: Operation Results

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the pale light of dawn gradually expanded, tinged with a faint golden-red hue. The outline of a small military outpost built around the underground train station finally became clear in the morning sunlight. The alloy armor walls and towering watchtower exuded a sense of security.

Stepping through the sturdy gates of the outpost, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed, and several people almost collapsed on the spot.

The morning sunlight streamed softly through the heavy glass into the suite's living room, which was covered with an expensive carpet, but it couldn't dispel the heaviness and silence that permeated the air.

It was the day after Li Xingyao and his group returned from Chentang Town.

The living room of the presidential suite was spacious enough that a holographic projection silently switched between tranquil natural landscapes, creating an atmosphere somewhat out of place with the people seated around the central sofa. The air was filled with the faint, pleasant scent of high-end aromatherapy, yet it seemed to remind everyone of that night filled with the smell of rust.

Li Xingyao, Lin Wei, Lei Lie, Mu Chenbin, Lin Jin, Wu Feng, Ying Suo, and Su Muyao sat in a circle, with exquisite tea and snacks laid out on the tea table in front of them, but none of them were tempted.

After arriving at the outpost yesterday morning, they did not linger. After a brief rest, they immediately boarded the fastest underground train back to Tianjing. At the Tianjing train station, they solemnly and briefly handed over the remains to the families of Zhang Xin, Huo Yuan, Lin Feng, and Wang Yisong, who had rushed over upon receiving the tragic news.

At that moment, words of comfort were pale and powerless; the suppressed sobs and red eyes of the family members weighed on everyone's hearts like an invisible boulder.

Subsequently, they were taken directly to the best private hospital in Tianjing City by the convoy arranged by Lin Wei, where they underwent comprehensive treatment for almost a whole night using an advanced biological repair pod.

At this moment, everyone had changed into clean and tidy casual clothes. Lin Wei sat on the main sofa, wearing a well-tailored dark casual outfit. Today, she looked less radiant than usual, but more composed and solemn. Her gaze slowly swept over everyone present.

"Everyone... thank you for your hard work this time." She paused slightly, as if choosing her words carefully, before finally letting out a soft sigh. She then bowed deeply and said, "I'm very sorry. This operation encountered risks that I couldn't foresee, ultimately leading to... this outcome. The responsibility lies with me."

The living room was silent, and no one interrupted her.

Only Lei Lie grimaced, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just irritably wiped his face. Mu Chenbin patted his knee, signaling him to be quiet.

Lin Wei continued, "I have used all available channels to investigate the information about those three teams. I will give everyone, as well as the families of Zhang Xin, Huo Yuan, Lin Feng, and Wang Yisong, a satisfactory answer." Her tone was calm, but the chill in her words made everyone present understand.

"Regarding the reward for this operation," she changed the subject, introducing a practical issue, "besides the deposit paid in advance, I will provide an additional 60 million credits as extra compensation for this mission, which will be distributed among those involved in the final allocation according to their contributions." Her gaze swept over Li Xingyao, Wu Feng, and Lin Jin.

"The compensation for fallen teammates is not included here. I have arranged for someone to communicate with their families and will provide them with... compensation sufficient to ensure their future livelihood." Lin Wei's voice lowered.

Lei Lie finally spoke, his voice rough: "Weiwei, no need to say anything, we all understand. It's already a miracle we survived this time. I'll add another five million as a personal token of my appreciation to the families of these brothers." He was wealthy and arrogant, but at this moment his words carried a hint of gratitude.

Mu Chenbin nodded in agreement: "Me too."

Su Muyao gave a soft "hmm" in agreement.

Shadow Shuttle nodded silently. These people had promised to give their teammates extra rewards during the previous danger, and now they had fulfilled their promise.

Everyone's expressions remained solemn. This brief exploration, lasting no more than six days at most, had been filled with perilous moments, brushes with death, and the eventual loss of four companions, casting a shadow that was difficult to dispel over the hearts of these young geniuses who had just stepped into the extraordinary world.

This is no longer a simulated battle in the academy, nor a hunt in a controlled area around the city, but a real, brutal survival game.

Afterwards, Lin Wei hosted a lavish farewell dinner at the hotel's best restaurant. During the meal, everyone tacitly tried to find various topics to talk about, hoping to liven up the atmosphere. Although everyone tried their best to create a lively atmosphere, they still couldn't quite reach the same high spirits they had before setting off.

After the meal, everyone said their goodbyes and left. Everyone needed time to lick their wounds and process this experience.

Li Xingyao was then invited by Lin Wei's assistant to a high-end business suite in the hotel.

Only the two of them remained in the suite. "This is your share of the reward," Lin Wei said without much pleasantries, directly operating her personal terminal to project a detailed list into the air. "Based on the previous agreement and contribution distribution, the reward is 60 million credits. You can choose cash, or..." She swiped her finger, and the list scrolled down.

"Choose an equivalent item from the list of items I've provided. I personally suggest you choose items; many things here are hard to buy even with credits elsewhere. You can consider it before giving me a reply."

Li Xingyao stared intently at the light screen, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. Lin Wei's generosity was truly remarkable; the list was overflowing with exquisite items, each one a masterpiece, clearly carefully selected and perfectly suited to his profession.

His gaze was first drawn to the first few pieces of Tier 3 super armor:

[Shadow Resonance Enchantment Light Armor]: A Tier 3 Superpower top-tier quality armor made using Star Energy technology. It boasts extremely high defensive capabilities, yet it is not a traditional heavy plate armor. Instead, it is forged from a special alloy with moderate thickness, but through master enchanting techniques, its weight is greatly reduced, resulting in exceptional mobility.

The buff rune array includes: spell power amplification +30%, mental strength +40%, and law perception +5%. This is practically a dream item tailor-made for magic-based classes, especially the rare law perception amplification, which is crucial for learning advanced skills in the future. Priced at 50 million credits, this is clearly far below market value; the market price would likely exceed 100 million.

[Thunder Messenger Kinetic Armor]: Superpower Tier 3, representing the highest level of integration of technology and stellar energy on Earth. It is not a traditional enchantment system, but rather features a built-in miniature stellar energy power unit and force field generator.

The amplification effect is simple and straightforward: all attributes +15%, strength an additional 3000 points (equivalent to directly granting a mid-level warrior over half of their base strength), and spell and mental power amplification +20% (totaling 35%). The downside is the lack of a law perception amplification. Priced at 50 million, this is a pinnacle of technological achievement, and its value is certainly not low.

These two pieces of armor made Li Xingyao's heart race; either one would give him a qualitative leap in his survivability.

His gaze continued downwards, landing on the [Spell Branding] category. The items there were even more appealing to him:

[Nightmare Summoning Guide] (Imprint Stone): This stone is painstakingly imprinted by top necromancers with complete information about a specific summoned creature, its communication frequency, and contract runes. Users can activate the imprint with their mental power to directly import the corresponding information into their mental space, greatly simplifying and increasing the probability and efficiency of successfully summoning the creature.

It eliminates the long and risky process of arduous searching, communicating, and attempting contracts in a vast, deadly world. The price is thirty million.

[Death Knight Summoning Guide] (Imprint Stone): Same as above, contains summoning information for the Death Knight. Priced at 30 million.

[Guide to Summoning a Vengeful Spirit] (Imprint Stone): Same as above, contains summoning information for a high-level vengeful spirit. Priced at 30 million.

[Bone Dragon Summoning Guide (Low)] (Imprint Stone): Contains summoning information for a Bone Dragon (Beginner). Note: Due to the Bone Dragon's high rank, using this imprint carries a high risk of mental backlash, and successful summoning requires meeting high basic attribute requirements (Spirit, Star Energy). Price: 30 million.

Li Xingyao's gaze lingered longest on the bone dragon's brand, his heart pounding. A bone dragon! This was an epic-level (super-tier) high-ranking undead! Although it was only in its initial form, its attributes were far superior to those of ordinary undead.

Although the notes highlighted the risks and requirements, he was quite confident in his mental strength, which had been enhanced multiple times by the Myriad Soul Banner. More importantly, he had the Myriad Soul Banner's soul power as a trump card, which might allow him to bypass some of the stringent judgment conditions!

Below the list are many other valuable items: [High-Quality Spirit Attribute Star Core], [Advanced Necromancer Spell Skill Book - Death and Decay (Modified)], [Superpowered Tier 2 Necromancer Exclusive Weapon - Soul Gathering Staff], etc., each of which is priceless.

Li Xingyao fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

Equipment is important, as it can immediately boost one's raw strength. However, his core combat power always comes from the Myriad Soul Banner and the summoning of an army of the undead. While a piece of super-powered Tier 3 armor would certainly make him safer, if he could successfully form a contract with a bone dragon and a vengeful spirit, his offensive capabilities and tactical options would experience an explosive increase.

Especially in his later actions, powerful summons were more effective at dealing with complex environments than a top-tier piece of armor.

"I choose this one," Li Xingyao raised his head and pointed to [Bone Dragon Summoning Guide (Low)], "and this one too." He then pointed to [Wraith Summoning Guide].

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Wei's eyes, but she also guided her with some inclination, "Are you sure? The risks and barriers to summoning the bone dragon are not low. Even with the guidance of the mark, the possibility of failure is still very high."

Moreover, "she pointed to the Wraith Guidance, "this skill is relatively unpopular. Are you sure you don't want to choose something else? Like that high-quality Spirit Star Core? Or reserve some credits?" Clearly, she took out those armor sets because she wanted Li Xingyao to strengthen his defense.