Chapter 228: Chapter 225: A Sense of Technology

Lin Jun was truly at her wits’ end.

Considering that the increasing number of rifts might cause chaos and affect her Mushroom Garden, she decided to accelerate the process, reasoning that short-term pain was better than prolonged agony.

But she never expected this “short pain” to be so acute!

Not only did the Scarecrow Abyss open a large gap on the fifth floor, but another rift also connected to a primordial forest, unleashing a horde of diverse demons!

In the chaos of battle, the already few Pukis on the fifth floor were nearly wiped out.

Initially, Lin Jun didn’t plan to intervene, but unfortunately, another rift opened connecting to the Stone Castle.

Now, she had no choice but to fight, worried that if they weren’t enough to handle the current layer, they might sneak into the Stone Castle.

Beast-type demons might avoid the cold, but scarecrows probably didn’t care about the temperature…

The enemies weren’t very strong, mostly ranging from level 20 to 40, but that was just the fifth floor.

Other floors were also in chaos, though not as wild as the fifth.

On the sixth floor, Tree Demons led their Pukis to defend the mountainside hollow and Tree Demon Secret Forest, while on the seventh floor, the water level kept dropping, probably due to another large hole, leaving the fate of the Fishmen unknown.

As for the first to fourth floors, Lin Jun wasn’t too concerned, as the underground Fungal Mycelium Network was still intact, ensuring her control wouldn’t be completely lost.

As for the humans mixed in, Lin Jun didn’t pay them any mind.

Lin Jun was now participating in a chicken dinner brawl on the fifth floor, harassing Combat Puppets in the core area, and coordinating the Demon Race members working in the Stone Castle.

Given the rising danger level in the Purple Crystal Dungeon, Lin Jun had the Demon Race members temporarily engage in tasks like feeding Fat Worms or hunting Cold Spirits.

Unfortunately, as the Demon Race members said, the Ice Men formed by Cold Spirits, when shattered, were nothing more than useless broken ice.

Pure Elemental Spirit Bodies couldn’t be captured, and would eventually reincarnate with icy fragments.

It’s a pity about their skills.

…

Time quietly slipped by for several days.

After noticing changes in the Underground City, humans outside seemed to decide to move away, leaving the entire town nearly deserted.

On the platform in the core area, a Puki stepped over the still-smoking charred body of a predecessor and crossed the center line once more.

Two Combat Puppets began moving, just as they had countless times before.

Purple shadows moved like lightning!

One Combat Puppet instantly appeared behind the fleeing Puki, the Purple Crystal Spear flaring with flames, piercing the Puki’s body and reducing it to a heap of black ash.

But this time, the Combat Puppet’s returning steps grew increasingly sluggish and heavy… until it suddenly stood still, like a marionette with its strings cut, collapsing inert.

Could it be… it worked?

The Puki cautiously attempted to cross the center line again.

On the platform, the two Combat Puppets remained motionless!

It really worked!

It would be a lie to say Lin Jun wasn’t excited; with all the chaotic demons rampaging across the dungeon and the fifth floor littered with corpses recently.

The most frustrating part was that Lin Jun couldn’t recover most of these “resources,” as the Fungal Mat was severely damaged, and those giant moths in the sky even targeted the fungal mats on the ceiling.

Hundreds of Pukis could barely hold a quarter of the fifth floor.

The sixth floor was in a similar state, and the seventh was even worse, with a massive rift draining ninety percent of the water, leaving giant aquatic demons exposed, barely alive.

Strangely, Lin Jun didn’t see any signs of the Fishmen, possibly because they were hiding in the Divine Hall ruins.

The Deep Area was even worse; without the pre-dug Fungal Mycelium Network, Lin Jun’s Fungal Network would have been severed long ago.

Under these circumstances, Lin Jun truly felt that the dungeon couldn’t hold out much longer.

Fortunately, just as the Yellow-covered Book predicted, the Combat Puppets ceased operation before the dungeon completely collapsed.

A large number of Pukis surged onto the platform with a clear goal: to carry away these two deactivated killing machines!

Whether Lin Jun could control them in battle or not, they were packed with S Level Demon Crystals!

Moving them to the Stone Castle would at least provide some relief, even if the Purple Crystal wasn’t repaired.

The Pukis approached the pitch-black giant door, surprisingly encountering no new obstacles. The door was just exceptionally heavy, and Lin Jun detected no Array fluctuations.

Whether it was originally unprotected or, like the Combat Puppets, completely powered down?

Several Heavy Armor Pukis braced against the door, and under a dull, scraping sound, the heavy door slowly inched open…

Beyond the door, Lin Jun finally saw the object of her desire—

The Dungeon Core!

What is this?

Before her was not the imagined radiant energy sphere, but a massive, intricate, cold yet mysteriously rhythmic device.

Occupying the center of the core hall, it looked less like a “core” and more like a silently operating machine constructed of metal and crystals!

Its large, cold metallic gleam formed the supporting structure and framework, with countless pipes of varying thicknesses resembling the roots and branches of a giant tree, deeply embedded into the hall’s floor, walls, and ceiling, interwoven and entangled.

Inside the pipes flowed energy of a non-magical nature, surging and converging in the core, resembling the true “nervous system” of this underground city.

In the center, a human-sized diamond-shaped Crystal Stele floated, sparkling transparently but filled not with purity but a miniature nebula, with countless tiny points of light moving rapidly, colliding, and reorganizing within.

How did Lin Jun feel about the scene before her?

It was like an elementary school student who just learned to read stepping into a cutting-edge technology lab.

Forget control, Lin Jun was worried a Puki might accidentally kick some “power cord” loose, causing the dungeon to collapse on the spot!

Behind this control room-like space was a small door.

The Puki tried to push it open but failed.

After some investigation, Lin Jun confirmed one thing.

Repairing the Dungeon Core by herself was impossible; she had to rely on the Yellow-covered Book!

—————–

Not far from the core, in a cave, a Puki retrieved the Yellow-covered Book from inside its body.

Upon emerging, the Yellow-covered Book immediately sensed the surrounding changes.

[Ah! The dungeon looks like this!]

[Boss, did you successfully deal with the Combat Puppets?]

“Yes, and now it’s time for you to get to work,” the Language Puki’s tone carried a hint of temptation, “Holy Scripture, listen, as long as you can repair the dungeon, I won’t restrict your feeding anymore, and… will dispatch Pukis specifically to ’hunt’ souls for you, as much as you can eat.”

[Really?! Boss! You are the most merciful, most generous existence under the heavens!]

[Rest assured! Watch me use the fastest speed and most perfect technique to restore it to its pristine state!]

However, Lin Jun wasn’t finished: “But… the dungeon is too important for me, for us. Therefore, I must ensure that nothing goes wrong, and I need to be more cautious…”

[What do you mean?] The Yellow-covered Book sensed a bit of confusion and unease.

“What I mean is…” the Language Puki slowly uttered the cold words, “Before starting the repairs, I may need to… first empty the souls stored in your pages.”

[!!!]

At this moment, another Fat Otaku Puki, with heavy steps, “thump thump” walked to the side of the Yellow-covered Book, its belly distorting until Xiao Hai’s head popped out.

Golden pupils spun wildly before finally landing on the Yellow-covered Book!

[Boss… no need for this…] Already guessing what was to come, the Yellow-covered Book made its last struggle.

“Rest assured, Holy Scripture.” The Language Puki’s grating voice carried an oddly gentle tone, “Every bit of loss today will be compensated tenfold, a hundredfold in the future! This is just a small discomfort on the path to true freedom.”

[…]

[……]

[Nooooo——ooooo——ooooo——ooooo——ooooooo!!!]

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