I Can Control Resources

...

That night, Zone 118 blew up.

Literally.

Yutian, leading eight high-tier powerhouses, had forcibly blasted a twentieth of Zone 118 to smithereens.

As for the results of this explosive endeavor...

There were, admittedly, some gains.

They found eight attribute raw materials.

But compared to the cost, the gains hardly covered the expenses. After all, including Yutian, a total of nine high-tier experts had been deployed.

Moreover, they had brought a massive amount of explosives.

So, Yutian’s face was dark.

"Bombing rocks, my ass! That girl Zhang Hongying is getting more and more out of line. How dare she fool an old man like me?!" Yutian was furious. Upon returning to the Underground City, he stormed directly into Zhang Hongying’s office.

However, the resulting commotion wasn’t as big as one might have imagined.

In short, it was a "battle" full of thunder but with little rain. What exactly happened between them, no third person knew.

Meanwhile, Gao Neng, the culprit behind this whole affair, had already left at the crack of dawn with Shen Ning’Er, Fang Tangtang, and Gao Xiaomeng.

Today’s mission was a daunting one.

He had to be at one hundred and twenty percent focus.

Destination: Zone 317.

This was a forbidden zone that hadn’t been discovered for very long. It was also designated as C-Class, but very little of its area had actually been developed.

In a way, this made it even more dangerous than Zone 93 and Zone 118.

Gao Neng’s reason for choosing Zone 317 was simple.

According to his panoramic map, it was one of the C-Class zones with the most attribute raw materials, though it was a bit far from the main district of the Underground City.

But distance, generally speaking, wasn’t a major issue.

As usual, Gao Neng rode on Shen Ning’Er’s mecha-motorcycle, while Fang Tangtang took Gao Xiaomeng, and the group sped toward the city gate.

By the time the Dragon List Geniuses woke up, Gao Neng’s group had already reached the gate of the Underground City.

"Gao Neng’s group chose Zone 317!"

"They’ve switched locations again!"

"I heard Governor Yun and the others went to Zone 118 last night, but didn’t find much!"

"This time, let’s follow Gao Neng and see how he finds those attribute raw materials. I refuse to believe that every new place he goes to just happens to be a hotspot for evolutionary energy!"

"Let’s go!"

A large wave of Dragon List Geniuses set out one after another.

This time, they had learned their lesson. Zone 118 was a bust, and Zone 93 yielded nothing, so they naturally chose to follow in Gao Neng’s footsteps and explore Zone 317.

Shaximo’s feelings were, in fact, complicated.

’Aren’t we just being copycats?’

He was hesitating, but just then, Yi Qingge and Yi Qinglian appeared before him.

"Shaximo, want to team up?" Yi Qingge’s opening was direct. The reason was that Zone 317 hadn’t been developed for long.

And since Yi Qinglian’s strength was only at Tier Six Mid Stage, it would be somewhat dangerous for the two of them to enter Zone 317 alone.

"Team up?" Shaximo glanced at Yi Qingge, then at Yi Qinglian. Without much hesitation, he quickly replied, "No problem. But if we find attribute raw materials, how do we split them?"

"You can have the first pick," Yi Qingge offered readily.

"No need. Ladies first. Let Qinglian pick first." Shaximo glanced at Yi Qinglian again, his meaning obvious.

"Little sister, what do you think?" Yi Qingge understood Shaximo’s intentions. However, since Shaximo was trying to curry favor with Yi Qinglian, he naturally had to respect her opinion.

"We’ll split it evenly," Yi Qinglian replied without a second thought.

"Alright then, we’ll split it evenly." Yi Qingge finalized the decision before Shaximo could speak. Since Yi Qinglian had no intention of taking advantage of Shaximo, it meant she had no plans to accept his advances for now. On this point, he knew his sister’s personality well.

Although Yi Qinglian could be a bit willful and proud,

she would never stoop to unscrupulously accepting benefits from a man just because he was nice to her. After all, that was a matter of character.

The three came to an agreement.

In the distance, two more figures appeared.

It was Wei Ya and Zhou Jin, ranked second and third on the Dragon List, respectively.

"Since you’re forming a team, how about adding the two of us? You can set the terms for the split," Wei Ya said, his tone just as direct.

"No problem. The terms will be an even split." This time, Yi Qingge didn’t consult Yi Qinglian, because he was the future heir of the West Alliance Yi Family.

Making friends and connections was one of his principles.

"Okay," Zhou Jin nodded.

This group of five, who could be called the top squad among the Dragon List Geniuses, soon departed in an off-road vehicle with Yi Qingge at the wheel.

Meanwhile, similar scenes were unfolding elsewhere.

Lin Ying had the best relationship with the people from the Military Department.

So, naturally, they brought along Wang Jun and other geniuses from the Military Department. This group also formed a team of five and was by no means weak in terms of strength.

As for the other teams...

Most were also composed of S-Rank and A-Rank individuals.

There weren’t many B-Rank and C-Rank teams.

After all, no one was a fool. Attribute materials were very tempting, but without a guarantee of safety, they wouldn’t normally risk venturing into a dangerous area.

Even so, the number of Dragon List Genius teams heading to Zone 317 today reached ten. A few of these teams had more than ten members, so the total number of people was nearly seventy.

This news spread quickly throughout the Underground City.

The adventuring parties in the Underground City also immediately began to rush toward Zone 317. Most of these parties had high-tier experts among them.

Therefore, Zone 317 was destined to undergo a great trial by fire today.

Yutian and a few other high-tier experts stood on a high point in the Underground City.

His gaze followed the teams departing for Zone 317 as he sighed inwardly. ’Has Gao Neng single-handedly started such a trend?’

"Lord Governor, with so many people flooding into Zone 317, it would be bad if something were to happen," one of the high-tier experts said with concern.

With more people, the safety factor should indeed be higher.

But with too many people...

...it was a different story.

Because if a serious danger emerged—for example, if a Tier Eight or even Tier Nine Dark Creature was hiding in Zone 317—it would be a catastrophe. A large portion of the people who went could be killed or injured.

"Yes, we need to take some precautions. I should probably go myself," Yutian nodded.

"Lord Governor, you’ve already been out for two consecutive days. Why don’t you let us go this time?" The high-tier expert was actually a bit speechless.

Ever since Gao Neng arrived in the Underground City,

the entire place had descended into a state of madness.

Yutian himself hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in two days.

"Forget it, I’ll go. Call up the others," Yutian said, shaking his head. He wanted to rest too, but the problem was, he couldn’t.

"Yes, sir!"

...

Zone 317 was indeed farther than the other zones near the main district of the Underground City. It could be said to be almost at the center of the wilderness zones.

Even with Shen Ning’Er and Fang Tangtang driving at full speed, the journey took two and a half hours.

Moreover, the main thing that set Zone 317 apart from Zone 93 and Zone 118 was that it contained an Underground Swamp.

As for why a swamp would appear underground, the explanation is complicated... and won’t be explained here either.

But what was certain was that Zone 317 wasn’t just composed of hard rock. Due to the presence of the Underground Swamp, Zone 317 had some green moss and other flora.

When the Human Alliance first discovered Zone 317, they had actually intended to designate it as a B-Class or even A-Class forbidden zone.

However, after several explorations failed to uncover any significant dangers—at most, a few Tier Seven Dark Creatures—it was tentatively designated as C-Class after some discussion.

Tier Six Late Stage and Tier Seven individuals were permitted to enter.

Of course, if entering as a multi-person team, the requirements were slightly more relaxed.

When Gao Neng and his group arrived, it was already after 10:00 AM.

The edge of Zone 317 was still composed of hard rock, but compared to other zones, the air was slightly more humid.

Therefore, the temperature was also colder.

Gao Neng’s clothes weren’t particularly thick, but they were sufficient to ward off the cold.

The same was true for Shen Ning’Er.

With a fine leather jacket and a backpack, she was traveling light.

Fang Tangtang, however, was a little different. Over her combat suit, she wore a thick, pink, cotton-padded coat.

"Meow." Upon arriving at Zone 317, Gao Xiaomeng let out a cry, a hint of excitement in her expression.

Gao Neng didn’t pay it much mind.

He began to calculate their route based on the images in his mind. His first choice of area was naturally the pile of rubble closest to him.

If he recalled correctly, not far from the rubble pile was a small, deep trench, and hidden within that trench were 23 attribute raw materials.

’Alright, time to put on a show!’

As was his custom, he first sent the Tier Seven genetic weapon ahead to clear the path.

Gao Neng and the others followed behind.

There wasn’t much light here, but having been out a few times now, Gao Neng was experienced. He had already embedded several illuminating gems on his arm.

This served as their lighting.

And just after Gao Neng’s group stepped into Zone 317, two figures appeared where they had just been standing. One was Li Tiannan, the other was Sword Elder.

"This little rascal is quite cautious, knows to use a genetic weapon to clear the way." Li Tiannan watched the spot where Gao Neng had disappeared, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I was watching closely just now. When the kid went in, he didn’t use his Spiritual Power to scout first. Although scouting with Spiritual Power is very difficult in the Underground City’s forbidden zones, to go in without scouting at all... that’s a bit strange," Sword Elder said, also looking at where the group had vanished, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Heh, who cares? Let’s just watch from behind. Honestly, there’s no way that kid couldn’t have guessed we’d follow," Li Tiannan said dismissively.

"He can detect us?"

"No, he guessed!"

"Guessed? Hmm, that’s possible. After all, your acting yesterday was pretty mediocre."

"Better than yours!" Li Tiannan retorted with disdain, then narrowed his eyes slightly. "Let him guess then. I just want to see how this kid plans to put on a show, knowing we’re following him!"

"Then let’s watch," Sword Elder nodded, a hint of anticipation also showing on his face.