Chapter 114: I

Wu Chang knew that if a dungeon instance was on the verge of losing control and wasn't resolved in time, it would reverse-erode the real world along the path the players had entered.

He had also heard of the disasters caused when a dungeon instance eroded the real world.

But this was the first time he had seen a dungeon instance erode the real world with his own eyes.

And more than the rampaging instance itself, he was more concerned about how this rampaging instance had appeared.

If he hadn't misread it, the rampaging instance appearing now seemed to have been deliberately summoned.

There were many questions to investigate, but with a senior figure leading the way and the entire Administration backing him, he didn't need to gather this intelligence himself.

Soon, information came through his headset from the Wanghai City Administration branch.

The erosion zone, centered on Wanghai University, covered the entire Heping District and parts of Xuanwu and Meishan Districts, affecting an area of approximately 600 square kilometers.

The boundary of the erosion zone was sealed by an erosion barrier that isolated the inside from the outside.

All signals were cut off except those from the Administration's special communication devices.

Due to the erosion barrier, the outside could not observe the interior, appearing as a massive fog enveloping the eroded area.

The Administration had blocked all roads leading toward the erosion zone and publicly claimed the situation was caused by an extreme and unusual weather event, urging citizens to stay indoors temporarily.

Beyond signal and visual isolation, the erosion barrier also physically separated the inside from the outside.

The barrier was extremely sturdy; Wasteland Realm players struggled to break through, and heavy weaponry was currently impractical, so Director Gao could only request reinforcements from above.

Players from the Administration's Abyss Layer Two would arrive shortly; shattering the barrier would then pose no problem.

This should have been good news, but Shi Ning was the first to oppose it, immediately contacting Director Gao and demanding that the barrier not be shattered by force unless absolutely necessary.

When Director Gao asked why, Shi Ning replied with only one sentence.

"The rampaging instance appearing now is the work of the Painter."

Just those words made Director Gao understand the situation.

"I understand, Professor Shi. Be careful inside. If you cannot shatter the core of the abnormal erosion, do not force it. Also, if you find the Painter, transmit the information immediately."

After the communication ended, everyone's eyes turned to Shi Ning, waiting for his explanation.

Xiang Jianxing couldn't hold back and asked first: "Professor Shi, who is the Painter? Why must you treat him with such caution?"

"Not just me — throughout the Wasteland Realm, from the Four Great Organizations to the Xieshen Sect Sect, every faction with any depth dares not underestimate the Painter."

Shi Ning's face showed a solemn expression as he recounted the Painter's origins.

Half a month ago, a mysterious new player cleared the Extinction-tier difficulty of the Moonlight Sanatorium instance, sparking fierce competition among organizations worldwide to recruit him.

The last time such a frenzy occurred was five years ago — the protagonist then was the Painter.

Although the Painter wasn't as outrageous as the mysterious new player, this alone revealed his extraordinary talent and ability.

At the time, people thought he was a rising star, unaware he was a fully cultivated monster long prepared.

Investigations into subsequent events revealed the Painter had been raised by a small organization devoted to the Xieshen Sect; its founder was the Painter's own biological father.

Logically, the Painter should have been fiercely loyal to the organization.

But in the second year after he gained fame, he sacrificed the entire organization, stitching together the bodies of over a hundred players into a colossal statue erected at the center of the Crimson Courtyard public zone.

At the top of the statue, pierced by over a hundred iron spikes, was the organization's founder — also the Painter's biological father.

A true example of filial piety.

Since then, several organizations have attempted to recruit the Painter, but soon after, every member of those organizations became artworks displayed in public zones.

Thus, the Painter became the most unique entity in the Wasteland Realm — even the Four Great Organizations must avoid him.

The Painter's greatest advantage in the Wasteland Realm, allowing him to act without restraint, was his possession of an S-class item.

That item could preserve and perfectly replicate any instance he had cleared.

Including those on the verge of losing control.

An instance on the verge of losing control, upon contact with the real world, would immediately lose control and indiscriminately erode surrounding space.

Thanks to this, manpower tactics became useless against the Painter.

With his ability, the Painter could have entered Abyss Layer Two long ago, but to pursue his so-called art, he had remained in the Wasteland Realm.

Once one enters a lower layer of the Abyss Game, return is impossible.

This meant that in the Abyss Game, he was invincible below the Wasteland Realm, yet utterly unreachable above it.

Of course, some organizations refused to believe it and tried to act against him through the internet from the real world.

But any failure would trigger the Painter's insane retaliation.

One of the Four Great Organizations, whose member once styled himself an international police officer, refused to tolerate the Painter. Upon learning the Painter controlled an instance capable of producing energy, he immediately mobilized a large force of Abyss Layer Two players to capture him and seize his S-class item.

After the operation failed, the Painter spent three years summoning an A-class rampaging instance and five B-class rampaging instances inside the organization's headquarters, only ceasing when a certain agreement was reached. Since then, the Painter became the most transcendent entity in the Wasteland Realm.

But in recent years, the Painter had vanished from sight, and all organizations had tacitly avoided mentioning him, causing new-generation players to be unaware of his existence.

Shi Ning pointed and said: "I've seen the Painter use his ability — the pattern on that man who suddenly appeared just now was created by the Painter."

"A rampaging instance created by the Painter has one trait: it fuses with the entire space. Forcibly breaking through from outside will shatter the internal space — conservatively estimated, at least one-third of the people inside the erosion zone will die from spatial chaos."

Wanghai City has nearly ten million residents; Heping District and neighboring Xuanwu District are the two most densely populated areas outside the city center, with over a million people trapped inside the erosion instance.

At least one-third dead…

Just imagining it was unbearable.

"If we don't want things to reach that point, we must find a way to resolve the instance from within. A B-class rampaging instance has difficulty approaching A-class; in the worst case, a boss above level 20 may appear. Anyone wishing to withdraw from the raid, now is the time to leave the team and find a place to hide."

Linghu and others hesitated briefly, then chose to withdraw.

At only level 10, they could contribute nothing in a B-class instance and would only become a liability.

!

Better to withdraw from the start than to die trying to be brave.

Shi Ning showed no reaction to the departure of the newcomers — such a choice was wise, and deserved no comment.

Yet when he saw Wu Chang standing in place, intending to join the raid, his face showed surprise.

On the way here, he had reviewed the report on the Quiet Town incident. Wu Chang, who had become the town councilor, had achieved the highest instance exploration progress among the group, so he had additionally pulled up Wu Chang's file.

If he remembered correctly, he should be a survival-type player, without too strong a desire for combat.

Seeing that Wu Chang had not withdrawn, some people grew anxious.

Zhao Yan quietly made his way to Wu Chang's side, tugged at his arm, and whispered: "You're a perfectly fine stealthy player—what are you doing acting up at a time like this? Get out of here, don't cause trouble!"

As everyone knew, the higher the difficulty of an instance, the harsher the survival environment for stealthy players.

Not to mention Wu Chang hadn't had time to transition yet—even if he had successfully transitioned, wouldn't this level still be a death sentence?

If the sky fell, the high-level players would be there to hold it up. Whether as Wu Chang's instructor or because of Meng Yawen's entrustment, he had no reason to watch Wu Chang go off and die.

Wu Chang suddenly pointed at the sky and shouted: "Instructor, what's that?"

Taking advantage of the moment Zhao Yan turned his head, he pulled his arm free and activated Social Anxiety Disorder.

"There's nothing there… huh? Where's the person?"

Zhao Yan turned around and found that Wu Chang was gone.

Such a big living person—how could he have vanished into thin air?

He looked left and right twice, even glanced down at the ground, but couldn't find where Wu Chang had gone.

He looked at Shi Ning in confusion, about to ask, when someone suddenly patted him on the back.

He turned his head and found Wu Chang standing right behind him.

After a moment of blankness, he caught on at once.

"Invisibility skill?"

Shi Ning spoke up: "It's not an invisibility skill. He was standing there the whole time just now—he only weakened the aura of his own existence. What a strange skill; even I almost got fooled by him."

Sword Star beside him nodded in agreement. Just like Zhao Yan, he had been tricked into looking up at the sky, and when he turned back, his naked eye could no longer catch Wu Chang's presence.

If he didn't possess the Sword Heart skill, he would have been fooled by Wu Chang just like Zhao Yan.

Amid everyone's astonishment, Wu Chang demonstrated Social Anxiety Disorder.

"This skill fits me especially well. It's only by relying on it that I've been able to get through instance after instance without any attack skills."

After saying that, he looked at Zhao Yan and said: "I am, after all, a member of the Wanghai City Administration Bureau, and I want to do my part for this city. Give me a chance—if I feel I can't hold on, I'll withdraw on my own."

Zhao Yan opened his mouth, but in the end did not voice any refusal.

Seeing this, Shi Ning clapped his hands and said: "Since you're willing, then come along. Your skill effect is very strong—it might just work wonders."

Wu Chang showed a resolute look in his eyes. "I'll do my best not to hold everyone back."

What a joke—with such a huge instance right in front of him, how could the strategy possibly do without his share?

Breaking away from the group to act alone was indeed feasible, but if he didn't give Shi Ning, Sword Star, and the others enough sense of participation—if he didn't let them believe that clearing the instance was thanks to them—they would surely investigate heavily to find out who had actually cleared it.

If by some method they discovered him, that would be losing the greater for the lesser.

At least for now, he wasn't prepared to expose the identity of the "Monster Rookie."

Since that was the case, he could only show a tiny bit of "Scallion's" talent.

I'm laying my cards on the table, no more pretending—besides being stealthy, I can also play the sneaky sixth man.

(End of chapter)