Virus King - Chapter 227

Chapter 227: Hell-level Dungeon: Plague Sewer!

TL: YYang

After meticulously working out the details of a new gameplay system, Chen Bai spent considerable time helping Song Ziqiong further develop her abilities. In the process, he also explored some unique situations arising from empathic resonance and the condensation of her Misfortune Avatar. Only after these matters were settled did Chen Bai finally step out of the villa.

Standing at the estuary of the Yangtze River near East Mountain, he noted that the location for the villa of the sisters, Yan Xue and Yan Qi, had already been chosen. Yet, within the Hell King’s Ring, Satan seemed preoccupied, guiding the soul sisters in mastering new abilities.

The sisters had no intention of emerging for now, so Chen Bai did not rush to install the magical villa that would integrate with the local spirit-bound entities.

Not far ahead of him lay the entrance to the old sewer.

This area, once desolate, was now thriving and bustling.

Song Ziqiong’s abilities were undeniable.

Within the scope of White Emperor City, the first noteworthy secret realm dungeon was this low-level, ordinary-grade instance: “Old Sewer.”

It was precisely this fixed dungeon that significantly accelerated the power progression of White Emperor City’s evolvers.

After all, the creatures lurking in the old sewer were the Plague Giant Rats. Countless videos detailing strategies to conquer this dungeon had been thoroughly analyzed by eager participants.

The evolvers had grown exceptionally familiar with these Plague Giant Rats, having cleared the dungeon innumerable times.

As such, the entrance to the old sewer had become a hub of activity. Ordinary evolvers needed to pay an entry fee of 20 copper coins per attempt, though the city’s guard evolvers were exempt from this requirement.

This entry fee served as a crucial revenue stream for White Emperor City.

In truth, Song Ziqiong wasn’t particularly exploitative—20 copper coins weren’t much at all.

Slaying enough Plague Rats in the dungeon would typically yield this amount as a reward.

For ordinary evolvers, dungeon entry was generally a team endeavor. While loot distribution and ticket costs were shared, a lucky drop of a rare item—such as the Plague Set’s Bird Beak Mask, a replica of the one White Emperor himself once wore—could lead to a massive profit.

Although the Plague Set had become more common due to the dungeon’s frequent farming, the Bird Beak Mask remained scarce. Any appearance of it would fetch a minimum of one gold coin among the city’s elite or wealthy evolvers.

Thus, the old sewer dungeon entrance had become one of White Emperor City’s most bustling locales.

The vibrant trading and calls of merchants had transformed the sewer entrance into a lively marketplace.

A post-apocalyptic, wasteland-themed marketplace, perhaps?

Chen Bai found this evolution remarkably satisfying.

Behind him were only Leng Shuang and a few trusted confidants from his original team. Song Ziqiong, having been pushed to her limits back at the villa, required some time to recover.

Many gazes turned toward them. The evolvers in the area naturally recognized Leng Shuang, and even those unfamiliar with Chen Bai could easily infer his identity. After all, anyone treated with such deference by Leng Shuang could only be the legendary White Emperor.

Immediately, countless eyes burned with admiration and respect. Yet, no one dared to approach. Over time, the apocalypse had deeply instilled reverence for the strong and a keen awareness of the harsh hierarchies that now defined their world.

“Master, the Plague Sewer was fully formed five days ago. Its entrance lies deeper within the old sewer dungeon, though it remains sealed off for now,” Leng Shuang reported.

“Mm, you don’t need to follow me. Return to the villa,” Chen Bai replied casually.

As he stepped toward the sewer, Leng Shuang hesitated and spoke:

“Master, the Plague Sewer is a Hell-level Dungeon with an entry requirement of Level 15 to 35. It’s extremely dangerous. If you plan to venture in, allow me to accompany you!”

Chen Bai chuckled. He could certainly imagine the dangers lurking within the Plague Sewer.

Without the powers of the Abyssal Overlord, he might have reconsidered entering. After all, no one would gamble recklessly with their life.

Yet, the earnestness in Leng Shuang’s offer to follow him—despite the apparent risk—pleased Chen Bai greatly. Whether her loyalty was genuine or feigned, her willingness to risk her life demonstrated her value as a short-haired, long-legged, and coldly beautiful bodyguard.

“Don’t worry,” Chen Bai said with a smile. “I’m not so easily killed. Be good and wait for me. Once I have the time, I’ll take you to a place where your professional abilities can be fully developed!”

The place he referred to was, of course, the Abyss.

In his previous life, Chen Bai regretted that after transferring to the Demon Hunter profession, entering the Abyss again became exceedingly difficult. If he had been able to continuously hunt demons, his strength would have grown far faster.

Becoming the Abyssal Overlord meant that, in a strict sense, the demons within the Abyss were considered Chen Bai’s subjects. However, a horde of berserk and bloodthirsty so-called subjects held far less appeal than loyal and useful allies.

With this thought in mind, Chen Bai gestured for Leng Shuang and the other confidants to leave. Alone, he proceeded to delve deeper into the sewer system.

Finally, in the depths of a branching pipeline, a peculiar dark green vortex appeared before him.

From within the swirling vortex, Chen Bai could feel the searing presence of a terrifying aura boiling forth.

This aura was unmistakable to him.

It was none other than the unmistakable Plague’s Wave!

Chen Bai’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

The decay and infectious spread caused by the corpse of the Plague Apostle from the Cult of the Plague had, as expected, catalyzed the formation of the Plague Sewer. Under the influence of the fungal plague virus, a crucial chemical reaction had occurred.

This was the true origin of this Hell-level Dungeon.

The Cult of the Plague. The Plague Apostle.

The death of a single Apostle’s corpse had birthed a dungeon of such a caliber. Clearly, even after completing his transfer and advancing to his SSS-Rank Quest: Cult of the Plague, Chen Bai needed to pay more attention to thoroughly studying this phenomenon.

This marked the first true Hell-level Dungeon he had encountered in this lifetime.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Bai strode forward with resolute determination, stepping directly into the swirling dark green vortex.

…

[You have entered the Hell-level Dungeon: Plague Sewer (Level 15-35)!]

[Warning: You are exposed to fungal viral infection. Your Constitution attribute temporarily decreases by 3 points per second.]

“Hiss—no wonder it’s a Hell-level Dungeon!” Chen Bai couldn’t help but marvel at the difficulty.

However, before he could dwell on the thought, another prompt appeared:

[Virus Sovereign Talent Activated: You are immune to all plague-related viral infections. Absorbing airborne plague virus… evolution points +2.]

A grin spread across Chen Bai’s face.

“Looks like this dungeon will be quite profitable.”