Working Records in a Weird World - 53

 

| WRIAWW | Nightmare | 53

It was also strange, perhaps because the first stage of the mission was too difficult, or because it was the first ? Level mission of the ultimate dungeon, the final boss's strength wasn't too exaggerated.

After the high-level survivors grouped up and headed to the dean's office, with Joshua's command, they took down the dean of Taikang Yongle Hospital with little effort.

Generally, there is a balance of power among weirds.

Since the dean possessed such a strong rule-based weird domain, his personal strength was bound to be somewhat weaker. There are rarely any all-rounder weirds. 

At least since the existence of the infinite space, apart from the Bloody Seraph, the boss of the Temple dungeon, there hasn't been a second boss that caused countless deaths and truly made the survivors feel despair.

If the survivors hadn't known the rules of the weird domain at the beginning, they might have fallen for the dean's killing rule. However, the rules were disclosed to them.

While discussing the battle plan in the lobby, they had already figured out a way to deal with the non-combat weird domain. With a hundred S-level and hundreds of A-level survivors charging in together, along with the coordination of various strategists, the outcome was naturally without suspense.

"You... heh heh..."

The old man sitting in the center of the dean's office chair glared venomously at the survivors who had barged into the hospital office, his pitch-black pupils filled with hatred: "You overconfident lost outsiders... I curse you... may you never find your way home, and even if you do, may you never truly return... One day, all of you will face retribution! Forever immersed in the pain of loss and irreparable regret! Hahahahaha!"

With his words, the cornered weird boss suddenly chose to self-destruct.

In an instant, thick, icy black fog in the shape of countless skulls surged into the sky, threatening to roar through the glass windows and doors of the dean's office, spilling out into the dark night.

At this critical moment, Joshua, standing at the end of the crowd, suddenly made his move.

With an elegant gesture, he raised his arms, intertwining his fingers in front of his chest to form a peculiar hand seal. Between his palms, a gemstone glowing with a deep blue light suddenly appeared. Simultaneously, from the depths of his unfathomable blue eyes, a dazzling golden holy light burst forth, like the first rays of dawn piercing through the night sky.

As Joshua moved, the blue vortex that had formed at the center of the gemstone gradually took on a golden hue.

The originally deep blue vortex began to radiate intricate golden patterns. The moment the vortex fully formed, the scattered black mist, as if drawn by an invisible force, was violently sucked into the vortex.

Although it wasn’t the first time they had witnessed this scene, the survivors around couldn’t help but marvel, especially those in the Temple Army, their eyes filled with fervent admiration.

"He is indeed worthy of being recognized savior of the Infinite Space."

"Indeed, this unique ability to purify and expel evil is something only Lord Joshua possesses."

"It’s hard to imagine what kind of hellish scenario the Infinite Space would be without Lord Joshua."

When the black mist was completely absorbed, a blinding light erupted from the center of the vortex, illuminating the entire corridor as bright as day.

[The boss has been defeated. A key fragment has been obtained.]

At the same time, the system’s notification rang clearly in everyone’s minds, and several pure white beams of light pierced through the ceiling, directly landing on each survivor.

As the light faded, the once bustling hospital corridor became eerily silent and empty. All the survivors had vanished, and Taikang Yongle Hospital returned to its usual quiet.

After being teleported back to the Infinite Space, as usual, the ordinary survivors were sent to Guanghai, while those bound to guilds were transported back to their guild’s headquarters.

Upon returning to the Imaginary Fortress, Si Yuyan immediately turned to Qin Ye.

"This question mark-level mission... aside from being a collective task, its difficulty only ranks in the upper-middle of S-level."

"Yes," the guild master of the Watchtower Guild nodded. "As we discussed earlier, Joshua’s guess is likely true. There’s something in the ultimate dungeon that’s artificially suppressing the overall difficulty."

"Based on the current trend, we’ll need to go through two more question mark-level missions to unlock the western and northern districts of Guiyi City before we can truly begin the final battle of the ultimate dungeon."

What Si Yuyan was worried about wasn’t the present, but the future. If the difficulty of the ? level missions continues to escalate, then the next mission might reveal the true nature of the ultimate dungeon.

After all, while they might get lucky once, they can’t rely on luck every time.

"According to protocol, there should be a debriefing session after a question mark-level mission. Let’s take a collective break for half an hour. After that, all high-level members will accompany me to the Temple."

At that moment, Qin Ye remembered something.

He handed a space artifact to Si Yuyan: "This is what I found inside. It contains a lot of information about Guiyi City, and we should be able to extract plenty of useful data. I practically emptied several archive shelves. Oh, and pay special attention to the files from the Psychiatry Department, especially the ones labeled ‘mystery’."

Si Yuyan took the artifact and stored it in her spatial inventory: "...."

"This isn't just a bit much; it's too time-consuming. I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the next question mark-level mission begins before we can filter out some useful information."

"It's fine, no rush. Judging by the current progress of the situation, this will take about half a year to go through. which is still considered fast."

Watching Si Yuyan's departing figure, Qin Ye sat back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.

He didn't know why, but even though the mission was completed, he couldn't shake off the words the dean had said before his death, leaving him somewhat unsettled.

After a whole day of being on edge and the injuries sustained in the electric shock room, the moment he closed his eyes, he instantly fell into a light sleep. His body, which had been enhanced and long accustomed to the rhythm of battle, instinctively sought every opportunity to replenish energy, seizing every moment to maintain his best combat state.

In the silence, Qin Ye's vision suddenly became clear.

He saw 'himself' standing in a hall filled with futuristic equipment.

Qin Ye clearly knew he was dreaming.

The long-missed military uniform neatly enveloped his figure, the shoulder badges gleaming with a dazzling hue.

Since entering the Infinite Space, this uniform symbolizing honor had been replaced by combat attire.

Perhaps it was the system's consideration for the psychological well-being of the survivors that it blurred their memories. Even in his dream, Qin Ye couldn't see the scene more than three meters away.

"General Qin Ye."

In the darkness, an elderly voice slowly spoke.

Qin Ye reflexively straightened his back, his military boots clicking together with a crisp sound.

He knew that in the high seats of this hall, countless 'important figures' were seated. They were the rulers of the real world, from politics, the military, to the financial elite... These were the very people his military uniform had sworn allegiance to, now scrutinizing him through the darkness.

"After deliberation by the council, an extremely important mission, one that concerns the survival of humanity, needs to be entrusted to you."

Had the important figures ever mentioned this to him? Was there was an important mission he needed to execute recently?

Qin Ye, watching himself dream with clarity, couldn't help but feel puzzled.

However, before Qin Ye could ponder further, his dream self saluted and firmly responded, "Yes."

Following that, just as in his memory, he left the council and was escorted by personnel in protective suits deep underground. He didn't know how long he had been in the elevator, but when the needle pointed to a hundred meters underground, it finally stopped.

Although his memories were blurred, judging from a soldier's experience, this place was undoubtedly a secret base.

It was of a rather high level at that.

The entire space was filled with a cold metallic equipment, with sharply angled steel structures reflecting a chilling glow from the emergency lights. The floor and ceiling were covered with intricate transparent pipes, inside which flowed a fluorescent green liquid.

Cylindrical incubation pods stood all around, and through the thick glass, one could see shadowy figures submerged within, seemingly some form of life that had yet to fully develop.

"This is the highest-level classified base that's not open to the public... The person who will accompany you on the mission is also here," the fully armed researcher explained in a rambling manner ahead. "Originally, we didn't plan to let you two go together, but given the urgency of the situation, there’s no time left to be picky..."

Qin Ye saw that person for the first time.

The figure, having just stepped out of the incubation pod, was still dripping with nutrient fluid. Long, wet hair clung to the thin white robe. Thick droplets slid down the strands, leaving damp patches on the plain fabric.

Hearing the noise, the figure slightly turned its head.

The pale light illuminated a flawless profile, revealing a pair of chilling blue eyes. Paired with the cross-shaped holy mark on its forehead and its inhuman silver hair, even wrapped in ordinary robes, it couldn’t conceal its otherworldly nature.

At this time, Joshua had not yet learned to disguise his expression with a smile.

He appeared eerie, cold, and sharp, like a blade already drawn from its sheath.

"This is the result of decades of my research—a Saint, though a failed one. Let’s call it a Fake Saint for now."

The chief researcher handed Qin Ye a parchment file stamped with "Top Secret": "Inside is information about the Fake Saint’s innate abilities. Remember to burn it after reading. Although I’ve installed a restraint device in its heart to compel it to save the world, due to some deviations during its creation, its personality is highly aggressive. You’ll need to be extra cautious."

"Remember, once you enter the Infinite Space, head to the Temple Dungeon first."

Though he was speaking about a person, the chief researcher’s tone was as cold as if describing an object: "The Temple Dungeon contains an inheritance for healing abilities. Since it’s a failure, it lacks purification abilities. To achieve the goal of saving the world, you’ll need to activate them in the Temple first."

......

The chief researcher spoke at length, and Qin Ye listened as he had in his memories.

Halfway through, Qin Ye suddenly asked, "If this is the Fake Saint, where is the True Saint?"

"Well, it’s still under development. We haven’t completed it yet," the chief researcher pointed behind him.

Behind Joshua stood an even larger incubation device, entirely made of matte metal with no observation windows. Its cold, sharp lines were almost cruel in their design. Rather than an incubation pod, it resembled a meticulously crafted metal coffin, silently exuding an oppressive aura.

"The True Saint is my most accomplished work, but for now, it’s still just an embryo and cannot participate in the mission."

By this point, Qin Ye was beginning to doubt whether this was really his dream.

He didn’t remember ever seeing such a thing.

This dream diverged too much from his memories, with many details seeming like deliberate fabrications of his mind.

In the midst of this heavy silence, Joshua suddenly raised his eyes.

A mocking smile curled at the corners of his lips, his ice-blue pupils frozen with a bone-chilling coldness.

"Those who are greedy and ignorant may find their way back home, but they can never cross that threshold and can only immerse themselves in the pain of loss and irreparable regret... This is your retribution."

Qin Ye was stunned, then broke out in a cold sweat.

These words eerily overlapped with the last words spoken by the dean of Taikang Yongle Hospital before his death!

"Guild Master? Guild Master?"

The middle-aged man lying in the seat suddenly opened his eyes.

When he saw the familiar ceiling of the Imaginary Fortress, Qin Ye finally came to his senses.

"It's nothing."

He waved away the towel offered by An Tao, his chest heaving as he grabbed the cloak hanging behind the seat.

"It was just a nightmare. Let's go to the Temple."

Qin Ye couldn't help but wonder if he had truly been cursed by something strange.

He had to confirm it himself.

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