Chapter 235 - 101: Dungeon Settlement

While Duan Fei was laying out his plans, Zero also fulfilled her promise. Using her authority as a Level 9 Citizen, she mobilized the surrounding resources and began creating items for him.

Although Duan Fei and the Lone Ranger only had three days left, with the power of the entire world at her disposal, it was still possible to whip something up in that time.

By the time Duan Fei and the Lone Ranger’s time was up and they were preparing to leave, the items Zero had prepared had been delivered.

Handing the disk in his hand to Zero, Duan Fei saw that she had prepared a bracelet for him.

As he held the bracelet, its information appeared directly before his eyes.

"Mechanical Bracelet: Uncontaminated, Purple, Extractable.

Description: A product refined from mecha muscle. When worn, grants +2 Power, +2 Reaction, +2 agility, and automatically grants the Skills [Inner Strength] (Minor Success) and [Crisis Reaction] (Great Success).

[Inner Strength]: Attacks can ignore a portion of armor and penetrate to the interior of an object.

[Crisis Reaction]: High probability of detecting and reacting to a sudden attack."

Looking at this purple mecha-item, Duan Fei couldn’t help but nod. "This is good stuff."

The six-point Attribute increase made his stats look even better. The two embedded Skills, one for offense and one for defense, further enhanced his combat and defensive capabilities.

Meanwhile, as Zero read through the data Duan Fei had given her, she was somewhat lost in thought.

The data laid out a grand path, a direct road to the future.

On this path, various nodes were laid out, and the suitable people for each were listed, making it easy for her to coordinate and arrange the plan.

In addition, it also listed troublemakers who would cause chaos no matter how they were managed, letting Zero know that the graveyard would likely have a few new occupants.

After reading it carefully, Zero couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

A long time ago, she had fought alongside Arriver Gale, united the corporations, and established a code of ethics.

Now, she had been saved by another Descender and given a way to help the world develop even further.

She had never believed in any gods or buddhas, but now, she truly wanted to thank some higher existence for sending Descenders to her side.

Nodding, she thanked Duan Fei again and said, "I’m sorry. We tried our best, but this is one of the few items we could make that you can take with you."

"It’s already amazing. What’s the Lone Ranger’s gift?"

"The Mantis Blade. That was Lear’s gift. Luminous Heavy Industry analyzed the Shadow Energy and your Crowbar, then modified that Mantis Blade and gave it to the Lone Ranger."

After a pause, Zero continued, "The contamination in this world has been cleared, but as long as the Clockmaker is still around, it will reappear. Reporting to the administration that the Clockmaker is the source of the contamination should earn you some extra points."

"He’s not dead?"

"A Pseudo-man leader doesn’t die that easily, especially the Clockmaker, who controls time. Be careful. He’s no ordinary leader."

Recalling the Curse the Clockmaker had prepared to use on him, Duan Fei nodded, a lingering fear in his heart.

Just then, Duan Fei’s body began to slowly fade away.

Noticing that Duan Fei was about to depart, Zero bowed her head sincerely. "Thank you again for your assistance, Descender."

"You’re welcome."

Turning his head, Duan Fei saw Hyena, Anna, the Bartender, and Lear in the distance, waving goodbye to him.

He waved back at them as his surroundings blurred, eventually solidifying into a white room.

Sitting together with the Lone Ranger, Duan Fei watched the aftermath outside through the walls of the white room.

After seeing Duan Fei off, Zero turned her head to look at the four of them.

After her gaze swept over the four, she looked at the Bartender and said, "Stay and help me. It’s too dangerous for you out there; you’re better off by my side. And your rice cooker, refrigerator, and microwave... they’d make for good promotional staff here with me."

"I don’t suppose I have the right to refuse," the Bartender sighed.

Zero smiled faintly, then said to Lear, "Old friend, go do whatever you want."

"Alright. I think I’ll head back to my hometown. The peach blossoms should be in bloom, a perfect time to go appreciate the flowers."

Finally, Zero looked at Hyena and Anna, hesitating.

She had her own selfish reasons regarding them, but also a certain fondness.

In the end, she asked, "What are your plans?"

Hyena glanced at Anna and openly took her hand. "We’ve decided. We’re going to go back to my old man first and ask him what really happened back then. After that, we’re planning to take some time off... you know, for a honeymoon."

Zero seemed dazed for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I wish you both the best. And after the trip?"

"We’ll be back. When we do, we’ll see whether we continue as mercenaries or come help you."

"With the mecha muscle, you should become a fine mercenary. Okay, my blessings to you both. I’ll be keeping an eye on you."

"Uh, that’s not really necess—"

"...Shut up."

After dealing with them, Zero, the Level 9 Citizen, looked up at the sky and thanked Duan Fei and the Lone Ranger one more time.

Then, she walked into her office and began preparing for the great hundred-year plan ahead.

Back in the white room, Duan Fei and the Lone Ranger finished watching the aftermath and began to check the clearance details.

"Main Quest: Clear the source of contamination. Complete.

After an exhilarating dungeon exploration, your Level has increased to Level 12. Your Life Limit and Physical Limit have increased slightly. Your Spirit has increased by 1 point.

Your proficiency with the Crowbar has risen a level. [Crowbar Skill] has been upgraded to Great Success.

The Pseudo-human Extract has taken effect. Your Constitution has increased by 2 points. The effects of the Pseudo-human Extract have now expired.

Dungeon Evaluation: Immense Contribution. Abyss Coin reward doubled. You have received 6,000 Abyss Coins."

In addition to these standard rewards, Duan Fei received quite a few others.

His drone had been repaired, and he had also obtained the Mechanical Bracelet, further increasing his power.

He had gotten Anna’s Character Card, which would allow him to summon an additional tank in the future.

The Crowbar Swordsmanship he learned from Lear further improved his Crowbar technique, but he still planned to focus on summoning. The Crowbar would just be the icing on the cake.

After taking stock of everything, Duan Fei looked at the 1 Skill Point he gained from leveling up and, without hesitation, spent it on [Summoning Skill].

[Summoning Skill] was a must-have Skill, and it couldn’t be improved by accumulating experience, only through Skill Points.

Each upgrade increased the overall power of his Summoned Creatures by 5%, which would accumulate into a terrifying number over time.

After sorting through his gains, Duan Fei said goodbye to the Lone Ranger. He then prepared to head to the Divine Hall to deal with the contamination on his body and report the intelligence on the Clockmaker to the administration.