77: Chapter 77 There are no difficult jobs, only brave workers.

This line of cold red text pierced into Echo's eyes like a red-hot iron needle, making him nearly grind his teeth to dust.

"Capture alive."

For an assassin accustomed to killing with a single blow, this term itself was an insult.

They were terminators, not animal keepers.

Now, this devilish lord not only wanted them to do this dirty work but also to pay the price for every mistake.

Beside him, one of his two remaining confidants, a veteran assassin codenamed "Viper," let out an irrepressible low growl from his throat.

His voice was hoarse, filled with the scent of blood and exhaustion: "Guild Master, this is simply impossible! These damn things shatter at a touch, or they fight back to the death; how are we supposed to capture them alive? He is just playing with us!"

The other assassin, codenamed "Ghost," didn't speak, but the veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping his dagger and his violently heaving chest showed that his inner anger had reached its limit.

They could accept fighting to the death, but they could not endure this kind of undignified, endless torture.

Echo did not respond immediately; his gaze was fixed intently on that cold stone tablet.

Viper's questioning was like a key, instantly unlocking a corner of his mind that had always been ignored.

He had previously thought that Levi Byron's goal was their labor, intending to bind them completely with an astronomical debt and turn them into the sharpest blade of Blackstone Territory.

But now it seemed he was wrong.

Wrong, ridiculously so.

What this young lord wanted was far more than just their hands and swords.

He wanted to completely shatter the skeleton and soul of them as the "Shadow Guild" as a whole.

What is the core of an assassin organization?

It is not individual martial prowess, but tight organization, absolute trust, and efficient collaboration.

They were a pack of wolves in the darkness, relying on each other to hunt tigers many times stronger than themselves.

And every one of Levi's instructions was precisely dismantling all of this.

Cleaning up corpses could still be seen as collective labor.

But a task like "capturing alive," which required high-level cooperation and was prone to errors and mutual blame, was planting a seed of discord within them.

Furthermore, that phrase at the end, "counted towards the final performance penalty," was even more vicious.

It turned the team's failure into a shackle hanging over everyone's head.

Once someone made a mistake, everyone would have to bear the consequences.

Suspicion, resentment, quarreling... these toxins, capable of destroying any elite team, would breed and spread at the fastest speed in this claustrophobic and desperate environment.

This Levi, he not only wanted to enslave their bodies but also to corrode their hearts.

He wanted to dismantle a pack of wolves that struck fear into people's hearts into a pack of stray dogs tearing at each other for half a bite of food.

A chill shot from the soles of Echo's feet straight to his skull; this made him feel more terrified than facing a siege of thousands of magic spiders.

He took a slow breath, forcibly suppressing the surging energy and blood and the despair in his heart.

He knew he could not lose his composure; once he, the backbone of the group, collapsed, then everything would truly be over.

"Shut up." His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

He turned to the emotional Viper, and in those dead-gray eyes, a glimmer of the calmness and sharpness belonging to a top-tier assassin reignited.

"Complaining is the howl of the weak. Since it is an order, then go execute it. We are assassins, not nagging shrews."

Viper was swept by his cold gaze and subconsciously shut his mouth, but the unwillingness and humiliation in his eyes remained intense.

"You think it's impossible because you are still thinking in terms of killing." Echo walked to a relatively clean rock and quickly sketched on the slime-covered ground with his short sword, "The essence of an assassin is not killing, but utilizing every condition that can be utilized to achieve the final goal with the minimum cost. Now, our goal has changed."

While drawing a crude topographical map, he issued instructions with concise and precise language; that command ability belonging to the Shadow Guild Master was completely ignited in this desperate situation.

"Ghost, you are the fastest, so you are responsible for the bait. Remember, do not get bogged down in fighting; lure those lone spiderlings into this narrow passage I have designated."

"Viper, you have the greatest strength and the most stable defense. Take some adult magic spider carapaces and set up a semi-enclosed trap area here. The entrance should be large and the exit small, forming a pocket."

"And I," Echo drew a circle in the center of the map with his sword tip, "am responsible for driving them and cutting off their retreat. We will divide and surround a small batch of spiderlings, then use spider silk and their body fluids to create obstacles to restrict their movement, and finally, proceed with the capture."

He looked up, surveying his two remaining subordinates, his voice low and powerful: "Remember, we are not fighting magic spiders; we are completing a 'project.' Put away your killing intent; now you are hunters, not butchers. Go."

This clear tactical process instantly allowed the two confused and angry men to find their direction.

Although they were still reluctant, the obedience and professionalism engraved in their bones made them act immediately.

A production activity revolving around "capturing alive," filled with the scent of blood, began in an orderly manner deep in the dark mine tunnel.

At the entrance of the valley, the morning sun had dispersed most of the mist, but it could not disperse the faint scent of blood in the air, nor the fear frozen on everyone's faces.

Levi sat leisurely in an armchair that had been moved here temporarily, holding a cup of steaming black tea, as if he were not overseeing a death-defying mine tunnel, but admiring the scenery in his own back garden.

In front of him, a huge, specially polished magic crystal was clearly projecting the scene deep inside the mine tunnel.

This was an expensive magic item, usually used for real-time battlefield broadcasts of large-scale wars or for teaching demonstrations at top magic academies.

At this moment, it was faithfully live-streaming the scene of Echo and his two men fighting for their lives against the spider swarm.

The footage had undergone clever editing and "beautification."

Those most bloody and cruel shots were blurred, shifting focus instead to Echo's excellent command and the assassins' precise cooperation.

The intense light of Battle Qi intertwined with the hissing of magic spiders, looking just like a thrilling adventure epic.

The noble representatives stranded in the safe zone were forcibly organized to watch this special "live broadcast."

Levi took a sip of black tea, set down the cup, and began to speak to this group of shaken "investors" in a steady and infectious voice.

"Everyone, please look. This is the sincerity and strength of our Blackstone Territory." He pointed at the image in the crystal, his tone filled with pride, "To ensure the absolute safety of future mining operations in the area, I have specially hired the continent's top 'Advanced Exploration Team' to conduct the most thorough clearing of the mine tunnel. They are using their lives and sweat to lay the most solid foundation for our future returns."

"Advanced Exploration Team?" A baron representative from the North, who had a rather straightforward personality, couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "Why do they look like death-row prisoners driven to a dead end to me..."

Although his voice was low, everyone present were accomplished warriors or mages, and they heard it clearly.

Levi's gaze landed gently on him, with no displeasure at being offended on his face, but rather a smile of approval: "This gentleman has observed very carefully. That's right, their expressions are indeed painful, and their situation is indeed dangerous. Why? Because they are professional!"

Levi stood up, paced two steps, and raised his volume.

"True professionalism is not waving a magic wand with elegance, but achieving the goal regardless of the cost! The danger deep in this mining area far exceeds our imagination. If it were any ordinary mercenary group, they would probably have been wiped out by now. Only those like them, possessing iron will and top-tier skills, can continue to execute operational procedures precisely in such a desperate situation!"

This black-and-white-reversing explanation of his left quite a few nobles looking at each other, not knowing how to refute it for a moment.

Just then, a middle-aged man in gorgeous attire, who looked like a representative of a large merchant guild from the Royal Capital, frowned and asked a sharper question: "Lord Levi, I admire the professionalism of your exploration team. However, what I see is that they are suffering heavy casualties and making slow progress. Does this mean that the risk of this project is far higher than what you claimed at the investment promotion conference?"

This question hit the heart of everyone's concerns.

They had already been trapped here and witnessed the bloody slaughter; if they were told now that this project was extremely high-risk, wouldn't the gold coins they had previously invested really be thrown down the drain?

For a moment, everyone's gaze was focused on Levi, waiting for his answer.

Upon hearing this, Levi not only did not panic but instead showed an expression of relief, as if saying, "Finally, you asked."

He turned to Sylvie beside him and nodded gently.

Sylvie understood, stepped forward with precise steps, and pulled out a stack of brand-new parchment paper that emitted the fresh fragrance of ink from her briefcase.

"This gentleman asked very well. Risk control is the core competitiveness of a mature enterprise." Levi's voice was full of confidence, "In fact, at the very beginning of the project, my Chief Legal Advisor, Miss Sylvie, had already led her risk control team to work overtime to tailor a perfect risk avoidance plan for all our distinguished investors."

He paused, took a document handed by Sylvie, and showed it to everyone.

"Blackstone Territory Mining Area Development Project Phase I Accident Insurance."

Levi read the title word by word, and the smile on his face became even more sincere, "In view of the fact that the difficulty of this exploration operation has exceeded expectations, in order to fully protect the rights and interests of all investors, I have decided to sell this insurance in limited quantities starting from now. Everyone can voluntarily choose to purchase it according to your investment amount."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sylvie began to introduce the core terms of the insurance in her emotionless tone.

"The coverage of this insurance includes, but is not limited to: direct economic losses caused by project delays or interruptions due to force majeure factors such as mine tunnel collapses, monster riots, or unknown curses. The premium is twenty percent of the total investment amount, payable in a lump sum, and non-refundable. The compensation standard will be finally determined by the Blackstone Territory Risk Assessment Committee based on specific loss conditions..."

The nobles listened, dumbfounded.

Selling insurance at a disaster scene? And the premium is as high as twenty percent?

This is even faster than robbery!

"Lord Levi, you are taking advantage of a crisis!" The baron from the North finally couldn't help it and shouted angrily.

"No, my dear Baron." Levi shook his finger and corrected him, "I am providing you with an option. An opportunity to convert an uncertain, potentially one-hundred-percent loss into a certain, mere twenty-percent cost. Of course, you are completely free to choose not to buy."

His words were understated, yet they hit everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

Buying meant shelling out another large sum of money, making the sunk cost even higher.

Not buying?

Look at that hellish scene in the crystal; who would dare to bet on their own luck?

If the project really went down the drain, that would be a total loss!

The crowd fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was frantically calculating the gains and losses, and everyone's face was filled with struggle and hesitation.

That merchant guild representative from the Royal Capital, after weighing it for less than a minute, was the first to grit his teeth and step out: "I'll buy! For my investment amount of 300,000 gold coins, I will purchase full insurance!"

His decision became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Under the coercion of group effect and sunk cost, other noble representatives also followed suit, as if infected.

"I'll buy too!"

"Damn it, count me in!"

Watching the long queue forming quickly in front of Sylvie and the insurance contracts being signed one by one, a nearly imperceptible arc curled at the corner of Levi's mouth.

His gaze returned to the depths of the mine tunnel, with not the slightest bit of pity in his heart.

Echo, you must hold on.

Every bloody battle and every desperate struggle you and your team are going through right now is endorsing the value of my insurance.

The more miserable you are, the better my insurance sells.

Deep in the mine tunnel, in the trap area.

"Now! Close the net!"

Echo let out a low roar.

Viper violently pulled a rope made from the leg tendons of an adult magic spider, and the several huge rocks that had been set up beforehand crashed down, instantly sealing off the exit of the passage.

Dozens of spiderlings, lured by Ghost and driven by Echo, were instantly trapped in a narrow space formed by rock walls and boulders.

"Go!"

At Echo's command, the three of them pounced out from the shadows like ghosts, holding specially made nets woven from tough spider silk, rushing towards the panic-stricken spiderlings.

The plan proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Although these spiderlings were fierce, their threat was greatly reduced after losing the vast space.

The three of them cooperated tacitly, using the terrain and tools to continuously trap and bind the spiderlings one by one, then throwing them into a temporary cage made of hard carapaces.

Seeing that the number of spiderlings in the cage had already exceeded forty and the mission was about to be completed, a look of relief appeared on the faces of the three.

However, just at this moment, a sudden change occurred!

The ground beneath their feet suddenly vibrated violently without warning.

"Boom—!"

With a loud bang, gravel splattered, and a hideous monster, one size larger than an adult magic spider, covered in dark golden carapaces, with mouthparts like two huge iron pliers, burst out from the ground!

Mutated Burrowing Magic Spider!

Its appearance instantly disrupted all the rhythm of the three.

Those two terrifying giant pliers just swept casually, smashing the stone defense line that Viper had meticulously set up into pieces.

"Watch out!" Echo's eyes were splitting with rage; he could feel the terrifying Battle Qi fluctuations emanating from this mutant, definitely an elite-level magic beast!

But his warning was too late.

The Burrowing Magic Spider's target did not seem to be the three of them, but the cage containing the spiderlings.

It opened its huge mouth, and a stream of dark brown, highly corrosive acid sprayed out like a high-pressure water gun.

Ghost and Viper were right in the path of the acid spray; the two only had time to let out a cry of horror before being hit head-on by the terrifying acid.

Their protective Battle Qi was like paper, instantly pierced through.

Amidst shrill screams, their bodies were corroded and melted at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into two charred corpses emitting black smoke.

And that cage, along with the forty-plus spiderlings they had worked so hard to capture, also turned into a pool of foul-smelling green pus under the baptism of the acid.

Echo's mind went blank.

The hope that was within reach a second ago was completely crushed the next second.

Two confidants who had followed him through life and death for years died so tragically right in front of him.

Before he could recover from the immense grief and shock, his peripheral vision caught sight of that sub-terminal stone tablet.

The light on the stone tablet flickered violently.

The performance number that had been growing slowly instantly reset to zero, and then turned into an extremely glaring red negative number.

Immediately following, a brand-new prompt, seemingly carrying the scent of blood, slowly appeared at the top of the stone tablet.

"Low team collaboration efficiency detected; now enabling individual contribution ranking mode. The person ranked last will have their food ration halved in the next supply cycle."