Chapter 423: Dungeon, and a Welcome

Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Dungeon, and a Welcome

Seraphina Sullivan thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I have no objections."

"Good."

Gordon Chandler nodded. "As for the specifics, someone will be assigned to coordinate with you shortly.

As for other matters..."

His gaze fell upon Paul Payne, who was still lost in grief, and then shifted to Justin Brooks and Wesley Moore as he spoke with pointed meaning.

"First, get settled and rest up.

Some problems can’t be solved overnight, but... there’s always a way."

He didn’t say it outright, but Justin Brooks and the others understood his unspoken meaning.

Connor Webb’s case might have deep-reaching implications, but it wasn’t being ignored, and bringing him down wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Gordon Chandler’s arrival and his words were like a reassuring balm, temporarily dispelling some of the gloom in the tent.

But for Seraphina Sullivan, the potential threat of Connor Webb, along with the twisted power and the faction behind him he represented, was now laid bare before her.

Soon, a plan for the herd of Four Seasons Deer that Flora Sullivan had tamed was finalized, and Gordon Chandler personally informed Seraphina Sullivan of the details.

The herd would be kept in an enclosure on the west side of the Central Base’s "Ground-Level Work Area."

It was a specially designated area known as the "Mutated Creature Adaptation, Observation, and Breeding Base."

The environment there was relatively open, with dedicated quarantine fences, a steady supply of feed, and veterinary care. The conditions were even better than Seraphina Sullivan had anticipated.

In exchange, the Central Base would receive partial research rights and priority requisition rights for the herd.

This applied, of course, to when they were needed for tasks such as transport or reconnaissance.

And Flora Sullivan would be the one to lead them.

After all, the Four Seasons Deer Alpha listened to no one besides Flora Sullivan and Seraphina Sullivan.

In return, Flora Sullivan would gain the right to freely visit the herd within the base and command them to a certain degree.

Furthermore, due to her status as a special talent—the master of the Four Seasons Deer—she received preferential treatment regarding her living supply rations.

This outcome was well within Seraphina Sullivan’s range of acceptance.

It solved the problem of housing the herd.

It also gave Flora Sullivan’s Ability a degree of official recognition.

It meant they had finally gained a preliminary foothold in the Central Base.

During the time it took to handle the paperwork and wait for the arrangements to be made,

Seraphina Sullivan, through a combination of Laura Lowell’s explanations and her own observations, had gained a clearer understanding of the Central Base’s three major zones.

She learned that the core of the massive "Super Underground Area" wasn’t built entirely through manual excavation.

Instead, it originated from a special item that a Player had brought back from a high-difficulty instance after a near-death struggle.

A special item.

[Dungeon: Evolvable].

Once activated, this core had expanded at an astonishing rate deep underground at a designated location. It had built a structurally complex and fully equipped subterranean space, complete with its own self-sustaining ecosystem and defense systems.

As long as all sorts of construction materials and resources were continuously poured into it,

the Dungeon item would continue to grow.

It was an incredibly rare and powerful item.

The Dungeon now had an extremely high capacity, enough to shelter over a hundred million people.

Furthermore, it possessed an extremely strong ability to insulate and defend against all kinds of extreme surface disasters, like frigid cold, acid rain, and scorching heat,

making it the prototype for an ideal apocalyptic Shelter.

Most ordinary survivors and non-combat Players resided there.

Meanwhile, the "Ground-Level Work Area" and the "Martial Sky-City" were built using other high-tech blueprints and modular construction units obtained from instances.

The ground-level zone was responsible for agriculture, light industry, resource storage, some training exercises, and surface defense.

The sky-city, on the other hand, concentrated the most advanced military technology, research institutions, elite Player teams, and the base’s core command system, acting as both a sword and a shield hanging over their heads.

The entire Central Base was like a doomsday ark, meticulously constructed from "building blocks" that had been plundered, bartered, and researched from countless instances.

Once the paperwork was complete, Gordon Chandler summoned two individuals responsible for liaison and guidance, ready to escort Seraphina Sullivan and Flora Sullivan to the breeding farm in the ground-level zone.

When she saw their faces, Seraphina Sullivan couldn’t help but reveal a flicker of surprise.

"It’s you?"

The newcomers were none other than Brandon Barton and Victor Sharp, two old acquaintances she had worked with back in Kaelen.

"Hahaha, Miss Sullivan, Mr. Chandler, long time no see!"

Brandon Barton greeted them with a hearty laugh, while Victor Sharp offered a smiling nod.

"I heard the main contingent from your Vorlag Safe Zone arrived safely, so we both volunteered to come and welcome you!"

Brandon Barton said enthusiastically.

A small smile touched Seraphina Sullivan’s lips. "There’s no need to go to any trouble."

Victor Sharp cut in. "Trouble? What trouble?

Your safe zone is our lucky star!

First you dealt with the Splitting Demon Rabbits, and now you’ve brought tamed, giant mutated deer... Every time you show up, you bring good news to the base."

Seraphina Sullivan smiled humbly. "We were just lucky. The Central Base is the real den of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. The variety of high-tech marvels is dizzying."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted back to the colossal city of steel floating in the sky outside, her tone filled with a trace of awe.

However, she noticed that when she mentioned the "sky-city,"

the smiles on Brandon Barton’s and Victor Sharp’s faces faltered for a moment.

Though they recovered quickly, the fleeting, complex expression—

a mixture of worry, helplessness, and even a faint resistance—

did not escape Seraphina Sullivan’s sharp eye.

’There’s definitely... something wrong here,’ Seraphina Sullivan thought.

It seemed the internal conflicts at the Central Base were more specific and acute than the factional strife Laura Lowell had mentioned. They had even begun to affect front-line personnel like Brandon Barton and Victor Sharp.

She didn’t point it out or press the issue, simply tucking the suspicion away in the back of her mind.

Brandon Barton quickly regained his composure. "We came over as soon as we got the assignment.

The base is taking those giant deer you brought very seriously. They can be housed at the new breeding farm in the west sector of the ground-level zone.

Right now, the base is systematically collecting and studying various mutated flora and fauna to enrich our bi-resource library and prepare for long-term survival."

"Alright, I understand. Please lead the way." Seraphina Sullivan nodded.

She had a feeling that Brandon Barton and Victor Sharp’s visit was about more than just guiding the herd to their new home.

Their gazes kept drifting toward Sean Chandler with a hesitant, unspoken weight, as if there was something else on their minds. Perhaps it was some "mission" or "problem" from the higher-ups that required the powerful fighter’s intervention.

"Let’s go!" Brandon Barton waved, leading the way

The group arrived at the temporary enclosure for the Four Seasons Deer.

After the long wait, the Four Seasons Deer Alpha had clearly grown restless. It was pawing nervously at the ground, letting out low snorts.

The rest of the Four Seasons Deer also seemed unsettled.

Flora Sullivan quickly ran over, gently patting the alpha’s neck and whispering a few words in its ear.

Miraculously, the agitated Stag Chief immediately calmed down. It meekly lowered its head to nuzzle Flora Sullivan’s hand, and the rest of the herd quickly fell silent.