Chapter 268: Ling Ling Ling? Lin Lingling!

In a deserted corner of the darkness, Su Mu activated Dreamwalking Mode. He wandered the maze like a silent ghost.

Along the way, he spotted quite a few nightmare apostles. The clever ones had quickly realized it would be difficult to escape the Dungeon alone, so they had banded together into small groups.

Through their combined efforts, they gathered more and more Mithril Tokens. The downside to these groups, however, was that the leader had to guarantee a Mithril Token for every member—otherwise, the team would fall apart.

If a leader dared to take the Mithril Tokens and run, they would inevitably be swarmed and attacked.

While this approach improved safety, it drastically slowed their progress.

Besides these small groups, Su Mu also spotted a few lone wolves. One was the tall man who had been shrouded in a black robe during the initial test. As a Silver 3, he seemed to have absolutely no intention of teaming up. He simply bulldozed his way through. Even when facing swarms of nightmare monsters, he didn't flinch, meeting them head-on.

His black robe was torn in several places, revealing a silver steel body beneath. This tall man was actually a Mithril cyborg. However, unlike ordinary cyborgs, he seemed to possess the ability to control metal. He could manipulate both the Mithril on his own body and the metal ores embedded within the Dungeon's rock walls.

There were a few other lone wolves as well. Though their abilities varied, they were all at Silver 3—equally powerful and fully capable of holding their own.

However, the one who caught Su Mu's interest the most was a woman. Or, more accurately, an eccentric girl.

Among the crowd of nightmare apostles, she stood out like a crane standing among chickens—completely out of place.

This eccentric girl had brightly dyed, multi-colored hair, black eyeshadow, and purple lipstick. She wore a massive pair of pink headphones over her ears, blasting upbeat dance music.

Listening to her music, she bobbed her head and skipped her way through the darkness. She was draped in multi-colored bracelets and necklaces that jingled and clattered with every movement, and her black T-shirt was covered in exaggerated, glowing neon graffiti.

She swung the flashlight in her hand wildly, using it like a strobe light.

Unlike everyone else treading with utmost caution, she looked like she was at a rave.

As the eccentric girl walked, she suddenly noticed a glittering silver light flashing not too far away. She skipped over to find a Mithril Treasure Chest. Casually popping it open, she found a Mithril Token resting quietly inside.

"Wow! A Mithril Token!" she cheered happily, pocketing the item. She was entirely oblivious to the massive, pitch-black spider lurking directly above her head, its eyes gleaming with a sinister scarlet light as it stared at her intently.

Suddenly, the spider lunged downward, pouncing straight at the eccentric girl. By pure coincidence, the girl was so overjoyed about finding the Mithril Token that she skipped and spun in a circle at that exact moment. The spider's cold, razor-sharp fangs narrowly brushed past her skin.

The girl didn't even notice the beast. With her headphones blasting, she couldn't hear the sound of the spider landing. She just kept bobbing her head and walking forward.

The spider struck again, lunging at the girl's back. But right at that second, a massive boulder on the cavern wall suddenly broke loose and plummeted straight down.

Crash!

The boulder pinned the spider flat against the ground, drawing a pained shriek from the creature.

The loud commotion finally caught the girl's attention. She turned around, her eyes instantly lighting up. "Wow! A giant spider! Let's take a selfie!"

She pulled out her phone, sidled up right next to the spider, and threw up a peace sign as she snapped a flurry of photos.

Satisfied with her impromptu photoshoot, she quickly touched up the pictures and cheerfully continued on her way, leaving the spider behind to shriek in agony.

Su Mu watched the scene unfold with great interest. He had just probed the area with his mental energy, confirming that the falling boulder had not been influenced by any external force. It seemed to have broken loose completely on its own.

"An interesting ability. Luck, perhaps?"

A vague guess formed in his mind. Moving as though teleporting, he chased after the girl, swiftly overtaking her to continue deeper along the path.

After phasing through layers of rock walls, he saw the light. It was sunlight shining down into the Dungeon—clearly marking the exit.

"Just as I thought. Her ability must be tied to luck. She looked like she was wandering aimlessly, yet she took the most direct and accurate path here."

Su Mu knew that if he hadn't effectively cheated, this eccentric girl would undoubtedly have been the first person to find the exit.

However, she wouldn't be getting first place today.

Su Mu released Yan Wu from his dreamscape and handed him a Mithril Token. "The exit isn't far," he ordered. "Wait inside the Dungeon with the Mithril Token. Do not place in the top ten."

"Yes, Leader!" Yan Wu respectfully took the Mithril Token before his figure melted back into the darkness.

Yan Wu was already pre-selected as one of his team members, so he naturally couldn't place in the top ten. The top ten finishers would become captains with the authority to form their own teams.

With Yan Wu's task settled, Su Mu gently smoothed out a few minor wrinkles in his suit. Leaning on his Snakewood Cane, he walked toward the exit with an unhurried, calm pace.

Outside the exit, several examiners and a man with short, silver-gray hair were waiting.

"Lord Sikong Zhen, who do you think will come in first?" an examiner asked with a humble smile.

Sikong Zhen casually flipped through the nightmare apostles' files and their previous assessment results. Rather than answering, he threw the question back. "Who do you think it will be?"

The examiner pondered for a moment. "This subordinate believes it will be Pan Ma."

"Oh? The Pan Ma who controls metal and turned himself into a cyborg?"

The examiner nodded. "Pan Ma's strength is absolutely in a league of its own among this batch of nightmare apostles. He's incredibly experienced. I heard he spent his entire life savings modifying his body, even utilizing some of the world's most cutting-edge technology. His power is astounding.

His metal-control abilities combined with his Mithril Body make him practically invincible by nature. With flawless offense and defense, he is extraordinarily difficult to kill."

At this, another examiner voiced a different opinion. "Pan Ma may be the strongest, but the Dungeon tests more than just raw power. With strength but no brains, he might not even be able to find the right path. In my opinion, first place will go to Lei Yi. His martial prowess is no less than Pan Ma's, but more importantly, he plans before he acts. His mind is remarkably sharp and meticulous."

Listening to their debate, Sikong Zhen offered a faint smile. "I don't think it will be either of them. It'll be someone else."

Both examiners were taken aback. "May we ask, My Lord, who you are referring to...?"

"Lin Lingling," Sikong Zhen slowly read out the name.

The examiner was stunned once again. "Ling Ling Ling? Someone is actually named Zero Zero Zero?"

Sikong Zhen's mouth twitched. He coughed lightly, switching to the most standard official Chiyan Empire dialect as he repeated, "It is Lin Lingling."

"Ling what?"

Sikong Zhen's face darkened. He simply opened the file and pointed at Lin Lingling's page. The examiners finally realized their mistake and let out awkward laughs.

"Oh, it's her."

"My Lord, Lin Lingling doesn't have any outstanding battle records. Why do you favor her?"

Sikong Zhen smiled mysteriously, deliberately keeping them in suspense. "Do you know what her Silver Law is?"