"Piecing together Wahlgen's soul will probably take five days. During those five days, I also have to deal with Beckenbauer's challenges every day. Uh... no, I need to think of a way to buy myself some more time. I can't just obediently accept challenges every day..."
After much thought, Gao Jianfei decided to feign illness for a few days.
Anyway, I have a secret that the Vikings absolutely need, so even if I'm being a bit dramatic and feigning illness, the Vikings won't dare to go too far. As long as the person doesn't escape, that's fine.
So, on the morning of the second day, after giving some instructions to Li Yun, Blank, and the others, Gao Jianfei began to use his internal energy to raise his body temperature to around 41 degrees Celsius. His forehead was burning hot, and his face was a sallow color. He even modified his human skin mask to make his eyes appear slightly sunken.
He looked like a sickly person!
Scholes arrived at the side hall on time, intending to take Gao Jianfei to the arena for a duel.
However, upon entering the room, Scholes discovered Gao Jianfei lying on the hospital bed, coughing incessantly.
"Hmm?" Scholes frowned, went straight to the bedside, and examined Gao Jianfei... "This... esteemed foreign warrior, you... how did you..."
"Cough cough..." Gao Jianfei coughed a few times, weakly saying, "I...I'm sick...but it's nothing serious, just a common fever. I...I think I'll be fine in a few days. I'm really sorry, I really don't have the ability to accept any more challenges these days...Of course, if you insist on me going to the arena, I can go. Then, you only need to send a little kid to fight me, and you can defeat me...cough cough...It's not shameful, not shameful at all, it's just that I'm sick..."
After a barrage of jabs, Scholes' face turned pale. "He was perfectly fine yesterday... uh... alright, I'll ask the best doctor from our Viking Kingdom to come and examine the warrior... today's duel... let's cancel it! We Vikings wouldn't dare to humiliate a patient..."
Scholes hesitated for a moment, then ordered his men to fetch a doctor while reporting the matter to Beckenbauer.
Soon, several Viking doctors entered the side hall. They possessed some makeshift medical equipment, and of course, even without any equipment, they could tell from Gao Jianfei's symptoms... he had a high fever!
So, these Viking doctors prescribed some pills for Gao Jianfei and instructed him to take them on time.
Beckenbauer was helpless when he learned of this.
First of all, he couldn't possibly have known that Gao Jianfei was faking illness. After all, the Vikings didn't understand the characteristics of Chinese martial arts, nor could they have guessed that internal energy could be used to feign illness, and to do so convincingly.
Secondly, it's highly unlikely that Vikings would mistreat a sick person.
Therefore, Beckenbauer personally went to Gao Jianfei's residence to visit him and politely told him to rest and recover before participating in the duel.
Of course, Beckenbauer also tried to get Gao Jianfei to reveal the secret, but Gao Jianfei only coughed and avoided the topic. When pressed, Gao Jianfei blushed and said, "Gentlemen, please respect my principles! I said that if you defeat me, I will reveal my partner's secret! Since you are so aggressive, then I will go to the arena right now. You can send any Viking child you like to kill me... cough cough..."
Having said all that, Beckenbauer could only curse Gao Jianfei in his heart, but out of courtesy, he couldn't continue the argument.
Thus, Gao Jianfei's plan to feign illness was a complete success.
For five consecutive days, Gao Jianfei feigned illness, and each day, Scholes would come to check on his condition. On the fifth day, Gao Jianfei had fully "recovered" and smiled at Scholes, saying, "Your Highness Scholes, tomorrow morning I will be able to go to the arena to participate in the duel! Hmm, my illness is no longer a problem! Thank you for your concern these past few days!"
Hearing this, and seeing Gao Jianfei's rosy complexion, Scholes finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "Damn it, you made us waste several days! But it doesn't matter, tomorrow, you will be completely defeated!"
That evening, Gao Jianfei received a notification from the intelligent program, as expected...
"Dear user, the soul of the level 4 ghost Huahegen has been pieced together and is now contained in the fourth level of the Ghost Nest. You have gained 5 experience points and 5 more exorcism points. You can enter the Ghost Nest immediately to summon Huahegen!"
"It's all done?" Gao Jianfei was overjoyed. He thought to himself, "I've been pretending to be sick all this time just to wait until this day!"
Without saying a word, Gao Jianfei flashed into the ghost den.
In a room on the fourth floor of the Ghost Den, Gao Jianfei finally met Hua Hegen, a former tomb raider. He was a middle-aged man with sharp, capable eyes that shone brightly.
After chatting with him for a few minutes, Gao Jianfei got down to business and started learning about his skills in digging tunnels and tomb raiding.
Huahegen's exceptional tunnel-digging skills stemmed primarily from his masterful use of the shovel... He was proficient in 23 different shovel digging methods, and he could dig almost silently. Furthermore, he could use a map to precisely locate the underground locations, resulting in tunnels of remarkably high accuracy.
After two hours of learning, Gao Jianfei finally mastered the amazing excavation skills of Huahegen.
Then, he took out a map and studied it with Huahegen.
This map is a city layout map of the Viking Kingdom that Gao Jianfei copied based on the descriptions given by the Level 1 ghosts over the past few days.
Gao Jianfei pointed to a circle marked in red on the map, "Brother Hua, look, this is where I am right now." Then, he pointed to another circle marked in black on the other side of the map, "This is the area I need to reach. It's about 35 kilometers away from where I'm staying as the crow flies. It's a side hall. It contains countless treasures. What we need to do is get from where I'm staying directly to this side hall without anyone noticing!"
"Haha! Digging tunnels? I love doing this!" Hua Hegen licked his chapped lips, his eyes gleaming with extreme greed and fervor. "Xiao Gao, so, you're planning to steal from the imperial tomb?"
"Yes, that's roughly the idea. Brother Hua, based on your expertise and experience, how long do you estimate it would take to dig out such a tunnel?" Gao Jianfei asked.
Chapter 508 One Against Three
Chapter 508 One Against Three
Gao Jianfei had already spent 5 Ghost Exorcism Points to piece together and contain the Level 4 Ghost Hua Hegen into his Ghost Den. Hua Hegen was a minor character in the novel *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, not particularly skilled in martial arts, but adept at digging tunnels. At this moment, Gao Jianfei wanted to seize the Viking Kingdom's treasure, and only through tunnels could he do so discreetly.
According to the city map, the straight-line distance from the side hall where Gao Jianfei lived to the secret sanctuary containing Beckenbauer's treasures was about 35 kilometers. Therefore, Gao Jianfei inquired with Hua Hegen about the time required to excavate this tunnel.
Hua Hegen smacked his lips and said, "My dear Xiao Gao, if I were to dig this tunnel by myself without anyone noticing, I could finish it in a month if I put in the effort." He paused, then said with frustration, "Xiao Gao, you've already mastered my tunnel-digging skills, so if you were to do it yourself, it would probably take you about a month. Ugh! What bad luck! I'm stuck here and can't go out to help you dig. If we worked together, half a month would be enough to finish!"
"Oh? It'll take me a month to do all this by myself?" Gao Jianfei had a better idea of what to expect. However, a month was a bit of a long wait. You see, in the Viking kingdom, Gao Jianfei had to use all sorts of methods to buy time. Besides feigning illness, he had no other options, or he'd face the endless challenges from the Viking warriors. Therefore, the tunnel digging had to be expedited!
After thinking for a while, Gao Jianfei suddenly slapped his forehead and laughed to himself, "I've got it! Damn it, those guys, Blank and his gang, are so bored they're just wasting their time. I might as well teach them the tunnel-digging technique, and then we can all work together!"
Two hours later, when the exorcism point had recovered somewhat, Gao Jianfei exchanged about ten shovels of various sizes used for digging tunnels from Hua Hegen, and then slipped out of the ghost den.
Once outside the haunted house, Gao Jianfei didn't hesitate and immediately woke up Blank, Mario, and the others who were fast asleep. Even Song Ying and Li Yun were startled awake.
Gao Jianfei led everyone to a back garden.
Gao Jianfei took out some high-powered flashlights he had previously stored in the ghost den and distributed them to Blank and the others, and also handed them shovels.
Blank, Mario, and the others looked sleepy and confused.
"My respected master, what are you trying to do?" Blank asked, puzzled.
"Jianfei, what are you up to this in the middle of the night?" Li Yun asked, puzzled.
Gao Jianfei clapped his hands lightly to signal everyone to be quiet, then he brandished the shovel in his hand and said, "Listen, from now on, I'll teach you how to dig tunnels!"
Dig a tunnel?
Everyone was completely baffled. However, Gao Jianfei was the leader, so whatever he said, everyone listened attentively and did as he was told.
After saying that, Gao Jianfei released all 54 polar bears!
For a moment, in the garden, the scarlet eyes of 54 pairs of polar bears reflected the moonlight, giving rise to a sense of horror and trembling.
"Listen up, you all. From now on, you'll all help dig the tunnels," Gao Jianfei instructed the polar bears.
"My God! My master can actually communicate with his pet verbally! This is incredible!" Mario exclaimed in a daze.
Then, Gao Jianfei took a shovel and began to teach everyone the amazing digging skills he had learned from Hua Hegen without reservation.
Dozens of unique shovel handling techniques, digging methods, and exclusive experiences were taught all at once, taking a full three hours before the group had a general grasp of them.
Then, Gao Jianfei began assigning tasks.
He took out the marked map and called Blank and Mario over. "Listen, this is where we are right now. Your task is to dig a tunnel all the way to this place..."
It's important to know that Blank is an outstanding explorer, and Mario is an excellent navigator; their map-reading skills are no less than Gao Jianfei's. After mastering the digging techniques, the two of them could basically understand the digging route with just a glance at the map.
"Uh, Master, we understand." Blank and Mario both nodded.
"It's about 35 kilometers as the crow flies. We have several hundred people here, plus 54 polar bears to support us. I estimate the tunnel will be dug in about three days. Of course, we won't work during the day; we'll dig only at night. It should be done in a week." Gao Jianfei estimated, then paused and said, "Since we have the manpower, let's not only excavate Beckenbauer's treasure, but also find out about the treasures of Princes like Scholes and steal them all! Alright, it's almost dawn now. Everyone go back to sleep. Starting tonight, let's work together to dig the tunnel! I'll add some changes to the map; we'll talk about that tonight!"
After giving his instructions, Gao Jianfei subdued the polar bear, dismissed everyone, and then entered the ghost den alone. He recalled all the level 1 ghosts who had been wandering the city for the past few days, responsible for scouting the terrain.
Then, Gao Jianfei began to draw a map on which the palaces of Beckenbauer's ten princes were located.
According to the descriptions of those Level 1 ghosts, the ten princes under Beckenbauer stored their treasures in the same way as Beckenbauer himself: they placed the treasures in separate rooms, not assigning anyone to guard them, but instead employing polar bear pets. However, the amount of treasure possessed by those princes was far less than that of Beckenbauer's. Each prince only had a small house of about 20 square meters to store gold and silver jewels, and the number of polar bears responsible for guarding these treasures was only three or four.
With the idea that even a small mosquito is still meat, Gao Jianfei had no intention of letting go of the prince's treasures. So, on a treasure-hunting map, Gao Jianfei added 10 more excavation targets and 10 more excavation routes.
It was already past 8 a.m. when they emerged from the den of demons. Scholes arrived as promised to pick up Gao Jianfei and take him to the arena for their duel.
Gao Jianfei, along with Song Ying, Blank, and the others, boarded the bear-shaped vehicle and headed straight for the 10-person arena.
On the bus, Scholes observed Gao Jianfei's expression and tentatively inquired, "Respected foreign warrior, it seems your illness is recovering well, and you appear to be in excellent spirits."
Gao Jianfei smiled modestly, "Haha, as I said, it's just a common cold and fever. Five days of recuperation is more than enough for me! In fact, like you Vikings, I have a fighting spirit deep down. I was really depressed during those days I was sick, saddened by my inability to fight. Now that I'm fully recovered, I can participate in the birthday fight again! I really hope you Vikings can defeat me in a fair and just way, so that I can reveal the whereabouts of my companions with peace of mind..."
Because the tunnel digging would begin tonight, Gao Jianfei was in a very good mood. When he faced Scholes, he thought to himself... "Idiot, it won't be long before all your treasures belong to me, haha!"
Therefore, Gao Jianfei also talked a lot about sex, and took the initiative to ramble on and on to Scholes.
Before long, the bear-drawn carriage entered the 10-person arena.
Warlike Vikings had been waiting to watch the match, and they were extremely dissatisfied with Gao Jianfei's absence in the previous days. Upon seeing him enter, they booed him. Gao Jianfei ignored them, inwardly cursing these Vikings as idiots.
When King Beckenbauer saw Gao Jianfei enter the arena, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he sighed, "This guy has finally agreed to participate in the duel again. I've been waiting for this for a long time, and I think my warriors are waiting for this too!"
After saying that, Beckenbauer snapped his fingers.
Immediately, three heavily armed warriors, carrying giant axes, stood respectfully in front of Beckenbauer.
"Listen, my people, my warriors! Today, the three of you, fully armed, will face that skinny fellow! In the last battle, he struggled against two of our warriors, taking almost half an hour to defeat them! I believe that one man against two strong Viking warriors is his limit! Therefore, this time... all three of you will come at me together!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Three heavily armed Viking warriors responded immediately, then carried their heavy weapons and headed towards the center of the arena.
The boos directed at Gao Jianfei from the surrounding stands abruptly ceased, replaced by cheers and encouragement for the three Viking warriors.
As the three Viking warriors moved about, their heavy armor made a clattering sound, like three mechanical monsters.
Gao Jianfei coldly observed everything around him, thinking to himself, "These Vikings are quite shameless. They are clearly outnumbered, yet they are so happy. It's truly rare!"
Of course, Gao Jianfei set the rules for the duel himself, and he didn't feel any resentment. He formulated a tactical plan and then stepped directly into the arena.
Three heavily armed warriors stood in a triangular formation, staring intently at Gao Jianfei. They swung their heavy hammers, producing a sound like tigers roaring and tearing through the air.
Surprisingly...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three heavy hammers were hurled at Gao Jianfei from three different directions! The force of the attack was extremely alarming!
At the same time, three heavily armed warriors pounced on Gao Jianfei like human bombs!
Let the fighting begin!
"Oh!" The spectators outside the arena felt their hearts clench! The three iron hammers thrown at Gao Jianfei were moving at a speed that seemed to be close to bullets!
It looks like Gao Jianfei is about to have nowhere to hide and will be smashed into a pulp!
Chapter 509 20-Day Buffer
Chapter 509 20-Day Buffer
As the three heavy hammers were hurled at Gao Jianfei with the force of lightning, the three heavily armed warriors also crashed into him, colliding like an American football player.
To the average person, the hammer strikes were as fast as lightning. However, to Gao Jianfei, they weren't actually that fast. His powerful internal energy, combined with equally rigorous gambling training, gave him exceptional eyesight, reflexes, and coordination. Gao Jianfei smiled calmly. At what seemed like an insurmountable moment, he deliberately adopted a clumsy posture, narrowly avoiding the hammer strikes and the attacks of the heavily armored warriors.
His extremely awkward posture caused the audience in the stands to burst into mocking laughter.
Beckenbauer chuckled, "Haha, just don't kill him!" He felt completely relieved, believing that with a 3-on-1 advantage, victory was practically assured.
Only a few Vikings would think... "Was this foreign warrior sick a few days ago, which affected his physical condition and caused him to underperform?"