Chapter 56: A Gathering of Heroes
When Jiang Chen woke up, it was already 8:30.
Perhaps it was because his guard had relaxed after arriving at the Safe Zone that he slept especially soundly this time—straight through the night.
Seeing that it was still early and that there wasn’t much to do before the auction began, Jiang Chen decided to enjoy a brief moment of “carefree” life.
However, just then, the smart ring on his wrist began flashing red and vibrating slightly.
Jiang Chen quickly opened the interface, and an electronic voice played:
“Hello, Chinese citizen Jiang Chen. The Defense Department of Alliance JN006 Safe Zone issues the following reminder.”
“At 08:35 on May 9th, 2245, a mutant beast attack occurred in Slum District No. 13 of Jiangnan Sector, resulting in 237 Chinese citizens dead and 1,294 injured. All mutant beasts have now been eliminated, and the situation is under control.”
“According to analysis by the Alliance Science Department, a small amount of special energy matter has begun to seep from the Antarctic rift, causing mutations in Earth’s native lifeforms. Similar incidents may occur more frequently in the near future. Please remain within the Safe Zone and minimize outings.”
“During this period, a large number of troops will be deployed within the Safe Zone. Do not panic—maintain a calm mindset. The Safe Zone’s defense is sufficient to guarantee your safety. Thank you.”
Slum District No. 13 in Jiangnan Sector—that’s where I used to live!
Jiang Chen carefully reread the alert again and again, then collapsed onto the bed, lost in thought.
Could the spatial rift’s mutation have arrived earlier than expected? But this is far too sudden…
Thankfully, I arrived at the Safe Zone yesterday. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Thinking back now, Jiang Chen broke into a cold sweat. That slum wasn’t large—if he’d still been there yesterday, he might’ve already had an accident.
“I wonder when I’ll be able to ‘manifest’.”
In the face of such incidents, he was far too weak—completely incapable of resistance. If the Safe Zone’s defenses failed, his life would be over too.
Jiang Chen stared blankly at the helmet beside him.
Re-entering Hope World.
Jiang Chen appeared within the city of Yunhuang.
Now he had fully understood—worrying wouldn’t help anything. The only thing that truly mattered was becoming stronger in Hope World. As for the real world, for now, he could only rely on the World Alliance Defense Force.
Clearing his mind, Jiang Chen’s focus returned to Yunhuang City.
Today’s highlight was, of course, the auction at noon. Even now, the entrance was already crowded with people.
Most of them weren’t there to participate in the auction, but rather to purchase access to watch the live broadcast.
To participate in the auction, players were required to submit a deposit of one million Chinese credits.
Such a strict requirement had directly blocked the majority of idle players who were just there for the excitement.
Only the truly wealthy, those bringing large sums with serious intent to bid for the Guild Founding Token, had entered the auction hall.
As the consigner, Jiang Chen had naturally received a complimentary ticket to attend the auction.
It was getting late— the auction would officially begin at 10 o’clock, and the Guild Founding Token would be the grand finale. Checking the time, only twenty minutes remained.
Time ticked by, and more people gathered from all directions. Just then, the crowd suddenly stirred into noise.
A group approaching from nearby drew everyone’s attention.
“Look, that’s Qingfeng Beiqi! Whoa, he’s so handsome. Chinese’s number one assassin really lives up to his name.”
“The two behind him must be the Jinmenke and Yinmenke brothers—both top-tier assassins. What a powerhouse alliance!”
“Seems like Qingfeng Beiqi wants to form an all-assassin guild. Lately, they’ve been contacting other strong assassin players everywhere, and quite a few have already agreed.”
“So he’s aiming to rise from the ground with the Guild Founding Token this time?”
A flood of chatter erupted among the players. After all, these big names were usually as elusive as dragons—rarely seen. Getting to witness them in person was a huge deal.
Just then, another group of players gasped in shock.
The newcomers were Jiang Chen’s ‘old acquaintances’—the Chaoge Guild.
Their guildmaster, Chaoge Zhou Wang, swaggered in with a group of underlings in tow.
“That second-gen rich kid is here to stir the pot too? Interesting.”
“Don’t underestimate the Chaoge Guild. Look who’s walking beside him.”
“Holy crap, Liuli Zhan! Taibai Sword! Seven Star Lamp! Isn’t this lineup a bit too overpowered?!”
“Exactly—those are the top three freelance experts on the leaderboard, all working for Chaoge Zhou Wang. Just this visible lineup is already on par with Hero’s Tomb.”
“Damn, how much money did Chaoge have to spend to gather this?”
“Money? For the young master of the Liu Corporation, money is nothing. If it can be solved with money, it’s not even a problem. Yesterday, he even offered two hundred million to buy Lone Ranger’s pet on the forums.”
“You’re right. Money can even turn the gears of hell.”
Hearing the surrounding chatter and sensing the awe-filled stares, Chaoge Zhou Wang knew that his two-hundred-million investment had paid off. Taibai Sword and Seven Star Lamp each earned ten million per month, with annual salaries in the hundreds of millions.
As for Liuli Zhan, he had a critically ill younger sister who needed intensive treatment with a rare, high-potency medical serum—one of which was exclusively produced by a pharmaceutical subsidiary of the Liu Corporation.
So, a deal was made: if he supported Chaoge for two months, Liu Jiannan would order the plant to manufacture the serum until success.
Liuli Zhan had no other options—only the Liu Corporation could help him, so he was naturally putting in full effort to support Chaoge.
With the rapid recruitment of three top-tier experts, Chaoge Guild’s combat power skyrocketed overnight. It shed its previous reputation as a “scattered-sand guild,” and now no other guild dared challenge it head-on.
As for that damned Lone Ranger, Chaoge Zhou Wang still bore a grudge. Someday, he’d make sure that guy tasted the might of Chaoge’s top three experts!
Time flowed like water—before they knew it, over ten minutes had passed.
By now, the top figures of all major guilds had already arrived and were waiting. Then, just as the crowd had quieted down, another wave of exclamations broke out.
“Oh my god, it’s the goddesses from the Beauty Guild!”
Everyone turned their heads in unison—even elite members of major guilds couldn’t help but steal a glance.
From the dense crowd, a path opened up as a group of stunning, uniquely beautiful women gracefully walked through. Everyone’s gaze was locked in, and some even drooled outright in a moment of lost composure.
Beauty was a special guild composed entirely of beautiful women, with a core belief that “beauty is justice.”
Of course, their strength wasn’t lacking either—each one was an elite in her own right. Their guildmaster, [Phantom Dream Lichen], was an elite mage of the highest tier, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the so-called “Mage God” Han Gongque.
“Wow, that beauty, that figure… My nutrition’s clearly not keeping up.”
“As expected from Beauty—they’re all absolute top-tier beauties.”
“My Snow Goddess is the most beautiful—no arguments accepted!”
“After that tremble, why don’t I feel empty at all…?”
“Gathering of goddesses! Quick, record this for posterity.”
“Forget it, bro. You won’t survive. I once ran into them out in the wild and recorded a bit… sigh, let me put it this way—yesterday, I weighed 150 pounds.”
A skin-and-bones young man stood with hands clasped behind his back, muttering to himself. His cloudy eyes were filled with emotion—like he’d just witnessed the passing of ages, fleeting as a white horse across a crack.