Chapter 231
It wasn't just these players who were terrified; even Xu Ji and the others, who had already come into contact with the divine contract, couldn't help but stare at their divine favored emblems with astonishment on their faces.
"How is this possible?"
It is well known that the conditions for becoming a chosen one of the gods are extremely demanding, but no one knows just how demanding they are.
To put it simply, as the game has progressed to this point, the number of people with divine favor recorded in this world is no more than thirty.
—No more than thirty out of 300 million people, truly one in ten thousand.
And now, dozens of people favored by the gods have appeared all at once—it's unheard of!
Xu Ji couldn't help but glance at the Divine Dragon Emblem.
Almost all gods and their followers in this world are directly connected, but only the five-clawed golden dragon can disperse its power and bestow blessings upon the entire group.
By having the guild leader sign a contract with the Golden Dragon, the guild's main members can receive protection and become "divine followers."
It has the implication that "one person who attains enlightenment can protect all directions".
Therefore, although Xu Ji possessed the insignia, he was not a god-level player.
There is no harm without comparison.
Seeing that these players hadn't gone through any trials or performed exceptionally well, and had only made a few self-deprecating remarks to gain Xie Xubai's favor, Xu Ji couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, thinking about how he had worked diligently all this time but hadn't been able to become a proper member of the dragon's family.
Just as he was thinking this, his other hand suddenly emitted a soft golden light.
Golden patterns appeared on the back of the hand, vaguely outlining a semi-circular pattern.
The shape is very similar to Xie Xubai's family emblem—two hands embracing the earth as if it were home, signifying "protection".
Xu Ji, who was initially feeling somewhat disappointed and resentful, no longer had time to ponder his thoughts. He was so frightened that his scalp tingled and his face turned deathly pale.
He clutched the incomplete emblem tightly, fearing the dragon would suspect his faith was impure, and hurriedly whispered his stance: "Thank God, thank God? Thank you for your kindness, but I cannot accept it!"
There was no movement for several seconds.
Xu Ji cautiously raised his hand to take a look.
Haha!
The golden light clearly outlined a smiling face, not some emblem of a chosen one of the gods.
The golden light shifted again, swiftly outlining a string of characters: [If I had known the Golden Dragon Ancestor was so protective, I wouldn't have dared to snatch them so easily. Thank you for looking after Yan Chuyi and the others; I entrust them to Dianfeng to keep a close eye on them as well.]
Xu Ji was both amused and exasperated, thinking that perhaps the president and the others had predicted it correctly. Xie Xubai was indeed a young deity who had not been born for long, and beneath his kind and benevolent appearance lay an unusually lively mind.
He looked at the words "protecting one's own" again, and his tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed. His slight resentment at not being chosen by the gods also dissipated without him realizing it.
The excited chatter around them continued, but after their initial joy, the players realized something was wrong. Why were their badges incomplete, unlike those of the top players?
Yan Chuyi came out and explained, "Because they are just markings."
The mark signifies that the gods are always watching them, thus demonstrating that they are all qualified to become divinely favored, but whether they can truly resonate with the will of the gods remains to be seen.
The conditions for awakening are said to be harsh, but perhaps a desperate act of unwavering resistance in a desperate situation can activate it, as seen in Xu Qingran and Gravity Player.
But if it weren't strict, how could an outburst of willpower be so easy and simple?
Perhaps players will never awaken in their lifetime; the so-called mark is nothing more than a carrot dangling in front of them.
After hearing Yan Chuyi's explanation, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads. The enthusiastic players instantly fell silent, plunging into a deathly stillness.
Looking at the silent crowd, Yan Chuyi asked in a low voice, "Are you disappointed?"
After a long silence, someone suddenly laughed loudly: "Big Brother Chu, what do you take us for? How could we be disappointed? We didn't have a chance before, but now at least we have one!"
Immediately, someone optimistically chimed in: "Yes! No matter how big the opportunity is, who wouldn't want to challenge Infinite Game face to face? Who doesn't dream of making a name for themselves and protecting their country? Having a path to advancement is always better than having none!"
"Yes, if it were really that easy to become a chosen one of the gods, we would suspect that we have fallen into some kind of trap!"
The saddest thing in the world is watching a building crumble before your eyes and realizing that you are powerless to stop it.
Not to mention everyone, at least the vast majority of players, when they first entered the game, thought about making a big splash, but in the end, they found that the desperate struggle of ordinary people was completely ineffective in the game.
Only meaningful deaths are considered sacrifices; those who rush in and get slapped to death by the monster are not even cannon fodder.
So I asked myself that question more than once.
What is the meaning of surviving? What is the meaning of being chosen?
There are over eight billion people on Earth, so why didn't God choose the capable ones to redeem the planet, but instead chose the incompetent and ordinary one?
Until this moment, I saw the emblem of a divinely favored person in a semi-awakened state on the back of his hand.
My emotions were in turmoil, and the pent-up frustration that had been building up in my chest for so long was finally released. It felt as if I had been pulled out of a rushing, icy stream and was finally able to breathe freely.
—It is only because those feelings of inferiority, cowardice, and hesitation break free from their shackles at this moment and gain the motivation to move forward.
This turn of events caused some players who had initially decided to stay to change their minds; they wanted to try their luck at obtaining the Awakening Emblem in the upper levels.
However, the furnace needed someone to guard it, so some people chose to stay with the elderly and children of lower levels. Even a few high-level players volunteered to guard the second floor.
They said, "With us here, nothing will happen on this floor. If you encounter danger on the upper floors, don't forget that you have a way back."
Soon, Xie Xubai and his group were all ready to head to the third floor.
After they left, the remaining players suddenly felt a sense of loneliness, looked at each other, and didn't know what to do for a moment.
Some people were idly wandering outside when they spotted a corpse exposed after the snow melted.
As the temperature rises, their skin gradually turns dark red, seemingly showing signs of cracking and rotting.
The player immediately became alert and quickly ran back to ask, "Were the downfall of many dynasties in history related to plagues?"
"Plague?" The player being questioned suddenly remembered that Xie Xubai had told him to pay attention to any unusual changes around him when he left, especially the corpses. He quickly ran out to check the situation.
In just over ten minutes, the skin of those corpses had completely rotted away, with plump white maggots crawling all over them. A foul stench emanated from the blackened, festering flesh, stinging one's eyes.
His vision went black, he covered his nose, and said hurriedly, "Call everyone over, we need to deal with the body quickly!"
There's no doubt that any negative changes that defy common sense are definitely the system secretly sabotaging things!
It is known that the upper and lower levels of the Black Tower are connected. If the felling of trees on the upper level causes extreme temperatures on the lower level, then the plague on the lower level will inevitably spread to the upper level.
These players were thankful that they had stayed, otherwise they didn't know what serious consequences might have occurred.
The remaining players were quite shrewd; they knew that with their limited manpower, it was impossible to clear the entire floor of corpses before the plague spread.
So they simply started with the giant furnace, controlling the heat transmission area to refreeze the decomposing corpses, then donned protective gear and began cleaning from important areas near water sources. After the corpses were brought back, they were disinfected before being cremated.
Thanks to my experience of being with Xie Xubai and the others these past few days, I've been able to calm down a lot thanks to what I've seen and heard.
In the past, they certainly wouldn't have been able to think so calmly and solve problems so methodically.
Ink wash space.
Theseus, panting, raised his head, his face pale, a trace of blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth.
He looked at the second level of the Black Tower and couldn't help but sneer, "Fool."
Xie Xubai was also observing the situation on the second level.
The remaining markings allowed him to temporarily channel divine power to help the players cope with the crisis, and the outcome was even more gratifying than he had anticipated.
Hearing Theseus's mockery, he raised his eyes, his expression icy, wondering if the system had set some other trap.
The next second, Theseus's head slammed hard onto the chessboard.
Bang!
The blow was extremely powerful; Xie Xubai even heard the cracking sound of his skull breaking.
Theseus instantly clenched his fists and pressed them against the table. The veins on the back of his hands and temples bulged out in a ferocious manner. His flushed and taut face was mixed with the blood flowing down his forehead. It seemed as if something was pressing down on his head, and no matter how much he struggled, he could not stand up.
Realizing that struggling was futile, Theseus simply flung his hands away and slumped onto the table, his laughter growing even more wicked: "Accelerating your rotting in front of those people, what else could you be but a fool?"
Xie Xubai suddenly realized that Theseus was mocking the system—the system was indeed trying to induce the second layer of pollution to erupt by creating a plague.
He frowned, not sensing the system appearing in this space. Then Theseus's head snapped back and slammed heavily onto the chessboard again, making a loud thud!
"You're getting angry now, huh? Looks like you've had your share of setbacks with the evil god." Theseus grinned gloatingly.
The system's mechanical voice appeared directly in Theseus's mind, radiating murderous intent: "While I was away, what did you reveal to Xie Xubai?"
Theseus grinned innocently: "I didn't understand what you were saying..."
Before his thoughts could even reach him, his mind suddenly felt as if a sharp knife had been plunged into it, the intense pain causing him to feel dizzy and lightheaded.
When he came to his senses, the system was grabbing his hair and forcing him to look up and show his whole face to Xie Xubai.
Xie Xubai's brows suddenly furrowed, but he did not make any rash moves. His eyes darkened slightly, as if he was considering something.
Theseus knew without a doubt that the other party was analyzing and speculating just how bad his relationship with the system had become, and whether there was any possibility of sowing discord or provocation.
For some reason, Theseus suddenly remembered something he had heard someone say: that those with clear minds have eyes as bright as mirrors, and no wicked thoughts can escape their notice.
Theseus looked closely into Xie Xubai's eyes and, sure enough, saw his own disheveled reflection in them.
His face was covered in blood, his nose was bruised and swollen, and he was breathing heavily with difficulty. He looked just like a villain who was cannon fodder in the final episode of a story.
So far, Theseus still had the mood to laugh out loud.
Suddenly, he felt a chill on his face as the system forcibly removed the cognitive interference!
When Theseus unexpectedly saw himself wearing the other's face in Xie Xubai's clear, bright eyes, his expression, which had seemed indifferent to everything in the world, suddenly changed.
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