Chapter 366 – 「The Tenth Floor」

Midnight Labyrinth, Tenth Floor.

This was the lowest level of the Midnight Labyrinth, the pinnacle of this inverted pyramid-shaped wonderland.

Though it was the smallest in area among the ten floors of the Midnight Labyrinth, its size was still comparable to that of Dragonheart District in downtown Tianfeng City.

Such an area was more than sufficient for humans, easily accommodating millions or even tens of millions of people.

In a place like this, even Phantom Demons should, in theory, be able to inhabit in significant numbers.

However, the Tenth Floor was different from the other nine floors. There were no Phantom Demons in sight, nor faint roars echoing in the distance. Instead, there was only an overwhelming silence and an oppressive atmosphere.

The only similarity to the other floors was the dense demonic energy saturating the air.

This demonic energy not only matched that of the other nine floors but far surpassed it.

In such a place, even ordinary Professionals, if their strength was too low, would suffer mental effects, leading to madness and loss of control.

For this reason alone, this was the most terrifying place in the entire Midnight Labyrinth.

Yet today, it had welcomed quite a few people.

In a remote corner of the Tenth Floor, a camp had seemingly sprung up from the ground.

Tents were erected, and numerous bonfires were lit. Fully armed Professionals moved about, some patrolling, others standing guard, creating a tense and strict atmosphere reminiscent of a military camp.

“Is that the camp set up by Sister Xu’s team?”

Feng Qing’er spotted the sizable camp from afar, which could accommodate at least several hundred people.

“That’s right, it’s the place.”

Mu Yan glanced at the map displayed on her Terminal, confirming that the camp was their destination.

“Captain Xu and her team likely arrived a day earlier than us and set up this camp as a gathering point.”

Chi Qian spoke thoughtfully.

“Is that so?”

Tong Xinyao was taken aback.

The four girls gathered around Su Ming, as if escorting him, and arrived at this corner of the Tenth Floor.

Su Ming gazed at the camp for a while before withdrawing his gaze.

“Let’s go,” Su Ming said. “It’s time to help them with their real business.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded solemnly, their expressions turning serious.

The past few days in the Midnight Labyrinth had been incredibly rewarding.

Even Chi Qian and the others, who hadn’t directly encountered the Purple Snow Essence, had witnessed astonishing gains during their team activities.

Now, all the team’s harvests were stored in Su Ming’s Golden Finger backpack.

If they could bring these gains back to Tianfeng City, this trip would truly be a bountiful return.

But this came at a cost.

To enter the Midnight Labyrinth, Su Ming had accepted Xu Xiayan’s employment.

Next, they would have to help Summer Chasing Smoke complete their mission.

An SS-rank difficulty mission, one that could significantly impact the future of a Base City—a mission of the highest caliber.

For this mission, Xu Xiayan had even decided not to rely solely on Summer Chasing Smoke’s strength. She had paid a tremendous price, prepared for over half a year, and ultimately hired a total of eleven teams.Among them, there were even A-rank teams like ‘Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion’ and ‘Iron Rose,’ whose strength could not be underestimated.

What kind of mission would such an alliance of Professionals face next?

At this thought, Chi Qian and the others, who had once hit a wall on an S-rank mission and nearly suffered total annihilation, couldn’t help but feel a heavy weight in their hearts.

In contrast, Su Ming looked completely unconcerned, as if they weren’t about to face an ultra-high-difficulty SS-rank mission but rather an ordinary E-rank mission that couldn’t be more common.

Seeing him like this, Chi Qian and the others couldn’t help but relax a little.

“Don’t overthink it.”

Su Ming had been observing his team members, and seeing the looks in their eyes and their expressions, he chuckled lightly and spoke up.

“Don’t forget, there’s still Hai’er and me.”

Hearing this, the women nodded and relaxed a bit more.

Naturally, everyone had absolute trust in Su Ming and Hai’er’s abilities.

With Su Ming and Hai’er holding the line, it was undoubtedly reassuring.

Moreover, if things really went south, they could simply retreat.

Su Ming had already communicated with the women, telling them that if it came down to escaping, he was confident he could get them out under any circumstances.

Remembering these reassurances, Chi Qian and the others undoubtedly felt much more confident.

Under these circumstances, Su Ming led the women to the camp.

……

The camp had only one entrance.

A wooden fence had been built around the entire camp, coated with some kind of powder that repelled Phantom Demons, causing the wooden fence to shimmer with faint fluorescent light.

Su Ming and his group arrived here and were stopped at the entrance by two Professionals tasked with guarding it.

They were members of ‘Summer Chasing Smoke,’ their strength already approaching the Three-Star limit. One more step and they would reach the superhuman realm of Upper-Rank Professionals.

However, taking that step was anything but easy.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been assigned to guard the entrance here.

“I’m Su Ming from ‘Azure Mercury.'”

Su Ming stated his identity.

The two Professionals exchanged a glance, first confirmed it with their Terminal, then went to report. Only after receiving permission from their superiors did they allow the members of ‘Azure Mercury’ to enter the camp.

As soon as they entered the camp, a person emerged from the largest tent in the center and came to greet Su Ming and the others.

“Welcome to the tenth floor, members of ‘Azure Mercury.'”

The one who came to greet them wasn’t Xu Xiayan, but Wang Di.

This Vice Captain of ‘Summer Chasing Smoke’ had personally come to welcome Su Ming and the others, which surprised everyone to some extent.

“You arrived quite quickly,” Su Ming began with a polite remark. “We just got here, and you’ve already set up the camp. It seems you arrived well ahead of time.”

Facing Su Ming’s courtesy, Wang Di also smiled slightly.

“After all, this time, ‘Summer Chasing Smoke’ is the initiator. As the host, it’s only natural to take care of the trivial matters in advance, so everyone can have a place to rest before the mission begins.”

Wang Di’s words were impeccable, fully demonstrating the demeanor of a gracious host.

Unfortunately, Su Ming and the others weren’t particularly concerned about that.

“Where is Captain Xu?”

Chi Qian glanced around as she asked the question.”We are currently finalizing the detailed plan and preparations for what comes next.” Wang Di’s expression grew more serious as he said, “Everyone can go rest for now. Once all teams have arrived, or when the agreed-upon time comes, we will begin the conquest.”

Chi Qian nodded to show her understanding.

Feng Qing’er, however, asked curiously, “How many teams haven’t arrived yet?”

“Quite a few,” Wang Di replied with a bitter smile. “Currently, only two B-rank teams and your 『Azure Mercury』 members have reached the camp. The others show no signs of arriving yet.”

“So few?” Mu Yan questioned in confusion. “Not even the 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』 and 『Iron Rose』 members have arrived?”

“Not yet,” Wang Di shook his head. “In fact, it would be normal for them not to have arrived yet.”

“Eh?” Tong Xinyao was immediately taken aback by Wang Di’s statement.

It was normal for 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』 and 『Iron Rose』 members not to have arrived?

Why would that be?

If he had said it was normal for those B-rank teams not to have arrived, Tong Xinyao could have understood.

After all, this was the deepest part of the Midnight Labyrinth. Reaching this place through nine floors required exceptional team strength, not to mention the requirement to arrive within seven days.

Yet both 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』 and 『Iron Rose』 were A-rank teams. Even if their strength didn’t match 『Summer Chasing Smoke』, they were definitely much stronger than those B-rank teams.

Logically speaking, such A-rank teams should have arrived here earlier than other teams.

Now, Wang Di was saying it was normal for them not to have arrived, which naturally made Tong Xinyao find it strange.

Of course, while Tong Xinyao didn’t understand, the others did.

Chi Qian proceeded to explain to Tong Xinyao.

“Large teams like 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』 and 『Iron Rose』, with their considerable strength and scale, are likely to operate in separate groups to maximize their gains.”

Operating in separate groups would allow them to expand their harvest.

By dispersing team members and having them individually plunder and collect resources, they could significantly improve resource acquisition efficiency.

Other teams might worry about the risks of splitting their combat strength.

But 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』 and 『Iron Rose』 were different. As A-rank teams, each had Upper-Rank Professionals no less capable than those from first-rate families. At least in the earlier floors, they didn’t need to worry about encountering danger when dispersing their combat strength.

They would gather all their forces when reaching floors of a certain depth, then proceed together.

This way, they could achieve the highest efficiency in harvesting.

Moreover…

“The larger and stronger the team, the bigger their appetite,” Mu Yan said calmly. “For major teams like them, every additional second spent gathering resources and every bit of extra gain must be pursued.”

In other words, precisely because 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』 and 『Iron Rose』 were A-rank teams, they wanted to take advantage of the time before the gathering to collect as many rare treasures as possible and increase their harvest.

Therefore, those major teams would definitely push the timing, arriving to gather only at the last moment.

That’s why Wang Di said it was normal for major teams like 『Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion』 and 『Iron Rose』 not to have arrived yet.On the contrary, those B-rank teams, whose strength and scale couldn’t compare to behemoths like the ‘Brocade Dragon Jade Pavilion’ and ‘Iron Rose’, would be in considerable danger if they remained on the ninth level. This made them eager to gather as quickly as possible.

That was why only two B-rank teams had arrived here, while the rest had yet to reach the location.

“I see.”

Tong Xinyao and Feng Qing’er finally understood.

“Everyone, please go and rest for now.”

Wang Di then ushered the group toward the resting tents.

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(End of Chapter)