Chapter 433: The System Reappears

Chapter 433: Chapter 433: The System Reappears

Flora Sullivan blinked her big eyes, and a sudden idea struck her. She leaned close to Seraphina Sullivan’s ear and whispered, "Sullivan, what if we... give him a taste of his own medicine?"

Hearing this, Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes lit up. She looked at Flora Sullivan with some surprise, a smile of approval spreading across her face. "Not bad, Flora. You’ve grown up. You even understand this kind of thinking now."

Flora Sullivan was a little embarrassed by the praise. Her face flushed slightly as she said bashfully, "I learned it all from being around you, Boss."

Hearing this, Tubbs, who was cradled in Seraphina Sullivan’s arms, couldn’t help but roll his eyes dramatically. A GURGLE rumbled in his throat, as if to say, ’Suck-up!’

’You’re asking for it!’

’Nyah nyah nyah!’

Seraphina Sullivan ignored the war of expressions between Tubbs and Flora Sullivan.

She looked at the intelligence source and pawn who had just delivered himself to her doorstep, and her mind began to whir.

As the third-in-command of Hound, Dylan Kane surely knew far more than an ordinary person like Paul Payne about the Player circles in the Central Base, the distribution of power, the various unwritten rules, and even the influence of the high-level factions.

Besides, he was powerful, had his own men, and possessed a motive. He was practically a ready-made, exceptionally sharp "blade."

’And here I was, worried I didn’t have a deep enough understanding of the Central Base’s inner workings,’

Seraphina Sullivan’s lips curved into a cold smile. ’and now they’ve delivered a trove of intelligence and a hired thug right to my doorstep, haven’t they?’

She didn’t hesitate, nor did she intend to waste any time.

She wasn’t about to be polite to someone with malicious intent who had just walked right into her trap.

As Dylan Kane watched in terror, Seraphina Sullivan’s lips parted slightly.

A strange fragrance—so cloyingly sweet it was dizzying, yet utterly irresistible—instantly enveloped Dylan Kane.

The scent seemed to seep through his skin, reaching the very depths of his soul.

The Sweet Fragrance Skill was activated!

Dylan Kane’s mind was already in turmoil from being instantly subdued and having his plan exposed. Now, under the assault of Sweet Fragrance, the look in his eyes quickly shifted from terror and rage to confusion, and then to submission...

This was precisely the Effect Seraphina Sullivan wanted.

’Using a borrowed blade to kill?’

’As if I don’t know how to play that game.’

’Ethan Soto wanted to use Dylan Kane as a blade against her. Fine. She would just sharpen that blade, make it more pliant, and then... turn it on Ethan Soto himself!’

"Alright, Dylan Kane,"

Seraphina Sullivan’s voice was gentle, yet it carried an undertone that permitted no argument.

"Now, let’s have a nice chat about Hound, about Ethan Soto, about the Central Base... Tell me everything you know. Every valuable piece of information.

"And then, we’ll discuss what you... are going to do next."

...

「Some time later.」

Flora Sullivan boredly twirled the ends of her hair around her finger.

She watched Dylan Kane’s retreating back as he staggered deeper into the base. He was still under the influence of Sweet Fragrance, his expression dazed but his movements otherwise unimpeded.

She asked uncertainly, "Boss, is this... really going to work?"

"What if he suddenly snaps out of it?"

Seraphina Sullivan yawned. Leaning lazily against the door of the RV, she cradled the warm Tubbs in her arms.

Hearing this, she glanced in the direction Dylan Kane had disappeared and said flatly, "Whether it works or not is no longer our concern.

"Either way, we’ve already squeezed all the information we need out of him."

She narrowed her eyes, recalling the intelligence she had just extracted from Dylan Kane.

It was just as she had suspected—in fact, it was even more complicated.

"The Central Base looks powerful and stable on the surface, but internally, it’s teeming with factions," Seraphina Sullivan said to Sean Chandler and Flora Sullivan.

"It’s mainly divided into three major blocs. First, there’s the military or expansionist faction, represented by Gordon Chandler. They advocate for integrating Player Power, actively exploring dungeons, gathering resources, developing technology, and confronting the Disasters.

"Then there’s The Resource Faction, also known as The Conservatives, represented by Miles Parker—who also happens to be Ethan Soto’s brother-in-law. They focus more on the base’s internal stability, resource allocation, and consolidating existing gains. They take a much more cautious approach to managing Players.

"And there’s a third, more mysterious faction, apparently composed of Players with special Professions or powerful individuals who remain well hidden. They’re known as the neutral or ascetic faction. They don’t participate in daily administration but are said to wield considerable influence at critical junctures."

"Beneath these three main factions are countless smaller Player teams and minor powers of all sizes, like Hound, Ironwall, and the Night Owl Squad. Each one is either allied with or maneuvering between the different factions, making the whole situation incredibly complex."

Seraphina Sullivan concluded with a hint of resignation, "Trouble is going to be unavoidable here. We should stay out of it as much as possible. Laying low and focusing on our own growth is the only smart move."

Sean Chandler, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke up. "Are you sure the influence of your Sweet Fragrance Skill will last long enough for him to find Ethan Soto and take action?"

He was worried Dylan Kane might break free from her Control halfway there, or that the Effect wouldn’t be strong enough to compel him to attack Ethan Soto.

Seraphina Sullivan smiled, her fingertip lightly tapping the Crimson Gemstone on her forehead, which seemed to pulse as if filled with flowing blood.

"Don’t worry. This time, its Power is amplifying the Skill, so the Effect is far more stable than it would be otherwise.

"Unless Dylan Kane runs into someone with a powerful mental Purification or dispelling Ability who actively intervenes, he’ll be... quite determined to carry out the suggestion I gave him."

A cold glint flashed in Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes. "By tomorrow, we might just hear some ’interesting’ news. All we have to do is watch the show."

Just as Seraphina Sullivan stretched, ready to carry Tubbs back to her warm blankets and enjoy the last moments of this rare, leisurely system-wide pause—

[DING! Attention all Players, the Disaster Game suspension period will now end ahead of schedule!]

[DING! Due to the detection of special rule fluctuations and changes in spatial anchors, the Disaster dungeon sequence will now recommence!

All Players have ten minutes to prepare!]

The cold, familiar system prompt exploded without warning in the minds of every Player across the globe!

Seraphina Sullivan froze.

The languid expression on her face vanished, replaced by grim surprise.

’So... it’s back to the constant struggle for survival.’

She muttered to herself, her tone complex.

Although she had expected this, its premature arrival still filled her with an unavoidable sense of urgency.

"What’s wrong with the system now?

"It was supposed to be a one-month pause! How can it just end early like this?

"It’s giving us no time to react!"

Flora Sullivan grumbled.

With the system’s announcement, the once-calm Central Base instantly erupted, like a boulder had been dropped into a still lake.

Piercing alarms blared throughout the base as loudspeakers began to loop emergency broadcasts. Countless figures started running, assembling according to practiced emergency protocols.

Both above ground and in the subterranean levels, the tense atmosphere of an approaching storm was palpable.

Clearly, the base’s high command had also received the notification and was urgently mobilizing to face the unknown challenge to come.