On how PhDs become human evil

PS: Update

P.S.: I'll always love Exusiai, but I don't have her, I only have Texas, QAQ

Section 14. 14. A hail of bullets and rippling waves of color as they raced forward!

On the day the Loki Familia decided to embark on their expedition to the underground city, the weather was exceptionally fine. Gentle sunlight streamed down from the sky, illuminating the towering white-walled tower—the Tower of Babel—standing in the heart of the city.

In the large square in front of the Tower of Babel, a group of fully armed men had already gathered. They seemed to have claimed the area, leaving a large empty space around them.

The adventurers who were planning to go to the dungeon all gathered around like onlookers, pointing and commenting on the group.

Ahead of the group, a flag bearing the image of a clown fluttered in the wind. Gathered here were the Loki Familia, preparing for their expedition.

Standing at the forefront of the crowd, Finn addressed his Loki Familia members and began his pre-battle mobilization: "From this moment forward, the Loki Familia will embark on an expedition!"

"This isn't our first expedition, and I don't believe it will be our last. So, as before, due to the number of people, the team will split into two groups. The first group, led by Riveria, will set off directly, while the second group, led by Gareth and me, will depart in about three hours to meet up on the 18th floor, the safest floor!"

"Considering there's a floor boss before the 18th floor, all Level 1 adventurers will join the first group to defeat the floor boss first. After we regroup, we'll head straight for the 50th floor!" Finn's gaze swept over everyone present, his voice growing even louder. "We have only one goal, and that's the unreached floor—the 59th floor!"

The 59th floor is an unknown floor that no one has ever reached before. If anyone could reach it, it would be an honor for the entire clan!

"Also, there's something else I need to make. Before we reach the upper levels, I will entrust Bai Jie with full command of the clan's combat operations. Is that alright, Bai Jie?"

Upon hearing Finn's words, Bai Jie couldn't help but laugh: "If you seniors are willing to act according to my instructions, I can guarantee that there will be no casualties before reaching the 50th floor, and that the resource loss rate will be reduced to the limit."

"It's not good to boast—I don't think that applies to you. Let me see what you're capable of, Doctor." With that, Finn waved the banner of his Familia behind him, and the Loki Familia members marched into the dungeon in a grand procession.

The expedition begins.

◆

The underground city, the seventeenth floor.

"GAAAAAAARRRRAAAAAAA!!!!"

With a roar that shook the entire cave, Goliath, the master of the seventeenth floor, stomped on the ground and charged towards the Loki Familia like a mad beast, his right fist, made of rock, slamming down with tremendous force.

That was a terrifying blow that could severely injure even a level 5, first-level adventurer.

Although classified as level 4, Goliath is undoubtedly stronger than a level 5 adventurer who is good at developing strength, in terms of sheer arm strength. Therefore, no wise person would choose to take Goliath's attack head-on.

The same applies to Loki's Familia.

"Vanguard Team One, evade immediately! Guard Teams One and Two, begin flanking attacks! Heavy units, be prepared for the shockwave; do not allow the mages to be harmed! Mages, continue casting! Sniper Teams One and Two, continue sniping! Do not stop!"

Standing at the forefront of the main force, Bai Jie issued a series of instructions in an orderly manner.

"Guards Team One and Two, prioritize attacking his ankles! Blow him up with grenades!"

"Sniper teams one and two, aim at his wrist! The submachine guns you're equipped with have more than enough penetration power! Cripple his hand!"

"After the first vanguard team completes the evasion, immediately retreat. Then the second vanguard team will fill in and try to draw Goliath's attention as much as possible. Use any dirty tricks you can!"

"Heavy armored units, don't back down! As long as you're not directly hit, the shockwave will at most numb your hands!"

"Warlocks, hurry up with your incantations! Your casting speed is enough for Goliath to unleash three or four waves of attacks!"

Standing beside Bai Jie, Finn, who was serving as Bai Jie's temporary bodyguard, couldn't help but smile as he listened to Bai Jie's commands.

Although every command was ruthless, it must be said that Bai Jie's command was very effective. This combat method of dividing members into small teams based on their characteristics was highly efficient, and any gaps could be filled immediately.

After being equipped with the standard firearms created by Bai Jie, the vanguard and sniper, who originally had the lowest output, suddenly became the main force. The armor-piercing rounds with extremely high penetration power were causing damage to Goliath every second. In addition, with the ability value enhancement brought by Bai Jie's skill [Leadership], Finn had to be surprised by the current combat power of the Loki Familia.

This is the tactical mastermind behind the Rhodes Island operators and the Reunion Movement's struggle in the Terra world, and the most important Doctor on Rhodes Island.

"Boom—!"

With a loud bang, another grenade was detonated, and Goliath's legs were finally completely destroyed, and his huge body became a real target!

"Now! Mages, where's your Italian magic cannon? Blast it to the ground!"

Urged on by Bai Jie, the mages who had been gathering their strength swung their staffs forward.

In an instant, countless dazzling lights lit up the seventeenth floor. Flames, storms, thunder, blizzards... all kinds of magical attacks descended upon Goliath. With his legs crippled, Goliath had no way to dodge and could only stand there and be swallowed up by the magical storm.

"boom--!"

With a series of loud explosions, Goliath, his body billowing black smoke, slowly collapsed, his mountain-like form kicking up countless specks of dust on the ground. But Goliath wasn't dead yet, though it was practically the same as being dead.

"All men, charge! Get the hell out of here! Remember to shout out slogans to boost morale!"

"Woohoo! Take this! My Rain of Bullets and Ripples Speed ​​Run!"

The Loki Familia members charged at Goliath, the oppressor, like a group of revolutionaries armed with heavy weapons. Hundreds of Familia members, wielding armor-piercing submachine guns, pulled the triggers on Goliath, and a storm of tearing metal swept over Goliath, whose hands and feet had been crippled.

Watching the members of the Familia rush out like a group of fanatics to carry out a brutal and inhumane attack on Goliath, Finn suddenly realized that handing over command to Whitebeard was a mistake.

Think back to the Loki Familia in the past. Under Finn's leadership, every expedition was completed without major incident. Although the process of besieging Goliath was thrilling, the casualty rate was also minimized.

Now look at the Loki Familia under Bai Jie's leadership, they are all incredibly brave and fierce, as if they were on drugs. They are even more valiant and skilled in battle than usual. During the encirclement and attack, there were no casualties, no one was injured at all, at most just a few minor scratches.

But seeing their fanatical demeanor during battle, Finn always felt that the Loki Familia was doomed.

PS: Update

PS: Please add to your favorites, recommend, and donate!

Section 15. Ahead lies Hell.

The fiftieth floor underground, like the eighteenth floor, is one of the few safe areas in the dungeon where monsters will not spawn.

After a series of thrilling (not really) battles, the Loki Familia finally arrived here, only to find that there were already people there.

"Huh? Doctor, what brings you here? And Exusiai, Lappland, and Texas, you're here too."

Sitting in front of a campfire, roasting some meat, Cliffheart looked at Bai Jie and the other two with some surprise.

Upon seeing Cliffheart, Bai Jie exclaimed in surprise, "Cliffheart, so you've been in the dungeon all this time? I thought you had already returned to Rhodes Island."

Because Bai Jie hadn't seen Cliffheart during this time, he subconsciously assumed that Cliffheart had returned to Rhodes Island in Gensokyo. After all, although operators had to be summoned by him to come over, they could go back at any time if they wanted to.

In response to Bai Jie's question, Ya Xin simply smiled and said, "Why would I want to go back? This is an underground city. As an explorer, wouldn't it be a shame not to explore it properly?"

"And then you reached floor 50 all by yourself?" Bai Jie was somewhat surprised by Cliffheart's ability. Although he knew that a group of top combat operators on Rhodes Island had strength far exceeding level 5 or even level 6, such as Lappland who could keep Finn at bay from beginning to end, it was really beyond his expectations that Cliffheart could reach floor 50 all by herself.

Shaking his head, Cliffheart said, "I've already been to the 62nd floor, but I ran out of supplies, so I came back to this floor to rest... What's with those expressions? You look like you've seen a ghost."

As Cliffheart said, Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Bert, and other high-ranking members of the Loki Familia looked as if they had seen a ghost.

Cliffheart reached the unknown floor that even the entire Loki Familia couldn't reach by combining their strength, and she did so almost unharmed. The reason she had to turn back was because she had run out of supplies.

Doesn't that mean that with sufficient supplies, the number of floors one can reach at Cliffheart far exceeds 62?!

"You're really something, Cliffheart, to be able to get so deep." Exusiai said with surprise as she ran up to Cliffheart.

"Cliffheart, how strong are the monsters on the 62nd floor? Can we fight them?" Lappland expressed her eagerness to try.

"Are you alright? Also, why didn't you call us if you ran out of supplies? Penguin Logistics is always at your service." Texas surprisingly started promoting her services!

Seeing the four of them huddled together chatting, Finn couldn't help but smile wryly, "Honestly, I don't even know what to say anymore. Bai Jie, your companion really knows how to crush a person's confidence."

"To be honest, Captain, I was scared by Cliffheart myself." Bai Jie also smiled wryly. "However, since we can reach the 62nd floor even at Cliffheart, we can probably reach far more than the 59th floor this time. It's not impossible to go as far as the 70th floor."

"Bai Jie, where do you get your confidence from?"

"Cliffheart's strength is not outstanding on Rhodes Island. She is positioned as a special agent, and her hard strength is only average. Since Cliffheart can reach the 62nd floor, with the help of Texas, Lappland, and Exusiai, who are far stronger than Cliffheart, reaching the 70th floor should not be difficult for us."

This is an extremely objective assessment by Bai Jie. With Texas as the vanguard, Lappland as the guard, and Exusiai as the sniper, plus Riveria, Orario's strongest mage, and with Bai Jie's enhanced firearms and skills, Loki's Familia might actually achieve goals beyond expectations!

Hearing Bai Jie's explanation, Finn silently licked his thumb and said, "Anyway, let's aim for floor 59 for now, and deal with the deeper floors later. Support troops! Start setting up the tents! We'll camp here for today!"

◆

Although, like the 18th floor, the 50th floor is also a safe floor where monsters will not spawn, unlike the 18th floor, which is like a paradise, the 50th floor feels like a lifeless dead land.

Here, the earth is gray, the trees are gray, the rock walls are gray... even the river is gray, giving one the feeling that it is poisonous.

High on the ceiling, rock columns resembling giant stalactites shimmered with a faint phosphorescence, providing the only light source for this floor.

Just like on the eighteenth floor, night falls on the fiftieth floor when the stalactites on the ceiling dim.

At the Loki Family campsite, while all the other tents had turned off their lights, only one tent remained lit.

Inside the tent, Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Bert, Tiona, Tiona, Lefia, and Bai Jie were gathered.

"Everyone, I won't go into details about why I called you here. Tomorrow we'll be tackling the floors below the 50th floor, and all of you here, along with Bai Jie's companions who aren't here, will be part of the raid team."

“Finn, are you serious?” Upon hearing Finn’s words, Bert was the first to stand up and object. “I can understand Rafia, but why do we need to bring a level 2 nobody down with us? Isn’t that just a burden!”

“Bert, I know what you mean, but considering the special nature of Bai Jie’s skills, Riveria, Gareth, and I made this decision after careful discussion. Besides, I think you can see that Bai Jie’s true combat strength is no longer just level 2.”

When Finn revealed the truth, Bert was speechless.

Looking at Bai Jie, Finn said, "Bai Jie, what about you? Are you willing to go into the area beyond the 50th floor? It's too dangerous there. If you're not willing, we won't force you."

"Don't worry, Captain, I know what I'm doing. If things really don't work out, I'll run away immediately."

Upon hearing this, Finn was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Alright, since you agree, let's come together. Also, please pass on the message about your companions."

"I know."

"Then let's disperse. Everyone go back and get a good night's sleep. If anyone dies in the dungeon because they're too excited and can't sleep well tomorrow, I won't be putting flowers on their grave."

◆

After leaving Finn's side and returning to his own tent, Bai Jie had just crawled into the tent to go to sleep when he discovered a problem.

There are people in his tent.

"Who goes there? Come out."

"Well, I knew I couldn't hide it from the Doctor after all." Lappland emerged from her sleeping bag at that sound. "Yo, Doctor, you're back."

"Lappland? What are you doing here?" Bai Jie asked, somewhat surprised. "Didn't you sleep with Texas?"

When this was mentioned, Lappland blushed and said, "Oh dear, there's just not enough room for three people in Texas, and Cliffheart is a campsite, so I had no choice but to come and sleep with you, Doctor. I hope you don't mind."

"Sleep together... If you promise not to touch me inappropriately, I'll allow you to sleep here."