I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 171

Chapter 171: If Given, He Takes; If Not, He Just Takes It by Force!

“In that case, I’ll give you the Queen Bee Crystal.”

The Queen Bee seemed quite reasonable.

After making Zhang Yangqing wait a moment and hearing a report from her subordinate Black Velvet Hornet, she directly handed the Queen Bee Crystal to Zhang Yangqing.

She was like an emotionless NPC, ending this mission dialogue.

In other words, apart from the matter of the ‘Queen Bee Crystal,’ she had no desire to chat with Zhang Yangqing or get to know him better.

After handing the crystal to Zhang Yangqing, she returned to busily working on her potion preparations.

Like a homebody obsessed with chemical research.

And Zhang Yangqing didn’t say anything extra; he took the item and left the hive.

He might not have been the first to reach the hive, but he was certainly the Challenger who obtained the Queen Bee Crystal the fastest.

The conversation between the two was overly concise, leaving the audience utterly confused. Other Challengers were fighting for their lives against the weird mud monsters, so how did this guy just take the reward and leave?

The main point was, he didn’t do anything.

[I was waiting for Master Zhang to battle the weird mud monster; how did we skip that?]

[Logically, shouldn’t the Queen Bee have made other demands? Did she just give it away for free?]

[If you put it that way, then according to Master Zhang’s logic, do you think he would have complied?]

[True. With the reward right in front of him, why would Master Zhang bother doing an extra task? We can reference his approach in the hospital: if given, he takes; if not, he just takes it by force.]

[Maybe the Queen Bee also realized something and judged that this one in front of her was not to be provoked.]

Actually, the audience’s guesses were somewhat accurate, but also somewhat off.

Many creatures in the Strange Tale world aren’t as complex as humans. As long as you meet their requirements, they can give you the reward.

After all, the Queen Bee isn’t purely human; her thinking isn’t as calculating and profit-driven.

She kept the Queen Bee Crystal specifically to have someone retrieve the Black Mist Spring water for her, aiming to drive away the nearby Beastman clans.

Now that the Beastman clans were mostly dead or injured, with none remaining in the vicinity, the Queen Bee straightforwardly handed over the reward.

It was her straightforwardness that saved her.

Otherwise, given Zhang Yangqing’s nature, with the reward right before his eyes, he wouldn’t have obediently gone off to complete a task.

From the start, the Queen Bee’s demeanor was earnest, sticking strictly to the matter at hand.

Zhang Yangqing saw no reason to make things difficult for her.

Some people find Zhang Yangqing intimidating, always ready to draw his sword at the slightest provocation.

But really, it’s also because those individuals or anomalies don’t know what’s good for them.

With someone like the Queen Bee who spoke normally, Zhang Yangqing wouldn’t just attack outright.

From Zhang Yangqing’s perspective, everyone has their own tasks; if you don’t trouble me, I won’t trouble you.

And so, Zhang Yangqing cleared the second stage just like that.

Zhang Yangqing rode the black bear to the designated location, where the Sky Curtain City had long been hovering overhead.

The moment he stepped onto the lift platform, his goggles displayed the settlement results.

[Congratulations on eliminating 10 Beastman Elite Warriors. Obtained 1000 Contribution Points.]

The black bear, the overlord of this primeval forest, obediently followed Zhang Yangqing onto the lift platform.

Despite the black bear’s massive size, it seemed insignificant compared to the colossal Sky Curtain City.

On the lift platform, the black bear was somewhat nervous; after all, it was its first time leaving the ground.

But the bear remained obedient, aware that if this person wanted to kill it, things wouldn’t be so complicated.

The black bear temporarily stayed on the first level. Zhang Yangqing had the mechanical beings bring it some food as a reward.

The green-skinned beings’ food warehouse was well-stocked, containing both their own produce and food plundered from other races.

They had prepared ample supplies for this expedition.

Who would have thought they’d be wiped out before even finishing their stock?

The black bear ate happily, comfortably leaning against a wall.

Originally, the black bear would never be tamed, but here, with food and shelter provided…

With a place sheltered from wind and rain, plus ample and delicious food, what more could it ask for?

Meanwhile, Zhang Yangqing had already arrived at the navigation control room on the sixth level and, following the instructions, placed the Queen Bee Crystal into the power furnace.

[Congratulations on successfully using the Queen Bee Crystal. For the duration of this Strange Tale world, all attributes increased by 10, and physical defense increased by 50%.]

This was a significant boost for the Challengers.

After all, 1000 Contribution Points were needed to increase all attributes by 10.

Zhang Yangqing had slain ten Beastman Elite Warriors this time, each worth 100 Contribution Points.

Thus, Zhang Yangqing went to the mechanical repairman on the fifth level to enhance his mechanical body, increasing all attributes by another 10.

Gaining 10 points in all attributes was equivalent to obtaining 1000 Contribution Points, plus an additional ability boost.

Aside from Zhang Yangqing, only one other Challenger had managed to kill three Beastman Elite Warriors; the rest had killed two or fewer.

Most had only killed one, as those things were quite dangerous.

As for the Chosen Ones of Angentin fighting in the Legion, they earn points by capturing prisoners.

The difficulty of capturing a prisoner determined the Contribution Points awarded.

The highest-value prisoner could yield 10 points, the lowest still granting 5.

This time, the Argentine Challenger had, aside from Zhang Yangqing, accumulated the most points among all Challengers.

Combining points from both stages, plus the points earned from relentless clocking in for patrols within the Sky Curtain City, currying favor with the green-skinned beings, and completing some side quests for additional merit points…

Most had barely scraped together enough to exchange for the Mechanical Guard chip.

Even the Argentine Challenger, Ramírez, who was the deputy captain of the mechanical guards, couldn’t unlock the armory on the fourth level.

So he also had no choice but to make the exchange, then consider whether to use his remaining points to acquire more Mechanical Guards or enhance his attributes.

Normally, these two stages had cost nearly six hundred Mechanical Guards.

Next, the Mechanical Guards would be deployed in the upcoming stage.

The Challengers, now serving as Mechanical Guards, would also need to descend and join the battle.

It seemed this was all part of the Strange Tale world’s design.

Now, the more astute Challengers, like Brandon from Spain, had already deduced the dangers of the next stage. This wasn’t too hard to guess, in a way.

Following the flow of this Strange Tale, Brandon went to work at the restaurant again and gathered some useful intelligence.

The next stage would undoubtedly involve facing the Dwarves.

According to intelligence from the Potbellied Commander, the Dwarves possessed highly advanced industry, with steel smelting technology ranking among the top in this Strange Tale world.

They were a race capable of producing powerful weapons and equipment.

Then, Brandon correlated this with the equipment unlocked in the armory for this stage – clearly meant to outfit the Challengers with heavy firepower.

Naturally, he could guess that the next stage would be a showdown of firepower.

A direct confrontation between the green-skinned beings’ heavy industry and the Dwarves’ heavy industry.

The special effect obtained from the Queen Bee Crystal, acquired in the Beastmen’s territory, was increased defense.

This was precisely to help the Challengers survive the artillery exchange in the upcoming stage.

“Honestly, lacking even a little would make it difficult to clear this stage. It seems if we can’t obtain the Dwarves’ special reward, the final stage against the Elves might be even harder to manage,” mused Brandon as he patrolled the Sky Curtain City.

He was gradually familiarizing himself with the patterns of the Strange Tale world, a world governed by its own rules.

Only by adapting to these rules could one survive better.

Planning ahead was actually a good thing; one couldn’t just take things as they come.

While most Challengers were only considering how to get through the next stage – the Dwarves’ stronghold – Brandon was already thinking about what they might encounter in the final stage.

After pondering for a long time, he couldn’t figure it out. After all, the settings for the natives and anomalies in the Strange Tale world could sometimes be very bizarre.

How could he learn about the characteristics of the Elves?

He had gone to ask the Potbellied Commander, but the commander didn’t know either.

According to the Potbellied Commander, very few who entered the Elves’ territory returned alive.

The Elves they had captured were merely from isolated Elf families.

These families consisted of only a few individuals, no more than ten.

The Elves’ stronghold, however, housed a massive community. How strong their combat power was remained unclear, but they were difficult to locate.

Hearing this from the Potbellied Commander, Brandon expressed gratitude on the surface but felt dissatisfied inwardly. Wasn’t this essentially saying nothing?

Just as he was feeling dejected, he suddenly slapped his own head.

“Oh right, how could I be so stupid? I can just go ask directly.”

Brandon had almost forgotten that several beautiful Elves were imprisoned in the Sky Curtain City’s cells.

Now that Brandon had been promoted to Mechanical Guard, he possessed a certain level of authority, superior to the regular Mechanical Sentries.

He quickly gained unimpeded access to the area where the Elves were held and, using his privileges, had the Mechanical Sentries open the door for him.

Previously, Brandon had only seen them from a distance and found them picturesque.

Now, seeing these Elves up close, they were so stunning it made one’s breath quicken.

Especially their fair, flawless faces, pink lips, and that sacred, pristine aura.

They truly could intensely stir a possessive desire in the opposite sex.

However, that just led to a lot of viewers making bold comments online.

Here, the Challengers were all in mechanical bodies. Aside from feeling amazed, they didn’t have much of a reaction.

Only a few Challengers were captivated by the beauty; the vast majority just wanted to survive and get out.

So they began communicating with the Elves, seeking information.

The Elves were very aloof, leaving many Challengers at a loss for how to start the conversation.

The Challengers said a lot but received no response.

This posed a dilemma for the Challengers. Should they resort to force? Or were they just not hitting the right points?

Brandon, the Spanish Challenger, had some experience in interrogation.

For other Challengers, this was a difficulty, as they hadn’t worked in such fields.

But for Brandon, wasn’t this his daily routine?

To make a ‘prisoner’ talk and compromise, you had to figure out what they wanted.

The imprisoned Elves looked listless, as if awaiting death.

At this point, Brandon broached the topic, suggesting he could find a way to let them live and escape.

Hearing this, the Elves seemed to see a glimmer of hope, a spark returning to their eyes.

They began attempting to converse with this Mechanical Guard.

Brandon wasn’t foolish enough to say it was for attacking their village.

If he said that, these Elves might prefer death to revealing any information.

He was only indirectly inquiring about the weaknesses of the Elves.

There were many ways to do this, such as:

“How did you get captured?”

“Don’t you know magic? Why aren’t you using it now?”

“What types of magic do the Elves possess?”

And similar questions.

The Elf beauties weren’t stupid either. Their willingness to talk to Brandon didn’t mean they were willing to divulge information.

According to the Elves’ terms, Brandon had to release them before they would tell him anything.

Brandon wasn’t stupid either. If I release you, what if you just run away?

So after some bargaining between the two sides, they reached a consensus.

Release one, answer one question.

There were five captured Elves, all female.

Brandon couldn’t release all of them; at most, he could release two.

After all, his main transport targets were the Beastmen; it didn’t matter if a few Elves were missing or dead.

Actually, he had no intention of truly releasing them. The plan was to ask the question while in the process of ‘releasing’ them.

Once the other party answered, he would recapture them, or simply kill them outright.

This was, after all, the Sky Curtain City, high in the air. Without magic, could they just jump down?

As for them blaming him for deceiving them, Brandon didn’t care. Obtaining information was the goal; deception was just a means.

However, only the green-skinned Commander had the keys to the Elves’ cells. Stealing the keys would be troublesome.

At this point, a mature female Elf told the Challenger that the Dwarves possessed a special master key that could unlock this door.

Brandon nodded.

Sure enough, these tasks were interconnected.

If he hadn’t contacted the Elves in advance, he probably wouldn’t have known this and would have had to steal the keys from the Potbellied Commander later.

It seemed that in the next stage, he not only had to complete the rule-based tasks but also the task for the Elves.

Otherwise, the final stage would be extremely difficult.

In the eyes of the vast majority of Challengers, the Elves’ stronghold was the most dangerous, the hardest, and the final stage.

To put it bluntly, most Challengers were just lackeys for the green-skinned beings, tools for their slaughter.

As long as the Challengers didn’t make mistakes, the green-skinned beings wouldn’t dispose of these mechanical beings at the end; they’d still need them for work.

Then, they could settle accounts and leave.

But for a certain Challenger who had already lifted some restrictions, the green-skinned beings themselves were the final stage.

Perhaps that was the location of the entire Strange Tale world’s final special reward.

After obtaining this intelligence, Brandon left the area where the Elves were held and went to the Dwarves’ section, hoping to gather some information about the Dwarves.

After all, intelligence could be extracted; it just depended on whether the method was correct.

Other Challengers had met with frustration when questioning the Dwarves, not only failing to get any information but also being thoroughly cursed out.

Dwarves were stubborn by nature, the type who would rather die than talk.

Unlike their approach with the more gentle Elves, many Challengers, angered by the verbal abuse, resorted to torture!

At this point, Brandon’s professional expertise came into play again.

To make an interrogated person talk, you needed to know their weakness; targeting it was the best approach.

Brandon observed that the Dwarves all had a slight smell of alcohol and red, bulbous noses.

This indicated that these fellows loved to drink.

After all, those who enjoy drinking often become loose-lipped when drunk.

Given Brandon’s current status as a Mechanical Guard, getting some alcohol from the fourth level wasn’t difficult.

Dwarves never wasted alcohol; they were the ‘carpe diem’ types.

Seeing the alcohol Brandon offered, even if it was poisoned, the Dwarves wouldn’t hesitate.

After getting a lone Dwarf in a cell drunk, Brandon didn’t rush to ask questions; he understood the psychology of such people well.

He began praising the advanced industrial technology of the Dwarves and the power of their weaponry.

The drunk Dwarf’s sense of satisfaction soared. Without Brandon even asking, he started boasting about how powerful their weapons were, what incredible things they had manufactured, and even revealed details about the ‘guardian beasts’ in the next stage.

He even tried to persuade Brandon to release him, promising to forge a better suit of armor and weapons for Brandon if he returned.

Brandon would have liked that, but he couldn’t.

His mission was to destroy the Dwarves; right now, he was just extracting information.

The rules forced him to be the green-skinned beings’ mechanical dog; he had to comply.

After gathering this information, Brandon continued his patrol, preparing for the next stage.

The equipment in the fourth-level armory was plentiful; he needed to study it first.

Moreover, this drunk Dwarf had already provided him with a lot of useful intelligence.

As for whether this intelligence was accurate, he needed to verify it with the green-skinned Commander.

It is called verification, but in fact it is just indirect questioning and indirectly confirming the news.

Up to this point, Brandon’s strategy had been a textbook example for the audience.

He didn’t take risks, nor was he in danger; it was the standard approach.

However, expert teams had noted that his success was due to his professional background matching the situation. Others could learn from it but didn’t necessarily need to copy it outright.

Because each Strange Tale was different. For instance, in the first two stages, those who had been to prison or served as sailors had a significant advantage.

Other Challengers weren’t idle either. Some used taunts, others used violence – any method that yielded information was a good one.

Not just in this stage, but in all Strange Tales, wanting to be a nice guy and reap benefits was basically impossible.

Throughout the entire scenario, only two Challengers didn’t seek out intelligence.

Holy Knight Sidney was too afraid and not in the mood to ask.

Master Zhang Yangqing was too indifferent; whether he asked or not didn’t matter much to him.

Furthermore, attentive viewers noticed something astonishing.

Wasn’t the next stage supposed to be a firepower showdown?

And wasn’t the core of the green-skinned beings’ heavy industry firepower the mechanical beings?

Other Challengers who had survived to this point had only experienced two stages.

Meaning, nearly 600 Mechanical Sentries had been lost.

The next stage would require deploying the Mechanical Guards.

Given the nature of the Strange Tale world, the green-skinned beings’ heavy industry definitely wouldn’t overpower the Dwarves’ heavy industry easily, as the world wasn’t designed to let Challengers off that easily.

There must be some specific, highly dangerous task the Challengers needed to complete, possibly with time constraints, to ensure the green-skinned beings’ victory.

Failure to complete it might mean the green-skinned forces couldn’t withstand the Dwarves’ artillery.

This was the problem normal Challengers should be considering.

Then, an abnormal Challenger appeared.

After guessing the content of the next stage, the audience was surprised to find that the Chinese Master Zhang’s side had lost very few Mechanical Sentries.

In the second stage, this guy went down alone, resulting in zero Mechanical Sentry losses!

So, that meant Master Zhang’s firepower was truly immense.

Wait! Some viewers began pointing out in the comments.

Not only had Master Zhang not lost much firepower, but he had also recruited over 500 Beastman troops.

On top of that, there was a regional overlord-level black bear.

These were all combat-capable creatures.

Calculating this way, the forces under Master Zhang’s command exceeded those of other Challengers by over a thousand!

And that’s not even counting the colossal black bear!

Seeing these comments, the audience felt a chill.

In other words, not only had Master Zhang’s firepower configuration not decreased, but it had actually increased significantly?

Expert teams concluded that it might not be that Master Zhang was too lazy to gather intelligence; he simply had no need to!

The moment the Sky Curtain City hovered in the distance, the Dwarves’ nightmare had already begun!