Chapter 121: The Ultimate Dungeon

Congratulations to player Hydra for accepting the quest: "Rule the Earth."

[World Channel] Clock Tower: I’m afraid their ego has inflated larger than the moon...
[World Channel] Huaxia-Heavenly Court: Hurry up, don't make me step in. I'm busy lately, no time for this.
[World Channel] Knights of the Round Table: Do we look like soft targets? Why pick on us first among so many?
[World Channel] Shurima: zzzz~ (Sleeping, please do not disturb)
[World Channel] Huaxia: Dongfeng Express, mission accomplished, guaranteed!
[World Channel] Polar Bear: Vodka! Ura!
[World Channel] France: Seems like we won't be needing the white flag this time...
[World Channel] Eagle: The Hydra members within our ranks are double-agents, our own people, don't commit friendly fire!
[World Channel] S.H.I.E.L.D.: ... (It's not me, it's not me...)
[World Channel] Hydra: Damn it! Don't trigger the dungeon! I didn't accept this quest! It’s an insider! An insider!
[World Channel] Hydra: Wait? Why can't this quest be cancelled?

[System Message] Dungeon loaded successfully, quest parameters set, player loaded.
Quest Objective I: Defeat S.H.I.E.L.D.
Quest Objective II: Exterminate the Mystery Side (Note: Please prepare a faster-than-light spacecraft. The primary target location has been marked: The Oort Cloud at the edge of the Solar System.)
Quest Objective III: Defeat the P5.
The five major objective points are: 1. Raging Sea; 2. Great Wall of Steel; 3. Bitter Winter; 4. Tower Still Standing; 5. Orphan of the Foggy City.

[World Channel] Hydra: Can I get a consolation prize for completing Objective I?
[World Channel] S.H.I.E.L.D.: Die!

"Why... why... that was mine... why did you destroy it..."

Ryan stood up from the ruins, clutching his head. Dazed, the only image in his mind was Artoria swinging Excalibur at the Crown of the Never-Setting Sun. Also, do not misunderstand: Ryan survived not because of his strength or any awakened superpowers, but because a ring of blue arcane runes around him had saved his life.

*Crackle, crackle.* With the sound of splintering wood, Xerath emerged from the ruins in front of Ryan, shattering every obstacle in his path with the lightning surrounding his body.

"Are... are you here to save me?" Ryan looked at Xerath with a hint of surprise; this was something he hadn't even dared to dream of.

Xerath stopped in front of Ryan. Having extracted magic ore energy and benefited from the unexpected joy of Artoria shattering the crown, Xerath’s form had returned to normal, hovering a head taller than Ryan.

"No." Just as the smile on Ryan’s face began to stiffen, Xerath spat out the word coldly.

Xerath then lifted the utterly despairing Ryan with one hand. "I just have a habit of killing my enemies myself."

*Zzzzt!*

Leaping arcs of electricity spread from Xerath’s arm onto Ryan’s body. Instantly, Ryan began to emit a scorched smell, and web-like patterns appeared across his skin. After struggling in pain for a dozen seconds, Ryan breathed his last. Xerath squeezed his hand, and with a *pop*, Ryan’s body exploded into a pile of ash.

"Trash," Xerath said coldly. Ryan had delayed for too short a time; he had not yet returned to his peak state and it was not the time to clash with the Mystery Side here. Moreover, Xerath felt he should find a more reliable ally; going solo was no longer fashionable in this era.

The current trend on the Mystery Side was: if you can win, fight one-on-one; if you can't, gang up on them!

Besides, Ryan, who died in agony, need not be too resentful; there were far higher-ranking Hydra members who died at the exact same moment as him.

In a military base in the Eagle nation, after a burst of gunfire, the base commander fell onto his desk with a bullet in his back, a look of shocked disbelief still frozen on his face. The person who did it was his own personal guard, who was also a mole arranged by Hydra.

*Swoosh.* The door opened and General Ross walked in, nodding with satisfaction as he looked at the dead commander.

"General! Mission accomplished!" the guard saluted. Indeed, he was actually a mole sent by the military into Hydra, only to be sent back here by Hydra.

"Hmm, well done." General Ross patted the man on the shoulder and walked past him.

The guard stood straight, eyes fixed forward, thinking about what kind of promotion he might get this time. Just as he was fantasizing, he suddenly felt an immense pain in his back, and his entire body was slammed directly onto the table by the impact.

"Wha—" The guard couldn't even finish a word before he breathed his last.

Ross wiped his hands. If he hadn't personally arranged for this mole to be placed there, he wouldn't have bothered to do it himself. After finishing, Ross pulled two Hydra badges from his pocket and tossed them onto the bodies. Since these two were already on the Hydra roster, it wasn't exactly a wrongful death.

In truth, moles and double-agents like these were not uncommon in the Eagle nation. It stands to reason that Hydra was able to develop steadily and even grow stronger in an era where space was compressed to the limit for a reason. Beyond their possession of genuine alien technology, the more important factor was that the Eagle nation sometimes needed a scapegoat. Whether through deception, interest exchange, or simply pinning their own misdeeds on Hydra, they were all very proficient at it.

However, a preemptive cleanup was necessary now. Ross still couldn't forget the scene where Heimerdinger had disarmed a massive army single-handedly; they had no power to resist in front of him. It seemed the fools in the John Bull nation were about to provoke the Mystery Side, and even before the message Li Xiaoyao sent to Huaxia reached the Eagle nation, Ross knew with his keen instincts that these people could no longer be kept.

The relationship between the Eagle nation and the current leader of the Mystery Side—the Clock Tower—was already poor. Heaven forbid the situation worsened even further because of Hydra.

You ask how Ross knew it was Hydra causing the trouble? He guessed. He was far too familiar with their modus operandi, having watched it countless times and imitated it just as often; he knew them as well as a raisin knows its wrinkles. Besides, even if he guessed wrong, it didn't matter. Who would come to settle scores with a military heavyweight over the deaths of a few moles?

"Make a note: two Hydra members committed suicide to escape justice," Ross said to his subordinate standing far away after leaving the room.

"Yes, General." The subordinate, adhering to the principle of asking no questions and doing exactly as told, saluted.