Lu Yuan did not throw a fourth round of rocks. Instead, he climbed back up to the surface along the stone wall from the top of the Gobi.
Then, Lu Yuan stopped at the narrowest section about a hundred meters away from the Black-Striped Graystone Beetles. With a flick of his right hand, a moderately sized plastic bucket appeared in it.
Opening the bucket, Lu Yuan poured out the viscous transparent liquid inside.
It was a new type of combustion oil, colorless and odorless. Once ignited, it could burn for quite a while and produced an extremely high temperature.
It could work wonders in special circumstances. Lu Yuan had bought it just in case, never expecting that he would actually need it.
Lu Yuan poured the combustion oil across the passage, going back and forth several times to ensure it completely blocked the way.
Only then did he climb back to the top of the Gobi.
After reaching the top, Lu Yuan took out a roll of green plastic bags.
The bags were made from a special nylon material that was durable, waterproof, and wear-resistant, making them useful in many situations.
They were also one of the essential items recommended for newcomers.
Lu Yuan had bought them for emergencies as well, a roll containing twenty bags.
He had not expected to actually use them.
Lu Yuan opened the plastic bags one by one and filled them with weathered sand and rocks.
He stuffed in nearly every piece of weathered sand and rock he could see, filling all twenty bags.
Once they were full, Lu Yuan tied the plastic bags together in groups of four with rope, making five bundles.
After finishing everything, Lu Yuan revealed a faint smile.
The preparations were nearly complete. Only the final step remained.
Lu Yuan checked the position and moved to the area atop the Gobi closest to the wooden treasure chest.
He took out the Blacklight Alloy Sword and drove its blade into the Gobi with all his strength, leaving only the hilt exposed.
Then, Lu Yuan took out a thick, long rope and tied it to the hilt of the Blacklight Alloy Sword.
Lu Yuan tugged hard on it. Once he confirmed it was secure, he sprayed himself with some Odor Remover to eliminate his body odor.
Putting away the Odor Remover, Lu Yuan clapped his hands and narrowed his eyes.
"Preparations complete. Now, let's see if I can turn a bicycle into a motorcycle."
Though he had a plan, Lu Yuan could not guarantee a one-hundred-percent success rate.
Still, fortune favored the bold and starved the timid. The treasure chest was right before him, and Lu Yuan was not the kind of person to leave a treasure chest untouched.
As long as the chances of success were not too low, he was willing to give it a try.
Lu Yuan glanced at the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles below.
Perhaps because the sound of falling rocks had stopped, the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles were eating with particular relish.
But they would not be happy for much longer.
The corners of Lu Yuan's lips lifted into a smile.
He returned to the spot where he had thrown rocks earlier, picked up the four stones he had prepared, and tossed them in pairs toward different directions.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The continuous sounds of falling rocks made the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles, which had been happily gnawing on stones, shudder at the same time.
They let out furious shrieks.
The endless sound of falling rocks had made them especially enraged.
The two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles immediately charged out.
Standing atop the Gobi, Lu Yuan watched as the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles crossed the transparent lines of combustion oil and rushed toward two of the directions where the rocks had fallen.
Once they reached the rockfall areas, Lu Yuan smiled and took out a torch. After lighting it, he hurled it at the combustion oil with all his strength.
Boom!!!
The instant the torch touched the combustion oil, blistering heat erupted and flames burst forth, shooting almost instantly to the top of the Gobi.
Even from where Lu Yuan stood, he could feel the scorching heat, and his skin stung slightly.
The high temperature consumed a massive amount of oxygen, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Yet Lu Yuan did not pause in the slightest.
Just as he had rehearsed countless times in his mind, he grabbed one bundle containing four plastic bags and hurled it with both hands over the wall of fire.
Boom!
The high temperature instantly tore apart the plastic bags, spilling sand and rocks that swirled amid the heatwaves and gale-force winds.
Lu Yuan did not stop. He threw out the second bundle.
Then came the third, the fourth...
By the time he had thrown out all five bundles of plastic bags, the air had become a murky haze.
Within the sea of flames, a small portion of the sand and rocks began to melt and fall with soft rustling sounds, while most of them churned in the violent wind and heatwaves, forming an invisible barrier.
The two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles noticed something was wrong immediately. They spun around sharply and charged back in the direction they had come from, shrieking.
When they reached the wall of fire, they stopped.
Even Elite Ferocious Beasts like them could not charge through that scorching heat without being injured.
Sensing the danger, they hesitated for a moment.
Just then, some of the melted sand and rocks fell, and a portion landed on the Black-Striped Graystone Beetles with sizzling sounds.
Green smoke even rose from their shells. Startled, the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles retreated several more steps and shrieked frantically at the wall of fire.
While the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles hesitated, Lu Yuan had already made his way along the Gobi to the rope he had prepared earlier.
Gripping the rope with both hands, he jumped straight down, moving even faster than a special forces soldier.
If there had only been burning flames, the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles would have spotted Lu Yuan's movements by now.
But yellow sand was still flying above the wall of fire, turning the sky dim and hazy and obstructing their vision. The two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles had yet to realize that someone had infiltrated their nest and was preparing to steal their entire fortune.
Lu Yuan moved quickly. He descended the more than forty-meter stone wall in only a few breaths.
The moment he landed, he sprinted straight toward the wooden treasure chest.
The wooden chest had no lock, so he opened it directly.
After opening it, Lu Yuan saw what was inside.
One white orb of light and one pale green orb of light.
Strange lines intertwined within the white orb, while the pale green orb contained the shape of a large black sword.
Without a second thought, Lu Yuan grabbed both orbs and stored them in his War Rune Space.
Then, Lu Yuan seized the rope and climbed back up the Gobi.
His ascent was much slower than his descent, but Lu Yuan still made it back up in just over ten seconds.
After climbing onto the Gobi, Lu Yuan had no time to catch his breath. He retrieved the rope, pulled the Blacklight Alloy Sword from the rock, and immediately fled with it.
Although the combustion oil could burn for a while after being ignited, the War Rune Space had limited capacity, so he had only brought a small amount. With sand and rocks constantly raining down from the sky, the wall of fire would probably go out before long.
Once it went out, if those two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles discovered him, he would be completely finished.
If he did not run now, was he supposed to stay and wait to die?
Taking advantage of the fierce wind, sand, and flames, Lu Yuan quickly slipped away along the Gobi.
After running some distance, he finally stopped and collapsed atop the Gobi, gasping for breath as the violent wind swept sand and rocks across his cheeks.
Though the operation had not lasted long, he was utterly exhausted.
It was not merely from the tremendous physical exertion. The mental strain had exhausted him even more.
But...
Lu Yuan looked at the two orbs of light in his War Rune Space, and the corners of his mouth rose wildly as joy flooded him.
As a Gene Warrior who had awakened only a few days ago, snatching a treasure chest from beneath the protection of two elite ferocious beasts was an utterly insane act.
Even snatching food from a tiger's mouth was not enough to describe it.
Yet he had succeeded!
Though it had been incredibly dangerous, the risk had been worth it. What he had gained was simply too valuable!
An ordinary-grade Extraordinary Gene chain and an elite-grade Gene Armament—and it was even a longsword he could use!
Calling it priceless would not be an exaggeration!
As expected of me! I'm a man destined to become a pillar of the human race!
Before you continue