Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Pansen’s continuous training, along with the exploration and capture attempts, had drained a vast amount of his energy.

By now, he was nearing the point of complete exhaustion.

His temples throbbed, and stabbing pains swept over him like waves, a sign of overusing his Spiritual Energy in a short time.

"I need time to recover. If the target appears, remember to call me."

Deep meditation could restore Spiritual Energy more quickly, a skill Bai E had learned from Yue Ying. The downside was that it required total immersion of the mind without distraction, only feasible in a completely secure and quiet environment.

"Okay," Bai E agreed readily, supporting Pansen back to the control console.

The experienced Pansen closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation in the next moment, his breathing calm, impervious to any change in the outside world.

"Tap~ Tap~"

Not long after Pansen had settled into meditation, Minister Eric and his assistant returned, having finished their preparations.

"What’s happening here...?" Find adventures on novelbuddy

"There was another incident in the virtual world just now; the minister failed to capture it and is tired, currently recovering."

"Oh~" Minister Eric nodded and then persuaded Bai, "Captain Bai, why don’t you take a rest?"

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Having guided them the whole way and stood guard since arrival, even with the knowledge of the soldiers’ resilience, there was no need to push so hard when it was safe, right?

"No problem, I’m not tired," Bai E said with a relaxed smile. "Besides, I promised to wake him when the virtual world reappears. I can’t break my word. Since the feeding in the virtual world was interrupted by him, it should be back soon."

"..." Minister Eric pursed his lips.

Captain Bai had always had his own ideas and perseverance, making advice from others nearly useless to him.

["Lucky Strike" charging +3.]

"..."

Bai E was startled.

Minister Eric in front of him did not seem to be the source, so he instinctively turned to look beside him.

The assistant Miss Aryan, holding documents and wearing black-framed glasses, was standing to the side, looking up with admiration in her eyes... at him.

’So cool...’

His promise was iron-clad, his will unyielding.

Bai E wasn’t the first soldier Aryan had ever seen, but he was the first with such a strong, calm, and captivating presence.

Well then, let’s forgive your little coldness from yesterday~

"Beep~ Beep~ Beep~"

The alarm sounded again, and Aryan sprang to the control console.

"D1! D1!"

Bai E had already come up to Pansen. Half an hour had passed, hard to say how much he had recovered.

This was clearly a test of willpower.

Humanity, unaware of the potential variables of the virtual world, sought to capture it as quickly as possible.

Yet there are limits to human endurance. After exerting the greatest effort, whether one would capture the virtual world or collapse from overload... was unknown.

Bai E hoped for the latter...

If Pansen didn’t fail, where was his chance?

Bold seizure was impractical; scavenging scraps from the opponent’s mouth was the true significance of his mission.

"Sir! Sir!" Bai E shook Pansen’s shoulder, calling out in a normal voice.

With a slight twitch, Pansen opened his eyes in an instant, a fleeting shadow of gray light, characteristic of Spiritual Energy, passed through his gaze, "What’s the matter?"

"It’s appeared again."

Aryan also peeked out from behind Bai E, "D1, sir."

She reached out her neck in anticipation, making it easier for Pansen to pick her up.

Lifting off without leverage, Pansen’s body shot towards the rail’s edge like a bolt of lightning, leaving behind a stern command, "Go!"

"Okay," Bai E took off at a burst of speed, overtaking him from behind.

He scaled the railing with one hand and executed a graceful roll upon landing, then charged off into the darkness.

Left behind, Aryan’s mouth hung open in disappointment as she emitted a puzzled sound, "Huh?"

Why aren’t you taking me along?

As Minister Eric and Aryan snapped back to reality, they immediately set off towards Sector D1. When they arrived, they only found two silent silhouettes.

"Another failure?" Minister Eric inquired softly, breaking the silence.

"Yes," Pansen sighed lightly, finally showing movement.

He turned around, his face weary, "There wasn’t enough time."

Required to prioritize both speed and precision, it was a monumental challenge for his control over Spiritual Energy.

But just for an instant, Pansen’s face reignited with unexplained self-assuredness.

"However, it doesn’t matter; I will eventually catch it."

A contest of wills.

Pansen wasn’t interested in dragging it out with the target, as the world of Spiritual Energy also valued determination.

Confronting difficulties head-on, without rest, was most people’s habit.

"Again!"

...

"Beep beep beep~"

"F5."

...

"Beep beep beep~"

"G4."

...

"Beep beep beep~"

"E1."

...

The repetitive process of searching and capturing the target had almost become instinct.

But even such repetitive tasks required undivided attention each time.

Spiritual Energy stems from will, and when the will starts to numb, Spiritual Energy also begins to weaken.

Pansen had to direct all his attention to manipulating his Spiritual Energy, naturally relaxing his focus on other things as his willpower declined.

With dark circles under his eyes, Pansen’s gaze was fixedly on the void overhead, twined with the grey fog of Spiritual Energy.