Invincibility starts when I see the BOSS health bar.

Chapter 1005 Countdown

At this point, Zhuge Shi raised her head and glanced at the window with a complicated expression.

"However, compared to a medical genius like Doctor Ding, whose skills are practically heaven-defying, the organization still has a considerable gap in the field of unsealing and healing. Doctor Ding's medical skills can no longer be judged by ordinary standards."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yu understood.

He understood the meaning of Zhuge's poem.

It wasn't that the Nirvana Organization was too weak, but rather that Ding Hui's medical skills were too strong, so strong that they transcended the norm and approached the "Tao."

This, in turn, confirmed Ding Hui's value and gave him a more objective understanding of the strength of the Nirvana Organization.

Powerful, but not omniscient or omnipotent; it has areas of expertise and areas of weakness.

He glanced at Zhuge Shi thoughtfully, and from the change in her expression just now, he read something more.

The person who placed the seal on her is probably of unfathomable strength, and may even be a top figure in an opposing force.

This pool of water is indeed bottomless.

After a moment's thought, Fang Yu made a decision. He needed time to process this information and, more importantly, to calmly weigh the pros and cons.

He couldn't let the other person's rhythm dictate his actions in this atmosphere and rashly make a decision that could affect his entire life.

“I understand.” Fang Yu’s voice returned to its usual calm. “Zhuge Shi, your proposal… is very attractive. But I need time to consider it.”

Hearing that Fang Yu didn't directly refuse but said he would consider it, Zhuge Shi's face immediately brightened, and a bright smile returned, as if the embarrassment and bitterness from before had never happened.

She knew that for someone like Fang Yu, not immediately refusing meant that he had already succeeded halfway.

“Of course!” She stood up, her movements light and quick. “Such an important decision should indeed be carefully considered. I believe that Young Master Diao will ultimately make the wisest choice.” She walked to the door, her slender hand gently resting on the latch, but then stopped.

She turned around and looked at Fang Yu again, her eyes filled with a hint of resentment, a touch of coquettishness, and an unspoken provocation. In a half-joking, half-serious tone, she said, "But...Young Master Diao really doesn't understand romance. She was just like that...and you were completely unmoved. Perhaps you were afraid that Doctor Ding would see it and be unhappy?"

Fang Yu's face darkened instantly. He waved his hand dismissively, his tone carrying an undeniable air of dismissal: "Don't talk nonsense! Now that things are settled, you may leave!"

He was secretly cursing in his heart.

If Ding Hui had actually witnessed Zhuge Shi's actions just now, given her personality, she would probably have a thousand ways to make Zhuge Shi suffer.

Seeing Fang Yu's displeasure, Zhuge Shi knew that the joke had gone too far, so he stopped pressing the matter.

She let out a string of silvery laughter, seemingly quite appreciative of Fang Yu's embarrassed yet annoyed reaction.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. Young Master Diao, I await your good news."

After saying that, she finally opened the door, and with a flash, she drifted out like a fragrant breeze, gently closing the door behind her without making a sound.

Silence returned to the room.

Only the faint fragrance lingering in the air and the occasional crackling of the candlelight proved that the conversation, full of allure and scheming, was not an illusion.

Fang Yu stood alone, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on the closed door, lost in deep thought.

The Nirvana Organization, the Twelve Generals, the Bone Tiger, the secret of the Supreme Golden Petal Flower, powerful cultivation techniques, the unknown Venerable One, and the mysterious seal on Zhuge Shi's body...

Countless pieces of information and questions intertwined and collided in his mind.

Joining "Nirvana" might mean gaining access to the core secrets of the capital, acquiring unimaginable resources and power, and possibly even providing crucial assistance in finding clues about the whereabouts of Sister Jin's soul.

After all, the information channels of someone who has attained "Nirvana" are far beyond what someone like me, acting alone, can match.

However, opportunities always come with risks.

Such a large organization's internal structure, power struggles, and true purpose remain shrouded in mystery to outsiders.

Getting involved too easily could mean losing some autonomy or even getting caught up in an unpredictable and huge vortex.

Fang Yu's fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the bed unconsciously, his eyes deep, his mind racing with various pros and cons analyses.

Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief. The information available at this stage was still too limited. Relying solely on Zhuge Shi's account and limited rumors was insufficient to make such a significant decision. This matter needed to be discussed in detail with Ding Hui at a suitable opportunity before a decision was made.

Ding Hui's calmness, meticulousness, and insight into the situation often provide him with crucial advice.

After temporarily suppressing the matter of joining "Nirvana," Fang Yu felt a wave of fatigue wash over him, not only physically but also due to the constant mental strain.

Right now, the most important thing is to rest and clear your mind so you can face the challenges ahead.

With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and, with a thought in his mind, chose to quit the game.

The real world, a secret base.

Countless tiny, seemingly living particles converged from the void, like a galaxy flowing backwards, following a complex process to quickly outline Fang Yu's body, then fill in the details, transforming the ethereal into the real.

Within seconds, Fang Yu's body completely reassembled from a state of decomposed particles.

He slowly opened his eyes, but before he could do anything, the door slid open silently.

Almost at the same moment his feet touched the ground, there was a gentle knock on the door, which was then pushed open.

Qi Ge's familiar and composed figure appeared at the door, his face showing the same respect and concern as always.

"Mr. Fang," he greeted in a low voice.

Fang Yu was not surprised by this.

He knew very well that after he entered the world of seeking demons, his room would be guarded by staff on duty 24 hours a day.

Whenever any issues are detected in the room, Brother Qi, as the person in charge, will always arrive immediately to ensure seamless coordination and handle any potential emergencies.

This is both a form of protection and a necessary procedure.

"Brother Qi," Fang Yu said, stretching his stiff neck as he walked toward the computer next to him.

"Any new news from Uncle's side lately?" he asked habitually, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard as he opened the game's official forum and several large player communities.

The customized information retrieval system provided by Uncle Qisheng was indeed professional and powerful in tracking the comebacks related to Sister Jin and Qimeng, with an immeasurable investment of resources and technical expertise.

However, that system falls short when it comes to game forums, which have extremely wide coverage, rapid information updates, and are filled with casual chatter, boasting, and information trading among players, the truth of which is hard to discern.

Its algorithm tends to delve deeper into specific targets rather than broadly capture the dynamic trends of the player community. Therefore, Fang Yu developed the habit of browsing forums, hoping to glean potentially useful fragments from this massive and noisy sea of ​​information.

The forum interface unfolds, and posts with exaggerated titles and dazzling pictures scroll by rapidly.

Fang Yu quickly scanned the most popular sections on the homepage to get a general idea of ​​the activities that were being discussed among players recently.

Surprisingly, the topics that were already generating buzz when the game first launched have become popular again, as if a new batch of new players have entered the game, full of curiosity and uncertainty about game adventures, joining a sect, and even the basic game rules.

However, although this information was exciting, it was of little help to him.

He directly entered the keyword "Beijing" into the search box.

The page refreshes, and a list of posts related to "Beijing" appears.

One of the job postings, with its unpretentious but eye-catching title, immediately caught Fang Yu's attention with its consistently high number of replies and popularity.

This popularity isn't solely due to the content itself; it seems more like the use of paid online commentators. The content was pinned to the top or highlighted in a prominent position for an extended period, indicating a significant investment was made.

Fang Yu clicked on it and began to read it carefully.

The poster's ID was unfamiliar, but the tone was quite arrogant, directly claiming that he now had a "background in the capital's imperial court" as his backer and was in dire need of manpower to expand his influence. He aimed to recruit all players who were currently in the capital or intended to go to the capital, promising to provide resources, protection, and development opportunities.

The post was written in a seductive style, but it also conveyed an undeniable sense of power.

Fang Yu frowned slightly.

In "Seeking the Demon," the capital city is the center of power, a place where powerful figures gather and fierce battles rage.

Players who can gain a foothold there are all either from powerful backgrounds or have formidable strength.

Is the "official background" that the poster claims to have is real, or is it just a case of using a powerful figurehead? Fang Yu was suddenly quite curious.

He continued scrolling down to read the replies.

The numerous comments below reveal an interesting phenomenon.

Most players in the capital city reacted cautiously, mainly asking for detailed information, such as which faction in the court they belonged to, what they were mainly responsible for, what their benefits were, what obligations they would have, and so on.

No one rashly expressed a desire to join directly, or easily revealed their contact information in the game.

Clearly, players who can survive in a place like Beijing are all shrewd and know the risks of easily believing such advertisements.

In addition, there were some "newbies" who were obviously new to the game and innocently asked how to overcome the dangers in the wild and travel a long distance to the capital.

Fang Yu read the post several times and then clicked on the poster's profile to try to find more clues.

However, the other party is very well hidden. Apart from this post, almost no other information has been leaked, making it impossible to determine their true identity, faction, or even gender in the game.

This sense of mystery, ironically, adds to its credibility, or rather, its danger.

After a moment of contemplation, Fang Yu looked up and beckoned to Brother Qi, who had been waiting quietly to the side. "Brother Qi, come and take a look at this post."

Qi Ge stepped forward in response, his eyes quickly scanning the content on the screen with focused attention.

"Keep an eye on this post for me," Fang Yu said, pointing to the screen. "Use our information channels to investigate the poster's background as much as possible. If possible, try to make indirect contact, but don't reveal our true intentions. My character in the game is currently in the capital, and many investigations and operations would be much easier if we had reliable local people to assist us, or at least provide some intelligence support."

He paused, then added, "We need to find out two things: first, whether his claimed 'imperial background' is true; second, how many people he actually has under his command, and what their quality is. If the investigation shows that he does indeed have considerable strength and a sizable team, then... I feel we can consider recruiting him, or at least establishing some kind of cooperative relationship."

"Understood, Mr. Fang." Brother Qi nodded immediately, clearly memorizing Fang Yu's instructions.

But he did not immediately turn around to carry it out; instead, a rare hesitation appeared on his face, as if there was something else he needed to report.

"What's wrong, Brother Qi? Is there anything else?" Fang Yu keenly noticed his hesitation and asked.

“Mr. Fang, it’s like this.” Qi Ge organized his thoughts, “Besides the events in the game, in the real world, something rather strange has happened in the neighboring city recently. There are some scattered rumors online, but because information is strictly controlled, there are very few details, and their authenticity remains to be verified.”

"Oh? What's the big deal?" Fang Yu became interested.

Qi Ge didn't elaborate, but instead picked up a tablet, quickly operated it a few times, and handed it to Fang Yu. "You'd better take a look at this yourself; this is a clip we obtained from some non-public channels."

Fang Yu took the tablet, and a video that was clearly shot on a mobile phone, with a somewhat shaky and blurry picture, began to play on the screen.

The scene appears to be a commercial street or square in a city, crowded with people, but the atmosphere is extremely panicked.

Many people had expressions of fear and despair on their faces; they kept pointing to the top of their heads, crying out to the camera or, more accurately, to the crowd around them.

"I see it! I see it! The countdown! It's right above my head!"

"Three days! Only three days left! What do we do? Someone help us!"

"It's a curse! We're all cursed! We'll die when the countdown ends!"

"Calling the police was useless; they said they couldn't see it! They said we were crazy! But we really did see it!"

Cries, shouts, and screams mingled together, creating a chaotic and unsettling scene.

The photographer also seemed to be in fear, as the camera wobbled unsteadily.

In the past, Fang Yu would most likely have thought this was a script carefully designed by a prank video team to gain traffic, or a large-scale incident of mass delusions.

But things are different now. Having experienced so much, especially knowing the existence of "demons," Fang Yu's heart sank.

This countdown curse felt strangely familiar to him.

Could it be that guy?

Fang Yu's thoughts seemed to drift back to several months ago, when Qi Xiaojin was still alive...

The mysterious death of the old man downstairs seems to be related to this incident.

I used to think it was just an ordinary thing, but now that I think about it, I realize there were hints everywhere.

It turns out that demons already existed in reality back then.

Now, that guy has become so troublesome?

(End of this chapter)