Chapter 26: The Pit Trap Monster and the Quantum Stealth Screen

Tang Zhen aimed the all-terrain vehicle straight down the narrow passage between the traps and slammed on the accelerator, charging forward with a sudden burst of speed.

By this time, the corpse monsters were already closing in on him. With swift and agile movements, Tang Zhen leapt from the vehicle. As his feet touched the ground, he had a Molotov cocktail firmly gripped in his hand. Quickly producing a lighter, he ignited the cloth wick. When the monsters were about ten meters from the trap, he hurled the flaming bottle fiercely into the passage between the traps.

A roaring blaze surged upward, tongues of fire licking at the surrounding wild grass, momentarily halting the monsters’ pursuit. However, they soon skirted around the flames and resumed their attack toward Tang Zhen.

Unbeknownst to them, this maneuver led them straight into Tang Zhen’s trap zone. The foremost monster stepped onto a pit concealed by overgrown grass and immediately plunged in, followed closely by the second, the third, and so on. Even the dreaded third-level ghost sergeant, Tang Zhen’s greatest concern, tumbled into the pit as well.

Delight bloomed in Tang Zhen’s heart. He had been worried about how to deal with this formidable third-level foe, not expecting it to be so brainless as to fall into the same trap.

Compared to the other monsters, these corpse fiends were tough-skinned and thick-bodied but severely lacking in intelligence. Without hesitation, once all the monsters were trapped, Tang Zhen energetically threw Molotov cocktails one after another into the pit.

The pit erupted with thick black smoke and towering flames. The fuel Tang Zhen used was a simplified incendiary, a firebomb variant that clung stubbornly to anything it touched, burning relentlessly until only bones remained.

After depleting all the fuel from his spatial pocket, the radiating heat from the pit became unbearable for anyone to approach. Tang Zhen stepped back several paces, drew his pistol, and fixed his gaze on the pit, anxious that the fire might not have completely destroyed the third-level ghost sergeant.

Sure enough, after a while, a charred arm emerged, struggling from the edge of the pit, followed by a carbon-blackened figure leaping out of the fire and landing heavily on the grass before Tang Zhen.

It was the ghost sergeant.

A chill ran down Tang Zhen’s spine. Without hesitation, he raised his gun and fired, but the bullets had no effect. The charred, one-armed figure lunged toward him with terrifying speed.

With no room to dodge, Tang Zhen braced himself, drew his combat knife, and struck head-on.

The blade sank deeply into the ghost sergeant’s body, as if cleaving through rotten wood. At the same moment, the monster’s weight slammed into Tang Zhen, knocking him backward.

Pain shot through Tang Zhen’s body as he hit the ground hard. For a moment he groaned, but then his expression brightened. Despite the forceful collision from a third-level monster, he was surprisingly unscathed.

Previously, even a collision with a second-level monster had left him badly injured, requiring the use of Evergreen Ointment to heal. Why was this blow so easily shrugged off? Could it be that the ghost sergeant’s strength had been severely diminished after burning in the flames?

Tang Zhen’s mind raced. He sprang up, ready to test another attack, when suddenly a hot surge of energy flooded through his body, intoxicating and immense.

This was... an advancement!

His heart leapt with joy. The wild, surging power was unmistakable—it heralded his promotion to the second level.

The raw strength an adult could unleash in an instant was exhilarating to imagine.

As the ghost sergeant charged him again, Tang Zhen shouted a battle cry, drew another combat knife from his spatial pocket, and struck with all his newfound power.

The blade cut through, and the head flew off.

The charred, headless corpse twitched a few times before collapsing to the ground.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tang Zhen staggered to the monster’s severed head and extracted the brain orb within.

The brain orb was a remarkable artifact. Even though the monster’s body was scorched, the orb remained untouched, shining brilliantly.

Having eliminated this wave of corpse monsters, Tang Zhen successfully rose to the second level and collected many high-value brain orbs.

Calculating carefully, second-level orbs could be exchanged for a hundred gold coins each, while third-level ones fetched a thousand. After piecing together his earnings, Tang Zhen’s total gold was rapidly surpassing ten thousand.

After waiting for the fire in the pit to die down, he covered his nose and cleaned out the mutilated remains inside, gaining another ten second-level brain orbs.

Turning to gaze distantly at the eerie wild tower, Tang Zhen’s curiosity stirred. He wondered what secrets it held.

Rumor said that the fiercer the guardian monsters of a wild tower, the more valuable the treasures inside. Judging by the tower’s imposing aura, it was likely to harbor extraordinary riches.

If he could sneak inside and investigate unnoticed, perhaps he might find unexpected rewards.

But the dense swarm of monsters outside and the terrifying lord-level monster guarding it gave Tang Zhen a headache.

How could he get through them in broad daylight?

Fighting his way through was hopeless; he was no match for such a dense horde.

Flying over was impossible; the archers guarding the tower would turn him into a pincushion in seconds.

Stealth was the only option—but he didn’t know how to become invisible...

Wait, maybe he could!

An idea struck, lighting up Tang Zhen’s eyes. He hurriedly opened the app store on his phone.

Typing “invisibility” in the search bar, a dozen options popped up:

“Invisibility Barrier: When activated, the user is concealed within a barrier invisible to outsiders for one hour. However, the barrier breaks if the user moves. Price: 1,000 gold coins.”

“Invisibility Phone: The phone itself becomes invisible upon activation. Price: 500 gold coins.”

“Invisibility Projection: Projects light to hide the targeted object from naked eyes. Price: 800 gold coins.”

Among dozens of similar entries, Tang Zhen quickly found the one he wanted:

“Quantum Invisibility Light Screen: Perfectly simulates the surrounding environment to achieve invisibility. Can block infrared, laser, and microwave detection. Price: 10,000 gold coins.”

Reading the description, Tang Zhen nodded with satisfaction.

This was it!

He tapped “download,” emptying his account balance once more. The app installed instantly.

Its icon resembled a flowing stream of water. Upon activation, Tang Zhen felt the light around him warp and twist.

Looking down at his raised arm, he saw only the ground beneath his feet.

Glancing at his legs, he saw them seamlessly blending into the environment, utterly invisible.

Such invisibility, combined with his teleportation ability, was a formidable combination for reconnaissance and combat.

After testing it thoroughly, Tang Zhen was deeply pleased—this ten thousand gold had been well spent.

Empowered with the ability to bypass the outer monsters unseen, Tang Zhen wasted no time. He concealed the all-terrain vehicle and hastened toward the wild tower.

Compared to the previous deserted surroundings, the area near the tower had become bustling. Along the way, Tang Zhen noticed several explorer teams composed of wanderers, all seemingly heading for the tower.

Among them was a five-person team—three men and two women—wearing finely crafted armor and wielding superior weapons. Their complexions were healthier than typical wanderers, indicating greater strength.

Tang Zhen estimated each of these five was at least second-level, with the burly leader possibly third-level.

Such intuitive assessment of strength was a skill every cultivator in the tower city world possessed.

In fact, Tang Zhen had only recently learned that ordinary cultivators below sixth level were also categorized by rank.

Most cultivators in the tower city world were grassroots fighters, eking out their survival and promotions by killing monsters. These commoners were called wild cultivators.

True cultivators, however, hailed from the city or were trained by powerful factions, endowed with precious techniques and superior equipment.

Well-fed, systematically trained, and well-equipped, a true cultivator’s combat power at the same level was nearly triple that of a wild cultivator.

Thus, when looking at ragged wanderers, those five showed a trace of disdain.

Tang Zhen was technically a wild cultivator himself, but due to special reasons, his combat power rivaled or even surpassed these true cultivators.

He was unaware of this status distinction. Only when he heard the wanderers say the five came from Blackrock City did he glance at them with interest.

From this small glimpse, it was clear Blackrock City was no trivial place.

Because Tang Zhen showed no unusual behavior and wore a hooded cloak for concealment, the five paid him no mind.

They mistook his curious glances for the naïve interest of a country bumpkin.

After wandering intermittently, Tang Zhen reached the eerie black wild tower again two hours later.

Occasionally, roars of monsters and shouts from wild cultivators echoed faintly, as various forces assessed the combat strength of these corpse monsters.

Only after gauging their power could they formulate plans.

Currently, seven or eight teams were engaged with the monsters, staying at the edge of their guard zone, drawing one monster far out before attacking en masse.

No one dared venture deep into the monsters’ guarded territory.

The Blackrock City five-person team, watching this, sneered mockingly. Then, each brandished their weapons and charged directly toward the wild tower guarded by the horde.

Tang Zhen was momentarily stunned, then smiled faintly. Seizing the opportunity, he activated the quantum invisibility light screen and silently slipped forward under the cover of invisibility.