47. The Devil
Having just returned from the dungeon, the players hadn't had time to recover, so naturally no one would sign anything.
Seeing that Queen Thetia's face, which had been full of anticipation, gradually darkened, the man's smile became even brighter.
"You simply cannot imagine how many newly developed, low-level civilizations have unwittingly become nourishment for higher civilizations, and Kirini in this instance is one of them. You should be thankful that Earth is not a democratic planet like Kirini, and will not be swayed by foolish public opinion. And I, the one who can decide the fate of a planet, happen to be not completely ignorant of the outside world."
"We should also thank the kind and friendly Lord of Illusion Star for giving us the opportunity to participate in the game and control our own destiny."
"Those who wish to sign may continue signing and then leave with Her Majesty the Queen. The rest of you may continue the game. If human civilization is destined to perish, we must at least leave behind some sparks of civilization, mustn't we?"
After the man finished speaking, he shut his mouth and looked at the camera with an expression that suggested he was waiting to see a good show.
Only then did the players gradually come to their senses. Although only a moment had passed in real time, everyone had actually spent more than a year in the instance. Suddenly faced with the debt transfer authorization letter on the game panel, everyone was stunned for a moment. After seeing what it was, their pupils dilated in shock, and they frantically tried to escape.
"I won't sign! I won't sign!"
Some people panicked.
"No, no, no! I won't sign! I don't want to be eaten by bugs!"
Some people wept bitterly.
"No, I hate bugs, they're disgusting!"
Someone was shouting themselves hoarse.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh—"
Some people even openly started vomiting in front of the camera.
The players were in complete chaos, while the audience looked utterly bewildered.
What did they experience in the dungeon? Why did everyone come out looking like they'd just swallowed flies?
[Not everyone, look, the number one on the leaderboard is doing just fine.]
[Only the top-ranked person is acting normally; everyone else seems off.]
Some people were weeping bitterly, some were vomiting violently, and others stood there motionless as if their personalities had been shattered.
I'm so curious about what exactly happened in that special dungeon!
...
Although the crew of the Homeworld were elites selected from billions of people by the spaceship's mainframe, they were still normal human beings. Even through their spacesuits, Pi Min could guess their expressions from their swaying figures.
"Work is suspended. Everyone, please return to the spaceship to rest."
As expected, due to the special instance, it took the crew twice as long as usual to change clothes. When they returned to the sanatorium lobby, they were still absent-minded and looked dejected.
Everyone's PTSD is pretty bad!
As Pi Min frowned, pondering how to resolve the crew's psychological issues, "Peppa Pig" burst into tears and threw herself into her arms.
"Waaaaah... Boss, it was so scary!" The little girl cried as she began to recount everything she had experienced in the dungeon.
"In the game, I became an alien whose planet was sold to the Zerg by a mentally unstable governor. Then, marrying a Zergman suddenly became politically correct. Those pesky Zergmen started swarming everyone, as if being single meant being at odds with the whole world."
Later, I met a special Zerg player who shielded me from all the harassment. Everyone wanted me to marry him, and although I didn't want to get married, he was exactly my type.
We even had little bugs together. Having bugs is so scary, really so scary...
One baby wasn't enough; he wanted me to have a second one. I'm so scared...
Later, I killed him and chopped him into mincemeat...
I...I...I actually chopped him into mincemeat! Waaaaah...
I was sentenced to death, but even though I was sentenced to death, that monstrous thing is still inside me... It's so scary, so really scary, waaaaah..."
The little girl spoke and cried, sobbing and rambling on, but she finally managed to get Pi Min to understand what had happened to her.
"So you're the strong woman in the news?" Looking at the delicate little girl in his arms, Pi Min couldn't connect her with the strong woman in the news who chopped up the Zerg. "Wait, no! Aren't you a minor?"
"I just look young, I'm already eighteen." The girl answered subconsciously, then suddenly looked up at Pi Min with an incredulous expression. "Huh? Boss, you mean that if you're under eighteen, you don't have to go through everything in the dungeon? I just turned eighteen the day before yesterday! Waaah, I'm so ripped off..."
That's really bad luck...
Pi Min could only pat her back helplessly and comfort her softly, "It's alright, just think of it as a nightmare."
Seeing that she looked perfectly normal, Peppa Pig's face was full of admiration: "As expected of a big shot, she can still remain calm after experiencing such a terrible thing."
Pi Min touched her nose guiltily.
She couldn't tell her that she didn't suffer at all in the dungeon. Not only did she not suffer, she even refused the tentacled play that the man was trying to get before leaving the dungeon.
Not only had she refused, but she was now even feeling a little regretful, her mind filled with the man's provocative gaze at the end. To the point that she found it difficult to look directly at the seemingly respectable man in the live stream.
"Hey, boss, why are you blushing?"
"No way! You're mistaken!"
Seeing that everyone's eyes were suddenly focused on her face, Pi Min felt her cheeks burning hotter and hurriedly gestured for everyone to continue watching the main live stream.
In the main live stream, the Lord of Earth remained calm, while Queen Kami, standing opposite him, appeared somewhat exasperated.
"What did you do to them in the copy? Why isn't there even a single person who signed it?"
Her Majesty the Empress frowned and stared at him for a long time before finally summoning her advisors to analyze the contents of the copy.
The technology of the Thetian Empire is indeed extraordinary; even a secret, special copy could not escape their analysis.
After learning the details of the dungeon, Her Majesty the Queen was furious. She slammed her hand on the table and shouted into the camera, "It's fake! It's all fake! He's lying to you! We, the Thetian insects, are not like that! Carrying our children is not painful at all! Not only is it not painful, it's even a joyful experience!"
The man nodded seriously and laughed, "Yes, you will secrete a special anesthetic substance that paralyzes the pregnant body, making the pregnant body feel like it's floating on air. Many pregnant women even become addicted to this feeling and are willing to give birth to worms for you until they die."
He paused, then looked at Her Majesty the Queen with a defiant expression: "But do you think Earthlings who have experienced special instances will still believe it?"
"You're despicable!"
Her Majesty the Queen glared angrily and shouted at the top of her lungs, which only made the man appear more composed.
"When faced with the life or death of civilization, what's the point of talking about whether it's despicable or not?"
Pi Min stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the man's outrageous actions. This guy really was a devil!
However, upon closer reflection, this is a last resort. He also mentioned that some people might become addicted to the anesthetic substances secreted by the Thetians, and if the dungeon were presented in a realistic manner, it might have the opposite effect. Don't underestimate the power of anesthetic substances to erode human willpower.
Now that he had been exposed, the man had no intention of hiding it any longer and admitted frankly, "I admit that I did lie to you in the dungeon. Giving birth to baby insects for the Thetian insect race doesn't hurt at all. On the contrary, it's quite pleasurable, like being a walking corpse, a living dead. If you want to enjoy it, you can sign the form and go with Her Majesty the Queen."
He spoke with a smile on his face, his starry eyes shining brightly, showing no sign of guilt at being exposed for lying, but rather a smug satisfaction at his successful scheme.
Seeing that he admitted to lying, Queen Camille breathed a sigh of relief and waited expectantly for the players to sign.
Unfortunately, the reactions from the players disappointed her.
"No! No, I won't sign! I won't sign!"
"I don't want to have worms! I won't, I won't!"
"I'd rather continue playing the game than sign it, even if it kills me!"
...
Whether it was the Earth Lord's words that triggered bad memories or not, the players reacted very strongly. Some shook their heads repeatedly, some sat on the ground curled up in a ball, and some even rushed into the bathroom to vomit violently.
This lesson, though harsh, was undeniably effective. It had already inflicted psychological trauma on the person; it wasn't something that could be swayed by a few casual words.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Queen Camille was completely dejected.
"I've heard that once the Insect Queen chooses a mate, there's no second chance." Even at this critical moment, some fearless individual continued to add fuel to the fire, "Poor Your Majesty, are you about to become the first Insect Queen in the history of the Thetian Insect race to be unable to find a mate? I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers the warning I gave you when we first met..."
Don't love me, it's a dead end!
His smile was so bright it was almost an eyesore, and Her Majesty the Queen finally couldn't take it anymore.
"On the level of civilization, I have indeed lost, but that doesn't mean I can't do anything to you. Killing one of you is as easy for me as crushing an ant."
Unfortunately, this person was like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water, standing tall and proud, striking a pose as if he were ready to bravely face his execution.
"I know, go ahead and do it if you want. I'm not actually that afraid of dying."
Everyone couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for him.
Queen Camille had already reached out her hand, but she abruptly pulled it back a second before she could grab his neck.
"Do you think I'm stupid? Killing you now would only enhance your heroic reputation. You risked infamy and exhausted yourself to resist alien invasion, all to preserve the spark of civilization, only to be cruelly murdered by enraged alien invaders and die a heroic death in front of all mankind. You wish!"
"The fallen heroes live on forever! You wish to die, but I will not grant your wish!" Queen Kamie gritted her teeth. "I can spare you, and I can spare all mankind, but I have one condition."
The man looked up incredulously: "What are the conditions?"
"Give the little cutie to me!"
Upon hearing this, the man's smile vanished instantly.
"Let's change the condition, she won't do!"
"Why?"
"Because... she's number one in this district."
"But I want her!"
"no!"
...
The two in the main live stream were arguing heatedly, while Pi Min, watching from outside the screen, looked completely bewildered.
"What does this have to do with me?" She's not Helen from Greek mythology, whose unparalleled beauty captivated everyone. How did she suddenly get dragged into this?
Seeing that the Lord of Earth would not budge an inch, Queen Kamie became enraged and openly began to use force.
"If I can't force you, can't I at least take her away?"
"If I can't exterminate all human women, surely I can take one of them away?"
"It's just a stupid game, does it really think it's the ultimate truth?"
"Bang--"
The spacetime shield on his body suddenly exploded, and Pi Min was shocked to find that he was once again feeling that strange pulling sensation that seemed to transcend spacetime.
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