Chapter 11: BUG-Level Spirit Realm

In a spacious and luxurious office, Li Dongze lazily reclined on the sofa, crossing his legs, holding a wine glass in his left hand and a cigar in his right, enjoying his leisure.

Just moments ago, he had reported the successful recruitment of the Night Wanderer to his direct superior.

Li Dongze knew that the young Centurion, newly appointed, was eager to make achievements and cultivate loyal subordinates. For a high-ranking officer with a prestigious family background, a Night Wanderer with a clean history was like a timely gift from the heavens.

As expected, the young superior highly praised him and promised to record this as a great merit.

In the White Tiger Guards' system, military merit was everything.

"Bang—"

The glass door of the office was violently pushed open, and Guan Ya, in high heels, stormed in.

Li Dongze frowned slightly. Taking a slow sip of his drink, he criticized,

"Guan Ya, this is very ungraceful of you."

"Squad Leader, that kid entered the Trial Spirit Realm of Sheling Tunnel!" Guan Ya got straight to the point.

"Pfft!" Li Dongze instantly turned into a spray warrior, forgetting to wipe off the spilled liquor. He slammed the table and shrieked,

"Sheling Tunnel?! Oh my god, you damned fool, look at what you've done!"

He grabbed his cane and rushed out, heading to the office area. There, he saw the newly recruited Night Wanderer staring blankly at the computer screen.

Sensing Li Dongze's approach, Zhang Yuanqing put on a bitter expression and asked,

"Squad Leader, do you think I still have a chance to be saved?"

He was terrified that the response would be: No hope, prepare to die, contract terminated!

Li Dongze silently stared at him, his expression resembling that of a man who had finally won the affection of his beloved, only to discover that she was his long-lost sister.

Facing the hopeful gaze of his new recruit, Li Dongze took a deep breath and spoke in a low tone,

"The Trial Spirit Realm is every Spirit Walker's first solo dungeon. What makes it most difficult is precisely that—no one can help you inside. This is the Spirit Realm's test for you. Gaining supernatural power comes at a price."

Zhang Yuanqing solemnly nodded.

Li Dongze continued,

"I will report this matter on your behalf, hoping that higher-level archives contain information and strategy suggestions for Sheling Tunnel. Otherwise, no one can save you. Go home and wait for news—I will notify you as soon as there's an update."

Although he wasn't a Night Wanderer himself, as an experienced Spirit Walker, he had heard of Sheling Tunnel's dreadful reputation.

To date, no one had ever cleared Sheling Tunnel. According to the official records, this dungeon's "first kill" remained unattained.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Squad Leader." Zhang Yuanqing nodded stiffly.

Li Dongze added,

"Write down your detailed experience in Sheling Tunnel."

…

After arranging a designated car to send Zhang Yuanqing home, Guan Ya returned to her desk. She took out a notepad with an Aquarius watermark from the drawer and unscrewed the cap of a pen marked with a Virgo design.

Everything on her desk, including the computer, notebook, desktop, and water cup, was adorned with various astrological symbols.

It was clear that she was a devoted astrology enthusiast.

On the notepad, she wrote:

"Primordial Lord of Heaven, Scorpio male.

Zodiac Traits: Scheming, vengeful, strong sex drive."

"Note: Highly susceptible to seduction by female members of other organizations."

After finishing, the mixed-blood beauty sighed softly, tore off the note, and pasted it into the personnel records of Team Two.

She had given every team leader an evaluation, including those who had resigned or died in the Spirit Realm.

"Hey, Wang Tai, does that kid have any hope of clearing the dungeon?" Guan Ya tilted her head and asked.

The disheveled Wang Tai looked up and said,

"Taiyi Sect might have detailed records on Sheling Tunnel, but they probably aren't very useful. Otherwise, Taiyi Sect would have already sent a Night Wanderer to clear that realm. An S-rank trial dungeon must contain some pretty good rewards."

Guan Ya frowned.

Wang Tai continued,

"If we could get him some useful items, maybe he'd have a chance. But as you know, items have various functions, and our understanding of Sheling Tunnel is limited. We can't provide targeted assistance, and in the end, we'd likely lose both the person and the resources."

"No sh*t!" Guan Ya rolled her eyes.

Items were extremely rare and precious. A Spirit Walker in the Transcendent stage having even a single item was already impressive.

Unclaimed items could only be obtained in two ways: by finding them in the Spirit Realm or by killing another Spirit Walker in reality and looting them. However, only items removed from inventory storage could be taken.

Neither of these options was feasible in this case.

Most importantly, without knowing the exact conditions of Sheling Tunnel, who could predict which type of item would help him clear it?

If he died inside, the item would be reclaimed by the Spirit Realm, making the loss even greater.

Wang Tai typed rapidly on his keyboard, pulling up a series of data. After staring at it for a while, he murmured,

"Qingming Festival just passed… The timing is perfect for Sheling Tunnel to open. Is this guy just ridiculously unlucky?"

…

In Beijing, inside a courtyard house.

A large pagoda tree stood in the yard, its dense branches forming a green canopy.

Under the tree, an elderly man with graying hair reclined on a rocking chair, dressed in a white tank top and loose shorts, holding a palm-leaf fan as he leisurely rested.

The old man had a lean face, a mole at the center of his forehead, and an indescribable aura of nobility.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Faint laughter of children echoed from the pagoda tree.

"Elder Sun, the young master of the Fu family has sent you an email." A middle-aged man in black entered the courtyard.

In both the Five Elements Alliance and Taiyi Sect, only the most prestigious Spirit Walkers could attain the rank of Elder.

"Fu Qingyang?" The old man chuckled without opening his eyes, gently fanning himself. "What's the matter?"

"He has recruited a Night Wanderer in Songhai City, whose trial Spirit Realm is Sheling Tunnel. He hopes to acquire relevant records from you. Additionally, he requests your advice."

The old man's fanning hand paused momentarily. A few seconds later, he murmured in realization,

"Qingming just passed… The timing aligns with Sheling Tunnel's activation period. There will be quite a few people lucky enough to obtain the Night Wanderer role cards. Unfortunately, none of them will clear Sheling Tunnel."

"The records can be given to him. Our sect has already abandoned attempts to clear Sheling Tunnel, so its confidentiality level has been downgraded. Also, inform Fu Qingyang that this place, originally an S-rank trial Spirit Realm, has become even more difficult due to unexpected changes. It has long since surpassed the scope of a typical trial."

"My advice is to give up on that Night Wanderer—there is no point in investing in a dead man."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly. As a steward of Taiyi Sect, he deeply understood Sheling Tunnel's eerie and ominous nature.

S-rank trial Spirit Realms were already the most difficult for new players. Sheling Tunnel was even more terrifying than an ordinary S-rank dungeon.

"If someone does clear Sheling Tunnel and obtain its secrets, it will resolve a longstanding puzzle for our sect." The middle-aged man chuckled.

The old man gave no response. Instead, he slowly said,

"In a few days, the Sect Master will summon all Night Wanderers to Beijing for an important announcement. Prepare accordingly and recall your subordinates."

With that, he waved his fan to dismiss the steward.

The middle-aged man bowed and left.