Virus King - Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Bai: Who said my mission failed?

TL: YYang

Chen Bai had just opened Group Chat No. 001.

Initially, he only wanted to check how much time had passed since he entered the Secret Realm dungeon. Based on his perception of the time flow, it hadn’t been too long, but he needed an accurate sense of how the apocalypse’s progress was unfolding.

Then he saw Han Xiao’s dramatic message.

Chen Bai smiled faintly.

He had no intention of flaunting the ‘Scourge of the Living’ Transfer Scroll on public forums.

That kind of showing off was too low-level. Even if he wanted to brag, he wouldn’t stoop to competing with ordinary low-level Evolvers.

After all, thanks to his achievements in building White Emperor City and his debut live stream during the first city-building event, his name was already well-known.

For those low-level Evolvers, the difference between S-Rank and SSS-Rank gear or professions didn’t matter. Both were equally out of reach.

However, the members of Group Chat No. 001 were a different story.

Every Pioneer in the group was a remarkable individual.

They could truly comprehend the gaps between the ranks above S-Rank.

Chen Bai knew these people were among the few who could truly understand how vast and insurmountable the gaps were between each level above S-Rank.

Although he had intervened many times before, as these Evolvers grew stronger, their understanding of his strength as the group leader deepened.

Over time, that sense of awe and reverence would inevitably fade.

Chen Bai had no interest in subjugating these people, but maintaining absolute authority was a necessity. He didn’t want anyone to rebel in the future.

[Your Han King: Damn it, Lord Bai, you scared me half to death! How did that mission fail?!]

[Bai: Cut the nonsense. How long has it been since that day?]

[Your Han King: About three or four days, I think! Why?]

Chen Bai exhaled a long breath.

Only three or four days?

It didn’t feel real.

How could this be?

Even for Secret Realms with altered time flow, such drastic differences were exceedingly rare!

He had spent nearly a full year in that Western continent world.

Every single day of that year had been grueling, especially in the early stages of the apocalypse, where each day brought new changes and opportunities.

And yet, only three days had passed here?

How was that possible?

Chen Bai shook his head. It didn’t matter.

It was good news, after all. Perhaps the Plague Saint’s power was truly extraordinary, creating a Secret Realm with such exaggerated effects!

Wait!

Chen Bai paused, and the Time Hourglass slowly materialized in his hand.

Fine, diamond-like particles of sand streamed downward in a shimmering cascade. Time, such an abstract concept, seemed to flow away with the sparkle of each grain.

It embodied the entirety of time’s essence.

The sand within the hourglass—more aptly called the Sands of Time—seemed endless, continuously falling without cease.

“Could it be this thing’s ability?” Chen Bai muttered.

Frowning, he scrutinized the hourglass in his hand for a long moment but found nothing unusual. Shaking his head, he reluctantly stowed it back into his soul.

This small distraction, however, allowed Group Chat No. 001 to explode with activity.

[Liu Huai: I told you Lord Bai would be fine!]

[Shui Chuan: Gave us a scare for nothing.]

[Overlord: @Bai, Lord Bai, what kind of mission were you doing anyway? Han Xiao refuses to say a word. Can you enlighten us?!]

[Crow: Wasn’t it just about getting an SSS-Rank profession? Lord Bai doesn’t even need one to be the strongest!]

Aside from the public messages, private chats poured in as well.

Among them, Meng Meng, who had only just woken up from using Dream Link, bombarded Chen Bai with worried questions.

Chen Bai reassured her with a few words, calming her down before turning his attention back to the group chat.

By now, thanks to Crow’s comment, the chat had shifted to a unified tone of comfort directed at him.

Chen Bai found the sudden flood of encouragement both amusing and exasperating.

[Yezi: A profession’s rank doesn’t determine strength, right? @Bai, we believe in you!]

[Lu Fei Fei Fei Fei: Of course! And I’ve heard from some of the big shots who got transfer scrolls that professions can be upgraded later on, right?]

[Overlord: Exactly! So having a slightly weaker first advancement profession doesn’t matter at all!]

Chen Bai smiled faintly. Whether the comments were genuine, sarcastic, or simply schadenfreude, they entertained him.

But then—

[Bai: Who said my mission failed?!]

[Crow: ???]

[I’m Definitely Not a Sword Immortal: ???]

[Heir to the Five-Strike Lightning Whip: ???]

[Overlord: ???]

[The Only Trash in the Group: @Your Han King, come here and take your beating!]

[Shui Chuan: Damn it, the clown is me?! @Bai, Lord Bai, what did you succeed in?!]

Satisfied with the group’s reaction, Chen Bai nodded approvingly.

[Bai: Just a mission. Han Xiao’s A-Rank mission did fail, but as for my mission… Well, though there were some bumps, it’s finally done.]

[Your Han King: What the hell?!]

For a moment, the previously lively chat went utterly silent.

It was Crow, someone who had worked with Chen Bai before and had cleared dungeons alongside him, who cautiously broke the quiet after several seconds.

[Crow: That mission reward… was it a profession…?]

Everyone paying attention to the chat—the Pioneers who had been active before the apocalypse erupted—held their breath instinctively.

A question had arisen in their hearts, one that carried a terrifying possibility.

This time, Chen Bai didn’t leave them hanging for long.

After only half a minute, the White Emperor sent another message.

Not a reply—

But an image.

A single item, displayed in the chat.

There was no description, no details about its abilities. Only its prefix and rank were visible.

And yet, in that instant, every single member of the group widened their eyes in disbelief.

The group chat fell deathly silent.

Not another message was sent.