Chapter 18: BREAKING THE RECORD!

On the rocky beach outside the dungeon, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.

Lin Tianhao’s eyes were bloodshot, his black overcoat snapping violently in the wind.

Su Wan stood beside him, her hands tightly clasped before her chest.

This powerful woman was now nothing more than a mother praying for her child’s safe return.

On the other side, Zhao Lei appeared far more composed, occasionally glancing at the priceless Patek Philippe on his wrist.

At that moment,

The swirling vortex of the dungeon, which had been spinning wildly, suddenly froze.

This was a sign that the dungeon was about to reopen.

Lin Tianhao and Su Wan’s hearts shot straight to their throats.

In this world, when a wild abyssal dungeon reopens, there are only two possibilities.

Either everyone inside is dead, and the dungeon resets.

Or they’ve cleared it.

Zhao Lei adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “Looks like it’s over, Xiao Yu. Get ready to enter.”

“Understood, Dad.”

Zhao Yu stretched his wrists, brimming with anticipation.

After all, showing off his strength in front of so many big shots was already thrilling to imagine.

But Ye Hongyu suddenly gasped.

“No—look up!”

Everyone’s eyes instinctively followed her finger.

There, the record that had stood for eighteen years was rapidly fading.

【Current Highest Record: 1 hour, 5 minutes, 22 seconds】

【Clearing Team: Xia Qingyue, Zhang Kai, Wang Meng, Liu Weiwei, Lin Mo】

“This… this can’t be real?”

Zhao Lei’s expression froze, his mouth slightly open, unable to close it.

His son Zhao Yu was no better, staring blankly at the record. “Cleared it? And… broke the record? Even under deepened dungeon conditions?!”

Before anyone could recover from this staggering shock,

hum—!

The light at the dungeon entrance flickered.

Several figures slowly stepped out of the vortex.

Lin Mo had barely stepped out of the dungeon when he was startled by the scene.

Hundreds of fully armed soldiers, dozens of powerful spotlights, and pair after pair of eyes fixed on him.

“Whoa, this much of a reception?”

Lin Mo’s gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Zhao Yu’s stunned face nearby.

He raised an eyebrow, smirking as he waved. “Oh? Zhao Shao’s here too? Out here in the middle of the night, not sleeping at home, just to catch some wind? Quite the refined taste.”

“You—”

Zhao Yu’s face flushed crimson, speechless.

Before Lin Mo could tease him further,

Su Wan rushed forward.

“Mo’er!!”

She forgot all about her CEO image, clutching Lin Mo tightly in her arms.

Her grip was so fierce it threatened to snap his ribs.

“You scared me to death! A deepened Fuben ! How could you be so unlucky… Wuwuwu … If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t live either…”

As she cried, she pounded hard on Lin Mo’s back.

“Cough… cough…”

Lin Mo’s eyes rolled back, his face turning purple as he weakly patted her back.

“Mom! Mom! Let go! I wasn’t killed by monsters—I’m about to be smothered by you!”

Hearing her son’s plea, Su Wan snapped back to reality, frantically wiping her tears.

She scanned Lin Mo from head to toe, eyes filled with concern and guilt.

“I’m sorry, so sorry—I got too carried away… Let me see, are you hurt? Any pain?”

“Ah, really, I’m fine—not even a scratch.”

Lin Mo shrugged helplessly, showing off his unharmed limbs.

At that moment, Lin Tianhao strode forward.

Though the iron-fisted commander didn’t lose control like his wife, the slight trembling of his large hand resting on Lin Mo’s shoulder betrayed his inner excitement.

“Good boy! Alive—that’s all that matters! Alive is all that matters!”

Lin Tianhao’s gaze passed over his son and landed on the four others following behind: Xia Qingyue and the rest.

His eyes narrowed, brows knitting slightly.

Aside from some dust and fatigue, these four showed not a single mark of serious injury?

“How… is this possible?”

Lin Tianhao asked in a low voice.

Even if his son had micro-management talent, in that environment, just surviving would’ve been a miracle—how could he bring the entire team out unscathed?

Xia Qingyue took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Lin Tianhao.

“Uncle Lin, Aunt Su.”

“We survived and cleared the deepened dungeon entirely thanks to Lin Mo.”

“If Lin Shao hadn’t shattered the final boss’s shield and absorbed over 90% of the damage output, we’d all be dead inside.”

Saying this, Xia Qingyue pulled out a bank card from her pocket and offered it to Lin Tianhao with both hands.

“Uncle Lin, we can’t accept the mission payment.”

“We didn’t contribute anything in the dungeon—we just piggybacked on Lin Shao’s experience to level up twice, and took credit for the record… This money burns in our hands. Please, take it back.”

Behind her, Zhang Kai and Wang Meng nodded vigorously, like chickens pecking grain.

“Yes, Commander! Lin Shao’s incredible! Seriously, carried the whole team!”

“We just went in to yell ‘666’—we can’t take this money!”

Hearing this avalanche of flattery, Lin Mo scratched his head, cheeks warming with embarrassment.

Being praised so lavishly in front of so many people was overwhelming.

“Cough… uh, you’re all too kind,” Lin Mo waved his hand, trying to appear humble. “Not that impressive—just… moderately impressive. Moderately.”

Lin Tianhao stared at his son’s nonchalant demeanor, finding it hard to believe.

One man carried the entire team—and broke an eighteen-year record—under deepened dungeon conditions.

Was his son really this powerful?

Lin Tianhao suppressed his wild joy, laughed heartily, and pushed the card back to Xia Qingyue.

“Keep it! Anything I, Lin Tianhao, give out, I never take back!”

“This…”

Xia Qingyue’s hand froze midair, uncertain.

At that moment, Su Wan gently took Xia Qingyue’s hand and pressed the card back into her palm.

“Little Xia, your Uncle Lin told you to keep it—so keep it.”

“Even if Mo’er did most of the work, without you all holding the front line, without your trust as teammates, he couldn’t have succeeded alone.”

“Besides, you walked with Mo’er through the gates of death—this money is just Auntie’s token of gratitude. Use it to buy some nourishment and rest well.”

“This…”

Xia Qingyue met Su Wan’s sincere gaze, then nodded and took back the card. “Thank you, Uncle Lin. Thank you, Aunt Su.”

“Enough, enough—don’t stand out here in the cold wind.”

Lin Tianhao, in high spirits, waved to a nearby subordinate. “You there—take Little Xia and the others back first.”

…

A short distance away, Zhao Lei’s face was filled with disbelief.

“All unharmed…” Zhao Lei muttered, voice low and chilling. “Cleared it… and all unharmed.”

“Dad, how is this possible?”

Zhao Yu murmured beside him.

Zhao Lei snorted. “Probably Lin Tianhao’s old bastard paid a fortune to give Lin Mo some hidden card.”

His gaze settled on Xia Qingyue, who was about to leave. “And… that girl, Xia Qingyue—she’s no ordinary girl. Do you know her?”

Zhao Yu followed his father’s gaze and nodded. “Yeah, from the neighboring high school. A-level water affinity.”

“She’s famous at school—before her class transformation, she was top in both theoretical scores and combat simulations.”

“A-level water mage, top of the school…”

Zhao Lei narrowed his eyes.

“Let’s go. This has nothing to do with us.”

He opened the car door and, before getting in, turned to a nearby adjutant and ordered coldly:

“Go, investigate Xia Qingyue thoroughly. Find a chance to speak with her—tell her we want this year’s Jianghai City Top Graduate, and name any compensation amount you like.”

“Yes, Commander!”

The adjutant departed on orders.

The car window rolled up slowly; Zhao Lei turned to his son beside him, his tone turning serious:

“Xiao Yu, don’t let this small matter shake your mind.”

“The reward for this year’s Jianghai City Top Graduate—the 【Heart of the Lava Behemoth】—is vital to your Flame Mage profession.”

Zhao Yu clenched his fists, flames blazing in his eyes: “Don’t worry, Dad! This year’s Jianghai City Top Graduate is mine—I’ll take it!”

Seeing his son’s resolve, Zhao Lei’s gloomy mood lifted considerably.

No wonder I’m his father!

Facing a strong opponent, he doesn’t retreat—he’s fired up even more.

That’s right! Only this wolfish spirit can rise to the top in this world that devours men!