Volume 22: Final Act before the Storm

“God, full body repair! Deduct the points from me!” Zheng began yelling as soon as he returned to God’s Realm. However, it had some shortness of breath. After all, he was missing a lung, and his body looked in dire straits. If it was slower by just tens of seconds, he would have stayed permanently in Eragon, and it would have been a stay as a corpse...

After a short while, God’s healing light retracted. Zheng was the last to complete his repair. It had taken over ten minutes, as his injuries were simply too grievous. Just the cost of healing had been over three thousand points. Only when everyone had waited for very long did Zheng finally slowly descend from mid-air.

Before Zheng and the rest could say anything, a black shadow stuck itself in and a giant tongue licked Zheng. There was actually a thirty metre tall, fifty metre long giant black dragon standing on the platform. Just that tongue was three or four metres long. This wasn’t so much a lick as a shower of dragon saliva. It didn’t stop there, as the giant dragon even started extending a claw towards Zheng.

“Stop! Doggy, stop!” Zheng hurriedly shouted. He wiped the saliva on his face, then anxiously continued, “You’re not allowed to lick anyone from now on, nor are you allowed to pounce on anyone like just now! You’ll crush someone!”

However, Cheng Xiao was at the side, laughing while saying, “Forget about it if it’s licking guys, licking girls would be great. Hahaha, it’ll definitely look sexy if they’re soaked wet…”

Zheng glanced sideways at him, then said unhappily, “You’re not allowed to pounce on anyone, but Cheng Xiao.” Finished speaking, he ignored the screaming Cheng Xiao who was evading dragon claws, but looked directly at Xuan.

“So, how? Do we tell everyone the information we obtained? This information we risked our lives to get is too significant. I don't know whether to tell everyone.” Zheng said to Xuan.

Xuan was currently rubbing his right eye in a very strange manner. When Zheng asked, this fellow actually didn't even raise his head and answered, “It’s up to you. If we don’t overcome the final battle, any amount of information is useless. Besides, they may not be able to return to the real world after the final battle.”

Muttering for a while, Zheng looked around. He then intentionally looked at Lori, who was beside him. After a long while, he finally said, “Then everyone, don’t go and rest for now. Come to my room, I have things to tell everyone.”

Everyone found this weird, but still followed behind Zheng to his room. The one exception was Xuan, who kept rubbing his eyes as he made his way back to his own room. From his fanatical expression, his fellow must have discovered something and went off to research it alone.

As everyone entered the room, the dragon also began to get anxious. It squatted at the room door, whimpering incessantly, sounding like a dog’s whimpering magnified several times over. When Zheng came out of the room carrying a badge, the dragon immediately brought its face close, seemingly wanting to lick Zheng once again. Frightened, Zheng immediately raised the badge. Within an instant, the dragon disappeared, while the badge let off a faint black light.

“Ok, settled. I didn't expect the badge Xuan gave would actually be useful. Can they be stored in this badge as long as they're your pet? If someone else has such an enormous pet, would they be able to store it inside together?” Zheng scratched his head and muttered. He then kept it in his pocket and entered the room.

Everyone had already been orderly seating down in the room waiting for him since a long time ago. Even the usually flirting Cheng Xiao didn’t go and tease Yingkong. Of course, it could possibly be because he was frightened as she was currently resting her hands on her sword. If that invisible two-handed sword hit him, he wouldn't be getting off with just some light injuries.

Zheng nodded to everyone there. “What I’m about to say next is very important. It can be said that a large majority of God’s Realm’s secrets have been revealed. But, an equivalent price must be paid at the same time to know this information. The price is that you won't be allowed to return to the real world until your power reaches mine or Xuan’s level. Do you still want to hear this information?”

Just as the words fell, Wangxia directly stood up. “Apologies. I won’t be listening to this information. I originally planned to try my best to save points after the final battle to return to the real world. The duty I was entrusted with is much more important than this so-called truth. My country needs me.” While speaking, Wangxia had already left the room through the door.

Zheng exhaled. He was actually quite impressed with Wangxia’s decisiveness. After all, what humans had the most of was curiosity. This was especially when Wangxia could decisively give up on this kind of truth which everyone wanted to know just as it was about to be announced. Just this unswerving determination let one understand how he was an iron-willed soldier.

“Alright, does everyone left think the same? Remember, if you know this information, you won’t be able to return to the real world until you reach Xuan’s current power. Understood?”

Zheng spent a few sentences emphasizing it, before carefully detailing his bitter experiences in Eragon, the battles in the Abyss, Xuan’s hypotheses, as well as the changes in the Abyss after finding out these hypotheses. Towards the end, he said, “This is the information I obtained in Eragon. For now, let’s not discuss whether this information is true. However, if it’s really as Xuan analysed, there will great changes when we obtain this information. Thus, we won’t be able to go back to the real world before we get stronger. Does everyone understand?”

Everyone was deep in thought regarding this information. For a time, no one replied him. Zheng wasn’t in a hurry. He walked to beside Lori, pulling the little girl into an embrace. “Don’t worry, Lori. I’ll choose suitable enhancements for you and let you raise your strength. I’ll also always stay by your side to protect you. After the final battle, let’s think of a way to return to the real world, alright?”

Lori adorably nodded her head. However, her expression still carried some confusion. After all, as a girl not even twenty years of age, she already spent her days in this realm quaking with fear. Although she didn’t enter the movies herself, her man, Zheng, was still a God’s Realm team member, and even a team’s core, its leader.

He would return from every movie covered with wounds, or even torn to pieces sometimes just like now. She would sometimes spend her nights terrified, spending night after night sleeplessly. Then today, she suddenly heard that she wouldn’t be able to return to the real world at least for a short period of time. At least for this young girl’s mentality, not crying on the spot was already quite strong-willed already.

Everyone else was slightly dejected. With the final battle approaching, there had been several with thoughts of going for a trip to the real world. Now, they couldn’t go back. Also, they had some misgivings in their hearts. Logically speaking, the final battle was near. However, since they knew this information, did that mean they wouldn't be able to return after?

Zheng saw everyone’s misgivings, he released Lori and got back to his seat. He then said, “In Eragon, Xuan told me the final battle was only a final battle in name. At that time, I didn’t understand what he meant. Only when I was under God’s hypnosis in the Abyss did I suddenly understand.”

“God’s hypnosis?” Everyone asked, surprised.

“Yes. I finally felt that half-dreaming and half-awake sensation from when we enter movies.” Zheng nodded his head, saying seriously, “I can sense the energy waves God exerts on me when I unlock the mid fourth stage and enter Dragon Transformation. Although I can’t block it, it’s still a big improvement from being unable to even react like before. I think that it’s possible to resist God’s wipe if the late fourth stage is unlocked. After all, the so-called wipe is likely caused by energy, while the late fourth stage can control energy to a certain degree. At that time, the greatest threat God poses to our team, the wipes, won’t be an issue anymore! This will become an absolutely safe location then!”

When Zheng said this, the first to react was Honglu, who immediately stood up in surprise. “I understand now. As expected, the final battle is only one in name. This information is also indeed obtained by our current power, although it is slightly early.”

——————

Everyone was slightly puzzled. Honglu immediately said, “The reasoning is simple. According to our previous calculations, we can return to the real world after the final battle. But this was merely a conjecture, while God never told us this explicitly. We just took it a matter of course. But based on Zheng’s experiences in Eragon, it could be God’s special arrangements to have teams as strong as, or stronger than us to enter specially designated worlds with the answers to the mysteries of God’s Realm hidden in them. However, it would require great power to obtain these answers, and it would no longer be possible to return to the real world. This is likely the trap of the creators of God’s Realm, the Saints and Cultivators. Of course, this trap also explains why the final battle is only one in name.”

“Since we need to live on, or in other words, since we want to live on, we’ll need to experience the horror movie worlds, a Terror Infinity…”

Honglu paused here. He plucked a hair off from in front of his forehead, carefully considering his words before saying, “The most likely reason for the so-called final battle is because someone among the teams has unlocked the fifth stage, or the late fourth stage Zheng mentioned before, and possesses the power to resist God’s wipe. Let’s analyse the situation this ability would cause. Firstly, the possessor, as well as those around him, can no longer be wiped by God. The movie worlds won’t have much meaning to them anymore. For example, if they don’t want to enter a world, they can just not stand inside when God’s beam appears. Since God can’t kill them anyways, they could just train in God’s Realm for ten years. Who would be their match then? Of course, this is just an example. After all, God can also alter the flow of time apart from wiping. If they train there for ten years, we could have experienced several hundred movies by then, and we may be stronger than them by then.”

“But having the ability to avoid being wiped is like having a modding tool in a game. They wouldn't be afraid of God’s punishments, and the movie worlds will truly be their point farming grounds. Thus, God has to initiate the final battle. But, there’s a doubt I’ve had for a very long time. What’s the point of the final battle?”

Honglu paused when he reached this point. He plucked several hairs consecutively and placed them on the table. “The power of Cultivators and Saints surpasses us by a thousand or even ten thousand times, just going by God’s Realm’s existence, a masterpiece that fuses space, time and energy. Their level of science and their power far surpasses us. To us, they're like gods creating the world, just like how barbarians would see our planes and cars as witchcraft. If even two such great powers lost to an unknown power, how could the far inferior us save humanity? Could the final battle possibly create powerhouses of the sixth stage, seventh stage or the eight stage? So, what’s the point of this final battle? That's what I had doubts about before. Now, I have my answer.”

“Add together all the information we have. The monsters in the Abyss. Being unable to return to the real world if you know the information. The late fourth stage that can resist God’s wipe. The imminent final battle. Connect them and you’ll find we’re already caught in the Saint’s and Cultivator’s trap. In other words, we’re already doing as they wished. This also tells us why we, despite being weaker by thousands or ten thousands of times, were entrusted with the burden to save humanity.”

Everyone looked strangely at Honglu. Even Zheng, who previously had a look of comprehension, had the same expression. The little boy giggled, “It seems everyone doesn’t understand? Then I’ll analyse it piece by piece. Firstly, are we unable to return to the real world due to the information from the Abyss?”

Everyone nodded hearing this. Honglu then said, “Then, what about after the final battle? What course of action do we take? The answer is to continue to become stronger in God’s Realm, which is why I said the two words, Terror Infinity. If the late fourth stage can resist God’s wipe, then what about a higher stage? Can they control God? I haven’t thought about this for the time being. However, what do you think a place where you won’t be wiped, where you can get stronger as long as you maintain control, and where you can exchange God’s various enhancements sounds like? That’s right, a training camp, or a training camp for humans to get stronger. Understand? We are the trailblazers selected by the Saints and Cultivators. If we don’t wish to die or be lonely, or hope for our family to have longevity or have any other expectations for the real world, we have to return to the real world! But, alas, us who know the information can’t return! So, what do we do? The one and only answer is to let others from outside in. As long as we can control God, this is easily done…”

Zheng had unlocked the third stage since just now. Hearing this, he exhaled, before saying, “I understand. This is the intention of the Saints and Cultivators. After they were destroyed, their goal would be partially accomplished if a hundred out of ten thousand managed to become strong and survive in the last seed they left behind, God’s Realm. What if ten of this hundred knows this information, with one of them being afraid of death? He’ll avoid returning to the real world, instead continuing to get stronger inside until the point he can control God to pull people in. Their goal will be accomplished then. This endless pulling of people in and the following growth in strength will one day form the Saint organisation and Cultivator organisation once again. So, it turns out that the final battle is just to choose who’ll pull others in?”

“That’s right.” Honglu snapped his fingers. “That’s what it means. Heaven and Earth are merciless, and so are Saints. There’s no such thing as right or wrong, only whether you have the desire to live on.”

The constantly silent Zero suddenly asked, “Will humanity become extinct if those that know the information go out to the real world?”

Honglu shook his head. “If we were going to become extinct, it would have ended up so long ago. It’s like when we make a computer program. The ordinary program is naturally necessary since we need it. However, viruses need to be deleted as soon as they're discovered. Similarly, we who know this information are viruses to the box creators. Would you destroy the computer because there's a virus, especially the core programs? Thus, those who return to the real world will likely be surrounded and killed by endlessly appearing organisms like Zheng was in the Abyss, while ordinary humans won’t be.”

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