Inside the Red Temple, the surroundings were unusually quiet.
Having learned from Old Gao's previous mistake, no one dared to utter another word; everyone held their breath, focusing intently on the changes occurring on the Altar.
The situation was far from optimistic; the Instance's Pollution Value was rapidly rebounding, having already reached the limit for Out of Control.
The displayed Pollution Value was merely the limit of the Instance monitoring system, not the actual limit of the Moonlight Sanatorium.
What Old Gao, Lei Huo, and the others were praying for now was not for the Newcomers inside the Instance to clear it, but for the Instance not to go Out of Control immediately upon activation and invade the Real World.
If it reached that point, this situation would likely be named the "Moonlight Sanatorium Type Instance Out of Control."
At that time, no one knew what would happen.
As the Person in Charge of Wanghai City, Old Gao felt his blood pressure was already somewhat Out of Control, his heart rate soaring toward 200.
He turned his head away, not daring to look at the screen monitoring the Instance Status, breathing heavily, trying to calm himself down.
As a Veteran Player and the Person in Charge of a city, Old Gao had undergone rigorous training; no matter how critical the situation, he would not panic.
Unless he couldn't help it.
He swallowed a pill for forced calm, closed his eyes, and adjusted his state in just half a minute, his heart rate dropping back below one hundred.
When he turned his head and looked back at the Instance monitoring screen, he froze entirely.
The information on the screen had vanished.
The half-minute he turned away seemed to have missed an entire century.
Looking left and right, everyone's expression was the same as his: utterly Confused.
"What just happened?" he couldn't help but ask.
Lei Huo shook his head blankly and pointed at the screen, saying, "I don't know. The data on it suddenly cleared. Sir Leng Shan, do you have any insight?"
Leng Shan hesitated to speak, confirming the situation several times before saying uncertainly, "He should have cleared the Instance."
"Huh?"
Old Gao found it somewhat unacceptable. Was the theme of the Moonlight Sanatorium Instance stock trading?
One moment it plummeted from nearly cleared to maximum Out of Control value, and the next it went from maximum Out of Control value to cleared without any buffer.
He made a brief contact with the outside world and confirmed that there were no energy anomalies in Wanghai City before daring to believe the Instance had not gone Out of Control.
Looking at the Portal on the Altar, which had lost its light, he asked doubtfully, "So, what is the Instance Status now...?"
Leng Shan replied, "It's obvious, he achieved Breakthrough."
Everyone present had this suspicion, but hearing Leng Shan say it aloud still made them gasp in cold air, causing the temperature in the hall to drop by several degrees instantly.
An Instance Breakthrough meant achieving at least a 70% completion rate and obtaining an A- grade evaluation.
A Newcomer who hadn't even completed the Trial Mission achieved an Instance Breakthrough in the Moonlight Sanatorium, which was comparable to A-level difficulty, on his very first Instance.
The mood of the crowd could no longer be described with a single curse word; it required at least a string of them.
Old Gao suddenly noticed something, "Wait, how long did it take him to clear the Instance?"
Lei Huo checked the recording, "Two hours and thirty-five minutes."
Old Gao asked, "Do you remember the fastest Breakthrough time for a B-Level Instance before this?"
Leng Shan slowly stated, "The fastest Breakthrough record for B-Level was four hours and fifty-two minutes; the fastest for A-Level was ten hours and three minutes."
"This means our New Player—no, our New Big Shot—not only broke the record for the lowest Level Breakthrough but also broke the record for the fastest Breakthrough."
The crowd instantly fell silent. They knew instinctively that the Breakthrough Maker of the Moonlight Sanatorium could not be an Ordinary Person; he was highly likely a Monster meticulously cultivated by some Organization or individual.
He must have obtained immense Strength before entering the Abyss Game, possibly even bringing powerful Items into the Instance.
Lei Huo scratched his head and said, "Since the Trial Instance spawned here, it suggests his Reality Location is likely within our borders. If we can secure this Monster's allegiance, wouldn't this session of World Instances be guaranteed?"
Leng Shan's expression shifted slightly, "You are right. We must inform the higher-ups and have them expedite the search. As long as we find him, no matter the price, we must ensure he joins!"
If the person was cultivated by an Organization, they absolutely would not enter a Trial Instance at this critical juncture, and he wouldn't have heard a single rumor about it.
It must be that some small private organization stumbled upon a treasure. With luck like that, their ancestral graves must be built on a volcano; it wouldn't cause such a huge stir anywhere else.
Old Gao reacted differently from the other two. While sending out messages to lift the alert, he muttered, "The world is about to become turbulent."
After today, not just them, but other countries and other Major Organizations would surely search frantically for the Breakthrough Maker of the Moonlight Sanatorium.
As long as they could secure this Monster, not only the upcoming World Instance where the Desolate Realm was set to Incarnate, but the ruling power over the Desolate Realm for the next few years could also be seized.
Speaking broadly, as long as the Breakthrough Maker of the Moonlight Sanatorium did not perish prematurely, the entire structure of the Abyss Game might shift because of him.
This was enough to drive all Factions into a frenzy, willing to violate any Agreement to send people to Xia Country to snatch him away.
Regarding Old Gao's worries, Leng Shan paid no mind, stating coldly, "Whichever hand dares to cross the line, we'll just chop it off."
Watching Leng Shan hurry away, Old Gao also prepared to leave to personally check the situation in Wanghai City.
Just as he stood up, Lei Huo suddenly nudged him with his elbow.
"What is it?"
Lei Huo cleared his throat and whispered, "Do you remember the bet we made earlier?"
Old Gao's heart sank, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
He forced a stiff smile, "What bet? The situation was too tense just now; I forgot."
Lei Huo took out his phone and played a Recording.
"I hope Wanghai City does well, but if a Newcomer manages to clear the Moonlight Sanatorium, I'll damn well run naked around Baishui Bay!"
Old Gao's complexion changed, "Name your price. How can I get this video deleted?"
Lei Huo shrugged, "It wasn't me who recorded it. Someone anonymously sent it directly to the Organization's main group chat. The requests for you to stream it live have already reached triple digits."
Old Gao: ...
Inside the Moonlight Sanatorium Instance, Wu Chang was unaware that his Performance tonight had captured the attention of the entire world.
At this moment, he had just woken up from the Dreamscape and was observing his surroundings.
The flames on Randy's body on the Ground had been extinguished, but his Flesh remained, indicating that Lyman's Soul inside him had vanished.
This time, it was truly cleared.
Escaping from the Dreamscape woven by Lyman and returning to Reality, he found his Perception of the world clearer; many details he hadn't noticed before were now vividly apparent.
Player Nickname: Doesn't Eat Beef.
Player Level: 1（0/100）
Health: 9
Strength: 9
Agility: 9
Stamina: 8
Energy: 0
Inspiration: 94（84+10）
Will: 60（62-2）
Skill: Mamba Iron Elbow, Firearms Usage（Proficient）.
Item: Silver Dawn, Goddess of Fortune's Favor, Echo of the Whisperer×1, King's Emblem, Arcane Emblem, Eye of the Evil God.
Talent: Salvation.
The experience of seeing Lyman's true form in the Dreamscape and nearly having his Spirit crushed by Despair and Fear was not without reward.
Seeing and understanding Lyman's existence had actually increased his Inspiration and Will by 30 points!
Calculating this way, the expenditure of the Echo of the Whisperer was absolutely worth it.
If he could achieve such a massive boost every time, next time he encountered another Evil God, he must find a way to remove its makeup and see its true face.
A rising red Mist drifted past his eyes, drawing his attention back to the present.
The dissipating red Mist came from the Bloody Grudge attached to the Demon-Breaking Crossbow Bolt.
He rubbed his hands excitedly, wondering what good things Old Anderson's centuries-spanning Grudge would bring him.