56: Prepare for battle! Sacred weapons and newcomers!

The successful creation of the Dragon Team brought the morale of the entire National Destiny Operations Center to an unprecedented peak.

But after the joy came a more pressing reality.

Less than twelve hours remained before the opening of the second dungeon, the [Crimson Pyramid].

Final preparations had to be carried out immediately.

Inside Meeting Room No. 1 of the Command Center, Su Yuan, Lin Zhan, Li Guodong, and several core staff officers were gathered around a massive electronic sand table, conducting their final tactical simulation.

"According to the intelligence provided by Comrade Su Yuan, the primary threats in this dungeon are undead creatures. They fear fire, light, and holy-attribute attacks."

Li Guodong pointed at the large pyramid model on the sand table and spoke with a serious expression:

"We have made ample preparations for fire and light. Flamethrowers, incendiary bombs, and high-intensity flashbangs have all been issued to the contestants. However, this holy attribute remains our shortcoming."

Everyone's gaze turned toward Su Yuan once more.

Su Yuan nodded; he knew this was the biggest challenge at the moment.

"I've checked the mall." Su Yuan pulled up the mall interface and projected it onto the screen. "There are quite a few weapons and skills with holy attributes, but they are all very expensive."

He pointed at several of the items.

[Item: A-rank Skill Book "Holy Light Judgment"]

[Price: 50,000 national fortune points]

[Item: B-rank Weapon "Sword of Dawn"]

[Price: 20,000 national fortune points]

"These things would definitely be effective, but we only have a little over three thousand national fortune points left. We can't afford them at all." Su Yuan shrugged helplessly.

"Three thousand-plus points..." Li Guodong's lip twitched, feeling as though they had returned to their initial state of poverty.

"Aren't there any cheaper options? Like one-time consumables?" Lin Zhan asked.

"There are."

Su Yuan began searching through the mall, and soon, his eyes locked onto a few items.

[Item: Holy Water Grenade (Blueprint)]

[Price: 2,000 national fortune points]

[national fortune points required for analysis: 5,000 points]

[Effect: A technology for manufacturing grenades that deal massive holy damage to undead creatures.]

[Item: beginner holy enchantment scroll (Consumable) x10]

[Price: 1,500 national fortune points]

[Effect: Temporarily adds a 10-minute holy damage effect to an ordinary weapon.]

"These two items are quite practical, and the price is acceptable."

Su Yuan said, "Especially the blueprint for the Holy Water Grenade. If we can analyze it and achieve mass production, it would be an excellent weapon against the Undead Army. But the problem is, the analysis requires five thousand points, and we still don't have enough."

Silence fell over the meeting room once again.

"If all else fails, let's just buy the 'beginner holy enchantment scrolls' first."

"Even if we bought the analysis, it wouldn't matter. The research department couldn't possibly fully understand and produce it within a dozen hours. What we need now is immediate combat power."

"That makes sense." Lin Zhan nodded. "Let's do it!"

Soon, Su Yuan completed the purchase.

Dragon Country's national fortune points were once again exhausted, with only a measly few dozen points remaining.

However, their arsenal now contained twenty scrolls that could temporarily enchant weapons.

The problem of holy damage was solved.

The next item on the agenda was regarding the "expert proficient in ancient scripts and mechanics."

"The person has been found."

Li Guodong pulled up a file and projected it onto the screen. "Qin Ming, 78 years old, a lifelong academician of the Dragon Country Academy of Social Sciences and a national treasure-level archaeologist. He is particularly proficient in ancient Egyptian civilization and has participated in many major domestic archaeological projects. His health isn't great, but his mind is absolutely top-tier. We've already sent a special plane to pick him up, and he's expected to arrive at the base in an hour."

"Good!" General Long nodded. "Ensure the old gentleman's safety and health at all costs."

Just then, a staff officer responsible for monitoring global dynamics suddenly stood up to report.

"Reporting to the chief! We've just received a global announcement. Fifteen countries, including the Lighthouse Country, Japan, and India, have had their contestant slots filled by the national destiny arena system because of vacancies left from the first dungeon!"

This news invigorated everyone in the meeting room.

"Replenishing with newcomers?"

Li Guodong sneered. "It seems they suffered heavy casualties in the last dungeon."

"This is absolutely good news for us."

Lin Zhan analyzed, "Newcomers mean no experience, no enhancements, and their physical and psychological qualities won't keep up. Their survival rate in the second dungeon will only be lower. As they weaken and we strengthen, our advantage will grow even greater."

This news undoubtedly gave Dragon Country another shot in the arm.

It was like a resounding slap in the face to those countries that had once mocked and questioned Dragon Country.

It proved that only a country that stands united and possesses a strong core can have the last laugh in this cruel competition for national destiny.

An hour later.

A special plane landed steadily on the runway of the military base.

Accompanied by several medical and security personnel, a white-haired elder with a slightly hunched frame but a spirited demeanor stepped off the plane.

He was Qin Ming, Old Qin.

Old Qin was brought directly to the National Destiny Operations Center.

When he saw the scene, which looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, and the room full of high-ranking figures with stars on their shoulders, even this veteran academician who had seen it all was somewhat dazed.

"Chiefs, why have you... made such a fuss to bring this old bag of bones here? Have you unearthed some world-shaking ancient tomb again?" Old Qin adjusted his reading glasses and asked curiously.

General Long personally stepped forward, shook Old Qin's hand, and said with great respect:

"Old Qin, we didn't invite you here to dig up a tomb, but to... save the world."

Half an hour later.

After hearing the explanation from General Long and Su Yuan, Old Qin fell into a state of complete shock.

national destiny arena, magical dungeons, pyramids, Necromancers... every one of these terms was battering the materialist worldview he had built over a lifetime.

"This... this is too... too absurd..." Old Qin muttered to himself.

Because he was focused on his research, he hadn't been paying attention to the outside world.

He hadn't expected such massive events to occur in such a short time.

Su Yuan didn't explain much more, but instead directly accessed the system.

He projected several hieroglyphs and symbolic patterns regarding the pyramid's mechanisms and puzzles onto the screen.

"Old Qin, take a look at these. Do you recognize them?"

Old Qin's gaze was subconsciously drawn to those ancient symbols.

With just one glance, his entire being seemed to be pulled in like a magnet, and he could no longer look away.

He walked tremblingly to the screen and reached out with a wrinkled hand, as if stroking a rare treasure.

"hieroglyphs... these are hieroglyphs from the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt! Heavens, this symbol represents the Ankh, the key of eternal life! And this one is the Eye of Horus, which protects the dead!"

Old Qin's breathing became rapid, and an unprecedented light erupted from his cloudy eyes.

"These... these things, where did you get them?!"