Chapter 476: The Most Fun Game |
After the liaison officer synced the reports from the observation room, all member nations of the Human Consortium convened meetings immediately.
Inside the Countermeasures Research Office, Gao Liangwei said, “Given this, relying on thermal weapons to stop it seems unlikely.”
Everyone quietly nodded.
They weren’t exactly devastated, because from the start they hadn’t held much hope for that plan.
On one hand, human weapons can’t fully function in the deep sea. On the other, the Bright Moon is a high-density object whose gravity increases with mass; in a sense, it’s like a peculiar, growing minor planet.
Although this peculiar minor planet was newly born and still weak, it wasn’t easily stopped by explosives.
Yes, only stopped. The member nations of the Human Consortium didn’t believe they could completely destroy it, and the passage condition for this Rule required only stopping its ascent, not annihilating it.
“According to data provided by the observers, the Bright Moon is ascending at a relatively slow, constant speed,” Zhang Minglu spoke up. “Because it was birthed several thousand meters below the deep sea, precise observation is currently difficult. We can only make a rough estimate from some readings and reports from Ascendant scouts... Its ascent speed is roughly fifteen meters per hour.”
“Fifteen meters per hour, that’s 360 meters per day. This Rule lasts twenty days. If we can’t stop it, by the final day it will have risen over seven thousand meters... enough to breach the sea surface.”
“Can we not stop it even for a single second? According to the Rule’s requirements, as long as we prevent it from ascending for even one second, that counts as passing the challenge, right?”
“If nuclear weapons can’t do it, maybe we should pin our hopes on Mind Power items.”
As discussion continued, Zhang Minglu looked at Gao Liangwei, wanting to say something but holding back.
Gao Liangwei noticed this. After the meeting he proactively called Zhang Minglu into his office. Once Zhang arrived, Gao asked directly, “Dr. Zhang, was there something you couldn’t say during the meeting?”
Zhang Minglu was surprised Gao had noticed the detail.
“Yes, Director. I thought of someone—Adam, who is currently recuperating at Base No. 2.”
Gao Liangwei’s eyes lit up, immediately understanding. “You mean using his ability?”
“Yes. He can manipulate force fields. Theoretically he could be extremely useful for this Rule. Even if his health is poor, it shouldn’t significantly impede the use of his power.”
Zhang Minglu paused. “Only—if we use him... Suroma will definitely notice.”
That was why he had hesitated at the meeting.
Until now, only a few people knew about Adam’s situation in Beixing; the majority within the Countermeasures Research Office were unaware.
This secrecy stemmed from the recent exposures of hidden parasitized forms and Han Qiu’s defection. After those incidents, even if no one openly said it, the notion that “not everyone in the Research Office is fully trustworthy” had taken root in many members’ minds.
“That is indeed a problem.” Gao Liangwei shared the same concern as Zhang Minglu.
Adam could help, but his ability was so unique that using it in the Bright Moon’s sea area would be immediately recognized by Suroma’s scouts and official Ascendants stationed there.
At that point Suroma’s officials would certainly question Beixing’s government, and could even seize the incident as a pretext to escalate matters.
“You’re not exactly blameless here,” Gao said angrily. “Do you think Suroma just poaches Beixing people more often than the reverse? It’s been happening these past two years nonstop. Not only civilian Ascendants, even some officially affiliated ones were bought over! Moreover, Adam wasn’t bought—he chose to stay there himself.”
“Before the Han Qiu incident, I always knew my whereabouts were exposed before I defected. Colleagues in intelligence believed Suroma officials provided me shelter. It’s a pity there wasn’t conclusive evidence, otherwise—”
No sooner had he finished speaking than the landline behind Gao Liangwei rang.
Gao knew that line was the contact channel to Beixing’s decision-makers, and he immediately fell silent.
He lifted the receiver, listened for a few moments, and his expression shifted. The look Gao cast toward Zhong Dongchen carried a few strange tones.
Zhang Minglu felt uneasy under the gaze, thinking, Could this be about me? I haven’t done anything.
“I understand.” Gao Liangwei ended the call after a while.
He said to Zhang Minglu, “You don’t need to worry about your proposal to use Adam.”
“Huh?”
“Guan Tong went to Base No. 2 and took him away. The base manager contacted the highest decision-makers for permission, and they approved.”
Zhang Minglu froze for a few seconds, then recovered and exclaimed, “Guan Tong? Is he trying to use Adam’s ability to challenge the Rule?!”
“It appears so.” Gao Liangwei said. “They told me: since Adam was rescued by Guan Tong, and Adam himself agreed, we shouldn’t interfere.”
“This...”
“The top also said, and I quote, ‘If this young man is good at creating miracles, let him create them. We will not stand in the way.’”
Zhang Minglu was surprised by those words. “That sounds like...”
“Correct, it’s the supreme leader.” Gao Liangwei admitted. “After the Big Sister incident was exposed, he ordered the punishment of the ringleaders and their cohorts, and he’s been paying close attention to Guan Tong. He often mentions him in meetings and says he admires the young man.”
“...It’s a pity Guan Tong didn’t join the official ranks, otherwise he would surely receive great favor.” Zhang Minglu sighed.
Gao Liangwei gave Zhang Minglu a meaningful look, said no more on the matter, and turned to another topic. “Given that, the Research Office should leave Adam alone. Dr. Zhang, take your action team and study whether, from the perspective of Mind Power, there is a method to prevent the Bright Moon from ascending.”
“All right, Director. I’ll go right away.”
.......
In Lianluo'an City, inside a hidden underground cathedral.
In the deepest room, the High Priest, Scarface, and Han Qiu stood before a floor-to-ceiling large screen that displayed an electronic map of the Lanyang sea area.
The map was dotted with numerous red marks—those were military bases controlled by the Human Consortium that possessed remotely deployable weapons, and thus prime targets for the Fire Thief Worship Cult’s raids.
“The Human Consortium reacted quickly,” the High Priest said. “After our attacks began, not long passed before they counterattacked. Although we surprised them and took over more than twenty bases, they can’t possibly hold all of them.”
Han Qiu nodded. “Completely expected. In fact, the gains exceeded my expectations. I originally thought taking ten bases would be decent. It seems the Human Consortium focused too much attention on the Bright Moon, and their vigilance against our cult weakened considerably.
“But exceeding objectives is worth celebrating—this way the Human Consortium will neglect the real threat. Feint east and attack west; sometimes the simplest tactics reap the greatest results. I hope our allies won’t disappoint.”
Scarface crossed his arms, wearing a disdainful expression.
Han Qiu asked, “Scarface brother, you seem to disagree?”
“Pfft, I just find it boring. Besides, do you really treat those monsters as allies?” Scarface shot a sidelong glance at the two. “Parasitized forms? What a joke. Those things only want to assimilate humans. I don’t want to become one of those brainless screamers who spread themselves everywhere.”
The High Priest fell silent.
Han Qiu smiled. “Times change. There are no eternal enemies, and certainly no eternal friends. Luckily our ‘Prophet’ friend isn’t present, or Scarface brother your comments might spark internal strife. Better not to say such things next time.”
Scarface snorted, offering no further opinion.
Han Qiu continued, “As for Scarface finding this dull, I have some news you might find interesting.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“The Human Consortium used Xisiya’s stockpile—a megaton-class nuclear bomb—to attempt a large underwater nuclear detonation to stop the Bright Moon’s ascent...”
When Scarface heard “megaton-class nuclear bomb,” his eyes brightened immediately. Such a doomsday weapon genuinely intrigued him.
“And the result?” He pressed. “Don’t keep me in suspense, Han Qiu.”
“Heh, of course it failed. Otherwise we’d have heard the Fire Thief’s prompt announcing ‘Challenge succeeded,’ right?”
“Failed... A megaton-class nuclear bomb—how powerful could it be?”
“If detonated in the air, destroying a small city would be easy,” Han Qiu shrugged. “But this time it was detonated in the deep sea, where power diminishes greatly. Besides, the Bright Moon is clearly far more solid than reinforced concrete.”
Scarface licked his dry lips. “Such a powerful bomb, and it still didn’t work.”
“This plan was doomed from the start,” Han Qiu said. “To me, the Bright Moon in this Rule is like a micro-asteroid. With humanity’s current capabilities, trying to blow up an asteroid? Unless humans have mastered antimatter bombs, it’s pure fantasy.”
Scarface frowned. “If you knew that, don’t the Human Consortium’s scientists know?”
“Of course they know; they were simply gambling on a fluke. Scarface, do you like games? Think of it like a one-percent weapon enhancement drop rate—many people are willing to gamble.”
“Do you really like games?” the High Priest suddenly asked.
“Absolutely.” Han Qiu showed a nostalgic look. “When I was in the orphanage as a kid, my greatest wish was to get a high-end game console. Those days were...”
Hearing Han Qiu mention an orphanage, both the High Priest and Scarface exchanged surprised looks. Since they first met Han Qiu, they had assumed he was born with a silver spoon; the orphan image didn’t fit.
“Then you must be bored now!” Scarface mocked. “There aren’t many people developing new games these days.”
“Not at all. What game could be more entertaining than the End Times Rules developed by the Fire Thief?” Han Qiu said. “Since that game released, I’ve lost interest in all others.”
“.....”
Scarface was briefly speechless at Han Qiu calling the Doomsday Rules a game.
Was Han Qiu arrogant? Perhaps. But his demeanor made it clear he genuinely treated all this like playing a game, not just bragging.
The High Priest countered in a low voice, “This is not a game. It is divine revelation.”
Scarface immediately retorted with sarcasm. “Your Holiness, there aren’t any faithful believers in this room, so spare us the sanctimony, okay?”
The High Priest shot Scarface a cold glance and ignored him.
Han Qiu smoothed things over. “All right, both of you, let’s stay focused on our allies’ movements. If all goes well, they should have arrived by now.”