Descending into the Catacombs

Zhang Tao jumped off the hospital bed, stretched his body, and said, "Sorry, I made a bit of a scene and disturbed you all!"

Nan Yunping looked at Zhang Tao with a complex expression, finally shaking her head as she said, "It's fine. Tell me, are your injuries healed?" One had to know that when Zhang Tao was brought in, his injuries were severe. Now, he was full of vitality, and not only that, he had even broken through. No matter how one looked at it, it wasn't normal.

"Zhang Tao, did you use Life Essence?" Nan Yunyue asked with a suspicious look.

Zhang Tao chuckled. Life Essence was the kind of thing that had long since been handed over for storage. How could he possibly use Life Essence for injuries like his?

Seeing Zhang Tao ignoring her, Nan Yunyue gritted her teeth. Damn that bastard, he really just has incredible luck.

"Sister Ping, I have things to attend to, so I'll be heading out!" Zhang Tao said his goodbyes and left immediately. Nan Yunping didn't say anything, and Zhang Tao truly did have matters to attend to.

He was in the Capital City, so Zhang Tao first returned to his home—a small two-story villa. His parents had passed away a long time ago, so he had been living alone for quite a while.

The reason he came home was to retrieve his gear and weapons.

Donning leather armor made from a Rank 6 Monster Beast, grabbing his A-grade alloy broadsword, packing a few pills, and taking a Snake-skin Pouch capable of insulating energy, Zhang Tao hurried off toward the Catacombs.

This time, although they had suffered heavy losses, they had truly discovered a small mineral vein. Moreover, the High-stage Rank 7 Monster Beast guarding the vein was likely either dead or severely wounded by now. Zhang Tao intended to go check it out; if possible, he was going to claim this fortune for himself.

"Huh, Zhang Tao? Why are you heading down into the Catacombs?" The registrar was a middle-aged man with a thick beard. Seeing Zhang Tao, he asked in surprise. One had to know that Zhang Tao had just been carried out yesterday, and here he was again today—this was simply too fast.

"Brother Li, hurry up, I have urgent business!" Zhang Tao urged.

The bearded man known as Brother Li sighed and said, "Alright, go on in. But listen, kid, don't go doing anything reckless. You are..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Zhang Tao had already vanished. Brother Li shook his head with a wry smile; young people these days were just so full of energy.

Zhang Tao moved quickly through the city. Many people greeted him; after all, Zhang Tao was a prodigy among humanity, and with his wide circle of friends, there were quite a few who knew him.

After giving some perfunctory replies, Zhang Tao exited the city gates and sprinted toward the east.

The Rank 9 expert guarding the city, Grandmaster Guo Weicheng, was even more astonished. He had personally watched Zhang Tao being carried out yesterday, yet today he was full of vigor. The key point was, what on earth was this kid doing running so fast?

After watching for a moment, Zhang Tao disappeared from sight. Guo Weicheng had no choice but to retract his mental energy, sighing, "These kids are just too wild, actually heading deep into the Catacombs."

Zhang Tao was unaware that someone was observing him with mental energy. Relying on his memory, he carefully made his way toward the location. Along the way, he encountered a few groups of Catacomb Inhabitants, but Zhang Tao dodged them in advance; he didn't want to get into a fight with them right now.

Soon, he arrived at a mountain range. Zhang Tao looked around, took out his A-grade alloy broadsword, and began digging a tunnel.

He wasn't the original Zhang Tao anymore; what if he died from being reckless?

Thus, Zhang Tao advanced by tunneling. Soon, he reached the mineral vein. Zhang Tao became even more cautious; after all, he didn't know if that Rank 7 Monster Beast was dead or alive!

When he reached the center of the vein, he saw the dead Rank 7 Monster Beast. The beast had managed to crawl back to the center of the vein, but unfortunately, its injuries were too severe, and it hadn't survived.

This was his objective for this trip. A few days ago, the original Zhang Tao had discovered this place and, naturally, the Rank 7 Monster Beast. He had hatched a bold plan, hoping to let the snipe and the clam fight so the fisherman could reap the benefits.

But the plan hadn't gone well, and unexpectedly, a High-stage Rank 7 powerhouse had appeared. Zhang Tao and his team had fled, and even then, they had suffered heavy casualties, with only him surviving.

"My brothers all died because of you. Let these Heart Core and Brain Core serve as compensation!" Zhang Tao approached the monster beast and used his A-grade alloy broadsword to extract the Heart Core and Brain Core. After placing them into the Snake-skin Pouch, Zhang Tao hurried to scan the surroundings, stuffing every Energy Fruit and high-quality Energy Stone he could find into the pouch.

Soon, the Snake-skin Pouch was full. Looking at the remaining small mineral vein, Zhang Tao decided to return and report it to the garrison so they could mine it and bring it back.

Carrying the Snake-skin Pouch, Zhang Tao followed the original tunnel back, but soon, he heard sounds from above. Zhang Tao's expression darkened. Had the Catacomb Inhabitants found this place too?

Good thing I was a step faster in coming back, otherwise, there probably wouldn't even be a scrap left.

Listening carefully to the footsteps above, he estimated there were dozens of people. Zhang Tao sighed; it was a pity, but the mineral vein here was likely a lost cause. He quickened his pace. If those people discovered that the monster's Heart Core and Brain Core were missing, and that he had taken the best ore, they would likely hunt him down relentlessly.

This was already considered deep within the Catacombs. If he were hunted by the Catacomb Inhabitants and caused a major commotion, Zhang Tao would be dead for sure.

As Zhang Tao crawled out of the tunnel and ran a short distance away, he heard a roar from behind. Zhang Tao didn't hesitate and ran even faster.

Because his Snake-skin Pouch contained crystals that insulated energy, as long as he didn't act recklessly or get into disputes, he would generally be fine. This was something Zhang Tao had prepared long ago.

He wasn't some young kid like Fang Ping who didn't know anything.

Just like that, he returned to the Forbidden City without incident. When Guo Weicheng, who was guarding the city, saw Zhang Tao, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. After all, Zhang Tao was a human prodigy and couldn't afford to have anything happen to him.

"Guardian, I have something to report!" Seeing Zhang Tao approach him immediately after entering, Guo Weicheng asked with a smile, "What is it?"

Zhang Tao immediately explained the situation and opened his Snake-skin Pouch. When Guo Weicheng heard about the small mineral vein, his eyes lit up. There was no helping it; humanity was too poor. A small mineral vein, and an ownerless one at that—how could he not be tempted?

"Zhang Tao, were there any high-rankers among those dozens of people?" Guo Weicheng asked immediately.

Zhang Tao shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I assume there must have been a Rank 7!"

Guo Weicheng paced in circles on the spot, unsure for a moment whether he should take the risk. After all, this was a small mineral vein; if they obtained it, they could be prosperous for a while. But the risks were also very real, given that it was deep in the Catacombs.