10: Chapter 1 Mechanical Corruption!

Meanwhile, in the outside world, Zhao Gao had already completed a successful Dungeon clear.

Following closely behind was Bai Luer; both of them had leveled up, reaching Level 2.

"Wow, clearing the beginner Dungeon in less than two hours, truly worthy of legendary grade classes."

"Having equipment and a team, that speed is no surprise."

Many people cast envious glances.

These exclamations mostly came from students who had failed their first challenge and came out to resupply.

"Not bad, two hours to clear. Including the three-hour Dungeon cooldown, they can farm it at least three times a day."

"At this rate, both of them reaching Level 4 today shouldn't be a problem."

Qin Chuan looked at Zhao Gao and Bai Luer with a satisfied expression.

"Principal, hasn't Lu Yin come out yet?"

Bai Luer glanced around and walked up to Qin Chuan to ask.

Qin Chuan looked in the direction of the Dungeon and shook his head.

"Still not?"

Hearing this, Bai Luer's face slightly changed, a trace of worry stirring in her heart.

But on second thought, with the dungeon teleportation talisman she had given him, Lu Yin shouldn't be in any real danger.

"Heh, let him show off by soloing the Hard difficulty Dungeon. Now he'll die in there with no one knowing."

Zhao Gao, overhearing their conversation not far away, couldn't help but gloat.

"Hmph, Zhao Gao, although you wish Lu Yin dead, he has the dungeon teleportation talisman I gave him. He can teleport out anytime in an emergency."

Bai Luer shot Zhao Gao a glance and snorted coldly.

Qin Chuan also looked at Zhao Gao, his gaze turning stern. He was about to reprimand him when he was suddenly interrupted by a loud shout.

"Quiet! Public Security Team on duty, please cooperate."

Following the voice, over a dozen professional combatants wearing standardized equipment walked over and sealed off the Dungeon entrance.

"Oh no!"

Qin Chuan's expression instantly turned grave.

The sudden appearance of the Public Security Team was no coincidence; they were usually only alerted when something abnormal occurred in a Dungeon.

The Security Captain leading them was a burly warrior who strode directly towards Qin Chuan.

"Principal Qin, our Public Security Team Headquarters has detected abnormal energy fluctuations in the beginner Dungeon, suspected to be an invasion by Corrupted Mechanical Race entities."

"We will forcibly eject all students from the Dungeon and then seal it off."

"We ask for your cooperation later in taking a headcount of the students."

Besides the Abyssal Demons and Netherworld Undead rooted on Blue Star, humanity had another sworn enemy: the Corrupted Mechanical Race.

This Mechanical Race possessed extreme technology. Though they lacked life, everything was controlled by a mysterious Master Brain.

Yet no matter how thoroughly they were purged, they would always inexplicably reappear.

No one knew where they came from or why they hunted humans.

But it was precisely because of this Mechanical Race that human technology experienced a qualitative leap forward.

This led to humanity's escape from Blue Star and the colonization of space today.

Qin Chuan's face darkened as he urgently asked, "Corrupted Mechanical Race? How could that possibly appear in a beginner Dungeon?"

"We're not sure either, but the energy fluctuations are indeed abnormal."

The Security Captain's expression was serious: "To avoid unnecessary casualties, the Dungeon must be sealed off immediately."

As soon as he finished speaking, several Public Security Team members began setting up some sort of device at the Dungeon entrance.

The surrounding students immediately grew restless, and discussions broke out.

"Corrupted Mechanical Race? That terrifying creature that can mechanize Dungeon monsters?"

"Exactly. Depending on the level of corruption, the increase in monster strength varies."

"It's said that at 10% corruption, monster attributes increase tenfold directly."

"So it's basically impossible for any professional to survive in a Dungeon with 10% corruption."

"..."

Hum!

As the Public Security Team members activated the device, the energy vortex at the Dungeon entrance began to fluctuate violently, emitting a piercing hum.

Streaks of white light shot out from the vortex, and students were forcibly teleported out one after another, each looking panicked.

"What the hell! Where the f*** did this send me?!"

"Scared me to death, suddenly getting ejected like that..."

The forcibly ejected students were in a panic, clearly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

"Take a headcount!"

Qin Chuan, looking grave, ordered the teachers present to quickly tally the numbers.

Bai Luer also anxiously scanned every student being teleported out, searching for that familiar figure.

Zhao Gao stood to the side, a faint, barely perceptible smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He wished Lu Yin would stay in the Dungeon forever, so Bai Luer wouldn't always pay attention to that waste.

"Report, Captain! All students have been forcibly ejected!" a Public Security Team member reported.

"That's not right. I haven't seen Lu Yin," Bai Luer said urgently.

The Security Captain frowned: "Impossible. The forced teleportation device works on all professionals inside the Dungeon. Unless..."

Hearing the word "unless," Qin Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

"Unless he's not in the conventional beginner Dungeon, or..."

The Security Captain paused: "...or he perished inside the Dungeon."

"That's impossible!" Bai Luer blurted out: "He has a dungeon teleportation talisman. He can teleport out anytime he's in danger."

"Then this..." The Security Captain was momentarily stunned, also showing a hint of confusion.

It was then that Qin Chuan spoke gravely.

"He might be in the beginner Dungeon's hidden space."

"What?"

The Security Captain was shocked: "How could a newcomer like him challenge a hidden BOSS?"

Qin Chuan's face was full of regret.

"My fault. That kid is a mythical-grade professional. To help him level up faster in the early stages, I gave him the item to unlock the hidden entrance."

"I thought he would at least wait until after Level 5 to challenge the hidden area. Who would have thought..."

He genuinely had high hopes for Lu Yin, believing his steady character destined him for greatness.

But he never would have imagined that Lu Yin not only chose the Hard difficulty right from the start,

but also intended to clear the hidden BOSS in one go.

If he had known Lu Yin would be so reckless, he would never have given him the hidden item so early.

"Then... then what do we do?!" Bai Luer's voice trembled, instantly losing her composure.

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do then. We can only seal off the Dungeon first. Once I clear the Mechanical Corruption, he'll be able to exit normally."

The Security Captain took a deep breath, a hint of pity in his eyes.

"Security Captain, that child is a future pillar. We can't just trap him in the Dungeon like this."

Qin Chuan hurriedly pleaded.

"Principal Qin, you should know that if we don't seal off the Dungeon before it's completely corrupted,"

"once those Mechanical Race entities fully occupy the Dungeon, countless mechanical armies will descend into reality through it."

"At that point, the entire Tianyang City could face devastation."

The Security Captain's expression darkened, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Qin Chuan's aged body swayed slightly, as if he had expended all his energy.

"I understand. Seal the Dungeon first."

"No!"

Hearing this, Bai Luer's pretty face instantly turned pale: "We can't just abandon Silent One alone like this!"

Qin Chuan grabbed Bai Luer's arm, trying to speak as calmly as possible.

"Child, don't panic yet. You know Lu Yin's personality. He wouldn't easily enter the hidden space without being 100% confident."

"Perhaps he's already killed the hidden BOSS. If so, he's absolutely safe within the hidden space."

"As long as we wait for the Public Security Team to clear the corruption, Lu Yin will be able to come out safely."

Qin Chuan's words calmed Bai Luer down a little, but the worry in her eyes didn't diminish at all.

She clenched the hem of her clothes tightly, her gaze fixed on the gradually dimming Dungeon entrance.

"Begin the lockdown!"

At the Security Captain's order, the team members quickly erected several energy barriers around the entrance.

A pale blue light screen completely enveloped the entire Dungeon entrance.

But just then, a device in a Public Security Team member's hands suddenly issued a warning. He froze for a moment, then exclaimed loudly.

"Report, Captain! The Dungeon can't be sealed!"

"How can it not be sealed? The Dungeon clearly isn't fully corrupted yet," the Security Captain said, disbelief on his face.

"Someone has already stepped into the range of the corruption core. The Dungeon has entered raid mode."

"What?!" The Security Captain was utterly shocked.