"Chen Fan, You're Quite a Character."

Despair Continent, by the shore.

The men following Wang Zhangba grew puzzled when their boss boarded the Flying Boat and nothing happened for a long while. They were considering whether to go aboard and check.

Then—

They saw their boss appear at the edge of the deck.

He looked toward them.

A strange smile hung on his face, and they could faintly hear a tick, tick, tick-tick-tick.

Before they could react,

they felt their consciousness gradually fading.

In the last moment before it vanished, they felt a tremendous force wrench their mouths into smiles.

Soon,

like a spreading virus,

they walked toward the defense line.

The undefended line stood with its gates wide open, letting them enter.

Wherever they passed,

the infection spread like a virulent plague.

Gradually, gradually,

the defense line's usual clamor faded. The bustle of people hurrying about at dusk and the sounds of fires being lit in the kitchens died away, leaving an eerie silence broken only by the shuffling of feet across the ground.

As far as the eye could see,

hundreds of thousands of people wearing strange smiles surged toward the continent's interior like a tide.

Wherever they passed,

the same thing happened.

Western Strange-Suppression Defense Line No. 6 on Despair Continent had officially fallen.

Eternal Night Continent, Northbank Defense Line.

Chen Fan was looking at the next Military-Branch Dark Technology on the Dark Technology Tree.

He had already unlocked Mutated Heavenly Dao Cannon. From now on, firing a Heavenly Dao Cannon would cost half as much, and it could gain one additional Heavenly Dao Blessing Effect.

He still had twenty-five Dark Technology Source Points.

Onward.

"Dark Technology Name": Psionic Cannon Alteration.

"Dark Technology Grade": None.

"Dark Technology Type": Military Bonus.

"Dark Technology Effect": Greatly increases damage dealt to incorporeal and illusory Strange Entities.