PGVCW 69

 

Playing God in Various Catastrophic Worlds

Chapter 69: The Chief's Concern

Xia Wang'an was very busy. She actually had no objections regarding whether to hold meetings or who she met with, but every time the high-level leadership convened an important conference, as long as she was present, the Chief would call her to attend.

She was quite fond of the Chief. This affection did not merely stem from her childhood, back when she would always see the Chief on screens, braving danger to visit various grassroots levels and making decisions that benefited the nation and its people. Later on, her fondness grew because, after spending time together, her intuition told her that the Chief genuinely cared for her.

"Wang'an, I know you aren't very interested in these matters, but I hope you won't merely become an existence defined solely by your immense combat prowess," the Chief said gently, patting Xia Wang'an's head. "You can sleep during the meetings, play games, or just zone out, but for the important ones, please still come to participate, alright?"

Xia Wang'an didn't really understand.

She used to be a very smart child. Even though her emotional intelligence wasn't as high as her IQ—often leaving her teachers speechless with her antics—as long as she was willing to think about it, whether it was the intricacies of human relations or complex mathematical equations, she could figure it out.

However, after traversing through various catastrophic worlds, in order to rapidly elevate her combat prowess, she had forsaken too many things. —For example, her already somewhat lacking emotional intelligence.

This was a multiple-choice question. Just like in the beginning, Xia Wang'an didn't entirely believe in her own abilities either; if she were told that in the next moment she could step her left foot on her right foot and spiral up into the heavens, her very first reaction would have been, "That is unscientific".

Yet, after abandoning her "thinking," her "common sense," and so many cognitive processes, if one were to explain it to Xia Wang'an now, she would suddenly come to an epiphany and utter an "Oh," before rationalizing: "Stepping the left foot onto the right foot borrows force from the right foot, and stepping the right foot onto the left foot borrows force from the left; continuously borrowing force to ascend to the heavens is therefore entirely logical".

She had abandoned "thinking" and discarded "common sense," gradually forging herself into a formidable, supreme weapon.

But the Chief was unwilling to watch her simply become a weapon.

"The affairs of the world are ever-changing. Right now, everyone loves you because we fight side by side, and we all know how hard-won our current lives are. But what about the future? Will our descendants in the future still possess this same mindset?"

The Chief smiled, the wrinkles on her face appearing even more pronounced as she did so. Only then did Xia Wang'an realize that the Chief—who, in her eyes, could always encompass everything and properly arrange all matters—was an elderly woman. The hand stroking Xia Wang'an's head was very warm, just like the touch of her kindergarten teacher in her memories.

"I know you don't care about these statuses and positions, but Wang'an, remember, no matter what the situation becomes in the future, you may not care about these things, but you must possess them".

Xia Wang'an looked up at the Chief, seeing the gentle smile in her eyes: "Why are you saying this? Are you going to die?"

The Chief smiled and shook her head: "I am just taking precautions for a rainy day. Wang'an, we are old, and the elderly will all face that day eventually..."

"You won't die," Xia Wang'an pursed her lips, revealing a rare trace of stubbornness. "Cultivators, as long as they cultivate diligently, will not die".

The Chief wanted to say more, but seeing the immense stubbornness in the young girl's eyes, she finally swallowed the rest of her words. She chuckled softly, "Alright, I will urge everyone to cultivate diligently".

Xia Wang'an gave an "En" of acknowledgment, turned her head, and walked away. She was going to write down her cultivation secrets, compile them into a manual, and print a copy for everyone.

Seeing her leave, the Chief shook her head, her heart softening in a rare moment of tenderness: "This child..."

The Core of the Threat

"Wang'an isn't wrong. If we cultivate diligently, we might not necessarily die of old age," an old man who had been quietly listening nearby finally spoke up.

"Stop playing dumb. You know perfectly well that's not what I'm worried about," the Chief sighed.

If their initial stance toward the existence of the Corrupters was one of high vigilance, then after witnessing the Anomaly World, this vigilance had rapidly intensified.

Discovering the traces of the Corrupters across three consecutive worlds not only proved their pervasive infiltration, but it also proved that their methods for orchestrating world destruction went far beyond introducing various unnatural biological threats; they were even more adept at employing psychological manipulation and grand strategy.

In every world, the Corrupters cleverly targeted the world's guardians first. In the Cangming World, they exploited the realm's deep yearning for immortal cultivators. This yearning led to a situation where, even though the Emperor's Daughter, Fusheng, did not trust the Corrupters and remained vigilant, she was ultimately hijacked by the overwhelming tide of public sentiment and fell into their trap.

In the Magical World, the Corrupters clearly understood that the realm's God was omniscient regarding His domain. Thus, they directly mobilized a massive armed offensive, exploiting the God's protective love for His world to effectively trap Him upon His throne. Simultaneously, they manipulated human hearts, corrupting the God of Light's Power of Faith to weaken Him day by day.

In the Anomaly World, they had directly transformed the guardians into their "sheepdogs." Whether the guardians were aware of the truth or not, the continuous deployment of anomalies to besiege the cities forced them to remain trapped defending the city walls.

The Corrupters were masters at manipulating the human heart. And Xia Wang'an, despite being peerlessly powerful, was an absolute blank slate in this regard. She couldn't do it, nor was she willing to learn, because she needed to maintain an absolutely pure Dao Heart to firmly believe in whatever settings she chose to manifest.

"It is fine while we are still here, but what if we are gone?" The Chief's brow furrowed tightly; whenever she brought up this topic, she was always fraught with worry.

The old man remained optimistic: "Cultivate properly. As long as we live long enough, there won't be a problem". The Chief, however, remained silent.

She was also an ability user, but her superhuman ability was far less potent than her innate talent for seeing through the human heart. If she were a Corrupter, the very first thing she would do was to surgically sever Xia Wang'an from the Xia Kingdom. Doing so would not only strip away Xia Wang'an's most indestructible pillar of support, but it would also shatter the foundational pillar within her own heart.

Killing Xia Wang'an was incredibly difficult, but destroying the solitary weakness in her heart was devastatingly simple. The moment the Corrupters discovered them, she, Elder Zhang beside her, all the high-ranking officials of the [World Salvation Project], and every existence that supported Xia Wang'an would instantly become thorns in the Corrupters' eyes.

It would be exactly like the Magical World: inject a virus, and forcefully twist the ideology of the very believers who genuinely revered the God. Once pure Faith Energy was inverted into dark Faith Energy, no matter how intrinsically powerful a deity was, they could not defend against a blade thrust into their back.

"We cannot simply rely on the 'what-ifs' of our survival. Even if the Corrupters don't strike, at our age, suddenly passing away wouldn't be anything extraordinary". And without them—the old guard—holding down the fort, if the Corrupters truly used the exact same methods on Wang'an that they used on the God of Light, no one knew what the final outcome would be.

Xia Wang'an rarely spoke to the headquarters personnel about how people had treated her in her past life, but just a few brief words were enough for anyone to deduce the tragic truth.

"If the day comes when we have all passed on, I hope the Xia Kingdom remains Wang'an's home," the Chief's expression slowly solidified with absolute resolve as she searched for numerous administrative files on her optical computer. "Wang'an's military rank should be officially finalized". "We must ensure that even if there comes a day when we are no longer here, absolutely no one can touch her".

Xia Wang'an was completely unaware that she was about to become the de facto supreme authority of the Xia Kingdom. The Chief and the leadership, deeply provoked by the presence of Corrupters in every world, were single-mindedly determined to pave a thousand fail-safes and retreat paths for her.

The Cultivation Syllabus

Xia Wang'an was currently writing out her cultivation experiences in various formats. Initially, the recorders had merely kept her company, occasionally bringing over sweet pastries, fruit, and milk tea. But by the time Xia Wang'an's cultivation manual expanded into three massive stacks, even the Compilation Department was alarmed. A dozen personnel eagerly scurried over, and after seeking her permission, planned to integrate all of it into the official textbooks.

"That works! These are just the fundamentals. You can just compile them under the Introduction to Qi Condensation section," Xia Wang'an declared generously, allowing them free use of her cultivation insights.

"Ah? This much content is just for the Introduction to Qi Condensation? Isn't this a bit too much?" Qiu Zhuang, who was on the roof studying and practicing inverted hanging with Lin Ke, widened his eyes in disbelief.

It should be noted that the Introduction to Qi Condensation is the lowest tier for cultivators—essentially equivalent to a kindergarten curriculum. What kind of kindergarten requires studying this massive mountain of textbooks?

"It's no problem," the head of the Compilation Department waved his hand while joyfully organizing the materials. "We estimate that cultivation kindergarten will take about ten years to graduate~"

Qiu Zhuang: "..." He suddenly began to feel incredibly grateful that he was already past kindergarten age.

Once the Compilation Department copied the existing cultivation insights and agreed that Xia Wang'an would notify them when she wrote more, they happily scurried back to continue drafting the textbooks.

Only the members of the Five Tongs Squad remained in the room. Cai Cai leaned in curiously, asking Xia Wang'an why she suddenly had the urge to write down her cultivation experiences. She had written some before, but never anything like this—cranking out such a massive volume in a single breath.

Xia Wang'an never lied, so she directly relayed everything the Chief had said to the group. She summarized finally: "They have probably hit a cultivation bottleneck and are worried about their lifespan. I am passing all my experience to them. As long as they cultivate diligently, lifespan will not be an issue".

After a moment's thought, the ever-impartial Savior looked at her companions and generously offered, "You guys get a share, too".

Qiu Zhuang fell off the roof. Lin Ke silently crawled back into his box. Only Cai Cai was immensely thrilled, clenching her fists with an expression of burning inspiration: "Alright! I will definitely cultivate with all my might! I will become an Almighty Cultivator as soon as possible!"

The Dragon's Reverse Scale

Nearby, Yuan Ning, who had been studying the functions of a machine, slowly stopped his hands. "Wang'an, I don't think the Chief is actually worried about her cultivation progress".

After all, the Xia Kingdom currently only possessed about thirty individuals in the Foundation Establishment stage, and the Chief, who was buried in national affairs every day, could hardly be expected to be one of them.

Xia Wang'an looked bewildered: "But the Chief said so much, and almost every sentence implied 'what should I do if she dies'".

"I think it's more likely that the Corrupters have made the Chief feel threatened," Yuan Ning set down the mechanical parts in his hands. As the physically weakest member of the team, he was also the one who used his brain the most. Compared to a squad of teammates who relied on their raw martial prowess to hack and slash through enemies, he functioned as the team's sole tactician. —Although, under most circumstances, his role as a tactician was utterly useless. Because before he could even begin to formulate a strategy, his companions would already be howling war cries and charging forward to obliterate the enemy.

"You've been to three worlds in total, and all three had Corrupters. Furthermore, the Corrupters in every world always strike at the realm's strongest figures first. If they cannot win through direct combat, they employ other methods". "Take the God of Light, for example—wasn't his Faith Energy corrupted? You rely entirely on the Power of Faith as well. The Chief is likely worried that she and the others will be targeted and eliminated by the Corrupters for being your core supporters. Once they are gone, you would be plunged into dark Faith Energy".

Xia Wang'an understood. The black-haired young woman's face was terrifyingly calm: "You're saying the Corrupters want to assassinate the Chief, assassinate the recorders, assassinate Director Fan, assassinate you all, and even assassinate Xiao Mi, just to make me lose my Faith Energy?"

Yuan Ning: "...Xiao Mi is just a cat raised in the kitchen; presumably, perhaps, they wouldn't go out of their way to assassinate her, right?"

"Why wouldn't they?!" Xia Wang'an abruptly snapped her head up. "Don't they want to kill everything that I like! I like Xiao Mi so much!"

Her expression remained placid, yet an overwhelming aura of an impending, world-ending storm radiated from her: "Very well. The Corrupters... wanting to kill even a small kitten. Very well".

Yuan Ning: "..." He felt that Wang'an was on the verge of going completely insane with rage.

"Wang'an, this is purely a hypothesis. The Chief saw the tragic ends of the guardians in those other worlds, so naturally, she is worried about you". "Haven't you already concealed our world's coordinates? They won't be able to find their way here".

Xia Wang'an, however, simply picked up a hairpin from the side and slowly, methodically pinned up her hair. "Yes, you are right. They cannot find their way here for the time being".

Yuan Ning let out a sigh of relief.

Xia Wang'an: "Therefore, we are going to go find them".

In truth, Xia Wang'an's previous attitude toward the Corrupters was mere annoyance—she would simply obliterate them whenever she encountered them, but she had never actively considered going out of her way to completely eradicate their faction. On one hand, she had forgotten many things and couldn't quite remember exactly why she detested the Corrupters so intensely. On the other hand, her current life was wonderful. She had family, companions, and now she even had Lux.

Xia Wang'an had thus gradually smoothed over the violent irritability in her heart, turning instead to comfortably enjoy her life. Therefore, despite loathing the Corrupters, saving her own world held far higher priority. As long as the Corrupters weren't constantly dangling in front of her face, she vastly preferred to dedicate her energy toward changing Blue Star.

"I never felt that they posed any threat to me". "But now, they are a threat".

She gently placed the dossier on the Anomaly World, which headquarters had worked through the night to compile, onto the table.

The Cult of the Corrupters

Anomaly World —

Across a landscape that had long since been reduced to desolate ruins, if one were to observe from high above in the sky, they would be shocked to discover numerous massive abysses carved into the earth. Standing at the edge of these colossal craters—each larger than a football stadium—were figures clad in white robes.

There were many of them, and though their faces were obscured, their movements were trembling with terror. Carefully, they were tipping large burlap sacks down into the depths.

During the process, a sudden shriek pierced the air; a white-robed man standing too close to the edge was seized by a tentacle that looked as if it belonged in the deepest abysses of the ocean. The white-robed man struggled frantically: "Save me! Save me!!"

The remaining white-robed men hastily drew their weapons for combat, but before they could even move, the tentacle lightning-fast dragged its victim down into the cavern. "Ahhhhhhhh——"

As the agonized screams gradually faded into the depths, the remaining white-robed men grew even more terrified, their movements becoming hyper-cautious. The white-robed leader, however, was completely unsurprised. He merely barked, "Move faster, do not delay..."

Mid-sentence, he suddenly gasped and clutched his chest. "Boss, what's wrong?" A nimble white-robed subordinate quickly supported him.

"Something is wrong". The supported white-robed leader gritted his teeth: "Something is wrong. I sense... a ferocious beast has locked its sights onto us".

The other white-robed men hastily scanned their surroundings, but each giant pit remained utterly silent, showing zero signs of any fierce beasts attempting to crawl out. "My Lord?"

"This is an ability I exchanged from the Gods. Whenever a powerful enemy locks onto me, I can sense it. Therefore, something is absolutely wrong". The white-robed leader waved his hand, enduring the throbbing pain, and led his subordinates in a rapid retreat away from the massive craters.

"But... the feeding..." "If you wish to become their food yourself, then go right ahead". The subordinate who spoke up instantly fell silent.

The giant craters remained quiet, completely devoid of any rioting beasts, and the white-robed men gradually began to relax. Only the leader's expression remained as dark and heavy as deep water.

The subordinate who had supported him earlier spoke up again: "My Lord, have you heard the news regarding the Control Room?" "I heard. A strange blade flew inside and severed the connection to more than half of the worlds, exactly like a ghost story". The subordinate continued: "There are rumors saying the owner of that blade has appeared across several worlds. Many Corrupters have died by her hand. Perhaps your premonition is because of her".

The leader clutched his chest, his complexion worsening significantly. As a member of the A-Sequence, he was naturally well-informed. Not only did he know about the Control Room incident, but he also knew that the high-ranking World A21 had run into a massive roadblock. The garrison stationed in that world had been completely wiped out. Only a single B-Rank Corrupter, who had temporarily taken a feeding mission and coincidentally left the world, managed to escape the slaughter.

One must realize that the Corrupters stationed in an A-Rank world included A-Rank elites, yet even they were killed without a single sound or trace. When the Control Room incident occurred, it was reported directly to the Gods, yet the omnipotent Gods displayed zero reaction. Following that, the World A21 massacre took place.

Now, rumors were running rampant through the A-Rank Sequence: if you see a native carrying a black blade during a mission, turn around and run for your life.

"That's impossible, isn't it?" He refused to believe it: "I have never offended such a person". When executing his missions, he adhered strictly to the principle of complete extermination—he wouldn't even spare a single egg. How could he possibly have left a survivor seeking vengeance?

"My Lord, should we return to the Divine Kingdom to lay low for a while?" The white-robed man hesitated repeatedly before finally shaking his head: "If I abandon a mission arbitrarily, I will be demoted to B-Rank". "Furthermore..."

He turned his head, gazing at the numerous giant craters emitting cold, eerie noises, and his terrified heart gradually stabilized. A relieved smile finally surfaced on his face: "When it comes to safety, where else is safer than here?"

"This world has been completely shielded. It is a God-Forsaken Land. She won't come here".