ATIGIBTC Chapter 131.2

The land around these holes was continuously turning to sand. There must be something beneath the openings that was altering the nature of the surrounding soil.

And then, He Fang finally realized why these holes had felt strangely familiar to him.

Wasn’t this just like the plastic film often found on drink bottles or instant noodles and other such items, filled with tiny perforations to make it easier to tear open?

The more He Fang thought about it, the more horrified and disturbed he became. Wasn’t this… wasn’t this…

Was someone actually trying to tear the Nightmare Beast Forest off the face of this world, just like tearing off a sheet of plastic film?!

He Fang’s eyes widened in shock.

This…

Was this real?

Had he really guessed right?

When He Fang saw that half-smiling, half-mocking expression on Zhu Yan’s face, he became quite certain. This was probably real.

“They sure know how to think, huh?” Even He Fang couldn’t help but admire it. Just which mobile city came up with such a clever idea?

He Fang thought of the massive rift that had existed between the giant Nightmare Beast Forest back then and Hope City now. It had served the same purpose. It was just that these holes were executing it in a far more thorough way.

He Fang had always believed that his own NPCs were vastly superior to wild NPCs in every possible way. But thinking about it now, when it came to madness, they were all human. No one was going to lose to anyone.

“But if that’s the case, wouldn’t Earth end up with no land at all?” Guo Miaofeng seemed unaware of the shock everyone else was feeling. He scratched his head and asked the question that puzzled him most. “Are they really planning to abandon all this land? And do they even know what’s at the center of the Earth? What if it’s something even more terrifying?”

“No matter how terrifying it is, it won’t be worse than what we’re facing now,” Yuan Zhiran spoke up from the side. “The Earth won’t die. It’ll just be taken over by the Nightmare Beast Forest. The ones who’ll die are humans, animals, plants, and all living beings. And among all animals, humans are the ones most obsessed with staying alive. To live better, they’ll do even more terrifying things.”

At this moment, He Fang truly felt that their idea was far too horrifying. This was on the level of wiping out half the world.

Could they really bring themselves to go through with this?

“And there’s one more interesting thing,” Zhu Yan’s words drew everyone’s eyes back to him. “Humans can already create soil.”

He Fang froze for a moment. What did that mean?

“City Lord, do you still remember the Summit of the World?” Zhu Yan spoke. “They successfully created perfect permafrost that is immune to Nightmare Beast seed contamination, and they’re able to live independently on that permafrost without being affected by the outside world.”

Zhu Yan’s words immediately brought to He Fang’s mind the Summit of the World that Shi Canghai had introduced. Those people who permanently lived atop the frozen tundra. And that tundra, that permafrost… to actually survive and live on it… It really was possible.

“Wait… are you saying the ones doing all this… are actually from the Summit of the World?” He Fang drew in a sharp breath. “They’ve been living on permafrost all this time. At the root of it all, they were using themselves for experimentation?!”

This… this was still “Ruins Without Restart”, right?

Wasn’t it said that NPCs didn’t have thoughts of their own?

What terrifying thing had these algorithms calculated?

“To think that, even while everyone else is fleeing for their lives, they still had the courage to carry out something like this… I truly have to see the Summit of the World’s city lord in a new light,” Yuan Zhiran couldn’t help but cover his mouth, feeling awe for the first time toward a city other than the main city.

“And from a theoretical standpoint, the Summit of the World’s plan is feasible,” Chong Ying said after thinking it over carefully. “The Earth’s core does influence many things in the world, but just stripping away the topsoil doesn’t mean the core will stop functioning. Then, by using permafrost to create a tundra, though cold, it’s still livable. It’s almost like they’re erasing the land covered by the Nightmare Beast Forest and creating entirely new land.”

He Fang only felt his mind buzzing. This kind of wild imagination truly left him in awe. He could practically picture those mad scientists from the Summit of the World, laughing maniacally with twisted grins. It was terrifying. Just what kind of people were ruling over the Summit of the World?

“Even now, we’re still relying on Nightmare Beast Seed Blockers, yet they’re already aiming to solve the seed issue completely. Does this mean… I’ve lost?” He Fang had never imagined that, as a player, he would lose to an NPC generated by an algorithm. Was it that, after all, his mindset as a player had been far too narrow?

“That’s not true, Lord City Master. You shouldn’t think that way. We are the most perfect ones.”

Just as He Fang lowered his head in discouragement, a slightly cold fingertip hooked under his chin and gently lifted it.

“To them, Nightmare Beast seeds are their natural enemy. But to us, they’re the best opportunity for the world to change. They might even create a new world. One that no longer needs to exploit the earth excessively. A powerful new lifeform that breaks through the limits of conservation. And yet, someone wants to eliminate the Nightmare Beast seeds… It’s truly incomprehensible.”

He Fang looked at Zhu Yan. He was gazing down at him with serious eyes. In his other hand was the glove he had taken off. Every time Zhu Yan touched him, he would always remove his glove.

“But they don’t have the ability to tame the Nightmare Beast seeds, so being able to make such a decision does take courage,” He Fang said, truly feeling from the bottom of his heart that he had lost.

Zhu Yan’s gaze softened, filled with quiet comfort, or perhaps, he simply couldn’t bear to see their incomparably perfect Creator admit defeat to anyone.

“That’s not how it is, City Lord. There’s one thing you must remember. This is just an experiment.” Zhu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, sneering as he spoke. “To this day, the Library still holds no record of anyone fully uncovering the secrets of the world. What they’re doing is no different from gambling the future of the entire world on an unknown possibility. In theory, it could succeed. But experiments always have exceptions. And they have no way to correct for those exceptions.”

He Fang faintly picked up on the hint in Zhu Yan’s words and slowly fell into deep thought.

He was beginning to understand what Zhu Yan meant.

He was saying that if anything went wrong, if the plan failed, they wouldn’t even have a way to fix it.

“Up to now, we haven’t received a single report from any mobile city about these holes. Clearly, the other side is doing this behind everyone’s backs, putting all their chips on the line, staking everything on a future that’s not only uncertain, but incredibly difficult to achieve.” Zhu Yan gave a cold snort as he spoke.

After the initial shock, He Fang’s reason slowly returned. As he began to think through the possibilities ahead, he suddenly realized, with a jolt of fear. Zhu Yan was right.

This was basically a one-shot gamble—do or die, succeed or perish. It was, in essence, the mad wager of a lunatic.

“But… could it be that they do have a way to recover from failure?” Chong Ying, who had been listening quietly, looked up and asked, “After all these years of experimentation, surely they’ve at least considered the consequences?”

“When we conduct experiments, we always run multiple trials before we dare to claim success. But for the Nightmare Beast Forest separation experiment… it can only be done once,” Zhu Yan said, eyes half-narrowed. “Besides, even calculations can’t predict what might happen. No one knows what kind of accident could occur. It’s even possible that the Earth itself might collapse because of it.”

At that, He Fang jolted, a chill running down his spine. He immediately sat up: “That’s it! There’s a safer way to do this, so why go for something so complicated?”

Suddenly, a deep sense of dread welled up in him. The other party had no intention of informing anyone. They were going to act first and explain later.

If Guo Miaofeng hadn’t known anything from the start… then wasn’t it possible that, without realizing it, even the land He Fang had paid to develop could be swept up in the catastrophe?

Thinking it over carefully, no, that couldn’t be. His land was absolutely solid. There was no way it would collapse because of this.

But what if it did? What if…? Weren’t there already many cities that had been wiped out in an instant due to unforeseen external factors?

A cold sweat broke out all over He Fang’s body.

In a flash, he grabbed Guo Miaofeng’s arm, his eyes damp and wide as he stared straight at him, as if his gratitude was about to overflow uncontrollably.

Thank goodness we found out!

There’s still time!

Guo Miaofeng, though utterly confused by having his arm suddenly tugged like that, couldn’t help but blush under He Fang’s expression. He shyly looked away, too flustered to meet his gaze again.

“What should we do, City Lord?” Zhu Yan asked at that moment.

“Can we be sure it was the Summit of the World who did this?” He Fang asked first.

“Almost certainly,” Zhu Yan nodded.

He Fang thought for a moment. If the Summit of the World succeeded in this plan, then they would be hailed as heroes, and all the peace treaties He Fang had painstakingly negotiated would become worthless. Everything that should have belonged to him would fall into the hands of the Summit of the World.

And if they failed, if the Earth collapsed, everyone would die together, and there would be no one left to blame them. If the failure didn’t lead to total destruction but merely worsened the situation, then no one would think to look toward the Summit of the World anyway. After all, they had carried out their plan in complete secrecy. In this entire world, the only city that had noticed their scheme in time was his main city.

The Summit of the World was truly a terrifying place.

“Is there any way to know what exactly the Summit of the World is using to cause the land to desertify?” He Fang asked.

“We don’t know yet,” Zhu Yan replied, “but Xiao Cheng brought back some samples. If you give me a bit of time, I may be able to find out.”

He Fang paused in thought, then asked, “And now… how much time do we have before the Summit of the World’s plan is fully underway? Can we estimate a rough timeline?”

“It can be done. It’s difficult, but I think… the timing might not actually matter,” Zhu Yan continued.

He Fang raised an eyebrow slightly. That was true. If the other side had already decided to begin the plan, there was no way they could stop it now.

So then… what should they do about all this?

He Fang opened up the system map.

If something really happened, what could their main city do in response?

He stared at his system interface. Suddenly, it didn’t seem as hopeless as he’d imagined.

They had gotten the information ahead of time. Even if the event did unfold, they would still have time to react.

His Divine Lord was omnipotent. Over this time, measured in years, the accumulated faith value had reached an unbelievable number. By then, perhaps he could use the power of the Divine Lord.

On top of that, his Rainbow Squad was absurdly powerful. As long as they were deployed properly, they might even be able to create a different kind of miracle.

What’s more, he could still make a trip to the Summit of the World and see if there was any way to turn the situation around!

“Since things have already come to this, we need to start by putting up proper defenses. First, we need everyone to offer even more faith,” He Fang said to Yuan Zhiran. “Go back and talk to Yuan Sanjin and Shi Sangtian about how to raise the Divine Lord’s visibility. If necessary, you can use Xiao Zi’s mental control abilities.”

“Also, figure out a way to station soldiers in the various cities. Just in case.”

“Yes, City Lord,” Yuan Zhiran responded with a crisp salute.

“Zhu Yan, Guo Miaofeng, see if there’s any way to stop the holes from continuing to form. Chong Xiao and Chong Ying, you two will follow Zhu Yan and Guo Miaofeng and assist them,” He Fang ordered, and the others responded with a nod.

“Also, inform Wei Qixuan. Have him take Shen Houyun and go calm the nearby mobile cities. Our movements are too large. It’s bound to arouse suspicion.”

He Fang took a deep breath. In truth, he was feeling a bit afraid.

The Summit of the World had sent him an invitation, asking him to come alone. At first, he’d felt reassured by that, but now, He Fang was no longer so confident.

Though he was a player and capable of all kinds of creative ideas, he absolutely couldn’t compare to a madman generated by an algorithm. Since the other side had specifically requested him to come alone, that meant under such conditions, he’d have no choice but to obey.

He had to admit that it was true. Right now, the Summit of the World holds the upper hand.

Why did they want him to go alone? He Fang had been thinking about it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t come up with a clear answer. Maybe the other side simply wanted to talk to him, or maybe they thought he was easier to control.

Without his advisors or protectors at his side, He Fang, for the first time, felt truly vulnerable.

But then, all of a sudden, he recalled the look in Zhu Yan’s eyes just a short while ago.

That was the gaze of absolute trust. He truly believed that his City Lord was in no way inferior to anyone else.

And as a player, as the leader of all these people, He Fang absolutely could not back down.

He could do it. Even if he died at the Summit of the World, he could just register a new model and start over.

Besides, he could still bring his mechs and the Divine Lord.

He Fang took a deep breath.

In his mind, he had already quietly started calculating how many health bars the city lord of the Summit of the World might have.

“And what about you, City Lord?” Just then, Chong Ying’s voice broke through He Fang’s thoughts. He came up behind him, wrapped his arms around his waist, and nuzzled against his cheek. “What are you thinking about?”

He Fang hadn’t planned to say anything. He figured that if his NPCs knew he was going to face danger alone, they would definitely object. But then he thought that if he brought his mech with him, wouldn’t that already be a sign to his NPCs that something was going on?

And if his character model actually failed to defeat the boss and died… when he rebuilt a new one, he’d better not lose resident happiness points over it.

“I’m planning to go to the Summit of the World,” He Fang said, pulling the invitation out of his player inventory. “They sent this invitation a while ago.”

“How many people are you bringing with you this time?” Yuan Zhiran asked matter-of-factly. Up to this point, He Fang had always traveled with a company, so the question came naturally. “Right now, most of us have assignments, but the ones with lighter schedules are…”

“I’ll go alone,” He Fang said.

A strange silence instantly fell over the entire room.

For a moment, He Fang felt his scalp go numb. But he still forced himself to finish what he had to say: “I’ll go alone, but I’ll bring the Divine Lord and a mech. Which one do you think is most suitable for me to take?”

Usually, whenever he asked a question, he’d get an immediate response. But this time, no one said anything for a long while.

“I think maybe bringing Xiao Huang would be best. Thunder Tiger’s speed is fast. If anything goes wrong, I can escape quickly.” He Fang tried to offer a suggestion himself.

“Does the invitation have restrictions on what you can bring?” Zhu Yan asked.

But the moment Zhu Yan spoke, he was immediately shot down by Yuan Zhiran: “Are you seriously suggesting that the City Lord go alone to a place full of lunatics?”

“If he brings enough mechs, it’ll be safer than taking a bunch of people,” Zhu Yan replied with a cold snort, clearly intent on letting He Fang go through with it.

“But who’s going to take care of the City Lord’s daily needs? Do you even know what the situation is like up in the mountains? And if something dangerous or unexpected happens, who among us could possibly take responsibility?” Yuan Zhiran fired off three sharp questions in a row, his voice rising with anger.

He Fang stood awkwardly to the side, suddenly feeling like a kid preparing to go on a solo camping trip while his parents were having a heated argument over whether to let him.

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