Chapter 1950: Chapter 1944 Staredown

The brief interlude seemed to pass in a flash, but the relevant personnel and organizations had already begun to take action.

After assigning the tasks, Lu Ping’an did not stop; he communicated intelligence while personally leading the team in exploration.

However, after the initial gains, the subsequent floors yielded little… it seemed desolate, as if it had been looted before.

At the same time, encounters with Magic Monsters surged dramatically.

Moving downward became increasingly difficult.

The deeper they went, the more formidable the Magic Monsters became, and the number of those immune to blades and bullets was astonishing.

Initially, weapons made of Shining Stone achieved excellent results; when wielded by a Strongman, they even managed to deliver many one-hit kills.

At least a dozen of the Courtyard explorer teams had gotten lost in this maze.

“Rule-level Magic Monsters have appeared.”

“They’re incredibly tough… we can’t pierce their armor, and the venom is pointless.”

“Damn, these creatures can tunnel through walls; they can actively assimilate the floor, watch your feet.”

“The bad news is they’re strong; the good news is that even Rule-level creatures are still a bit stupid… they seem to only attack life forms within their line of sight; their perception ability at this level is surprisingly weak.”

“Another confirmed bad news is that once they lock onto you, they won’t give up; they have no concept of death or fear.”

The biggest upside is the “communication” has remained stable, and the labyrinth hasn’t interrupted the contact between these teams and squads.

Of course, this is mainly because Lu Ping’an, the “signal station,” came down himself, allowing direct communication with the “believers.”

And the intelligence that “they can tunnel through walls” might also explain why there are so many Rock Demon Monsters here… their kind could pierce through their ancestors’ fresh flesh without much restriction.

This is undoubtedly terrible information; if they were ordinary Magic Monsters, it would be fine, but encountering a group of high-level monsters in a narrow area could easily lead to a complete wipeout.

“Geography” favors the other side, making fights much harder and even simple things like defending against ambushes more challenging. It means if you are at a disadvantage and the opponent is willing to pursue you to the end, escape is essentially impossible.

“Inform all squads to prioritize stability and data collection, and stop moving down…”

The area below seems to have something that, whether it’s a treasure or some secret, has attracted too many Exotic Realm Invaders.

Pushing onward? The battle losses might be terrifyingly high, and it might not even pay off in the end.

Considering that if the so-called treasure turns out to be a “Giant’s cultural heritage” or “Giant Clan’s vaccine,” it would be quite awkward.

Given that this was once the homeland of the Giant Clan, like those old exploratory youth cartoons, working hard just to gain “their very useful treasures, which are worthless to us”… while it might be educational and entertaining for TV-watching kids, telling them not to be greedy or tomb raiders, in reality, it would be a disaster for those with huge investments.

In a rational and normal sense, this is the time to choose withdrawal.

“It has turned its attention to us.”

Lu Ping’an said out of nowhere, but the surrounding High-Tier Professionals instinctively felt a chill.

Lu Ping’an didn’t look up because he feared that the moment he saw that “Big Shot,” that entity would also see him.

Observation and interference are often mutual; that God Above Gods had already set eyes on it, and Lu Ping’an did not want to get any “closer”… for such an existence, the moment of eye contact might have already established a direct channel to squash you.

If they were ordinary Strongmen, even if they were Quasi-Gods, they should be utterly terrified because that Big Shot above could indeed crush them easily.

But Lu Ping’an had already been “squashed” by a God Above Gods before… he knew the upper limits and constraints of the opponent’s abilities; with the removal of the unknown, standing from the vantage point of the weaker, it was actually easier to make decisions.

If It could really come in, It would have done so already.

However, this doesn’t mean It cannot interfere… Lu Ping’an vividly remembered how that half-God Above Gods once interfered with Earth.

“… The things here, It values them greatly.”

At this moment, Lu Ping’an chuckled.

Since such a God Above Gods has taken an interest, the chance of the things below being a real treasure has significantly increased.

After all, when other Gods Above Gods compete and plunder this world’s resources and fragments, putting Its attention here itself constitutes a form of “resource utilization”… to such an existence, every moment of existence is an expenditure; if there’s no gain, it’s a loss, especially amidst competitions around the dining table.

“Suspend descending, do not let It intervene directly…”

On the contrary, Lu Ping’an was in no hurry; he did not want to confront a God Above Gods directly, especially as it seemed they were “digging up Its ancestral grave.”

At this moment, Lu Ping’an didn’t even intend to risk “seeing” what was below.

If he genuinely “knew,” then that God Above Gods probably wouldn’t tolerate it… after all, by merely approaching the upper reaches and not even contacting its main force, Its will already intervened.

“Activate Plan C.”

Plan C? Retreat, and cancel.

The exploration teams, receiving the order, began to head back one by one… but within Lu Ping’an’s perception range, there were still at least three teams below.

Were they trapped? It didn’t seem so.

“People die for money…”

Lu’s forces had grown too scattered with numerous mercenaries and small organizations fighting for profit. With the market price of Shining Stone rising daily, they naturally dreaded leaving.

Especially since Lu Ping’an had already mentioned that the end of the world was imminent, it was time to prepare to leave…

“… Since they want the final haul, their lives are in the fate of Heaven.”

For such “disobedience,” Lu Ping’an wasn’t particularly concerned.

Mercenaries can’t really be relied upon too much.

Those following orders retreated one after another, but the “eye” above still monitored their side…

“Okay, I’ll leave.”

After contemplating, Lu Ping’an chose the way back, and after advancing a few hundred meters upwards, the eye above was gone.

It seemed that as an Observer of the ant nest, Lu, this “Big Ant” indeed caught Its attention.

However, It didn’t seem interested in the “mortals” and “low-level professionals” of the “engineering group”…

“Have them speed up; we have no other choice… prepare everyone for evacuation, and let’s await the moment of the Doomsday.”