Chapter 18 The Infinite Boss Invites You to "Eat Melon" 18. Lu Yu...
Why are you unwilling?
Lu Yu countered with a question.
Before the gossip system could reply, he continued, "I know what you mean, system. Putting all these entries together tonight, even a fool could see that Yan Zhi's approach to me is very likely to purify the pollution."
"He somehow learned about my abilities and, whether to survive or for some other reason, he approached me."
"But so what?"
Lu Yu said, "Just because he harbors such a purpose, should I assume that everything he shows me is a lie and a deception, without any sincerity, and then not purify or save him, but let him fall into severe pollution and collapse and die?"
"Although I still can't guess your identity or background, if I were that kind of person, you wouldn't have come looking for me."
The gossip system is somewhat speechless.
After Lu Yu finished speaking, he raised the corners of his lips and added with great certainty, "Furthermore, as I said, I don't think he's acting. He definitely likes me, really likes me."
The Gossip-Eating System: [...If only this system were as confident as its host.]
Lu Yu: "That's slander and jealousy!"
A small yellow face with a "hehe" smile popped up on the projector.
It seems the gossip-eating system has evolved again these past few days, now even using emojis.
After exchanging a few jokes, Lu Yu's mind, which had been weighed down by the heavy information, unconsciously relaxed.
Lu Yu had always considered himself an ordinary person. His life's to-do list consisted of nothing special except for working, slacking off, eating, drinking, sleeping, and so on. A few days ago, a system appeared, along with games, players, and dungeons, which was already enough to shock his worldview. Now, the sudden addition of saving the world—a major event that only exists in the superhero universe—was truly hard for him to digest.
Fortunately, there was a buffer for such a major event; at least the gossip system didn't make him pick up a kitchen knife and fight that unknown game to the death right now.
Lu Yu paused for a moment, wiped his face, and spoke again, much calmer: "System, judging from your attitude and actions, you should be on the same side as me and Blue Star, and also want to destroy that game. Of course, I can't rule out that you're scheming or acting, but at least for now, I choose to believe you."
"So, can you be clear about what my most urgent task is right now? To find the fragments of my lost divinity?"
Lu Yu gleaned key insights from the system and the players' performance.
"Yes, host," the gossip-eating system said, "only by collecting all the godhood fragments can the host and Earth contend with the game."
Lu Yu stroked his chin: "The power of the people is great. Can I mobilize the masses and seek everyone's help?"
The system paused for a moment, then said: "The host may not yet understand what 'Blue Star being completely polluted' means. There are no normal beings here who can help the host anymore. Neither the supernatural nor ordinary NPCs have any concept of pollution or purification; they are used to everything."
Everyone knows that mental pollution is rampant, but besides the host, only the player will go to the hospital for treatment.
Lu Yu paused for a moment: "Then the doctor who treats mental pollution..."
The "Gossip System": [Most cases are incurable. Only a very small number, having come into contact with fragments of the host's divine essence for various reasons, possess a slight ability to alleviate the contamination, but this is only a temporary solution.]
Lu Yu fell silent.
After a moment, he said, "The game won't let me collect all the fragments. It's taking action, but it doesn't seem to be able to do anything directly. It has to rely on the player?"
Whether it's the way the game repeatedly invades new worlds, or this so-called story mission, it all seems to point to this.
The gossip system confirmed Lu Yu's guess: [Yes, host. No matter how powerful a game is, it's still just a "game." In your human terms, it needs to operate within certain procedures and rules. Unless its core is attacked and a counterattack is necessary, it generally lacks direct means of detection and attack; it can only rely on its "tentacles," that is, the players, to achieve its goals.]
"So, by killing or purifying as many players as possible, we can remove its 'tentacles' and weaken its 'power'?" Lu Yu paused, as if thinking of something. "Last time, when Blue Star and White Horse Star joined forces, they must have thought of these things and put them into action, right?"
"But the result..."
The "Gossip System" reports: [The host has purified and recruited enough players, but still failed to attack the core of the game. The reason for the failure is unknown.]
Lu Yu said, "I don't have any of these memories. Have I lost my true memories from nine years ago to five years ago?"
The "Gossip System": [The host has not lost any memories. It's just that five years ago, the host's divine essence shattered. For protection, the relevant memories were blurred by the fragment of divine essence remaining in the host's body. In the future, they will gradually be restored as the other fragments of divine essence return.]
After a series of questions and answers, Lu Yu roughly understood the situation of this grand plan to save the world, and couldn't help but sigh: "According to you, even if I find the fragments of the godhood this time and purify and win over enough players, as long as there is no new way to break through the core of the game, it will just be repeating the path that has already failed."
"Furthermore, I can't sense the fragment of divinity, and you don't know what it is or where it is, right?"
"Yes, host. But please be sure to actively search for it. Once it falls into the hands of a player and is marked by the game, given your current situation, it will be very difficult to retrieve it," the gossip-eating system said. "Furthermore, regarding breaking through the game's core, you are the first human to directly confront and fight against it. Perhaps the key to breaking through the core lies within yourself."
Lu Yu grasped the key point: "I'm the first, so does that mean there will be a second, or even a third? Who are he, or they?"
The gossip-eating system remained silent for two seconds before displaying the line of text that Lu Yu hated most: 【This system is limited by the host's cognition and…】
Lu Yu: "..."
Lu Yu closed his eyes, covered his throbbing head, and slammed himself into the blankets with a thud.
The Gossip System: [Host, Blue Star has already failed once. This time there may be a better way, or there may be nothing but the unwillingness to try again.]
Host, would you like to try one more time?
Lu Yu opened his eyes: "...I wish I could say 'I do' for the first time at my wedding with Yan Zhi."
The gossip-eating system: [?]
"Don't worry," Lu Yu said calmly, "It's just another try. This time it will definitely work."
These words were spoken casually, but the gossip system detected seriousness and determination in them.
And with that, this grand plan to save the world has finally come to an end.
Lu Yu glanced at the time and felt that he could sleep for another three or four hours to save himself, otherwise he would definitely die of overwork at work tomorrow. So he pulled up the blanket, quickly adjusted his state, and prepared to fall asleep.
Lu Yu didn't know if the other saviors went to work, but his savings clearly didn't support him quitting.
Of course, if he succeeds in saving the world and the higher-ups are willing to give him a permanent position where he can happily collect his salary simply by clocking in every day, he would definitely dare to resign.
With a fond fantasy of a leisurely life, Lu Yu dispelled the last vestiges of gloom and prepared to fall asleep.
He thought that after experiencing so much during the day, and then being burdened with so much pain and responsibility at night, he wouldn't be able to sleep. But in fact, he fell asleep quickly and soundly.
This shows that slacking off at a music festival is really tiring.
The gossip-eating system: [...]
Although the host's memories have not yet been fully restored, their acceptance of these big secrets is surprisingly high.
Lu Yu, who was quite accepting of the situation, fell asleep, while the players, who were less accepting, had already recovered from the immense shock.
"That was..."
Just now, Liu Xian barely managed to control his courage and not hide all the people in the van. Now that he has come to his senses, the expression on his face is still a little confused.
Although their team had many surveillance methods, they were all remote images, none of which allowed them to observe the situation at the Morning Dusk Apartment in person. Even so, Liu Xian's wide-open eyes still held the images as if he had just witnessed everything firsthand, with incredibly clear images remaining.
It was a strange creature scrambling to emerge, a surging, black pollution like a tsunami, and an invisible, terrifying force that erupted with a roar and suppressed everything just as the strange creature and pollution were about to engulf the entire old building.
Even more so—
The source of this power, the master of this skyscraper, lingers at the infinite height of the instance, casting its enormous shadow. And yet, it has also quietly appeared on the rooftop balcony, hiding in the darkness, the final boss looking down on everything.
Lu Yu.
Is this Lu Yu's true nature?
Old Bai swallowed hard, his mind reeling, completely unable to shake off the terrifying image of Lu Yu appearing on the dark balcony, suppressing everything in his mind: "The captain said before that he could be spied on by the Little Book, and the Little Book hadn't reacted yet. He's too powerful, disdainful of the ants at his feet, and doesn't bother with us. At the time, I didn't quite believe it..."
Even Jiang Yan's usually calm face showed a rare look of fear.
She frowned deeply: "It seems we were right to be cautious and not act rashly. That absolute suppressive power just now was very likely the power of rules."
"The power of rules!" Lao Bai and Liu Xian were shocked and looked at Jiang Yan in unison. "Captain, is the power of rules you're talking about the same power of rules that we understand?"
“Yes,” Jiang Yan said, “it is the power of the world’s rules.”
In the database of Smile Games, there are some introductions about the power of world rules that many players have consulted.
"How could a human possibly control the power of the world's rules?!" Liu Xian exclaimed incredulously. "No, this is a Boss, not a human, but... this Boss is so powerful, how are we supposed to fight it?!"
Jiang Yan looked solemn, sighed, and remained silent.
The same scene unfolded at this very moment in several player squads.
The players were terrified by the terrifying power Lu Yu displayed in that instant, and almost all of them were filled with dread.
There were only two exceptions.
In a secluded space within the Morning and Evening Apartment Complex, Pei Yanzhi gazed at the 13th Building, which was completely dark and peaceful in the distance. He chuckled softly, then moved away, his shoulders draped in a light drizzle.
In a nearby residence, Ji Chengchuan finally stopped his struggle of trying to save people but being prevented from doing so.
I want to be alone.
He covered his face, slumped down on the sofa, looking utterly dejected.
Seeing this, the admirers exchanged glances and reluctantly withdrew from his side.
Most of them were not his teammates, but other squads, such as Dreamcatcher and players under Blade King.
After the SSS-level dungeon story mission officially began, apart from the top ten teams authorized to participate, all other S-level players were temporarily excluded from the SSS-level dungeons. During the mission, except for being matched into a dungeon when it opened, they could no longer freely roam within the "Fool's Kingdom." Therefore, many more admirers couldn't come even if they wanted to, and only they, tacitly, briefly monopolized Ji Chengchuan.
"Why are they limiting the number of players? Isn't it better to have more people to find and steal items?" Tieshan had also wondered this when he accepted the story quest last night. "Smiling Games fully opened up the dungeons during the exploration quests, so why are they restricting them now..."
"Of course, the more people you have, the better when it comes to finding and stealing things. But what we're looking for and stealing isn't ordinary stuff; it's fragments of divine power. And the people we'll be dealing with in this process aren't ordinary people either; they're SSS-level dungeon bosses. How can that be the same?" The handsome young man, who hadn't yet expected to be sent away by Pei Yanzhi on the first day of the mission, snuggled up to Ji Chengchuan and rolled his eyes at him.
"What's different?" Tieshan frowned.
The handsome young man didn't want to pay attention to this physically strong guy, but since Ji Chengchuan was still watching, he answered anyway: "The exploration mission is to gather intelligence, so of course the more people the better. Besides, the target is not clear at this time, and the time is short. Even if there are a few brutes, they won't cause any big trouble."
"But formal story missions are different. The objectives are clear, the time is long, and the range of bosses is limited to two. The large number of players entering means a higher risk of exposure and more trouble. Rather than letting a bunch of low-level players with little ability do more harm than good, it is better to select a small but elite team, choosing only the top ten elite teams, to achieve the goal with relatively little impact."
"This is also why Smile Games has not fully revealed the storyline of the SSS-level dungeon."
"The game is far more shrewd than any player. Do you really think it's just a mechanical idiot that only knows how to issue tasks?" the handsome young man scoffed.
Tieshan didn't respond.
Ji Chengchuan completely agreed with the idea of a handsome young man.
Smile Games has a well-thought-out plan for its arrangements for S-level players.
However, besides the fact that there are too many players of varying quality who might cause trouble for the mission, Ji Chengchuan believes that there is another reason why the game limits the top ten teams: the SSS-level dungeon "Fool's Kingdom" is not really under its control and is hostile to it. If too many players cause problems in their actions, "Fool's Kingdom" will enter a phase similar to premature awakening, and the two sides will have a huge conflict that Smile Games does not want to face at present.
This was not Ji Chengchuan's wild guess, but rather a deduction based on his interactions with Smiling Game and various clues from the dungeons.
When Ji Chengchuan obtained the first fragment of the Divine Essence, entered the core of the game, and talked to it, learning that it possessed a consciousness similar to that of a life form, he stopped believing in the Smiling Game.
The talk of a master and a divine artifact was nothing but a lie to trick him into becoming a tool for searching for fragments; Ji Chengchuan only pretended to believe it. If it weren't for the smiley face still etched on the back of his hand, indicating that he might be controlled by the game, he wouldn't even have bothered to pretend.
He searched for fragments of divinity solely for his own ambition; he never intended to give the fragments he obtained to Smiling Game, even though he himself could not absorb and fuse them.
However, Ji Chengchuan believed that this inability to integrate was only temporary and was due to unsuitable physical constitution.
One of his special abilities is devouring. If he devours the owner of a godhood fragment and acquires their physique, he might be able to fuse with the fragment and become a god himself. At that point, whether he breaks free from the game's control or devours the game itself, wouldn't that be a piece of cake? This is far more realistic than the empty promises made by Smiling Games.
Therefore, Ji Chengchuan's true goal, besides the fragments of godhood, is the final boss.
Of course, his current focus is mainly on the former. Devouring the Boss is not something he can think about right now; he'll have to wait until the Boss battle.
If the Boss fails to obtain many divine fragments and his strength is greatly reduced, he can then leverage the power of Smiling Game to devour him.
Ji Chengchuan's greed and ambition never faded.
Tonight, after witnessing Lu Yu's power at the Morning and Evening Apartments, the feeling was even stronger than ever before.
The admirers have left.
In the empty living room, Ji Chengchuan slowly lowered his hand that had been covering his face. Beneath his hand, there were no tears of sorrow for Tieshan, only a pair of eyes filled with greed.
"Tie Shan's life is still very valuable. Although he failed to find out whether there were any divine fragments in the Dawn and Dusk Apartments, saving me an exploration point, he did trigger the Boss's attack."
"The power of rules is truly formidable. Soon... soon, they will all belong to me."
Ji Chengchuan looked out the window towards the Morning Dusk Apartments, his eyes shining frighteningly brightly, but deep within them lay a darkness he himself had never noticed, the color of which was exactly the same as the black smiley face of the Smiling Game.
...
Friday, eight o'clock, another morning before work. Lu Yu was startled awake by the alarm clock, wearily opened his eyes, got up, and staggered out of the bedroom.
Fieldwork doesn't require clocking in at the company, so being a little late is fine as long as it's not too serious. So Lu Yu wasn't in a hurry. He tidied himself up, heated up a sandwich, ate and drank his fill, and then slung his bag over his shoulder and went downstairs.
"Little Lu, you're just leaving? It's really late today, isn't it?" As soon as Lu Yu stepped out of Building 13, he ran into Grandma Feng, who was playing cards with a few old friends under the shade of a tree. When she saw Lu Yu, she waved her palm-leaf fan and teased him with a smile.
"When we're out on fieldwork, we don't clock in. It's fine if we're a little late," Lu Yu replied with a smile, his expression normal.
“You young people are really not in a hurry these days,” Uncle Zhou said, having finished his walk and now taking his dog for a stroll, dragging his burly husky out of the building. “Back in our day, we couldn’t wait to get to work, do our jobs well, and make a good impression. Times have really changed…”
As they were talking, the elevator beeped again, and a boy with a backpack, bronze skin, and a strangely blank expression rushed out and ran off in a flurry.
"It seems to be the new tenant on your twelfth floor. They were making a scene last night, trying to move out..."
"Oh dear, it's been empty for so long, and now it's been rented out again? Hopefully, it'll stay longer this time."
"If you ask me, that house has a problem with its feng shui..."
Under the shade of the trees, the old men and women huddled together, gossiping.
Lu Yu walked past them.
Along the way, young people rushing to work yawned incessantly, hurrying along, some carrying backpacks, others lunchboxes. Melodious music floated in the air above the small square, where a group of elderly people were practicing slow, graceful Tai Chi. Children not yet of school age rode scooters and rolled balls, chasing each other, laughing and playing on the small lawn, followed by the worried "Be careful!" and "Slow down!" from adults.
As Lu Yu stepped out of the community gate, he looked back at his residence for the first time in five years.
His gaze swept over children, the elderly, and young people, over the lush green trees above their heads, and over the apartment buildings behind the trees, finally settling on a shapeless cloud.
For a fleeting moment, he seemed to see the Morning Dusk Apartments shrouded in the cloud. It was dark and distorted, as if it had been completely swallowed up by some terrifying shadow, mired in a churning darkness.
After a two-second pause, Lu Yu looked away.
“System,” he began, “that boy on the twelfth floor, he’s the player who infiltrated last night, right? For some reason, he lost his memory, or something else, but in any case, he became a temporary resident of the Dawn and Dusk Apartments?”
The Gossip System: [Yes, host. Last night, when he infiltrated, he was captured by the eerie "Empty Room" on the twelfth floor, his perception was altered, and he became a puppet that walks outside the twelfth floor.]
Lu Yu nodded without saying anything.
He once said that he wasn't a saint and wouldn't save just anyone. He was being lenient by not kicking someone who tried to break into his house in the middle of the night with ill intentions.
Lu Yu stood outside the residential compound and, instead of taking the subway, hailed a taxi.
After boarding, the gossip system swayed back and forth, displaying the message: "Host, have you decided how to find this fragment of divine essence?"
The gossip-eating system couldn't resist asking cautiously. It was too late yesterday, so it was too embarrassed to ask Lu Yu more questions, but now it couldn't hold back anymore.
As Lu Yu replied to the message with his head down, he said in his mind, "I've thought it through, I'm not going to look for them."
"Not looking?!" The projection of the gossip system almost jumped up.
Lu Yu remained calm. He raised an eyebrow slightly, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Didn't you say that this fragment of divine essence has already come to my side? Neither I, you, the game, nor the players know exactly what it is, nor can we lock onto it. Moreover, as long as the players cannot obtain it, once the four days are up, the fragment of divine essence will automatically fuse into my body."
"So, in summary, it seems that the players and I are on the same starting line, both of us are looking for Godhood fragments and neither of us knows what they are, but in reality, they are the attackers and I am the defenders."
"There are ways to attack and there are strategies to defend. If you mix them up, you will lose your advantage. What I want to do is never to blindly search for fragments like the players. Instead, I want to create obstacles for the players and prevent them from finding the fragments. It doesn't matter whether they fail or not, I don't need to find the fragments. When the time comes, they will naturally merge."
"Looking at it this way, isn't the difficulty much lower and more targeted?" Lu Yu said. "It's hard to say about the rest, but at least doing this with the first fragment is the best strategy."
The system, seemingly finding this plausible, but worried about being misled again, asked: "If you intend to obstruct players, what strategy do you plan to employ?"
"You'll find out when the time comes." Lu Yu didn't intend to say more.
The car stopped, and Lu Yu thanked the driver, opened the car door, and got out.
At this point, the gossip system noticed that Lu Yu had driven to the police station, not the music festival.
The text projected on the system immediately jumped up: 【Wait, host! This system is telling the truth, it really isn't trying to scam you! Please believe this system!】
Lu Yu: "..."
He glanced at the projection screen in front of him, said nothing, stepped across the street, and walked into the telecommunications business hall opposite the police station: "Hello, I need to replace my SIM card."
The gossip-eating system: [...]
Sorry, I overreacted.
A note from the author:
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