The battle ended, and Tang Zhen, who had been watching from the sidelines, was dumbfounded.
This kind of large-scale life-and-death struggle indeed had a strong sensory stimulation, making one's blood boil unconsciously.
While Tang Zhen was in a daze, Qian Long slowly walked over.
"Pfft, goblins are idiots. As soon as they see a wanderer, they'll charge forward desperately, regardless of how many people there are. If they win, they eat human corpses; if they lose, they flee in disarray, and then do the same thing next time. They never learn!"
Qian Long cursed loudly, walked to a goblin corpse, and pulled out the iron rod he had thrown. He had killed one of these corpses, so he had the right to claim the spoils of war from it.
Tang Zhen watched as he pulled out a tattered kitchen knife, deftly flipped over the dirty goblin corpse, and, with the tip of the knife, pried at the goblin's brow, causing a blood-stained white crystal to roll out.
Seeing Tang Zhen looking at him with a puzzled expression, Qian Long narrowed his eyes, tossed the white bead in his hand, and explained, "This is a level one monster brain bead, which can be exchanged for about ten catties of grain... Hey, how did you survive in the wilderness? Don't tell me you don't even know this?"
"Hmph, of course I know!"
Tang Zhen waved his hand, feigning indifference, but his mind was deep in thought.
It turned out that the moment he saw the brain bead, an inexplicable craving arose in his heart, as if obtaining this brain bead would grant him the so-called gold coins!
However, how to get this level one brain bead from Qian Long was a problem for Tang Zhen, as for wanderers, this brain bead meant grain, an equivalent to currency.
But at this moment, Tang Zhen was penniless and truly couldn't produce items of equal value.
Seemingly noticing the longing in Tang Zhen's eyes, Qian Long smiled, and the next moment, with a casual flick, he unexpectedly tossed the brain bead to him.
"Here, perhaps you need it more than I do!"
As soon as the brain bead was in his hand, the craving in his heart grew even stronger, but Tang Zhen felt that the item was a bit hot to handle.
He took a deep look at Qian Long, a faint touch of emotion rising in his heart. This young wanderer could give a stranger several days' worth of precious dry rations and casually give away a brain bead worth ten catties of grain. Regardless of the other party's intentions, Tang Zhen had to repay this favor.
Moreover, he had previously cleaned and bandaged his wound, which was tantamount to saving his life.
"Consider it a loan from you. Thanks!"
Tang Zhen gripped the brain bead in his hand, speaking with a solemn tone.
"Boring!"
Qian Long pouted, wiped his weapon clean with some weeds, then took a spoon-like object from the goblin's neck and tossed it into his pocket, before clapping his hands and continuing to follow the wanderers forward.
"Why are you so good to me?"
Tang Zhen caught up, hesitated, and asked Qian Long.
"Oh, I see that your words and actions are different from other wanderers. You're likely a big shot who's suddenly fallen on hard times and needs a lot of help, so I just wanted to make a good connection and wait for you to repay me later!"
Qian Long said casually, with a playful expression.
"Your expression isn't right. Are you sure you're telling the truth?"
Tang Zhen looked at the cynical Qian Long and asked with a frown.
"Really, stories told by old folks often feature such plots, so I'm just imitating them. It's a pity you're not a fallen city lord's daughter, otherwise..."
Qian Long said this, even showing a regretful expression, eagerly looking at Tang Zhen, as if wanting to confirm if he was a woman disguised as a man.
Tang Zhen felt a chill, and the tension he had felt upon arriving in this strange world was greatly alleviated by the banter.
Seeing this, Qian Long laughed heartily, patted Tang Zhen's shoulder, and said, "In this wilderness, you either go it alone, or you try to give people small favors, that way you'll live longer, because you'll have far more friends than enemies."
Qian Long's eyes dimmed as he continued, "This was advice given to me by an old wanderer, and I've always remembered his words. If I can lend a hand, I do. As a result, I've lived to this day, and many wanderers I've helped remember my kindness. Whenever something good happens, they bring me along, like this time."
After saying these words, Qian Long walked ahead alone, seemingly not wanting to talk to Tang Zhen anymore.
Tang Zhen slowly walked behind, he had already confirmed that this brain bead was indeed useful. Because at this moment, he felt a suction coming from the phone in his pocket, its target precisely the brain bead he held in his hand.
Tang Zhen lingered at the back of the group, quietly taking out his phone and bringing it closer to the brain bead.
Under Tang Zhen's unblinking gaze, the brain bead vanished in the blink of an eye, and then his phone screen changed. First, the number 1/5 appeared below the teleportation icon, and a text prompt appeared, stating that if he absorbed four more brain beads, he could activate the teleportation function.
Teleportation? Could he return to his original world?
Tang Zhen's heart stirred slightly.
He still needed four more brain beads, so he didn't dwell on that question, but instead turned to his personal information. Upon closer inspection, he found that his account indeed had ten more gold coins!
One level one brain bead equals ten gold coins, that must be the exchange rate!
Other than that, there were no other changes to the phone.
He stared at his phone for a short while, but the group had gone far ahead. It wasn't until the wanderers had walked nearly a hundred meters and Qian Long called out to him that Tang Zhen snapped out of it and quickly caught up.
However, at this moment, his mood was a mix of excitement and eagerness, yet he didn't want others to notice his abnormality, which caused his face to constantly show strange expressions. Tang Zhen also realized this, so he kept his head down while walking.
At this moment, he had a faint premonition in his heart: this strange world would surely bring him great benefits and change his life from now on.
This was an opportunity, one that many sought but could not find, yet now it was before him!
If he cherished it, his future life would be limitless!
————————————————————
The group of wanderers slowly advanced. Although their numbers were not small, they appeared incredibly tiny in the wilderness.
Tang Zhen and Qian Long walked and chatted, though most of the time it was Qian Long talking animatedly, while Tang Zhen played the role of listener.
From their conversation, Tang Zhen learned that Qian Long was originally a resident of a small tower city, but when he was ten years old, his city was captured by warriors from another medium-sized tower city. The cornerstone of the city was plundered, and most of the residents, including Qian Long's parents, were killed. He managed to escape and had been wandering in the wilderness ever since.
Like all wanderers, Qian Long, though indifferent to life and death, had the greatest wish to join a powerful tower city, marry and have children, and receive protection when he grew old.
For wanderers, a tower city was home, and the meaning of home was profound, something those who had it could not truly understand.
Tang Zhen's gaze swept across the faces of these wanderers, noticing that their haggard eyes were full of hardship. Indeed, like duckweeds, they aimlessly drifted in this wilderness, searching for the direction of home, yet not knowing when they would fall and become fertilizer to nourish the growth of weeds.
After trekking for five or six hours, a dilapidated building finally appeared in Tang Zhen's sight, standing amidst the weeds. It had eleven floors in total, with a mottled exterior and broken window panes, looking like an abandoned Chinese residential building.
In this bizarre world, the appearance of such a familiar building made Tang Zhen feel very awkward.
He couldn't help but wonder what connection this world had with Earth? But at the moment, he was completely bewildered, not even knowing how he had come to this world. So he suppressed all sorts of conjectures in his heart.
Qian Long said that the place before them was a barren land just a few days ago, but now a huge building had suddenly appeared. This world was indeed strange and magical.
This was a wild building, a gold rush paradise for wanderers, a place where danger and opportunity coexisted.
Around the wild building, in the tall grass, dozens of monstrous figures roamed. There were goblins that Tang Zhen had seen before, several humanoid monsters resembling wild dogs, and many zombie-like skeletons.
According to the wanderers' experience, these were mostly level one monsters, with the highest not exceeding level two, meaning it was a wild building with a low level of danger, and they could definitely take it down.
Excluding Tang Zhen, the weakest wanderer in this team possessed combat strength approaching level one!
The so-called levels were a method of classifying combat power in the wilderness, applicable to both humans and monsters. Level one combat power was equivalent to the fully unleashed peak strength and speed of a normal adult. Level two was equivalent to the peak combat power of two adults. Level three represented the strength of three adults, and level five signified the terrifying peak strength unleashed by five adults.
For ordinary people and ordinary monsters, level five was considered the limit. To advance further, they had to find another path.
The combat power indices of these monsters in front of them had long been tested by countless wanderers, so there would definitely be no mistakes.
At this moment, all the wanderers gripped their crude weapons. They knew that if they wanted to enter the wild building, these dozens of monsters had to be completely cleared. Driven by profit, not a single person retreated at this moment, otherwise they would lose the qualification to explore.
The wanderers' emotions also infected Tang Zhen. He didn't want to lose this opportunity, as it was crucial for his plan to explore this world. Holding the kitchen knife Qian Long had just handed him in one hand and the human bone dagger in the other, a fierce resolve also rose in Tang Zhen's heart.
Without a cry, the wanderers simply gathered all their strength and charged forward in silence, forming small groups to surround and attack the monsters.
It was at this moment that Tang Zhen was shocked to discover the terrifying strength contained within the wanderers' gaunt bodies. He personally witnessed a scrawny man kick a stone while running, and the impact of that stone actually sent a monster stumbling back several steps.
Tang Zhen also began to fight, his target a lone goblin.
Using his height advantage, Tang Zhen ran and charged, then kicked the stupid, fat green-skinned goblin to the ground.
This goblin was also very fierce. After being kicked down by Tang Zhen, it actually rolled over and stood up, while swinging the short spear-like weapon in its hand, stabbing fiercely at Tang Zhen's lower abdomen.
While fighting, the goblin also let out strange "wah-wah" cries. This scene made Tang Zhen suddenly feel a comical sensation; in his eyes, this green-skinned goblin was just a giant frog that had gained sentience.
Although the monster was ridiculous, if it injured him, it could truly be fatal.
Tang Zhen dared not be careless and immediately dodged quickly. At the same time, one hand quickly reached out and pressed down on the goblin's head. Unexpectedly, this goblin was incredibly strong and suddenly straightened up, almost knocking Tang Zhen down. Tang Zhen dared not hesitate any longer, and his other hand quickly reached forward, then fiercely sliced open the creature's neck.
Foul-smelling blood sprayed, landing on Tang Zhen's face, making him look hideous.
Ignoring the goblin struggling on the ground, Tang Zhen turned and pounced on the nearest dog-headed monster.
This dog-headed monster was about 1.6 meters tall, and at first glance, it really looked like a large dog standing upright. The dog-headed monster was hunched over, its two sharp claws constantly flailing, attempting to attack every wanderer who approached it.
Moreover, this dog-headed monster's muscles were extremely developed, like a strong bull, making it look incredibly fierce. Its large mouth, filled with interlocking fangs, was emitting a low growl, and foul-smelling drool continuously dripped from its lips.
Seeing Tang Zhen approach, it immediately bared its fangs, let out a roar, and quickly charged towards Tang Zhen.
Looking at the fierce and hideous dog-headed monster, Tang Zhen was slightly startled. However, he also knew that he absolutely could not retreat at this moment; once he retreated, he would surely die. Gritting his teeth, he pounced forward. Tang Zhen first continuously swung his weapon to prevent the dog-headed monster from getting close, then repeatedly made feints, trying to confuse it.
His actions actually had an effect; the dog-headed monster was somewhat disoriented by him. Tang Zhen seized this opportunity to quickly get behind the dog-headed monster and directly swung his weapon, stabbing it in the back of its heart.
This dog-headed monster was also incredibly ferocious; after suffering such an attack, it didn't fall down. Instead, it tore open the chest of a nearby wanderer with one claw, then turned and leaped, pouncing on Tang Zhen and pinning him to the ground.
A foul breath assailed him, and saliva streamed down his face. The long, fanged mouth headed straight for Tang Zhen's neck. But Tang Zhen desperately used one hand to firmly hold down the dog-headed monster's neck, while gripping the kitchen knife in his other hand and wildly stabbing at the monster's belly.
He didn't know how many times he stabbed; his clothes were already soaked with hot blood, and foul-smelling intestines piled on him. Only then did the dog-headed monster collapse softly, staring at Tang Zhen with wide, unseeing eyes.
His stiff arm dropped, Tang Zhen could no longer muster an ounce of strength.
