Chapter 122: Do you really think I would play by your rules?

Ye Hai and his group were settled into the headquarters of the Shesha Sect.

Kurs told Ye Hai that the opening time for the Sanctuary of Miracles was never fixed; everyone had to wait until it opened to enter. Furthermore, those who had already entered the Sanctuary were forbidden from entering again.

Ye Hai scoffed at this. If his hypothesis was correct, the so-called Sanctuary was accessible at any time. The Shesha Sect was merely concerned that the ARMY-3 below had not yet fully entered hibernation, which would lead to unnecessary trouble. As for why re-entry was prohibited, Ye Hai had yet to figure that out.

He remained unclear as to why Qi Beishan had proposed this competition. According to Kurs, there had never been such a tradition before. Ye Hai had briefly suspected that the Shesha Sect was targeting his group, but after learning about the deep-seated grudges between the various high priests, he abandoned this thought. These high priests hated each other so much they would love to see their rivals wiped out; it was highly unlikely they would collaborate to set a trap for him. Moreover, Ye Hai believed his Corpse Hunter organization had kept a low profile since arriving at the Ironwood Forest black market and had never provoked the Shesha Sect. He could find no reason for the sect to single him out.

If it wasn't aimed at the Corpse Hunters, the most likely scenario was that some unknown change had occurred among the four high priests. To this end, Ye Hai had sent people to the territories of the other high priests to gather intelligence, but with little success. The survivors there could barely make contact with the Shesha sectarians; although they lived in close proximity, they were essentially worlds apart.

However, Ye Hai was not overly worried. His soldiers were more than capable of easily defeating the participants sent by the other high priests. Even if the others used some means to enhance their combat power, Ye Hai did not believe the Shesha Sect possessed the same technology as ARMY-3 to drastically improve the abilities of ordinary people. If they did, these high priests would certainly not have much stock left, or else Qi Beishan would not need to enlist Ye Hai's strength.

During this time, Zera had been the busiest of them all, traveling between the territories of the various high priests to preach. He soon gained a large number of followers by offering supplies and food. The name of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster had even gained some notoriety in the other territories. Ye Hai had specifically warned him not to cause trouble in Qi Beishan's territory, as it would be difficult to handle if discovered. Collecting followers in the lands of the other three high priests, however, was something Ye Hai believed Qi Beishan would be happy to see.

The Dusa rebels captured along the way now came in handy. After being controlled by Ye Hai through parasites, they were kept within the biochemical fortress, perfectly positioned to oversee the new converts of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Finally, after a week of blending into the Ironwood Forest black market, Qi Beishan sent word that Ye Hai and his group were to prepare for battle. The rules were simple: each high priest would dispatch five hundred people, totaling two thousand, for a three-day hunting period on the surface. Any weapons and equipment could be used until half the participants were dead. Each contestant was fitted with a life-sign detector; once someone died or the device fell off, the four high priests could receive the signal and determine how many were still alive. The moment the number dropped below one thousand, the competition would end, and everyone could return underground.

In such extreme, freezing weather, most people would not last until the third day. The entire Ironwood Forest black market served as the battlefield, but food, water, and cold-weather gear would only be distributed at a single location. If one did not want to die of hunger, thirst, or cold, they had to congregate at the supply drop point. This was designed to prevent people from hiding away with stolen supplies and waiting for everyone else to perish.

Ye Hai, like everyone else, was stripped down to nothing but a pair of briefs and thrown into the freezing wilderness. Anyone wishing to enter the Sanctuary had to accept this cruel trial. The two hundred-plus Corpse Hunter soldiers, along with Lister and Javier, emerged from the black market tunnels in their underwear. Each person was given only one gun and a small energy cell—enough for roughly ten shots before the power was exhausted. Only Liana was granted the leniency of keeping her clothes because she was a woman. Ye Hai had to admit that the Shesha Sect showed a shred of humanity here—until a shout from behind made him retract that thought.

"Damn it, that old fox Qi Beishan..." Ye Hai cursed. "I just said the Shesha Sect knew how to respect women! My brain must be frozen to have thought that."

Ye Hai turned to see three hundred survivors following them. They were, without a doubt, the representatives for the Azure High Priest, Qi Beishan, selected from the strongest among the survivors. They pointed their guns at Ye Hai and his two hundred men, shouting, "You outsider trash, take off all your clothes! Especially that woman's cotton jacket—hand it over! And the energy cells! Otherwise, this is the end of you!"

Ye Hai looked at their shivering forms and realized the primary goal was to strip Liana bare; the energy cells were just a bonus. But when he noticed them staring hungrily at the underwear of his soldiers, Ye Hai looked down at his own briefs and asked in surprise, "You want our underwear too?"

The leader of the group glared, trying to maintain a menacing look while shivering violently, and stammered, "D-don't... don't talk back! W-w-we want it all!"

Ye Hai rubbed his forehead. He had overestimated the integrity of these survivors. To think they would resort to highway robbery for underwear—it truly opened his eyes. Glancing back at the tunnel entrance, he saw that the Holy Crusader guards had already departed, and this group had wasted no time baring their fangs.

Since that was the case, it was time to cheat. With a thought from Ye Hai, a giant eel burst from the frozen earth, swallowing more than half of the huddled group in one gulp. Moments later, five hundred fully armed Dusa rebels emerged from the beast's mouth, their weapons trained on the remaining survivors.

Ye Hai waved his hand. "Let's go, time to get dressed! This freezing weather is unbearable. Round up the rest of these people—once we implant them with parasites, they'll be useful."