Chapter 78: Divine Punishment

Lin Xun stared at the notebook text, calming his excitement as he began to think things through.

According to Ezio’s notes, reaching the Ancestor Giant’s Tomb would require passing through several key locations.

First, he’d have to cross the shadowy forest southwest of Saint Rance, then climb over the Nameless Mountain Range, locate the Beastmen Giant tribe, and finally break through the tomb guards to reach the burial chamber.

That route was bound to be full of danger.

But with the Dancer’s invisibility skill and the newly acquired Phantom of the Night Cloak, how could he possibly pass up such a hidden map?

In this cursed game, the rule was clear: the greater the risk, the bigger the reward. If he could find that giant’s corpse, there was an eighty percent chance he’d be able to possess it!

Lin Xun pressed on with his journey.

After looting Ezio’s sarcophagus, no new options appeared in the game text.

With the tomb fully explored, Lin Xun had no choice but to backtrack all the way to where he had first dropped into the pit.

[You are surrounded by smooth rock walls. Above your head, the pit’s entrance looks tiny, no bigger than a fist. You fall deep into thought.]

[…]

After a long pause, new text appeared.

[After much consideration, unable to return to the surface, do you want to slam your head into the rock wall and end your life?]

“Damn it!”

Why did this scene feel so familiar?

Lin Xun scratched his head. This cursed game had found yet another inventive way to kill him off.

At the moment, there was no room for any other move. Even if he wanted to die differently, he couldn’t.

Left with no choice, he pressed “Yes.”

[You take ten paces back and charge full speed at the solid rock wall…]

[Thunk!]

[You are dead!]

[The feeble wandering soul is reborn in the desolate wilderness shack…]

Lin Xun opened his Shell Slots and saw that only the Dancer and the fully paralyzed Yellow-Robed Bishop remained alive.

He tapped the Resting Page to refresh, and the Yellow-Robed Bishop’s injuries were healed.

Putting down his phone, he decided to wait until the next day to reshape the Three-Headed Lion and the Engineer before continuing his exploration.

He opened his computer and reluctantly dove back into his writing work…

—

Yun Capital City.

Top-floor office of the Apostle Security Council’s headquarters.

Li Long rubbed his temples, looking exasperatedly at his niece sitting on the sofa in a sleek black business suit.

“Little brat, last time I gave you a divine artifact, that was already breaking all the rules. You really think these things grow on trees?”

Every Apostle in the organization dreamed of getting their hands on a precious divine artifact.

These items, which could boost one’s soul talent, were incredibly rare in the game. Apostles who managed to acquire them would almost always use them on themselves immediately. Very few would ever turn such treasures over to the organization in exchange for other resources.

Calling them “in short supply” didn’t even do justice to their rarity.

Li Xingyue raised her teacup, took a delicate sip, and calmly said, “Wasn’t the contribution he made this time enough?”

“Besides, he used up a similarly valuable item to complete the mission.”

Li Long sighed. “That new Apostle you’re talking about really did achieve something impressive this time. If you were asking for other kinds of resource allocations, I’d approve without hesitation. But divine artifacts… it’s not that I won’t approve. It’s that there’s a queue.”

There were plenty of Apostles in the organization who had made major contributions and were eagerly waiting their turn for divine artifacts, even preferring them over other forms of rewards.

With only a limited supply of divine artifacts, the organization had no choice but to make Apostles wait in line for their share.

“According to the current queue, it’ll take at least a few more months before you can apply for another one.”

“Unless…”

Li Long manifested a square black card in his hand. The Lower-Tier Seat Pass for the Disciple Sanctum that Li Xingyue had turned in the previous day.

Li Xingyue instantly understood what her uncle meant. This entry pass had already been modified by the organization so it could successfully infiltrate the core of New World.

And Lin Xun’s talent was perfectly suited for this kind of deep-cover mission.

She hesitated for a long while, then nodded. “Fine, but one divine artifact isn’t enough.”

“You little rascal…” Li Long rubbed his temples again, exasperated. “I can only approve one divine artifact. That’s non-negotiable.”

“If the divine artifact isn’t negotiable, then I want a ‘Camouflage Mask’ instead.”

Li Xingyue knew full well that asking for two divine artifacts at once was unrealistic. What she really wanted was to secure the special item called the Camouflage Mask for Lin Xun.

Li Long mulled it over, visibly conflicted.

If the girl sitting across from him weren’t his niece, he’d have shown her to the door by now.

In the end, with a pained expression, he nodded in agreement.

Once the matter of the newcomer’s reward was settled, Li Long switched topics.

“There’s something else I want to tell you in advance. After multiple rounds of discussions, headquarters has decided to establish elite military branches, similar to Heavenly Punishment, in cities at all levels.”

Li Xingyue’s eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

Heavenly Punishment was the Apostle Security Council’s elite combat unit, and they were only stationed in the capital cities of each province.

Every Apostle in that unit was a top-tier elite, the cream of the crop, boasting formidable combat power.

Why was the organization suddenly expanding the Heavenly Punishment force? And where would they find enough elite Apostles to fill those new positions?

She frowned deeply.

Li Long explained, “New World has developed a method to split the Source of the Apocalypse.”

“Previously, New World used the Source of the Apocalypse in a concentrated form, targeting a single point. But now they’ve figured out how to spread it across a broader area.”

“While the destructive force isn’t as catastrophic as the concentrated version, the overall impact is just as bad, if not worse.”

Li Xingyue was stunned by this revelation.

New World’s mastery over the Source of the Apocalypse had reached terrifying new heights.

“Headquarters has decided to set up forces like Heavenly Punishment in every city, codenamed ‘Thunder Tribulation.’ These units will primarily consist of local team members, with headquarters dispatching combat Apostles to supplement them.”

“As for the new Thunder Tribulation team in Wen City, I don’t trust Wang Zong with it. You’ll be the one in charge. Don’t worry, I won’t parachute in some superior officer over your head. I’m only sending you enforcers.”

“You’ll return to Wen City tomorrow and start assembling Thunder Tribulation right away.”

Li Xingyue nodded and began asking her uncle about the details…

—

The next morning.

After an all-nighter writing chapters for his new book’s launch, Lin Xun picked up his phone.

The Book of Salvation, activate!

[The feeble wandering soul awakens in the desolate wilderness shack…]

His soul strength had fully recovered to 2/2, and he had reshaped the Engineer’s shell last night.

He possessed the Yellow-Robed Bishop’s shell and exited the shack.

Opening his inventory, he tapped the Brass Whistle.

[Do you want to spend 1 point of soul strength to reshape the summoned creature Corrupted Three-Headed Lion?]

[With a crisp whistle, you summon the fierce and massive Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]

[You can now issue simple battle commands to the Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]

He tapped the ride command.

[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion obediently lowered its body. The Yellow-Robed Bishop, a masterful rider, swung up effortlessly, gripping its thick dark-yellow mane as reins.]

Everything was ready. Lin Xun set out to explore the road beyond the shack.

But the game text that appeared next made his eyes go wide in shock.