The First Anchor Point

Coordinates: Liver - Portal Vein Entrance Zone.

The air here was so thick it felt as though it could drip water. Green mist permeated the massive hexagonal pillar structures, reducing visibility to less than twenty meters.

"Szz... Szz..."

Dali Chu Qiji glanced at his gauntlets, which were emitting thin wisps of white smoke.

"This place is truly wicked. My Magma Shield can block physical attacks and burn monsters, but this poisonous mist is actually corroding my mana bar? I'm losing 3 mana per second right now!"

"This is environmental suppression."

Yun Zhong You waved the Resurrection Scepter, refreshing the Purification Aura for the entire team. "The toxins here disrupt energy flow. If we don't establish a safe zone, we'll all be out of mana and forced to return to the city within two hours."

Feng Xing Tian Xia walked at the very front, the Origin Fang in his hand occasionally slicing through the air, cutting invisible venomous insects that tried to approach into two.

"Data Maniac, have you found the node?"

Data Maniac's eyes glowed with blue streams of data as he analyzed the surrounding terrain structure via a holographic map.

In his vision, this magnificent hexagonal labyrinth was not chaotic. Each hexagonal pillar (Hepatic Lobule) had a thick "central vein" at its core, while the surroundings consisted of passages formed by "portal areas."

"Found it."

Li Zihan pointed toward a relatively intact hexagonal tower base to the side.

"That is the metabolic center of this area. Although the pipes are ruptured, the foundation is a hardened calcified structure, sufficient to support the operation of the Biological Beacon."

"Then let's take it."

Feng Xing Tian Xia's gaze turned cold. "All units, prepare for combat. We are going to drive our first nail in right here."

Coordinates: Hepatic Lobule Base No. H-103.

This place looked like the plaza of an abandoned biochemical factory. Blackened bile flowed across the ground, and the area was piled high with tumor-like fleshy orbs.

When the one hundred players of the Dawn Elite Corps stepped into this area, those fleshy orbs suddenly ruptured.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Dozens of humanoid monsters, covered in green slime, skinless, with exposed muscles, crawled out from the orbs. They held no weapons, but their arms had mutated into massive spray nozzles.

[Monster: Bile Sprayer (LV.18)]

[Description: Cells responsible for secreting digestive juices have become cancerous; they store high-pressure strong acid within their bodies.]

"Ranged mobs! Watch out for the acid!"

Thunder King roared, his Thunder Magnetic Floating Cannon charging instantly.

"Strike first! Thunderstorm!"

BOOM!

A thick pillar of lightning slammed into the monster pack.

Water conducts electricity, and so does acid.

In this damp environment, Thunder King's damage was amplified by the surroundings. Blue electric currents surged wildly along the bile on the ground, instantly electrocuting a dozen Sprayers until they convulsed.

"Good chance! Hunters, move in!"

Feng Xing Tian Xia's figure vanished, instantly appearing behind the monster pack.

Shadow Step + Blade Fan!

Black blade light bloomed like a lotus, reaping the lives of the low-health monsters.

"Divine Guard Corps! Build the wall!"

Dali Chu Qiji led twenty Flame Prison Guards to the front line. They didn't tank with their bodies; instead, they slammed their shields into the ground and activated Flame Aura.

The high temperature instantly evaporated the incoming acid, creating a barrier of steam.

"Is this the coordination of an elite corps..."

Several solo players following the group watched in a daze.

This fluid, seamless advance was completely different from the chaotic hacking they were used to outside; it felt like an entirely different game.

The battle ended quickly.

After all, this was merely clearing the outskirts of the landing point.

"Clean up the battlefield! Life Weavers, get to work!"

Feng Xing Tian Xia ordered.

Yun Zhong You led ten Life Sages to the center of the plaza.

They didn't cast healing spells; instead, they unleashed Purification Rain upon the ground.

The rain, infused with antibiotic components, washed away the toxins and fungal mats on the ground, revealing the grayish-white hardened skeletal foundation beneath.

"This is our foundation."

Feng Xing Tian Xia took the Medium Biological Beacon, worth 5,000 Bio-Energy, out of his backpack.

For this expedition, the Dawn Guild had truly spared no expense.

"Plant the flag!"

Click!

The massive crystal beacon was driven fiercely into the ground.

Hum—!

A green purification field radiated from the beacon, spreading rapidly in all directions.

Wherever it passed, the black toxic mist was dispelled, and the slime on the ground was decomposed.

An absolute safe zone with a radius of 500 meters was born within this highly toxic labyrinth.

[Server Announcement:]

[Congratulations to the "Dawn" guild for establishing the first outpost in the Liver region!]

[Respawn point activated! Teleportation array connected!]

[Environmental toxins in this area have been neutralized, and a "Slow Mana Regen" buff is now provided within range.]

"Whew... I'm alive again."

Dali Chu Qiji removed his makeshift gas mask and took a deep breath of the filtered air inside the safe zone. "If I had to keep carrying that buff that drains health every second, I would've had a mental breakdown."

"Don't get too comfortable."

Feng Xing Tian Xia watched the Purification Progress Bar counting down on the base of the beacon.

"The mechanics of the Liver are different from the Lung."

Data Maniac analyzed from the side, "The monsters in the Lung were aggressive, but the monsters in the Liver are more like... immune rejection."

Before he could finish his sentence.

The hexagonal towers all around suddenly began to vibrate.

From those previously dead-silent pipes came the gurgling sound of flowing liquid.

[Warning: Foreign object intrusion detected.]

[Warning: Liver defense mechanism triggered. Mobilizing "Rejection Response."]

"Rejection Response?"

The group was stunned.

The next second, countless black torrents erupted from the pipe openings on all sides.

It wasn't water; it was a swarm of Toxic Sludge Monsters (LV.15) and Hardened Calculus Beetles (LV.17)! They felt no pain and knew no fear; their only goal was to drown this foreign object.

"Defend the beacon!"

Feng Xing Tian Xia drew his weapon. "This isn't a siege; it's tower defense! As long as the beacon finishes purifying, these monsters will automatically retreat!"

"Dawn members! Form up!"

High-Dimensional Perspective: Titan Divine Body.

Gu Yuan watched the green dot light up in the Liver region, looking like a purification tablet dropped into a pitch-black pool of sludge.

Although the light was still faint, it was stubbornly expanding.

"The situation in the Liver is more complex than the Lung."

Gu Yuan frowned.

The Lung was infected by external bacteria, but the problem with the Liver was a collapse of its own metabolism combined with accumulated toxins. Many of the monsters here were actually mutated from his own former healthy cells.

"To clean the Liver, just killing monsters won't be enough."

Gu Yuan looked at those massive, clogged hexagonal pipes.

"They must be cleared. Just like fixing plumbing."

With a thought, he added a new functional module to the newly established Detoxification Camp.

[System Update: Outpost functionality upgraded.]

[New Facility: Toxin Extractor.]

[Description: Players can deposit "Poison Sacs" and "Gallstones" dropped by killed monsters into the machine to convert them into "High-Energy Gas" (fuel) and "Anti-Toxin Serum" (potion).]

"Since this place is full of poison, I'll let the players learn to fight poison with poison."

Gu Yuan smiled slightly.

"As long as the profit is high enough, the Fourth Calamity could mine all the sulfur out of hell."

In-game, Detoxification Camp.

The battle was nearing its end.

Under the impenetrable defense of the Dawn Elite Corps, the Sludge Monsters that had attempted to overrun the beacon became nothing more than experience fodder.

As the final wave of the offensive retreated, the beacon finally stabilized completely, emitting a soft green light.

"We held it!"

Cheers erupted.

Just then, a sharp-eyed player noticed a strange machine that had suddenly appeared beside the beacon.

"What is this? A Toxin Extractor?"

Dali Chu Qiji curiously tossed the pile of useless [Rotten Poison Sacs] from his inventory into it.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—Ding!

The machine spat out two items:

[Anti-Poison Potion (Fine)] x5

[Bio-Energy] +500

"What the hell?!"

Dali was stunned. "Trash turned into treasure? The shop only gave 10 points for these poison sacs, but this machine gives 500 directly?"

This discovery instantly ignited the entire crowd.

Everyone had previously been disgusted by the monsters here and the trash they dropped.

But now, looking at it... these weren't disgusting Sludge Monsters; they were walking stacks of cash!

"Quick! Notify the brothers in the guild who haven't arrived yet!"

"Stop hanging around that poor Lung area! The Liver is paradise!"

"The trash here can be exchanged for money! It can be exchanged for potions!"

Feng Xing Tian Xia watched his guild members descend into a frenzy, along with the players pouring in endlessly through the teleportation array in the distance, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"The first nail is driven in firm."

He looked toward the countless hexagonal structures deep within the maze.

"Next, it's time to plant our Dawn flag all over the Hepatic Lobule."