Great Cemetery Maze

Time flew by.

Ji Xun spent two peaceful days.

Aside from going on missions to collect corpses from various streets in East Sector 5, he spent most of his remaining time in the morgue cultivating the Golden Fragment Breathing Technique.

Cultivating breathing techniques is inherently tedious, even more so for beginners.

To condense Curse Power, the breathing technique requires inhaling various free elemental particles from the air, then circulating them within the body according to the mnemonic's tricks.

The entire process demands complete concentration, with no room for error.

Otherwise, if the Qi disperses, the cycle is ruined.

It's like counting from 1 to 10,000 in your mind without interruption, and without falling asleep.

The effects of this Golden Fragment far exceeded expectations.

However, its cultivation difficulty was also several times greater than the Great Dark Breathing Method.

Each cycle's difficulty was roughly equivalent to counting from 1 to 100,000.

No wonder the owner of the tome shop found the idea of learning a breathing technique that absorbed multiple elements strange.

After all, this was a difficulty that ordinary people simply couldn't handle.

Simultaneously controlling the breathing of multiple elements and maintaining the delicate balance of each element's Curse Power within the body was a level of difficulty beyond the comprehension of most.

Even just getting started was incredibly difficult.

Even Ji Xun himself, without the prerequisite of the Trickster's "Comprehension +10," wouldn't have been confident in mastering this breathing technique in a short period.

Fortunately, his Comprehension was sufficient.

And his temperament was patient enough for solitude.

As long as he wasn't on a mission, he could sit in meditation for most of the day.

His exceptionally high Comprehension allowed him to quickly grasp some of the breathing technique's tricks. Once familiar, it gradually became like breathing, almost instinctive.

At least the first level of the incantations was very proficient.

The Governor's Cao Family didn't come looking for him, the lingering threat from the Tailor Street cellar was gone, and no strange individuals came to bother him during this time.

His Curse Power Value increased daily.

Everything was developing in a positive direction.

Although Ji Xun himself had no troubles these past two days, Sinless City was quite lively.

Corpse Collectors always had access to many crime scenes and could gather more firsthand intelligence.

External missions had become increasingly frequent over these two days.

After inquiring, it turned out that besides the disturbance Ji Xun caused in the Dark Rain Street Black Market two days prior, which led to multiple factional clashes in the city.

More importantly, a rumor had spread throughout Sinless City.

Information Brokers were whispering that the Governor's Cao Family had obtained an Ancient Relic of extremely high grade!

Some said it was the mysterious Relic that "Lone Wolf" Baron had brought out from the Demon Cross previously. Others rumored it was a Cataclysmic Object related to the Cataclysm, brought out by a Mercenary Group. There were also claims that the Cao Family had acquired a treasure from Space 407. Various versions existed.

In short, it was a supreme treasure.

The Black Market in Sinless City had also posted high bounties, with a mysterious individual offering a substantial sum for this treasure.

Therefore, over the past two days, unknown individuals had been infiltrating the Governor's Mansion to investigate, and some had even attempted to assassinate the Governor himself multiple times.

Ji Xun's first reaction to this news wasn't curiosity about the Relic.

It was the feeling that someone was trying to fish in troubled waters, intending to disrupt the situation in Sinless City.

He even suspected that the news about the Relic was deliberately spread by someone.

It was like someone had thrown a stone into a pond, instantly stirring up the water, exposing the turtles, tortoises, and silver carp that were hidden in the mud.

The reality matched his prediction, as the factional clashes in Sinless City had become more frequent over these two days.

Because the Dark Rain Street incident exposed too many of the Cao Family's hidden operatives, the conflict between the Governor's Mansion and the major gangs of the lower city intensified. Recently, many outsiders from unknown forces had flooded the city, leading to continuous clashes with local gangs. Some even attacked Gold Digging Dock, the only route to the Old Continent.

In retaliation, assassination bounties targeting the Governor's Mansion appeared on the Black Market. A bounty of 200,000 for killing a law enforcement officer, 500,000 for killing a Governor's Mansion guard, and there was even a bounty for the Governor himself.

These prices exacerbated the unrest in Sinless City.

The storm was brewing.

This also led to the incinerators in the major Corpse Collector branches being almost non-stop.

Ji Xun actually enjoyed this liveliness.

The more chaotic things were for the Cao Family, the less time they would have to bother him.

Others would also assume the treasure had already fallen into the Cao Family's hands.

Furthermore, the quality of the corpses collected from missions had significantly improved.

Although Corpse Collectors were at the very bottom, they were involved in the aftermath of many high-profile events.

Ji Xun felt that with this momentum, it wouldn't be surprising if another great opportunity like the "Tailor Street Cellar" presented itself again soon.

With the Aura of the Gambler of Misfortune active, he felt the possibility wasn't small.

Risks were certainly present.

But Ji Xun felt a little anticipation instead.

However, there was one thing Ji Xun hadn't expected.

He had become a Corpse Collector to devour Extraordinary Traits.

But he had overlooked the occupational hazards of the job.

Ordinary Corpse Collectors, constantly exposed to pollution, would inevitably become weaker.

But because of the "Feast," Ji Xun's body had grown stronger day by day.

His Physique stat was now around 3.6, more than triple what it was before.

The corresponding growth in attributes was also reflected in his physique, with his muscles having increased in size significantly.

Although the streets of Sinless City were filled with Melee professionals who were all burly men, Corpse Collectors weren't supposed to be among them.

This forced Ji Xun to wear loose-fitting clothes and hunch over, feigning weakness.

Occasionally, when his Blood Essence was too abundant, he would even apply a light smoky makeup to disguise himself as being contaminated.

Fortunately, his solid acting skills from his past life meant he hadn't revealed any flaws yet.

But as time went on, he would only grow stronger, and that would be a big problem.

Ji Xun pondered how he would resolve this hidden danger in the future.

After lunch, Ji Xun arrived at the office of Team Five.

It was payday.

Corpse Collector was a high-risk profession, with salaries paid weekly.

He knocked on the door and found Captain Dong Jiu and two other people inside.

Having no prior relationship beyond work, Ji Xun walked in and stated directly, "Captain, I'm here to collect my salary."

Seeing him arrive, Dong Jiu opened a drawer and casually took out a thin stack of bills, saying, "This is yours."

Ji Xun took it, knowing the amount was clearly wrong without even counting.

The salary advertised for Corpse Collectors was 3500 per week, but he had barely over a thousand in his hand.

He asked directly, "I saw on the company's recruitment..."

Before he could finish, Baldy Liu, an older team member next to Dong Jiu, seemed to anticipate his question and said sarcastically, "Do you think the Captain doesn't grease the wheels? If not for the Captain..."

Ji Xun had no interest in listening to this guy's explanation. Without waiting for him to finish, he confirmed again, "So, this is all I get?"

He understood perfectly now; the three of them had long treated this position as a cash cow.

They didn't have to do much work but earned a lot of money, all by ganging up to exploit newcomers.

Hearing this, Dong Jiu narrowed his eyes and retorted, "What else do you think?"

Sometimes, a single look was enough to tell that some people were truly wicked.

Before their exile, Dong Jiu had been a robber who killed and plundered. The other two were a rapist and a human trafficker, none of them good people.

Ji Xun listened, his expression unchanged, and said calmly, "Oh."

There was no reasoning to be found in Sinless City.

Survival of the fittest was the basic rule.

Saying this, he turned and left directly.

This attitude caught Dong Jiu and the other two off guard.

Ji Xun didn't care about this small amount of money.

Two thousand yuan couldn't even buy a page of a Breathing Technique.

He felt no resentment either.

Such minor figures weren't worth his attention.

But Ji Xun also held onto a firm belief: what was his, was his.

He still needed this job for now.

The remaining salary could be kept by those guys for the time being.

After collecting his salary, Ji Xun had intended to go to the morgue to process corpses and continue devouring Extraordinary Traits.

Unexpectedly, as he stepped onto the elevator, a shout suddenly came from the brass pipes.

"Hey, you kids, we've got a big job! All Corpse Collectors in East District Five, grab your gear and get on the vehicle! Remember to bring extra body bags!"

"Boss Gong, what happened?"

"Just got word, a group of guys attacked a train carrying supplies from the Upper City to the elevator near the Great Cemetery in the suburbs. They're in a fierce firefight right now."

"Who has the guts to attack an inner-city supply train?"

"Probably raiders or gangsters. Who cares? A lot of people might die this time, so we'll be busy. We need to hurry, or if we're late and other teams get there first, there won't be much profit left."

"You got it!"

"."

Sudden missions were par for the course for Corpse Collectors, and they'd been happening more frequently these past couple of days.

But… a big job?

Ji Xun's interest was immediately piqued.

Normally, missions involved a small team. This was the first time all four teams from District Five were deployed together.

Ji Xun recognized the deep, rough voice. It belonged to Gong Xu, the head of the Silver Moon Company's branch in District Five.

Because Gong Xu had good connections with the higher-ups at Golden Oak headquarters, he always got first-hand information.

This often allowed the Corpse Collector teams in District Five to secure more lucrative jobs.

Fighting meant a lot of corpses. The bodies of bandits daring enough to rob cargo trains were far more valuable than those from internal gang disputes within the city.

This was a Corpse Collector mission with good profit.

And it was on the outskirts, meaning it would be a scramble.

Whoever got it, got it.

"The Great Cemetery in the suburbs?"

Ji Xun's thoughts drifted again.

He remembered seeing a teammate recruitment notice at the Hunter's Guild before.

It seemed to be a low-level Alternate Dimension, not too difficult.

Without delay, he quickly gathered his materials, grabbed his toolbox, and hurried out of the dormitory building, jumping into the truck parked by the roadside.

Before long, the four Corpse Collector teams from District Five were making their way out of the city in a grand procession.

Sinless City and the Federation cities situated on the richer mineral layers above were separated by thousands of meters of rock strata. In the past, transporting exiled prisoners relied entirely on walking, a journey that took months.

Now that the Old Continent had been discovered, the noble lords above had installed an elevator, transporting large numbers of people and supplies down daily.

Many treasures from Old Continent ruins were also shipped from Sinless City to the upper levels.

And between Sinless City and that elevator, there was a railway line over a hundred kilometers long.

This had become a target for bandits looking to plunder resources.

Inside the truck, Captain Dong Jiu and the other two team members appeared somewhat excited.

After all, if they were lucky with such a "big job," they might get rich overnight.

As long as they could reach it first, the spoils on the outskirts belonged to the Corpse Collectors.

Right now, it was all about speed.

Several steam trucks raced at full speed through the city.

On Team Five's truck, only four people remained.

Little Fatty Gibb hadn't returned since taking leave to go home, and no one knew if something had happened to him.

Now, Ji Xun was the only one working.

Dong Jiu and the other two were a tight-knit group; they never chatted with newcomers.

Ji Xun didn't feel like engaging either.

He sat quietly in a corner, watching the scenery outside.

Besides the spectacular ruins, there was hardly any scenery to speak of in the underground city.

After leaving the outer city walls and exiting the urban area, there were no light sources around, only an eerie, pitch-black darkness.

The headlights formed a single line, like a light spear piercing the endless darkness. In the dim light, they could occasionally see dark shapes near the railway tracks – ghouls and mutated monsters roaming the wasteland.

"Great Cemetery" was a place name along the railway line in the eastern suburbs of Sinless City.

It was said to be an ancient mass grave, and large numbers of skeletal monsters often roamed here.

There was also an Alternate Dimension known to almost everyone in Sinless City – the [Great Cemetery Maze].

Bored on the truck, Dong Jiu and the two older team members started talking about the maze.

"The entrance to the [Great Cemetery Maze] Alternate Dimension has a wide range of influence, and there's no clear trigger. Everyone be sharp when we get there. Don't touch anything you don't understand. It'll be trouble if you accidentally trigger some Cataclysmic Object and get sucked into the dimension. The exploration progress in that space has always been around 40%; no one knows its full extent yet, and getting out relies entirely on luck."

"Yes."

"But Captain, this maze is just a low-level space, why is the exploration progress only 40%?"

"Because it's a puzzle-solving type of space. It's said the maze is extremely large and its structure is too complex. Just entering once can waste several days. Making even a small wrong turn can waste a lot of time, or even get you trapped and killed inside. Plus, this space only yields low-level skeleton materials, so large teams and high-level Hunters aren't interested. Except for puzzle enthusiasts and Card Master Apprentices who need low-level necromancy materials, no one wants to come to this godforsaken place."

"Oh."

"..."

Captain Dong Jiu, being an old prisoner exiled here for several years, knew more than the average person.

Ji Xun, in the corner of the carriage, listened carefully to their conversation.

He also got a general impression of this maze: low yield, not without risks.

Nothing worth his attention.

It wasn't just the Old Continent; Sinless City also had many strange Alternate Dimensions.

Ji Xun was also very interested in those wondrous dungeons.

He still couldn't figure out what exactly Alternate Dimensions were. Were they fragments of low-dimensional worlds? Games played by gods? Or projections from high-dimensional worlds?

None of them seemed right.

Just like that "Enlightenment," Alternate Dimensions also possessed an indescribable mystery.

Lost in thought, he didn't realize a bright light had appeared ahead.

They had arrived at their destination.

Thanks to 'Medical Waste Starts Working' for 500, 'GT Ten Thousand Miles Red,' '1kose55s,' 'Bright Moon on the Mountain,' '20190727190947365,' and 'OK Father' for their generous support.