Tianshu University's Strategic Command Center, located at the deepest level of the main teaching building, was under heavy security.
When Lin Qingyue and her three companions followed the terminal's guidance, passed through triple identity verification, and stepped through the heavy alloy door, a solemn and murderous aura washed over them.
This place was far larger than they had imagined, more like a small military operations center buried deep underground.
Dozens of uniformed staff members were working busily at their respective posts. On the massive circular display, crimson data streams cascaded like waterfalls, showing disaster reports and intelligence analysis from all over the world.
In the center of the command center, Chen Jing stood with her hands clasped behind her back.
She looked up at the wound that pierced the planet on the main screen, that chaotic void named "Ouroboros," which resembled a silent giant beast.
Hearing the footsteps, she turned around.
Her expression was colder and harder than Lin Qingyue had ever seen before.
The mentor who was sometimes strict and sometimes gentle was gone. Standing there now was only a soldier with flames burning in her eyes.
Beside her stood several high-ranking university officials, as well as two middle-aged men in dark green military uniforms.
The general stars on their shoulders reflected an emotionless light under the command center's cold white lamps.
The two generals' gazes swept over the four, not in scrutiny, but like two invisible scalpels attempting to dissect them from flesh to soul, to see if their weight could withstand the burden about to be pressed upon them.
"You're here."
Chen Jing's voice was a bit hoarse, and without a single wasteful word, she pointed directly to the tactical analysis table in front of her.
"You've all seen the notices from the Alliance and the State."
The four nodded in silence.
"Then I'll get straight to the point."
Chen Jing's chest rose and fell slightly, as if suppressing some emotion.
"The disaster on Luzon Island is the worst possible signal. It proves that the result of a failed Dungeon Purification is the worst of all possible answers: it will cause irreversible disaster to Earth."
Her finger swiped across the light screen, and a file marked "Top Secret" instantly unfolded.
The cover of the file featured an emblem woven from countless twisting tentacles and a billion crazed eyeballs, radiating the chaotic and mad aura of non-Euclidean geometry.
Just staring at it made the four feel a wave of nausea and heart palpitations emanating from the depths of their souls.
"Latest intelligence." Chen Jing's voice was pressed extremely low, as if she were afraid to disturb some being sealed within the file.
"At the border of Annan, near our country, the energy fluctuations of a Large-Scale Dungeon codenamed 'Shadow of the Ancient God' have been extremely unstable recently."
"The frequency of its fluctuations, compared to those of 'Ouroboros' in the final fifteen days before its fusion, has a similarity of over ninety percent."
Lin Qingyue and the other three felt their hearts be squeezed tightly by these words, then plummet.
This meant that they might only have half a month left.
"This Dungeon is extremely troublesome."
Chen Jing continued, "The local organization of Professionals has already collapsed. More than half of the exploration team they sent in died inside before they could even trigger their life-saving items. Those who made it out alive also suffered severe Mental Pollution, their descriptions rambling and their logic completely disjointed."
"Mental Pollution?" Su Wan's brows furrowed deeply. As an Element Controller, she was most wary of such invisible threats.
"You could put it that way, but it is far more complex than that."
A General beside her spoke, his voice as steady as a mountain.
"Our people have gone there too, but they couldn't bring back much useful information. All we know is that the Dungeon is vast, and it contains Monsters... or rather, 'Gods,' that can directly interfere with one's will and distort cognition."
The General's gaze finally settled on Lin Qingyue.
"The Dungeon has a level restriction, allowing only Novice Class Holders to enter. This has kept all our trump cards at the gates."
"Yet your team, under the same conditions, demonstrated an unprecedented ability—"
He paused, then spoke each word with deliberation: "You deconstructed the existence of a 'God' on a conceptual level. You even... revived a fallen God."
As his voice fell, the breath caught in the throats of the other school officials in the command center.
The way they looked at the four girls instantly changed from "outstanding students" to "strategic-grade weapons."
They only knew the squad had completed the challenge perfectly, but they never imagined the process was so earth-shattering!
Lin Qingyue understood.
Filianore's intelligence report had already been laid out on the table of this country's highest decision-making level.
"So..." Lin Xiyue clenched her fist, her knuckles turning white from the strain. She already sensed the mission that was about to arrive.
"So."
Chen Jing took over the conversation, her gaze sweeping over each of her four disciples. There was reluctance, there was worry, but mostly a resolve akin to unsheathing a sharp sword.
"After a joint emergency assessment by the Supreme Combat Readiness Committee and the School Committee, it has been decided..."
"You, the Quantum Battleship Squad, will serve as the first vanguard squad after the launch of the 'Guardian Project.' Representing China, you will travel to Annan to carry out the purification and exploration mission against the 'Shadow of the Ancient God'!"
As this was announced, even the sound of data flowing in the command room seemed to go silent.
Everyone's eyes focused on these four girls, whose average age was still under twenty.
The First Vanguard Squad.
These six words were a history-making honor, but also a ticket to step into the Abyss.
They would be China's first-strike blade, piercing the unknown darkness in the name of the "Guardian."
Their success or failure would not only affect a Dungeon on the brink of collapse, but also represent China's first declaration in the new world order.
The pressure was as heavy as a mountain.
Lin Qingyue raised her head, met everyone's gazes, and smiled slightly.
She didn't answer immediately but turned to look at her teammates.
Lin Xiyue straightened her back, her eyes firm, and nodded without hesitation.
A trace of struggle flashed in Su Wan's deep eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a touch of resolve, and she also nodded gently.
Xia Lian clenched the hem of her clothes, her body trembling slightly, but when Lin Qingyue's gaze swept over her, she bit her lip hard and nodded heavily.
Trust required no words.
It was the awareness of entrusting one's back and life to each other.
Lin Qingyue smiled.
There was no trace of ease in that smile, but instead, there was a brilliant fighting spirit that erupted after being compressed to the limit by immense pressure, making everyone in the entire command room stare in awe.
"When do we set off?"
She asked.
She didn't ask about the danger, nor did she ask about the reward, only the time.
This one sentence caused a trace of unconcealable admiration to burst in the eyes of all the bigwigs present, including the two generals who were accustomed to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"Now."
Chen Jing seemed to have anticipated their answer. She pointed to another door in the command room.
"A private jet to the border is standing by. Lingnan Prefecture has already prepared the equipment and supplies. All known intelligence regarding the 'Shadow of the Ancient God' will be synchronized with you on the way."
She stepped forward, patted Lin Qingyue's shoulder firmly, and looked at the other three one by one.
"Remember, your primary mission is to survive."
"You are the pride of Tianshu, the cornerstone of China's future. I will not allow any of you to come to harm. If things become impossible, retreat immediately. Do you understand?!"
"Yes!" the four replied in unison, their voices shaking the four walls.
"Go."
Chen Jing's eyes reddened slightly, but she abruptly turned around, no longer looking at their departing figures.
"Go tell the world that when the apocalypse arrives, it was you who brought the first dawn's light to this crumbling world."