### Chapter 61: Back to the Game
After receiving the warning from the Singer Civilization, the Skrull Pioneer teams fell into an uneasy silence, except for the second team. Their commanders wore grim expressions, waiting for further orders from their superiors.
About five minutes later, a message arrived from headquarters. The voice on the other end, clearly enraged, boomed:
"Proceed with the mission as originally planned. Warning: no one is to cross the prescribed red line! Warning: do not overstep the boundary! Warning…"
The warning was repeated three times, the fury palpable. The Skrull leaders had never imagined that the insubordination of one Pioneer team could cost them their largest resource, potentially jeopardizing the entire invasion effort. Yet, there was nothing they could do now. The No. 1 Pioneer Team was history, and all they could do was restrict the authority of the remaining commanders to ensure no one crossed the line again.
---
Meanwhile, in the Southeast Military Region, Political Commissar Zhang also received a message from the Singer Civilization's Supervisor. The content was the same as what the Skrulls had received.
After reading it, Political Commissar Zhang looked incredulous.
"The Skrulls crossed the red line? And now Yunlu Mountain Spring belongs to us?" His stern face relaxed, even breaking into a rare smile.
This was the best news he'd heard in a long time. Yunlu Mountain Spring was the largest psionic spring in the world. If used wisely, it could be a blessing for the Blue Star humans.
But questions lingered in his mind.
"Why did the Skrulls cross the red line?" he mused. "And who was the Blue Star human they attacked?"
Political Commissar Zhang stroked his chin, deep in thought. After a while, he gave up trying to solve the puzzle on his own. "Forget it. I'll have Zhong Feng investigate. I'll also need to allocate him more resources… maybe even get Wen Li involved."
With that, he stood and headed to the department where Zhong Feng worked.
---
Five minutes earlier…
Su Yu landed safely after using his [Blink Technique], but his expression was far from relieved. He glanced toward the south, frowning.
"Miscalculation," he muttered. As he had leaped from the 19th floor, he had caught sight of a girl on the street, her phone raised—likely taking a photo.
If she captured his figure…
Su Yu wasted no time and sprinted in her direction. But when he reached the spot where she had stood, she was gone. He sighed in frustration.
Without a spell like [Tracking], there was no way to locate her. He could only hope she wouldn't post the photo or video online.
"This could be a real problem," he thought, his headache worsening. If the authorities got hold of the image, they could easily match it to him using facial recognition, even though he wore a mask.
"I'd better prepare for the possibility that the government might come knocking," Su Yu decided.
He returned to his rented apartment, where he placed the captured Sun-36 laser gun on the bedside table. The sleek, silver gun was far more advanced than typical Blue Star weapons. Instead of a magazine, it featured a small LED display at the end of the barrel, indicating the remaining energy.
After turning on the control switch, Su Yu saw that the display showed 95% energy remaining, enough to fire about 19 laser beams. Satisfied, he nodded. This would significantly improve his self-defense capabilities at this stage.
---
It was now 10:10 AM, and it was time to log back into the game. However, before doing so, Su Yu needed to take some precautions in case the authorities came knocking.
He stood before the security door of his apartment and began inscribing a magic circle on it with his mana. The circle he drew was a simple zero-order spell called [Alert Magic Circle]. Its purpose was straightforward: if anyone touched the door from the outside, the magic circle would send an alert directly to Su Yu. This would prevent any unpleasant surprises, like someone barging in while he was immersed in the game.
As the magic circle activated, a soft glow of energy pulsed from the door. Su Yu let out a sigh of relief. With this safeguard in place, he felt more at ease.
Finally, he donned his helmet and logged into the game.
---
When Su Yu reappeared in the game, he found himself inside the warehouse in Nolan Village. Having reached level 11, it was time for him to head to the main city. But first, there were a few things he needed to take care of.
Opening the warehouse auction interface, Su Yu searched for skill scrolls related to the magician class. Specifically, he wanted to replenish his supply of zero-level spells.
In addition to general-purpose spells like [Blink] and [Invisibility], magicians had eight specific zero-level spells to choose from:
- **Electricity**: [Lightning Arrow], [Lightning Shield]
- **Fire**: [Fireball], [Flame Shield]
- **Ice**: [Frost Arrow], [Frost Shield]
- **Earth**: [Earth Thorn], [Earth Shield]
While attack spells were crucial, defense spells were just as important. Though the shields shared a cooldown, each had its own unique properties:
- **[Frost Shield]**: Slowed melee attackers.
- **[Flame Shield]**: Burned all enemies within 5 meters.
- **[Lightning Shield]**: Boosted magic resistance.
- **[Earth Shield]**: Increased physical defense.
All had their uses, so Su Yu made sure to learn them all. He purchased the lowest-priced [Flame Shield] and [Earth Shield] scrolls from the auction, learned them, and then upgraded both to the epic level.
A prompt appeared:
"Ding, please confirm the enhancement path for [Flame Shield]:
1. [Repel]: Knock back all enemies within 2 meters by 2 meters upon activation;
2. [Desolate Flame]: Increases burn damage by 50%."
Su Yu chose [Repel].
"Ding, please confirm the enhancement path for [Earth Shield]:
1. [Mount Tai Crush]: Convert shield value into damage, stunning the target for 3 seconds;
2. [Solid as a Rock]: Reduces physical damage taken by 30%."
Su Yu opted for [Solid as a Rock].
The first option for [Earth Shield] was intriguing. However, after careful consideration, he decided against it. The shield's value wasn't high enough to deal significant damage, and the 3-second stun didn't outweigh the risk of losing the shield for a full minute. The second option was a safer bet.
With his skills now strengthened, Su Yu left the warehouse and made his way to the village chief to catch a carriage to the main city. Just as he was about to leave, a private message popped up from the real red-eyed black dragon.
**True Red-Eyed Black Dragon**: "Good morning, Boss Nemesis! (;へ:)
**Su Yu**: "What's with the crying face?"
**True Red-Eyed Black Dragon**: "It's raining, my mom's getting remarried, and some things just can't be stopped…(╥﹏╥)"
**Su Yu**: "???"
**True Red-Eyed Black Dragon**: "Our team's Sky Dragon insists on joining your guild. No matter how hard we try to dissuade her, she's determined. Will you take her in? (;'⌒`)"
**(End of this chapter)**