“You’re really willing to risk your life like this?” Ji Xun pointed at the monster’s corpse and said, “I think this monster dropped some materials.”

The difficulty of this level wasn’t in figuring out the solution, but having the courage to actually try it.

The mechanical arm girl looked at Ji Xun with a hint of doubt in her eyes. But she took out a dagger, expertly cut open the monster’s chest, and took out a heart filled with green crystals.

[Double Mutated Heart of the Gambler]

[Quality: Extraordinary Radiant Silver]

[Description: A rare and mysterious material of the curse attribute, it contains an extremely powerful curse contamination power, capable of unleashing maximum physical explosion power and speed.]

Holding the heart in her hand, the girl could clearly feel the surging energy within, and found it incredible.

For a first tier material, it had such strength that she had never seen before.

“It’s no worse than my previous Witch’s Pituitary Gland,” she said. “This is a top-tier material for almost all physical classes. If you want to level up in melee combat, I haven’t seen better material at the same level.”

Saying this, she looked at Ji Xun and added, “I’ll keep it safe for you.”

Storing such high-level materials required a high-quality storage card, and it was clear that her teammate couldn’t afford one with his current equipment.

“Thank you,” Ji Xun replied, not being polite.

This material was obviously valuable, and keeping it would be a good addition to his assets in this new world, regardless of whether it had any use or not.

Moreover, his teammate was generous enough to not ask for a share of the spoils despite not participating in killing the monster.

…

As more and more questions filled her mind, the mechanical arm girl carefully stored the heart and handed a card to Ji Xun. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, “How did you determine that the Witch’s Gaze could kill this monster?”

Although her tone was calm, her longing for knowledge within was overflowing.

Someone who was not even a transcendent being managed to kill an A-level Cataclysm by themselves, which was simply a miracle.

At this moment, she fully understood what Ji Xun meant by “making a bet” with her before.

Judging from the results, her teammate’s confidence was not solely based on luck.

Hearing her inquiry, Ji Xun, without hiding anything, calmly replied, “Let’s change our perspective.”

He continued, “If we think from the perspective of an adventurer, we will naturally focus on solving this level. But if we think from the perspective of the designer, we would consider how to design the level. It needs to be challenging enough, but not impossible for players to pass. That’s the only way to ensure that the skills and items obtained from the previous levels can be used in the future levels. The skill card is the key to connecting the subsequent levels.”

The mechanical arm girl listened attentively, her brow furrowing in deep thought.

Behind Ji Xun’s calm tone, she sensed remarkable qualities: extreme calmness, intelligence, and meticulous logical thinking.

And madness.

Ji Xun continued, “From the moment I noticed the problem with the wall, I guessed that this interdimensional space had a very clever and logically rigorous level design. There are four floors in the dungeon, each with a B-level Cataclysm that is significantly stronger than the others. With this level of difficulty, the boss must be related to the subsequent levels…”

The girl also had sharp wit, and she seemed to immediately know what he wanted to say. But she interrupted, “What if, I mean, what if there is no connection at all?”

Ji Xun smiled mysteriously, hinting at something deeper. “Without any connection, those elaborate designs would be meaningless.”

He added, “Moreover, if there is no connection, do you think anyone can survive under the A-level Cataclysm after going through the mutation? If I’m not mistaken, the normal clearing process should be that someone kills the A-level Corrupted Giant on the first floor, then gets a critical item to kill the second-floor Fallen Witch, and so on. The levels are like iron gates that require corresponding keys to open. And these Cataclysms serve as the keys.”

“But we don’t have…” The girl wanted to say that they didn’t go to the first floor, but she stopped midway.

Ji Xun filled in the reason for her, “Because you are too powerful.”

Her teammate was powerful enough to directly kill the Cataclysm on the second floor, which allowed them to skip levels.

From this perspective, her teammate’s abilities were indeed extraordinary.

Even when they were chosen by the gambler, his calmness made her almost certain that he had other means of escaping.

…

Upon hearing what seemed like a compliment, the girl didn’t feel joy but instead fell into deep thought.

Even though they hadn’t communicated much, she felt as if this man had seen through her secrets.

With this explanation, their train of thought became clear.

But there was still one question.

“What if you guessed wrong?” she asked.

Ji Xun fell silent for a moment and didn’t answer.

The girl initially thought he was hiding something, but after the silence, she heard a serene response.

“That’s why there’s an element of gambling involved.”

Ji Xun’s brow twitched, then he smiled indifferently.

Indeed, everything was just speculation until it was confirmed, and verification involved risks.

But in his eyes, there were things more interesting than death.

…

“Bang, bang, bang…”

Gunshots occasionally echoed in the dim laboratory. A group of Blackwater mercenaries who had previously fled unexpectedly encountered trouble.

After collecting the spoils from the Cataclysm, Ji Xun called out, “Let’s go, let’s check out what’s ahead.”

They had guessed correctly on this level, so the following levels would be like an open book for Ji Xun.

Though unsure of what they would face, he had confidence.

The mechanical arm girl didn’t say anything but silently agreed.

At this point, if she still couldn’t grasp the fact that her teammate was not as weak as he appeared, then it was her own problem.

But the old question resurfaced. How could someone with such intelligence be so reckless as to venture into this interdimensional space alone? And even spend a night with that witch?

Could it be… he was seeking some kind of special excitement?

Normal people wouldn’t risk their lives like this.

But this guy was so crazy that she couldn’t rule it out…

Moreover, the facts were right in front of her eyes. He slept with the “witch” and made it out alive!

The girl quickly dismissed those strange thoughts from her mind.

But she couldn’t deny that he did have extraordinary qualities.

…

The two of them walked through the corridors of the laboratory, occasionally exploring various areas, searching for clues while also collecting loot from the mercenaries they encountered along the way.

They walked and searched for small items.

It seemed that the “Battle Royale” mode had turned into an “exploration mode.”

The mechanical arm girl found it strange. She didn’t know when exactly, but since killing the Gambler, that feeling of looming death had faded away.

Upon careful thought, it seemed that the feeling had come after defeating the Gambler.

It was as if composure could be contagious; her partner had never been seen panicking.

Every time they encountered a crisis, he was able to turn the danger into safety. That feeling…

However, as her thoughts drifted, the sound of hurried footsteps and anxious curses suddenly came from a distance.

“Captain, Ah Kun’s leg got cut off…”

“Fuck, did any of you see where the monster is? Kill that thing for me!”

“No, we didn’t see the monster. It should be the Unknown Cataclysm on the fourth floor!”

“Help me, Captain, don’t leave me behind!!!”

…

The laboratory corridors were closed and confined, and the sound traveled far.

Even before anyone could see them, they could hear the roars and cries.

Ji Xun, fully focused, gazed at the scene, his eyes sharpening.

The mechanical arm girl, realizing something was happening, said with a solemn expression, “There is a powerful Cataclysm nearby… stronger than the Gambler!”

Ji Xun naturally couldn’t let his guard down.

But if someone else stepped on a landmine, it would save them a lot of trouble.

He thought of what to do, then suddenly drew his pistol and pulled the trigger, extinguishing one of the gas lamps above their heads.

With a loud “bang,” the light went out.

A corner of the corridor sank into darkness.

Ji Xun looked at his teammate, who had entered combat mode, and shook his head as a signal. He pulled her into the darkness, saying, “Let’s assess the situation first.”

The mechanical arm girl hesitated for a moment, then chose to trust him and refrained from asking further questions.

The two figures silently retreated into the darkness.

…

After a few moments, the sound got closer and closer.

The two watched as a bald strongman and four mercenaries, as if being chased by something, ran back in panic without a clear direction.

There were originally over ten people, but now only four remained.

And as they ran, a strange scene unfolded.

Without any warning, the head of the last mercenary suddenly flew into the air, blood sprayed like a fountain, and the person collapsed to the ground.

The neck had been cut, leaving a smooth, bladed wound.

Ji Xun watched with complete concentration, his gaze sharpening.