Abyssal Wanderer.

fake people...

Upon receiving the intelligence, Jiang Zhou couldn't help but facepalm.

The ritual did not involve any targeted summoning based on the "relics" provided by the committee—it's unclear whether this was based on Zhou Jiang's own compatibility or a mockery by the Bacchus Order after seeing through Hanel's zombie nature.

Although no one had expected Zhou Jiang to win, it was somewhat... a bit much to assign her a memetic entity with low combat power, especially given that her own adjustment path and depth were not advantageous.

At least its functionality is decent.

Jiang Zhou comforted himself in this way.

Although they are called pseudo-humans, the Servants summoned by Zhou Jiang are actually closer to a collection of certain urban legends.

Specifically, these stem from the fear of the other in a stranger's society and the confusion about anchoring one's self-identity in the city.

The blurry, eerie images in the photos, the bizarre clips from unreleased children's animations, the approaching footsteps every night, the increasingly strange behavior of family members... all these terrifying urban legends combine the unease and discomfort of modern society with the most primal fears, concretizing them into symbolic images.

These memes spread like a plague among the discussions on various late-night forums, haunting many people's nightmares.

only……

Jiang Zhou sighed inwardly.

As meme entities, these urban legends may be terrifying, but they have absolutely nothing to do with being powerful.

Especially when dealing with other meme entities.

Just like those horror movies about vengeful ghosts taking lives, no matter how terrifying the lighting and sound effects make the atmosphere, as long as a fighting monkey wielding an iron rod suddenly appears in the movie, everyone will feel relieved.

Zhou Jiang's follower "False Human" is positioned similarly to a vengeful ghost.

Imitation, doppelganger, infiltration, deception, intimidation, assassination… it is proficient in all these skills and has an innate ability to manipulate others' fears to the greatest extent possible. If it were placed in a resettlement area, it would probably trigger mass panic in no time.

But if you put it directly against those mythical heroes, those embodiments of national will, or directly against certain religious figures, or even angels... well, let's just say that the fake people that first became popular came from a series of simulated horror videos called the Mandela Records. In order to elevate the status of the fake people, the videos claimed that their origin was the angel Gabriel, or a demon disguised as Gabriel.

What if the memetic entity summoned by the Master is Michael?
Even... ah, never mind, I doubt I could summon that one.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Zhou sent an order to Zhou Jiang:
Our primary objective is to preserve ourselves. Let's set a goal: at least to survive until we reach Thebes. On that basis, we should gather as much information as possible about other Masters and Servants.

Although the fake human's combat ability is quite poor, it is indeed very resilient. It has a variety of ways to hide and escape, and as long as Zhou Jiang himself does not die, it should be able to survive until the war officially begins.

As I was thinking this, Xita walked over from the side.

Did you see the ceremony marking the restoration of the United States?

She asked the question directly.

Jiang Zhou nodded.

"Goddess Columbia, the embodiment of the will of the United States... Without the original work as a basis, it seems a bit difficult to judge the goddess's combat power."

He said this.

To this, Sita shook his head and said:

"We can't judge the combat power of memetic entities solely based on the original texts. If it were completely tied to the original texts, then when everyone is preparing, they would just look for Hindu mythology or Cthulhu mythology to summon... Not to mention Thebes, the entire Earth wouldn't be enough for those gods to build."

Jiang Zhou had anticipated this, and he nodded, saying:
"So it depends on the popularity of the meme entity?"

"Popularity is indeed an important indicator, but it's not always the case."

AR walked over and said:

"After all, if we only consider popularity, then the Dionysus War should be turned into a chart competition for rock bands."

If that's the case, then Christie might be eager to take it...

Jiang Zhou thought to himself.

"Many factors influence the strength of a meme entity: historical influence, current influence, breadth of dissemination, amount of existing data, timeliness, ethnic or regional advantages, original source positioning, and so on. No single factor can completely dominate. The strength of different memes can only be determined by a comprehensive calculation of various factors."

Sita explained it this way.

"I see……"

Jiang Zhou nodded.

In other words, regional advantages, popularity advantages, approval rating advantages, historical status advantages... all these factors ultimately result in a certain level of strength.

"But besides the strength of the memetic entity itself, there is another very important thing to consider in Servant battles, and that is the compatibility and counteracting relationship between different memes..."

"This is easy to understand. Memes are the embodiment of ideologies, and different ideologies may have clear antagonistic or restraining relationships. For example, if you summon a meme entity related to the Roman Empire, it will be restrained by memes related to Christianity—historically, the former was completely conquered by the latter on a spiritual level."

Sita continued.

Hearing this, Jiang Zhou roughly guessed why the other party had suddenly brought this up.

"Although you may not have known it at the time, the memetic entity I intend to summon once saved your life in the Nord Resettlement Area—a symbol of the resistance that originated from Liao Qi's deeds, the spiritual totem named Icarus."

Sita's tone carried a hint of solemnity.

Jiang Zhou nodded silently.

Seeing the other person's solemn expression, Sita continued:
"Although he may not be as historically significant or as powerful as those old guys, his deeds are simply too legendary, coupled with the increased media attention brought about by the complete independence of the Nord resettlement area. If we can successfully summon Icarus, then at least in terms of combat strength, his own strength is definitely guaranteed."

After all, it's a hot topic, and the protesters are figures that most people like to see. It's likely that several factors will be fully utilized to boost its appeal.

But this will be a double-edged sword.

Jiang Zhou thought to himself.

"That's right, you grasped it very quickly."

Sita nodded and said:
"Icarus is, after all, a tragic hero, and the expectations the people have for him may make him more likely to choose self-destruction in battle... Of course, this might be avoided through tactical planning. But the goddess of Columbia, whom Mars summoned during the war, is definitely a considerable problem for Icarus."

Columbia, the embodiment of the United States.

The battle between Icarus and Colombia can, in a sense, be considered a battle between protesters and the will of the state.

At least at the meme level, the two are mutually opposed and mutually restraining.

This is not suitable for strategic planning.

If Icarus is destined to burn himself out in a battle, then the fight against Colombia would probably be the most suitable one.

But ironically, this was the first master-slave pair to be exposed.

It's impossible to lose to the opponent in the very first Servant battle, right?
According to the intelligence Jiang Zhou possessed, this problem was even more troublesome.

Columbia's Master, Sam with a path depth of 7 in Ampros, is precisely the kind of enemy that absolutely cannot be left until the end.

"This is really troublesome..."

Jiang Zhou murmured.

"So I have a plan."

Seeing that the other party understood her meaning, Sita spoke:

"After summoning Icarus, we need to avoid the Servant battle with Columbia."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhou was immediately startled. After hesitating for a long time, he decided to directly reveal the information about Sam's change of course.

We already had more than a day to go before arriving in Thebes. If we let him develop for a few more days, mushrooms would probably sprout all over the city of Thebes.

“You will infiltrate their ranks and behead that so-called president of the United States,” Sita continued.

Jiang Zhou blinked, then pointed to his face.

At this moment, his expression was as puzzled as that of Benbo'erba, who had been ordered to kill Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

"Ah I?"

"Yes."

Xita nodded.

…………

Sam felt that something must be wrong.

Didn't she give a passionate speech at the press conference earlier, and then sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" with her hand on her chest?

How did things change so quickly?
The table was littered with empty fried chicken, hamburger, thick-crust pizza (mostly Hawaiian style), and fries boxes, and the air was thick with the scent of hallucinogenic herbs.

The goddess who was solemn and dignified at the press conference earlier was now sitting cross-legged on the sofa, completely unkempt.

She held a glass of iced cola in one hand and a biscuit in the other, dipping it in peanut butter from a large bucket in her arms. She kept eating until the peanut butter made her choke, then she took a big gulp of iced cola to soothe her throat.

In front of her was a huge plasma TV, playing a Hollywood classic filled with car chases, explosions, alien monsters, and handsome men and beautiful women.

"It has been confirmed that the committee's participants have completed their Servant summoning."

When Sam walked up to Columbia, he was speechless.

"Oh well."

Columbia gave a perfunctory reply, her gaze never leaving the television screen.

Then, she raised a finger covered in peanut butter and pointed it at the main character on the screen, saying:
"I bet five cents that this son of a bitch is going to land a superhero."

"My lady goddess..."

Sam was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Just call me Columbia, whatever you like, buddy."

"This is the symbol of the United States," she said, then clapped her hands excitedly as she watched the protagonist kneel down.

"I knew it! I knew it! Once the director starts lowering the camera and using telephoto lens effects, it's time for a superhero-style landing!"

Sam finally couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the remote control from the plate containing the still-burning hallucinogenic herbs and slammed the TV off.

This action finally drew Colombia's attention to him.

"We are at war now, and we bear the responsibility of the nation's revival. At such a critical time, you're here... watching a movie?"

Looking around, Sam had an incredulous expression on his face.

Colombia first put down the peanut butter and cola, then picked up a cigarette wrapped in herbs from the side.

She took a sharp drag, then glanced sideways at Sam and said:

"But this is the real American way of life, darling."

"It's just a war, no need to be so serious. While others can't even afford tree bark, we always go to the battlefield with ice cream and chocolate."

Then, she glanced at the cigarette in her hand and said:

"What did they add to this? It feels much stronger than I remembered."

Sam took a deep breath and then said:

"A certain type of mycelium, if you suck a mouthful from a normal person's brain, it will hold them captive for twelve hours... You mean the really strong kind."

He paused here, then sighed:
"But this is different from all the wars of the past. In the past, the United States was always on the winning side, with endless logistical supplies. But now, it's just the two of us fighting here alone... Can't you at least be a little more serious?"

At least show the same attitude you had in your previous speeches...

Colombia simply scoffed at this.

"Don't you think I'm a completely different person from before?"

She tilted her head and asked.

After hesitating for a moment, Sam nodded.

"If you have such thoughts, then you are not yet a qualified president of the United States."

Colombia sneered.

"What do you mean?"

Sam frowned.

"Public image is public image, and private methods are private methods... If one cannot sit in the White House without the heart of stone to sign executive orders with a straight face, sending countless innocent people to their deaths; and without the acting skills to shout democracy, freedom, and justice in front of the public without batting an eye, then one is completely unqualified to be president."

As she spoke, she picked up the torch that symbolized freedom from the side.

The flames on the torches are now much brighter than when she was first summoned.

"Just like those politicians' speeches, my previous speeches were all for this—votes, approval ratings. And with them, my power was greatly enhanced, and I was closer to victory... That's all I could do."

Columbia said, then turned to look at Sam:

"And what about you? What have you done in your quest for victory?"

Gone was her previous laziness; her voice was now incredibly serious.

"I'm gathering information on other Masters and Servants, planning to take targeted measures..."

Columbia shook his head, interrupting him.

"I know your abilities, your ability to control microorganisms... if left unchecked and unleashed, it could even alter the entire ecosystem. Of course, Thebes is currently sealed off by the Bacchus Order, so no matter how much you stir things up inside, these things won't pose a threat to Earth's ecology, and therefore the Olympian gods won't bother you..."

"Then tell me, why don't you do your utmost to spread those fungi, let them spread throughout the entire city of Thebes as much as possible, let them multiply into a large army. And more importantly, let them infect every living person in the city, let them infect those millions of slumbering beings still in Paradise, and through the connection of the mycelial network, let their collective consciousness strengthen my power?"

Sam was horrified:

"All the residents here are the property of the Bacchus Order!"

"They are just the remains left behind by the ascension. If the Bacchus Order really cared, they would have used their miraculous technology to protect them completely. We wouldn't even know they existed... Leaving them out like this is just to make them a resource to be fought over."

Columbia Road.

"But even so... wouldn't forcing people in the park to agree with us through mycelial networks and hallucinogens distort their free will? If this is considered an election, wouldn't this be cheating?"

Sam hesitated for a moment before saying this.

Columbia shrugged.

"We lie, cheat, and steal; that's the glory of the United States' constant exploration and progress... If you're not even willing to get your hands dirty, then you don't really want to win."

She put down the torch, picked up the jar of peanut butter from the coffee table, and then turned the TV back on.

"Since you're too lazy to prepare for a real war, then don't bother me while I enjoy my American life." (End of Chapter)