43: Dungeon cleared! Dungeon settlement!

"How do we open it?"

Chen Hu walked around the storage tank and found that the entire tank body was seamless; he couldn't find any door or switch at all.

Wu Qiong also stepped forward to study it for a long time, but similarly came up empty-handed.

"This thing seems to be completely sealed," he said with a frown.

Wang Yi didn't speak; he just quietly looked at an inconspicuous groove below the virtual screen.

The shape of that groove was exactly the same as the one he had seen before in the mayor's office,

on the blue keycard he had obtained from the safe.

He took out that blue keycard from his personal space.

"So, the final key is here."

Wang Yi muttered to himself.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, he took a deep breath,

and slowly inserted the keycard that represented the highest authority for the t-virus into the groove.

*Click.*

With a light sound, the keycard fit perfectly.

In the next second, the entire low-temperature storage tank began to shake violently.

The text on the virtual screen began to flash and jump frantically.

[Identity authentication in progress...]

[Authentication passed, Dr. Osborn.]

[Highest authority unlocked.]

[t-virus original serum storage chamber is about to open...]

As the synthesized mechanical voice sounded, the top of the storage tank

began to slowly slide open to both sides, revealing a more precise cylindrical container made of transparent crystal inside.

Inside the container, a metal syringe full of futuristic technology

was quietly suspended in light blue coolant.

And within the syringe's barrel, a blue liquid as deep and brilliant as the starry sky

was slowly flowing and swirling, emitting an eerie yet captivating glow.

This is... the t-virus original serum!

Everyone held their breath,

deeply attracted by the beautiful and dangerous thing before them.

Wang Yi reached out, passed through the coolant, and grabbed the metal syringe.

It felt ice-cold to the touch, yet it seemed to carry some kind of biological warmth.

He could feel that within this small vial of medicine,

there was a power sufficient to destroy heaven and earth, but also sufficient to create a new world.

He gripped the syringe and slowly pulled it out of the container.

At the very moment his fingertips touched the physical syringe,

that cold, vast mechanical voice belonging to the national destiny arena

once again rang out simultaneously in everyone's minds, and in the minds of seven billion people across the globe!

[Global Announcement: Dragon Country player Wang Yi has successfully obtained the hidden quest item for Initial dungeon No. 1 [Zombie Siege]—t-virus original serum!]

[Hidden Quest "T-Virus Source Tracing" completed!]

[dungeon clearance countdown begins: 10 minutes.]

[In 10 minutes, the final settlement for all countries' performances in this dungeon will be conducted!]

...The moment that global announcement sounded, in the western suburbs of Beijing, Dragon Country,

within the National Destiny Operations Center five hundred meters underground, cheers erupted like a mountain tsunami!

"We won! We won!"

"He got it! Wang Yi got the t-virus serum!"

"Hahahaha! We are the first country to complete a hidden quest! We won!"

All the generals, staff officers, and technical personnel

at this moment all jumped up from their seats in excitement.

They waved their fists, hugged each other, and vented the wild joy in their hearts to their heart's content.

Some old generals who were up in years and had witnessed Dragon Country's step-by-step journey from poverty and weakness to today

were so excited that they shed tears. They tightly gripped the hands of the comrades beside them, their mouths constantly murmuring:

"God bless my Dragon Country! God bless my Dragon Country!"

Major General Li Guodong was even more exaggerated; he jumped directly onto the conference table like a child, dancing and singing loudly, drawing a wave of good-natured laughter from those around him.

Although General Lin Zhan still maintained the steady bearing of a soldier and did not lose his composure like Li Guodong,

his shoulders, which were trembling slightly from excitement, and his already bloodshot eyes also betrayed the magnificent waves in his heart.

He walked to Su Yuan's side and said nothing,

only reaching out that large hand covered in calluses and scars to heavily and forcefully pat Su Yuan's shoulder.

Everything was understood without words.

Su Yuan felt the strength coming from his shoulder,

and also felt the sky-piercing atmosphere of joy in the command center.

His nerves, which had been tense for dozens of hours, finally relaxed completely.

He had done it.

He had not failed the country's trust,

nor the expectations of these generals.

He looked at the big screen at Wang Yi's figure holding the serum,

which looked like both a god and a demon, and a bright, heartfelt smile appeared on his face.

This sense of accomplishment and pride from being one with the country, fighting for the same goal,

and finally achieving victory was something he had never experienced in his two lives.

"Comrade Su Yuan."

A gentle yet slightly excited old man's voice sounded behind Su Yuan.

Su Yuan turned his head and saw that General Long, who was wearing a Zhongshan suit

and had been overseeing the rear, had stood behind him at some point.

"Chief." Su Yuan hurriedly stood at attention.

"Good lad, beautifully done."

General Long looked at Su Yuan, his eyes full of praise and gratification. "On behalf of Dragon Country and its people, I thank you."

As he spoke, he actually gave a slight, solemn bow to Su Yuan, this twenty-year-old young man.

Su Yuan was startled and hurriedly stepped aside to avoid it.

"Chief, this won't do! I only did what I should have done! Without the trust and support of you and the generals, and without Wang Yi and the others fighting bloody battles on the front line, I couldn't have done anything alone!" Su Yuan said sincerely.

"Haha, no need to be modest. Your contribution is seen by all of us. The country will not forget any official who has rendered meritorious service." General Long smiled, then turned his gaze back to the big screen.

"Ten minutes... the final settlement is about to begin. I'm very curious about what kind of evaluation our Dragon Country can get this time."

His words caused the entire command center to instantly fall silent.

Everyone's eyes focused on Su Yuan.

Because they knew that only Su Yuan, the sole Administrator, could possibly know the settlement rules in advance.

Su Yuan took a deep breath, nodded, and focused his attention on his system panel.

Sure enough, the moment the dungeon clearance countdown appeared,

a brand-new module also appeared on his Administrator panel.

[Dungeon Settlement]