49: The hero returns! The long-awaited teleportation!

While the world was still immersed in the shock of Dragon Country obtaining an SSS-level evaluation, that cold mechanical voice rang out once again.

[Global Announcement: The Initial Instance No. 1, Zombie Siege, has completely ended.]

[All surviving contestants will be teleported back to the real world in one minute.]

[Teleportation Location: To be designated by each country individually.]

[Countdown begins: 59, 58, 57...]

This announcement caused the Dragon Country Operations Center, which had been celebrating, to instantly fall silent.

Immediately after, a new round of excitement and busyness erupted.

"The heroes are coming back!"

"Quick! Get ready! Activate the highest-level reception plan!"

"Where should the teleportation location be set? It must be an absolutely safe and confidential place!"

"How about the Secret Military Base in the Western Suburbs of the Capital? Right where we are now! It has the highest security level!"

Major General Li Guodong, General Lin Zhan, and the other generals immediately began making orderly arrangements.

These twenty contestants were now Dragon Country's most precious assets. Their safety was the top priority, and there could be no mistakes.

General Long looked at Su Yuan and asked gently, "Comrade Su Yuan, do you have any suggestions?"

Su Yuan thought for a moment and said:

"Chief, I suggest setting the teleportation location directly inside the Operations Center. This will minimize any potential accidents and make it convenient for us to contact and communicate with the contestants immediately."

Within his administrator system, he had the authority to designate teleportation coordinates with precision down to the meter.

"Good! Let's do it!"

General Long made the decision on the spot.

"Immediately clear Conference Room No. 1 to serve as the teleportation site! All medical teams, logistics teams, and psychological counseling teams, stand by!"

"Yes, sir!"

Orders were rapidly issued, and the massive military base began to operate efficiently once again.

Meanwhile, throughout the lands of Dragon Country, countless citizens learned of the heroes' imminent return through the news.

"They're coming back! Our heroes are coming back!"

"Sob, sob... it wasn't easy! Twenty went in, and twenty are coming back! Not a single one missing! Our Dragon Country is amazing!"

"We must give them the highest honors! They are heroes who went to battle for the nation!"

"I wonder where they'll be teleported to? I really want to go and welcome them in person!"

In the squares of major cities and beneath landmark buildings, countless citizens gathered spontaneously. They held flowers and banners with slogans like "Welcome Home, Heroes" and "Dragon Country is Proud of You."

Even though they didn't know where the heroes would appear,

They wanted to use this method to express their highest respect and warmest welcome.

The entire nation was watching with bated breath, looking forward to it... Inside the dungeon's Steel Labyrinth.

Wang Yi and the other twenty Dragon Country contestants also heard the announcement of their imminent return.

"Are... are we going back?"

A young contestant's voice carried a hint of trembling and a sense of unreality.

These short one or two days felt as long as a century to them.

They had gone from initial fear and despair to fighting side-by-side, and finally to a bloody battle where they defeated a powerful enemy.

Only they truly knew the hardships and growth they had experienced.

"Great! We can finally go home!"

"I wonder how my parents are doing; they must be worried sick about me."

"Are we... are we considered heroes now?"

The contestants chattered excitedly, every face beaming with emotion and joy.

Looking at his teammates, Wang Yi was also filled with emotion.

He turned to look at Li Bingyao, Chen Hu, Zhao Zihan, and Wu Qiong—the comrades who had fought alongside him through mountains of corpses and seas of blood—and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

"Brothers, we're going home."

"Yeah! Home!" Everyone nodded heavily.

Just then, the countdown reached its end.

[00:00]

[Teleportation begins!]

As the system prompt sounded, pillars of soft white light descended from the sky, enveloping the twenty Dragon Country contestants one by one.

Wang Yi felt everything turn white as his body was wrapped in an irresistible force, and he instantly lost all consciousness.

This feeling lasted only for a moment.

When he regained consciousness and opened his eyes, he found he was no longer in that cold Steel Labyrinth.

He was standing in a spacious and bright conference room.

Beneath his feet was a marble floor polished like a mirror, above him was a dazzling crystal chandelier, and on the surrounding walls hung majestic traditional Chinese landscape paintings.

The air was filled with a faint, comforting scent of sandalwood.

A familiar environment, a familiar feeling... This was... the real world!

They had truly returned!

"We... are back?"

Chen Hu looked at his riot gear, which was still stained with monster blood and bits of flesh.

Looking at the spotless surroundings, he felt somewhat out of place.

The other contestants were also looking around with expressions of daze and novelty.

Just then, the doors of the conference room were slowly pushed open.

A group of elderly men in crisp military uniforms, their shoulders bearing general stars and their auras as steady as mountains, walked in, flanked by several guards.

Leading them were General Lin Zhan and Major General Li Guodong.

Behind them, General Long, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, looked at them with a smile.

When Wang Yi saw Lin Zhan's familiar, dignified face,

His body jolted. Almost subconsciously, he snapped his heels together, straightened his back, and used all his strength to give a standard military salute!

"Reporting to the Chief! Dragon Country national destiny arena contestant number one, Wang Yi, leading the entire team. Mission accomplished, reporting for duty!"

His voice was loud and powerful, echoing throughout the conference room.

Seeing this group of figures who were clearly the highest-ranking leaders of the country, the other contestants also held their breath in nervousness, each standing tall and straight, imitating Wang Yi.

Lin Zhan looked at his most prized soldier, seeing his weary but still determined eyes. A hint of moisture flickered in his fierce eyes.

He stepped forward, and instead of returning the salute, he reached out both hands and firmly, powerfully, grasped Wang Yi's hand.

"It's good that you're back... It's good that you're back!"

His voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.

Li Guodong also stepped forward. Looking at these twenty living heroes, not a single one missing, he said excitedly:

"Welcome home, children! You are all the pride of our Dragon Country! You are national heroes! The pride of the people!"

"The Chief overpraises us!"

Wang Yi said modestly.

"Not at all! Not in the slightest!"

Li Guodong waved his hand.

"Chief, on behalf of myself, I would like to ask a question."

"Please, go ahead."

"In the dungeon, the Administrator who was constantly guiding us and providing us with intelligence and equipment..."

"Who... exactly is he?"

As soon as this question was asked, all the contestants' ears perked up.

This was also the greatest mystery in their hearts.

That mysterious Administrator was almost like a god—omniscient and omnipotent.

It was he who sent the desert eagle with infinite bullets when they were most desperate.

It was he who issued missions to guide them out of danger when they were in crisis.

It was he who, during the final boss battle, used god-like means to remodel the entire battlefield and create the conditions for their victory.

It could be said that without this Administrator, these twenty people—

Let alone getting an SSS evaluation, it would have been a miracle if even half of them had survived.

They were filled with gratitude, admiration, and endless curiosity toward this Administrator.

Was he one person? Or a team?

Why did he possess such heaven-defying authority?

Where was he now?

Everyone's gaze was focused on Li Guodong and Lin Zhan, waiting for them to provide an answer.

General Long looked at these inquisitive young people and smiled slightly.

He stepped aside, clearing the space behind him.

A young man wearing casual clothes, looking somewhat green and youthful,

And appearing quite out of place in this atmosphere, slowly walked out from behind the generals.

He walked up to everyone, looking at Wang Yi, Li Bingyao, Chen Hu... looking at these twenty faces that were both familiar and strange, a somewhat shy but sincere smile appearing on his face.

"Hello, I am Su Yuan."

"And I am also... that Administrator you mentioned."