[System prompt: Occupation period has reached 48 hours. Quest target no. 2 is still alive. Occupation quest complete. Ownership of C11 mine confirmed!
[System prompt: Confirmation of C11 mine ownership complete. Ownership period 365 x 24 = 8,760 hours. Ownership countdown begins! The ownership will end after the countdown ends. During the ownership period, no transfer or snatching of ownership is allowed. If the owner dies, the ownership of the mine will become vacant until the countdown ends.
[Countdown: 8,759 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds…
[8,759 hours 59 minutes 58 seconds…] Looking at the contents of the system prompt and the countdown timer ticking downward, Chen Xiaolian was unable to tell how he was feeling at the moment.
Success?
Maybe…
Chen Xiaolian stood there and watched Una who remained unconscious on the ground.
This woman, this quest target no. 2… just what is she here for?
It was at that moment that his mobile phone suddenly rang!
Chen Xiaolian was shocked.
The ringing sound from his mobile phone broke the silent atmosphere of the mine.
Chen Xiaolian picked up his mobile phone and looked at the incoming caller ID. Then, a shocked expression appeared on his face.
Qiao Yifeng!
Old Father Qiao!
Chen Xiaolian took a deep breath and accepted the call.
He spoke calmly, “Hello?”
“It seems you are still alive. That is a surprise.” Qiao Yifeng’s hoarse voice came from the other end.
Chen Xiaolian harrumphed and said, “This setup of yours is quite elaborate, Old Man Qiao.”
“I know you will surely have many questions for me. Let’s meet up for it.”
Meet up?
Chen Xiaolian thought about it and answered, “Sure thing, let’s set up a time and place for it.”
“Mm, no need to go through all that trouble. It’s easy for us to meet up, that is, if you are still in Kombia.”
Chen Xiaolian frowned.
“In two hours’ time, we’ll meet at the exit.”
After saying that, Qiao Yifeng hung up.
The exit?
Traces of a smile appeared on Chen Xiaolian’s mouth.
Things were getting more interesting!
…
At the pier by the underground river, Chen Xiaolian jumped onto the boat and pressed the button there. Next, the boat slowly and automatically moved along the tracks.
The water of the underground river was very clement and the boat’s movements were very stable. Chen Xiaolian who was seated on the boat looked at Una that he had brought along with him onto the boat.
The boat travelled through the depths of the mountains. The underground river was very wondrous.
The space afforded around him was quite narrow and he could touch the walls on both sides just by extending his hand out. Seeing this, Chen Xiaolian could not help but be reminded of the time when he had travelled on a boat through an underground river with Qiu Yun back in the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang instance dungeon.
No monster would jump out from this river, right?
The boat moved along the tracks. There was no need to control its speed or direction. Chen Xiaolian relaxed himself and closed his eyes to rest up. His mind began examining the situation.
There were many threads that needed to be unravelled.
After around one hour and a half, the amount of light before them gradually increased and the underground river passage gradually opened up.
Before them, the hole of the cave could be seen and light shone in from the outside.
Chen Xiaolian looked at the time. It was around three in the afternoon now and the day was still very bright.
As the boat was moving toward the opening, Chen Xiaolian suddenly noticed a green curtain of light coming down on the opening. Like a scanner, it swept through their boat, him and Una.
Green coloured scanner… this scene was quite familiar for him. This was something that would happen every time there was an instance dungeon.
Chen Xiaolian let out a harrumph.
Outside the underground river was the wilderness. It was the standard jungle and river of the African continent.
The river was neither too wide nor narrow.
When the boat finally reached the riverbank, Chen Xiaolian carried Una with him as he jumped down the boat. Then, he watched as the boat slowly moved back.
Chen Xiaolian knitted his eyebrows as he watched the boat move back.
Now that he had exited the mine, what should he do if he wished to re-enter it?
Could it be that he would have to use some diving apparatus to dive inside every time he wished to enter?
Chen Xiaolian thought of something and he tapped open his personal system. Soon, he was able to verify his speculation.
In his personal system, a new tab to choose from had appeared. [C11 mine] Open.
A prompt appeared. [Open entrance to mining site. Close? Start?] Chen Xiaolian chose Close.
It did not take long for the boat that was moving back into the cave to disappear with a flash of light. Even the tracks laid into the river had disappeared.
Chen Xiaolian then turned to look at the opening to the cave that he had come out from only to see the walls of a mountain. The opening had disappeared as well.
Chen Xiaolian smiled. This function is pretty good. It could conceal the mine!
He carried Una with him and moved to the riverbank. Looking around, he tried to find his bearings. Then, he suddenly noticed an unmanned aerial vehicle moving toward him.
The technological level of this object was clearly not low. The noise produced was minimal to the point where almost no sounds could be heard from it. The unmanned aerial vehicle flew until it was somewhere not too far above Chen Xiaolian’s head. Then, it circled around for a bit before slowly moving in a certain direction.
Chen Xiaolian understood. It was guiding him.
He sighed to himself and quickened his pace to keep up with it.
Around 20 minutes later, after having made his way through a stretch of grasslands, he reached an open area.
To Chen Xiaolian’s surprise, there on the open space before him was an aircraft!
It was a science fictional looking aircraft. It seemed somewhat similar to a helicopter; however, it had three rotors on it.
The door of the aircraft was open and an old man could be seen seated inside with a thick cigar in his hand. The old man had a pair of sunglasses on his face and the light from the sun flashed off the surface of the sunglasses.
Chen Xiaolian furrowed his brows as he looked at the old man. The old man was clearly sizing him up.
“Old man, you seem to be in high spirits,” said Chen Xiaolian as he walked over.
Without taking off his sunglasses, Qiao Yifeng gestured with his thumb and said, “Come on in.”
Chen Xiaolian lowered his head to look at Una who was still in his hands.
Qiao Yifeng said coldly, “Toss her on the ground. My men will take care of it.”
Chen Xiaolian showed no hesitation as he placed Una down the grassy land.
He then walked into the aircraft. The cabin of the aircraft was very large and the two of them sat down face-to-face. Qiao Yifeng clapped his hands and the cabin door instantly closed up.
Chen Xiaolian was unable to detect the sound of the engine or even the sound of the rotors. But he soon felt the aircraft lifting off smoothly.
Chen Xiaolian looked out the window and saw that a jeep had made its way to the where they were earlier. Two fellows jumped down from the jeep and brought Una into the jeep with them…
“My men have taken the responsibility for the woman.” Qiao Yifeng took a drag from the cigar and slowly said, “The next time you see her, she might already be Kombia’s new female President. Only God knows.”
Chen Xiaolian looked at him.
“What do you wish to say?” Qiao Yifeng grinned. “I know you must surely have a lot of questions. You may ask about them now.”
However, Chen Xiaolian replied with an indifferent looking smile. “Your plane allows smoking?”
“Eh?”
Chen Xiaolian ignored Father Qiao, pulled out a cigarette of his own, and lit it up.
Father Qiao’s eyes that were hidden behind the sunglasses carefully sized up Chen Xiaolian and he said, “I didn’t think you are someone who could handle this much.”
“In this game, those people who can’t handle it are all dead,” replied Chen Xiaolian as he shook his head.
“Let’s talk, a serious talk.” Qiao Yifeng nodded.
Chen Xiaolian said, “Here?” He pointed at the cockpit of the aircraft.
Qiao Yifeng laughed. He then moved to open up the walls separating them and the cockpit.
To Chen Xiaolian’s surprise, the cockpit was empty!
“This thing is an unmanned vehicle. Just by entering the destination’s coordinate, it will automatically fly toward its destination. It is a high-level AI. It’s price in the Exchange System is not cheap. But of course, this one is self-manufactured.
Chen Xiaolian nodded his head and said, “Made in Zero City?”
Father Qiao did not say anything, admitting it through silence.
Chen Xiaolian thought about it before smiling. “I’m tired. If we’re going to talk, let’s wait until I’m well rested. When my mind is in tiptop shape, we’ll start our discussion. It would seem… this is a big business, am I wrong?”
There was a startled look on Qiao Yifeng’s face but he nodded. “Correct, this is indeed a big business.”
Chen Xiaolian then leaned down on the passenger seat. After snuffing the cigarette, he closed his eyes and began resting, ignoring the old man.
He slept soundly. After an unknown period of time, he woke up to a tremor.
The aircraft had landed.
Father Qiao pulled open the cabin door and was the first to walk down. Chen Xiaolian too, got up and walked down.
They were at an airplane runway.
The sky had turned dark. Before them was a brightly lit, yellow coloured building. There was quite an exotic atmosphere to the building.
After walking out of the aircraft, Chen Xiaolian turned around and could not help but feel shocked.
The unmanned aircraft that had a science fictional appearance now appeared to be an ordinary commercial helicopter. Although it was still very big and luxurious, it was just a common product.
Additionally, two pilots could be seen seated in the cockpit.
As Chen Xiaolian was feeling surprised, he heard Qiao Yifeng chuckling softly beside him. “Are you surprised? That is a holographic projection, the pilots too. If ordinary people were to see such a strange looking aircraft flying around, they would probably be terrified.”
Chen Xiaolian looked around and saw that the man in black, the bodyguard who were always with Qiao Yifeng was there on the runway. Beside the man was a group of men in uniform; there were looks of respect on their faces.
“What is this place?”
“Egypt.”
The aircraft behind them had already lifted off and was flying away. Chen Xiaolian then followed Qiao Yifeng and they left the airplane runway. The man in black stepped forward and whispered something into Qiao Yifeng’s ears. Father Qiao nodded his head and turned around to look at Chen Xiaolian. “All right, kid. Follow me. You’ll be able to enjoy yourself a bit here.”
The yellow coloured building before them was two storeys high.
The group of people in uniforms were clearly all attendants. When Chen Xiaolian walked forward together with Qiao Yifeng, they quickly gathered around them, following them on both sides. The glass doors of the building were pushed open and a warm atmosphere greeted them.
There was also an intoxicating fragrance.
Soft wool carpet was laid on the floor.
Two female attendants stepped forward and they gently helped Chen Xiaolan take off his jacket. Another two female attendants came forward and knelt as they helped untie his shoelaces.
Chen Xiaolian was taken aback. However, seeing that Qiao Yifeng was also enjoying the treatment, he chose to shut his mouth.
After his jacket and leather boots had been taken off, Chen Xiaolian followed Qiao Yifeng and walked barefooted into the building.
It was a long corridor. Although the air was filled with fragrance, it was not dislikeable. It was a very gentle fragrance.
There were pebbles and flowing water in their surroundings. They walked through the thick but soft wool carpet and Chen Xiaolian felt as though he was walking through the clouds.
After having taken off his coat, Qiao Yifeng now wore only a white robe that seemed as though it was made of silk.
Chen Xiaolian followed him to the end of the corridor. There, two attendants were in bowing postures as they pulled open the doors from both ends, revealing a large room.
In the middle of the room was a square-shaped column that had a mythical appearance. Around it was a square-shaped pool and hot vapour rose up from the surface of the pool’s waters.
Qiao Yifeng walked over. He then went to a lounger that had a surface full of soft white fur and laid himself down on it.
Two veiled female attendants came over. They knelt down beside him. One of them brought a golden goblet filled with red-coloured wine while the other brought fresh fruits on a silver tray.
Qiao Yifeng exhaled in a pleasant manner and he glanced at Chen Xiaolian. “What are you waiting for? Wash up. You haven’t had a bath for a long time, right? Staying in that Godforsaken place…”
Chen Xiaolian was surprised and he noticed that Qiao Yifeng was pointing at the pool. Next, Qiao Yifeng clapped his hands.
The doors of the room were instantly closed.
From the corners of the door, four female attendants with curvaceous bodies stepped forward.
They all had clear satin like skin and wore only a thin veil over their bodies. If he were to carefully observe, he would likely be able to see through some of the parts of the veil. Every one of them had such slender waists. When they slinked over, the way they twisted their bodies was something that could tempt his heart!
Chen Xiaolian blushed!
These female attendants were all very young. They walked over barefooted and surrounded Chen Xiaolian. Then, they bowed in salute. Next, two of the female attendants moved to help him take off his clothes while the other two knelt down to help him untie his belt.
Seeing that, Chen Xiaolian became dumbfounded. Next, he grabbed onto his belt with one hand and retreated as he shouted, “Old fart! What do you think you’re doing? Don’t forget! I am your daughter’s boyfriend! How could you use this kind of underhanded formation against me?”
Qiao Yifeng merely narrowed his eyes before saying indifferently, “These attendants are simply helping you wash up – naturally, if you want to do something else, that is up to you. You’ve contributed a lot this time. It is only natural for you to get some enjoyment and rewards.”
Chen Xiaolian frowned and pushed the two female attendants who were closest to him and exhaled before saying, “All of you, get out. I don’t like this type of thing.”
The female attendants turned to look at Qiao Yifeng who laughed and waved his hand. The female attendants then moved toward Qiao Yifeng’s side. They knelt down beside him and began serving him. Some massaged his shoulders, some massaged his legs, some waited on him with the goblet of wine, pouring the drink down his mouth for him.
Looking at Qiao Yifeng, Chen Xiaolian frowned. Then, he suddenly saw what appeared to be an expression of ridicule on Qiao Yifeng’s face. Chen Xiaolian harrumphed, took off his own clothes and strode into the pool.
The water in the pool had been heated and the temperature was just right.
The water felt soft, as though it had been added with milk.
Chen Xiaolian sat inside and felt his body entering a tranquil state.
“Kid, you really don’t want them to wait on you? Only the Pharaoh could get to enjoy such a treatment. Are you sure you don’t want it?”
Chen Xiaolian splashed his own face with water and replied coldly, “Thanks but no thanks. Don’t worry, I will definitely tell everything that happened today to your daughter.”
Qiao Yifeng’s face stiffened and he harrumphed. Then, he gestured with his hand to have all the female attendants leave the room.
When the two of them were the only ones left in the room, Qiao Yifeng stood up. He carried two goblets of wine with him as he walked to the side of the pool. He sat down beside the pool and handed one of the goblets of wine to Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian accepted it. After looking at it, he took a big gulp of it.
“Not bad.”
“Just not bad?” Qiao Yifeng smiled. “This is a Romanee-Conti.”
Chen Xiaolian’s hand that was holding the goblet nearly flinched.
Romanee-Conti! The pinnacle of red wine!
Although Chen Xiaolian never had it before, he knew that even a common bottle of this wine would cost upward of hundreds of thousands.
The better ones would be astonishingly expensive to be point of being priceless!
Wine of this level was something people collect. It would not be casually opened up to drink.
“Old man, you’re investing quite a lot in this,” said Chen Xiaolian as he narrowed his eyes and smiled. He looked at Qiao Yifeng and the surrounding room.
This pool, this building, all of its furnishings were unusual and exuded an ancient and luxurious atmosphere. That soft honey formation earlier was a testament to how amazing this place was.
“What is this place?”
“A place of extravagance dedicated for enjoyment.” Qiao Yifeng shook his head and continued, “This is Egypt. This place was once the ruins of a Pharaoh’s palace but has now been transformed into a high-class private club hotel. All forms of enjoyment here were all designed in accordance to the standard of the Pharaohs.”
After saying that, the old man looked at Chen Xiaolian and said, “Those few women earlier, were you really not tempted? Let me tell you, when you remove the veils on them, any of them would have the looks to participate in the Miss World competition. Their body shapes are also the best. Additionally… all of them are virgins.”
“I’ll say this one more time, I am your daughter’s boyfriend.” Chen Xiaolian knitted his eyebrows and looked at Qiao Yifeng. “Have you gone mad? You’re trying to act as a pimp for your daughter’s boyfriend?”
Qiao Yifeng exhaled and there was a stiffness in his face. “Qiao Qiao… you won’t let her go?”
“It’s not about me letting go. The two of us will not let go of each other.”
Chen Xiaolian emphasized each word he said.
Qiao Yifeng was silent for a moment before forcing himself to gulp down the rest of the wine in his goblet. Then, he vehemently tossed the golden goblet away and said, “All right! Let’s talk business!”
Chen Xiaolian smiled and he sank his body back into the water. As he comfortably stretched his back, he said, “Talk then.”
“It would appear that you have acquired the mine,” said Qiao Yifeng coolly. “I have no choice but to say this, you are really lucky. I could never have imagined that you could reach this far. Now though, I must tell you, that mine…”
Chen Xiaolian did not wait for him to finish. Instead, he opened his mouth and spoke in a contemptuous tone, “That mine is not something that a kid like you could possess. If you don’t want to provoke a disaster, you better hand it out – right? Are you thinking of telling me that?”
“… … …” Qiao Yifeng regarded Chen Xiaolian.
“Can’t you come up with something fresh?” Chen Xiaolian pursed his lips to the side and continued, “Someone had already told me that before. Besides… Old Man Qiao, don’t you think there’s some other issues that we should be discussing about first? For example… you owe me an explanation! An explanation! Do you understand? You tricked me and sent me to Africa to do something weird to pull me into such a dangerous quest… I managed to survive and can now dip myself in a hot bath, enjoy wine that costs a fortune because I was lucky! If I wasn’t, I would probably had died, killed! I believe the first thing we need to do is to get to the bottom of this matter!”
Chen Xiaolian cast a sharp pair of eyes at Qiao Yifeng!
His gaze was as sharp as knives!
…