F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

Chapter 249 Entering the barrier, how did he get in without any bargaining chips?

The iron gate was wide open, and a stench of wind rushed in.

Chen Yifan plunged into the square with his knife in hand, only to be met by a centaur-like creature with four arms.

The blade sliced ​​diagonally up the monster's jaw, severing its carotid artery, and blood spurted out two meters away.

Chen Yifan sidestepped aside to avoid the bloody splatter, and kicked the centaur's knee with his right foot, the sound of a bone breaking crisply.

The monster knelt on the ground, and its kind pounced on it from behind, trampling it into a bloody pulp.

"Fatty! To the right!"

Chen Yifan shouted.

Wang Fugui charged into the monster horde with his tower shield propelled by the thick shield, creating a narrow passage.

Several hounds without skin bit at the edge of the shield, their teeth breaking.

Old K's knuckle duster moves with incredible speed and power, delivering powerful punches that are designed to strike agile mutants who attempt to bypass the shields.

The five men advanced forward in a tight diamond formation.

Mu Wanqing walked in the middle, holding two guns. Her chips had been distributed, and the hatred attracted by the faint red light had been greatly reduced.

She pulled the trigger, and the pale blue psionic bullets aimed precisely at the heads of those who slipped through the net.

Lin Xiaoyu was also in the middle of the group, using nearby plants to guide them.

Zhao Hu, clutching the wound under his ribs, gritted his teeth and followed.

The lingering power of the two-headed crocodile was taking its toll, but he didn't want to die there.

"Move quickly, don't get entangled."

Chen Yifan took an unconventional approach, not directly attacking the incredibly defensive armored beasts, but instead using skillful force to sever their leg tendons, and then dodging by maneuvering.

In the distance, Patton of the North American chapter swung his battle axe and cleaved two mountain-like aliens in two.

His manpower has been reduced by half again, leaving only four or five people struggling to keep going.

The sharp-eyed Barton spotted a faint red light mixed in with the monsters. He wiped the blood from his face and recognized Mu Wanqing and the others.

"Bitch! You dare to show your face!"

Patton's eyes were bloodshot.

He was surrounded by a large number of strange beasts, making it impossible for him to escape easily.

Chen Yifan had his eye on that area for a long time.

He pulled out several pieces of rotting flesh from his pocket, which reeked of blood—a "specialty" cut from the sewer crocodile.

He judged the wind direction, swung his arm in a wide arc, and threw the rotting flesh far above Patton's camp.

The rotting flesh fell to the ground, emitting a pungent odor.

The crawling monsters that had been wandering aimlessly all turned their heads at once.

The mutants, with their keen sense of smell, regarded Barton as their number one meal.

Hundreds and thousands of monsters changed their attack direction and surged towards the survivors of the North American branch like a tidal wave.

"Holy crap, that's really despicable."

Wang Fugui cursed, panting heavily.

"This is called making rational use of resources; all's fair in war."

Chen Yifan didn't even glance at the carnage on Barton's side. Taking advantage of the large number of monsters being lured away, the team's advance speed suddenly increased.

This place is a gladiatorial arena with absolutely no cover.

The wreckage and uneven ruins slowed down our progress. A red barrier stood before us.

There is a vacuum zone around the pillar of light; as long as you step into that area, you can escape the monsters' encirclement.

"Fifty meters to go!"

Old K roared.

His arm was slashed open by sharp claws, leaving a bloody gash that reached the bone, but he gritted his teeth and kept throwing punches.

Several mutated bird-men with bat wings swooped down from the sky, their sharp beaks pointing directly at Mu Wanqing, who was walking in the center.

Chen Yifan stopped hiding and threw two short daggers with his backhand.

The dagger traced two different parabolas in the air, piercing the eyes of the two birdmen.

The other two have already reached Mu Wanqing's head.

Mu Wanqing remained calm and collected, crossing her two guns and firing two crisp shots.

Two psionic bullets with explosive effects precisely pierced the birdman's open mouth, blasting his head into pieces.

"Good marksmanship."

Chen Yifan praised him without turning his head.

"Keep an eye on what's in front."

Although Mu Wanqing was surprised by Chen Yifan's ability, which was similar to that of a mind controller, it was not the right time to think about it.

Only thirty meters away from the red barrier.

This was the hardest part of the journey.

High-level monsters have begun to appear.

Blocking the way was a gigantic Frankenstein's monster, with the heads of three different races pieced together on its bloated body, dragging a spiked club in its hand.

"Level 70 Lord-level mutant".

Zhao Hu's voice trembled.

This thing is thick-skinned and tough; you have no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.

The Stitches raised its spiked club and slammed it down on Wang Fugui's tower shield.

"Get out of the way!"

Chen Yifan kicked Wang Fugui in the waist, sending him flying to the side.

The spiked club slammed into the ground.

The asphalt road was smashed into a deep crater, and gravel flew everywhere.

The spot where Wang Fugui had been standing had become a pile of ruins.

If that blow had landed on the shield, the other person would have been smashed into a pulp.

"What the hell did this thing eat to grow up like this?!"

Wang Fugui got up from the ground and spat out a mouthful of ash.

"Boss, name your price."

Chen Yifan gripped his long sword tightly, looking towards Mu Wanqing.

"Three million, plus a piece of armor from my private treasury."

Mu Wanqing offered her price very quickly and without hesitation.

"make a deal."

Chen Yifan exerted force with his feet, and his whole body rushed towards the stitched monster like an arrow released from a bow.

The three heads of the Frankenstein monster control the three elemental breaths of ice, fire, and poison, respectively.

The leftmost head opened its mouth, and a glob of eerie green venom sprayed out.

Chen Yifan rolled on the spot to avoid the area covered by the venom.

The venom landed on the steel bars on the ground, corroding them until only a pool of molten iron remained.

"Cover fire!"

Chen Yifan shouted.

Mu Wanqing unleashed a barrage of fire, firing continuous bursts from his short gun.

The bullets struck the Frankenstein's thick layer of fat, leaving only shallow craters.

Old K, wearing brass knuckles, slashed in from the side and landed an uppercut on the monster's knee.

The monster's massive body swayed, and it looked down at Old K.

The middle head, covered in fangs, aimed at Old K and spat out flames.

Old K reacted quickly, sliding to avoid the flames.

Taking advantage of the gap created by his companions' distraction, Chen Yifan leaped into the air using the wreckage of a nearby abandoned car.

His target was clear: not the three heads capable of elemental attacks, but a slightly lighter-colored lump of flesh below the monster's neck.

This is the vulnerability information that was just discovered using eavesdropping.

"This thing has high defense and high HP, but its entire nervous system is concentrated in that fleshy lump."

Chen Yifan had finished his mental calculations.

He adjusted his posture in mid-air and thrust his long sword down at the tumor.

The Stitches sensed danger and abruptly turned its right-side head, which was emitting icy breath.

Frosty breath formed an ice wall in mid-air.

The tip of the knife pierced the ice wall.

Chen Yifan's wrist went numb, making it impossible for him to advance the long sword.

"The ice is too thick."

Lin Xiaoyu raised her staff high behind her, and a compressed spell of light purification fell towards the ice wall.

The collision of light and ice produced a violent explosion, and countless cracks appeared on the surface of the ice.

The opportunity is here.

Chen Yifan showed no mercy, concentrating all his strength into one point.

The long knife pierced through the shattered ice and plunged deep into the lighter-colored tumor.

He pulled it down and cut a large opening in the tumor.

Dark green fluid gushed out, emitting a nauseating, fishy odor.

The Stitched Monster let out a piercing scream, its three heads shaking wildly. It dropped its spiked club and flailed its enormous hands around its body.

Chen Yifan drew his sword and retreated a second before it went berserk, landing steadily three meters away.

Having lost control of its central nervous system, the monster's massive body began to become uncontrollable.

Unable to support the mountain-like weight, it collapsed, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Don't just stand there, run!"

Chen Yifan didn't even wipe his knife clean; in a few flashes, he had already appeared twenty meters away.

The five-person team passed the fallen Stitches and stepped into the vacuum zone surrounding the pillar of light.

Once inside the barrier, the noise from outside is shut out.

The pursuing monster was blocked by an invisible barrier, and could only bar its teeth and scratch at the unseen wall.

"We're safe now."

Zhao Hu plopped down on the ground, panting heavily.

His face was pale, and he was completely exhausted.

Wang Fugui put down the tower shield and dry heaved, supporting himself on his knees with both hands.

This battle was extremely physically demanding, even for shield warriors.

Chen Yifan walked towards the center of the barrier.

Below the pillar of light, there was a black stone platform.

A fist-sized crystal ball floats above the stone platform, with dark golden energy flowing inside.

"This is the damn core?"

Wang Fugui walked over and examined the crystal.

Mu Wanqing walked to the stone platform and placed the chips she had distributed on it.

The dull chips touched the stone platform, and their surface shone.

"Put all your chips up."

Mu Wanqing gestured.

Old K, Wang Fugui, and Zhao Hu followed suit in turn.

Only Chen Yifan remained standing still.

He fiddled with the chips he had been allocated, his gaze fixed on the crystal ball.

"Boss, you need to give me a clear explanation of what will happen after the chips are placed. I don't want to get dragged into some dangerous situation for no reason."

Mu Wanqing stared at him, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Open the passage to the next level. The true venue for the Ash Auction is not in this ruined city. This is merely a place to sift through the trash."

"Well-reasoned and convincing."

Chen Yifan threw the chips in his hand onto the stone platform.

The five chips came together and generated a powerful resonance.

The patterns on the surface of the stone platform lit up one by one.

The color of the beam of light changed from dark red to pure white.

Just as the teleportation array was about to activate, a sudden change occurred.

A tremendous impact sound came from the outer layer of the barrier.

A massive battle axe cleaved through the seemingly impenetrable barrier.

Patton, covered in blood, stormed in, wielding a battle axe.

There were no living people following him.

All of his men were torn to pieces by the monster.

"Mu Wanqing!"

Patton's eyes bulged out, like a demon crawling out of hell.

His left arm was severed at the root, and the wound was sealed with a layer of yellowish-brown rock to stop the bleeding.

This old guy has an excessively strong will to live.

"How can he get in if he has no leverage?"

Zhao Hu was greatly surprised.

"Who said he has no bargaining chips?"

Chen Yifan narrowed his eyes.

He noticed that Patton was clutching a handful of blood-stained coins tightly in his right hand.

This guy fought his way through the monsters, picking up all the chips from the dead to reach the minimum requirement to break through the barrier.

"I'll make you all pay with your lives!"

Patton roared as he charged toward the stone platform, his battle axe bringing with it a gust of earthy yellow wind as it cleaved down.

The teleportation array takes time to activate, and the white light on the stone platform is still charging.

Old K stepped forward and crossed his arms to take the blow head-on.

The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible. Old K was sent flying and crashed heavily onto the edge of the stone platform, spitting out blood.

Patton strode forward, raising his tomahawk once more.

His goal was to interrupt the teleportation.

Mu Wanqing drew his gun, ready to shoot.

Ignoring everything else, Patton relied solely on his rock armor to withstand the bullets, and was only three steps away from the stone platform.

At this juncture.

Chen Yifan moved.

He originally intended to use his innate ability, [Stealing All Things].

But suddenly, he remembered the problem he had noticed since entering this place.

Give up decisively.

He then used [Spatial Blink] to appear next to Barton.

Target: The hand that Barton holds the empty chips.

Without saying a word.

puff!

Knife up and down.

Patton felt a blur before his eyes and a sudden lightness in his hand.

Chen Yifan disappeared.

The bargaining chips he used to break through the barrier, stained with the blood of his companions, were scattered all over the ground.

Even his right hand... was cleaved at the wrist and fell to the ground.

"Ah..."

Intense pain instantly shot through Barton's nerve endings.

however……

Before he could react in any other way.

Without any protection, the barrier's repulsive force descends.

An invisible hand of rules grabbed Barton by the neck and forcibly dragged him outside the barrier.

"No!"

Patton struggled frantically in mid-air, wildly swinging his battle axe in his left hand, but couldn't cut anything.

At the same time, Chen Yifan kicked away the hand that had been chopped off.

Barton fell into the strange horde outside.

The hungry mutants swarmed forward, overwhelming this formidable general from the North American branch.

The screams were brief and piercing, and after a moment only the sound of bones being chewed remained.

"Catch you off guard."

Chen Yifan patted the dust off his hands.

The teleportation array is fully charged.

A dazzling white light engulfed the five people surrounding the stone platform.

A strong feeling of weightlessness came over me.

The surrounding scenery began to distort and change.

Chen Yifan closed his eyes; he understood that this was just the beginning of the game.