Chapter 126: Assault On Cicada City
After stuffing the 【Shadow Dream Hole】 full, the Tiger Demon relied on Shadow Stealth to quickly turn back, heading upward all the way out of Cicada City’s sphere of influence, stopping only at the edge of the Pollution Layer.
It followed the pre-made markers to a spacious Underground Cavity, where it began unloading the goods.
At this time, a group of sturdy ordinary cultivators was already waiting. There were about 20 of them, all mercenaries temporarily recruited by Commander Zuo from unknown channels.
Initially, these people had complex backgrounds, all with strength exceeding Human Rank, gathered through intimidation and inducements, and not worthy of trust. But in the Shadow Domain, Yuan Zhu conducted a two-day PPT onboarding training for them, with gratifying results.
He first used 【Holy Light】 on the employees, conducting a series of mental pollution scans and kills, incidentally severely damaging their internal ‘True Qi System’, and also removing hidden pollution and dark injuries in their bodies (onboarding physical exam, free disinfection).
Next, while they were in a state of emotional weakness, Yuan Zhu pulled them all into the newly established 【Cockroach Village】 for a 30-hour PPT brainwashing conference called 【Ignite Dreams with Wisdom】 (corporate culture, establish dreams).
Under rounds of ‘pure slideshow loop playback + poisonous chicken soup spiritual bombardment’ with zero technical content. This group of pitiful mercenaries who came to make money endured endless violent brainwashing.
Despite the limited technical content, brute force creates miracles. Their mental consciousness was polluted by 【Holy Light】 mental pollution, violently cracking their mental defenses; while being mindlessly fed various PPTs, poisonous chicken soup, loyalty to Yuan Zhu… and other garbage information.
The process was brutal, comparable to the Winter Soldier’s brainwashing. Relying purely on brute force creating miracles, it forcibly distorted and twisted this batch of mercenaries’ mindsets (establish correct values for struggle).
Making them willingly generate the illusion that ‘I have a bright future’, and actively join Yuan Zhu’s 【Animal Husbandry Village】, becoming the first batch of core backbone members.
As a proper enterprise, 【Animal Husbandry Village】 is not some illegal pyramid scheme shell company. Tricking people, illegally detaining them, then violently brainwashing and scamming money.
On the contrary, 【Animal Husbandry Village】 is genuinely engaged in real industry, in insect livestock farming. Mastering core technology, with a super big gift package upon joining.
One Human Rank. Shadow Magic Worm the size of a large blue Trash Can per person as a guardian battle pet, but the value of this onboarding benefit already exceeded the employees themselves.
In addition, the first-generation village chief Yuan Zhu generously gave out 【Shadow Eggplant】, performing a new round of reinforcement and repair on their bodies lightly injured by the 【Holy Light Physical Examination】, and concluding a Contract with 【Animal Husbandry Village】.
…
Over the past three days, the Eggplant Head Ghosts have been attached to the 【Insect Pillar Hub】, rapidly growing by drawing Shadow Pollution, and actively sowing and planting ‘Shadow Eggplant Seedlings’ within the Domain.
These Shadow Eggplants unexpectedly combined with the ubiquitous ‘Immortal Realm Tree capillary Root Tendrils’, greatly enhancing the plant aspect, beginning to proliferate as a ‘shadow-type pollution plant’ within the Domain.
The Tiger Demon intentionally catalyzed and accelerated this process, hoping to cultivate a special variety that decomposes Root Tendrils to release ‘Shadow Spiritual Energy’. The current plan is far from successful, but the massively grown ‘Shadow Eggplant Seedlings’ yielded many 【Shadow Eggplant】 after being refined by 【Shadow Dream Hole】.
Just right for parasitizing the mercenaries’ flesh and blood bodies, but it failed to produce obvious enhancement effects on their already strong physiques. Because this group, the weakest had condensed 30 Acupoints, the strongest one had refined over 100 Acupoints, able to condense a three-zhang barrier with Qi Threads.
Therefore, the 【Shadow Eggplant】’s enhancement on them ≈0, with a greater effect being the extra free ‘Shadow Power’, and establishing a connection with the 【Shadow Domain】, allowing them to cultivate the new version of 【Shadow Breathing Technique】.
Ultimately, operating and binding exclusive Shadow Magic Worms through the ‘Shadow Eggplant Root Tendrils’ in their bodies. Just for this gift alone, they couldn’t bear to leave, not to mention the dreams supporting their hearts, and the 【Shadow Dream Hole】 as bait; they finally decided to work for a while first.
At this moment, this group of employees who had waited a long time successfully handed over with the Tiger Demon.
Yuan Zhu once again summoned the 【Shadow Dream Hole】, opening the passage to release Ghost Companions, starting to transport the Supplies inside the space. The new employees also actively piled up the ‘Supplies’ onto pre-prepared carts, then used the 【Shadow Eggplant】 in their bodies to control their battle pets, using them as laborers to transport Supplies toward the Camp 【Animal Husbandry Village】.
After the first round of Supplies handover was completed, Chairman Yuan Zhu set off again, personally going out to steal Supplies. In the cavity platform, the other half who stayed behind, the new employees responsible for receiving, waved goodbye to the boss’s back under the illumination of fluorescent Slime Mold.
They couldn’t help but sigh: “This new force is really great, not only with broad prospects, but also a good atmosphere. It really gives benefits, the leader personally goes to the front line, we just need to provide labor, responsible for receiving and transporting.”
Beside him, an underground wanderer from another Insect City nodded in agreement: “Yeah, never carried out such a safe mission before.”
“Mr. Yuan is a good leader, I’m starting to recognize 【Animal Husbandry Village】, want to stay and work hard.”
“Does it really give a chance to break through to 【Heaven Rank】 here?”
“Commander Zuo is already trying, we just need to hold back and observe…”
…
On the other side, the risk-taking Yuan Zhu, relying on the 【Shadow Dream Hole】 for cover, once again familiarly returned to the Warehouse, starting the second round of sweeping goods.
Followed by the third round.
He spent a full half day, running four round trips continuously, finally emptying this Warehouse. He himself was exhausted, despite the 【Boss Template】 continuously drawing Shadow Power, always keeping the Mana Bar at peak state.
But its physical strength and Energy were greatly consumed, so after resting for another half hour, the Tiger Demon finally set foot in the Lower Urban Area’s underground city.
Returning to the old haunt, it smoothly bypassed the surveillance Magic Array using the defense map in hand, looked up at the circular Dream Holes in mid-air, and muttered softly: “This is the last trip, hope it goes smoothly.”
Unlike stealing from the Central Urban Area, the Lower Urban Area had tight defenses, and the 13 Dream Holes in the sky alone indicated Cicada City’s power strength.
Even if successfully obtained in the end, it would inevitably raise Vigilance, fix the loopholes, with no second chance to strike.
Therefore, the Tiger Demon did not rush to attack, but as agreed, detoured to an unremarkable Building in the east district of the ‘underground city’, starting to wait silently.
About half an hour later, Zuo Fan brought his personal guards on patrol nearby, then appeared in the Room.
“My lord, this is the latest ‘underground city’ patrol route map I obtained.”
After reading it, the Tiger Demon found few plunder targets available, only two. One was the location in the west district storing cultivation Pills; the other was the Incinerator in the east district storing a small amount of 【Bug Gold】.
In terms of value, 【Bug Gold】 was naturally the most precious, and with small quantity, easy to carry. However, the Incinerator was not a storage Building, but a Refining site, with only a small amount of newly Refining 【Bug Gold】 temporarily placed, not yet transferred for storage.
Attacking here, the harvest was uncertain, but definitely not too high.
The other Pill Room stored a large amount of ‘Insect Pills’ for mid-level Insect City cultivators. Huge quantity, but low individual value, taking the route of victory through numbers.
The total value of Pills in the Pill Room was very high, but the transport difficulty was equally huge. Even stuffing the 【Shadow Dream Hole】 full, it wouldn’t take away 1/10.
“Any other targets?”
“Actually, I also know that Cicada City has secret vaults storing advanced Pills, Bug Gold, Armor Casting, Cultivation Technique Resources… etc., but they are scattered in five different locations in Cicada City, guarded by five Heavenly Rank Supreme Experts.”
Tiger Demon: “Cicada City has 13 Dream Holes overhead, exactly how many Heaven Rank?”
Zuo Fan: “Cicada City currently has 11 Heavenly Rank Cultivators, among them five Supreme Experts, each controlling one Dream Hole, all from the City Lord’s lineage. In addition, there are 2 Heavenly Rank, also from the ‘Cicada Tribe’ lineage. The remaining 4 are Heavenly Rank from other Insect Cities, who have reached certain deals with the City Lord’s lineage, choosing to stay and settle, suspected to be related to the ‘Dream Holes’ in the sky.”
“The numbers don’t match, Cicada City has 13 Dream Holes. How come only 11 Heavenly Rank, and only 5 controlling ‘Dream Holes’?”
Commander Zuo: “Though Cicada City has many Dream Holes, they are achievements jointly opened by successive City Lords and Supreme Experts from ancient times to now. Currently, among the five Supreme Experts, only the City Lord has opened the thirteenth Dream Hole. The other four have refined the previous ones’ leftover ‘Dream Holes’, reincorporating them under control. As for the remaining 7, they remain unclaimed, used to sustain and maintain Cicada City’s operations. Dream Holes can cultivate Heavenly Rank, but Heavenly Rank may not control Dream Holes, let alone open them.”
Tiger Demon: “That’s good news.”
He also believed he could 1vs13, and if unable to hold on, choose to return to 【Happy Home】, leaving the mess behind.
