Chapter Four: Brain Beads, Wild Tower, and the Fierce Struggle!

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The battle ended, and Tang Zhen stood dumbfounded, watching from the sidelines. Such large-scale life-and-death combat truly delivered a powerful sensory thrill, causing his blood to unknowingly boil throughout his body.

As Tang Zhen was lost in thought, Qian Long approached slowly.

“Bah! Goblins are just idiots. They recklessly charge at wanderers no matter how many there are. If they win, they feast on the corpses; if they lose, they flee in panic. Next time they do the same thing—it’s like they never learn from getting beaten!” Qian Long spat out loudly as he walked over to a goblin corpse and pulled out an iron rod the creature had thrown away. Among the bodies lay one he had personally slain, so he had the right to claim the spoils.

Tang Zhen saw Qian Long pull out a battered kitchen knife, deftly flip over the filthy goblin corpse, and prod the creature’s forehead with the knife’s tip. A white crystal stained with blood rolled out.

Noticing Tang Zhen’s puzzled look, Qian Long squinted and tossed the white bead in his hand, explaining, “This is the brain pearl of a level-one monster. You can trade it for about ten jin of food... Hey, how did you survive out here in the wilds if you didn’t know that?”

“Tch, of course I knew!” Tang Zhen waved his hand dismissively, pretending not to care, but inwardly he was thoughtful.

At the very moment he saw the brain pearl, an inexplicable desire surged within him—as if obtaining this pearl meant gaining some kind of gold coins.

But how to get this level-one brain pearl from Qian Long was a problem. For a wanderer like Tang Zhen, this pearl was equivalent to food, essentially a currency.

Yet at this moment, Tang Zhen was penniless, unable to offer anything of equal value in exchange.

Seemingly sensing the longing in Tang Zhen’s eyes, Qian Long smiled and casually tossed the pearl to him.

“Here, maybe you need it more than I do.”

Once in his hand, the desire within Tang Zhen grew stronger, yet he felt the pearl was somewhat hot to hold.

He looked deeply into Qian Long’s eyes, a faint sense of gratitude stirring in his heart. This young wanderer, who had shared his precious rations with a stranger and now casually gave away a pearl worth ten jin of food, regardless of purpose, deserved repayment.

Moreover, Qian Long had earlier tended to Tang Zhen’s wounds, effectively saving his life.

“Consider it a loan, thanks!” Tang Zhen said solemnly, clutching the pearl tightly.

“No fun!” Qian Long snorted, wiping his weapon with some grass, then plucked an odd spoon-like object from a goblin’s neck and stuffed it into his pocket. He clapped his hands and resumed following the wanderers.

“Why are you so good to me?” Tang Zhen hurried to catch up and hesitated before asking.

“Oh, your manners and speech are unlike other wanderers. You’re probably someone important who’s fallen on hard times and needs help. So I figured I’d make a good impression and maybe you’ll repay me someday!” Qian Long replied casually, a mischievous grin on his face.

“Your expression doesn’t match your words. Are you sure you’re telling the truth?” Tang Zhen frowned, eyeing Qian Long’s playful demeanor.

“I’m serious. Old stories often have scenes like this. I’m just following suit. Too bad you’re not a stranded lord’s daughter—otherwise...” Qian Long trailed off with a look of regret, staring at Tang Zhen as if trying to confirm whether he was a woman disguised as a man.

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Tang Zhen shuddered, and the tension he felt upon arriving in this strange world eased considerably amid the banter.

Qian Long laughed heartily and patted Tang Zhen’s shoulder. “Out here in the wild, you either go it alone or try to do small favors for others. That’s how you survive longer, because your friends far outnumber your enemies.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “An old wanderer once gave me that advice. I’ve stuck to it—help those who can lend a hand. That’s why I’m still alive. Many wanderers I helped remember me and bring me along when good things come up, like this time.”

After saying this, Qian Long moved ahead alone, seemingly unwilling to talk more.

Tang Zhen lingered behind, now convinced the brain pearl had real use. At that moment, he sensed a pull emanating from his phone in his pocket, aimed directly at the pearl in his hand.

He slipped to the back of the group, quietly taking out his phone and bringing it close to the pearl.

Under Tang Zhen’s fixed gaze, the pearl vanished in an instant, and his phone screen changed. Beneath the teleport icon appeared “1/5” and a message stating that absorbing four more brain pearls would unlock the teleport function.

Teleport? Could it mean returning to his original world? Tang Zhen’s heart stirred with excitement.

Still short four pearls, he did not dwell too much on the thought but checked his personal info. Sure enough, ten gold coins had been added to his account!

One level-one brain pearl equaled ten gold coins—this must be the exchange rate.

Other than that, the phone showed no other changes.

He stared at the phone for a while, falling far behind the group. Only when the wanderers had moved nearly a hundred meters did Qian Long call out to him, snapping Tang Zhen back to reality as he hurried to catch up.

Though excited and eager to try, Tang Zhen hid his excitement, worried others would notice his strange expressions. So he kept his head down while walking.

A faint premonition blossomed in his heart: this strange world would bring him tremendous benefits and change his life forever.

Here lay an opportunity—one many yearned for but could not grasp, now placed right before him.

He would cherish it, for his future was boundless!

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The wanderers’ group moved slowly forward. Though numerous, they seemed minuscule in the vast wilderness.

Tang Zhen and Qian Long chatted as they walked, though mostly Qian Long animatedly spoke while Tang Zhen listened.

From their conversation, Tang Zhen learned that Qian Long had once lived in a small tower city. When he was ten, his city was conquered by warriors from a medium-sized tower city. The foundation was seized, residents slaughtered—including Qian Long’s parents—and he escaped, wandering the wilds ever since.

Like all wanderers, Qian Long was indifferent to life and death but dreamed of joining a powerful tower city, marrying, having children, and finding shelter in old age.

For wanderers, tower cities were home—a profound meaning unknown to those who had one.

Tang Zhen scanned the faces of the wanderers, seeing weary eyes full of hardship. Like drifting duckweed, they aimlessly roamed the wilderness, seeking home but unsure when they might fall and become fertilizer for wild grass.

After five or six hours of trekking, a dilapidated eleven-story building appeared amid the weeds. Its exterior walls were mottled and peeling; window glass broken—like an abandoned residential tower from Earth.

In this strange world, such a familiar structure felt awkward.

Tang Zhen inwardly wondered about the connection between this world and Earth, though he remained confused about how he had arrived here and kept his speculations to himself.

Qian Long said this place had been wasteland days ago; now suddenly a massive building stood here—a testament to the world’s strangeness and wonder.

This was a wild tower, a gold rush paradise for wanderers, a place where danger and opportunity coexisted.

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Around the wild tower, dozens of monsters prowled through the grass—goblins Tang Zhen had seen before, humanoid beasts resembling wild dogs, and many skeleton-like zombies.

According to wanderers’ experience, these creatures were generally level one, with none exceeding level two—meaning this wild tower was not highly dangerous, and their group could handle it.

Except for Tang Zhen, even the weakest wanderers here had nearly level-one combat power!

The so-called levels measured combat strength in the wilderness, applicable to humans and monsters alike. Level one equated to a normal adult’s maximum strength and speed; level two to that of two adults combined; level three, three adults; and level five represented the terrifying peak power of five adults.

Ordinary humans and monsters rarely surpassed level five without special means.

The combat indexes of these monsters had been tested countless times by wanderers, ensuring no errors.

At this moment, all wanderers gripped their crude weapons tightly. To enter the wild tower, these monsters had to be wiped out. Driven by greed, none hesitated; failure meant losing the chance to explore.

Tang Zhen felt their resolve, unwilling to miss this opportunity—crucial for his plan to explore this world. With Qian Long’s kitchen knife in one hand and a bone spike in the other, a fierce determination rose within him.

Without shouting, the wanderers summoned all their strength and charged silently, surrounding the monsters in small groups to attack.

Tang Zhen was astonished to see the terrifying power hidden within these gaunt bodies. He witnessed a thin man kicking a stone mid-run, and the stone’s impact knocked a monster back several steps.

Tang Zhen joined the fight, targeting a lone goblin.

Using his height advantage, he sprinted and kicked the bulky green-skinned goblin down.

The goblin was fierce; it rolled over and swung a spear-like weapon viciously at Tang Zhen’s abdomen.

As it fought, it emitted strange cries, which made Tang Zhen think it resembled a giant enchanted toad.

Though comical, the creature was deadly if it landed a blow.

Tang Zhen dared not slacken, swiftly dodging while grasping the goblin’s head with one hand. The goblin’s immense strength nearly toppled him, but Tang Zhen didn’t hesitate, driving the other hand’s knife deep into its neck.

A spray of foul blood splattered Tang Zhen’s face, making him look grim.

Ignoring the struggling goblin, Tang Zhen turned and lunged at the nearest dog-headed creature.

The dog-headed creature stood about 1.6 meters tall, resembling a large upright dog. It hunched and fiercely swung its sharp claws, attacking every wanderer approaching.

Its muscles bulged like a strong bull, and its snarling jaws dripped foul saliva continuously.

Seeing Tang Zhen approach, it bared its fangs and charged with a vicious roar.

Tang Zhen was startled but knew he could not retreat—retreat meant certain death. Gritting his teeth, he attacked, wildly swinging his weapons to keep the beast at bay, then feinting to confuse it.

His tactics worked: the dog-headed creature grew dazed, allowing Tang Zhen to circle behind and stab its back.

The beast was ferocious—it didn’t fall but clawed open a wanderer’s chest, then leapt onto Tang Zhen, pinning him down.

The putrid breath and drool flooded Tang Zhen’s face as its sharp teeth lunged at his neck. He desperately pressed one hand against its throat and stabbed repeatedly with the kitchen knife in the other.

He lost count of the stabs; his clothes were soaked with boiling blood and intestines draped over him. Only then did the dog-headed creature collapse, glaring at Tang Zhen with unyielding eyes.

Its stiff limbs fell limply, and Tang Zhen had no strength left to rise.