Chapter 224: Disqualified Monster

A Disqualified Monster is a special kind of creature; its body structure differs from that of any known organism, possessing a physical composition entirely unlike any known lifeform.

They possess tremendous power, able to manipulate energy directly with their bodies; the energy they manipulate condenses into an invisible shield around them, and ordinary firearms and weapons cannot wound them at all.

Only sufficiently powerful missiles, or the high-tech armaments produced by Anthem Corporation, can pierce the invisible shields around them.

If the invisible shield were merely a turtle shell that could be pried open with greater force, then the Disqualified Domain surrounding a Disqualified Monster would not be so easy to deal with.

Like the "Salted Fish" monster that once intercepted Fei Guang—its Disqualified Domain could slow the speed of all movement within the domain.

Whether living or dead, tangible objects or intangible energy, anything that enters it is affected.

The Disqualified Domain is the truly troublesome weapon of a Disqualified Monster.

When encountering a powerful Disqualified Monster, even deploying the federal army is useless; one can only rely on Anthem Corporation.

In a certain sense, the existence of Disqualified Monsters has forged Anthem Corporation's cliff-like leading position.

Regarding the birth of Disqualified Monsters, the outside world has always been full of speculation.

As for the existence and principles of the Disqualified Domain, current human technology is completely unable to explain it.

When science cannot explain it, people turn to theology and alien technology.

Theologians and historians speculate that Disqualified Monsters are the demons found in the mythologies of every civilization, or humans who fell after being tempted by devils.

The appearance of these monsters stems from human greed.

Greed is like a desert: it grows not a single blade of grass, yet ceaselessly devours the oases around it.

The Federation and the megacorporations are greedy, squeezing out all the world's beauty, filling the world with negative emotions; people become violent, irritable, and unreasonable.

When the beauty in people's hearts ceases to exist, the demons at the bottom of their hearts naturally awaken.

This speculation sounds somewhat reasonable, but it is too vague, not direct enough, and not exciting enough.

People prefer to believe that Disqualified Monsters come from alien technology—that they are a negative byproduct of Anthem Corporation's black technology, or alien creatures released by Anthem Corporation while researching alien tech.

Here Wu Chang needs to clarify one point: this is absolutely a rumor.

Disqualified Monsters are not alien creatures released by Anthem Corporation—Disqualified Monsters are made by Anthem.

As long as an employee's rank reaches Level 8, they can obtain the permission to requisition Disqualified Monsters in the Employee Permissions Center.

On the Disqualified Monster requisition interface, the monster's height, weight, form, abilities, personality, danger index, and other indicators are all clearly listed, with diverse varieties available—no fewer than twenty options.

Moreover, each time one is requisitioned, the backend quickly replenishes it with a new one.

In the eyes of employees above Level 8, Disqualified Monsters are no different from employees—just consumables; as long as they bring in enough profit, there's no need to be stingy in using them.

This usage philosophy, combined with the understanding of Disqualified Monsters and the replenishment speed, leaves only one possible answer.

That is: Anthem Corporation can stably manufacture Disqualified Monsters.

It's just a pity that before entering the instance, Xiao En was wholly committed to lying flat and slacking off, showing no enthusiasm for company business; seeing Xiao En's attitude, Schultz did not tell him the deeper secrets.

If the native identity Wu Chang had obtained belonged to another Level 8 employee named Farell, then the so-called three core secrets of Anthem Corporation could be obtained directly without any investigation.

Wu Chang browsed the Disqualified Monster list, filtering for suitable monsters, and inexplicably felt like a trainer.

Their operation this time had to be covert; the chosen monster had to be small in size, or at least easy to carry.

The ability had to be high in killing power but small in range—don't accidentally damage the surrounding blocks and lower the city's peace value.

Personality—the more irritable the better; ideally extremely aggressive.

The danger index—need that even be said? Must be maxed out. If it's not maxed, how do you make the client obediently hand over the money!

After filtering, Wu Chang finally selected a Disqualified Monster.

I choose you, Glutton Ant!

Wu Chang submitted the application; within five minutes, his phone received a notification that it had been approved.

When it comes to business, Anthem Corporation's process is always fast and efficient.

He opened the office system and notified Fei Guang and the others to head to the small conference room.

The plan and the Dafan Sect are both ready; next, it's time for the righteous Anthem Corporation employees to hold a little meeting.

In the midst of busy Anthem Corporation, the daytime slipped away in a flash.

Wu Chang felt he hadn't done anything—the whole day, he had only mechanically approving his subordinates' applications; when he came back to himself, it was already dark.

He stuck it out until ten at night, then sat up from his desk and stretched.

He had finally made it to Xiao En's quitting time.

When leaving the office, he deliberately made a big fuss, claiming he wanted to hold a welcome party, and called Fei Guang and the others to leave together.

Seeing that the new hires could get off work at ten, the original Automatic Defense Department employees didn't show a shred of envy—instead, their eyes were full of pity.

After ten at night—what a perfect working hour—and yet they ended up with an unreliable insider, wasting time on eating, drinking, and merrymaking. What a pity.

They shook their heads, unsure whether they were lamenting for the new hires or for themselves.

Leaving the office, Wu Chang immediately led the group straight to the underground parking lot, where Fei Guang's deputy was already waiting in the field vehicle.

Wu Chang pulled open the field vehicle's tailgate and saw You Wu guarding a one-and-a-half-meter-square box, sitting inside the cargo bay.

The transport box was entirely silver-gray, with tri-color indicator lights set at its eight corners; at this moment, the green light was on normally, indicating the box was properly sealed and the thing inside was in deep slumber.

The yellow triangular area on the front of the box was marked with an "Extreme Danger" symbol, and below it was a line forbidding arbitrary movement.

Seeing Wu Chang, You Wu nodded and said: "Boss, the item has been retrieved."

You Wu's attitude was very proper; the attitude he displayed now was two degrees more respectful than when facing Fei Guang.

From the form of address alone, one could tell that in their eyes, Wu Chang was their true boss. Who is Schultz? Not familiar!

Fei Guang had no objections to You Wu's attitude, because when he faced Wu Chang, his own state was no better.

Wu Chang reached out, patted the box, and said with satisfaction: "Very good. Get in! Move out!"

Wu Chang's identity was too conspicuous; to conceal the group's movements, he arranged for Fei Guang to sit in the passenger seat, while he himself sat in the sealed cargo bay at the back.

On the road, the other four members of the Iron Armor Squad in the cargo bay kept their heads down, not even daring to glance at him with the corner of their eyes—each one behaving obediently.

Wu Chang nodded slightly. The long meeting he held in the afternoon hadn't been wasted.

Leveraging the groundwork from the interview, he gained the support of several Iron Armor Team members; during the afternoon meeting, he secretly used the Chaos Power to influence their minds, while brainwashing them with system-backend-recorded workplace PUAs and corporate culture.

He also didn't forget to paint them a picture, claiming that once they completed a few major deals, they'd be promoted immediately and granted Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery, to be trained as Level Six Gold-Rank Employees.

Combined with the Chaos Power and the promise of promotion, the few men were completely fooled, believing they were on the same boat as Wu Chang, and that with him watching over them, if they worked hard and stayed steady, they'd surely have a bright future.

It has to be said, the Chaos Authority is indeed useful to use—it can make a first-level employee who just joined the company believe they are on the same side as an eighth-level manager like him.

On the way to the Orens Estate, Wu Chang noticed Qian Ye beside him, reviewing information about Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery.

This was the pie Wu Chang had painted for them—the maximum reward most players could obtain in the Saint Song Company dungeon.

High-Energy Weapons, Soul-Energy Enhancement, and Fully-Automatic Defense Systems were the three core departments of Saint Song Company.

Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery was a black-tech level second only to Saint Song Company's flagship business: High-Energy Weapons.

According to Saint Song Company's official brochure, many people stored vast innate talents within them, hidden in some region of the brain, merely unactivated.

So-called geniuses are merely people who, by accident, stumbled into their own talent zone and activated a small portion of its power.

And Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery was the process of using scientific detection to precisely locate the target's talent zone, then surgically fully activating it.

Once one activated their own talent zone, everyone would become a genius in their suited field!

This was the dungeon dimension's explanation; in player terms, Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery granted one reclassing.

The quality of the reclassing depended on the talent zone—it was entirely luck-based. If one was born with a weak talent zone, they could only get a Common reclass; if born with exceptional talent, theoretically they could unlock a Gold reclass or even a Hidden reclass.

Even players already with a specialization could use Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery to increase compatibility between their specialization and themselves.

Any reclassing unlocked via Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery, regardless of quality, was always the most suitable for the player—after all, it was a gift they were born with, a power originally theirs.

In Saint Song Company's normal procedure, only Level Five employees who accumulated sufficient performance could apply for Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery.

In the early stages of the Saint Song Company dungeon, when contamination levels were still mild, some players had obtained eligibility for Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery—at the cost of deliberately prolonging dungeon clearance time, becoming nuclear-powered oxen for two full years within the dungeon dimension. Wu Chang's promise to the Iron Armor Team members shaved the minimum two-year grind down to months or even weeks; no wonder they were tempted.

The Iron Armor Team members were deeply swayed by this pie, making Wu Chang wonder whether, when they first targeted Saint Song Company, they hadn't been working for some mysterious organization—but truly seeking something within this dimension.

Yet their positioning and goals had coincided with that mysterious organization's, so they were conveniently exploited.

Though both dungeon inhabitants and players lavished praise on Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery, Wu Chang suspected it was probably not a good thing.

The reason was simple: Xiao En had given up, yet he, who had lived an ordinary life, still yearned to become a genius.

Especially after entering Saint Song Company and becoming a Level Eight Manager, he had applied three times for Soul-Energy Enhancement Surgery—but Shulz had refused each time, without explanation.

This incident was the trigger that led Xiao En to give up entirely.

The field vehicle stopped five kilometers from the Orens Estate; the group parked it in a concealed spot.

They stepped out, wrapped the transport crate in waterproof tarp, and with Feiguang and Youwu lifting the crate, they stealthily advanced toward the Orens Estate.

To enjoy the ultimate scenery, the Orens Estate had no high walls—only a vast open park-like layout.

Yet around the estate, they had established warning lines and numerous automated defense weapons.

!

Wu Chang had previously checked the Orens Estate's automated defense layout on the company backend, easily finding its vulnerabilities.

Following the vulnerability, they bypassed several hidden automated defense weapons; just as they neared the residential zone, they discovered an energy wall had been added along their preset route.

The energy wall was a new toy Saint Song Company developed for the wealthy—constructed of pure energy, it could switch between transparent and opaque states per user preference, balancing aesthetics, privacy, and security.

Why wasn't this energy wall recorded in the backend?

Wu Chang stared at the energy wall before him, troubled—its vertical defense range was ten meters; how could he bypass it without exposing his power?

He soon found the answer.

Or rather, the answer came to him.

Seeing Wu Chang's expression, Feiguang and the others assumed he had no plan and was considering giving up.

Wu Chang could give up, but they couldn't—in Saint Song Company, the chance for a low-level employee to land such a big job was lower than winning the lottery.

They exchanged glances; Qian Ye stepped forward first, cleared his throat, and said:

"Boss, we have a way past this wall."

Wu Chang looked at Qian Ye in confusion. "What way?"

Then he saw Qian Ye leap lightly, like a grasshopper springing from dry land, soaring into the air and landing gracefully on the other side.

Immediately after, he felt his waist tighten—Feiguang's hands had clamped around it.

"Boss, get ready."

Feiguang threw him upward, hurling Wu Chang over the energy wall; on the other side, Qian Ye stretched out his arms and caught Wu Chang steadily.

Watching Feiguang and the others leap over the wall one after another, Wu Chang feigned astonishment and asked:

"What's this?"

Feiguang forced himself to say: "We've all had innate strength since childhood."

Wu Chang remained silent; Feiguang and the others fell silent too.

Watching Wu Chang's thoughtful expression, Feiguang grew uneasy—was this excuse too flimsy? Should he switch to saying they'd trained in acrobatics since childhood?

Just as Feiguang was about to crack, Wu Chang seemed to realize something and said: "You've all partially activated your talent zones, right?"

Feiguang and the others froze for a moment, then all chorused: "Yes yes yes, it's the talent zones!"

Both sides quickly reached consensus, as if nothing had happened, and continued their operation.

Since the boss now believed in the talent zones, Feiguang and the others stopped pretending.

Originally, they'd had to strictly time their passage through the automated defense vulnerabilities; now, using their abilities covertly and following the layout map, they quickly reached the residential zone.

In the distance, they could already see the villa's silhouette.

Wu Chang removed the waterproof tarp, opened the transport crate's authentication panel, and unlocked it sequentially with his ID card, fingerprint, and iris scan.

Hss~

As all authentication steps passed, the crate opened a narrow gap, releasing the special gas that induced the Disqualified Monster's slumber.

Immediately after, the green indicator light on the crate's corner turned yellow.

The malformed beast inside the box is awakening, in standby mode.

Wu Chang twisted the physical button on the authentication panel, unlocking it so the button popped out, then pressed it down to confirm activation of the malformed beast.

Ding.

The indicator light on the transport box turned red.

Wu Chang said to Feiguang and the others: "We should go."

Feiguang and the others knew only that Wu Chang had prepared a secret weapon capable of threatening the billionaires' lives; they did not know exactly what was inside the box.

Feiguang stared at the box on the ground and asked Wu Chang, who had already run ten meters away, through his earpiece:

"Aren't we opening the box?"

Wu Chang's voice came through the earpiece: "No, hurry up and go, or you won't be able to leave."

No sooner had Wu Chang finished speaking than the transport box unfolded outward, revealing what was inside.

It was a red ant, curled up, with a sharp mouthpart and a bloated, caterpillar-like body.

They did not know what this strange ant was, but from its presence, they sensed a familiar aura of rules.

Malformed beast!

Remembering the bitter battle from last night, Feiguang and the others forgot about the box and sprinted after Wu Chang.

If they got caught by this thing, they truly wouldn't be able to escape.

Feiguang and the others quickly caught up to Wu Chang, who led them to a preselected hidden observation point to witness what was about to happen.

They knew their boss would pull off something extreme, but they never imagined he could bring out a malformed beast.

There was plenty of intelligence on Song Sheng Company, but all prior reports only speculated about its connection to malformed beasts; no player had ever known the truth.

The long-standing conspiracy theory was now confirmed by their boss's actions, making the group even more determined to cling to him utterly.

Following a boss like this gave them a starting advantage that obliterated every other player.

Wu Chang paid no attention to their inner thoughts; his gaze was fixed on the Gluttonous Ant far away.

The first thing the Gluttonous Ant did upon awakening was to eat the transport box that had contained it.

The transport box, capable of withstanding most weapon attacks, crumbled like soft bread before the malformed beast and was swiftly devoured in a few bites.

Having gained preliminary energy, the Gluttonous Ant trembled in place; behind its bloated body, three pairs of transparent wings pierced through its skin and grew out.

The Gluttonous Ant lifted into the air, scanning its surroundings; having just awakened, its mind held only one thought: hunger.

It needed to consume vast amounts of food—everything it saw.

Soon, it spotted its first target: the distant villa complex.

It flapped its wings, producing a sound like millions of metal sheets vibrating at once, and instantly arrived above the villas.

The old-model fully automated armed defense system in the villa district activated; countless automated weapons rose from every corner and unleashed concentrated fire at the airborne Gluttonous Ant.

But whether physical bullets or energy-based projectiles, as soon as they came within twenty meters of the Gluttonous Ant, they lost control and began orbiting around it.

The Gluttonous Ant opened its massive mouth and devoured the surrounding bullets; each time it consumed a certain number, its body swelled slightly, its distended belly growing rounder, as if about to burst.

The Gluttonous Ant had only one mouth, and its malformed domain extended only twenty meters; faced with dense attacks, it simply could not eat fast enough.

Faced with excess food, the Gluttonous Ant rapidly flapped its wings; under its motion, the uneaten bullets began fusing together, transforming within moments into countless miniature Gluttonous Ants.

The ant swarm scattered in all directions—some shielding the Gluttonous Ant from attacks, others piercing through the fire to gnaw at the automated defense systems.

In an instant, the ant swarm blotted out the sky, engulfing the entire villa complex.

(End of Chapter)