When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

Chapter 69 Mr. Lu's "Remote Technical Support"

The flagship "Kunlun" and its combat command center.

Time ticked by, each second feeling like it was gnawing at the nerves of everyone present.

On the main screen, the images transmitted by the submersible were stable, yet lifeless.

The evil god statue, temporarily calmed by the [Rain of Tranquility], stood silently on the dark seabed like an ancient mountain. It no longer made any aggressive movements, but simply lowered its head, looking at its tightly clenched, mountain-like giant hand.

A faint, warm light shone through the gaps in the giant hand.

Part 1: The First Ray of Dawn in the Sunken City.

The mission objective is both within reach and yet far away.

"Reporting to command center, Captain Long Yi requests a call." The hoarse voice of Long Yi, who had survived the ordeal, came through the communication channel.

Qin Shiyue pressed the call button and said in a deep voice, "Speak."

"We can't get it." Long Yi's voice was filled with resentment and helplessness. "Advisor Liya's mental energy is about to run out, and [Rain of Tranquility] can only last for ten minutes at most. Once the spell expires, we don't know if it will go berserk again."

"And—" the dragon paused, "even if it doesn't go berserk, we still won't be able to take anything out of its hands."

Qin Shiyue fell silent.

Looking at the enormous figure on the screen, he experienced for the first time the limits of technology and individual power.

Nuclear bombs couldn't budge it in the slightest, and even the most elite warriors were like ants before it. The only thing that could affect it was a power from another system called "magic." But even the Moon Whisper Clan's highest-level soothing spells could only provide a "temporary" effect.

This is an unsolvable problem.

"Commander, we have to make a decision," the adjutant whispered. "The Striver is severely damaged and cannot withstand any more impact. We—maybe we should consider retreating."

retreat?

Qin Shiyue clenched his fist silently behind his back.

This is the first SS-level mission on the "Heritage List" to be accepted by China. If it ends in failure, it will not only damage the reputation of Dragon Shield, but more importantly, it will severely damage the global morale that has just been built up through the "Unity".

Moreover, in Qin Shiyue's understanding of "Dihua," this was the first challenging test given to them by the administrator. If they couldn't even complete this, what right did they have to talk about the future or fight against the real "harvesters"?

"No." Qin Shiyue slowly shook his head, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"Connect—connect to the highest encrypted communication channel." He took a deep breath, as if making a huge decision. "I have—an emergency, and I need to report to the sir."

Seek help from that being.

The moment this thought crossed Qin Shiyue's mind, he felt immense pressure.

This feeling is like a primary school student who just scored 59 points on a test and has to bite the bullet and knock on the homeroom teacher's office door. This is not only asking for help, but also a disguised form of "admitting defeat".

But there was no other way.

Gaia Plane, "Lazy Man No. 1" Villa, Home Theater.

On the soft leather sofa, Lu Yuan was intently staring at the huge holographic screen in front of him.

On the screen, a classic sci-fi blockbuster from the old era is reaching its climax. Giant monsters are wreaking havoc in the city, and the protagonist, piloting a mech, is preparing to launch the final, fatal blow.

"gentlemen."

The holographic projection of AI butler Xiaoya appeared silently beside him, her tone as calm as ever.

"Mr. Qin Shiyue has sent a top-level communication request, priority: Omega. He requests your remote technical support."

"I'm busy." Lu Yuan didn't turn around, his eyes fixed on the screen, a French fry dangling from his mouth. "Tell him to write a detailed report, with a 300-word self-criticism, and hand it in to me in three days."

"Yes, sir," Xiaoya replied emotionlessly, then added, "According to the background data analysis of 'Order,' if you ignore this, the SS-class mission 'Echoes of the Abyss' of the 'East Sea Fleet' will be declared a complete failure in eleven minutes and thirty seconds. The 'Striver' deep-sea submersible and its surviving crew have a zero survival rate."

"Click."

The fries in Lu Yuan's mouth broke.

He clicked his tongue impatiently and pressed the pause button. The screen froze on the moment the protagonist raised his lightsaber.

"They really know how to pick their timing," he complained, sitting up straight on the sofa. "Let's get the live footage."

"Yes, sir."

The home theater screen is split in two: the left side shows the paused movie footage, while the right side switches to the live video feed transmitted from the "Striver".

The enormous stone statue of the evil god, and the faint light in its hand, were clearly presented before Lu Yuan's eyes.

Lu Yuan glanced at it and immediately understood.

"I thought it was something serious." He pursed his lips, his tone filled with the helplessness of an IT technician dealing with a novice's problem. "Isn't it just a system bug that caused an ancient god's remnant to get stuck in an infinite loop of 'anger'? A restart will fix it."

"Sir, this unit is not a native system program and cannot execute the restart command," Xiaoya corrected meticulously.

"Then change the configuration file." Lu Yuan became even more impatient. "Xiaoya, bring up my GM panel."

"Yes, sir."

A semi-transparent operating interface, emitting a faint golden light, which only Lu Yuan could see, appeared in front of him.

On the interface, countless complex data streams flowed like a waterfall.

"Search for all non-standard, free-floating spiritual energy entities within the target area," Lu Yuan lazily ordered.

"Search complete. Unique target found: [The Shattered Dream of the Abyss Sleeper]. Status: Chaotic, Berserk, Hostile."

"This is it." Lu Yuan stretched out his finger and gently tapped the virtual panel.

A window resembling a game character attribute editor popped up.

At the top of the window is the name of that spiritual entity, and below it is a series of complex parameter bars.

[Emotional State]: [Anger/Confusion] & It;

>; [Calm/Peaceful]

The slider representing emotional state is currently stuck at full capacity on the far left, flashing a glaring red light.

"Tsk."

Lu Yuan stretched out his finger, pinched the slider, and effortlessly dragged it from the far left to the far right, just like adjusting the volume of a media player.

—The red that represented anger instantly transformed into a soft green that represented peace.

"That's not safe enough." Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then found an option called "Status Lock" in the dense row of options below and checked the box next to it.

Then, in the pop-up submenu, he selected "Permanent".

"All done." Lu Yuan clapped his hands and said to Xiao Ya, "Tell Qin Shiyue that the technical support fee will be deducted from their contribution score next quarter. Now, don't bother me anymore."

After saying that, he closed the GM panel, unpaused the movie, and comfortably lay back down.

To him, this was a trivial matter, simpler than stepping on an ant, and far less important than the ending of the movie.

However, at the very moment he moved his finger.

In the pitch-black depths of the ocean, eleven thousand meters above sea level, a miracle occurred.

The enormous stone statue, which had only been temporarily appeased, suddenly trembled.

In its eyes, composed of chaotic energy, the rage and malice receded like a tide, replaced by a tranquility and peace that seemed to have endured for billions of years, a profound enlightenment.

In the command center of the "Kunlun", under the incomprehensible and horrified gaze of the surviving "Dragon Fang" crew members.

The stone statue slowly and gently released its tightly clenched giant hand.

The warm sphere of light, named "The First Ray of Dawn in the Sunken City," was no longer bound and floated quietly in the water.

After doing all this, the stone statue did not stop.

Its massive body, in an extremely slow and solemn manner, brought its two arms together in front of its chest, its ten fingers interlocked.

—Its head slowly lowered, adopting an incredibly devout and peaceful sleeping posture.

The next second, all the energy radiance on its body receded and extinguished.

The terrifying pressure emanating from the Great Old Ones that had enveloped the entire ancient city of R'lyeh also vanished.

It transformed back into a real statue, now in eternal slumber.

"This—this is—"

Inside the command center, a young staff officer was so shocked by the unimaginable scene before him that he was speechless.

Only Qin Shiyue, after the initial shock, slowly closed his eyes, his face showing a complex expression of awe, fervor, and shame.

He bowed deeply, deeply, to the empty command center.

"—Thank you for your guidance, sir."