Chapter 71: The Expansion of Coarial Village
The moment Shen Yu stepped into the villa, a pink shadow silently slipped in behind him.
Yang Jin narrowed her crimson eyes and glared coldly at Lu Xian, who was still standing outside the gate.
A chill suddenly ran down Lu Xian’s spine.
She instinctively shrank her neck and looked back toward Villa 627 with a puzzled expression before shaking her head and walking away.
"...Strange."
"I suddenly felt like someone was staring at me."
"Yang Jin, you don’t have to keep cleaning."
Shen Yu casually pushed open one of the bedroom doors.
The room was spotless.
A soft white duck-down quilt lay neatly folded on the bed, while warm amber lights illuminated the cozy space. It was obvious someone regularly maintained the villa.
"This room should be enough."
He tossed himself onto the mattress before noticing a tablet resting on the bedside table.
Picking it up curiously, he switched it on.
Yang Jin looked around the spacious bedroom before quietly climbing onto the bed beside him. She leaned comfortably against his shoulder and whispered,
"It’s much bigger than your apartment..."
"...but it doesn’t feel as warm."
Shen Yu smiled faintly.
"I think so too."
The tablet automatically synchronized with the Defense Department’s intelligence network.
One headline after another flashed across the screen.
Breaking News
The Eagle Nation’s SS-Rank Horror Dungeon, Bloody Chapel, has completely wiped out all five participating S-Rank Awakeners.
The dungeon has fully descended into New City.
Estimated casualties have already exceeded tens of thousands.
Latest Research Report
If an uncontrolled horror dungeon fully descends into reality, it expands by continuously consuming human lives.
The greater the casualties...
The larger its territory becomes.
Asan Nation Emergency
The challenge against the S-Rank dungeon Tree Spirit Tunnel has failed.
Massive roots have erupted throughout the famous Mother River, threatening the capital city’s water supply.
One alarming report followed another.
Even Shen Yu couldn’t help becoming serious.
"If Qing Shan Mental Hospital had descended completely..."
"I’m afraid half of Joi City would’ve disappeared overnight."
Yang Jin quietly tightened her arms around him.
"This world..."
"...is much scarier than I imagined."
Shen Yu nodded.
"It really is."
Just then, another notification appeared.
Emergency NoticeS-Rank Horror Dungeon — Coarial Village
Current Status:
Expansion Ongoing
If left unchecked, the corrupted territory will continue spreading toward neighboring cities.
Already affected:
Jousu City
Tonnan City
Huhis County
Estimated direction of expansion:
Toward Joi City
Shen Yu’s expression immediately darkened.
"So..."
"The second expedition failed."
While he had been trapped inside Qing Shan Mental Hospital, the Defense Department had undoubtedly dispatched another elite team to challenge Coarial Village.
And judging from the current situation...
Every single one of them had failed.
Otherwise, the dungeon wouldn’t be expanding again.
"If nobody stops it..."
"It’ll eventually reach Joi City."
Yang Jin quietly looked at the map before softly asking,
"Will you go?"
Shen Yu didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he opened another file.
Joi City Dungeon Participants
Registered Participants: 27
Currently Alive:
6
"..."
Shen Yu fell silent.
A survival rate this low was enough to make anyone despair.
The next morning...
Inside the Level-3 Defense Department parking area.
Ho Yong stood at the front of dozens of investigators, his expression unusually solemn.
Everyone stared toward the entrance.
Screech!
A bright red BMW convertible drifted smoothly into the parking lot.
It stopped directly in front of the crowd.
Inside sat two people.
The driver was a young man with a fashionable silver foil perm and a carefree smile.
Beside him sat an enormous bronze-skinned bald giant whose muscular frame looked almost capable of bursting the passenger seat.
Neither of them made any move to get out.
Instead, they calmly observed everyone present.
After a long silence, the young man lazily rested an arm on the door and spoke.
"So..."
"You’ve already been informed about Coarial Village, haven’t you?"
Ho Yong nodded heavily.
"...Yes."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Chapter 44: Summons to Twin Tomb Village
The young man with the silver foil perm casually rested one arm on the car window before lifting his chin.
"The higher-ups should have informed you about Twin Tomb Village, right?"
Ho Yong’s expression stiffened.
"...They have."
The young man nodded.
"For the safety of the entire Anhou Region, the Federation has dispatched two high-level dungeon participants from Feha City to lead the suppression mission."
"Every surrounding city is required to contribute capable participants."
"This joint operation aims to halt the expansion of Twin Tomb Village."
He paused before getting straight to the point.
"So let me be blunt."
"We’re here to take Lu Xian with us."
His tone left no room for negotiation.
It wasn’t a request.
It was an order.
Ho Yong’s fists slowly clenched.
Lu Xian was currently Joi City’s only reliable veteran dungeon participant.
If she died inside Twin Tomb Village...
Who would defend Joi City when the next horror dungeon descended?
The Federation only cared about the bigger picture.
But they seemed to have forgotten that small cities were already hanging by a thread.
The young man glanced sideways at Ho Yong.
"What?"
"You don’t agree?"
"This isn’t my decision."
"It’s an order from headquarters."
"Refusing to cooperate..."
"...takes quite a bit of courage."
The air immediately grew heavy.
Just then—
Footsteps echoed from behind.
Lu Xian calmly walked out of the crowd.
Her sharp eyes swept across the two men inside the convertible.
"So it’s you two."
She recognized them immediately.
"Mohan."
"Feha City’s S-Rank talent user."
"And..."
She looked toward the bald giant.
"Mount Tai."
"A-Level talent."
"If headquarters sent both of you..."
"...then they must be genuinely worried about Twin Tomb Village."
Mohan snorted.
"Enough small talk."
"If we fail..."
"Do you honestly think Joi City will remain safe?"
"When Twin Tomb Village expands here, everyone dies together."
He pushed open the passenger door.
"Get in."
"We leave immediately."
Lu Xian glanced back at Ho Yong.
Neither of them spoke.
They both understood.
There was no choice.
If Twin Tomb Village continued expanding unchecked...
Every city nearby would eventually become its territory.
She silently climbed into the back seat.
"Can we leave now?"
she asked coldly.
Unexpectedly, Mohan raised a hand.
"Not yet."
He smiled faintly.
"We’ve contributed two people."
"You should send one more."
Lu Xian frowned.
"Who?"
She assumed he intended to recruit another elite from Joi City’s Defense Department.
Instead, Mohan slowly shook his head.
"Not another veteran."
"I want Shen Yu."
The parking lot instantly fell silent.
"...What?"
Ho Yong stared at him in disbelief.
"Shen Yu?"
"Are you serious?"
Even Lu Xian’s usually calm expression froze for a moment.
Shen Yu had only recently become a dungeon participant.
His registered talent was merely E-Rank.
Although he had miraculously cleared Qing Shan Mental Hospital...
On paper, he was still one of the weakest registered participants in the entire Federation.
Mohan crossed his arms.
"Don’t look at me like that."
"I’ve already read his mission report."
"He cleared an S-Rank dungeon."
"He brought back a living supernatural companion."
"And according to headquarters..."
"...his judgment inside horror dungeons borders on the unbelievable."
The bald giant, Mount Tai, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke in his deep voice.
"Strength isn’t everything."
"In horror dungeons..."
"The people who survive the longest are usually the ones with the best instincts."
Mohan nodded.
"Exactly."
"So..."
"I want Shen Yu."
"He’ll complete our four-man team."
Ho Yong hesitated.
"But..."
"He just escaped from an S-Rank dungeon yesterday."
"Shouldn’t he be allowed time to recover?"
Mohan’s smile faded.
"We don’t have that luxury."
He looked toward the distant horizon where dark storm clouds were gathering.
"Every hour we waste..."
"...Twin Tomb Village expands a little farther."
"If we wait any longer..."
"There won’t be a Joi City left to protect."
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