Chapter 248 Finally Clearing the Dungeon

In that brief moment, the shattered mask and scattered pieces of Lin Wan’s head began to twitch. Flesh and blood slowly knitted themselves back together.

"Damn it! This... This is impossible!"

As though refusing to accept reality, Wen Lan repeatedly swung her sickle at Lin Wan’s head, chopping it apart more than a dozen times.

Yet the result remained the same.

Lin Wan’s head continued regenerating.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"You can’t kill me! You can’t kill me!"

Her laughter grew increasingly unhinged.

"The Fox’s ambition has paved the way for a new ruler! The Rabbit’s immortality, the Fox’s ambition, and the Perfect Man’s power!"

Her body began growing larger as her head regenerated. Flesh-colored cracks appeared beneath her armpits, as though new arms were about to emerge.

"I am the ruler! I am the perfect ruler!"

"It’s over. We’re finished."

Long John’s expression darkened when he saw Lin Wan’s immortality in action. He immediately retreated, placing himself between Shen Yu and Wen Lan and the increasingly monstrous woman.

"Damn it! I’ll climb step by step, all the way to the top! I’ll become Zhao Gao!"

The live-stream comments exploded.

Another viewer: All right! All right! Lin Wan’s rise to power is incredible! I have to admit, she’s inspiring. She really became the final boss!

Another viewer: Wait, aren’t you getting distracted? If this continues, how is Shen Yu supposed to clear the dungeon?

Another viewer: Does it even matter if he can’t clear it? He’ll be trapped on the ninth floor and become Lin Wan’s tool!

Amid the surging comments, Lin Wan’s enormous body suddenly turned toward Shen Yu, who had remained motionless.

She tilted her head, and the enormous mouth beneath her mask split open.

"Darling, you clearly knew I was going to take that head. Why didn’t you stop me?"

Her voice was filled with excitement.

"Did you deliberately help me become the ruler? If that’s the case, I don’t mind at all! We can manage the company together in the future."

She leaned toward him.

"You know, I’ve always admired you. I—"

Before Lin Wan could finish, Shen Yu walked toward the desk on the ninth floor. His expression was calm, tinged with regret.

"I gave you a chance."

He stopped beside the desk and turned to look at her.

"You knew perfectly well that becoming a dictator would bring punishment from the twelve zodiac animals. So why did you insist on climbing to the top?"

He shook his head.

"We defeated the Perfect Man. The company has returned to the old twelve-vote system, where decisions are made fairly and democratically. What’s wrong with that?"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Lin Wan laughed wildly.

"Shen Yu, don’t you understand me by now? I love power! I love the freedom that comes with standing at the very top!"

Her voice rose.

"I told you I wanted to become the highest-ranking person in this company. And I also told you that you couldn’t kill me anymore!"

She spread her arms.

"I will become a dictator! No one can stop me!"

"No one can become a dictator."

Shen Yu’s voice was quiet but firm.

"Not you. Not me. No one."

He looked at her for a long moment.

"I’m sorry, Lin Wan. You’re no longer the person you were when we first met."

His expression softened with regret.

"Goodbye."

Without hesitation, Shen Yu removed the Monkey and Goat Orders from his chest and slammed them onto the desk.

His face was bitter as he made his announcement.

"I hereby initiate the promotion meeting."

Buzz!

The moment the orders struck the desk, a mechanism seemed to activate.

The Ox Medal and the Fox Medal on Shen Yu’s chest began twisting and changing shape, slowly transforming into the Rabbit’s symbol.

At the same time, the Rabbit pattern on Lin Wan’s chest rapidly faded.

Her shattered head suddenly stopped regenerating.

"You... You..."

Lin Wan stared at Shen Yu in disbelief.

"You predicted this from the beginning, didn’t you? You deliberately kept three orders from being used to stop me!"

Her voice trembled.

"You... You..."

Boo!

Because her head could no longer heal, the last severed head of the Perfect Man fell from the top of Lin Wan’s body.

Her headless corpse remained upright for a long moment, staring toward Shen Yu.

Then Lin Wan spoke.

"Indeed... Indeed, you really are the person I admire most."

Her voice weakened.

"What a pity. What a pity..."

She never finished the final word.

Lin Wan’s body collapsed to the ground, and her life finally came to an end.

Ironically, at that very moment, Shen Yu heard a familiar system notification.

Ding!

Goddess Lin Wan’s affection level toward you: 111.

Congratulations! Goddess Lin Wan’s affection level has reached 100!

Unlocked: 100-Affection CG Animation.

Would you like to place Goddess Lin Wan in the Love Hut?

Would you like to play the 100-Affection CG?

Yes / No

Shen Yu looked at Lin Wan’s headless corpse and slowly closed his eyes.

A series of memories surfaced in his mind.

Lin Wan’s Past

"Team Leader Lin, today’s the deadline! Our department hasn’t met its quota!"

Inside a luxurious office, several young employees looked anxiously at Lin Wan.

"What? What are we going to do?"

Lin Wan leaned back in her chair, her expression calm and gentle.

"It’s all right. It’s all right if we don’t meet the quota. You all know I’m easy to talk to. I’ll handle the pressure from upper management."

"Yay! Team Leader Lin is the best!"

"Team Leader, I love you!"

Cheers filled the office.

Lin Wan smiled warmly, but an inexplicable coldness flashed through her eyes.

"It’s fine if you haven’t met the quota. Tonight, you’ll accompany me to meet a client."

"Sure! No problem!"

"Of course! Anything you ask, Team Leader Lin!"

The young employees agreed without the slightest suspicion.

That night, they gathered in front of the elevator on the first floor.

"Go on in. Make sure you speak to the client properly."

"Understood!"

"Don’t worry, Team Leader Lin!"

"Team Leader Lin, we’ll handle it!"

After sending them into the elevator, Lin Wan leaned against the wall.

The smile gradually disappeared from her lips, leaving behind a cold, indifferent expression.

"Useless things."

She pressed the elevator button.

"I want results. If you can’t produce results, then die."

"Ahhh! Help!"

"Team Leader! Team Leader, help us!"

"This client... This client—"

Screams and footsteps echoed from beyond the elevator, accompanied by the sickening sounds of flesh being torn apart.

Lin Wan remained unmoved.

She coldly pressed the button and watched the elevator doors close.

Buzz!

When the memory ended, Shen Yu slowly opened his eyes.

"So that’s why you and the Rat were so close."

His gaze fell upon Lin Wan’s corpse.

"All those employees who failed to meet their quotas were fed to it."

He sighed.

"Lin Wan, do you remember how furious you used to become whenever clients asked you to accompany them for drinks?"

He paused.

"Along the way, you gained so much. But you lost even more."

Looking at her headless body, Shen Yu ultimately decided not to place her in the Love Hut.

It wasn’t that he disliked Lin Wan’s particular preferences. Rather, they had always been walking different paths.

Lin Wan hated restrictions. Perhaps, for someone like her, dying this way was the only release she could ever find.

Sending her to the Love Hut would have been inappropriate.

Besides, the affection between them had never been genuine love. It had been little more than mutual attraction and fondness born from using each other.

If someone stronger than Shen Yu appeared one day, Lin Wan would not hesitate to abandon him.

That was simply who she was.

"Goodbye, Lin Wan."

Shen Yu turned away.

Dungeon Clearance

Looking at the hole in the ninth-floor ceiling that the enormous Yaning had created, Shen Yu prepared to leave.

His legs had already transformed into powerful, rabbit-like limbs. He bent them slightly before kicking off the ground and leaping toward the top of Evolution Food Company.

At that moment, the long-awaited dungeon announcement finally rang out.

Ding! Congratulations to the State Pool Team and Shen Yu for completing the Evolution Food Company dungeon!

Completed side quest: Become a True Evolutionist.

Completed side quest: Explore the Entire Company.

Completed main quest: Completely Escape the Company’s Control.

Your dungeon performance is being evaluated.

Final Rating: S Rank

S-Rank Rewards:

Fifteen days of dungeon cooldown.

One Talent Evolution Fragment.

Current Talent Evolution Fragments: 2.

Special Title Unlocked: Perfect Evolutionist

Title Reward: Skill — Wild Growth.

Wild Growth

Active Effect: Awakens your primal genes and unlocks the power of ancient bloodlines, significantly increasing combat ability for thirty minutes.

Passive Effect — Wild Instinct: Allows you to effectively avoid one deadly rule.

Dungeon Completion Comment:

As expected of the Soft Rice King! You made full use of your physical advantages, moving among various female animals to gather clues.

In a dungeon, clues, abilities, and communication often provide more initiative than powerful talents alone. I hope you can maintain this awareness until the very end.

You may leave the dungeon immediately or remain for another thirty minutes.

After the announcement ended, Shen Yu did not immediately leave.

He hadn’t managed to bring Lin Wan into the Love Hut, but Lin Yao was still around. There was still a chance to increase her affection toward him.

His gaze shifted toward the interface in the corner of his vision.

Apart from the icons for Mirage, Perfect Timeline, and Memory Alteration, a fourth icon had appeared.

Wild Growth.

The icon resembled a crocodile.

"Oh, so that’s what it is."

Shen Yu studied the symbol before turning his gaze toward the space beyond the top floor.

A sprawling city stretched out before him. Tall buildings rose into the distance, while busy streets below were filled with streams of traffic.

"Interesting."

He murmured to himself.

Not long afterward, Wen Lan awkwardly climbed onto the rooftop as well.

Ding!

Goddess Wen Lan’s affection toward you: 25.

Current total affection: 76 points.

Unlocked Affection CGs: 50-point CG and 75-point CG.

Would you like to play the unlocked CGs?

Yes / No

The system notification rang in Shen Yu’s ears.

He glanced at Wen Lan.

At that moment, she wore a bright smile and extended her hand toward him.

"Shen Yu, let’s have a happy cooperation."

"Happy cooperation."

He shook her hand and noticed a trace of reluctance in her eyes.

"The dungeon is finally over," Wen Lan said.

"Yes."

"Are you returning to the Feihe Team?"

"No. You should know that I’m from the Jingbei Team. The Feihe Team probably has some matters to handle."

She smiled at him.

"If you get the chance, come visit me in Jingbei."

With that, Wen Lan waved and looked up at the sky.

"Feihe Team..."

Her voice trailed off.

At the same time, the dungeon announcement sounded in her ears.

Ding! Congratulations, Wen Lan, on successfully completing the dungeon!

Final Rating: A Rank

A-Rank Rewards:

Ten days of dungeon cooldown.

Special Reward: Horse Side.

Horse Side: You may use this ability in any dungeon once. It can only be used one time.

Dungeon Completion Comment:

Your abilities are almost like a bug. However, they require sufficient concealment during the early stages.

There is nothing wrong with being a dog. But constantly being a dog? That’s a serious problem.

I hope you can keep being a dog until the very end next time.

You may leave the dungeon immediately.

The cold, merciless voice of the instance continued echoing, but Wen Lan paid it no attention.

She glanced at Shen Yu one last time and smiled.

"I’m leaving now."

Buzz!

The space around her began to twist.

Just before her figure disappeared, she silently mouthed a few words to Shen Yu.

Energy Gathering Association. Fat Division Area.

Shen Yu’s expression did not change. He simply touched the portrait of Dragon Expansion in his arms before returning to the ninth floor.

At the same time, in another section of the ninth floor, the dungeon announcement rang in the ears of Long Lingxue, Ning Xu, and the others.

Ding!

Thanks to the efforts of Team Leader Shen Yu, the dungeon has been successfully completed.

All remaining participants receive a B-Rank clearance rating.

B-Rank Reward: Eight days of dungeon cooldown.

Would you like to remain in the dungeon for another thirty minutes?

"Damn it! Deputy Captain! Deputy Captain, you’re my superhero!"

"Shen Yu actually completed the dungeon?!"

"Did he discover the secret of the Ox and Horse?"

The news left Yaning and the others utterly stunned.

They had spent so long believing the dungeon was impossible to clear. Yet Shen Yu had uncovered its deepest secret and brought the entire nightmare to an end.

For the first time since entering Evolution Food Company, they could finally breathe freely.

The nightmare was over.