"Extra, extra! The Undead Territory has fallen into the hands of Sique, and the legendary first Creator has appeared—"

"The Rin Clan has not yet resurrected, the Love Angel suspects the World Tree is having difficulties—"

"Two hundred and seventy thousand temples of the Goddess of Life across Luowasha have suddenly cracked open, suspected death of the Goddess of Life? Believers of the Order have fallen into chaos—"

"Sir, ma'am, let me through, please—"

Dressing as a newsboy, Xiao Xiao lowered his cap, holding a few stacks of newspapers in his arms, hawking them while his eyes darted around shrewdly, muttering to himself:

"...Damn it, why has the city gate suddenly been placed under lockdown..."

His identity is as a person from the Interstellar Gallery, with a main quest to explore the situation on the surface, and today he was dressed as a newsboy to investigate around. But he saw people from the Holy Temple arresting others.

The Holy Temple worships the Supreme Lord Toso Lius, a power equal to the World Master, dominating the surface plane.

"What exactly are they arresting for..." Xiao Xiao had already seen these Holy Temple knights arresting many people, mostly players, yet he couldn't figure out why players were being targeted.

"There's someone here!" suddenly, a sharp-eyed knight spotted him.

Xiao Xiao couldn't outrun this group and could only raise his hand in a wry smile: "Gentlemen, I'm just a newsboy."

He remained confident, as his identity bore no criminal record and had no ties to evil forces. Even if the Holy Temple checked, it would be impossible to take him away.

The bearded captain came forward, patting his pockets, and frisking his body, suddenly shouting, "Take him away!"

"Hey... hey?" Xiao Xiao was bewildered as a few burly men sandwiched him between them; he struggled: "Wait, wait... I admit I did pretend to be a newsboy, but my real identity is a soldier of the Interstellar Gallery! I haven't done anything illegal, you might have caught the wrong person!"

"Caught the wrong person?" the captain smirked coldly, gesturing with his pipe at Xiao Xiao's nose: "We haven't caught the wrong person. You're an invader from an Outer Realm civilization!"

"Invader?" Xiao Xiao was taken aback by such an accusation: "Wronged! The God of All Things' Doom invaded Luowasha with an Outer Realm civilization. What does that group of baddies have to do with me? How am I from an Outer Realm civilization?"

"Still denying it?" the captain said coldly: "You're called... 'players', aren't you?"

Xiao Xiao fell silent instantly.

The term was too staggering, robbing him of speech in an instant, as he looked incredulously at the captain, feeling as if he had heard an impossible, censored word.

...This NPC actually said "players"?

How could this word come from their mouths?

Is the Holy Temple conducting such an extensive search just to root out those three hundred million adventurer players hiding among the ten billion native people of Luowasha?

Moreover, does the Holy Temple refer to players as "invaders from an Outer Realm civilization"!?

…

[Lv Shu looked towards Bairan: "What do you mean by the Demonization Crisis you mentioned just now?"]

[Su Ming'an perked up his ears. He had always been puzzled over what the invading "Outer Realm civilization" of Luowasha actually was. Given Luowasha's immense strength, how could another civilization invade it?]

[Bairan said: "It means the 'Outer Realm civilization' intends to awaken the ancient god sleeping for millennia—the God of All Things' Doom, aiming to unleash chaos upon Luowasha's gods."]

[Lv Shu raised an eyebrow: "You mean...the 'Outer Realm civilization' seeks to use demonic influence to corrupt the divinity of Luowasha's Twenty-seven Gods, make Them defect, and drive Luowasha towards breakdown and chaos?"]

[Bairan said: "Not just that. Your information is slightly outdated... Numerous demonic vanguard forces have already infiltrated Luowasha's life. Once the Doom Battle begins, these lives will immediately defect and fight for the God of All Things' Doom."]

...

Xiao Xiao's mouth fell open.

Right... Luowasha is a world, so players indeed count as coming from outside; claiming them as Outer Realm invaders seems plausible...

So the term "Outer Realm civilization"...

Has always been referring to them, the players!?

...

—Could the BOSS of the Eleventh World actually be me?

...

"No, what does this have to do with us? We don't even know the God of All Things' Doom, who is trying to awaken It? We came to help you through the world's crisis, not to invade you!" Xiao Xiao hurriedly retorted, defending the players.

"Your testimony lacks credibility; this is the oracle of the Dawn Goddess," the captain furrowed his brow and said: "We must remove the 'Outer Realm civilization individuals' mingling among the locals. Don't worry, we'll only detain you for a few days. We don't want to wrong good people; if we confirm that you aren't suspicious, we'll compensate you afterward."

Xiao Xiao felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew this behavior was understandable—if a large group of Otherworld outsiders suddenly descended on Zhai Xing, the government would do the same. But the problem is, if they're detained and can't do anything, by the time "Selection Day" comes, it'll all be too late.

Without a chance to protest, he was locked in a room. In the light, he saw hundreds of people locked in various rooms; the conditions weren't bad; there were soft beds, sofas, and fruits. It was more like being detained in comfort than imprisoned.

He heard voices from other players:

"I'm stunned! What is going on? I've been here only a few days, haven't even started the main quest yet, and I'm locked up."

"You too? I'm at a loss."

"I don't mind too much, they gave me some props as compensation; spending ten-odd days in detention isn't a loss."

"But this Eleventh World is so strange, truly strange! It feels like it's targeting us. The God of All Things' Doom likely has something to do with us. Who do you think this damn fellow truly is?"

"I bet it's Su Ming'an."

"+1."

"+10086."

"I'll drink Te Ni Tea while handstanding if it's not Su Ming'an."

...

Elsewhere.

In a white laboratory, hundreds of people were locked in rooms of all corners, with many such laboratories existing.

People were kneeling in the dirt, with walls stained with blood, and the atmosphere was exceedingly oppressive.

At this moment, over ten strong soldiers walked in from outside, reaching into the crowd and randomly pulling out a small girl.

"Help, help me—help!!" The small girl was shackled with chains at her feet, being dragged out by the soldiers in panic.

People glared angrily at the soldiers, yet the soldiers remained unmoved.

"Cough, cough... Let go of that girl! You've gone too far!" A white-haired man stood up, tall with broad shoulders, chains on his feet, angrily rebuking the soldiers: "You've inexplicably dragged us in here, treating us like livestock, using us as subjects for human experimentation... We've tolerated all of that! But today, you touch a child, that's something we can't stand for!"

Other locked individuals also stood up, glaring at the soldiers.

These hundred locked individuals, all of them were players.

They too had been subjected to a sweeping examination, but unlike Xiao Xiao, they were less fortunate. The ones apprehending them were followers of the Demon Mother God. This group of demon followers was less orderly than the knights, not only failing to treat them well but directly using them as experimental subjects, locking them in the dark laboratories.

In these few days, they cried to the heavens with no response, and called to the earth without any answer. This closed laboratory held hundreds of unfortunate players, and at any moment someone could be dragged away for various electric shocks, arrays, and soul experiments. Just hearing the screams was enough to send chills down one's spine.

Qin Er was just an ordinary player, but he finally couldn't tolerate the actions of these soldiers anymore.

"Everyone, even if it means death, even if all our points get wiped, we must make a charge! We can't be boiled frogs slowly anymore!" Qin Er appealed. Before, others had attempted rebellion like him, but were made an example of, causing players to swallow their anger. But today, even if it means dying, they cannot endure any longer!

What does it matter if our strength is wiped clean!? Being slaughtered like livestock would be worse than fighting!

The soldiers were universally from physically powerful races, each with over two thousand combat power. Meanwhile, the players had uneven strengths, with no particularly outstanding warriors, which destined this to be a bloodbath.

Qin Er pulled out his weapon, and beside him, his friend Kore, a man with slicked-back hair, coughed and laughed:

"...I say brother, this time, you can't use Fulton's steamboat as an example, can you? It's damn ridiculous, I refuse to acknowledge this inverted situation as some kind of reform."

His hair was matted with blood and dirt, thickly piled on his head.

These days, they've witnessed the NPCs' hatred toward the players.

Of course, NPCs would exhibit a friendly side; they once courageously sacrificed themselves for springtime in the ruined world, moving players outside the screen to tears. But NPCs also harbor hatred for foreign invaders and, under the oracle's coercion, they targeted the wrong subjects, venting their hatred on the players.

Neither side is wrong, it's merely an information gap causing this situation.

Indeed, some players were heedless and rampant as the fourth catastrophe; they arrived mightily and departed joyfully. Similar events had happened before—originally happy NPCs were possessed by players, then their parents were killed, their family assets squandered, and upon waking, all that greeted them were ruinous homes and the gruesome bodies of their parents. Crying and wailing for redemption, the players had long gone.

It's undeniable that Su Ming'an and others' arrival brought renewal and future to the world, which is appreciable on a macro scale. The locals sincerely and earnestly thanked them, forever respecting their aid.

But also undeniable is that some players lacked integrity, treating instances as computer games, recklessly looting and burning, leaving behind nothing but wreckage, with village and city massacres not uncommon.

Xiao Xiao, Qin Er, and Kore, among others, were precisely implicated by such players.

These days, they've witnessed numerous experiments targeting players, terrifyingly chilling, one example being—NPCs teaching players the "herb-making" skill, having players produce herbs using mana, then NPCs utilizing these herbs to make mana elixirs, which players consume to recover mana points. Then players use mana points again to produce herbs, forming new mana elixirs… thus creating an endless energy cycle.

Players use skills to produce a set of herbs, consuming 100 mana points. NPCs turn the herbs into mana recovery potions, each bottle restoring 150 mana points to players. Hence, it's virtually materializing an extra 50 mana points to produce more elixirs.

—As if utilizing players' mechanics to break the law of conservation of energy.

"Perhaps you all think, since Su Ming'an is also in Luowasha, that he'll change this situation and save us." Qin Er's face flushed red as he rallied:

"But we can't just leave everything to him, hiding like turtles!

"—NPCs strive for their roles and destinies, and we players must strive for our stories and freedom!"

"Comrades, charge with me!"

He took the lead, rushing forward, the iron chains around his ankles cutting deep, leaving fresh bloodstains.

The exhausted bodies dragged the players' steps, but the light in their eyes was as bright as stars.

"Damn it!"

"I can't stand it anymore! I'm not here to suffer!"

"Player comrades, charge——!"

Having witnessed these people dare to rebel, the soldiers were furious, their eyes blood-red:

"You possessors of my brothers and sisters, how dare you speak of freedom—comrades, kill them! Find those brethren sleeping within their bodies!"

Weapons clashed, blood sprayed.

They roared, charging toward one another.

Kill, kill, kill——

…

Outside the screen.

Su Ming'an saw this scene.

The piercing battle cries echoed through the screen, reverberating in the dark room, and for a moment he felt as if submerged in icy water, his ears filled with buzzing.

He froze in place, unthinking that Luowasha had already descended into such chaos in his unseen moments. In his impression, this was merely a tale of eating jellyfish.

In the instances, players could still return to the Main God World even if they died, and wiped strength could still participate.

But now, as Luowasha and the Main God World are merging, who knows if the death mechanism of the Main God World would gradually transfer to Luowasha?

Death in the Main God World is genuine death!

—From now on, can players no longer resurrect, having only one life?

After all, Qin Si's death was irrevocable; who knows if her kind of death would be universally applicable?

Moreover, with the "account stealing" crisis, most players fell into a slumber, unable to act effectively. When "Selection Day" arrives, only a billion will survive, with billions perishing in their sleep… including those players unable to awaken.

NPCs suppress the players from awakening, and when NPCs die, players will perish alongside.

Should such a thing occur, it means that from the moment players enter the Eleventh World, including Eni, including Bei Wang, and even several familiar faces to Su Ming'an, such as Lv Shu… they are destined for burial in their sleep. They wouldn't even have the chance to fight for themselves, eternally closing their eyes upon entering the instance.

If truly there's no resurrection, it will be a brutal collective funeral.

Annihilation.

So malicious.

This is clearly meant for… Zhai Xing's catastrophe.

This is no longer just an internal crisis in Luowasha, but it's spreading to the parts Su Ming'an truly cares about—the survival of Zhai Xing.

If they live, they live together.

If they die, they die together.

If they remain unable to awaken, they'll never have another chance at an instance, completely obliterated in this crisis sweeping through their homeland.

A strike to the serpent's seven-inch point, instant death, ruthless means.

Su Ming'an's heartbeat was intense, his breath unstable, his fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

He now… was very angry.

—It's the God of Doom, who incited this conflict between NPCs and players. He not only seeks to destroy Luowasha; his purpose has already begun to reveal itself, seemingly targeting…

…

——The destruction of Zhai Xing.

…

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.