61. Returning to the Game
After receiving this warning, apart from the Second Vanguard Team, which gloated with schadenfreude, all the other vanguard teams fell into a heavy silence.
The fleet commanders wore gloomy expressions as they silently awaited orders from their superiors.
About five minutes later, they received a transmission from the General Command Headquarters.
It was a voice fraught with extreme exasperation:
"Everyone, execute your missions according to the original plan. Warning! No one is permitted to step outside the designated red line! Warning! No one is permitted to step outside the designated red line! Warning..."
The General Command Headquarters was consumed with rage, repeating the warning three times in succession.
They never imagined that the lawlessness of their subordinate vanguard team would cost them the most massive energy spring, and might even impact the entire strategic landscape!
Yet, they were powerless to change the outcome. The First Vanguard Team had already become history; all they could do now was narrow the scope of authority for the remaining vanguard commanders, forbidding any further boundary breaches.
...
Just at this moment, Political Commissar Zhang of the Southeast Military Region Command also received a transmission from the Singer Civilization's Inspector.
This message was identical to the one received by the Skrull vanguard teams.
Political Commissar Zhang wore an expression of sheer disbelief.
"The Skrulls crossed the red line? The Yunlu Mountain energy spring belongs to us now?"
Political Commissar Zhang’s brows unknotted, and a rare trace of a smile surfaced on his face.
This was the best news he had received thus far!
The Yunlu Mountain spring was the largest psionic energy spring globally. If utilized properly, it would undoubtedly provide timely assistance to the humans of Blue Star in their hour of need!
However...
"Why did the Skrulls cross the red line?"
"Also, who was the Blue Star human attacked by the Skrulls?"
Political Commissar Zhang rested his chin in his hand and fell into deep thought.
After a moment.
"Forget it, I won't rack my brains over it. Let that kid Zhong Feng investigate. I need to allocate a bigger budget for him and assign more personnel..."
Political Commissar Zhang stood up and walked toward the department where Zhong Feng was stationed.
...
Returning to five minutes ago.
At that moment, Su Yu released [Blink], landing steadily on the ground.
Yet, his expression remained far from relaxed; instead, he gazed southward with a grave look.
"My calculations failed!" Su Yu thought to himself.
For just as he was making his "Leap of Faith" jump down from the nineteenth floor, he spotted a girl on the southern street raising her smartphone toward him!
If his figure was captured by that girl...
Su Yu dared not dwell on it further and quickened his pace toward the spot where the girl had been.
...
A minute or so later, Su Yu stood in the exact spot the girl had occupied moments before, a look of helplessness washing over him.
The street was utterly empty; the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Since Su Yu lacked any tracking spells capable of following auras, he had no means of locating her.
"This is going to be a massive headache!" Su Yu felt a profound sense of annoyance.
If the girl had indeed photographed him, the relevant authorities could easily run facial or physical data comparisons using the image to identify him, even though he wore a mask.
"I can only hope this girl won't carelessly upload the photos or videos to the internet," Su Yu sighed softly.
"Still, I must take some precautions against the possibility of the authorities showing up at my door."
Su Yu nodded slightly, then left the street and returned to his rented apartment.
...
Back in his apartment, Su Yu first placed the captured SUN-36 laser rifle on his bedside table.
It was a silvery laser rifle whose body, muzzle, and general layout differed significantly from conventional bullet-firing handguns.
Furthermore, this laser rifle lacked a magazine; instead, a small LED display was embedded at the rear of the barrel to indicate remaining energy.
He deftly flipped the power control switch.
The display showed that the remaining energy stood at 95%, which meant it could fire approximately 19 more laser beams.
Seeing this, Su Yu nodded with satisfaction.
Armed with this laser rifle, his self-preservation capabilities for the current stage had increased considerably.
...
It was now 10:10 AM, time to log into the game.
However, he was in no rush to log in.
Before entering the game world, he needed to make adequate preparations for the potential visit from the authorities.
Su Yu walked over to the apartment's security door, channeled his magic power, and began carving a magic array onto the surface.
The array he was drawing was a Tier 0 magic array known as the [Alarm Array].
Its function was quite simple:
Should anyone touch the security door from the outside, the array inscribed upon it would automatically dispatch an alarm signal directly to Su Yu.
This would prevent the awkward situation of having his door broken down while he was deeply engrossed in gaming.
Hum!
Upon completion, the magic array flared with a burst of magical radiance and officially commenced autonomous operation.
Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief, lay down on his bed, donned his helmet, and entered the game.
...
Upon entering the game, Su Yu's figure materialized inside the novice village's cargo warehouse.
Having already advanced to level 11, it was time for him to head toward the major city.
However, before doing that, Su Yu opened the cargo warehouse's auction interface and searched for mage-related skill scrolls, intending to complete his collection of Tier 0 mage spells.
Aside from utility spells like [Blink] and [Invisibility], there were eight standard Tier 0 spells available to the mage class.
Specifically, the lightning spells [Lightning Bolt] and [Lightning Shield];
The fire spells [Fireball] and [Flame Shield];
The frost spells [Frost Bolt] and [Frost Shield];
And the earth spells [Earth Spike] and [Earth Shield].
There was no need to dwell on the four offensive elemental skills.
While the four defensive skills shared a cooldown, each possessed unique utility:
[Frost Shield] slowed down any melee monsters striking the caster;
[Flame Shield] scorched all monsters within a five-meter radius;
[Lightning Shield] enhanced magic resistance;
[Earth Shield] increased physical defense.
Each had its distinct purpose, making it worthwhile to learn all of them.
Consequently, Su Yu searched the auction interface, selected the lowest-priced [Flame Shield] and [Earth Shield], purchased them, learned both, and upgraded them to epic grade.
"Ding! Please determine the enhancement direction for [Flame Shield]: 1. [Repulsion]: Upon casting, repels all enemies within 2 meters back to the 2-meter mark; 2. [Wild Blaze]: Increases burn damage by 50%."
"Choose 1."
"Ding! Please determine the enhancement direction for [Earth Shield]: 1. [Mount Tai Press]: Converts all shield value into damage directed at the target, stunning them for 3 seconds; 2. [As Solid as a Rock]: Reduces physical damage taken by 30%."
"Choose... 2."
The [Mount Tai Press] enhancement option had certainly caught Su Yu's eye initially.
Yet, upon careful reflection, [Earth Shield] only provided a shield value equivalent to 400% of spell power; when unleashed as damage, it would roughly equal the output of a [Lightning Bolt].
As for the 3-second stun effect, while it offered excellent crowd control, the trade-off meant lacking a shield for a full minute, leaving him completely exposed. Unwilling to accept that vulnerability, Su Yu chose option 2 instead.
...
Having finished upgrading his skills, Su Yu stepped out of the warehouse, intending to find the village chief and take a carriage to the major city.
Right at that moment, however, he received a private message from Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon.
Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon: "Good morning, Nemesis big shot! (；へ：)"
Su Yu: "Did you send the wrong emoji? What are you crying about?"
Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon: "Sigh! Rain will fall and mothers will remarry; some things you simply cannot stop... (╥﹏╥)"
Su Yu: "???"
Crimson-Eyed Black Dragon: "Our team's Sky Dragon insists on joining your guild, and she's even paid the breach-of-contract penalty herself. Are you willing to take her in? (；′⌒`)"