Invincibility starts when I see the BOSS health bar.

Chapter 1006 Disaster
Just then, the video Qi Ge was playing switched.

The next scene appears to be an indoor location, dimly lit, seemingly the interior of a temple hall.

Dozens of people knelt in unison before a huge Buddha statue, their expressions exceptionally devout, chanting incantations as if they were performing some kind of collective prayer or repentance ritual.

However, this pious atmosphere was completely shattered in the next second.

Without warning, these dozens of people seemed to have their souls ripped out at the same time, collapsing limply to the ground, instantly losing all life. The scene was eerily silent and terrifying.

The video ends abruptly there.

Fang Yu stared silently at the blacked-out screen, remaining silent for a long time.

A somber atmosphere filled the air.

He could feel a chill slowly creeping up his spine.

This is not a quest for demonic possession, but a real tragedy and potential crisis that is happening in the real world and affects the lives of millions of people.

"When...did this happen?" Fang Yu's voice was low and serious. He put down his tablet and looked at Brother Qi.

Qi Ge's expression was equally grave: "According to the information we've verified so far, the footage of the mass deaths that followed occurred about a month ago, but the news was strictly suppressed, and almost no one outside knew about it. As for the earlier videos showing countdowns overhead and people panicking and calling for help, they only started circulating on a small scale on the local network three days ago, and were quickly deleted and blocked. We also used special channels and only just obtained this concrete video footage today. It seems that there's a powerful force in the neighboring city... trying its best to prevent any related information from spreading to the outside world."

Fang Yu stood up and paced back and forth, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

The neighboring city is only a little over a hundred kilometers away from our own Jiangnan City, and millions of people there may be facing an unknown and deadly threat.

Conventional forces are powerless to handle this supernatural event; panic spreads in the shadows as the countdown to death ticks away.

"I have to go there." Fang Yu turned around, his tone firm and unwavering.

Qi Ge seemed to have anticipated his decision and didn't show much surprise. Instead, he calmly reminded him, "Mr. Fang, Mr. Qi Sheng previously instructed that any event involving the supernatural must be handled with extreme caution. The situation over there is unclear, and the risk level may be very high."

“I know it’s dangerous,” Fang Yu said sharply. “But it’s precisely because it’s dangerous that I have to go. This kind of thing is clearly related to demons. In the real world, apart from me, I’m afraid no one else has the ability to effectively deal with this kind of supernatural power. If we leave it unchecked, judging from the scope and strangeness of the curse shown in the video, once it fully erupts, it could very well… cost the lives of millions of people there. I can’t sit idly by.”

Seeing the unwavering determination in Fang Yu's eyes, Brother Qi stopped trying to dissuade him and nodded, "I understand. Please wait a moment, I need to report your decision to Mr. Qi Sheng immediately." As he spoke, he took out an encrypted communicator and quickly dialed a number.

The call was quickly connected, and Qi Ge handed the communicator to Fang Yu.

“Uncle Qisheng? It’s me.” Fang Yu took the communicator and said directly.

The receiver carried Uncle Qisheng's slightly tired but still steady voice: "Fang Yu, I heard from Xiao Qi that you want to go to Jiangyuan City?"

“Yes, Uncle. The situation over there looks very strange. I suspect it may be related to the demons of the Demon Seeking World. We must investigate and do our best to prevent a disaster.”

Uncle Qisheng was silent for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, seemingly weighing something, before slowly speaking, his tone filled with worry: "Fang Yu, I understand your thoughts, and I'm... pleased with your sense of responsibility. However, that place is like a black hole right now; information is completely blocked, and we know nothing about the specific situation inside. Going there alone is too risky. I'm worried..."

“Uncle, I understand your concerns,” Fang Yu interrupted, his tone gentle but firm. “But some things always need to be done. Ordinary people are almost powerless against this kind of threat. If even I back down, what will happen to ordinary people? Besides, with my current abilities, I should have no problem protecting myself.”

Uncle Qisheng fell silent again, then let out a long sigh, his tone becoming somewhat complicated: "Sigh..."

He seemed unwilling to argue further on this issue, and changed the subject, bringing up another matter that had been on Fang Yu's mind: "By the way, regarding Xiao Jin and Xiao Meng's situation... I think I should keep you informed."

Fang Yu's heart immediately jumped: "How are they?"

"Xiao Jin's situation... is still the same." Uncle Qisheng's voice lowered. "His frozen state is stable, and his vital signs are maintained, but... there is no sign of him waking up. We have tried all the known methods, but we still can't find any definite clues." His words were filled with an undisguised sense of helplessness and deep paternal love.

"...What about Qimeng?" Fang Yu's voice unconsciously softened.

Mentioning his eldest daughter, Uncle Qisheng's tone became slightly more lively: "Xiaomeng's condition has shown some... positive signs. She is still in a vegetative state, unresponsive. However, our monitoring team has discovered that her brainwaves frequently exhibit abnormal fluctuations, and these fluctuations have become increasingly frequent and pronounced recently!"

"Is this a good thing?" Fang Yu asked.

"After analysis, the expert team believes that this is likely an extremely positive sign," Uncle Qisheng affirmed. "It means that Xiaomeng's consciousness may have been activated or maintained to some extent in that other world, in that special environment, and may even be trying to establish contact with the outside world. Although there is still a long way to go before she truly awakens, this undoubtedly gives us great hope. The experts say that if this positive brainwave activity can continue or even strengthen, perhaps... there really will be a chance to create a miracle."

Upon hearing this news, Fang Yu felt a sense of relief for Uncle Qisheng.

Uncle Qisheng then steered the conversation back to reality, "So, Xiaoyu, you see, Xiaomeng is at a critical stage, and we still need to find Xiaojin. When you go there, you must be extremely careful and absolutely cannot be reckless. I will have Xiaoqi fully cooperate with you; just ask if you need any resources. Remember, your safety is the prerequisite for solving all problems."

“I understand, Uncle. I will proceed with caution,” Fang Yu solemnly promised. “I will make thorough preparations before I go there. As for Brother Qi, I will also have him focus on investigating the situation both inside and outside the game, proceeding on two fronts simultaneously.”

After ending the call with Uncle Qisheng, Fang Yu handed the communicator back to Brother Qi.

His eyes had regained their calm and sharpness.

A crisis is looming in the real world, and the mysteries of the game world also require careful exploration.

He handed the tablet back to Brother Qi and instructed, "Brother Qi, carry out two things simultaneously. First, prioritize a thorough investigation into the incident in the neighboring city. Utilize all available channels to obtain as much detailed intelligence as possible, including the specific manifestations of the countdown, the initial location of its appearance, whether there are any survivors, the response measures of local officials or secret agencies, and so on. The more detailed, the better. Second, handle the matter of that post on the game forum in Beijing as I just mentioned."

"Yes, Mr. Fang!" Brother Qi replied crisply, then turned and walked away quickly to arrange various tasks.

After Qi Ge left, Fang Yu's gaze fell on his phone screen. He rubbed his slightly throbbing temples, his fingertips swiping rapidly across the cool screen.

In the chat box, the name "Lei Shenhao" was followed by a long string of red unread message markers, so densely packed that they almost overflowed the screen.

She sighed softly. This young master of the Lei family's enthusiasm and desire to report could sometimes be a sweet burden.

Lei Shenhao's message history was astonishingly long. Flipping through the pages, it was less like a chat and more like an extremely detailed work log, meticulously recording Lei Shenhao's recent "struggle history" in the game "Seeking the Demon".

Fang Yu casually clicked on a page in the middle, his gaze sweeping across the screen.

The message was segmented, and surprisingly, it was quite well-organized.

The beginning section is about Lei Shenhao's own cultivation progress.

He had reached a critical bottleneck in his cultivation, mastered several powerful new martial arts techniques, and even described in detail a near-death experience fighting an elite monster in a game. His words were filled with a complex mix of lingering fear and boasting.

The following section focuses on how, with his father's strong support, he used his real-world wealth and connections to recruit soldiers and horses in the game.

Not only did it list the IDs and approximate strengths of several newly recruited, somewhat famous players in the game, it also mentioned that it was in contact with several small guilds, intending to integrate resources and build a more competitive team.

Lei Shenhao even analyzed the gaps and advantages between his team and those established guilds with a touch of pride, displaying the demeanor of a powerful leader.

At the end of the message, the author shifted the tone, mentioning the recent situation of Monk Quanheng in a slightly teasing tone.

"Master Quanheng has recently encountered a 'love tribulation'," Lei Shenhao wrote. "He's been driven crazy by that woman, and it's said that even his daily life of meditation and Buddhist practice has been significantly affected." Upon reading this, Fang Yu's lips twitched slightly, revealing a barely perceptible wry smile. He had been too busy since arriving in the capital and hadn't paid attention to the situation with Monk Quanheng. However, he figured it was probably just a minor flirtation and nothing to worry about.

Fang Yu thought for a moment. If Monk Quan Heng could come to the capital now, it might be of some help to him. However, the dangers of the capital made Fang Yu unwilling to let the other party do such a risky thing.

"What a pity..." Fang Yu muttered to himself, locked his phone, and tossed it onto the sofa beside him.

The screen went dark, revealing his slightly tired and solemn face.

"In reality, I am the only person who possesses the abilities from the game."

This uniqueness brings not pride, but a heavy responsibility and loneliness.

The vague yet ominous news coming from the neighboring city weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder.

If there were other reliable people who could materialize a portion of the game's power into reality, even if it was only one-tenth, then perhaps they could be entrusted with the initial investigation, giving him a buffer and support.

But now, he can only be the sole sharp blade, and also the original line of defense.

Although Fang Yu was extremely anxious about the situation in the neighboring city and wished he could set off immediately to see what was going on, reason told him that he could not be so reckless.

The neighboring city took extremely strict information control measures immediately after the incident, even resorting to special means to interfere with normal communications in the surrounding area. What does this show? It shows that the city's high-level management still has a considerable degree of control, and they are trying to suppress the situation within a certain range, unwilling to let panic spread.

This attitude is contradictory in itself, showing that the seriousness of the matter may be beyond imagination, while also suggesting that the situation may not have completely deteriorated to the point of the whole city being out of control and beyond repair.

The fact that they are still trying to "hide" it means that they believe they can still "control" it.

But the cost behind this so-called "control" remains unknown.

Rushing in rashly could not only alert the enemy, but also be treated as a destabilizing factor by the authorities, or... directly drawn into deeper, unknown dangers.

"We must investigate thoroughly before taking any action," Fang Yu emphasized to himself again.

Intelligence is the first element for survival and victory, especially when facing completely unknown enemies or phenomena.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and refocused his attention on the sea of ​​information before him.

He sat back down in front of the computer, the soft blue light illuminating his focused profile.

Fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, accessing two main information sources.

First, there's the official forum for the game "Seeking the Demon" and several active player communities.

He set up a complex keyword filtering program to capture any clues that might be related to real-world anomalies from a massive amount of casual posts, strategy posts, transaction posts, and gossip.

For example, have any players posted about having a "premonition" or some kind of character ability in the game?

Or are there players whose IDs are located in the next city or its vicinity, whose recent posts have become unusual, or who have suddenly gone missing?
He even paid attention to posts that were considered "nonsense," descriptions of seeing strange hallucinations and hearing eerie whispers. These phenomena, which would have been laughed off in the past, now had value to be re-examined in his eyes.

Secondly, Uncle Qisheng used his resources to collect and organize all the reports of events that were labeled as "extraordinary" or "paranormal" in the real world.

These materials are more complex and difficult to verify, requiring extremely high discernment.

Fang Yu read each item carefully, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

(End of this chapter)