This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 248 "Administrator Number Two?!"

Upon hearing this, Han Jiangxue turned her head slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in her brown eyes: "Ping Xingdou?"

"Yes! That astronomer! He's here!" Yi Jian spoke rapidly, his tone grave. "How could he be here? And why is he one of the leaders of this cult?"

Han Jiangxue turned her gaze back to that figure, still showing no emotional fluctuation, and simply said, "It seems that the situation in Gushi is worse than we thought."

“Even important figures of this caliber have fallen into their hands and have been corrupted to this extent.”

Her tone was calm, but Yi Jian could tell from her slightly tightened fingers that she was in turmoil. Ping Xingdou's appearance meant that the Star God Cult's infiltration of Gushi was far beyond expectations, and they might even have already taken control of some key figures, potentially threatening the safety of Liang Zhenduan and He Kang!

But now is not the time to think about that.

Yi Jian suppressed his shock and focused his attention back on the modified obsidian well.

The energy gathering in the well is getting stronger and stronger, and a heart-pounding fluctuation is coming from the depths of the well.

"That well...what do they want to do with it?"

Han Jiangxue didn't say anything immediately. She just watched quietly. A golden light shone deep in her dark brown eyes, reflecting the distorted starlight below and the fanatical figure.

The mountain wind howled, stirring up sand and dust.

Ping Xingdou turned his head and looked in the direction of Han Jiangxue.

One was passionate, the other cold. But their gazes seemed to share something in common.

Yi Jian's gaze darted back and forth rapidly. He suddenly realized that those were the eyes of a paranoid person.

From afar, Ping Xingdou mouthed to the unfamiliar girl, "I don't want to be enemies with anyone, I just want to see the truth."

Han Jiangxue looked at him quietly.

“Bullshit,” she said.

Ping Xingdou grinned. Nebula-like radiance emanated from him.

“We have guests,” he said. “Kill them.”

……

In a makeshift camp of the patrol army on a remote stretch of the Gobi Desert, several officers were discussing in hushed tones around a rudimentary map. The Black Wind Pass area was prominently marked on the map.

"...Based on fragments of old world archives and previous reconnaissance, there is likely a pre-civilization facility deep within the pass." The captain pointed to a blurry mark on the map, "but the information is incomplete at the moment, and we cannot determine whether it is a shelter or some kind of research institute."

"However, we suspect this is a major reason why the 'Black Wind Overlord' is entrenched there..."

Before he finished speaking -

boom! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
An indescribable, blazing light suddenly erupted from the direction of the Black Wind Pass, instantly engulfing half the sky! The light was not simply bright; it carried a terrifying power that could tear everything apart and purify everything, as if a sun had been ignited on the horizon!
Immediately following was a deafening, earth-shattering roar! The ground beneath our feet trembled violently, like an apocalyptic earthquake; sand dunes tumbled, rocks crumbled, the earth cracked, and the tents in the camp were torn apart by the shockwave!
The shockwave hurled people into the sky, and in that instant, everyone lost their sight and hearing, leaving only instinctive fear and the awe-inspiring shock of the world collapsing.

It's unclear how much time passed, perhaps only a dozen seconds, but for these soldiers who had faced countless life-or-death trials, it felt like an eternity.

Sight and hearing began to slowly return, the ringing in his ears mingled with the crashing sound of falling gravel. The captain was the first to struggle to his feet, shaking his buzzing head. He even slapped himself hard, looking anxiously toward the Black Wind Pass.

The perpetual black wind pressure and distorted dark areas that had previously enveloped that area have disappeared.

Instead, a huge and shocking sunken basin has appeared!

It was as if an invisible giant fist had smashed the mountain and the earth together, denting them!

It was a perfect obsidian bowl, only a little too big. And in the center of that brand-new, pitch-black basin, three silver-gray buildings stood perfectly intact, forming an extremely eerie contrast with the surrounding mess—those were the pre-civilization facilities they had just been discussing, a research institute and two shelters!

But what made all the soldiers' pupils constrict and their breaths stop was the figure floating directly above those three buildings.

A terrifying, tall, pitch-black human figure exuding an endless chill.

He hovered silently in the sky, his figure towering nearly two meters tall. His black and gold uniform was exceptionally well-tailored and sharply defined, resembling the dress uniform of a space force from some alien civilization. But this time, his uniform seemed to have changed slightly, differing from the images in the records.

Beneath the black cloak, a wide crimson cape billowed behind him without wind, like a flowing river of blood.

A scarlet sash without any embroidery hung diagonally across his chest in a solemn manner, seemingly concealing something, or perhaps merely serving as an adornment.

What's most unsettling is his black helmet that covers his entire head. It has a simple design but is full of oppressive power. The eye area is a long, horizontal goggle that emits a cold red light, and you can't see any emotion in it.

His hands were quietly folded behind his back, hidden under his cloak.

Beside him, a dazzling light floated quietly.

Beautiful, yet chilling.

【■■■■■■】, eternal glory.

Although the name of this thing on the system panel was covered by incomprehensible gibberish, the four-character name was branded into the deepest part of the minds of every witness.

"...Administrator Number Two?!" The captain's pupils dilated in shock, his thoughts racing: "It's called Eternal Radiance...but it's the power of Administrator Number Two..."

The soldiers were stiff, their hands unconsciously gripping their weapons tightly.

They hunted down Zhao Deming, they monitored Black Wind Pass, they speculated about the outcome of Nie Weiyang's battle with the BOSS, and they also imagined the worst-case scenario...

But they never imagined that they would witness this world boss, who only existed in global announcements, in this way!

Why is it here? Was that devastating attack it unleashed? Where is Nie Weiyang? Where is the Black Wind Overlord? Wait a minute, if it really destroyed everything… this is the BOSS?! What the hell is this fight about?!
Countless questions swirled in their minds, yet no one dared to utter a sound. The entire Gobi Desert fell into a deathly silence, save for the three silent buildings in the center of the basin and the dark figure overhead overlooking the land.

The second administrator's gaze swept over the few scattered people below, but he seemed to see nothing at all. He maintained his posture with his hands behind his back, as if smoothing out a mountain pass was nothing more than casually brushing away a speck of dust for him.

Eternal radiance, silently shimmering.

He turned around, his black and red hues fluttering—

He transformed into a streak of light and flew into the distance.

(End of this chapter)