Chapter 211: DX001 Elimination Plan Takes a Turn

Chapter 211 DX001 Purge Plan Goes Awry

[System Message:] "Alliance Announcement: A major bug has occurred in the [Coastal Mining Town] dungeon. Critical storyline NPCs have died, key maps are severely damaged beyond repair, and the main plotline has been disrupted.

The dungeon is now under emergency shutdown and undergoing a data reset for repairs!

The next reopening time is undetermined. Stay tuned for updates, players..."

"What the hell? Coastal Mining Town just opened three days ago!"

"Hey! I was there! I was in the dungeon—even from the wilderness map, I could hear a massive explosion coming from the town center.

One blast, and I got booted from the instance."

"Seriously, who's the big shot player that blew up the dungeon in just three days?"

"This reminds me of that once globally famous console game, *Grand Theft Auto*!"

Wu Yue looked at Shen Que, "Captain, are you heading back to the team?"

Shen Que shook his head, "No."

Wu Yue, "Alright, I'll go ahead then."

Shen Que watched as Wu Yue turned away without hesitation, boarded her personal small skybike, and took off smoothly without hesitation.

Over 70,000 SS-grade diamond crystals—during this current crystal shortage, they were practically priceless treasures!

The entire Alliance would go crazy over them! They could sell for a fortune!

An S-grade item that everyone covets—over 70,000 SS-grade crystals could not only max out 10-star upgrades but even leave more than half to spare!

In just two days, it earned more than a month's income, and then some—way more.

Shen Que consigned 50,000 SS-grade crystals to Jian Suiyu and used the remaining 20,000+ to feed the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

Jian Suiyu instantly claimed the crystals.

"Jian Suiyu: Thanks, boss man. Let me bow down to you."

"Jian Suiyu: Where'd you suddenly get so many crystals? Did you break Coastal Mining Town?"

"Shen Que: It was Wu Yue's idea. I bumped into her in the dungeon. These crystals count toward her squad credits."

"Jian Suiyu: No way! What are the odds?"

"Seen - no reply."

"Jian Suiyu: What's wrong? You somewhere brooding?"

If you've got worries, deal with it fast—don't let them interfere with making money.

"Shen Que: I was going to tell Wu Yue my identity, but right after leaving the dungeon, I got a message from the Royal Court. In the end, I lost my nerve."

"Jian Suiyu: Want me to tell her for you?"

Consider it my little way of helping the boss.

Shen Que opened the private message from Grand Duke Vlad:

"Vlad Dracula: Noah, Zhou Qianfeng was severely injured by a DX001 infected during today's cleanup mission.

I've requested the Alliance Parliament to have the Secretariat release you immediately. Hall will personally come to retrieve you."

These few sentences packed a huge amount of information. Without looking back, Shen Que boarded the Airspeeder.

He had to return to the Secretariat before the royal court's envoys arrived—otherwise, with Secretary-General Zhou injured, the court might seize the opportunity to stage a coup.

Before starting the Airspeeder, Shen Que replied to Jian Suiyu:

"Shen Que: Don’t tell her. Let her continue as she is now."

"Shen Que: Nurture your Truth Flower as quickly as possible. Prepare for Blaze’s new member recruitment next year."

Setting down the communicator, Shen Que began his journey back.

....

Wu Yue piloted her Airspeeder toward Blaze, switching to autopilot.

The little angel had just lit up the 15th and 16th stars.

"Congratulations! You’ve successfully lit the 15th star of the Holy Angel’s Protection.

Skill Revealed:

Group Healing Skill: Instant cast, heals 10 random targets within a 5x5 area for 40% damage (Skill Proficiency: 0/5)."

"Congratulations! You’ve successfully lit the 16th star of the Holy Angel’s Protection.

Skill Revealed:

Group Defense Skill: Instant cast, creates a Holy Angel’s Blessing barrier, blocking 60% of dark damage for 10 random targets within a 5x5 area (Skill Proficiency: 0/5)."

Wu Yue's eyes widened in shock.

Finally, a powerful group healing skill!

And unexpectedly, a group barrier that could negate 60% damage!

She noticed that starting from the 17th star, the required crystals became virtually impossible to calculate—impossible to gather in a short time.

Having about 10,000 SS crystals remaining, she fed them all to the Nine-Tailed Fox’s Red Lotus Karmic Fire, successfully lighting 7 stars.

"New Skills Learned!

Learned Fireball! Single-target attack skill, 5-second cast time, hurls a blazing fireball at the target.

Learned Flame Stun! Single-target control skill, instant cast, inflicts fire damage while stunning the target for 5 seconds.

Learned Flame Mastery! Passive skill, adds 20% bonus fire damage to each fire attack.

Learned Flame Meditation! Passive skill, reduces casting time of fire skills by 20%.

Learned Fire Thorns! Area-of-Effect attack skill, 15-second cast time, summons searing thorns in a 3x3 area, dealing damage for 30 seconds.

Learned Meteor Shower! Area-of-Effect attack skill, 30-second cast time, calls down fiery meteors in a 5x5 area, dealing damage for 50 seconds.

Learned Flame Hammer! High-damage single-target skill, wreathes a giant meteor hammer in flames to strike the enemy’s weak point, dealing 70% damage."

After lighting seven stars, the Nine-Tailed Fox’s originally white fur gained a pinkish tint, and three more tails sprouted behind it.

The little pink fox nuzzled up to Wu Yue affectionately, as if to thank her for feeding it.

It seems that once the final 20 stars are lit, the nine tails of the Nine-Tailed Fox will fully manifest.

Wu Yue's communicator suddenly rang. Opening the video call, Fu Yanqi appeared, his expression grave.

Wu Yue frowned, "What's wrong?"

Fu Yanqi, "Last night, I studied the stars and noticed the dimming of the primary star.

Today, I cast three divinations—all pointed to dire omens.

I contacted Sui Yu, and Blaze is fine. The Daoist sects are safe too.

Considering the primary star lies to the south, where World City is located, I fear it’s Master Uncle or even Secretary-General Zhou who’s in danger."

Wu Yue immediately checked today’s alliance arrangements regarding the DX001 cleanup operation—a two-day instance—and was shocked to find:

Public opinion toward the Secretariat had suddenly reversed. Citizens were in an uproar about the Secretariat’s lockdown measures to eliminate DX001, claiming it crippled their daily lives.

"Still grinning after watching others raid for first clears?"

"I bet the Secretariat just locked us down to hog resources for themselves!"

"An SSS-tier crystal dungeon goes into maintenance right after opening—did the Secretariat just deploy the entire White Guard into it?"

"Could you be any greedier?"

"Hey, heard about today’s alliance morning meeting? Someone protested so fiercely against the Secretariat’s methods it escalated to pounding tables and cursing!"

"Also heard Secretary-General Zhou Qianfeng was attacked by a DX001-infected on his way out. He vomited blood, collapsed, and his survival’s still in question!"

"What a joke. The lead of the DX001 cleanup getting ambushed by DX001-infected—what a slap in the face for the Secretariat!"

"No guts, no glory. The only reason the Secretariat’s been suppressed by the Royal Court and Parliament is Zhou Qianfeng’s lack of combat prowess.

In the apocalypse, only the strong thrive. If you’re not tough enough, even your guards will slip up."

Browsing the alliance forums, Wu Yue saw nothing but sarcastic remarks—some even deliberately fanning flames. Clearly, various factions were pulling strings behind the scenes.

Wu Yue realized:

As the first phase of DX001 cleanup concluded,

some vanished when work got tough, withholding resources or causing chaos—yet now elbowed their way in for credit.

Not only seizing benefits but also eliminating rivals.

This might very well be Uncle Zhou’s tactic—a feigned retreat to smoke them out.

Wu Yue swung the skiff directly toward World City.

Hailing Fu Yixue’s commlink, regardless of the situation, one thing demanded answers now.