I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

It didn't take long.

About twenty minutes later, a series of footsteps could be heard from deep within the pipeline.

Rex walked in front.

Or rather, the gray mass was at the very front, its worm-like body writhing in the light of the marching lights, its short brown hair the only feature that proved it was human.

He was followed by everyone.

Heinrich was the second to walk, the dents in his armor were still there, but the holy light had been mostly restored, and a golden-white glow flowed around him.

Two armored knights followed closely behind.

Although the old man's complexion was not good, he was still full of energy, leaning on his cane.

The nun bowed her head and followed beside Buren.

Two men from the Iron Guard Battalion supported Wolf as they walked in the middle of the column.

Wolf's head was drooping, his feet were almost dragging on the bronze surface, and he was still in poor condition, while Boll was at the back.

Fortunately, there were no casualties.

They're all back.

"Clearly, the guy chasing me ignored the group behind him."

Glock went up to them, quickly counted the number of people, and after confirming that there were no mistakes, immediately began to make arrangements.

"Support team, escort the wounded back to the ground. Wolf is the priority. Heinrich, you take the knight with you. Sister, take charge of Wolf's condition."

Heinrich had no objection and nodded.

The nun didn't say anything, but walked to Wolf's side, her hand hovering behind his back, a faint golden light emanating from it.

Two men from the Iron Guard supported Wolf as they followed the support team back.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The relay point quieted down.

There aren't many people left.

Glock, Lu Yuan, Boer, Buren, Lake.

Lu Yuan pulled Glock aside.

He lowered his voice, but didn't deliberately avoid other people.

"Something was unearthed beneath the bronze pillar."

Glock looked at him.

"A seed was unearthed beneath the copper pillar, and it shares the same origin as the mycelial core of the Beifang Textile Factory."

Glock frowned.

"There are outsiders in the pipeline, mutated superhumans, capable of invisibility, and with ranged attacks. There are at least two of them. The one that Rex was chasing is a fourth-tier, and the one that attacked me is weaker, but I'm not sure what tier it is."

Glock's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Also, there are likely seeds under the other two bronze pillars; we must confirm this as soon as possible."

Glock opened his mouth, about to say something...

"No need to contact us anymore."

Rick's voice came from the side.

Everyone looked at him.

Rex stood at the edge of the relay point. His worm-like body looked unsettling under the marching lights, but his voice was exactly like a normal person's.

"I contacted Klaus on my way to pick him up. I explained the situation. He canceled his meeting and is on his way back."

Glock paused for a moment.

Lu Yuan also glanced at Lei Ke.

They pursued the fourth-tier mutated superhumans, turned back to pick up the people, and escorted the entire team back to the relay point. During this process, they also took the time to send a message to Klaus.

Rick is indeed very efficient.

Glock remained silent for a few seconds.

"Then let's wait."

The wait wasn't long.

Klaus arrived about half an hour later.

Wearing a dark shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows, and sweat beading on his forehead, it was clear that this deputy chief of staff hadn't stopped the entire way.

He glanced at the remaining people at the relay station, without exchanging pleasantries.

"Where are the things?"

Lu Yuan took the fist-sized stone out of the toolbox and handed it over.

Klaus took it and placed it in his palm.

I flipped through it twice.

The surface was dusty, rough, and heavy, showing nothing special.

But Lu Yuan noticed that when Klaus turned the stone over, the pattern on the bone-colored ring on his left ring finger flashed.

Extremely short, almost an instant.

Klaus's expression remained unchanged.

Return the stone to Lu Yuan.

"Take it with you, we can talk on the way."

He turned to look at Buren.

Berlin did not leave with the injured player. The old man stood at the relay point with his cane, as if to say, "I won't leave unless you call me."

"The bronze pillar needs to be assessed on-site," Berren said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

Klaus did not refuse.

His gaze swept over Glock.

"Glock, you stay at the relay point and coordinate on the ground. Bor and Glock."

Bo glanced at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan nodded slightly.

Bohr didn't say anything more and stepped back to Glock's side.

The four-person team has been confirmed.

Klaus, Lake, Lu Yuan, Buren.

"Set off."

Rex walked in front.

This is completely different from how he disguised himself as an ordinary Night's Watchman in the group.

At this moment, he no longer concealed anything.

Below the head, it was all wriggling gray worms.

Fragments of the dark gray uniform were still stuck to the surface, hanging like old leather.

Dozens of tentacles extended from both sides of the torso, swaying gently in the air, as if sniffing out something.

The pollution showed no signs of abating.

The stench was so strong that even the remaining ghouls in the pipe network would flee at the smell.

A grayish-white juvenile hiding in the side passage let out a piercing scream the moment Rick passed by, then desperately burrowed into the darkness.

The four people moved at a very fast speed.

Rick cleared the way; his perception range far exceeded that of ordinary people, covering the pipeline network within a radius of tens of meters.

Simultaneously, they did two things: track the lingering traces of the previous attackers and locate the bronze pillar according to the coordinates given by Buren.

Klaus walked two steps behind Rex. His steps were steady, his breathing even, as if he were taking a stroll.

Lu Yuan is third.

Buren was last.

The old man was using a cane, but he was moving quite fast.

Lu Yuan noticed that when the old man walked, his cane barely touched the ground, as if it were suspended an inch or two above the bronze surface. 'I need to find some time to ask him if this old man knows any martial arts.'

Lu Yuan suppressed his thoughts.

The pipeline tunnel receded rapidly under the light of the marching lights, and the light spots reflected off the copper walls flashed by one after another.

The pipeline network was unusually quiet.

There were only the sounds of four people's footsteps and the occasional tapping of Buren's cane on the ground.

Lu Yuan looked at Lei Ke walking ahead.

That wriggling gray humanoid shape.

Something that looks completely unlike a human from the head down.

"Klaus".

Lu Yuan spoke.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear enough in the open pipe network.

"Are both mutated and bizarre superhumans like this after reaching the fourth tier?"

Klaus did not turn around.

Their steps didn't stop.

"I doubt anyone has told your system this."

His tone was unhurried, just like during a regular meeting.

"Of all the extraordinary paths in the Empire, the most powerful and the most prestigious is the Chosen One."

"Once they are chosen, they will possess power far exceeding that of ordinary superhumans."

"Next, extraordinary knowledge, extraordinary believers, extraordinary the bizarre, extraordinary alienation. Continue in that order."

The reason for the sorting is very practical.

Klaus's voice echoed through the pipe network, carrying a familiar, indifferent tone.

"The bizarre and the alienated are essentially borrowing the power of those things in the darkness. The more you borrow, the deeper you are corrupted, and at the same time, the less human you become."

He shifted his body slightly to avoid a copper pipe protruding from the wall.

"After the fourth rank, the vast majority of bizarre and mutated superhumans will not be able to go any higher."

"Even the very few who break through to the fifth rank are almost unable to fight normally, because their humanity and bodies are being devoured little by little."

"The last thing they could do before they completely transformed into monsters..."

Klaus paused for a moment.

"We are stationed in major cities for the empire and can't go anywhere else."

As Lu Yuan listened to these words, a scene flashed through his mind.

A white-haired, aged figure stood at the entrance of the Alchemy Workshop. Without doing anything, the Vice Dean of the Learning Tower fled in panic.

Later, he unleashed his power above the inner city, single-handedly wiping out all the ghouls in the city.

Guardians.

"The Guardian." Klaus seemed to know what Lu Yuan was thinking. "You've met him, haven't you?"

"I've seen it."

"He is our Night Watch's senior, a true prodigy, who has reached the fifth rank."

Klaus's voice carried a hint of regret.

"But now, it's about to become completely bizarre."

The pipeline passage was quiet for a moment.

Only the sound of footsteps could be heard.

Klaus didn't stop. After taking two steps, he added another sentence.

His tone was very indifferent.

"I suppose I'll be there soon too."

Lu Yuan paused for a moment.

He watched Klaus's retreating figure.

Dark shirt, rolled-up sleeves, normal body shape.

The contrast with Lake is too stark.

If it weren't for the gray text, probably no one would know that this deputy chief of staff was also strange and extraordinary.

Klaus didn't linger on the topic.

"His knowledge is extraordinary and different."

His topic shifted very naturally.

"True transcendence lies in having extraordinary knowledge; it means not relying on external forces or clinging to darkness, but gaining power entirely through one's own understanding and mastery of knowledge."

"But although the threshold seems low, in reality, the vast majority of people can't even get started. Before the third level, the knowledge transcends all means of attack, and the requirements for rationality and will are extremely demanding. If you are not careful, you will be completely devoured by knowledge."

"Therefore, while the Empire commonly possesses extraordinary knowledge, most of them follow relatively safe paths."

Klaus glanced at Buren behind him.

"For example, inscriptions are incredibly difficult to advance, but after reaching the third tier, their status in the empire will increase exponentially. They will even be more important than me, the deputy chief of staff."

Buren chimed in from behind.

"Chief Klaus is joking. This importance is only relative."

The old man, leaning on his cane, took a breath.

"But the third tier is so difficult... sigh."

Klaus turned his gaze to Lu Yuan.

"The direction you've chosen is very dangerous."

That's a very direct statement.

"But if you can reach the third tier, you will also have a certain say in the empire."

"Especially right now."

Klaus's tone became slightly more somber.

"War has begun in the northern part of the empire. The number and intelligence of the monsters seem to have increased significantly. The pressure on major cities is increasing, and the demand for extraordinary knowledge will only grow higher."

Lu Yuan noted this information down.

War rages in the north, and strange occurrences are increasing.

At this moment, Beren turned his head and looked Lu Yuan up and down.

"You didn't choose the weird or supernatural one, did you?"

The old man narrowed his eyes.

"No wonder it looks dark."

Lu Yuan did not respond.

Beren didn't press the matter, but muttered something under his breath, his voice drowned out by the sound of his cane hitting the ground.

The pipeline network continues to extend deeper into the area.

The light from the marching lamps cast long shadows of four people on the copper wall.

As everyone remained silent, their steps unwavering...