The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Without delay, the three of them rallied their spirits, covered for each other, and cleared out the remaining rock beetles that were stubbornly resisting or trying to escape in the cave one by one. Without their leader, these insects posed a much smaller threat.

About half an hour later, the rock beetles in the cave were all cleared out, leaving only the dead insects scattered all over the ground and a pungent smell.

"Mission complete." An Changqing looked at the mess of the insect nest and the insect corpses, breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the corpse of the insect leader, carefully cut off the most valuable pieces of carapace, bone spurs and gland samples, and carefully sealed them.

Chen Guan and Su Yuehe also each collected some ordinary insect shell samples.

"This place is not safe to stay any longer. The smell of blood and the energy fluctuations may attract other things. I have already contacted the Superpower Association to clean up the mess."

An Changqing put away the samples and looked at Chen Guan and Su Yuehe: "How are you? Can you still leave?"

"No problem." Chen Guan moved his slightly sore arms. [Resilience] was working, and his recovery speed was much faster than that of an ordinary person.

"I...I'm fine, just a little tired." Su Yuehe rubbed her temples, her voice weak.

"Then let's go back immediately, Yuehe, go back and get some rest." An Changqing said gently.

After the three of them finished packing, An Changqing led the way, Chen Guan brought up the rear, and Su Yuehe stayed in the middle, quickly retreating from the mine along the route they had come from.

The return journey was uneventful. When the three of them emerged from the mine and were once again bathed in the slightly glaring afternoon sunlight, they all felt as if they had been transported to another world.

"Submit the task." An Changqing activated his personal terminal and began uploading proof of task completion.

Soon, the task status was updated to "Completed, pending review".

"The basic reward of 50 points has been issued to each individual's account. Additional rewards will be settled separately after the academy reviews the samples and evaluates the performance," An Changqing said to Chen Guan and Su Yuehe after checking the information.

Chen Guan nodded, opened his terminal, and sure enough, saw that his points account had increased by 50 points.

Although it wasn't much, it was the first time I'd earned points through a task, so it had a different meaning. More importantly...

He glanced into the corner of his field of vision.

Popularity: 5421

A fierce team battle, a brilliant counterattack and teamwork, caused the popularity score to soar once again, breaking through the 5,000 mark.

Chen Guan was thrilled; this income was far more substantial than the 50 academy points he had earned.

"Thank you all for your hard work today." An Changqing smiled gently. "You cooperated very well, especially Chen Guan. Your defense and your handling of the crucial moments were essential."

He paused for a moment and then said, "Next time... don't worry too much about my safety. My special ability allows me to be unafraid of opponents below the fifth rank."

"You flatter me, An. I just did what I was supposed to do," Chen Guan said politely. As for An Changqing's special ability, he wasn't particularly curious about it. He figured the comments would eventually reveal An Changqing's true abilities anyway.

Su Yuehe smiled sweetly and said, "Yes, Chen Guan is so amazing. With you in front of me, I feel much safer."

Like An Changqing, Su Yuehe, who also lacks superpowers, has reserves of strength. Su Yuehe's superpower is called "Word Spirit," which means she has the ability to make her words come true, but it is limited to her own understanding.

The three exchanged a smile. The fatigue from their first team mission seemed to have dissipated considerably, replaced by a gentle trust that had grown from working side by side.

"Go back and rest well. There might be new missions next week," An Changqing said. "Also, Chen Guan, regarding your fighting style... perhaps you could consult Instructor Li Yan on how to better utilize your strengths, and... um, techniques for protecting the person inside the coffin."

He glanced at the coffin behind Chen Guan. Given Chen Guan's fighting style, the person inside must have suffered terribly.

It's only because the black iron coffin was sturdy that the person was in danger.

After learning that there was a person inside the coffin, An Changqing went to investigate the background of Chen Guan.

The result seemed utterly ordinary: there was no black iron coffin, no person inside the coffin, just an ordinary student who passed the college entrance examination and entered Tsinghua University.

Everything was too ordinary, which made it difficult for An Changqing to believe it.

Chen Guan's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded: "Thank you for the reminder, I will."

The three of them said no more, took out a car from their spatial rings, drove to the nearest teleportation array, and then stepped onto the return teleportation array. Amidst the flashing light, they returned to Huaqing.

It was already evening when they returned to the college. The three of them parted ways and went back to their respective dormitories.

Chen Guan pushed open the door to room 304, and a sense of security washed over him. He took off his combat uniform, which was covered in dust and a little insect blood, and carefully leaned the black iron coffin against the wall.

Walking to the bedside, looking at his still-sleeping body, Chen Guan gently exhaled.

"Today...we won," he said softly, as if sharing his joy. "Although you may not know it, and may not be able to witness it for the time being."

He reached out and gently brushed his fingertips across the coolness of the other's cheek.

"But it's okay, I will continue to grow stronger, strong enough... to wake you up and let you see this world with your own eyes."

After his usual acting routine, he turned and headed to the bathroom, ready to wash away his fatigue.

The warm water washed over my body, carrying away the dust, insect blood, and fatigue from the mine.

Chen Guan closed his eyes, letting the water flow over his skin, but the images of the afternoon's battle kept replaying in his mind.

The surging insect swarm, the corrosive acid, the heavy impact, An Changqing's stunning sword strike, Su Yuehe's precise assistance... every detail was crystal clear.

This was his first real combat experience since coming to this world, and it was a team battle. It felt... not bad. Those monsters that were once invincible were no longer so terrifying in his eyes.

Although the process was thrilling and exhausting, the feeling of standing shoulder to shoulder with his companions, entrusting their backs to each other, and ultimately defeating the enemy together was a strange but not unpleasant experience for him, a stranger in a foreign land.

More importantly, the gains were enormous.

5421 popularity points! That's enough to take his strength to the next level.

After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Chen Guan felt much better.

[Resilience] continues to work its magic, and the muscle soreness is rapidly subsiding.

He walked to his desk and sat down. Instead of immediately processing the popularity points, he first opened his personal terminal to check the details of the task rewards.

In addition to the 50 base points that have already been credited to my account, the task evaluation has also been released, and I've been awarded an A grade.

The additional reward is 100 points per person, and one D-level resource exchange privilege, which can be used to exchange for a D-level item or equivalent materials at the academy.

An A-level rating, an extra 100 points, and one redemption privilege—this reward far exceeds expectations, indicating that the academy highly approves of the quality of this task.