ATIGIBTC Chapter 134.2

“Truly overestimating themselves. Putting on such a massive display, are they planning to perish together with Earth?”

“All the land has already started to collapse. How do they plan to survive? Isn’t this just creating trouble for our Creator? It already costs a great deal to eradicate the Nightmare Beast Forest, and now do we also have to add in restoring normal land?”

“These people already know how great the Creator is, so why do they still do such pointless things? I really don’t understand. Anyway, our land won’t be destroyed. In the end, isn’t it they themselves who will be annihilated?”

Amid the voices of countless people, all the important figures of the main city had gathered in the research institute, while Zhu Yan was using the terminal to display all of Earth’s current movements up to this point.

“How is the situation on the City Lord’s side?” Zhu Yan asked first.

“Very safe in the residential area, but has not logged off this whole time,” someone nearby replied.

Zhu Yan had installed a forced disconnection system on He Fang’s armor to prevent He Fang from being suddenly strangled to death without realizing it. Although the death of the model wouldn’t affect the real body, the pain and fear of the model were directly linked to the actual body. They did not wish for He Fang to be harmed.

“In the current situation, what should we do? Should we wait for the City Lord to return, or should we take some action ourselves?” Yuan Zhiran also felt somewhat troubled. Although the Creator had made arrangements before leaving, it was far from enough.

“Is there a way to solve it?” Guo Miaofeng asked. The main city wasn’t experiencing any earthquakes. All the distress messages they received came from other cities, and frankly, even if they ignored them, it wouldn’t make much difference. However, if it were their Creator, it would be impossible to ignore something that would cause such massive human casualties.

“There is. Just eliminate the thing that’s currently shaking the land, then stabilize the ground. That’s all. Very simple. The Summit of the World’s idea isn’t bad, but their methods are far too crude. Dealing with it would be ridiculously easy.” Zhu Yan clearly didn’t take this years-long scheme by the Summit of the World to heart at all.

“Since the Summit of the World’s plan has already begun, that proves the Creator’s negotiations with them have failed. They don’t listen to the Creator at all,” Chong Ying cursed from the side. “They truly have no understanding of the Creator’s painstaking intentions. If they’re going to act like this, then it’d be better to just let them all die. If they’re set on courting death, we can’t stop them anyway.”

Chong Xiao gave Chong Ying a glance. Chong Ying immediately shrank his neck, no longer daring to continue his tirade.

Qi Jingwei frowned at the increasingly complicated situation before him and said, “Even though we couldn’t care less about the people of this world, the Creator doesn’t see it that way. The Creator has a strong sense of justice and cherishes every single life. If he sees us ignoring these people, he’ll definitely be angry.”

“Indeed. And I don’t want the other cities to just vanish like this either,” Lu Hu spoke up at this time. Although she said she wanted to protect the people of the other cities, her expression was clearly indifferent. “These people are an important source of revenue. We rely on them to collect money. The faster they develop, the faster we can collect money, and the faster the City Lord can open up the Nightmare Beast Forest. If they’re gone, we’ll lose a lot of income.”

Even now, everyone still has their own ideas. But in truth, they all shared one crystal-clear common goal—He Fang. As long as He Fang was safe, they couldn’t care less whether others were safe or not. And the things He Fang worried about were the only things they would even consider worrying about.

At this moment, the expressions of several deputy city lords from the mobile cities were quite unpleasant. They were people of the mobile cities and also citizens of He Fang’s city. Yet now, seeing their former compatriots, people who had once longed for a new and better life, being struck down so cruelly, sorrow quietly spread among them.

Yuan Sanjin pressed her lips together. “I know we may not have much right to speak, but there are still many people in this world who are willing to work hard to live. They still love nature, and I think perhaps they should have a better future.”

Wei Qixuan looked up at Shen Houyun. Shen Houyun’s expression was calm; upon seeing Wei Qixuan, he bent down to listen to his words, then, after a moment, replied, “I don’t care. I only care that my family remains safe and sound.”

Suddenly, Lu Hu chuckled from the side. “That modification we did on you really wasn’t in vain. You’ve truly become just like us.”

Wei Qixuan’s expression was equally subtle. He lowered his head, blinked slightly, and finally said, “I… I will carry out the City Lord’s orders. Whether or not it goes against my own will, I will obey the City Lord unconditionally.”

Qi Jingwei, seeing Wei Qixuan like this, reached out and patted the young man’s shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

At that moment, after exchanging a few words with Shi Canghai, Shi Sangtian suddenly asked, “Will it definitely fail? Since the Summit of the World went through with it, is there truly no chance of success at all?”

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone’s gaze turned to Zhu Yan. None of them really understood these matters well. Zhu Yan was the only expert here.

From the beginning, everyone’s discussion had been based on the assumption that the Summit of the World’s plan would fail, so this sudden question caught them off guard.

Zhu Yan half-narrowed his eyes, tilting his head toward Shi Sangtian. “If it could succeed, what would you do?”

Shi Sangtian froze.

But Zhu Yan spoke coldly, “If it succeeds, the world will lose more than half its land. The Summit of the World will become the savior and create an icefield. Is that what you want?”

Shi Sangtian pressed her lips together and suddenly looked toward the window. Even though the land outside had already suffered a massive impact, within the main city, there wasn’t the slightest movement—even the library had merely been rattled by the quake.

She shook her head. “Even if the Summit of the World’s plan could succeed, I would still hope that the one to ultimately save the cities would be the Mirage. In this world, City Lord He Fang is already the undisputed savior.”

Hearing this answer, Zhu Yan finally revealed a hint of satisfaction. Then, with a more serious tone, he said, “The Summit of the World’s plan will fail. You can think of Earth as a multi-layer crispy-shell ice cream that is about to melt. The goal is to remove all the crispy shell, but without the right tools, they crudely and forcefully pry off the entire shell. The final result will inevitably be the melted ice cream shattering and falling apart.”

Shi Sangtian’s face turned pale. The explanation was simple and easy to understand. There was no one present who couldn’t grasp it.

Shi Canghai stepped forward. “I believe the other mobile cities are worth protecting. Indeed, just as Minister Lu Hu said earlier, having enough people can accelerate the economy. In theory, the population we have right now is already enough to ensure the continuation of humankind. And I also believe that all of you will definitely preserve the current Hope City Alliance.

However, those people we save won’t actually be able to provide more faith value. During this time, I’ve also noticed that faith value must be extremely important to the City Lord.”

Shi Canghai’s words drew everyone’s attention to him.

“Because of your special nature, you may have little interest in us ordinary humans. But it is precisely because we ordinary humans exist that your strength can be defined. If everyone became powerful, the end of the era of the weak could very well lead to a division of classes within the cities. This world needs the weak because the strong need the weak.”

Shi Canghai spoke his viewpoint calmly.

“What’s more, the City Lord is a gentle person worthy of anyone’s respect. Surely all of you would want to see the City Lord admired by the masses, right? The more people there are who support the City Lord, the more secure he will feel about this world. No one wishes to be in a high position. You can make more people become the City Lord’s supporters, can’t you? And besides, if the City Lord were here, I’m sure he would make the decision to protect everyone.”

Shi Canghai’s words captured everyone’s attention. There were many points they didn’t care much about, but two in particular stirred them deeply:

First: The Creator would definitely want to save everyone.

Second: The Creator could be admired by all those saved in this operation.

They dreamed of the Creator feeling complete security in this world. As long as the Creator encountered no malice here, perhaps one day they could meet the real Creator instead of just his model. All this time, they had been carefully guarding the Creator. And now, if more people could help protect him, wouldn’t that be even more perfect?

Although no one had told the Creator the truth about this world yet, what if the chance arose in the future? If the Creator learned the truth and was willing to interact with this world, wouldn’t that be the most wonderful thing in existence?

Everyone began to stir restlessly.

“If we make our own choice, won’t the Creator become suspicious?” Yuan Zhiran suddenly spoke from the side.

“The Creator will become suspicious?”

At that moment, amid their conversation, a voice entered the ears of several people—hoarse and deep, yet one many of them were extremely familiar with. In an instant, everyone turned to look at Zhu Yan, or rather, at the terminal that had been placed beside him all this time.

Lu Hu raised an eyebrow slightly. “Sai Gu?”

“Long time no see, everyone.” Sai Gu’s tone was still the same—lazy and casual.

“Long time no see. Where are you now?” Qi Jingwei was somewhat excited; it had been a long time since he had seen this old friend.

“At the Summit of the World,” Sai Gu said with a faint smile.

“You can get in?” Qi Jingwei was very surprised. He hadn’t expected Sai Gu to actually go there. They had never contacted Sai Gu about this, yet Sai Gu had somehow judged on his own that he should head to the Summit of the World.

“Of course. As long as there are humans, there’s no place in this world I can’t enter.” Sai Gu’s tone carried no pride or boasting, yet his words were convincing enough. He truly had that ability.

“Then how is the Creator now?” Qi Jingwei immediately asked. This was his greatest concern. There was no need to worry about Sai Gu.

“Probably locked up,” Sai Gu replied.

“Can you get the Creator out?” Qi Jingwei asked at once. Even if it was only the model, they still had to rescue him.

But Sai Gu merely laughed, his low, hoarse voice like that of a demon from the abyss, always tempting the deep, hidden desires in the hearts of those who listened. “Why should I get him out? The Creator willingly allowed himself to be locked up.”

“Impossible!” Chong Ying’s voice immediately came from the side. “Don’t talk nonsense. Our Creator isn’t some kind of masochist.”

“Of course he’s not.” Sai Gu’s lazy tone was enough to make Chong Ying want to walk over and slap him. He was speaking far too slowly, dragging things out and making people anxious. “It’s just… he likely has another plan.”

“What plan?” Yuan Zhiran asked at once.

“Yuan Zhiran.” When Sai Gu spoke someone’s name, it always came with a gentle, lingering quality. But Yuan Zhiran had no intention of indulging him. Sai Gu chuckled. “Don’t be so rigid. Perhaps the Creator actually wants to see everything that’s happening right now.”

Yuan Zhiran was startled. “What do you mean?”

“NPC—a being that only acts according to a player’s commands or along predetermined routes. But to the Creator, we have never been NPCs, not from the very beginning. And now, even less so.”

With just that one sentence, some people were shocked, others confused.

But there wasn’t a single fool in the room.

That one line seemed to make everyone suddenly grasp something.

In the depths of their eyes, a fiery spark suddenly flared up. An ecstatic joy burning like an explosion.

The deputy city lords of the Hope City Alliance had no idea what had just happened. All they felt was that the air, which moments ago had been sluggish, suddenly ignited into a scorching heat, as if set aflame. Even the usually composed Zhu Yan was in a daze, staring blankly without the sharp brilliance he usually carried.

“Sai Gu, you’d better not be joking at a time like this. I really don’t like it.” Even Lu Hu couldn’t help but stand up now, slamming her palm down beside the terminal as if to pin Sai Gu underneath it. The beautiful woman’s face showed a trace of panic, nothing at all like her usual sly, fox-like smile.

“Sai Gu, are you serious? Are you really, really, really, really telling the truth?” Chong Ying was already on the verge of going crazy. Though fully grown, he was wearing a grin more excited than a child’s, practically bouncing right off the floor, his whole body radiating a restless, joyous energy. And behind him, Chong Xiao, though his face appeared expressionless, was, to anyone who knew him even slightly, clearly spaced out and completely absent in spirit.

Yuan Zhiran was trembling. His androgynous features were flushed with a distinct rosy hue. The corners of his eyes were red, his cheeks red, even the tip of his nose red. He looked as if he were about to cry from sheer excitement, showing a trace of boyish innocence rarely seen past youth. Beautiful beyond compare, his wide eyes were fixed intently on the terminal, as though unable to believe it.

Qi Jingwei, however, curled the corners of his lips into a fervent smile born from disbelief. He took the initiative to ask, “Old friend, you know that if you’re joking at a time like this, I won’t let you off.”

But Sai Gu only laughed, deliberately drawing out the time before revealing the truth, as if savoring everyone’s emotions. All around him, people’s urgency and frustration simmered, like they wanted to tear him apart.

“I have never joked about the Creator. Even if he wears a mask, even if he refuses to let me see his face, even if he’s never revealed a single hint of it, I still know. I know better than any of you.” Sai Gu’s lazy, drawling voice came from the terminal like a splash of cold water into already boiling oil, making the entire room erupt in an instant.

Zhu Yan’s voice trembled. The man who was usually so calm and detached could no longer contain his agitation and impatience. He pressed down his voice as he asked, “But… why? Why won’t he… won’t he tell us…?”

“Zhu Yan, you’ve always been smart. So why can’t you think straight now? I don’t know what exactly happened inside the city, but if he hasn’t said anything…” Sai Gu had always understood the human heart, and no one present would ever doubt his words. “…then it must be that he’s using his own way to accept us and the entire reality.”

All of a sudden, the whole room fell silent.

At this moment, Wei Qixuan and Shen Houyun exchanged bewildered glances, not knowing what was going on. A few of them here felt as though they had been completely shut out from the matter at hand. They didn’t dare make a sound. Wei Qixuan’s instincts told him that if he broke this atmosphere with even a single word, he would likely draw everyone’s dislike.

Lu Hu was the first to burst out into a feverish laugh—a sharp, boiling laugh that seemed to tear through the air. She laughed uncontrollably, as though she had just learned something utterly earth-shattering.

“Incredible, incredible… oh my god, my god! I thought… I thought I’d die before ever meeting the Creator. I thought I would never, ever get to see him. Wuu wuu wuu wuu wuu… Brother, brother, brother-brother-brother, is this fate? Is this fate?! Did the Creator discover it so quickly because he truly, truly loves us?”

Chong Ying was completely delirious now, burying his head into Chong Xiao’s arms and sobbing.

“You think this is something only you can feel? At my age, I’ve already resigned myself to the Creator never truly looking at us directly. You’re still just a kid.” The tall, broad-shouldered Qi Jingwei clamped a big hand over Chong Ying’s head. His voice sounded steady enough. If not for the fact that his expression was twisted out of shape from joy, it might have been convincing.

Wei Qixuan found the whole scene bizarre to the extreme. He turned to ask Yuan Zhiran what was going on, only to see that Yuan Zhiran was crying. This man, who never shed tears, now had his cheeks flushed bright red, staring in shock at the terminal ahead. Tears fell one by one, blurring his vision and making that beautiful, androgynous face look impossibly fragile.

“What on earth is going on?” Yuan Sanjin quietly moved closer to Shi Sangtian, lowering her voice to ask, “Could the Summit of the World’s plan really make them this happy? But they were discussing it normally just now, weren’t they?”

Shi Sangtian gave Yuan Sanjin a strange look. “It definitely isn’t because of the Summit of the World’s plan. It’s because of the City Lord. I don’t know the details, but it probably has to do with Mirage’s secret. Maybe it’s not something we’re meant to know.”

Yuan Sanjin’s scalp prickled. “Then… does that mean we’ve already learned too much?”

Hearing that, Shi Sangtian’s expression darkened as well. But fortunately, no one around them was paying attention to her.

Amid this fervent atmosphere, only Zhu Yan lowered his head to open the terminal. He began typing a self-destructing message, ready to send it. But then, suddenly remembered that a self-destructing message was meaningless now. Cancelling the setting, he chose instead to preserve this joy, sending it in a group message to the terminal of every single person in the main city.

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