The Teleportation Plaza of Tianshu University had now been turned into a temporary triage center for a battlefield hospital.
The air was thick.
The scent of blood, scorched flesh, and the unique stench of energy overload twisted into a nauseating aroma, drilling into everyone's nostrils.
Alarms tore at their eardrums, sharp and unending.
The hoarse roars of instructors mingled with the suppressed groans of the wounded.
The alternating blue and red lights of the police sirens coldly swept across faces filled with bewilderment after surviving the disaster.
Amidst the chaos, a crisp and rhythmic sound echoed.
Clack, clack, clack...
Chen Jing's high heels tapped on the floor tiles, the sound seemingly carrying its own metronome, forcibly carving out a line of order within the cacophonous noise.
Lin Qingyue and her three squadmates followed closely behind.
The aftereffects of being brutally kicked out by the world rules left their temples still throbbing faintly, but the hellish sight before them instantly suppressed this minor discomfort.
Looking out, the condition of the other students who returned from the same dungeon could only be described as miserable.
The lightly injured collapsed in exhaustion, their eyes vacant.
The severely injured, drenched in blood, their gear shattered into scrap metal, were swiftly carried away by medical personnel on stretchers.
"Mental Pollution levels are off the charts! Quickly, Sector C-3, administer sedatives and the Soul Soothing Art!"
"Physical trauma is too severe, left arm torn, urgent hemostasis needed! Where is the Priest?!"
Obviously, not everyone had the opportunity, like Lin Qingyue's Squad, to elegantly clear the scene before the final Judgment of "World Repatriation" arrived, and watch the scenery from within an absolute safe zone.
Most people had been brutally dragged off the battlefield by that utterly unreasonable World Power in the middle of a life-and-death struggle against monsters or enemies.
Just as they passed through a temporary designated area, a hoarse yet pleasantly surprised voice called out to them.
"Junior Lin Qingyue?"
Lin Qingyue followed the voice and a familiar face came into view.
Zhou Yi.
That Berserker Senior Brother who had once shared the "Blood-and-Tears Warning" with them in the Bloody Arena.
He sat beside his teammates, and although every single one of them looked weary, their mental and physical states were clearly more than one grade better than those of the surrounding students who had dropped their armor and fled.
More importantly, a tough and solid aura clung to each of them.
It was a Mid-tier Aura, distinctly different from those of Novice Class Holders...
"Senior Brother Zhou Yi?" Lin Qingyue was slightly surprised. "Did you all advance?"
Zhou Yi stood up with a bitter smile and scratched his head, a complex expression of lingering fear and gratitude crossing his face.
"Yeah, it was a fluke, a total fluke. But we really have to thank you."
He glanced warily at his surroundings, lowered his voice, and spoke with a tone full of admiration.
"Junior, you guys were truly... miraculous."
"Midway through, we received intelligence forwarded by the school, saying the core threat was America's conspiracy. So we changed our strategy, specifically targeting the Cultists, farming them as 'purification targets'."
A Shield Warrior teammate beside him couldn't help but add, his voice trembling:
"Who would have thought! At the final settlement, the System judged us as having 'provided important intelligence and actively participated in purifying the world's core threat,' and our Contribution Points actually... met the threshold!"
"Our whole team, we've all reached level 40!"
Level 40, Intermediate.
This chasm had stopped countless Professionals on Earth.
They would have never dreamed that a mere, well-meaning "investment of intelligence" back then would allow their entire squad to advance in this meat-grinder of a Dungeon run.
The surrounding students, who had been eavesdropping with their ears pricked up, instantly changed their gazes toward Lin Qingyue's quartet.
If before, these four were merely "strong freshmen."
Then at this moment, in the eyes of these survivors who had just crawled out of the same hell, their image had been infinitely elevated.
Others just provided them a bit of intelligence, and yet they were carried to victory, with the whole team advancing?
And in this kind of high-risk Dungeon, where even the world rules were extremely tricky and the casualties were heavy?
Was this something freshmen could possibly pull off?!
The minds of some more resourceful people were already racing.
These four juniors were only level 34 now!
They hadn't even advanced to Intermediate yet!
Didn't this mean... they were the thickest, most worthwhile-to-cling-to "advancement thighs" in the entire school, and even the whole world?!
While they hadn't yet advanced, we need to hurry up and build a good relationship with them. Then if we just get them to carry us a little in the future, wouldn't we just take off right then and there?
"God-tier Carry, this is absolutely a God-tier Carry..."
Someone was muttering in a low voice, their tone like a dream.
"Stop chatting."
Teacher Chen Jing glanced back, her expression serious.
"Zhou Yi, your squad should also go to Sector B-2 as soon as possible for a detailed mental state assessment and mission report."
"Yes, Teacher Chen!"
Zhou Yi immediately stood at attention, watching the others leave.
Chen Jing said no more, leading the four of them around the crowd to a building at the edge of the square protected by special Runes.
She pushed open the heavy soundproof door, completely shutting out the noise of the outside world.
"Sit down."
The room was simply furnished, with only a metal long table and a few chairs.
"Tell me, what exactly happened in the Dungeon."
Chen Jing's gaze locked precisely on Lin Qingyue, getting straight to the point.
"From beginning to end, all the details, don't leave a single one out."
Her tone was very calm, but Lin Qingyue could feel that beneath that calm surface of ice was an undercurrent strong enough to capsize a giant ship.
Lin Qingyue nodded.
She didn't add fuel to the fire, nor did she conceal anything, just using the tone of reviewing a game's early exploration experience, she recounted all the experiences after entering Blackrock Stronghold, telling it in a slow and detailed manner.
Deducing the rules, contacting the natives.
Formulating tactics, using the national teams as bait for an "openly declared scheme."
Striking straight at the heart of the enemy, facing off against the Evil God, "Mother of Rebirth."
Capturing the Prophet alive, ultimately leading to the Evil God being reverse-devoured by the God of Machinery.
Throughout the entire narration, Lin Qingyue spoke with a casual, detached air.
But these words, falling into Chen Jing's ears, were no less than a series of claps of thunder.
When Lin Qingyue explained how she utilized the Dungeon's [ Echo of the Heart's Abyss ] rule, combined with her own abilities, to create an unconventional Divine Spell called "Sage Mode Plus," which instantaneously deconstructed the Evil God's foundation of faith—
The fingers Chen Jing was holding her pen with tightened slightly.
This train of thought...
Just how does it work?
And when Lin Qingyue finally mentioned that two World Fragments began to piece together and merge before their eyes, and that they had even received an Epic Grade World Quest named [ Broken World ] because of it—
Thud.
A crisp sound erupted in the silent room.
The tactical recording board in Chen Jing's hand slipped from her fingers, slamming heavily onto the metal tabletop.
Her expression remained calm, but the sudden contraction of her pupils and the surging waves in her eyes completely betrayed the profound shock within her heart.
"World Quest... Filianore..."
She murmured to herself, as if trying to confirm a conjecture she couldn't even bring herself to believe.
"Your luck and strength..."
Chen Jing took a sharp breath, forcing herself to sit up straight as her gaze turned more solemn than ever before.
"Are truly... astounding!"
"You've all studied the 'World Fragment Theory'."
"But theory is just theory."
"In Earth's recorded history, no team has ever been able to purify two major fragments of the same world in such a short time, and witness their fusion with their own eyes!"
"Lin Qingyue, Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, Xia Lian."
Chen Jing recited their names one by one, her tone utterly grave.
"In my capacity as the Vice Dean of Tianshu University's Ancient Martial Arts Academy, I am imposing the highest level of a gag order upon you."
"From now on, any information regarding the 'Filianore' World Merger and the Epic Quest is strictly forbidden to be disclosed to anyone other than myself, including your families."
"The strategic significance of this matter has already exceeded your imagination. Understood?"
"Understood."
The four students replied in unison.
Looking at the four students before her, who were slightly weary yet still had bright eyes, Chen Jing's heart was filled with a mixture of emotions.
She had originally thought they were four "promising talents" with extraordinary gifts.
Now it seemed, how could they be mere talents?
These were clearly four monsters who had already secretly hatched, ready to punch a hole in the heavens...