BUG-Level Spirit Realm

In the spacious, luxurious office, Li Dongze leaned lazily against the sofa, legs crossed, holding a wine glass in his left hand and a cigar in his right, looking perfectly at ease.

Just moments ago, he had reported the news of recruiting a Night Wanderer to his direct superior.

Li Dongze knew that the young Centurion, newly appointed to his post, was eager to achieve results and cultivate his own loyal subordinates. A Night Wanderer with a clean background was like a timely rain from heaven for a Centurion with such a prominent family lineage.

Sure enough, his young superior had expressed high praise and promised him a major merit.

In the White Tiger Corps, military merit was more important than anything else.

Bang!

The glass door of the office was shoved open violently, and Guan Ya strode in, her heels clicking sharply.

Li Dongze frowned. He took a slow, measured sip of his wine and criticized:

"Guan Ya, that is very unrefined."

"Squad Leader, the trial Spirit Realm that kid entered is Sheling Tunnel!" Guan Ya got straight to the point.

"Pfft!" Li Dongze instantly turned into a human fountain. Ignoring the wine dripping off him, he pushed himself up from the desk and shouted in a sharp voice:

"Sheling Tunnel?! Oh, God, you hell-bound idiot, look at the mess you've made."

He grabbed his cane and rushed out, sprinting to the office area, where he saw the new Night Wanderer staring blankly at his computer.

Sensing Li Dongze's arrival, Zhang Yuanqing pulled a long face and asked:

"Squad Leader, do you think there's any hope of saving me?"

He was terrified the man would blurt out: No hope, just wait to die, contract terminated!

Li Dongze looked at him in silence, with an expression like a man who had finally wooed the girl of his dreams, only to discover she was his long-lost sister.

Facing the new employee's expectant gaze, Li Dongze took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"The trial Spirit Realm is the first solo instance for every Spirit Realm Walker, and that is precisely what makes it so troublesome. In a solo instance, no one can help you. This is the Spirit Realm's test for you, and the price you must inevitably pay to obtain supernatural power."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded with a heavy heart.

Li Dongze continued:

"I will report this matter for you. I hope there is information and strategy advice regarding Sheling Tunnel in the higher-level database; otherwise, no one can save you. Go back and wait for news; I will notify you immediately if there is a result."

Although he was not a Night Wanderer, as a veteran Spirit Realm Walker, he had heard of the fearsome reputation of Sheling Tunnel.

To date, in all the data recorded by official organizations, no one had ever cleared Sheling Tunnel. The "first clear" of this instance remained unclaimed.

"Alright, sorry for the trouble, Squad Leader." Zhang Yuanqing nodded stiffly.

Li Dongze added:

"Write down your experiences in Sheling Tunnel in detail."

After arranging for a car to take Zhang Yuanqing away, Guan Ya returned to her desk, took a sticky note with a Virgo watermark from her drawer, and unscrewed a pen cap decorated with a Virgo pattern.

Everything on her desk—including the computer, notebook, desk mat, and water cup—was printed or decorated with various zodiac signs.

It was clear she was a hardcore astrology enthusiast.

Guan Ya wrote on the sticky note:

"Yuanshi Tianzun, Scorpio male, zodiac traits: black-bellied, vengeful, high libido."

"Note: Extremely high probability of being seduced by women from other organizations."

After writing, the mixed-race beauty sighed softly, tore off the sticky note, and pasted it into the Second Team's personnel file.

She kept notes on the attributes of every team member and made assessments, including those who had resigned or died in the Spirit Realm.

"Hey, Wang Tai, is there any hope for that kid to clear it?" Guan Ya tilted her head and called out to the next desk.

Wang Tai, with his messy hair, looked up and said:

"Taiyi Sect might have detailed information on Sheling Tunnel, but it's likely useless; otherwise, Taiyi Sect would have already arranged for a Night Wanderer to clear that Spirit Realm. An S-rank trial mission should have decent rewards."

Guan Ya frowned.

Wang Tai continued:

"If we could find him a few items, there might be hope for a clear, but you know how it is—items have diverse functions, and our understanding of Sheling Tunnel is limited. We can't provide targeted items to solve the problems, so the end result would likely be losing both the person and the resources."

"No kidding!" Guan Ya rolled her eyes.

Items themselves were incredibly precious and rare. For a Spirit Realm Walker at the Extraordinary stage, having even one item was considered quite good.

Ownerless items could only be obtained in two ways: entering the Spirit Realm to search for them, or killing a Spirit Realm Walker in reality to seize their loot. And only items removed from the Inventory could be seized.

Neither of these was realistic.

Most importantly, without knowing the specific situation of Sheling Tunnel, who knew what type of item could help him clear it?

If he died in the Spirit Realm, the items would be automatically reclaimed by the Spirit Realm, resulting in a massive loss.

Wang Tai tapped his keyboard rapidly, pulling up a string of data. He stared at it for a long time and muttered to himself:

"Qingming has just passed, which happens to be the time of year when Sheling Tunnel opens. Is this guy just incredibly unlucky?"

In his office, Li Dongze opened his chat app and typed a message:

"Centurion Fu, I must report something regarding the newly recruited Night Wanderer I mentioned earlier. His trial Spirit Realm was Sheling Tunnel, the one known as the 'newbie bug' Spirit Realm for Night Wanderers.

"Sheling Tunnel first appeared during the tunnel's construction in the last century, when a construction crew wandered into it by mistake and perished within. Afterward, the authorities found a survivor. That survivor was transported back into the Spirit Realm again thirty-six hours later.

"Yes, the trial mission for Sheling Tunnel consists of two stages, which differs from the one-time trial missions of other professions and other Spirit Realms."

"I apologize, Centurion Fu. I was blinded by surprise and misled by habitual thinking; when I saw him return to reality from the trial Spirit Realm, I subconsciously assumed he had already passed the trial.

"I know that the Taiyi Sect's database holds the richest and most comprehensive information on Night Wanderer Spirit Realms, and their Sect Master is the strongest Night Wanderer in the world today. Perhaps the Taiyi Sect possesses information regarding Sheling Tunnel.

"If you were to step in, Centurion Fu, I believe the Taiyi Sect would grant you some face.

"Never abandoning or forsaking a comrade is the principle of the White Tiger Corps. Since he has already joined, I cannot simply give up on him. I hope for your assistance."

After editing the message, Li Dongze read it over several times to ensure it was error-free before clicking send.

He gripped his wine glass, stared at the screen, and sighed.

Zhang Yuanqing returned home, heavy-hearted, entered the passcode, and opened the security door.

In the living room, Grandmother was mopping the clean, bright floor. Sitting at the dining table was a middle-aged man in a black jacket with handsome features and jet-black hair. The deep vertical lines between his brows and the fine crow's feet at the corners of his eyes spoke of the passage of time.

In terms of appearance, he was undoubtedly a charming, handsome older man, likely favored by mature women and obsessed over by girls with a penchant for older men.

But this middle-aged man was not Zhang Yuanqing's uncle; he was his cousin.

Cousin swallowed the freshly heated porridge and looked at Zhang Yuanqing. "Grandmother said you were looking for me last night?"

He looked serious and stern, much like a younger version of Grandfather.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his mouth, then shook his head and said:

"It's nothing."

Yesterday's problem had already been solved, and Cousin couldn't help with the new predicament, so it was better left unsaid.

Besides, he had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Cousin glanced at him, sipping his porridge in a measured manner, and said:

"It's about the Lei Yibing matter, isn't it? I heard Li Dongze visited in person yesterday, which means his case is quite unusual. Don't even mention you; even I can't help with that."

So Cousin had already made inquiries! Zhang Yuanqing let out an "mm."

Seeing that his mood was low, Chen Yuanjun didn't press further, assuming his cousin was simply worried about Lei Yibing.

At this moment, Jiang Yu'er walked out of her bedroom wearing cute bear pajamas, holding a stack of facial masks. "Here, these are for anti-wrinkle and anti-aging. Use them morning and night; the effect should be good. Grandma insisted I help buy them."

Cousin's face darkened, and he furrowed his brow:

"Aunt, I don't need these."

Aunt shrugged nonchalantly. "Suit yourself."

Grandmother, who was mopping nearby, leaned on her mop and glared at her grandson. "If you don't need masks, does that mean you need Grandma to use an iron to smooth out the wrinkles on your face?"

Because her son was unreliable, Grandmother had long ago given up on that "large account" and shifted her focus to cultivating the two "small accounts" of the next generation.

Currently, her grandson had been admitted to Songhai University, and her grandson was working at the Public Security Bureau; both had bright futures.

But Grandmother had always had one worry: her grandson was too steady and mature, possessing the face of a forty-year-old at the age of thirty.

The year before last, an old friend of Grandfather's who hadn't seen him in years visited Songhai. Upon seeing Chen Yuanjun, he asked Grandfather in surprise:

"I never heard you had another son."

Grandfather held his tongue for a long time before squeezing out: This is my grandson.

The old friend, being a blunt man, blurted out: Your grandson looks quite willful.

Decades of friendship were nearly destroyed in an instant.

Chen Yuanjun helplessly took the masks, stuffed them into his pocket, and said:

"Alright, Grandma, stop nagging. I still have to go to work. There's a missing persons case on my desk lately, and I'm very busy."

A missing persons case? Zhang Yuanqing became sensitive immediately and asked:

"What's the situation?"

Chen Yuanjun picked up a piece of pickled vegetable. "Two people went missing in Sheling Tunnel, and we haven't found them yet. We pulled the surveillance footage; the cameras outside the tunnel show them entering, but the cameras inside the tunnel don't show them entering at all."

Cousin suddenly stopped and warned: "Don't spread this."

He had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother's gossip instincts ignited, and she said mysteriously:

"Is it haunted again? Hey, why hasn't that place been blocked off yet? Every year, a few people go missing in that tunnel."

Aunt also perked up her ears, wearing the same gossipy expression as her mother.

"Grandmother, don't ask."

Could it be that they wandered into the Mountain God Temple like I did? Damn, those two poor devils. I wonder if they can survive for three hours. Zhang Yuanqing felt both sympathy and a sense of comfort that "I'm not the only unlucky one."

He had a deeper understanding of the Spirit Realm now. Li Dongze had said that the Spirit Realm had always existed; perhaps a portion of the people who went missing every year simply vanished into the Spirit Realm.

Capital City, courtyard house.

The large locust tree in the yard had lush branches and leaves, like a wide-open emerald umbrella.

Lying on a rocking chair beneath the umbrella was an old man with graying hair, wearing a white undershirt and loose shorts, holding a cattail fan and taking a leisurely nap.

The old man had a gaunt face with a mole between his brows, possessing an indescribable air of nobility.

A breeze blew by, causing the leaves to tremble and shattering the light spots on the ground.

Faint, childish laughter drifted down from the locust tree.

"Elder Sun, the boy from the Fu Family sent you an email." A middle-aged man in black stepped over the threshold and came into the yard.

Whether it be the Five Elements Alliance or the Taiyi Sect, those who could become elders were all renowned Spirit Realm Walkers.

"Fu Qingyang?" The old man chuckled, not opening his eyes, and tapped his cattail fan a few times. "What is it?"

"His subordinate in Songhai City recruited a Night Wanderer. The trial Spirit Realm is Sheling Tunnel, and he wants to request information regarding the tunnel from you. Additionally, he hopes you can offer some advice." The middle-aged man relayed the contents of the email.

The old man's hand, which had been waving the cattail fan, paused. After a few seconds, he realized:

"Qingming has just passed. Calculating the time, it is exactly the period when Sheling Tunnel opens. Recently, many people have been lucky enough to obtain Night Wanderer Role Card, but unfortunately, it is impossible for anyone to clear Sheling Tunnel."

"The information can be given to him. In any case, the sect has already given up on conquering Sheling Tunnel, and the security clearance for the relevant data has been lowered. By the way, tell the Fu boy that the place itself is an S-rank trial Spirit Realm, and after some mishaps occurred midway, it became even more difficult, long ago transcending the category of a trial Spirit Realm."

"My advice is to abandon that Night Wanderer. There is no need to invest in a person who is bound to die."

The middle-aged man nodded gently. As a deacon in the Taiyi Sect, he knew well the strangeness and ominous nature of the Sheling Tunnel in Songhai.

An S-rank trial Spirit Realm is inherently the highest difficulty for newcomers, and Sheling Tunnel is even more bizarre than an ordinary S-rank Spirit Realm.

Every S-rank trial Spirit Realm inevitably contains something unusual, whether it be rare items or some kind of important information, holding immense value.

To crack the Sheling Tunnel Spirit Realm, the Taiyi Sect specifically sent two Level 1 Night Wanderer to be stationed in Songhai long-term, because S-rank newcomer trial Spirit Realms are occasionally open to Level 1 Spirit Realm Walker of that profession.

After waiting in vain for several months, the two Level 1 Night Wanderer successfully received the mission for Sheling Tunnel.

But the result was that one Night Wanderer never had any news after entering the Spirit Realm, and the other Night Wanderer successfully completed the first task, only to die immediately during the second.

And both of these Night Wanderer had items on them.

Since then, the Council of Elders of the Taiyi Sect re-evaluated Sheling Tunnel and completely gave up on conquering the Spirit Realm.

"If someone could really clear Sheling Tunnel and obtain the information inside, it would resolve a knot in our Taiyi Sect's heart."

The middle-aged man said with a smile.

The old man did not comment, saying slowly:

"In a few days, the Sect Master will summon all Night Wanderer to the Capital for a meeting. There is a major event to be announced. Prepare yourself and call back all the boys under your command."

Having said that, he waved his cattail fan to shoo him away.

The middle-aged man bowed and retreated.

PS: During the public period, I update seven or eight thousand words a day, yet some people still say I update too little? Doesn't your conscience hurt? Sob.