The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 419 Purifying the Surface

Wu Chang visited the headquarters of the Yanjing Administration Bureau again. Compared to two days ago, the atmosphere at the Administration Bureau was much more somber.

In reality, extraordinary disasters occur frequently, and with the approaching world instance, the entire management bureau is extremely busy.

In this global raid, the four major organizations face far greater pressure than ordinary organizations.

From the perspective of ordinary supernatural organizations, the success or failure of the world instance at most determines how much of the pie they can get in the post-apocalyptic world.

It's just a matter of taking one more or one less bite; as long as the essence is there, it will eventually be served.

However, for the four major organizations, especially the Order faction of the Wasteland, the outcome of this world instance is crucial to the overall success or failure.

If the Light Society succeeds, the Realm of Reason and the Realm of Desolation will be connected, the Order faction will be powerless to resist, and the Evolution faction and the Light Society will completely control the Abyss Game.

If the conspiracy of the Light Society can be stopped, and the Order Faction can continue to occupy the Reality and the Wasteland, ensuring a stable foundation, they can still barely negotiate terms with the Light Society and the Evolution Faction, and things may still turn around.

This pressure has put everyone in the administration under extreme tension.

Fortunately, the world instance will begin in four days. If the four major organizations had entered this state by the time the world instance started, their willpower would have been seriously damaged before the Light Society even made a move.

Wu Chang arrived at the Administration Bureau's secret meeting room and met Hou Jingchuan and a group of members from the four major organizations.

The handover of the Faith Virus is one of the most important things right now. Representatives from the three major organizations outside the Administration Bureau have all been present. On the Administration Bureau's side, in addition to Hou Jingchuan, Shi Ning and Leng Shan are also present.

Hou Jingchuan looked exhausted; recent events had clearly been troubling him greatly.

He gestured for Wu Chang to sit down and said with a smile:

"Seeing you arrive on time is one of the few pieces of good news I've heard recently."

Wu Chang asked, "Is the situation bad lately?"

I don't know about other places, but he's living a very comfortable life in Wanghai City.

Hou Jingchuan gave a wry smile, and the representatives of the other three major organizations showed the same expression in tacit agreement.

"It's not just bad, it's a disaster."

"In the past two days, seven cities within the four major organizations have been assimilated by the eroded copies and completely disappeared from the Blue Star. It is unknown how many more will be affected worldwide."

"Before the world instance begins, it is estimated that more than twelve A-level instances will go out of control. Amid people's unease, these instances could go out of control at any time, and perhaps in the next second, one of them will go out of control and begin to erode reality."

"Evacuating all the residents of the twelve cities before they get out of control is a huge undertaking. And then there's the subsequent relocation of other disaster victims and the rebuilding of the cities..."

Hou Jingchuan didn't say what came next, but you could tell how troublesome it was.

If Hou Jingchuan were given the chance to complain about his current situation to his heart's content, he could probably complain until the world instance begins.

Wu Chang clicked his tongue and said, "That must have been really tough."

Saying "thank you for your hard work" is the limit of what he can do. As for helping with the erosion dungeon, he has no such intention.

The players from the four major organizations were all resting and recuperating in preparation for the world dungeon, allowing the erosion dungeon to run rampant during this time. He wasn't the babysitter or their mother, so how could he possibly come to clean up their mess?

More importantly, once the Erosion Dungeon enters reality, it's essentially equivalent to leaving the Abyss game, and there will be no dungeon settlement for completing the dungeon.

He's already at the maximum level, and conquering the Out of Control dungeon won't even give him experience points; the reward is just a pitiful few energy points—it's pure drudgery.

He wanted to help conquer a few out-of-control dungeons, but he couldn't convince himself to do so.

One can only sigh that with great power comes great responsibility. Fortunately, his power is small enough that he only needs to be responsible for Eileen's divine kingdom.

Wu Chang did not bring it up, and Hou Jingchuan and the others wisely kept quiet as well.

The two sides exchanged a few laughs and then got down to business.

First, there is the transfer of the faith virus.

Hou Jingchuan took out a specially made metal box from his personal space. He and the representatives of the other three major organizations each took out a key and inserted it into the metal box at the same time, and the seal on the metal box was opened.

Hou Jingchuan carefully pushed the box in front of Wu Chang. Wu Chang opened the metal lid and saw two items lying inside.

One of them, which looks like an irregular sphere pieced together from broken crystals, is composed of four colors and is about the size of an adult's fist.

Upon close inspection, the patterns on a broken crystal can be found to be not cracks, but rather biological tissue resembling blood vessels.

They seemed to be alive, constantly wriggling slightly, moving along with the broken crystals on their surface, changing shape.

He fiddled with the Faith Virus in his hand, switched his view to the temporary administrator's perspective, and saw that on each crystal fragment on the surface of the Faith Virus, there was a strange protrusion that looked like the spike protein on the surface of the virus.

No wonder the Faith Virus is named after a virus; its appearance is indeed modeled after a virus.

Item Name: Faith Virus

Item Type: Special

"Item Description: This item contains temporary administrative authority over the Desolate Realm. Releasing the Faith Virus contained within it can activate the plane's immunity, mark all non-Desolate Realm abilities within the plane, and trigger the Abyss Plane's suppressive force to punish targets that violate the rules."

"Note: Purify the Abyss game environment and safeguard the fairness of dungeon攻略 (strategy guide)."

Wu Chang carefully read the item's description, which stated that it would only work on abilities outside the Desolate Realm. Since all his abilities came from the Desolate Realm, he didn't need to worry.

Hou Jingchuan explained from the side:

"Your Excellency Peace, the Faith Virus in your possession is the part that is to be handed over to Elder Xu."

"All they need to do is have the person who filmed that video bring the Faith Virus back into that space and bury it around the altar that connects to the world instance. Then it will connect with the Faith Virus we brought into the instance."

Wu Chang put the Faith Virus back into the metal box and took out the second item inside.

The second item is not so fancy in appearance; it's just a red button.

Item Name: Burst Moment

Item Type: Special

"Item Description: Detonates the Faith Virus, summons the Abyss Counterforce, and is currently bound to a Faith Bomb."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow. No wonder this thing looked so familiar to him; its shape was very similar to the nuclear detonation button in many movies.

He put the red button back, handling it gently, afraid of accidentally pressing it.

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Wu Chang put away the metal box containing the two props.

Currently, among the players in the Desolate Realm, only Peace has the ability to send the Faith Virus to the Realm of Reason. If he can accept the Faith Virus, then the matter is already half accomplished.

Having established a connection with the "Faith Virus," Hou Jingchuan spoke again, bringing up the second matter.

"Regarding the Light Society envoy you captured when you wiped out the Totem Organization a couple of days ago, we have been trying to get more information from him these past two days."

Mentioning the envoy from the Light Society, the leaders of the four major organizations present all looked worried.

"According to his confession, the Light Society sent a total of four fantastical divinities to the Desolate Realm this time."

"The captured messenger was only responsible for the Hati divinity you mentioned. He had no right to know who the other three were transported to or to whom they were delivered."

Sending four unreal divine beings into the desolate realm at once—the Light Society has really gone all out. Even if all four are defective, they are still genuine divine seeds, and their production cost must have been quite high.

Currently, only the divinity of Hatti has been exposed, meaning that there are three other imaginary divinities still out there.

He looked at Hou Jingchuan and asked:
"Activating the ideal divinity requires a high level of skill, and not just any organization can do it. Do you have any clues about this?"

Hou Jingchuan sighed and said:

"In the past two days, we have investigated almost all the first-tier organizations in the Wasteland, and also investigated many well-known second-tier organizations, but there has been no progress."

"Perhaps they entrusted themselves to a non-real-world organization." Among the organizations formed by Abyss game players, some organizations like to act like totems, banding together in reality and carving out their own territory.

Some organizations, due to their organizational characteristics or personnel issues, only gather in the Crimson Courtyard and do not meet in reality. For example, the toxic organization Ironclad Regiment is an unrealistic organization in order to prevent the entire regiment from being implicated if one person is caught.

Non-real-world organizations, as long as they do not want to be exposed, even the four major organizations would find it difficult to know their specific strength or find their real-world identities.

There are only three possibilities for removing the other three utopian divinities.

First, it is a non-real-world organization.

Secondly, there are believers in evil gods within the believer circle.

Thirdly, the recipient was well concealed, evading the investigative methods of the four major organizations.

After all, no matter how domineering the four major organizations are, they cannot simply interrogate all the high-ranking members of well-known first- and second-tier organizations based on mere suspicion.

No wonder the four major organizations have been making such a big move in the Desolate Realm recently; it turns out it's not just because of the Totem Organization, but also because of those three missing unrealistic divinities.

Hou Jingchuan continued:
"Because of your previous reminder, Your Excellency Peace, we dared not explore the information related to the Light Society too much. Until this morning, we only learned a little more. The divine seeds sent into the Desolate Realm are related to a certain mission in the world instance. We hope you will pay more attention to this."

Wu Chang still remembered that in the Midnight Graveyard plane, Lei Hu said a few more words, and the hidden mines planted by the Light Society in his body exploded. If Eileen hadn't protected him at that time, he would have capsized in the ditch and died in that attack.

Since entering the Abyss Game, that was the closest he had ever come to death; he couldn't forget it even if he wanted to.

Therefore, when he handed over the messengers of the Light Society to the four major organizations, he emphasized that they should not be asked questions about the Light Society directly. Once certain key information was triggered, the Light Society could not only destroy the evidence remotely, but also severely damage the interrogators.

Wu Chang said, "I understand. If we can't find the whereabouts of the other three fantastical divinities before entering the world instance, I will keep an eye out for them in the instance."

Hou Jingchuan said, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency Heping."

Wu Chang thought the matter was over, but Shi Ning, who was sitting next to Hou Jingchuan, suddenly spoke up:

"Your Excellency Peace, besides the faith virus, there is something else I hope you can bring to the Realm of Reason."

As Shi Ning spoke, he took out a palm-sized black box from his personal space and placed it in front of Wu Chang.

The black box was unremarkable. Wu Chang picked it up, but no prompts appeared before his eyes, suggesting that it was not an item recognized by the Abyss.

He asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Shi Ning said, "In the video that Xu Dejun sent back earlier, the infiltrator in charge of recording broke through layers of restrictions to enter the space where the Light Society was building the altar."

"His final breakthrough in the mystical ritual involved divine power. Although it seemed effortless when he broke through, he had actually reached his limit. His infiltration was discovered by the Light Society, and they will definitely upgrade the ritual. It probably won't be so easy for him to enter again."

Wu Chang nodded slightly after listening. The fact that Kuafu and Hercules were chasing Xu Dejun meant that the Guangming Society already knew that someone had infiltrated, and they would definitely increase their defenses afterward.

If the "King of Stealth" that Xu Dejun mentioned had already used all his strength to break through the previous blockade, then infiltrating again might not only fail, but could also result in being captured by the Guangming Society.

Shi Ning looked at the box in Wu Chang's hand and said:

"This is a tool I created based on the forbidden runes he photographed. I call it the 'Divine Rune Decipherer.' It can create loopholes to some extent, helping intruders successfully bypass security barriers."

“It has a sub-machine inside. When releasing the faith virus, the sub-machine is placed around the altar. I can further confirm their plan through the arrangement of the Light Society.”

Wu Chang's eyes showed surprise. He looked at Shi Ning and thought to himself that this young scholar who had become the most popular in Xia Country in recent years seemed to have something special.

Shi Ning is not only one of the designers of the faith virus, but he can also create a corresponding "divine script decipherer" based on only a portion of the scene in the video, in response to the restrictions set up by the Light Society.

No wonder he, a mere researcher in the Wasteland, possessed the authority of a Ranger.

The Bureau has a clear hierarchy, with its members divided into six levels: combatants, explorers, investigators, executors, patrollers, and tuners. The levels range from low to high, and each major level is further divided into three minor levels according to the principle of three-two-one.

When Jianxing explained the classification of the Science and Technology Bureau to Wu Chang, he mentioned that although Shi Ning was in the Desolate Realm, he had the treatment of a Wanderer.

Wu Chang didn't think it was that exaggerated at the time, but looking back now he realizes it's unusual.

Generally speaking, the access level of a member has an upper limit based on the level of the abyss they are in.

For example, Leng Shan, who is ranked first on the Desolate Realm combat power list, and Hou Jingchuan, the head of the Desolate Realm Administration Bureau, have reached the top of their positions in the Desolate Realm Administration Bureau, but their apparent authority level is still that of a Level 1 Investigator.

To continue your promotion, you must enter the Realm of Reason.

For example, Gu Feng, who guards the pillar of the present world, is a level three executor; Xu Dejun, who joined the first batch when the Administration was established and whose seniority is ridiculously high, is only a level one executor.

Judging from the strength, the minimum requirement to become a Wanderer is probably to reach the top of the Realm of Reason and awaken divinity.

As a member of the Desolate Realm, Shi Ning's possession of the authority of a Ranger demonstrates his extraordinary nature.

Wu Chang glanced at Shi Ning a couple of times. Because Shi Ning was so easy to talk to, he had been blind to the fact that Shi Ning was such a big shot.

He put away the "Divine Script Decipherer" and said, "I will bring him there."

After leaving the Administration Bureau, Wu Chang took out the Omniscient Crystal and had it appraise the "Divine Script Decipherer".

After a brief analysis, the Omniscient Crystal concluded that Shi Ning was not exaggerating; the "Divine Script Decipherer" could indeed decipher mystical rituals at the level of gods.

Wu Changrang had the Omniscient Crystal record the internal structure of the "Divine Script Decoder." As he looked at the profound mystical runes output by the Omniscient Crystal, he couldn't help but frown.

The fact that Shi Ning was able to design a "divine script decipherer" shows that his mastery of mysticism has reached the level of a god, surpassing even those who possess the power of the mystic origins.

Even though he had made some breakthroughs in mysticism through his training in the Midnight Graveyard, he had only one foot in the Lord level and was still some distance from the God level.

Putting aside where Shi Ning obtained his mystical abilities, why would someone with god-level mystical powers remain in the Desolate Realm?

Previously, he discovered that the painter had ruined the Bright Society's plans and was being blocked at the door by the Bright Society. He was afraid and dared not easily be promoted, thinking that the painter was the number six in the Desolate Realm, the king of turtle kings. He did not expect that there was another expert.

What he couldn't understand was that Shi Ning's technique was genuine, yet he couldn't sense any source power or divine aura from Shi Ning.

The power of origin is easy to hide, but if Shi Ning has divinity within him, it will definitely not be hidden from his title of blasphemer.

Wu Chang was curious about what secrets Shi Ning was hiding, and he was even more curious about why Shi Ning chose to reveal part of his secrets at this moment.

What made him stop pretending?

Once the world instance ends and the affairs of the Light Society are settled, perhaps he should find an opportunity to talk to Shi Ning.

Tomorrow is the third to last day before the world instance begins, and also the day we were originally scheduled to go to the Realm of Reason.

However, not long after Wu Changgang left the Administration Bureau, He Yun contacted him in advance, asking him to go to the underground shelter dimension.

He remembered that when the super factory was being transferred a couple of days ago, He Yun mentioned that she could only divide her consciousness into three planes for the time being. Among them, the Anthem Company and reality needed to be permanently located, while the underground shelter and the Steam Phantom plane could only be alternated.

At the time, He Yun said that the construction of the underground shelter was at a critical moment and she couldn't get away. She would have to wait until it was completed before she could enter the Steam Phantom instance.

Sending him to the underground shelter now must mean that He Yun has made a breakthrough at the crucial moment he mentioned.

At first, Wu Chang thought that He Yun had called him over to witness her success, and that when she succeeded, the atmosphere would allow her to reward him.

However, before hanging up, He Yun reminded Wu Chang to "remember to bring Eileen," which dispelled Wu Chang's suspicions.

Unfortunately, it seems to be purely business.

He took Eileen with him and followed the pillars of the divine kingdom into the underground sanctuary.

As soon as he and Eileen arrived on the basement level, He Yun drove up to them in an empty car.

The He Yun who appeared before him and Eileen was the real He Yun, not a consciousness separated from the Mechanical Heart. It was clear that He Yun took the upcoming events very seriously.

Wu Chang asked, "What were you referring to when you said 'critical moment' earlier?"

He Yun exclaimed excitedly, "Purify the surface!"

(End of this chapter)