The cave's entrance barely looked like one — just a tangled mess of vines draped over jagged stone, like nature itself was trying to hide whatever was inside.
The second Su Chen stepped near it, something hissed.
Not a small hiss.
A get-the-hell-out-of-here hiss.
The Double-Headed Fire Serpent lunged out, both of its blazing red skulls snapping forward with enough heat radiating off its scales to roast a boar alive.
Xiao Yi Xian's breath hitched. "Be careful—!"
Yeah. He didn't need the reminder.
Su Chen didn't even slow down.
He drew the Indigo Nichirin Blade, his tone flat — almost bored.
"You're in my way."
His stance shifted with practiced precision.
[Water Breathing — Second Form: Water Wheel.]
Except the arc that tore through the air wasn't water.
Cold air rushed from his core as he blended the technique with the Frost Queen's talent.
Water turned to ice.
The wheel wasn't fluid — it was a rotating buzzsaw of jagged frost.
The serpent tried to spit fire.
Too late.
A clean, surgical slice.
A shower of frozen sparks.
Two heads rolling on the ground.
A beast that could've wiped out a small village fell like a chopped vegetable.
Su Chen nudged one head aside with his boot. "Stay put," he told Xiao Yi Xian, then tapped the corpse with an absent-minded efficiency.
[Infinite Storage: Loot Extracted.]
Meat for food.
Gallbladder for medicine.
Nothing wasted.
He turned back toward her. "Alright. Cave time."
---
Inside the Tomb
The cave interior was cooler and cleaner than expected. Someone had maintained this place once. Crystals embedded along the walls glowed faintly, enough light for normal eyes — and useless for Su Chen with Night Vision.
At the tunnel's end stood a stone door with carvings and an obvious mechanism.
Xiao Yi Xian leaned in to examine it. "There should be a pressure—"
CRASH.
Su Chen drove his fist into the lock like he was punching a bad customer review.
The entire mechanism crumbled.
"…Or that works," she muttered, half impressed, half terrified.
They walked inside.
The chamber was exactly what you'd expect from someone who died rich: stone walls, spiritual soil patches growing rare herbs, and a skeleton sitting in lotus position like it waited too long for enlightenment.
Three stone boxes rested on a pedestal.
Su Chen paused by the skeleton, nodded respectfully, and wrapped his fingers around its hand.
[Target: Deceased Dou King — No active skills.]
[Bone Density usable. Copying…]
A slight hum vibrated under his skin.
Good. More durability never hurt.
He stepped back and gestured at the stone boxes.
"You open them. Your claim first."
Xiao Yi Xian blinked. That wasn't how mercenaries operated. Or cultivators. Or men in general. "Are you sure?"
"It's your map. Your find."
She swallowed and opened Box One.
Her breath stopped.
A scroll with seven colors swirling faintly across the surface.
[Colorful Poison Sutra — A method to control the Woeful Poison Body.]
Her eyes shook. This wasn't just a technique — this was salvation and damnation wrapped in the same package. Anyone who got this would hold power beyond kingdoms.
"Su Chen…" Her voice trembled. "This is—"
"It's yours," he said instantly. No hesitation. No attempt to take it.
Her brain short-circuited. "B-But—this can destroy cities—why would you just—"
"It fits you," he said simply. "Use it properly. Don't poison me. That's all."
Her hands tightened around the scroll like it was something fragile.
"...I won't. I swear I won't."
[Loyalty Increased: 50 → 65]
She opened Box Two.
Inside lay a black scroll with sharp, violent Qi radiating from it.
Her face went pale. "A flying technique… Purple Cloud Wings."
Su Chen's attention locked onto it immediately.
This one was his.
He took the scroll.
[Copying…]
Black light cracked open behind him.
The scroll dissolved into particles — and then the pain hit.
His shoulder blades felt like red-hot spears were drilling into bone.
Xiao Yi Xian rushed forward. "Su Chen?!"
"I'm fine," he ground out. "Just… growing."
With a tearing sound, strips of cloth fell from his back.
And wings erupted.
Not feathers — but purple-black energy shaped like eagle wings, each spanning wider than a man's height.
He gave a single experimental flap.
The gust blew half the herbs sideways.
He rose into the air effortlessly, floating with absolute control.
"Finally," Su Chen exhaled, voice filled with genuine satisfaction. "Sky access."
Xiao Yi Xian stared at him like she was watching a myth walk out of a storybook.
He landed, wings collapsing back into a tattoo along his spine.
"Third box?"
She opened it.
A thin scroll lay inside, vibrating subtly.
[Wild Lion's Roar — Sound Technique, Xuan Class Low.]
Su Chen grabbed it, copied it, and tossed the original to her.
"You'll need something for emergencies. Poison doesn't always solve everything."
She nodded earnestly and held the scroll to her chest like it was priceless.
---
Loot Distribution
Before she could say anything about the gold piled around the skeleton—
[Infinite Storage: Area Loot.]
Everything vanished in a clean blink.
"D-Did you just take all the gold?" she asked, stunned.
"No," Su Chen said. Then clarified with light corporate sarcasm. "I secured the assets."
He pulled out a pouch and handed it to her.
She opened it.
Gold bars.
Refined. Pure. High-value.
Each one worth multiple bags of those cheap coins.
Her jaw dropped.
"Where did you—"
"Different world," Su Chen said casually. "Take it. You'll need proper resources."
Her throat bobbed. "Su Chen… are you leaving soon?"
"Yeah." No sugarcoating. "My world is collapsing. I came here to increase my survival odds."
She hesitated, then gathered her courage and spoke softly:
"Then… can I go with you?"
Her hands were trembling so hard she nearly dropped the Poison Sutra.
Su Chen studied her for a few seconds — not judging, just thinking logically.
"My world is brutal," he said. "Monsters, virus outbreaks, no peaceful place left. It's not a fairy tale."
"I know," she whispered. "But at least in your world… someone exists who can touch me without fear."
That hit harder than any technique.
He extended his hand.
"Then pack the herbs, Doctor. We're heading out."
[Xiao Yi Xian Recruited — Loyalty: 75]
---
Return to Earth
White light ripped open the air.
They stepped into the Black Behemoth's cabin — metal walls, machinery, screens humming softly. Xiao Yi Xian froze like she'd stepped into divine technology.
"This… is this a treasure artifact?"
"It's a truck," Su Chen replied.
The door slid open.
Saeko strode in, sword dripping zombie blood.
"Master. University is secure. Ye Qingyu said something's happening at the West Gate—"
She stopped.
Sharp eyes locked onto Xiao Yi Xian.
Xiao Yi Xian, to her credit, didn't faint — but she tensed, instinctively feeling the predator energy radiating from Saeko.
Saeko raised a brow. "Another girl? And this one smells like poison and murder."
Su Chen pointed at Xiao Yi Xian.
"New doctor. Also our chemical warfare expert."
Xiao Yi Xian: "Ch-Chemical what??"
Before she could get an answer, a metallic screech rattled the entire truck.
Not zombie.
Mechanical.
"Boss!!" Jiang Rou yelled over the intercom. "Something huge just landed in the courtyard! It looks like—some kind of giant robot!"
Su Chen froze.
"…Robot? We're not in the Transformers arc yet."
He stepped out, wings unfolding behind him.
He shot into the air, hovering above the university.
And saw it.
A ten-meter-tall Magitek Armor mech, straight out of another universe, steam hissing from its vents — piloted by a mutated raider.
The world wasn't just merging.
It was bleeding chaos.
Su Chen grinned and drew the Indigo Sword.
"Xiao Yi Xian!" he called down. "Let's see if that Poison Sutra can corrode machinery."
Her eyes brightened. "I—I can try!"
And the battle began.