Ashen God
Chapter 141 - 140 Crimson Iron Ant Nest

Chapter 141: Chapter 140 Crimson Iron Ant Nest

This was primarily thanks to the stability of the Heaven and Earth Creation Technique. As long as one stayed still, whether sitting, lying down, or even standing on one’s head to practice the Cultivation Technique, there was no problem at all. Moreover, one needn’t fear being disturbed. As long as the surrounding environment wasn’t noisy enough to burst eardrums, there were basically no significant issues.

And the speed of entering and exiting cultivation had been specially optimized. It could be completed in a matter of seconds. Whether the bus was arriving at its stop or there was a sudden need to use the restroom, there would be no delay.

Moments later, as the bus reached its stop, Zhang Yanhang couldn’t wait to disembark and start walking back.

October 9, the first day after the end of the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays, 8:15 PM, in the living room of Unit 702, Building 6, East River District.

Just as described in the options, Zhang Yanhang made his way unobstructed into the living room of Unit 702 in Building 6, Unit 3 of the East River District. As for the door lock, he would restore it after using Alchemy to open it, mainly to prevent others from noticing anything amiss and calling the police.

Standing in the living room of Unit 702, Zhang Yanhang looked around and couldn’t help but sigh, "Ah, I’ve ultimately succumbed to the temptation of the Transmission Channel and embarked on this illegal path. What’s the sentence for breaking into houses? According to the Empire’s Criminal Law Article 245, it seems to be imprisonment for no more than three years or detention..."

"But in normal cases, there is a principle that officials do not investigate matters not reported by civilians. As long as one isn’t discovered, or doesn’t cause significant damage to the interior or steal property, it’s fine. Someone like me, who doesn’t do anything after coming in, would probably only be detained for ten days to half a month if discovered."

Zhang Yanhang observed the surrounding environment. Judging from the thickness of the dust on the floor, it had been at least half a month since anyone had lived here. Therefore, he didn’t have to worry about the awkward situation of being caught by the homeowner upon his return from the Ashen World.

Besides counting on luck, Zhang Yanhang also had a backup plan. He had noticed information about renting the place near the doorway. He planned to contact the landlord after returning from the Ashen World to see if he could rent the place.

After all, if there was a Transmission Channel here, he would definitely need to come here often.

He couldn’t always rely on Alchemy to pick locks every time he came here, right? As the saying goes, "you can’t get near the water without getting your shoes wet." What if, while he was picking the lock and breaking in with Alchemy, he was discovered by an Awakener with special abilities who then reported him to the police?

There are more than 20,000 Awakeners in Qin Island City, many with special abilities. It’s possible that some idly frustrated individual with special powers might just stumble upon Zhang Yanhang’s criminal act and report him.

Although the likelihood of this happening is indeed small, there’s still a chance it could happen. He had to prevent potential issues before they arose.

It’s not as if Zhang Yanhang was short on money. The apartment was only seventy to eighty square meters, which he could easily afford given his current subsistence allowance.

Aside from eating, he had no other expenses. He neither bought clothes nor luxury items, nor did he have the same pressures as other adults to pay car loans or mortgages.

His cash flow was not only healthy but also exceptionally stable (every month on the 13th, the relevant department would deposit 8,217 yuan into his account, with regular adjustments based on the local average salary, which could only increase and not decrease). So, he didn’t mind using part of the money to rent an apartment.

More importantly, since the landlord wanted to rent out the place, what if someone else rents it if Zhang Yanhang didn’t? According to the schedule for the Transmission Channel’s activation, if someone had rented the place, by this time, they would have already finished work and returned home. Not knowing the Invisibility Technique, how would he enter the Ashen World in front of the tenant?

If Zhang Yanhang dared to break in, the tenant would probably call the police the moment he entered. Then, the relevant authorities would send their official Awakeners to catch him. If things escalated to that level, it was no longer a matter of embarrassment, but of how long the sentence would be.

Of course, solving the issue with the tenant wouldn’t be difficult—it would just take money. As long as the offer was generous enough, any tenant would agree to let a stranger move freely in and out of their home.

But then again, if he had enough money to bribe the tenant, why not rent the place directly? Therefore, the only complete solution was to rent the apartment himself.

Having resolved to rent the apartment as soon as he returned from the Ashen World, Zhang Yanhang slowly approached the Transmission Channel, which was invisible whether observed with the naked eye or through the Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil Technique.

As he neared the Transmission Channel, a familiar text option box immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Would you like to enter the Ashen World?]

[Option One: Yes (Immediately enter the Ashen World through the Transmission Channel in front of you and begin to gradually explore the Crimson Iron Ant Nest connected by this channel. During this process, you will create a new plan to clear the Crimson Iron Ant Nest, adapted to the situation.)]

[Option Two: No (Although the Transmission Channel is right in front of you, you suddenly lose interest. You still feel tired and are not completely over the fatigue left by your previous cleanup of Raccoon City. In such a state, you think perhaps going home to sleep would be the best choice.)]

[Option Three: Prepare a bit (With three hours and forty-four minutes left before the Transmission Channel closes, and finding that there is still plenty of time, you decide to take some time to prepare. After organizing the various items in your possession and having dinner, then you formally head toward the Crimson Iron Ant Nest connected by the Transmission Channel.)]

"Hmm? Only a little over three hours left? When exactly did this Transmission Channel open? Why is there only so little time left? But fortunately, I’m only going over to briefly explore the environment on the other side, so a little over three hours should be enough."

Though he had not yet officially entered the Transmission Channel, from the options, Zhang Yanhang already knew the name of the area on the other side—the Crimson Iron Ant Nest. No matter how one thought about it, the main monsters over there must be ants; otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen such a straightforward name.