am-books Chapter 35 A Little Interlude in Dominating the Charts: Heading to Eden!
Chapter 35 A Little Interlude in Dominating the Charts: Heading to Eden!
"Sigh, a hundred million in cash, gone just like that." He sighed. "The final attribute stats were so frustrating. I just couldn't get the attributes I wanted, and I ended up spending over thirty million more on materials. If I'd been luckier, I wouldn't have had to spend so much."
He wasn't boasting; it was more like a craftsman's regret that his work wasn't perfect enough.
Xiao Qianyu, who was standing to the side, twitched at the corner of her mouth upon hearing this.
One billion.
This number is enough to arm a standard second-line legion. Right now, it's just about updating the equipment for the three men in their squad.
She opened her mouth, intending to say, "Actually, there's no need to pursue perfection so much." After all, the ultimate improvement of each attribute comes with exponentially increasing resource consumption, which is too expensive.
But the words stuck in his throat.
She knew that Lu Yan's "perfectionism" was for the sake of the team's survival rate.
In S-rank dungeons, even the slightest difference in attributes can determine life or death.
Just then, the door to the forging workshop was pushed open.
Li Tianshan, dressed in a crisp military uniform, strode in, followed by several staff officers from the logistics department.
"I just heard a report from the finance department saying that our little hero burned through over 1 million here all by himself?" Li Tianshan said with a smile, but he was speaking to Lu Yan.
He walked to the control panel, glanced at the alarming consumption records, and instead of feeling any heartache, patted Lu Yan on the shoulder.
"Well spent! Money lying in the national treasury is just a bunch of numbers, but when it's exchanged for the equipment you wear, it becomes the weapons that can protect our country!"
He turned to Xiao Qianyu, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"The funding has been approved. For subsequent exploration and upgrades, just submit a report if you need anything. Don't worry about the money; the government will reimburse you. You only need to focus on one thing—"
Li Tianshan paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Keep winning!"
With the commander-in-chief's reassurance, the entire first squad had no more worries.
As Xiao Qianyu, Shen Xinglin, and Su Yunqing bound their new equipment, the entire team's aura changed.
The seven people stood together, the shimmering light from their equipment almost overshadowing the lights in the forge.
Zhao Leiguang stroked his double shields with satisfaction, then looked at Xiao Qianyu's Red Lotus Luoshen Spear, which looked formidable, and felt an overwhelming sense of security.
"Hehe, with these outfits we're wearing now, we'll scare people to death if we go out like this!"
Just as he was grinning foolishly, the personal terminal that Wen Yue had been holding in her hand suddenly emitted a soft "beep".
She looked down and saw a look of astonishment appear on her usually expressionless face for the first time.
She didn't say anything, but simply turned the terminal screen towards the crowd.
On the screen is the top trending post from the Global Awakeners Forum—【Global Personal Gear Ranking】.
At this moment, this list, which has already shocked China several times, has undergone earth-shattering changes.
【NO.1: [Huaxia] Xiao Qianyu - Red Lotus Luoshen Spear】
【NO.2: [Huaxia] Wen Yue - World-Destroying Thunder】
【NO.3: [Huaxia] Shen Xinglin - Ever-Changing】
【NO.4: [Huaxia] Lin Chuxue - Duel Staff】
【NO.5: [Huaxia] Lu Yan - Eternal Scepter】
【NO.6: [Huaxia] Zhao Leiguang - Earth Pulse Set】
【NO.7: [Huaxia] Su Yunqing - The Gift of Yaoguang】
[NO.8: [White Eagle] Andrew Gabriel's Sigh]
……
The top seven were all wearing Chinese flags and had the same ID as members of the First Squad of the National Guard.
The "Gabriel's Sigh," which once topped the list and symbolized Andrew's second squad, the strongest individual combat force in the White Eagle Empire, has now not only fallen to eighth place, but also serves as a silent mockery in addition to being a disgrace.
The entire forging room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A few seconds later, Zhao Leiguang's hoarse howl shattered the silence.
"Holy crap! I'm sixth! Sixth globally! I used to be in the top three worldwide, how did I get pushed down to sixth?!"
Looking at the screen full of Chinese IDs, and her own name at the top of the list, Xiao Qianyu finally relaxed after days of tension. An indescribable sense of pride and satisfaction welled up inside her, making her feel wonderful and sweeping away all the fatigue of the past few days.
She looked at Lu Yan, the young man who had single-handedly created all of this, who was calmly looking at the list as if he had just accomplished a trivial task.
Meanwhile, the global Awakened community exploded.
The official forum of the White Eagle Empire crashed three times in the ten minutes following the rankings update.
"I don't believe it! How could the Chinese... dominate the rankings! What methods did they use...? Yes, it must be that halo master named Lu Yan's doing!"
"Protest! We strongly demand that the International Secrets Committee thoroughly investigate China's cheating activities! They must be severely punished!"
Countless awakened members of the White Eagle Empire frantically typed on their keyboards on major international social media platforms, their screens filled with red text and exclamation marks expressing their impotent rage.
Some people are clamoring for a joint boycott, and some extremists are even inciting offline retaliation against China's overseas missions.
The atmosphere in the high-level conference room of the White Eagle Empire was extremely tense.
The fact that China swept the top seven spots is nothing short of a resounding slap in the face for the United States, which has always prided itself on being a beacon of the world.
A sense of unease spread throughout the top leadership, and they quickly activated the international media apparatus under their control.
Within just a few hours, press releases on the "China threat theory" flooded the internet, attempting to completely isolate the Chinese camp internationally through a war of words.
At the heart of this international storm, the First Squad of the National Guard remained completely unconcerned.
Inside the command center, Li Tianshan glanced at the foreign media news constantly popping up on the tactical terminal, chuckled, and tapped his finger to close all the pages.
"A bunch of sore losers, mad dogs. All they can do is bark and howl; they won't make a difference." He looked up at the fully armed and revitalized First Squad. "The passage to the S-rank secret realm, Eden, is now open for you. Don't worry about what happens outside; the nation will cover for you. Your only goal is to acquire the top-tier equipment from Eden!"
Xiao Qianyu stepped forward, her military boots making a crisp sound as they hit the alloy floor. She stood at attention and saluted on behalf of the entire team.
"Mission accomplished!"
Ten minutes later, in the deepest underground space of the headquarters.
A massive circular portal stood silently. A rich, emerald-green energy flowed across the portal, and through the swirling light, one could vaguely glimpse the hazy world beyond, brimming with vibrant life force.
That is the S-class secret realm, Eden.
Xiao Qianyu gripped the shaft of the Red Lotus Goddess Spear with her other hand, her gaze sweeping over her teammates behind her.
"Just ignore the barking dogs outside." Her voice was steady and strong. "Check equipment durability and supplies."
All seven people simultaneously pulled up the system panel and confirmed that everything was correct.
Xiao Qianyu turned to look at Lu Yan, who nodded at her.
"Let's set off for Eden."