The entrance to the Broken Dragon Mountains was a narrow canyon.
Jagged rocks littered the treacherous terrain, making it a natural ambush point.
The four-person squad from Russia cautiously stepped into this death zone.
The leader, Captain Ivan, his eyes sharp, made a warning gesture, and the entire squad slowed their pace.
"Captain, those tin cans are searching from the sky. Do we really need to work this hard?" the squad's Assassin whispered, a hint of wishful thinking in his voice.
Ivan remained vigilant, his voice low and firm. "Don't let your guard down. The Prophet warned us that the 'Pink Heretics' squad is extremely cunning. We must purify them completely before they cause more destruction!"
Hearing this, the squad's curvaceous Mage curled her red lips into a smirk.
"Relax, Captain! Our entire squad is on the verge of breaking through to the Intermediate tier. Dealing with a few Novice-tier pink-haired girls should be a piece of cake, right?"
Ivan glared at her. "Fool! Stow that arrogance, bloated by your desires! In this godforsaken place, any underestimation could be fatal!"
The moment his words fell, disaster struck!
Vwoom—!
An ice-blue wall erupted behind them, instantly sealing off their escape route
Immediately after, the only exit ahead was also blocked by another ice wall that shot up from the ground!
Trapped like rats in a barrel!
"Enemy attack! Holy Light Barrier!"
Ivan roared, his reaction lightning-fast!
The Paladin beside him slammed his heavy shield into the ground, and a golden barrier of light instantly expanded, enveloping all four of them tightly!
"It's those pink-haired girls! They're nearby!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
His words were answered by three arrows.
The arrows, erasing all trace and sound, emerged silently from the shadows of the cliff walls, striking the light barrier with pinpoint accuracy!
Crack!
The light barrier shattered on impact.
Most of the arrows' force was dissipated, but one still managed to slip through the defense, leaving a deep gash on the female Assassin's arm.
"Above!"
Just as the female Assassin cried out in shock and anger, a figure descended from the sky with the force of a mountain!
"Holy Shield Charge!"
It was Lin Xiyue!
She held her massive shield, Blackstone's Protection, high, the sheer force of her charge making the air itself whine as she crashed into the center of the enemy formation!
"Well met!"
Instead of retreating, Captain Ivan's eyes turned crimson, his muscles bulging as his battleaxe ignited with furious blood energy. He charged head-on to meet Lin Xiyue!
BOOM—!!!
The battleaxe and tower shield collided with a deafening clang, the sound of metal on metal echoing through the entire canyon
Ivan felt a torrential force crash into him, mixed with a strange, force-dissipating technique.
The webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open on the spot, his battleaxe nearly flying from his grasp. He stumbled back three steps, his chest churning with blood and qi!
His three teammates behind him were struck by the fan-shaped shockwave, Holy Shield: Shockwave, that followed Lin Xiyue's shield, and all of them fell into a brief stun!
Now!
As Lin Xiyue landed, a pink figure cut in from the shadows on the flank!
The delicate, ornate priest's staff in her hand, which looked like a cosplay prop, now struck like a dragon, its tip glinting with cold light!
Dawnstar Piercer!
The blade's edge aimed straight for Ivan, who had just regained his footing!
Ivan was a ruthless fighter. He forcibly twisted his waist through the roiling blood and qi, swinging his battleaxe in an arc to block.
But Lin Qingyue's spear technique defied all logic.
With a light touch and a gentle redirection from the pink staff, she sent Ivan's mountain-splitting strike sliding harmlessly aside.
The spear tip then pivoted, stopping with pinpoint precision at his throat.
The icy killing intent instantly froze Ivan's bulging muscles.
The battle ended in a flash.
"Disarm! Don't move!"
Lin Xiyue's massive tower shield pressed down, firmly pinning the remaining enemies who were just shaking off their stun.
Su Wan's staff pointed at them from afar, its icy aura gathered and ready to strike.
Xia Lian's figure appeared at the canyon's peak, her shortbow Dark Night Starwhisper drawn, its arrowhead aimed at their vital points.
Their coordination was flawless, their execution clean and decisive.
Ivan stared at the spear tip pressed against his throat, then at his instantly subdued teammates, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror. "You... you're the 'Pink Heretics'? How is this possible..."
Lin Qingyue flashed her signature friendly smile.
"Congratulations, you're correct. Unfortunately, there's no prize."
"Soon, we'll be able to have a friendly and honest conversation."
As she spoke, she lightly tapped her staff.
"Group Purification Art (Modified Ver.): Sage Mode!"
A gentle pink halo precisely enveloped the four captives.
As the halo swept over them, the ferocity, fanaticism, and arrogance in Ivan's and his men's eyes vanished without a trace.
In its place came bewilderment, then confusion, finally settling into an absolute rationality that seemed to comprehend all things and began calculating sunk costs.
Under the dual effects of the Truth rule and Sage Mode, the expression on Ivan's face became incredibly complex.
There was the anger of being ambushed, the shame of mission failure, and a kind of... regret, as if he'd been played for a fool.
Lin Qingyue walked up to him, her voice gentle yet carrying a subtle pressure as she questioned him from above.
"Name, origin, and... tell me, which little genius taught you to worship that Evil God?"
Ivan's lips moved, his willpower seemingly resisting, but under the Power of Rules, he could only reluctantly spit out the truth, his tone thick with hatred.
"Ivan. We were deceived by an American who called himself the 'Prophet'!"
"He approached us! He told us the 'Mother of Rebirth' was an ancient Earth Goddess of Abundance from this world, slandered as an Evil God by later deities!"
"He said that by converting our faith, we could achieve a 'three-way win-win for believers, the deity, and the Dungeon.' We would gain power, the deity would reclaim her glory, and it would help us complete our Purification missions more efficiently, achieving an S-Rank Evaluation!"
This answer cleared the biggest cloud of doubt from the minds of Lin Qingyue and her team
A stream of data flashed through Su Wan's azure eyes, instantly connecting all the clues.
"It's that 'Prophet'! No wonder the Mother of Rebirth's pyramid scheme... uh, missionary methods are so 'up-to-date'! Precision targeting of customer groups, hunger marketing, developing downlines... These tactics are clearly from our Earth!"
"He's actively 'feeding' the Mother of Rebirth! Using our Earth's knowledge and systems to help that Evil God optimize Her powers of deception and control! All in exchange for the Evil God's blessings and trust!"
"Bastard!" Ivan added through gritted teeth, his hyper-rational mind making him burn with shame over his earlier foolishness.
"That damned Guy is now the Mother of Rebirth's most trusted mortal, appointed as Pope! He can even... even command that Steam Magitech Mecha Legion we just saw!"
"Our squad was sent by him to eliminate you, the so-called 'Pink Heretics'!"
The full picture suddenly became crystal clear.
This wasn't a simple Dungeon raid.
This had already escalated into betrayal and infighting among the Descenders!
A player, for his own selfish gain, had allied with the Dungeon's final Boss, treating all other Descenders as stepping stones for his climb and sacrifices for the Evil God.
He was the mastermind, the director of this entire "grand scam."
The Mother of Rebirth was, at best, just a Tool God who provided the platform and power.
Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian's expressions darkened, their faces grim with anger at this shocking revelation.
Only Lin Qingyue let out a low laugh.
Her laughter held no anger, but rather a kind of... excitement at meeting a worthy opponent.
"I was wondering how a native Evil God could play such elaborate games."
She tapped the ground lightly with the butt of her staff, the Beloved.
"Turns out there's a 'project manager' behind the scenes, optimizing things."
[System Prompt: Host has encountered the classic 'backstabbing colleague' scenario and developed a strong urge to 'stir things up.' Elation Value +1000!]
Lin Xiyue looked at the excited Lin Qingyue and couldn't help but press her forehead. "Sis, this is no joke. A player who can command a Mecha Legion and act as the Boss's strategist might be even more dangerous than the Evil God itself."
"Of course."
Lin Qingyue's smile vanished, but her eyes shone brighter than ever.
"Pure PVE doesn't satisfy me anymore. Now that it's upgraded to PVP, this is a real challenge."
She turned to the four Russian team members, who had completely entered Sage Mode and were now calculating how negative their mission's return on investment would be.
"So, Captain Ivan," Lin Qingyue's voice remained gentle, yet it carried an undeniable sense of finality.
"I sympathize that you were deceived. But honestly, falling for such a scheme also highlights that your team's risk assessment capabilities... need improvement."
Ivan's face turned beet red, but under absolute rationality, he couldn't refute her.
"We're all fellow Earthlings, but we're not from the same country, so our foundation of trust is weak."
Lin Qingyue spread her hands, her smile both sweet and cruel.
"As for me, I don't like having unreliable elements in my team."
She raised a single finger and wagged it.
"Now, I'll give you two choices. A: You leave this Dungeon on your own. We part ways amicably, and you can keep your dignity. B: You don't leave, and we'll have to send you on your way—a forced exit. The process might not be very dignified, and you might even lose EXP and drop equipment."
Ivan snapped his head up, his rational eyes burning with uncontrollable fury. But he stared fixedly at Lin Qingyue and finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"...We'll leave."
He knew she was proposing the most logical course of action.
If he were in her position, he wouldn't trust a team that had just been working for the enemy either.
"Excellent. A wise choice."
Lin Qingyue snapped her fingers as if seeing off a client.
After the four from Russia vanished in a flash of white light, Lin Qingyue walked to the center of the team. Her gaze swept over her three teammates as she announced in a relaxed tone:
"Alright, partners, the field is clear of distractions. Plan B needs an update."
"Plan B 2.0, officially launching now!"
Lin Xiyue, shouldering her massive shield, asked curiously, "Sis, what's the new plan?"
Lin Qingyue pointed toward the distant sky, at the Steam Magitech Mechas patrolling the air. Her pink eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Let's see how one of my 'Heroic Spirits' fares against these iron lumps."