Chapter 44: Unraveling the Secrets of Gonjiam

Jiang Chen froze for a moment.

"Korea?"

He hadn't expected the system to issue a mission at the exact moment the International Adventure Club challenged him. Even more bizarre—the expedition location chosen by the club was in the same country as his system mission.

Coincidence?

Jiang Chen's instincts told him otherwise.

"Could it be… that the system is adapting to their location? Or is this just a test of fate?" he murmured, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth.

If his hypothesis was correct, then this was perfect—he could challenge the International Adventure Club and complete his system's mission at the same time.

Two birds with one stone.

Ding—

A new email notification popped up.

It was from the International Adventure Club, informing Jiang Chen that he needed to arrive in Korea before noon the next day, as the expedition would begin in the afternoon.

If he failed to arrive—it would count as forfeiting.

Jiang Chen snorted.

It was obvious what they were trying to do.

They had chosen their location far in advance and had prepared everything ahead of time.

Yet, they only informed him at the last moment, forcing him to rush there without time to prepare.

This was a classic Western strategy—an unfair, underhanded way to suppress an opponent.

They wanted him to show up unprepared.

They wanted to see him fail.

Jiang Chen wasn't worried at all.

In fact—he welcomed the challenge.

After quickly gathering his equipment and notifying the live broadcast platform to prepare for the live stream, Jiang Chen boarded his private jet and set off for Korea.

Meanwhile, the Western media had erupted into a frenzy.

All major news outlets were covering the expedition challenge, but as expected—their reports were overwhelmingly biased.

They portrayed the International Adventure Club as an elite team of professionals, while Jiang Chen was mocked and ridiculed.

"New York Times: The International Adventure Club challenges Jiang Chen—let the world see that he's nothing special!"

"Washington Journal: Jiang Chen's luck is running out!"

"Eagle Country Daily: This time, Jiang Chen will taste failure—while the International Adventure Club claims victory!"

"Western News: The International Adventure Club is the world's most professional expedition team—they will expose Jiang Chen for the fraud he is!"

Their strategy was obvious.

If Jiang Chen refused to participate, they would brand him a coward.

If Jiang Chen accepted but lost, they would call him a fraud.

It was a lose-lose situation.

And yet—Jiang Chen chose to walk straight into their trap.

On Twitter, Western netizens were divided.

"The International Adventure Club will crush Jiang Chen. He's just a myth!"

"Jiang Chen? Never heard of him. The real professionals will win."

"It's obvious! The club has trained experts. Jiang Chen is just a glorified YouTuber!"

"This will be fun to watch—finally, someone will expose the fraud!"

However, some Western netizens were skeptical of the International Adventure Club's tactics.

"So the club gets to pick the location, prepare everything, and only tells Jiang Chen the day before? What a joke!"

"This isn't a challenge. This is a setup."

"I'm not even a Jiang Chen fan, but this is clearly rigged."

Back in China, the reaction was completely different.

On social forums, the discussion was explosive—and people were furious.

"This is disgusting! They're obviously setting Jiang Chen up for failure!"

"Jiang Chen has just returned from his expedition, so he took the opportunity to challenge him; without giving him any rest time, he was taking advantage of the fire!"

"Moreover, why did the International Adventure Club choose the location? And after choosing the location, they told Jiang Chen where the location was the day before the challenge was about to start so that Jiang Chen could rush there? This is obviously unfair!"

"Yeah, the International Adventure Club has obviously made all the preparations; Jiang Chen didn't make any preparations, and Jiang Chen hasn't been given time to prepare!"

"There's something wrong with this challenge!"

"I see, don't call it the International Adventure Club, call it the International Scum Club!"

"However, Jiang Chen still went!"

"He has to go. If he doesn't go, the western media will probably start attacking him!"

"Brother Jiang, come on, 1.4 billion people support you!"

At this time, Jiang Chen had already boarded a plane and arrived in Korea.

Ding—

At this time, Jiang Chen's cell phone received another email!

International Adventure Club finally sent the expedition location to Jiang Chen!

Ding—

At the same time, the system sound in Jiang Chen's mind also sounded!

"Reminder: Please ask the host to go to the Gonjiam Mental Hospital to complete the third expedition, unravel the mystery of the Gonjiam Mental Hospital, and unearth the bloody secrets hidden under the horror!"

"Gonjiam?"

Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows, opened his live broadcast room, and changed the name of the room to "Exploring the World: Uncovering the Secret of Gonjiam!"

Ding—

At the same time, another system sound sounded.

"Congratulations to the host, trigger a side mission, ask the host to open Room 402, which Gonjiam will never open, and explore the mystery!"

Jiang Chen's expression darkened slightly.

A horror-themed hospital? A room that has never been opened?

This was going to be interesting.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his phone.

Then—he set off toward Gonjiam.

Whatever secrets lay hidden within…

He was about to find out.