This news spread quickly within the First and Second Regiments and even reached the Su Clan. Huo Zhi also allowed Su Clan members to participate.
The target of the suicide mission was to explore the Half-Abyss Demon Cave!
Everyone understood the dangers there. The current silence did not mean safety—quite the opposite. Such stillness often heralded a major crisis.
Not only the small clan alliance but also the Su Clan had planned to send exploratory teams. They could not afford to leave such an unsettling place untouched. Once it erupted, it would directly threaten the security of the entire camp.
Taking the initiative was always better than being passive.
Ye Zhongming's recruitment method, however, caught them somewhat off guard. As a result, many Su Clan warriors spent their rest time carefully reading the recruitment notice.
"Objective: explore the Half-Abyss Demon Cave. Duration: three days…"
The first part of the notice outlined the mission's objectives, timeline, procedures, and desired outcomes. Most were not particularly interested in these details. What caught their attention were the rewards.
People often took on tasks and saw various reward structures, but the one Ye Zhongming offered was rather… unique.
Rewards were calculated by distance.
"One hundred meters in… reward 200 Moonspan Gold. Two hundred meters in… an additional 400 Moonspan Gold. Three hundred meters in… 800 Moonspan Gold. Four hundred meters in… 1,000 Moonspan Gold. Five hundred meters in… 2,000 Moonspan Gold. Six hundred meters in… 3,000 Moonspan Gold! Seven hundred meters in… 5,000 Moonspan Gold. Eight hundred meters in… 7,000 Moonspan Gold. One thousand meters in… 10,000 Moonspan Gold!"
Just the first section left them speechless with astonishment.
To put it simply: if a person reached one thousand meters and gathered the required information as planned, they would earn 10,000 Moonspan Gold!
How far was one thousand meters? A warrior running at full speed could cover it in about half a minute!
Was this money too easy to earn?
That was only the first section. Beyond that, for every additional one hundred meters, the reward increased by 2,000 Moonspan Gold. Upon reaching each thousand-meter milestone, the increment jumped from 2,000 to 5,000 Moonspan Gold.
Additionally, every warrior who entered would receive a full set of Ke Steel-grade equipment. Those with combat power exceeding 50,000 would receive a full set of Red Condensation-grade gear.
Of course, these were loaned. If they returned alive, they would have to hand them back.
However, if they achieved something recognized as significant—such as obtaining critical information—they could keep one or even several pieces.
Everyone was tempted, even though they knew the dangers within.
It was a remarkably profitable venture.
To prevent abuses, the notice also included many conditions.
For example, exploration could be conducted individually or in teams, but each registered unit could explore only one cave. If no danger was encountered, they had to continue at least until reaching ten thousand meters before turning back. If danger arose, they could retreat at any time. Their equipment would record all of this and could not be falsified.
For example, after a cave was explored, if another team or individual wanted to enter, their rewards would be calculated based on the farthest distance previously reached. Of course, if anomalies reappeared, the calculation would start at the point where they occurred.
For example, if a participant died, the rewards would be distributed to their family, along with additional compensation. The amount of compensation would be determined by their strength, the progress of their exploration, and the value of the information they had gathered.
For example, there were requirements for the strength and characteristics of explorers. Not just anyone could enter. They had to be either highly skilled or possess certain reconnaissance-related abilities.
Many other detailed conditions were in place, mostly to prevent fraudulent claims of rewards.
At the end of the notice, Ye Zhongming appeared in a recorded video, explaining the potential dangers and urging everyone to think carefully. He explicitly stated that this mission might be a matter of life and death.
Undeniably, the notice tempted many. It offered an opportunity for gain, but the dangers were equally great. Many found themselves struggling to decide.
But soon, people began signing up—quite a few, in fact. The Star-Eye Clan and Ye Zhongming initially planned to explore only ten caves, with a minimum of one person and a maximum of ten per cave. The slots were limited. Those who hesitated would lose the chance.
Ye Zhongming and White Robe quickly selected ten units from the applicants. Two were solo explorers; the rest were full ten-person squads.
After the list of the ten units and their brief profiles was made public, others had no complaints. By any measure, these individuals were better suited for the mission.
The exploration began immediately. After collecting their equipment, the teams entered the Half-Abyss Demon Cave. Ye Zhongming, meanwhile, began setting up formations on the downward slope from the base to the caves, making thorough preparations.
Though the reward distance did not seem too far, everyone knew the ten units would not return quickly. They would proceed with extreme caution.
Good rewards meant nothing if one did not survive to claim them.
Hundreds of people stood near the cave entrances, on alert while monitoring the exploration through various instruments.
By the time Ye Zhongming had finished setting up formations across the entire slope, not a single exploration unit had emerged.
Ye Zhongming had spent several hours on his setup. In that time, should not some have already reached the ten-thousand-meter limit and returned? Why was there no sign of them? Had greed gotten the better of them, pushing them to go further for greater rewards?
Ye Zhongming, forgoing rest, rushed to the cave entrances, where White Robe was in charge.
"What's happened? Has something gone wrong?"
In response to Ye Zhongming's question, White Robe's brows were deeply furrowed. He spoke gravely. "Things went smoothly at first. The ten units covered over two hundred meters in ten minutes. After all, they had to gather information, collect specimens, and so on—especially the solo explorers, who needed even more time. Ten minutes to cover that distance was already very fast."
"But the smooth progress only lasted until about five hundred meters. After that, the signal deteriorated sharply. The units reported that the passages became fragmented, with many branching paths. There also seemed to be some kind of intense interference that rendered the reconnaissance robots useless. Even our communications with them were lost, one by one."
White Robe checked the time. "The first unit to lose contact was in Cave No. 3, at around 670 meters, thirty-seven minutes in. Then, gradually, more signals were lost. Finally, an hour ago, the last unit—the squad in Cave No. 1—also went silent. They had reached over 2,500 meters. There were many branching paths, and they had chosen what seemed to be the main route heading forward."
"Simultaneous unknown interference but staggered loss of contact? And before losing contact, did any of them encounter danger?" Ye Zhongming asked suspiciously.
