classic undead apocalypse dungeons.” Super NiuNiu scratched his yellow hair. “We’ve traveled this far without spotting a single wandering zombie or mutant.”
“Doesn’t look like nuclear war wasteland either.” Yuan Shi added, “Maybe just pure evolution and mutation, a societal reshuffle causing technological regression... Wait, what’s that!”
Yuan Shi’s low exclamation caught everyone’s attention.
Following his gaze, the group was shaken to their core.
About a hundred meters away, five humanoid creatures resembling a seafood transport truck crash site staggered out of the City of Evolution, kicking up dust.
The leader was at least three meters tall, his lower body entirely tentacles, upper body with three muscular, knotted arms, and covered head to toe in scales.
Yet this creature was the most human-like of the group.
[Polluted Patrol Squad Leader Ma Guang (D)] 1376/1500
[Current Status]: Mentally twisted, flesh mutated, hungry, irritable