With the Slayer's retreating figure—showing no lingering attachment—disappearing into the other side of the portal, the "Abyss Mine Rescue Operation" was officially declared over.

  But for Singularity, the real work had just begun.

  Netherworld, Level 1 Control Center.

  This was no longer the leaky temporary shack where Singularity had to manually type code.

  After days of frantic work (mainly by squeezing the Spirit Race technicians who had just defected and whose work enthusiasm was outrageously high), the entire control center had transformed into a cyberpunk-style "Data Fortress."

  A massive holographic projection map floated in the center of the hall.

  It no longer displayed just the small turf of the Netherworld.

  On the left was the slowly rotating, fully lit [Netherworld · Abyss Branch (Former Mine)].

  On the right was the [Abyss · Unknown Area], still flashing with unknown signals.

  In the middle was the [Ghost Gate Portal Hub], acting as the transportation nexus.

  Singularity held the "Heavenly Dao Tablet," which was fully charged (thanks to the friendly sponsorship of the Thousand-Eyed Tyrant). His fingers swiped rapidly across the reports, a smile on his face like an old farmer seeing a bumper harvest.

  "Come, come, come, let's settle the accounts."

  [Project 1: Energy Center Upgrade]

  On the screen, the icon representing the Netherworld's energy core changed from a pale yellow to a dazzling deep purple.

  "Thanks to that Tyrant's soul battery." Singularity pointed at the reactor model that was steadily outputting massive amounts of energy. "This thing is practically a perpetual motion machine! Now we've not only paid off the electricity bill to the Celestial Court, but we can also reverse-supply and overclock the 'Holographic Light Bridge' at the Bridge of Helplessness!"

  "It used to take three days to queue for reincarnation. Now? One every three seconds! Aunt Meng is almost too busy to handle it!"

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  [Project 2: Portal Stabilization Device]

  Singularity switched the screen.

  The bone portal, which previously required a demon heart as a key and was shaky every time it opened, had now been completely reinforced.

  Around the door frame, dozens of Spirit formation masters were working day and night to carve a brand new type of "Spatial Anchor" that combined Abyssal demonic runes and Eastern talismans.

  "The craftsmanship of these Spirits is no joke," Singularity praised. "They applied the 'Crystal Resonance Technology' used for mining to stabilize space. Now, this door couldn't be blasted open even with a nuke. Open when you want, close when you want—it's much more reliable than my 'Five Ghosts Transport' spell."

  [Project 3: Slayer Gear Iteration v3.0]

  This was the part Singularity was most proud of.

  He pulled up the Slayer's equipment loadout.

  * Demon Dragon · Praetor Suit: Self-repair rate increased to 200%, and installed with a Spirit-made "Mental Shielding Coating" (to prevent anyone from trying to mind-control the Great Hero again).

  * Yin-Yang Shotgun: Magazine capacity expanded, and added an "Auto-Reload" micro-portal (taking bullets directly from the Netherworld warehouse, eliminating the reload action).

  * Tiger Soul Chainsaw: This saw no longer needed upgrades; it had even learned to find stones to sharpen its teeth during combat intervals.

  Solo vs Faction.

  Singularity closed the tablet and glanced out the window at the busy Yin Soldiers and Spirits.

  "Before, the Great Hero was fighting alone, and we were just cheering from behind and handing him water."

  "But now..."

  Singularity pointed to the massive portal rising from the ground, connecting the two worlds.

  "We have our own territory, our own energy, our own technical team, and even our own fanatical believers."

  "We are no longer that declined household bullied by the Celestial Court and harassed by demons."

  "We are now... a Pole of the Three Realms."

  The Slayer was currently sitting on his exclusive ammo box, holding a piece of freshly delivered magic ore, feeding the chainsaw that couldn't stay idle.

  He showed no interest in "factions" or "power."

  He just glanced at the stabilized portal.

  Beyond the door, there was still the darkness of the unknown, filled with more demons.

  He stuffed the ore into the chainsaw's mouth.

  *Crunch.*

  The chainsaw chewed up the stone.

  The Slayer stood up.

  Gear ready.

  Road open.

  Tank full.

  Then continue.

  Singularity watched the Slayer's actions and didn't stop him.

  He knew that for the Slayer, this so-called infrastructure and these so-called forces were just tools to let him kill more satisfyingly and faster.

  "Great Hero, don't be in such a hurry."

  Singularity suddenly revealed a sly smile.

  "Since we've already gained a firm foothold in the Abyss, shouldn't we... officially hang up a sign over there?"

  "After all, just having a mine isn't grand enough."

  *Next Chapter: The Abyss Branch. Singularity decides to engage in a major engineering project on those ruins—building a 'Forward Base' belonging to the Netherworld. Of course, the style has to be hardcore enough.*