Evolution, hidden branch!

The abomination let out another piercing scream, its face contorted in pain.

But when it turned around in fury, intending to grab the halfling assassin, Hellscream finally broke free of the tentacle in front of it.

Shen Xing immediately ordered him to activate Blade Flurry, spinning at high speed on the spot like a top.

"Whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-"

The Steel-Slaying Double-Bladed Axe slashed repeatedly across its bloated body, sending chunks of flesh and bodily fluids flying!

Meanwhile, Xu Jiayi's archer kept firing fierce shots, hitting the abomination's joints and head.

The three troop types joined forces and actually suppressed the three-star elite monster so completely that it couldn't fight back.

"Haha, the six of us are amazing!" Qin Lang clapped his hands and laughed from the side.

Shen Xing nodded in agreement from his wheelchair. "We really are. It still comes down to us."

Xu Jiayi said nothing. She only watched the battle in front of her, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Commanding troops from her own game to fight a monster in a shopping mall was such a striking contrast that she couldn't help getting excited.

More than ten seconds later, the abomination, suppressed by the three of them working together, seemed close to its limit.

Its body was covered in wounds so deep that bone showed through. Rotting flesh and fluids had spilled all over the floor, and one of its arms had even been chopped off. It was a miserable sight.

Just as everyone thought it was about to fall, the monster suddenly stopped.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

A strange squirming sound came from deep inside its body.

Then its belly swelled rapidly like a water balloon being inflated, as though it were about to burst!

An aura of danger spread.

"This is bad! That's the abomination's Corpse Explosion skill. It has a huge range!" Qin Lang's expression changed drastically as he shouted a warning. "Get clear!"

The three instinctively ordered their troops to dodge.

But when they saw the ordinary people lying on the ground nearby, they suddenly hesitated.

Corpse Explosion had an enormous area of effect, and the splattered fluids were highly corrosive, capable of melting a rock in a short time.

If it managed to use the skill, there would probably be heavy casualties.

But they had already done their best. They couldn't very well sacrifice their own lives to save others.

While they hesitated, the glass ceiling on the mall's top floor shattered, and a massive figure descended from the sky.

But the newcomer wasn't human. It was a bare-chested tauren standing over three meters tall.

Carrying a huge totem pole over its shoulder, it came down like a missile, smashing fiercely into the abomination that was about to explode!

Boom!!!

A thunderous blast rang out. The floor of the entire mall shook several times, and the glass doors of more than a dozen nearby shops shattered instantly!

When the dust cleared, a deep crater several meters across had appeared where they had stood.

The three peered over and saw only the towering tauren standing there, leaning on its totem.

Its muscles looked as though they had been cast from steel, and its earthy yellow skin was covered in ancient battle markings. The invisible pressure it gave off was almost tangible!

As for the abomination, there was no trace of it left. Perhaps it had already been smashed into a pulp.

The three stared at the powerful tauren, all somewhat bewildered.

"Looks like I arrived just in time."

A somewhat familiar voice came from the back of the mall.

Everyone turned toward the voice. A figure in a trench coat, hands in his pockets, walked out through a side door of the mall.

It was Zhou Zheng, whom they had met once before. He was also the person in charge of anomalous incidents in this area.

"Brother Zhou Zheng, you finally made it!"

Qin Lang breathed a sigh of relief and said with lingering fear, "That abomination was too vicious. If we hadn't summoned our troops, quite a few people would probably have died at its hands."

Zhou Zheng glanced around and nodded approvingly. "You did very well. A three-star elite abomination like this is only Tier One, but it poses an enormous threat."

"As newcomers, you had the courage to step forward and deal with a monster like that. That's commendable."

A little embarrassed by the praise, Qin Lang scratched the back of his head.

Shen Xing, however, looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Did you get here a long time ago and deliberately wait until the last moment to step in?"

"Huh? You saw through me?" Zhou Zheng glanced at him in surprise.

Shen Xing was speechless. It was just as he'd thought.

Pioneers like them who had come into contact with that game were definitely a major focus of the Anomaly Handling Bureau.

Their movements and information had probably already been thoroughly investigated, with people assigned to keep an eye on them at all times.

Besides, the game had been running for many years, and the Anomaly Handling Bureau had dealt with countless similar incidents.

It was basically impossible for pioneers to take revenge on society before dying.

"All right, enough about that."

Zhou Zheng smiled, then walked over to them. "Here, fill out these forms."

With that, he deftly took several A4-sized forms from inside his trench coat and handed them over.

The document was headed "Pioneer violation of regulations: personal statement of defense."

"Brother Zhou Zheng, does this count as violating the regulations too?" Qin Lang was utterly bewildered.

"Of course it does."

Zhou Zheng spoke as though it were obvious. "Article 43 of the document you signed at the time explicitly states that pioneers may not use abilities from the game in public. Violators will be subject to detention, fines, and other penalties."

"Didn't you read the regulations carefully?"

Shen Xing and Xu Jiayi were dumbfounded too.

That document had been packed with so many regulations. Who the hell would read through them one by one?

And what happened to doing a good deed? What happened to being a citizen hero?

What the hell were detention and fines about!?

Seeing their constipated expressions, Zhou Zheng's lips curled up slightly. "Don't worry. There's an additional provision in the document."

"If there's an emergency and a pioneer acts in public to save ordinary people, it can be regarded as a heroic act and won't count as a violation."

"So you just need to write down what happened. Once the bureau reviews it, everything will be fine."

Hearing that last sentence, the three all breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, although they had already experienced quite a few battles in the game,

they had been law-abiding citizens since childhood, so hearing that they might be detained still made them instinctively uneasy.

Zhou Zheng watched them sign their statements, a satisfied smile still on his face.

But when he turned and looked over their troops, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

"A two-star elite orc and a one-star elite ranger... You've actually raised such powerful troops in just two days. That's rather unexpected."

After a pause, he said, "How about this? Since you have good potential and stepped forward this time, I'll try to secure a few spots in the Mist Void Realm for you."

Chapter 22: Evolution, hidden branch!

"The Mist Void Realm... What's that?" Shen Xing asked in confusion.

"You don't know?"

The three shook their heads in unison. They had only been playing the game for a few days, so how could they know so much?

"Uh..." Zhou Zheng thought for a moment and arranged his words. "Simply put, a large amount of mist energy leaks out of the game world and forms a special mist realm in the real world."

"There are lots of traps and monsters inside, but there are also lots of treasures."

"A one-star Mist Void Realm recently appeared right here in Jiangcheng, at Mingyue Bay Park."

"There are quite a few treasures inside that can help troops break through to Tier Two, as well as some special troops, buildings, gems, and things like that."

"It's a rare opportunity for all pioneers."

"The place has been sealed off for now. In a month, a group of Jiangcheng's most outstanding newcomers will be sent inside."

"As for how many resources you can get, that's up to your own abilities."

When Zhou Zheng finished, the three nodded in realization, having more or less understood.

Put simply, this so-called Mist Void Mirror was a large multiplayer dungeon.

The difference was that the dungeon wasn't in the game but in the real world, and it contained quite a few resources from the game.

They were just about to ask something else when they suddenly felt a sharp pain in their heads, as though someone had struck them with a hammer.

At the same time, Hellscream's figure began to turn illusory before their eyes.

"Your levels are too low, and you don't have enough mental power to keep your troops materialized for long," Zhou Zheng warned. "Cut the connection quickly, or they'll drain you dry."

Hearing that, the three hurriedly disconnected their consciousnesses from the Flower of Mist.

Hellscream and Bayonetta vanished completely, and the dizziness gradually faded.

"All right, go back and get some rest. Leave this to me," Zhou Zheng said, his tone calm again.

Shen Xing and the others nodded and said nothing more as they headed for the elevator entrance.

Mainly, they really were tired. Materializing troops in reality consumed too much energy.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Zhou Zheng added, "By the way, do everything you can to improve your strength during this time."

"If your results in the Mist Void Mirror rank among the top ten, you'll receive a special reward from the bureau."

"At the same time, I can also find a way to take you to other cities to challenge Mist Void Mirrors with higher star ratings."

With a beep, the elevator doors closed completely.

After Shen Xing and the others left, Zhou Zheng walked slowly over to his troop.

The tauren extended a hand as large as a palm-leaf fan and spread its five fingers, revealing a bright soul.

Zhou Zheng nodded in satisfaction and pocketed the soul.

"Captain Zhou."

The young woman in a black uniform walked out of a corner. "Didn't you tell them there's a cash reward for doing a good deed like that?"

"Why tell them that?" Zhou Zheng waved a hand. "It's only a few tens of thousands of yuan. Those youngsters wouldn't care about it. Just consider it my fee for securing those spots for them."

The young woman froze for a moment, then glanced at him impassively and silently raised her pen.

"Xiao Min, don't write that part down."