Absolute Gate

Chapter 109 Immortal Cultivator

Wu Zhong was not actually as confident as he appeared.

After all, Michelle has a huge sum of money. If she is willing to go all out and not be afraid of revealing her wealth and attracting more enemies, and invites a group of experts in advance to ambush Wu Zhong, then Wu Zhong will also have to call for reinforcements.

However, this did not prevent Wu from displaying resolute confidence.

Because all he needed to do was intimidate Abba, and he believed Abba would make the right choice.

It's very simple. Aba is not a greedy person; this has been proven by facts. The fact that he can entrust a huge amount of wealth to others and only take his rightful share demonstrates his principled nature.

This means that no matter how much wealth he has, it is of limited value to him. Let alone 50 billion, even 500 billion or 5 trillion would not be as important as his sense of morality.

In this situation, as long as Aba is convinced that Wu Zhong possesses absolute power, he would never risk gambling on something that could potentially kill everyone... What for? Just for that money? No way, money is a bastard!

No matter how much Michelle cares about the money, as long as Wu is certain that Aba shares these values, that's enough.

"Changpu, treat his injuries," Wu Zhong instructed.

Shi Changpu nodded, then stepped forward, her hands radiating vibrant emerald green energy, and began to provide Aba with more detailed treatment.

The fine mesh stitched together on Aba's wound like buds of flesh.

Her energy weaving technique not only provides defense and restraint, but also has unique healing properties. It can effectively stabilize injuries, suture wounds, and promote healing. Although it cannot immediately restore Aba's fighting ability, it can save his life and maintain his mobility.

Yang Chunsha happily inventoried her spoils, gathering up the bronze spear, the illusion pocket watch, and most importantly, the protective pendant. The Fountain of Youth crystal was kept by Wu Zhong himself.

"Onion, help me find some Bitcoin." Yang Chunsha beckoned.

Onion grunted and dissected Hans's body, which had been implanted with a lot of metal.

After peeling back the layers, he retrieved dozens of gold coins.

"Huh? Gold coins hidden in bones?" Yak picked up a piece and prepared to take a bite.

Yang Chunsha hurriedly snatched it away: "What gold coins! This is physical Bitcoin."

"The hologram on the coin hides a private key that links to a Bitcoin address on the blockchain. As long as the coin remains intact, the Bitcoin stored within it can be securely accessed."

As she spoke, she scooped out all the coins and washed them clean with snow.

Then he said to Wu Zhong, "This kind of physical Bitcoin is the most perfect currency. Whoever takes it owns it, and it will not become an untradeable currency when the holder dies."

Wu Zhong's eyes lit up: "Give me this, I need it."

“Okay.” Yang Chunsha had no objections, after all, she had already taken 250 last time.

Wu counted the coins; there were seventy in total. This guy was much poorer than McGill.

However, Hans is stronger in terms of strength. If he hadn't been paralyzed by the tortoise shell, he would have been quite difficult to deal with.

In the previous fight against McGonagall, Wu Zhong concluded that using the tortoise shell as a gauntlet was not good because it couldn't create any holes, which allowed McGonagall to keep using Life Drain to delay him. So this time, he deliberately bought the Yumu Spear.

This time, they were able to poke a hole that couldn't heal, but Hans's False Life Magic wasn't afraid of injury, and in the end, he managed to fix it with a tortoise shell...

It can only be said that there is never a single, foolproof strategy for fighting in the Disaster Realm.

Some powerful individuals who rely on a single skill to succeed may eventually suffer a sudden downfall, which is why it is often said that a strong person can be defeated by a newcomer.

Because when you specialize in one thing to the extreme, it is sometimes better to have a 'general knowledge' than to be an expert in everything when faced with all sorts of unknown situations.

Wu concluded that there are essentially only two paths to becoming a perennial figure in the world of calamities...

Either be 'omniscient', meaning have enough information to maximize benefits and minimize harm.

Either you have to be 'all-rounder', know everything, have everything, and be all-encompassing.

Everything must be combined with the actual situation. The more means you have, the better. Being comprehensive is the best way to deal with disasters.

Wu Zhong has many methods now, but not enough. He finally has Bitcoin that can be traded, and he plans to save it and see what good stuff is available at the auction later.

“Take the Bitcoin, and this protective pendant…” Yang Chunsha looked at Wu Zhong expectantly.

Wu finally understood and tossed the pendant to her, saying, "Use it for now to enhance your survivability."

"Hehehe!" Yang Chunsha smiled broadly and immediately put on the pendant with great delight.

Although Perrin and Onion were envious, they also knew that team resources needed to be allocated reasonably. Yang Chunsha, as the team's "engineer," lacked combat skills and was the one who most needed to improve her survival ability.

Moreover, Wu Zhong had already promised a huge dividend from the Fountain of Youth, so they were quite satisfied.

Wu Zhong then handed the bronze spear to Pei Lan: "Your Shinjuku body is proficient in the use of various runic weapons, but you have never had a good weapon. You can take this spear."

Perrin took the spear, swung it around a couple of times, and felt the spiritual energy contained within it. His eyes flashed with joy: "Thank you, True Ancestor!"

As for the hypnotic pocket watch, Wu Zhong put it away for the time being. This thing had special effects, and none of them were from the illusion school, so they kept it for the time being.

Once Aba's condition had stabilized, the group did not linger.

Yang Chunsha manipulated the earth, completely burying the bodies of Hans, Sedo, and others, as well as the traces of the battle, underground, as if nothing had ever happened.

Afterwards, following the address provided by Edelweiss, they successfully arrived at the nearest coastal town.

They spotted an unassuming-looking but internally modified luxury ocean yacht that had been waiting there for some time.

Although Edelweiss herself is not top-notch, she still has connections as an agent.

After boarding the yacht and settling into their cabins, everyone finally escaped the extreme cold of the Arctic and felt the long-lost warmth.

“I’ll drive the boat,” Perrin volunteered, as he was skilled in all kinds of vehicles.

Wu finally called Aba to his cabin, where Yang Chunsha, Peilan, and others were also present.

“Now, tell me in detail.” Wu Zhong looked at Aba: “About Michelle, about Long Qi, about their specific situation in the Pacific… basically everything you know.”

Having escaped the life-or-death dangers of the Arctic and found himself in a relatively safe environment, Aba felt much more relaxed, knowing that he had no way out.

He took a deep breath and began to reveal all the information he knew.

“Michel is the chief’s only son. He is very talented, but... he is somewhat indecisive and lacks decisiveness, so the chief did not let him take charge and kept his identity hidden.”

"His abilities are water manipulation and mental perception within the ocean, which significantly enhances his strength at sea, which is why he chose to hide at sea."

"There should be three other wanted Silver Mercenaries on the ship: 'Viper,' who is skilled in poisons and hidden weapons; 'Parsley,' whose ability is an air cannon; and a healing support type Awakener, who is also Michelle's wife, Paula."

“I’ve been on their ship before. It’s an old whaling ship. In the South Pacific, it doesn’t have a fixed route, but it has a few regular supply points and temporary anchorages…” Wu Zhong tilted his head and asked curiously, “Why are some of you called by plant names, some by your real names, and some by nicknames?”

Aba paused for a moment: "Mercenaries like us spend a lot of time together, and over time we get to know each other's names, or nicknames. Only newcomers are called by their plant names."

“For example, Parsley. He was in the last batch of mercenaries. He had only been there for less than half a month when the leader was defeated. I don’t know any other names he had.”

"As for Viper, his nickname is very tongue-twisting, it's called Baobab Tree, so we all call him Viper."

Wu finally understood; it was indeed true. He had spent a long time with Yang Chunsha and never called her by her nickname, but always called her Debiao, which made it seem intimate.

In addition, most mercenaries' nicknames are actually quite difficult to pronounce. In the military, efficiency is important, and it is more convenient to use nicknames.

Otherwise, during battle, would you shout: "Baobab tree, quickly use your poisonous attack!"
If you didn't know better, you'd think you were in a Pokémon movie.

"What about Long Qi? The intelligence says he's a psychic. What do you know about this gold mercenary?" Wu Zhong pressed.

Aba recalled, "Long Qi's host body is an Eastern cultivator. His divine sense can control a sword and scan a radius of a thousand meters, which is much larger than the range of 'special mental power'. It can also intimidate people and create illusions. It's not wrong to call him a mental power user. He belongs to the category of super mental power."

Wu Zhong's eyes widened: "What, a cultivator?"

"The information on the wanted poster is so misleading! It only says he's a psychic. What do you mean by 'almost'? That's way off!"

Wu Zhong never expected that the information about Long Qilin provided by the financier would be so wrong. He could only say that relying solely on the information provided by the mission party was really not enough.

That's the minimum guarantee mission information; only low-level mercenaries who have no other options rely on it.

Wu Zhong himself had been a black market investor and had experienced black market investors, so he knew that such information had to be verified from multiple sources, otherwise it could really ruin people's lives.

He initially thought the other party was just a mentalist, and since he had mental immunity and the Netherworld Stone, he was not afraid at all and could easily handle it.

Now it seems that this idea was completely wrong. Luckily, he was cautious and kept Aba by his side. Otherwise, if he had assumed that Aba was an ordinary mental power user, there would have been big problems.

Wu Zhong, his face tense, pondered, "Divine sense? That's not a concern. But what other spells does he know besides sword control?"

Aba licked his lips: "I don't know much about cultivation, but judging from his performance, he can at least pass through walls, control beasts, teleport, and fly. He once stole a lot of intelligence for the leader and destroyed the enemy's armory."

Wu Zhong was shocked: "He can teleport?"

Abba affirmed, "Yes, he can teleport. I've seen it with my own eyes; he instantly appeared on the deck from inside the cabin."

Everyone gasped in shock; that Long Qi seemed incredibly strong.

Wu Zhong pondered for a moment: "Does Long Qi use teleportation often?"

"When he did missions before, did he teleport back directly, or did he fly back?"

Aba shook his head: "He flew back. I rarely see him teleport. When he was defeated in the final battle, Long Qi also escaped by flying on his sword."

Wu finally understood: "The opponent's teleportation must have some limitations, or perhaps the range is very small."

"Therefore, he cannot use teleportation to escape the battlefield; at most, he can only use it in small-scale battles."

Aba remarked, "That makes sense."

Seeing Wu Zhong analyze Long Qi with such seriousness and caution, Aba did not underestimate Wu Zhong, thinking that his previous unfathomable depth was just an act.

On the contrary, strategic contempt and tactical caution are the true mark of a strong person.

The most hopeless opponent is someone who is better than you and works even harder than you.

"That's all I know about Long Qi. His teleportation is nothing special. His strongest ability is his divine sense. That kind of mental impact is so powerful that, apart from Hans, none of us can unleash even half our combat power in front of him," Aba said.

The reason why Long Qi is considered a spiritual being is because, in their eyes, Long Qi's greatest strength lies in the various functions of his divine sense.

However, Wu Zhong chuckled and said, "No matter how strong his spiritual sense is, it's not as strong as mine."

Aba was speechless; Wu was far too confident.

He repeatedly emphasized that Long Qi's divine sense was very strong, but Wu Zhong didn't take it seriously at all.

Could Wu Zhong also be a spiritual power user, or perhaps a cultivator? It does seem quite plausible; Wu Zhong's previous fiery gunfight image, with its surging aura, must be from some kind of fantasy world.

"If he's really only at this level, as you've described, then I'd have a 10/10 chance against him," Wu Zhong commented.

Aba swallowed hard.

However, this time, Wu Zhong was not bluffing him. He was completely immune to mental illusion attacks. Even a 985-level special mental power user couldn't do anything to him, let alone the divine sense mental power in the multi-dimensional system.

What's more, he also has the Netherworld Stone, hidden within the scanner... What Long Qi is best at is actually what he fears the least.

Next, Aba provided several resupply areas, as well as some identifying features of the Michel.

Wu silently noted it down; combining this information with his divination would greatly improve his efficiency in finding his target.

However, he decided not to rush to find the other party and instead make a trip to the mercenary club's stronghold in the Pacific Ocean on the way.

The club has nine locations: four in Asia, one in Europe, one in Africa, one in North America, one in South America, and one in Oceania.

The World Tree of Oceania is located in the Solomon Islands.

"Huh? To the Solomon Islands?" Everyone was surprised.

Perrin said, "Shouldn't we hurry up and go find Michelle? What if other mercenary groups beat us to it?"

Arrest warrants must be issued swiftly, especially for targets that are being pursued by multiple teams.

However, Wu Zhong weighed the Fountain of Youth crystal in his hand: "Why keep money as a trophy for others instead of spending it? It's completely useless to have it on me."

"Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. As long as we are strong enough, we will have nothing to fear from any changes."

"Even if other mercenary groups beat us to it, we'll wipe them all out."

Everyone thought that made sense; since they had tortoise shells to find people, they weren't afraid of losing them.

Even if they arrive late, they might get lucky and snatch something away from the crowd. They can take their time and improve themselves first.

After a ten-day voyage, they arrived at the mercenary stronghold in Oceania.

Solomon Islands, Honiara World Tree.

……

(End of this chapter)