Who gave you permission to travel through time with Earth?

Chapter 3 Team?

"Everyone."

Among the six-person team, the white-haired, buzz-cut young man was the first to stand up. The gradually dissolving bloodstains on his body didn't seem to affect him much; his voice remained steady and strong.

"Time is limited, so I won't say anything more. The difficult rating plus the survival dungeon is an extraordinary challenge, even for the management members of each region."

"But equally, this is a rare opportunity! If we successfully survive this dungeon, the evolution points we gain will give us a higher starting point and a more distant future!"

He clearly had the potential to be a speaker; not only his language skills, but also his varied intonation and persuasive gestures gradually eased the initially oppressive atmosphere in the meeting room.

Fang Jin also noticed that his arm movements were somewhat uncoordinated, and a few strands of dark silver light were faintly visible from the tight cuffs of his shirt.

...That's "equipment".

The system will not allow players to bring foreign items into the instance unless the foreign item itself is equipment obtained from the system's various realms, but such an item is unlikely to appear in the hands of a new player.

In addition, the transcendent temperament he exuded was clearly not something that could be feigned; his upbringing and discipline set him apart from the others.

The young man with the buzz cut is at least from the middle class in the region he mentioned, and it's not surprising if someone in his family holds a high-ranking management position.

"We still have a chance to survive. The mortality rate is just a statistic for mediocre people who don't even think about cooperation and fall apart from the start, putting themselves in a desperate situation."

"We should unite without a doubt. Multiplayer survival dungeons are practically a death sentence; going it alone here is suicide... Only by uniting can we find a chance to survive!"

His words undoubtedly had a motivating effect. The initial chaos had subsided, and the three who had lost control gradually calmed down.

"Internal stagnation...that was indeed a factor I hadn't considered. Thank you, I lost my composure."

The girl with glasses slowly suppressed her fear. She considered herself a relatively rational person, but unexpectedly, she was the first to show her weakness once she actually entered the dungeon.

"My name is Xu Rou, and I am a student in the preparatory class of the Seventh District. It's nice to meet you all."

"Lu Chen comes from the Ninth Military Region. His resume must be kept secret for special reasons, but his family background is indeed quite good."

Lu Chen shook hands politely, while simultaneously revealing the dark silver stone watch on his right arm. The rough dial was engraved with silver runes, and its appearance in the dungeon environment itself symbolized its immense value.

"Mithril-based equipment?!"

The blonde twins, however, had a keen eye and immediately recognized the extraordinary equipment before them. The younger brother's chubby hand almost reached out to grab it, but he withdrew it reluctantly after being glared at by his older brother.

"Our surname is Jin, Jin Fugui and Jin Fugui. Our father set up a small shop in the underground market, and we brothers have developed some expertise in this area."

The eldest brother, Jin Fugui, spoke with a forced smile, but his small eyes, embedded in his fat, were fixed on the watch. Even if he was a little more reserved than his younger brother, it was by no means much.

But he understood at least one thing: mithril symbolizes purity and exorcism. It is a valuable material that can be used in dungeons of level two and above, let alone now.

This is definitely not equipment that ordinary people can access. Lu Chen's so-called "well-off" family can casually throw out a piece of mithril equipment, which has already left the Jin brothers, who know the market price, speechless.

Incidentally, Fang Jin's earnings from the three dungeons were locked by the system, so even if he gained something, he couldn't bring it in. Therefore, it was assumed that what he was carrying with him at the moment was the item he used to assist in this dungeon.

...that jar of mints.

"Zhou Tongtong".

The girl in the knitted hat, who had been silent all along, spoke up at the right time. However, unlike Xu Rou and the other two, her eyes were almost glued to Lu Chen, and she was unusually calm.

Her attire made her stand out even more; beneath the light and shadow of her white shirt and trousers was a rather heavy pink velvet sweater, so sturdy that it completely concealed Zhou Tongtong's original figure.

"You want to be the boss?"

Zhou Tongtong's words were sharp and direct, choking back Lu Chen's prepared retort. He remained silent for a moment, looked directly into Zhou Tongtong's eyes, and said firmly:

"Yes, I have the ability... and I also have the desire."

He wasn't wrong; in such an environment, a team needs a leader.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, Lu Chen clearly has the qualifications, and even Fang Jin couldn't find any fault with him. His personality is obviously not suitable for leading a team.

"I have no objection, but if I judge that your leadership is flawed, or that you are satisfying the collective at the expense of my interests, I will leave directly."

Zhou Tongtong spoke bluntly, changing her posture from crossing her legs on the table. Xu Rou and the other two's expressions clearly changed, but Lu Chen stopped them, his sharp eyes revealing understanding.

"...Of course, that's only human nature, but I believe that cooperation and mutual benefit will increase our chances of survival."

"I have no objection... but by the way, did you calculate the time?"

Zhou Tongtong suddenly changed the subject. The strange white-collar worker's final warning could not be ignored, but it could not be heeded entirely either. However, the environment of this meeting room would definitely change within five minutes.

"At 2 minutes and 16 seconds, starting from the moment that strange creature disappeared, there is still plenty of time."

Lu Chen confidently replied that the second characteristic of the Mithril Watch is its precise calibration of the flow of time. In some dungeons, the environment may mislead one's perception, and time may pass by unnoticed.

"Then why did he...?"

Zhou Tongtong pointed to the third seat from the left in the conference room. The person who had been sitting there had left and was now sneaking towards the back door, one hand already pulling the glass door open more than halfway...

Fang Jin scratched the back of his head. Five pairs of eyes, as big as light bulbs, stared at him simultaneously, violating the spirit of unity they had just agreed upon. Yet, he didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed.

Instead, he sped up and ran out, closing the back door behind his back before speaking through the glass to his bewildered "comrades" inside the meeting room:

"The time limit that person mentioned at the end was 'only' instead of 'still.' This difference of just two words has blurred and confused the starting point of the time limit."

"Does the five-minute tour officially begin the moment she disappears... or did the countdown begin the instant we appeared in the conference room?"

"We've been in the conference room...it seems like it's been almost five minutes."

"..."

"..."