As dawn broke, the blood moon's afterimage was torn apart by the morning breeze, dissolving into faint crimson mist. The campus air still carried a stench of blood and decay.
Lu Ye crouched behind the observatory's blackout curtains, intently watching the dense red dots on his [Eye of the World] radar. Though the oppressive gaze from the night had faded, low-tier mutants continued to roam nearby.
"We need to farm enough crystals today, or we won't last," he whispered.
Team Strategy:
Lu Ye: Recon and control, marking weak points with radar, collecting loot with Dimensional Space.
Qin Hao: Life detection extended to 50 meters, spotting hidden monsters and providing healing.
Chen Mo: Vanguard, using strength affinity to demolish obstacles head-on.
Zhao Yang: Early-stage vampire abilities, excelling in night combat but needing team protection in daylight, using kinetic siphoning and blood blades for kills.
"Let's hit the lab building first. The monsters there are low-level, perfect for grinding," Qin Hao said, pointing to a hand-drawn map. "I'm sensing stable energy signatures from a few zombies there—decent crystal purity."
Combat Description:
Outside the lab building, a zombie with rotting skin and bone spikes sprouting from its back guarded the entrance. [Eye of the World] marked its weak point: the second cervical vertebra.
"Chen Mo, go!" Chen Mo's bronze physique slammed into the zombie like a hammer on steel, sending it flying two meters. Zhao Yang flashed behind it, blood mist coiling around his fingertips. Kinetic siphoning locked the zombie's movements—rebar pierced its neck, shattering the spinal crystal.
A 35% purity low-grade crystal was secured, and Qin Hao stored it for reserves.
The team advanced floor by floor through the lab building. Lu Ye used spatial lockdown to restrict monster movement, Zhao Yang swept with blood blades, Chen Mo tanked damage, and Qin Hao healed on the fly. Their efficiency was razor-sharp.
In just two hours, they took down 17 first-tier mutants and 2 early second-tier mutants, harvesting 28 crystals, most with purities between 30% and 45%.
On the east side of the field's rubber track, the sunlight was blinding. Qin Hao crouched, his green light spreading like a tide across the track. Three seconds later, he snapped his eyes open. "Four hiding under the bleachers—chaotic signatures, but one's a peak second-tier."
Lu Ye's radar synced, showing four red dots, one a deep crimson with a far stronger life signature. "Chen Mo, draw it out."
Chen Mo charged down the bleachers like a speeding tank, cracking the rubber track into a web of fissures, forcing the hidden zombies to leap out. The peak second-tier mutant sported two bone wings on its back, its pounce so fast it left afterimages in the air.
[Eye of the World: Energy Trajectory Vision] activated—Lu Ye saw the red energy line of its attack path light up in advance. "Upper left, weak point at the nape!" he shouted.
Zhao Yang's blood mist surged, his fingers forming a blade that sliced through half the bone wing. As it landed, his kinetic siphoning froze its movements. Chen Mo's fist crushed its cervical spine.
The crystal—52% purity—was secured. Qin Hao shook his head with a smile. "Save this for Zhao Yang to stabilize his foundation." Zhao Yang bit into it, the vampire runes on his skin flaring and dimming as his aura grew heavier.
They began clearing stray low-tier mutants around the field's perimeter, honing their efficiency to a razor's edge:
Lu Ye marked ambush points with his radar. Chen Mo demolished cover to flush out monsters. Zhao Yang handled precision kills and immediate crystal recovery. Qin Hao provided healing and used light threads to collect scattered energy fragments.
Three hours later, they'd cleared the entire field, harvesting 41 crystals, including 5 with over 50% purity.
As they prepared to return to the observatory, Lu Ye's radar detected an anomaly at the northeast sports equipment warehouse—not a red or green dot, but a flickering golden arc.
"What's that?" Chen Mo rubbed his neck, feeling a chill as if watched. "I don't know, but it's… moving, slowly," Lu Ye said, frowning.
They cautiously approached the warehouse, where faint white mist seeped from the door's cracks, the air ten degrees colder than outside. Qin Hao's expression shifted. "The life signature inside is strange—it doesn't match the blood moon's frequency."
Chen Mo pushed open the door, and a bone-chilling cold hit them. In the corner, a humanoid figure covered in translucent crystal armor curled up on a tattered high-jump mat, its breathing faint. Through the crystal shell, its eyes faintly glowed with the same eerie light as the high-dimensional gaze from the previous night.
"Don't touch it," Lu Ye warned. As his Eye of the World locked on, the figure's outline dissolved like mist, leaving only the golden arc fading at the radar's edge.
Zhao Yang licked his fangs, a restless grin on his face. "Looks like tonight might get messy."
Strength Levels:
Lu Ye, Chen Mo, Qin Hao: Early Second-Tier Zhao Yang: High First-Tier