Edward struggled to his feet, too quickly to reload his gun. He shouted with all his might, "Manual override! Now!"Snow Night Fairy and the new reporter froze.The reporter quickly realized the gravity of the situation. The M18 super mine was incredibly powerful, and the company had designed it with both automatic and manual detonation modes. The automatic mode used a timer, but it was very long. The manual mode required someone to hold down the switch, essentially a suicide mission."I understand," the reporter said, a newfound courage in his voice. "Everyone is fighting for the honor of our company. Some have already sacrificed their lives. I... I don't want to be a coward." He picked up the mine and pressed his thumb firmly onto the switch. The mine began to beep.Snow Night Fairy's face turned pale. She spun around, stopped, and raised her arm in one fluid motion.Her Type 81 assault knife, gleaming with a cold light, plunged into the reporter's throat.—444!A green damage number appeared.As a journalist, driver, or worker, the reporter was not a combat class. Their HP was low, but their defense was exceptionally high. If that knife had struck Edward's throat, it would have been a gruesome death.The reporter's game realism setting was 50%, and he had probably never felt such pain in his life. His face turned purple, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his teeth clenched, but he never let go of the switch. The mine's alarm reached its peak.Seeing this, Iron and Tianna both stood up silently. Though it was just a game, the reporter's act had touched a soft spot in their hearts. They could only pay their respects in this way.Snow Night Fairy was shocked by the reporter's determination. She pulled out her sniper rifle and cocked it, desperate to stop him.The reporter, with a determined look, spoke into the camera, "The bravest journalist in the Star War world brings you the most exciting live footage. Please remember Dream Star City's Qimen Company, located at 6777 Bahua Street. My name is... well, the name of a news reporter doesn't really matter..."Even in his dying moments, he couldn't resist plugging his company.Snow Night Fairy heard the mine counting down: "Five, Four, Three, Two...""Fuck!" she cursed, and sprinted out of the building as fast as she could.With a deafening roar, the pyramid's peak was obliterated. A massive, yellow energy sphere erupted from the broken section, shooting out two beams of light that stretched to the mountain peaks on either side.The energy sphere exploded with a thunderous boom, shaking the ground. A giant, purple crescent moon, the logo of Qimen Company, appeared in the sky, followed by fireworks that spelled out: "Welcome, brave warriors—Dream Star City Qimen Company!"The spectacular sight left every player in awe. They looked up at the sky, unable to tell if it was reality or a dream.It was beautiful. A breathtaking, surreal beauty.After a moment, the 2,000 players in the square raised their weapons and cheered, celebrating the completion of the mission.The scene shifted to the Qimen Building's function hall. Applause erupted, even from the usually stoic Iron. The Qimen Special Forces, each a beacon of intelligence and courage, had truly outdone themselves.But the most impressive aspect was the ad campaign. With nearly half a million players watching the live stream in Dream Star City alone, it was a resounding success. This was likely the most cost-effective and impactful ad Iron had ever run.The explosion had knocked everyone on the tower's summit to the middle of the steps. Edward and Snow Night Fairy were the worst off, their HP barely above zero. They lay there, recovering.Snow Night Fairy looked green around the gills, but Edward was grinning. He'd already pocketed 100,000 credits. "Life's a bitch and then you die," he hummed, breaking into a Taiwanese folk tune.Snow Night Fairy wanted nothing more than to throttle him. "You just keep singing," she growled, "I'll make sure you sing all the way to the Federal Administration Hall." She was a strength specialist, far stronger than Edward. Once she recovered, she planned to finish him off.Edward chuckled. "Killing me won't do you any good. I've already finished my mission. Why don't you do me a favor and send me back to town?"Snow Night Fairy was about to retort when a thought struck her. The explosion had leveled the command center, but why hadn't the system issued a mission completion alert?Just then, the system announcement came: "Base destroyed. All surviving players: +1 combat merit, +20,000 experience points."A collective groan went up from the crowd. Such a small reward for such a dangerous mission?Before anyone could recover, the system issued another, more urgent announcement: "Warning, warning. The T-virus has leaked. The T-virus is actively seeking a host. Time remaining: 3 minutes. Please evacuate immediately. Repeat, please evacuate immediately. Warning, warning, biological hazard..."Chaos erupted. "What the hell is a T-virus?" "We're doomed!"Edward, sensing something was amiss, jumped up and scanned the area. "Everyone, listen up! We need to find a safe zone. Let's stick together."As they began to move, strange mutations began to appear. Animals were evolving into grotesque creatures, and some players were showing signs of infection. The once-peaceful game world was descending into chaos."It's happening," Edward muttered, his eyes wide. "The T-virus is spreading."The group pressed on, fighting their way through hordes of infected creatures. They eventually discovered a hidden underground facility, the likely source of the outbreak.