Chapter 816: Office Warfare in the Abyss

He severed his bond with the Mental Sanctuary and forcefully used his Insight to pry into the secrets of the Genesis Hard Drive…

After witnessing Mom’s actions, the greatest shock wasn’t even felt by Lu Xin or Director Xue Jia of the Moon Eclipse Research Institute.

It was the Black-clad Bishop and the First Chief Researcher in a white coat.

Especially the Black-clad Bishop—clutching a playing card that had suddenly lost its lifeforce, his expression twisted in disbelief.

For the first time he truly paused, unleashing an incredulous roar: “What exactly are you doing?”

“Do you have any idea what became of the one who last dared to sabotage our plan for the Ultimate…”

“…”

“I know…”

From countless blood-red eyes that nearly drowned the entire earth, a calm voice emerged:

“When I witnessed the Sword-Bearer’s fate, I finally felt at peace…”

“So, we too could shape our own destiny…”

“…”

In those light, tranquil words laced with a hint of freedom, the surrounding eyes suddenly multiplied—one after another—in the depths of the Abyss. Overhead, a red moon silently shone upon an earth transformed into a sea of red.

“It’s one thing for the Sword-Bearer to suffer for his foolish refusal to cooperate…”

The muscles on the Black-clad Bishop’s face contorted as he murmured, “But why must even those who spy on fate be so idiotic…”

Amid his roar, he dared not advance further and abruptly turned back.

His gaze collided with that of the First Chief Researcher, both filled with fierce anger and finality.

……

……

“It’s my turn now…”

As Mom’s watchful eyes enveloped the earth, revealing every secret, the Director of the Moon Eclipse Research Institute had already recounted the incident’s origins to Doctor An. Gently, he cradled a notebook filled with bizarre symbols and sighed quietly.

With force, he removed the helmet strapped to his head and strained his eyes to study the notebook.

“Hum…”

The moment he bent over the notebook, a tremor of Mental Power seemed to materialize.

In the Abyss, such a degree of Mental Power was insignificant.

Yet when Doctor An saw it, his face suddenly transformed with shock as he grabbed his hand fiercely:

“What are you planning to do?”

“…”

“We must fight for this fractured world.”

Director Xue Jia replied in a low tone, his eyes never leaving the notebook.

“Compared with the First Researchers, we had no chance— they held all the power.”

“Only now…”

“Now is our only hope…”

“…”

Doctor An’s voice grew tense and strained, “But you didn’t have to act on your own…”

“I was the one who signed the original contract…”

Without raising his head, Director Xue Jia explained quietly, “Besides, how can such an important matter be entrusted to someone else?”

“Heh…”

A smug smile crept at the corner of his mouth as he continued, “The key is…”

Then he asked Doctor An, “How’s my reputation at the Research Institute?”

Doctor An glared and responded gravely, “They all say your tech skills pale in comparison to theirs…”

“You’re only good at office politics!”

“…”

Director Xue Jia let out an awkward, bitter laugh before blinking slowly.

At that very blink, deep in the Abyss, amid countless strange shapes, a tiny Mental Creature lifted its head.

These creatures, hidden among the myriad oddities of the Abyss—even alongside many Ultimate-level Mental Creatures—were barely noticeable. So feeble that many were innocently swept away in conflicts between strange beings.

But in the instant Director Xue Jia blinked, they seemed to receive a sudden signal.

They raised their heads abruptly, like meerkats emerging from burrows, stretching their necks one by one.

In the next moment, a series of bizarre symbols flashed in their wide eyes.

These peculiar symbols flickered as if they too had glimpsed that page of the notebook—the secret of the Abyss.

“Found it…”

As the Undercover Units stretched their necks, the Black-clad Bishop was the first to notice.

Not spotting Director Xue Jia immediately, he knew something was amiss—he had been tracking him all along.

Insight always serves a purpose.

And with purpose comes the inevitable moment when gathered information is relayed.

“Swish…”

Seeing the dazed Undercover Units standing nearby, he swiftly tossed a playing card.

“Swish, swish, swish…”

Countless bizarre creatures suddenly received the command and charged frantically at the Undercover Units. Overwhelmed by the onslaught, the Undercover Units were torn to shreds. But…

No one could have foreseen what happened next—this Abyss was teeming with Undercover Units.

Director Xue Jia led the Negative Zero Unit onto the scene, instantly drawing the attention of the First Researchers.

They had never taken these low-level Mental Creatures seriously.

No matter their numbers, such weak entities could never alter the course of events.

Yet, they had not foreseen that these creatures were inherently poor at resistance and contamination.

They were nothing more than messengers.

Because they had signed the contract, they were immune to contamination by powerful Mental Creatures—they would only be eliminated.

At that moment, they revealed the secret of the strongest reconnaissance unit.

One by one, as their comrades were slain, Undercover Units began to rise from the mass of strange beings.

Some stood alone among the powerful entities.

Others huddled together, timidly grasping each other’s little claws.

Even as Undercover Units were continuously killed and devoured, more persisted in rising.

Fragile as they were, their resolve was unbreakable.

Director Xue Jia read more from the notebook.

With every blink, vast amounts of information flooded their eyes.

In the next instant, through the intrinsic links among the Undercover Units, even more data appeared in their vision.

This inherent connection had even transcended the limits of time and space, transmitting the information in an instant.

……

……

Central City, Second Main City, Moon Eclipse Research Institute.

Located ten floors underground, a vast area lined with thick cables and a full circle of enormous, rugged glass cylindrical incubators. At the very center stood a colossal metal ring, within which rested a metal orb.

Second- and Third-Generation Researchers, clad in heavy protective helmets, tensed as they stood on a massive whiteboard.

They had stood for so long yet dared not relax even a fraction.

Now, beside the whiteboard—even though the area was empty—a string of symbols rapidly scrolled across its surface.

“The data is sufficient…”

A team of expert calculators slammed away at keyboards, cranking the numbers.

Then, after a tense half-minute during which no one dared breathe, someone excitedly cried out, “The calculations are complete!”

Immediately, a prominent Second-Generation Researcher spun around.

He bellowed a series of numbers to the team clustered around the metal ring’s control panel.

Then he dramatically waved his hand, “The Heavenly Thunder Project—activate!”

“Crackle, crackle, crackle…”

As the switch was flipped, blue lightning began to dance around the metal orb.

In the next moment, these metal orbs surged straight ahead like gigantic blue electric pythons.

In the path of the lightning, a mid-level Researcher—Xia Chong, resembling a ball in his heavy protective suit—strained with all his might to force open a towering metal gate over ten meters high at the far end of the area.

“Chit…”

The blue electric current suddenly burst through the gate and plunged into the dark red Abyss.

At the same time, centered on the Moon Eclipse Research Institute’s Underground Lab, radiance spread outward.

In every direction—southeast, west, north—every 300 kilometers, a secret lab was in place.

As the Underground Lab activated the blue electric python, four other labs simultaneously triggered a mysterious device. Crackling energy erupted—unimaginable power channeled through the electric pythons.

They sent these electric pythons plunging into the Abyss.

Little known to many, deep within the Abyss—amid the shadows of a ruined city’s alleys—an Old Man in the Black Cleric Robe quietly stood atop a high-rise building’s darkened peak, cradling a thick sheepskin tome.

He tilted his head slightly and witnessed blue electric pythons lancing through both the Abyss and reality.

Then he sighed and gently raised his hand, making subtle adjustments to the formidable yet imperfect blue electric pythons.

He sighed because he could no longer tell right from wrong.

He did it in honor of an Ultimate pursuit—a philosophy that would not be forsaken no matter the cost.

……

……

“What is that?”

The space within the Abyss was far less definitive than reality.

In the realm of the real, such events might occur far away, but in the Abyss, even Mental Overlords and high-level Ability Users could sense the impact of the five formidable electric pythons charging in.

They saw the scene, even felt that these five electric pythons were piercing through the gaps in the Abyss with uncanny precision.

Layer upon layer, they descended relentlessly.

Everywhere they passed, the dark red foundations of this world—and its intricate spatial barriers—crumbled layer after layer.

Gazing at the five electric pythons, the Black-clad Bishop widened his eyes, a trace of bewilderment deep within his gaze.

Because he truly could not understand…

……

……

“Haha, we’re going to liberate the origin to some extent…”

Simultaneously, Director Xue Jia’s eyes began to bleed, his pupils turning murky with alarming speed.

Yet his face brimmed with excitement, even a touch of madness: “The First Generation’s most potent trump card is the Abyss…”

“Because they can manipulate the Abyss at will—that’s what makes them strong…”

“We can’t wrest control of the Abyss from them, but we can elevate the origin from the deepest, lowest layer. In doing so, the primordial power will seep into the first level of the Abyss, threatening them. Even if they hold power, they wouldn’t dare exploit the Abyss recklessly—in fact, they’d be terrified, risking everything to avoid it…”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Isn’t that the simplest truth?”

“…”

“Do you know what this is?”

He abruptly turned to Doctor An, his face a mix of madness and triumph, and bellowed, “That’s right—it’s f—ing Office Warfare!”