Extremely Dark Zone Mission, Posted by Jialan

After dinner.

Now that the secret was out in the open, Fang Yi no longer avoided Lin Yiyi and returned to his room to cultivate.

Lin Yiyi stared at his retreating back, dazed.

"Cousin is actually a Pioneer, and even Divine Axe Fifth Star. Then the signs of a breakthrough I saw over there that day... could they have been his?"

"If it really was him, then that talent is far too terrifying. Among everyone I know, only Sister Jialan can barely surpass him."

But Lin Yiyi did not think Jialan's talent could truly crush her cousin's. After all, Jialan had an unimaginably powerful backing behind her and had been built up with resources, while her cousin had relied entirely on himself.

Divine Axe Fifth Star.

He was already among the top ten percent of the Pioneer combat power pyramid.

With the terrifying boost of High-level Attributes, Lin Yiyi felt that her cousin had a promising future and could reach heights she would never be able to touch.

"If Cousin had better resources, he definitely wouldn't be limited to this level now."

Lin Yiyi sighed. Just then, the phone on the table began vibrating nonstop. Members of the Martial Arts Pioneer Squad were asking about the Gorgeous Young Woman's situation.

Romanced and Scammed Out of 50 Cents: Young Woman, Yiyi, are you two okay? We just arrived at the location you sent us, but found that you'd already left. Where are you now?

After arriving at the location, the squad members discovered that the battle had already ended. Only traces of combat remained at the scene, so they were worried.

After a long while, the Gorgeous Young Woman finally replied.

81-year-old Beautiful Young Woman: Don't worry, it's been resolved. I'm fine. I was just too tired, so I replied this late.

The moment she said that, the group visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in the private chat window between the Gorgeous Young Woman and Lin Yiyi, their conversation from ten minutes ago was still there.

81-year-old Beautiful Young Woman: Yiyi, should we tell them that your cousin saved us?

—Wind Lifts the Lotus: No.

The moment Lin Yiyi saw the question, she made her decision.

The Pioneers' current situation was like being in an enormous Dark Forest. They did not know of one another's existence, much less each other's strength.

Resources after the Great World Change were limited, and limited resources meant competition.

Before the Great World Change, other people were hell. Pioneer against Pioneer, they were natural enemies. Any existence that threatened oneself was permitted to be killed. That was the picture now, and in the future.

Although her cousin had never told her to keep it secret, being too high-profile was clearly not a good choice.

Lin Yiyi thought of Fang Yi's formidable strength. He would not be able to keep it secret for long, nor did he intend to, but letting it be exposed naturally later was enough. There was no need to deliberately emphasize it.

So the Gorgeous Young Woman concealed Fang Yi's existence, and when the members asked, she merely brushed over it.

"It's good that you're fine, good that you're fine."

"I told you, didn't I? Yiyi went too, so what were you worried about? Yiyi is our genius girl."

The group chat returned to its usual 99+ messages.

But soon, an incoming message interrupted them.

It was a mission notification.

Extremely Dark Zone Mission Release Notice

Publisher: Jialan

Upon clearly seeing the publisher's ID, it was as if someone had pressed pause on a lively speaker. Everyone stopped their current conversations at the same time, and even the air fell silent.

Jialan.

This ID belonged to the strongest, most mysterious, and most powerful person in the entire group.

There was no second.

Though she almost never spoke in the group, whenever she did, the chat became even quieter than if everyone had been muted. Every word she said was free of nonsense, concise and forceful even compared to military orders.

Jialan: The Extremely Dark Zone is highly likely related to the Dark Attribute.

Jialan: Think it through before coming.

After saying that, Jialan went silent again.

The group remained quiet for a full minute.

—Wind Lifts the Lotus: Understood, Sister Jialan.

Lin Yiyi looked at that name, her feelings somewhat complicated.

The last time Sister Jialan appeared was to find the powerful Pioneer who had cut apart the Vine.

But now, the person Sister Jialan had taken notice of had become her cousin.

How was she supposed to deal with this little burst of pride in her heart?

Dan Mo Wenzhu: Extremely Dark Zone? The place known as the border of the Dark Attribute? I heard the Dark Attribute there is exceptionally powerful and covers a vast area, having almost corroded the entire region into a Dark Attribute forbidden zone. Pioneer squads I know go out of their way to avoid it even when passing by.

Romanced and Scammed Out of 50 Cents: Hiss, it's that terrifying?

82-year-old Beautiful Young Woman: Damn, is no one noticing the important part? Sister Jialan can even get missions related to the Dark Attribute. Sis, just who are you?

Romanced and Scammed Out of 50 Cents: Sis is mysterious. Don't ask too much.

Whenever those two ran into each other, the conversation would get derailed.

Yet as Dan Mo Wenzhu looked at the message, an ominous premonition rose in his heart.

The Dark Attribute remained exceedingly mysterious to Pioneers, even after they had faced several Anomalies.

They could only understand the characteristics of this attribute from the Anomalies: powerful, savage, rampant. The Dark Attribute could also manipulate living beings' minds, turning them bloodthirsty, violent, and brutal. It was exceedingly terrifying.

Dan Mo Wenzhu: The Extremely Dark Zone is extremely dangerous. It's filled with Anomalies bearing the Dark Attribute. Spirit Qi has yet to fully recover, so I thought we would face them later. I didn't expect Jialan to release this mission already.

What was coming had come after all.

Dan Mo Wenzhu: Everyone, the times have changed.

Dan Mo Wenzhu: I have a feeling that Spirit Qi Recovery is drawing closer and closer. The future world will be far crueler than we imagine, and the Dark Attribute will become humanity's greatest threat.

Anomalies with the Dark Attribute were the most troublesome and anomalous. These mutated creatures were also the most aggressive and bore an innate hostility toward humanity. The several Anomalies that had appeared before proved this point. If the Dark Attribute were allowed to spread and contaminate the surrounding areas, it would likely infect even more creatures and lead to the birth of terrifying Anomalies. Therefore, it was necessary to resolve this in advance.

Dan Mo Wenzhu: There have also been more and more Anomalies in the city lately. Everyone is frightened for their own safety.

Dan Mo Wenzhu: We have to become stronger if we want to remain standing amid the tides of this era. Keep it up.

Elsewhere.

The person with the ID Jialan did not immediately close the group chat after posting the information. For once, she watched the group messages.

The subsequent chat messages and Dan Mo Wenzhu's words all entered her calm gaze.

After reading everything, she picked up her phone and typed several lines.

Jialan: Mm.

Jialan: This mission is very dangerous. Think thrice before acting.

Jialan: However, if you know any reliable and powerful Pioneers, you may bring them along.