Old Zhong Ran Off Carrying a Battleship

Several days later, according to the timeline, the various expedition teams should have returned.

Everyone who knows the location is waiting, eagerly awaiting the announcement of their "achievements".

"It's a quiet period now, but secrets can't be kept forever. The situation in each family, and how many people have died, will soon be out."

Among the deep space signal cluster, those people were the first to become active.

"It's a pity that the universe is so diverse and colorful. The major powers of the world have long been exploring the secret places, but ordinary people have no idea about them at all."

This is indeed true; all the major organizations have kept it a secret and have never revealed the truth to the public.

Over the years, many new species have emerged in New Star, and while some people have doubts, they are only speculating.

"Why would they cover it up? Naturally, it's for the sake of monopoly; they want to control those profits."

Some people are analyzing the deep space signal cluster.

Wang Xuan remained silent. At this stage, he mainly listened and observed, studied the secret place, and learned about the adventure experiences of the financial magnates.

"Another possibility is that they cannot control the secret place, which poses a high risk and may even spread to the New Star, so they are unwilling to make it public for fear of causing public opposition."

At first, Wang Xuan thought it was a group of swindlers trying to fool him, but now he has discovered that some of them do have some real knowledge.

At the very least, he can learn a lot about the Secret Realm from this group.

In the afternoon, the Xinyuan Exploration Team returned and immediately shared the details, sparking heated discussions in the group chat, with some people expressing great excitement.

Xinyuan's team consisted of 21 people, and 11 of them returned alive, a survival rate of over 50%!

If this were to spread to the general public, it would terrify many. With a 50% survival rate, there is no more dangerous profession than this today!

But in the context of exploring foreign lands, this was already a highlight, only made possible by the contrast with other teams, who suffered far more casualties and were often wiped out.

Wang Xuan watched silently, sighing inwardly. Exploration is truly difficult; it's like risking your life for tomorrow. Even with only a 50% survival rate, some people are willing to go.

However, most of those who managed to return alive had collected rare items, which they could sell for exorbitant prices back in their Old Earth, enough to live off for a lifetime.

Although it is high-risk, it also has high rewards, so some people are willing to risk their lives.

Someone in the group posted a photo of the expedition members who returned alive. One of them was covered in blood, but his smile was incredibly bright. He was holding a Golden Mushroom the size of a human head in his hand.

"Such a big one, it must cost at least 100 million New Star Coin, more than you could spend in several lifetimes!"

The deep space signal group was abuzz with excitement, with many people feeling incredibly envious and jealous.

"You're underestimating it. This was considered a miraculous medicine in ancient times. Modern people who consume it can prolong their lives and slow down aging. Every time such a thing is harvested, the tycoons will pay an astronomical price to buy it, at least 150 million New Star Coin!"

"Golden Mushroom, what a treasure! If someone practicing Old Arts eats such a large one, they can directly break through to the next level and their strength will reach a new height!"

The Xinyuan Exploration Team released a photo that was more convincing than anything else, sparking heated discussions and even attracting the attention of Wang Xuan.

In the evening, the results of a major organization were finally leaked, not by themselves, but by someone with inside information.

"The Song Family was not completely wiped out this time. Three people returned alive, but two of them were severely injured and need artificial kidneys and lungs."

Last month, all of the Song Family's explorers died; it was a horrific tragedy, and not just once. It's already quite fortunate that anyone returned alive this time.

How many people from the Song Family went this time?

"It seems that more than 160 people went, all of whom were cultivators of considerable strength."

A brief silence fell over the Deep Space group, then a group of people lined up to send "gasping for air" emojis, shocked and feeling a chill run down their spines.

In the past Song Family explorers, regardless of how many teams they were divided into, generally numbered around a hundred people.

Although not all were wiped out this month, more people actually died!

With such a high mortality rate, who would dare to go there in the future? Unless they're tired of living and want to die.

Wang Xuan was also horrified. Going to secret places often resulted in total death, and even the financial magnate's army suffered such heavy losses. This was too terrifying.

Such a mortality rate would likely lead those who ventured into the secret land to deep regret at the last moment.

Anyway, he was starting to have doubts. He came here to improve himself and become extraordinary, but the premise was to live well. He didn't want to gamble with his life, and there was no need to go through that kind of trouble.

Soon, news of the Qin Family's situation spread. This time, they hadn't sent many people; all fifty-odd of them died in the secret place, and none of them returned alive.

This news weighed heavily on the minds of those involved. The secret place was becoming increasingly dangerous, as if something had gone wrong, and the rare items were becoming harder and harder to collect.

"The Qin Family is one of the super conglomerates, so why did they only send fifty-odd people this time? Because they are often wiped out, and many people are afraid to join their ranks."

Someone in the deep space signal group lamented that if things continued like this, no matter how high the reward offered by the Qin Family in advance, it would be useless, as no one would dare to go.

"Battle reports" continued to arrive, indicating that the expedition team from the Origin Life Research Institute performed well, with a survival rate of 15%.

The top mercenary organization known as "Godspeed" sent a group of elites this time, but only six out of nearly two hundred survived.

Then, details about the Zhao Family's team came out, revealing a mortality rate as high as 93%!

Wang Xuan wanted to quietly light a cigarette to calm himself down, but he didn't smoke. Zhao Qinghan had invited him to join her family's expedition team, and with that mortality rate... who would dare go?

Does Goddess Zhao have a problem with him? He talked about Zhao Qinghan twice, and both times she caught him talking about her behind his back.

The first time was an accident, and he began to express his feelings, saying that whatever you like and yearn for, Qin Cheng interrupted him.

The second time he reminded Qin Cheng, he said that Goddess Zhao could be aloof or alluring, and could choose which image to present to the outside world entirely on a whim. Her skills were extremely profound, and ordinary people could not subdue her.

"Is Xiao Zhao trying to kill me on purpose?" The thought of such a high mortality rate sent chills down Wang Xuan's spine, making him question the meaning of life.

He made up his mind that unless Zhao Qinghan herself went to the secret place, he would not touch her family's expedition team and would stay as far away as possible.

As expected, all the teams suffered heavy losses; some were completely wiped out, and it was fortunate that anyone from the others returned alive.

In the evening, all sorts of news spread, it was practically a misery contest.

"After the Kong Family's warship landed, stretchers covered in blood were carried out one after another, which shocked everyone, followed by a burst of laughter."

"Is that even fair? They've already suffered enough, and you're saying there was loud laughter from the audience?"

"Why not laugh? Only the seriously injured are carried back. The dead are either lying dead in the ground or swallowed by some unknown creature. There is no time or ability to retrieve their remains."

"I think this kind of laughter... is somewhat demonic!"

As expected, various messages exploded in the deep space signal group. Wang Xuan read them one by one and learned the latest situation.

He tapped the table lightly, pondering to himself. He sensed something amiss from the increasingly alarming death rate in the secret realm. He believed something had gone wrong there.

In the early days, the survival rate of each company was higher than it is now. What exactly went wrong?

He thought that Wu Yin, Zhong Qing, and Li Qingxuan were traveling together on the Zhou River, and that they were probably testing the waters for an alliance between the three families and making preliminary preparations.

It is now very clear that the information registration a few days ago was not for the benefit of practitioners, but entirely for the convenience of tycoons in selecting people.

Too many people have died recently, making it difficult for major powers to select suitable cultivators. No matter how much money they offer, no one dares to go.

This is a win-win situation for the conglomerates: sending cultivators on adventures will eventually lead to many rare items falling into their hands, and it will also deplete this unstable group of resources.

Some conservative financial groups, represented by the Qin Family, are worried that various problems will arise after the birth of some extraordinary individuals.

What's the situation with the Zhong family? There seems to be no news from them yet, but Wang Xuan has been keeping an eye on them.

He had been eyeing the Golden Bamboo Slip belonging to the Zhong family.

Especially now that he has formed a spiritual realm, he can see the scriptures from a great distance, so he wants to find an opportunity to chat with Old Zhong.

Although he knew it was unrealistic, what if he had the chance to go to Old Zhong's study someday?

Wang Xuan was just pondering about Old Zhong when, soon, explosive news about him arrived.

"That old man Zhong Yong is defying the heavens!"

In the Deep Space group, someone exclaimed in surprise, and then sent out an unbelievable message: Old Zhong had actually risked his life to go to the secret place.

Subsequently, the person in charge of Old Chen's secret route organization in Yuan City also told Wang Xuan about this, confirming that the news was true.

This was like a nuclear bomb dropped into the deep sea, leaving everyone stunned.

Over the years, no important member of a chaebol has ever set foot in the secret place, let alone the head of such a family.

Once they reach this level, there's no need for them to show themselves in person. Even their descendants don't go to secret places or set foot in dangerous areas.

Many people didn't believe that old man Zhong Yong would go in person. You know, no one cherished life more than him; he even outlived his eldest son.

He is now over 100 years old and has survived each critical illness. It is said that he has been Extend Life four times at great cost.

Many people believe that his second son, Zhong Changming, who is currently the first in line to inherit the throne, will likely pass away before his Old Zhong, just like his elder brother.

This old man was afraid of death his whole life, but at the last moment he was so audacious. Was he crazy?

Only top-tier organizations were able to immediately discern Zhong Yong's intentions upon receiving the news.

They sighed inwardly. Zhong Yong had gone mad, but he was also quite courageous, daring to risk his life even after reaching such a high level.

Recently, a legendary object has appeared in the secret realm, almost exactly as described in ancient books.

According to records, that kind of rare object is extremely precious and cannot be preserved or brought back. It can only be consumed on the spot and can Extend Life by more than fifty years!

"The Zhong family paid a heavy price to traverse the path once and verify the strange object, but unexpectedly, old man Zhong Yong dared to come in person the second time!"

Everyone had to admit that Old Zhong was very decisive at crucial moments, showing a kind of "no madness, no life" attitude!

"Should we intervene? If something happens to him, the Zhong family..." someone whispered.

As a result, he was interrupted by the person in charge of the organization as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Every super conglomerate operates on its own system and will not change because of an accident involving one person. Besides, given Old Zhong's cautious nature, when such news comes out, he is either dead or has successfully returned, leaving no opportunity for anyone to take advantage of him!"

In fact, he was right.

Just as people were discussing the possibility of Zhong Yong's accident, a photograph broke the silence.

Wang Xuan also saw it; someone posted Old Zhong's photo in the group.

That was in the secret place, where Old Zhong was carrying a life pod, striding with his long legs as he ran at full speed.

This image was captured by a detector belonging to an organization. It is said that the detector was severely damaged, and the photo was probably taken a day or two ago, but due to strong interference, it was only transmitted back today.

"Old Zhong is Niu Ben! He actually succeeded. Judging from the timeline, he's already back at New Star!"

Everyone stared at the photo, utterly shocked.

A light black layer appeared on Old Zhong's scalp, which originally had very little hair. Was that black hair sprouting? And he didn't look so old anymore.

Most importantly, he was actually carrying a life pod while running, which weighs hundreds or even thousands of kilograms. How could an ordinary person carry that!

"He might not have succeeded. Judging from the photos, Old Zhong was in danger and was being chased by something. He didn't have time to activate the escape pod, so he could only carry it and run away. He might already be dead in the secret place!"

"Please have the important figures go to the Zhong family and ask if Old Zhong has returned."

Regardless, Zhong Yong has become incredibly popular within certain circles, attracting widespread attention and discussion.

Some have even suggested that Zhong Yong might be a top master in the field of Old Arts, but he simply keeps a low profile.

Finally, someone photoshopped the escape pod into a Super Battleship, with Old Zhong carrying it and running away, causing a sensation and becoming the most popular image.