PGVCW 29

Playing God in Various Catastrophic Worlds

​Chapter 29: The Immortal Sect Saves the World

With the steady enhancement of her Faith Power, the maximum number of living souls Xia Wang'an could transport across dimensional realms had now increased to twenty. Yet even with twenty gifted ability users, they clearly lacked the physical capacity to move the massive, tangled agglomerations of agricultural crops that blanketed the entirety of Wangtian City. Consequently, the strategic initiative to manufacture large-scale mechanical puppets for resource logistics was formally proposed. While transporting massive personnel cohorts across dimensional barriers remained strictly restricted, lifeless mechanical constructs could bypass this limitation—an operational parameter Xia Wang'an verified via empirical testing. With this breakthrough, sovereign nations rolled up their sleeves, pulled out their deepest technological trump cards, and frantically began forging mechanical automatons. When the cataclysm first struck, severe ecological contamination had forced humanity to wear full protective suits whenever venturing outdoors, prompting nations to pour all their efforts into robotic engineering. Had resources not dwindled year by year, contemporary civilization would likely have evolved into a paradigm where humanity dwelled safely within subterranean sanctuaries while mechanical puppets scoured the surface for energy and purged mutant beasts. Yet presently, the existential dread of resource scarcity had been completely eclipsed by absolute starvation.

Although framed as a five-nation coalition, any observer with eyes and a shred of common sense could see that the Salvation Initiative was spearheaded by the Xia State, which had also shouldered the greatest investment of resources. Naturally, one could also argue that since the primary operational theater resided within Xia territory, a heavier Xia contribution was only logical. Yet this was not the era before the cataclysm; back when resources were abundant and major powers enjoyed high living standards, they were willing to extend a helping hand when other nations fell into distress. At present, when nations were struggling just to feed their own people, who would painstakingly expend vital energy to harvest provisions only to hand them over to idle foreign states? Among the surviving nations, not a single one was foolish. If the meager rations Xia had previously distributed were meant to offer a taste of sweetness, the current juncture demanded that all allied states pull their weight. Of course, nations could choose not to contribute, but under the principle of reaping what one sows, everyone was free to perform as they saw fit.

Staring at the vast quantities of grain displayed on the video feeds, the four allied nations naturally performed with desperate intensity. Resting and returning to the Xia State, Xia Wang'an gazed out at the open grounds densely packed with mechanical automatons, momentarily experiencing the surreal sensation of viewing the terracotta warrior legions lined up in a history textbook. Pointing at the robots, she asked the accompanying recorder, "Didn't you say resources were scarce? How were so many of these manufactured?" The recorder chuckled warmly, "As for resources, if you dig deep and squeeze hard, you can always squeeze some out." Xia Wang'an achieved sudden enlightenment. Taking advantage of the inventory auditing process, she slipped quietly into the culinary domain. Facing the head chef with an unyielding expression, he stated, "There are no more desserts; you have eaten every single one." Xia Wang'an maintained a blank expression, "As for desserts, if you dig deep and squeeze hard, you can always squeeze some out." The chef was rendered speechless.

He attempted a final, desperate struggle, "Wang'an, the nutritionist stated that you cannot consume excessive sweets; it is detrimental to your physical constitution and may induce toothaches." Xia Wang'an replied, "I firmly believe my dental architecture remains healthy and aligned." With that, she flashed a standard, eight-teeth radiant smile. The chef fell silent. Ultimately, he silently produced a hidden small cake, tendering the item while making sure to issue a solemn warning, "Remember to brush your teeth after consuming it; should the medical examination results prove unfavorable, no matter what you say next time, I will not grant you any more." Xia Wang'an departed with her confectionery acquisition in absolute contentment.

007 remained utterly perplexed: [Host, why bother negotiating when you can simply track the aroma and seize it directly?] It aggressively proffered a tactical alternative: [Should compliance be withheld, simply incinerate it with spiritual fire; what remains inaccessible to our collective shall never be attained by external entities.] [How could I ever rob my own sect kin?] Xia Wang'an radiated serene self-satisfaction: [Besides, I genuinely enjoy this dynamic; it possesses profound entertainment value.] Her initial gastronomic attraction to confectionery had been merely a passing whim, but when the nutritionist deemed excessive sugar consumption harmful and began intensive persuasion protocols to curb her intake, Xia Wang'an's psychic appetite for sweets instantly surged by two hundred percent. Lacking full comprehension, 007 maintained absolute obedience to whatever its Host declared, instantly executing a spineless philosophical inversion: [Understood, Host! I shall likewise supervise your dental wellness with utmost diligence!]

Consuming the hard-won pastry, the Savior cheerfully dispatched successive waves of mechanical puppets into the mutated flora dimension. Midway through, she also dispatched a few select groups of specialized ability operators. Relative to the nation's total population, specialized ability users were undeniably scarce, and those under twenty years of age were rarer still. Yet searching diligently, a considerable number could still be found. These youthful ability users—whose primary vocation was likely academic study while their secondary duty was serving as action group members for the Salvation Project—possessed less solemn composure and a great deal more spirited playfulness than ability users in their thirties or forties. To be entirely frank, most adults felt uneasy deploying them into such environments. Yet the youths themselves were exceptionally elated; adolescents invariably harbored a touch of chuunibyou, and the notion of saving the world struck them as grand, romantic, and soul-stirring.

"We shall fight the forces of evil to the bitter end, accompanied by howling blizzards and unyielding blood-rains, taking the protection of the Savior as our sacred bounden duty and dedicating everything to the world's tranquility!" Xia Wang'an happened to be passing by holding her small cake when she heard this declaration, instantly halting her steps. [Extremely cool.] Her eyes illuminated as she observed four individuals standing before the operational console. The staff member, enduring a continuous fourteen-day overtime shift, was logging data and clearly overheard the proclamation, causing his mouth to twitch slightly. Considering that the oldest team leader among them was only eighteen while the remaining members hovered around fifteen or sixteen, he could only choose strategic deafness. Looking at the "requisition manifest" displayed on the screen, he inquired, "Might I ask why the Wei Su Team's primary requisition specifies tactical masks? It is annotated as pure obsidian—must it strictly be pure obsidian, and should we incorporate anti-contamination and anti-splash functional arrays?"

Team leader Zhou Qi, sporting crisp, sharp-cut hair, displayed a minor expression of internal conflict upon hearing this, "Is stating the rationale strictly mandatory?" "According to administrative regulations, yes, because the logistics department must prepare these provisions based on the specific justifications provided by the teams." Zhou Qi, who had just completed her eighteenth year of life, inhaled deeply and uttered a single syllable at a volume barely surpassing an insect's hum: "Suavity." The staff member failed to catch it clearly: "Pardon? What was that?" Emerging from behind Zhou Qi came a short, bright-eyed junior operative with thick brows, grinning cheerfully, "Our captain states the rationale is that wearing masks projects sheer suavity! Don't you think the four of us wearing identical black masks creates incredible team spirit? Anyone glancing at us will instantly recognize our unit affiliation." Another member featuring twin ponytails chimed in with radiant delight, "That's right, that's right! Please make our terrifying aesthetics appear somewhat charming as well!" The staff member thought to himself how on earth the concepts of terrifying and charming were ever synthesized into a single parameter. He repeated internal mental mantras affirming that he was servicing minors, which barely kept his facial muscles from twitching uncontrollably.

Evidently, team leader Zhou Qi's chuunibyou was slightly more restrained; she looked somewhat self-conscious, yet this captain radiating cool confidence added an earnest supplementary note: "Kindly append an operational remark to the requisition profile—the obsidian pigmentation must be executed as colorful black." The staff member fell silent. "Understood; reasons and annotations successfully logged. Requisitions will be ready for retrieval in thirty minutes. For now, please proceed to the audiovisual recording terminal to register your official documentation; any parting sentiments you wish to voice can be articulated within the recording." Audiovisual registration essentially doubled as the preservation of final valedictory testaments. Even though the mutated flora dimension presented hazard indices vastly lower than their home plane, no administrator assumed this cohort of youths would emerge completely unscathed. Setting aside future incursions into uncharted alternate worlds, the elusive and omnipresent Polluters alone posed a lethal threat to active personnel. The Xia State consistently maintained strict protective mandates over its youth; with global civilization teetering on the brink of ruin, safeguarding these children's safety and innocence remained the ultimate defensive priority. Yet current circumstances demanded that these very children charge into frontline combat, carrying extreme probabilities of sacrifice.

"Sigh..." He sighed internally, just about to offer comforting words when an intensely fervent, hyper-energized proclamation erupted beside him: "The world shall be protected by us!" "We shall anchor the ultimate line of defense, refusing retreat even unto physical annihilation!" "Even should the global entirety stand in opposition to Blue Star, my physical vessel shall forever interpose before the frontier!" The staff member stared at the youths standing before the recording orb, their countenances reflecting equal parts unwavering resolve, romantic idealism, and explosive fanaticism. The lingering melancholy and apprehension within his heart instantly evaporated. "However..." The staff member's gaze drifted toward an imposing, muscular physical titan standing at least two meters tall, whose frame appeared densely reinforced beneath classical martial vestments. "This individual... confirms a chronological age under twenty?" The muscular warrior wore a heavy gold chain around his neck, projecting an intimidating aura capable of physically subduing multiple staff members simultaneously. Team leader Zhou Qi patted the stalwart bicep of her subordinate: "A-Xing just turned fifteen this year; because his innate spiritual root affinity is [Earth], his somatic physical growth exceeded his peers."

This physical anomaly represented a notable trait of specialized ability operators; while ordinary citizens suffered somatic stunting from chronic malnutrition, ability users experienced no such limitations. Still, presenting the physical maturity of a thirty-year-old at the age of fifteen remained exceedingly rare. Harboring complex emotional currents, the staff member silently stamped the paperwork while receiving a shy, amiable smile from the towering youth. Lingering anxiety regarding the dispatch of underage youth into alien dimensions persisted, yet he found himself entirely uncertain whether his primary concern should lie with these chuunibyou youngsters or the alien ecosystem itself. "Prior to your departure, do you retain the First and Second Directives in mind?" "Affirmative," the Wei Su Team responded with high anticipation. "First Directive: Absolute protection of the Savior, Xia Wang'an. Second Directive: Preservation of one's own physical vessel." The logistics officer had originally intended to lecture them on why protecting Xia Wang'an superseded personal preservation to prevent internal psychological imbalance among the youths, but seeing their expressions radiating pure romantic thrill at the prospect of risking their lives to shield the Savior, he swallowed the pedagogical speech entirely.

Xia Wang'an observed the playful banter of her peers entering the portal with keen relish; she thoroughly enjoyed witnessing such vibrant vitality, much like her affinity for heated online debate forums. Following the departure of the Wei Su Team, subsequent auxiliary squads presented themselves for processing. Driven perhaps by peer imitation or inter-squad communication networks, other operational units had likewise established distinct visual identifiers, ranging from identical sartorial requirements to custom tactical tattoos that ensured immediate team recognition. Xia Wang'an monitored the entire procedure while squeezing in two sets of academic exam papers between intervals, feeling she had acquired a wealth of advanced intellectual knowledge. [007, did our historical deployments incorporate any aesthetically striking visual identifiers?]

That evening, upon Xia Wang'an's return accompanied by Caicai and Qiuzhuang, Yuanning and Linke received the Savior's tactical artifacts. Unfurling the expansive obsidian mourning robes designed to envelop their entire frames, the quartet fell into deep contemplation. Caicai mused critically, "This vestment projects undeniable visual dominance and dark aesthetic severity..." Qiuzhuang wore a complex expression, "Yet the structural cut mirrors villainous antagonist attire with alarming fidelity." Yuanning manipulated her spiritual instruments while noting, "I evaluate its utility for concealing mechanical control interfaces as exceptionally high." Linke rotated the billowing dark drapery across various vectors, cautiously donning the garment to experience complete somatic and facial concealment within absolute shadow, instantly beaming with joy, "I cherish this asset!" Xia Wang'an raised her hand expectantly, "Let us cast ballots to determine whether this vestment shall be adopted as our official team insignia!" Lobbying aggressively, she added, "I frequently deployed analogous garments historically; maximum functional utility—temperature regulation across extreme seasons, impervious to dirt accumulation, and rapid drying properties." Linke registered an immediate affirmative vote, followed swiftly by Yuanning, while Caicai and Qiuzhuang exercised brief hesitation before raising their hands in parallel.

Achieving unanimous legislative consensus, Xia Wang'an formally promulgated the decree, "Henceforth, external field operations shall utilize this standardized vestment framework." Qiuzhuang interjected, "Alternative squads possess official team nomenclature; our collective requires a designated moniker as well." Yuanning exercised her cognitive faculties, "Salvation Squad?" "That clashes lexically with the overarching Salvation Initiative," Caicai retorted, tossing her emerald locks, "Why not determine nomenclature based on our numerical headcount?" Linke, entirely encapsulated within dark drapery, extended a single finger, "Five-member assembly." Xia Wang'an interjected, "Do not omit 007." Caicai lapsed into deep rumination, "Six entities? But does 007 count as a living person?" 007 evaluated the query with solemn rigor within the Host's consciousness: [Strictly speaking, my ontological classification excludes mortal human biology.] Xia Wang'an relayed the system response and proposed a resolution, "Since our formation comprises five organic entities unified with a single system framework, why not designate our unit the [Five Systems]?" "Alternatively, name us the [Five Tongs], referencing the classical Mahjong tile configuration."

Caicai retained a modest operational aptitude for Mahjong mechanics: "I recall that the Xia State's sole Grade-9 ability user habitually brandishes the Mahjong tile [Fa]. Furthermore, the Five Tongs tile depicts five distinct circular rings arranged upon a blank white surface, perfectly mirroring our alliance of five physical entities unified under one system framework!" "Splendid! Let us be designated the [Five Tongs Squad]!" Although Caicai was the sole participant possessing Mahjong literacy, when she retrieved a physical Five Tongs tile from her luggage to exhibit before the assembly, the designation secured universal ratification. Xia Wang'an beamed with delight: "From this epoch onward, we are the Five Tongs Squad." Gripping the Mahjong tile, she casually retrieved a length of fine spiritual wire and effortlessly drilled a deep perforation through the ceramic matrix: "Let us requisition six Five Tongs tiles from project administration to serve as personal talismans suspended from our tactical gear; I shall personally pierce the structural matrix for 007's ornament." Arriving within the foreign dimension before their spiritual senses fully stabilized, members of the Wei Su Team observed Xia Wang'an effortlessly drilling through ceramic tile using a simple wire with absolute casual ease. For reasons inexplicable, their spiritual intuition whispered that this maiden possessed dubious moral alignment; her posture and facial expression mirrored an executioner drilling cranial vaults rather than modifying gaming paraphernalia.

The fifteen-year-old giant, standing two meters tall, executed an immediate defensive retreat behind his squad leader: "Leader... does this exalted personage genuinely require our mortal protection?" Naturally, Xia Wang'an required no mortal protection whatsoever. Although universal protocol mandated that every Blue Star citizen's primary directive centered upon safeguarding the Savior, when Xia Wang'an executed a sweeping manual gesture—resembling a school principal directing a flag-raising ceremony—commanding thousands of long-limbed, heavily armored mechanical automatons to surge forward in a majestic charge against the crop tide, the visual kinetic impact remained profoundly staggering. Indigenous cultivators stationed along the fortified ramparts watched with boiling blood and surging spiritual resonance: "Are these structural entities... divine artifacts?" "The arcane methods of the Immortal Sect are truly fathomless."

Feudal King Wu stood upon the supreme observation terrace, gazing down at the automated tactical arrays executing harvesting operations with the voracious efficiency of locust swarms, allowing a profound wave of reverence to swell within his breast. "The [Artifact-Forging Department]... evaluating nomenclature alone implies it represents merely a subsidiary branch discipline of the Heaven-Saving Sect, comparable to a single elective within the classical six arts." That a mere subsidiary branch possessed such cataclysmic destructive utility underscored the unfathomable macroeconomic scale of the prime Heaven-Saving Sect. Lu Tianshi maintained distant ocular focus upon the monumental flying vessel hovering in the firmament: "Coastal salinity has receded substantially, and the Heaven-Saving Sect has graciously aided our realm in eradicating the crop tide; contemporary operational realities diverge fundamentally from the era fifty rotational years past." Despite operating as antiquity-era mortals lacking contemporary technocratic infrastructure, their spiritual acuity remained sharp; initial civilian awe upon Xia Wang'an's advent had been tempered by deep defensive skepticism. For a population traumatized by the historical ascension scam half a century prior, verifying whether current events represented an alternative systemic manipulation remained a paramount imperative.

They had consented to board the flying vessel alongside Xia Wang'an and participate in coastal water reclamation missions, yet maintained unyielding operational vigilance, strictly moderating public discourse across urban prefectures. Every mortal and cultivator maintained silent empirical observation. The observational telemetry yielded highly favorable parameters. Yet reinforcing prior axiom principles, contemporary civilization retained zero residual assets subject to forfeiture. Should the Heaven-Saving Sect elect absolute abandonment, ecological collapse within a two-year horizon would inevitably submerge the terrestrial domain beneath marine incursions. Did total environmental subjugation not align identically with the ultimate teleological goals of those monstrous entities? Regardless of whether the Heaven-Saving Sect maintained authentic altruistic mandates to preserve global civilization or operated via alternative strategic imperatives, empirical reality confirmed this Immortal Sect actively preserved human existence, executing direct opposition to the anomalous entities.

Chu Qingning elevated her spiritual gaze toward the newly manifested celestial disciples stationed aboard the flying vessel: "The Heaven-Saving Sect elects exclusively to dispatch junior disciples to the Cangming realm—does this operational constraint encode profound strategic intent?" Feudal King Wu observed the automated artifacts executing untiring sanitary sweeps across the battlefield, lightly brushing the jade pendant suspended from his belt: "Restricting deployments exclusively to junior practitioners while harvesting seemingly useless botanical refuse... The mythical Kunlun realm lacks the spatial capacity to accommodate two hundred million souls; assuming their assertions avoid hyperbole, true Kunlun resides external to Cangming—situated rather within..." Feudal King Wu executed an upward vertical gesture targeting the firmament.

The dual sect masters manifested absolute cognitive absence of surprise; while lacking contemporary spatial coordinates defining dimensional vectors, they intuitively deduced that the habitation sphere of the Immortal Sect operated external to the mortal plane. Analogous to classical folklore establishing a singular celestial realm contrasted against infinite mortal variations, the tripartite ancient leadership processed the spatial paradigm with serene acceptance. They hypothesized whether elevated metaphysical tiering among senior Heaven-Saving personnel precluded physical entry into the Cangming domain, whereas juvenile disciples—possessing constrained chronological cultivation spans—experienced zero structural impedance. Fundamentally, ancient mortal imaginative capacity matched contemporary technological intellect.

Abandoning speculative contemplation, Feudal King Wu maintained compressed ocular focus: "A singular operational certainty stands confirmed: their strategic alignment directly opposes those anomalous entities. Based exclusively upon this foundational axiom, all material resources demanded by the Heaven-Saving Sect shall be surrendered unconditionally by this Monarch."

—"Unquestionably aligned with analytical division predictive modeling," Yuanning ingested newly roasted spiritual melon seeds, lowering her spiritual observation arrays, "Their leadership directorates have resolved to execute unreserved systemic support." Xia Wang'an masticated botanical kernels, elevating her cranium upon receiving the intelligence: "What structural methodology defines their support? Are they proposing direct culinary provisions?" Yuanning processed verified lip-movement telemetry: "Indications confirm their authorized resource allocation aligns precisely with our tactical requirements. We retain zero material assets eligible for tender; our solitary compensatory offering remains the unalloyed gratitude of the entire Cangming realm." Feudal King Wu lacked formal comprehension of Faith Power mechanics, yet baseline intuitive cultivation awareness derived from Imperial Princess Heng's high-wuxia lineage enabled acute sensory tracking—implicitly recognizing that civilian devotional projection delivered functional operational utility to the Immortal Sect. Even absent utilitarian conversion, spiritual cultivation frameworks traditionally valued accumulated incense devotion as a propitious asset. Although external articulation proclaimed the Immortal Sect operated via absolute altruism absent material compensation, the Cangming realm could not accept uncompensated spiritual salvation.

Feudal King Wu surveyed the thousands of android mechanizations executing earth-moving operations with the mechanical efficiency of colossal engineering dozers, effortlessly compressing struggling botanical anomalies and consigning them to expansive industrial storage sacks, before exhaling deeply. Such divine martial engineering, even evaluated at fractional quantities, induced profound shock. Yet the Heaven-Saving Sect dispatched thousands of units in a single operational deployment. Abandoning internal hesitation, he issued formal commands: "Disseminate the intelligence across all urban prefectures declaring that the reclusive Immortal Sect—the Heaven-Saving Sect—has emerged from seclusion to deliver the world. Let the global entirety bear witness that the Immortal Sect preserves the realm."