Chapter 316: Making a Run for It

Reality Earth, South Pacific, ten thousand meters above sea level.

A pristine airship bearing a laurel wreath emblem glided through the clouds, its length nearly four hundred and fifty meters, far exceeding that of humanity's largest airship ever built, the Hindenburg, and the Ford-class aircraft carrier.

Publicly, this airship, codenamed 【Laurel】, belonged to a multinational tourism company registered in Singapore; in reality, it served as the Pacific Region emergency response command center of the Global Occult Consortium (GOC).

It carried two nuclear reactors, active phased-array radar, and six hundred universal missile launch units—capable of hunting down even a real-life Radon from Godzilla or an oceanic kaiju from Pacific Rim.

"Detected supernatural energy fluctuation in the Bismarck Sea off Papua New Guinea, danger level green. Prophet System estimates an anomalous marine organism. Reward notice issued to the forum and Marine Hunters Association."

"Detected supernatural energy fluctuation on Mindoro Island, Philippines, danger level yellow. Prophet System estimates a low-grade vengeful spirit. Local guild notified for handling."

On the busy bridge, GOC staff in uniforms sat at computer desks, sipping coffee and munching sandwiches, handling daily affairs with the relaxed demeanor of customer service agents.

By now, GOC had established complete procedures for handling every matter.

For ordinary anomalies, they notified local governments and civilian guilds. For slightly more complex cases, they posted bounties on the forum or contacted mega-corporations like Prometheus.

Only anomalies completely beyond the capacity of local governments and guilds warranted direct GOC intervention.

The entire emergency response command center operated with light workload and a comfortable atmosphere.

Moreover, the interior space of the 【Laurel】 airship was ample; behind the bridge, the lounge even featured a pool table, fitness equipment, a jukebox, and a bar counter.

It epitomized "few tasks, high pay, excellent benefits"—evoking the exact vibe of a full-time employee at a tech giant during an economic boom; TVCs (temporary workers, vendors, contractors) were second-class citizens with longer hours and lower pay.

"Everysha-la-la-la, everywo-o-wo-o~"

At noon, a familiar classic song blared over the speakers; GOC staff at their desks rose, preparing to switch shifts and head to the cafeteria for lunch.

Suddenly,

"Detected supernatural energy fluctuation! Danger level black!!"

After a brief silence, the entire bridge erupted like a boiling pot—black was the highest danger level; if it occurred in a densely populated area, the damage could rival a high-yield nuclear airburst.

"Everyone, quiet!"

The bridge supervisor barked, turning to the operator and speaking calmly: "Report the exact location."

"Latitude 9°32'46" N, longitude 138°07'52" E, on Colonia Island in the Federated States of Micronesia."

Fortunately, the Federated States of Micronesia was a Pacific island nation situated between the Philippines and Guam, with a total population of 104,800.

Colonia Island was isolated; even if an event equivalent to a volcanic eruption occurred, the damage would not be catastrophically unbearable.

After the initial chaos, GOC staff swiftly demonstrated their professionalism and composure.

Some contacted nearby guilds, others hacked into local networks, still others controlled low-orbit satellites to obtain real-time imagery of the site.

A thousand-meter-high tower, its surface devoid of any windows, had abruptly emerged from the shallows of Colonia Island.

Confused and terrified locals stared at the sudden tower—and at the players below it, equally bewildered.

"Wait—are these the ones who accepted the 【Anchor Link】 mission?" The supervisor stared intently at the screen, instantly realized, and shouted: "Prepare to activate the ultra-long-range teleportation array! We're going now!"

The 【Anchor Link】 mission had originally been orchestrated by GOC; the supervisor knew full well this involved the first deep contact between another world and Earth.

After four minutes of preparation, the teleportation array activated silently. The 【Laurel】 airship twisted violently, deforming until all objects within it collapsed into a single point.

When it reappeared, it had crossed two thousand kilometers and now hovered directly above Colonia Island at a thousand-meter altitude.

The airship's electronic suppression systems powered to full capacity, severing all island communications and preventing any video or photo leaks to the internet.

Simultaneously, rows of drop pods shot from the airship's lower deck, crashing onto the island's surface with loud "bang-bang-bang-bang" impacts.

Fully armed GOC operatives pushed open the drop pod doors and advanced toward the tower on the shallows; along the way, they scanned any locals they encountered with memory-erasing devices shaped like recording pens.

When the team reached the base of the tower, the players led by Fu Ding Hua Long were already waiting on the open beach.

They were equally confused: in their perspective, the system's mission completion alert had sounded prematurely, then the external scenery shifted violently—before they could react, they had been teleported directly from the dim, gloomy otherworld back to Earth.

The entire process was impossibly smooth, like suddenly dozing off during a math class.

The only good news was that only the tower had been teleported; the external Light Prism Tower and the mutated monsters it had struck had not been synchronized.

Not a single character, not a single detail, not a single omission!

"So, this tower is actually an artificial structure from the other world?"

After brief communication, the lead GOC operative's expression turned deeply complicated. He immediately picked up his radio to contact the airship, ordering more personnel to descend, seal the entire island, and subject every player, civilian, and native of the other world inside the tower to decontamination, quarantine, and interrogation.

Who knew if any alien virus remained inside the tower? If such a virus leaked and infected the entire planet, it would truly be "Encounter with Another World, Enjoy the Feast."

"Here is the 3D scan map of the tower's interior. You may use it to explore inside."

Fu Ding Hua Long handed the data to the GOC operative, paused, then added with a frown: "Originally, this tower was meant to be teleported to an exoplanet in the other world. I don't know why it suddenly returned to Earth. For specifics, you can ask Zhao Zijing."

She is also GOC personnel.

"Xiao Zhao? Xiao Zhao?"

"."

Zhao Zijing, now fully awake, sat alone on a distant rock. Only after Fu Ding Hua Long called her several times did she respond.

She looked at the brand-new black USB drive in her palm, her expression complex, then stood calmly and said: "The reason the tower was teleported to Earth is classified at the highest level. I have no authority to disclose it."

No one noticed a small slip of paper stuck to the back of the USB drive, bearing two lines of Song-style font:

Since you're sleeping so soundly, I won't disturb you. I'm leaving first. Bye.

(End of Chapter)