West Coast, City of Progress
As the trade center of the entire West Coast, the City of Progress bore the responsibility of linking the East and West continents.
Economic prosperity fueled the development of the entire city, steam locomotives, stained glass, electric lights, firearms…
These rare novelties were unique to the City of Progress.
Land in the city center was priceless, with towering buildings standing side by side. A lavish corporation had purchased an entire office building for its operations.
A giant plaque hung high above — Tian Dao Meng!
A world-class underground organization, operating so openly, spoke volumes about the City of Progress's tolerance.
Conference Room
The General Manager frowned, "Has Mo Du not sent back any news yet?"
"The last message from Tong Xin Cao was: 'Bruce rescued, fruit acquired.' After that, there was no further communication."
"The Great Iceberg's security is so tight that even Qian Huan Ji Mo Du could be captured."
Human Resources: "If we redeem them, the company's working capital will be strained."
Sales Department: "Two consecutive failures… news of this spreading would be a devastating blow to the company's reputation. We might lose a significant number of high-end clients…" Da Feng Novel Network
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said sinisterly, "Actually, if we pay a portion of their ransom, we can hire a decent assassin, saving a lot of money and preserving the reputation of Tian Dao Meng."
"That makes sense, I agree!"
"That's a good idea…"
"It would be even more perfect if we could recover the Rainbow Fruit as well."
"Tian Dao Meng specializes in infiltration and penetration. Outsourcing such matters would be more effective."
The General Manager pondered, "I already have someone in mind. I will handle this personally."
Champs-Élysées Hotel.
The City of Progress's premier den of vice, custom-made for a select few.
A single night's stay here could cost an ordinary person years of income, and if one were to order additional services…
Upon entering the largest presidential suite, boisterous and unrestrained laughter filled the air.
On a massive twenty-square-meter waterbed, a corpulent man was embracing women on either side, a scene decidedly not for the faint of heart.
As soon as he saw the General Manager enter, the胖子 (pang zi - fat man) picked up three bottles of high-proof tequila, held them between his fingers, and downed them in one go.
The General Manager's eyebrows twitched. That was 750 milliliters of potent liquor; even he would be incapacitated after half a bottle, yet this fellow had finished three and remained unfazed.
"Mr. Haru, how do you find the City of Progress?"
The 胖子 smacked his lips, the taste of the liquor permeating his senses. He didn't bother to reply.
"The Champs-Élysées Hotel isn't cheap, is it? Mr. Haru, how much spending money do you have left?"
Upon hearing the word "spending money," the 胖子 finally perked up and slowly rose from the bed.
A mountainous mass of flesh stood before him, its shadow completely engulfing the General Manager.
Looking at the 胖子's expression devoid of any mirth, a sense of dread surged within the General Manager.
The General Manager shouted with all his might, "I have a big deal for you!"
Haru's lips curled, "So, someone's bringing me money. You should have said so earlier."
"Help me kill two people, and bring back a few items. I'll pay you… 200,000 Beli!"
"Don't bother me with such trivial matters! Get out!"
"No, no, no, 300,000… 500,000!"
The General Manager gritted his teeth, "1,000,000!"
"Ah, please sit down. At this price, you're a distinguished guest. What would you like to drink? My treat."
General Manager: …
This Haru was no ordinary individual. It was rumored he hailed from the Roof of the World.
He was the strongest warrior of the Kulk tribe, revered by his people as…
The reincarnation of Indra and Ishvara!
In the entire City of Progress, no one had ever been known to withstand even a single move from Haru.
The General Manager couldn't conceal his delight. With Haru, even the West Wind would be no match!
…………
……
Zhang Wei continuously extracted information from Mo Du, the price being nothing more than a meal.
According to Mo Du, the ice hell plain where the Great Iceberg was located was within the 'Courtyard,' serving as a bridge between the Human World and the Gourmet World.
The Human World was prosperous and thriving, with a population of tens of billions and numerous nations.
The currency used was called Beli, a circular metal coin with significant purchasing power.
For instance, ordinary grains like rice and flour cost only one-sixteenth of a Beli, while poultry like chickens and ducks cost about a quarter of a Beli per kilogram.
Ingredients with a Capture Level, however, were exorbitantly priced.
Garon Tiger bones, for example, cost as much as 30 Beli per kilogram, nearly a hundred times the price of ordinary ingredients. A single Garon Tiger had about five hundred kilograms of bones.
Zhang Wei vaguely recalled that a laborer's daily wage was 7 Beli, which was already considered a very high salary.
A typical worker earned only around 4 Beli.
After acquiring the Illusionary Form technique, Zhang Wei practiced diligently.
As this skill was based on his existing mastery of 'Shokuma,' he found it much easier to learn.
Unlike Shokuma's forceful suppression, Illusionary Form emphasized precise control, even down to the texture, color, spots, and wrinkles of the skin.
According to Mo Du, advanced practitioners could even grow hair.
In his empty dormitory, Zhang Wei, sometimes tall and imposing, other times short and hunched, amused himself endlessly.
Through Zhang Wei's experiments, he could shrink to as low as 1.55 meters and, when unleashing his full strength, expand to 3.5 meters.
The limits in size were dependent on both technique and the total amount of internal energy.
More energy made it harder to shrink, and less energy made it harder to grow.
Take Jiro, the acupoint master, for instance; a slight release of energy could transform him into a giant, and releasing all his energy even had the effect of rejuvenation.
Of course, Zhang Wei's own technique was still far from his level.
On the desk lay more than a dozen books, all taken by Zhang Wei from the library that day.
Compared to the Illusionary Form technique, martial arts progress was extremely slow due to the lack of practical application.
"To cultivate martial arts, I must sneak out of the Great Iceberg."
Zhang Wei, who could cleave an iceberg months ago, couldn't even imagine what he was capable of now.
Given the current security, digging a tunnel seemed the most reliable approach.
Fortunately, the firm permafrost and ice layers were like tofu before Zhang Wei, making manual excavation effortless.
The excavated ice and soil were stored in the Treasury Hall, as its space was ample.
After digging nearly a hundred meters deep, the soil layer abruptly vanished, and Zhang Wei tumbled out.
"What the heck!"
"There's a world beneath the Great Iceberg?"
Zhang Wei found himself in a narrow void, faint fluorescent light reflecting off the walls, allowing him to see the entire space.
The temperature here was also much warmer, around the freezing point.
"Judging by the stalactites and stalagmites, this must be a naturally formed cave. The fluorescence is likely from some luminous moss."
"It's very humid, and there's water in the low-lying areas…"
"Is this the underground river of the Great Iceberg?"