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

Chapter 431 Hunter
Xu Dejun ordered his men to take the three players to the hospital for emergency treatment. Only after their conditions gradually stabilized did he have time to ask:
"Who are they?"

Wu Chang said, "Those guys wandering around the wilderness are intercepting all the players who have been promoted from the Wilderness to the Realm of Reason, especially that guy wearing a full set of plate armor, who is from the Bliss Cult."

"I found them suspicious, so I grabbed them to see if you could get anything out of them."

Xu Dejun looked at the three people being treated and was speechless for a moment. Wu Chang grabbed the three people with ease, as if he had just bought three rolls of toilet paper from the supermarket. But judging from their condition, just as Wu Chang said, they would have collapsed if they had been treated any later.

Although Wu Chang had defeated players from the Realm of Reason before, and had even defeated Hercules head-on, he still couldn't believe that Wu Chang was just a player from the Desolate Realm when he saw what was happening before him.

Xu Dejun shook his head, suppressing the sense of absurdity in his mind, and said:
"I do know something about their actions."

"Shortly after you left last time, the Light Society and the Evolutionists received some information and began to intensify their patrols of the wilderness. At first, we thought they were searching for us, but later we found out that they were intercepting newcomers who had been promoted from the Wilderness."

"We tried to rescue a few, but we didn't find anything unusual. The specific reason is still unknown."

After the qualification instance ends, many players who failed to qualify for the world instance choose to complete the upgrade instance during this period.

Firstly, there's a fear that changes in the Wilderness after the World Dungeon might make it harder to enter the Realm of Reason. Secondly, challenging dungeons are either already cleared or out of control, so opening the upgrade dungeon now would greatly increase the chances of getting a surprise victory.

With the combined effect of these two factors, a small wave of upgrades occurred on the eve of the world dungeon's launch.

After listening to Xu Dejun's description and considering the timing of the Guangming Society's actions, Wu Chang could easily see what the Guangming Society wanted to do.

It seems that the Light Society, or rather the Evolutionist faction, has infiltrated the four major organizations in the Wasteland more severely than imagined. Hou Jingchuan confidently assured that everyone who knew about the Faith Virus was one of their own, yet someone still leaked the information.

He took out the metal box containing the Faith Virus, handed it to Xu Dejun, and explained the changes that had occurred in the Desolate Realm during this period, as well as Hou Jingchuan's plan to place the Faith Virus.

Xu Dejun opened the metal box and saw the faith virus inside, and understood the Guangming Society's intentions.

He closed the box, looked at the three players being rescued in the distance, and his expression was extremely complicated.

The Light Society frequently clashes with Peace, and they are well aware of Peace's strength.

Even the white wolf that merged with the divinity of Hatti was peacefully killed in the wasteland. As long as the Light Society isn't stupid, they won't expect the little Karami scattered throughout the wilderness to be able to stop or capture Peace.

Clearly, these small karami are themselves tools for detecting whether peace has arrived in the realm of reason.

Now that they have been captured by peace, it means that peace has arrived in the realm of reason.

Seeing Xu Dejun's expression, Wu Chang knew what the other was thinking, and he tried to comfort him:

"You don't need to worry too much. Even if the three of them don't disappear, and even if everything is normal, the Light Society wouldn't dare gamble that I didn't come. With the world instance approaching, they should strengthen their defenses, and they will."

Xu Dejun smiled bitterly after hearing this. Wu Chang was right. The Bright Society would never take a plan of this scale lightly before the world instance begins.

Regardless of whether Wu Chang is discovered, they will maintain the highest level of vigilance.

Xu Dejun hesitated for a moment, then handed the metal box back to Wu Chang and said:
"The Faith Virus is indeed a good way to counter the Light Society, but I need to notify the other members of the Order Faction first to discuss a feasible plan."

Wu Chang said, "Let's do it as soon as possible. Ideally, we should be able to deploy the Faith Virus before the world instance begins."

Xu Dejun is a veteran of the Administration Bureau. In the Wilderness Realm, even Hou Jingchuan would give him some face. However, in the Realm of Reason, only those with high status and weak fists have less influence.

Regarding the deployment of the Faith Virus, he could only inform the true high-ranking members of the Order faction in the Realm of Reason, and let them decide on the next steps. At most, he could only listen in; let alone make a decision, even his suggestions might not be taken seriously.

In the eyes of the higher-ups at the Bureau of Reason, although he is now one of their own, his words may not carry more weight than those of Peace, an outsider.

Wu Chang did not participate in this meeting. He was not familiar with the members of the Lijie Management Bureau and did not intend to get too involved with them.

In his view, players from the Realm of Reason and players from the Realm of Wasteland are naturally on opposite sides when it comes to world dungeons.

Xu Dejun, an order advocate who knows his talent is limited and it is difficult to go further, may still be able to do something from the perspective of ordinary people and reality.

But would those truly capable and ambitious high-ranking officials really be willing to stop the Light Society in order to maintain order in the Wasteland and in reality?

Their conflict with the Light Society and even the Evolutionists was merely a conflict between power and ideology, but the contradiction between the Realm of Reason and the Realm of Wasteland was a matter of survival.

The state of the Crimson Garden in the Realm of Reason can be understood after just one visit.

The controlled areas, constantly being eroded by the abyss, the ever-shrinking safe zones, and the ever-increasing price of staying in the safe zones have made it difficult for many players in the game to survive.

Under these circumstances, the third layer of the Abyss remained closed for a long time, and the Desolate Realm continued to release Abyssal Erosion into the Realm of Reason. Even from the perspective of a Realm of Reason player, Wu Chang found it unbearable.

Although what the Light Society did was dangerous, if the Light Society hadn't done it, and no extraordinary man had appeared to break the deadlock, the destruction of the Realm of Reason would only have been a matter of time.

Therefore, Wu Chang naturally distrusted the powerful players in the Realm of Reason regarding the World Dungeon. He was not even surprised that they switched sides to support the Light Society before the World Dungeon even started.

While the Order faction held their meeting, he strolled alone in his private space, learning about the situation in the Realm of Reason.

The private spaces in the Realm of Reason are different from those in the Realm of Wasteland. In terms of nature, the private spaces in the Realm of Reason are more similar to private planes.

First, there's the area. The area inside the private space of the Realm of Reason is larger than the dungeon areas of many planes. For example, the private space where Wu Chang is currently located is a huge city comparable to an underground shelter.

Secondly, the private spaces in the Realm of Reason cannot be customized as freely as those in the Desolate Realm; the style of the space depends on the background of the dungeon during the raid.

As Wu Chang walked out of the building that received visitors, he was greeted by a technologically advanced city. Within the city, he could see some original inhabitants, as if it had been carved out of a whole plane.

He walked alone on the street, feeling the world within his private space. He could sense the complete spatial rules, that this space was under someone's control, and that there was another person beside him.

He shuddered and looked sharply to his side.

A young man wearing a black sports hoodie, a hoodie, and jeans, with his hands in his pockets, was walking less than a meter away from him, with the same stride and pace.

The other person was dressed very plainly. If you met him on the street, you would definitely think he was an ordinary person. In fact, if the hooded man hadn't appeared next to him silently, Wu Chang wouldn't have noticed anything unusual about him.

His inspiration was close to 200 points, his perception was extremely sharp, and he possessed lord-level spatial magic, giving him a thorough understanding of spatial changes. Yet, the other party still managed to get so close to him without him noticing.

Just from this move, you can tell the other party is a master.

If the other party came with hostility, he has already launched a surprise attack and seized the initiative.

Before Wu Chang could speak, the hooded man turned his head to the side, took out his right hand from his pocket, and waved it lightly, saying:

"Welcome to the Realm of Reason."

Seeing that the other person showed no hostility, or rather, even if they did, he wasn't worried, so he asked:
"who are you?"

The young man said, “My name is Hunter, and I own this private space. I’ve heard for a long time that a monster newcomer has emerged in the Wasteland. Even the Light Society can’t get any advantage over you. I’m very curious about you and have always wanted to find an opportunity to meet you.”

"Now it seems they weren't wrong, and were even too conservative. Not to mention newcomers in the Desolate Realm, even in the Realm of Reason, not many people could perceive me like you did just now."

"Although this is our first meeting, you've seen some of my work before."

Wu Chang looked enlightened. His actions were elusive. He also said that he had seen what the other party had taken. If the other party hadn't repaired computers in the Wasteland and leaked photos that shouldn't have been leaked, then the other party must be the player who secretly filmed the conspiracy of the Light Society.

He remembered Xu Dejun referring to the other person as...

"Are you the king of stalking?"

The hunter coughed as Wu Chang choked him, and hurriedly corrected him, "It is the King of Stealth."

Wu Chang said, "Sorry, I got it wrong, King of Stealth."

The hunter breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Just call me the hunter. The title of 'King of Stealth' is just something they made up. Stealth is just an extra ability; what I'm really good at is hunting."

Wu Chang asked, "Hunting instance?"

Being able to obtain a private space in the Realm of Reason is enough to prove that the Hunter is not only powerful in combat, but also extremely skilled at tackling dungeons.

The hunter chuckled and shook his head, saying, "No, it's a hunter."

"It's so rare to see them. Those guys never finish a meeting in less than an hour. Let's go grab a drink first." The hunter led Wu Chang to the bar, and as soon as they sat down, they both said to the bartender:

"Hot milk."

"Orange juice."

After they finished speaking, they both paused for a moment, then looked at each other.

The hunter spoke first: "Drinking alcohol makes people dull and affects my movements and judgment."

Wu Chang nodded in response, "I understand. I've been building muscle recently and need to supplement my protein intake."

thump.

Two drinks were slammed down in front of the two men. The bartender rolled his eyes at them and turned back to wiping the glasses.

Wu Chang and the hunter smiled awkwardly at the same time, raised their glasses, took a sip, and then put them down.

The hunter said, "Your work suits my taste. I admire you. You can ask me any questions you have about the Realm of Reason."

Since he could get information for free, Wu Chang naturally wouldn't refuse. He asked:

"You really can ask me anything?"

The hunter said, "Of course, this statement still holds true. It will still count once the world instance ends and you enter the Realm of Reason."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow and said, "If you can ask me anything, then I'll really ask: how did the pillars of the four major organizations come about?"

“I have a pillar of the present world, its name is the Underground Shelter. If you check the records, you should find that it originally belonged to the Administration Bureau and was guarded by an executor named Lone Peak.”

"But when I was clearing the dungeon, I discovered that the creator of that Pillar of the Present World was from the Society of Light, so I'm very curious about their relationship with the Bureau."

He had been curious about this issue when he discovered that the underground shelter was trapped in a time loop because of Mercury while exploring the Pillars of the Present.

However, at the time he couldn't speak with the four major organizations, and later he was busy with various things. By the time he became familiar with the Administration Bureau, he had forgotten about it.

The appearance of the Death Temple Research Institute once again aroused his doubts.

Not only was it the Society of Light that orchestrated the transformation of the Underground Sanctuary into the Pillars of the Realm, but for a long time afterward, Mercury continued to cultivate idealized divinity on the planes that became the Pillars of the Realm.

How exactly did that underground shelter end up in the hands of the Administration Bureau?
Upon hearing the question, the hunter couldn't help but let out a wry smile. He hadn't expected Wu Chang to ask such a sensitive question right from the start.

Wu Chang said from the side, "If it's inconvenient, you don't have to say it."

The hunter sighed, "You already know about this situation with the Pillars of the Present. If I hide it from you, it will only arouse your suspicion. Oh well, it's not something that can't be said."

"The reason is simple: some of the Pillars of the Present World possessed by the four major organizations were made by themselves, and you probably already know the methods of making them. The other part came from transfers from other forces."

Wu Chang understood what the hunter meant: regardless of whether it was done actively or passively, the Pillar of the Present World could be transferred.

The hunter continued:

"The Pillar of the Present World exists in two states: one is that it is formed naturally in the wild, and the other is that it has been occupied by other players."

"The Pillar of the Present World exists in the middle layer. Although it connects the Desolate Realm and the Realm of Reason, its essence is actually the failure of a plane to ascend into the Realm of Reason. Therefore, the root of the Pillar of the Present World can only be in the Desolate Realm, and its owner can only be a player from the Desolate Realm."

"Just like you said, you possess that Pillar of the Present World. Although the people who created it were the Illuminati, the Illuminati cannot truly possess it. They can only treat it as a wild Pillar of the Present World and use it in secret."

"Back then, the painter exposed the actions of the Light Society, making the four major organizations aware of the Light Society's activities in the middle layer. In order to eradicate the Light Society's activities at the root, an operation was launched to bring all the Pillars of the World under the control of the four major organizations."

"After this evolution, the Pillar of the Present World created by the Light Society ended up in the possession of the Management Bureau. It's just that the guardian of the Pillar of the Present World doesn't have your abilities and didn't discover the traces left by the Light Society, otherwise we would have dealt with it long ago."

Wu Chang picked up the hot milk and took a sip, thinking to himself, "Thank goodness you didn't notice."

Putting aside the Goddess of Desire and the time loop, even if the organized raiding party completes the raid and explores all the way to the surface, they will still be wiped out when they encounter Hela.

The hunter's words finally helped Wu Chang connect everything.

The Light Society can only create pillars of the present world, not truly possess them. After the painter stole the stone tablets used to create the imagined divinity, the secret research institute could no longer operate. In addition, Hela's rampage made it difficult for the Light Society to cope for the time being.

Furthermore, the four major organizations wield considerable power in the Desolate Realm and forcibly reclaim the Pillars of the Present World. Mercury, holding He Yun's contract, can take back the Pillars of the Present World at any time if he so desires.

A combination of factors led the Light Society to abandon the underground shelters and temporarily hand them over to the four major organizations.

Having sorted out all the relationships and temporarily put his mind at ease about the underground shelter dimension, Wu Chang continued, "I have one more question."

The hunter's voice was a little hoarse as he asked, "Anything else?"

Wu Chang said, "Don't worry, this issue isn't sensitive; it's about you."

"If nothing unexpected happens, they should still ask you to take the lead in this operation. As the main character, why aren't you in a meeting? Instead, you're here to drink with me."

The hunter breathed a sigh of relief; this was indeed not a sensitive issue.

"The reason is simple: no matter what the outcome of their discussions is, it won't change what I'm going to do."

Wu Chang had already understood the hunter's meaning, but still asked, "What do you want to do?"

"Stop the Light Society," the hunter said matter-of-factly.

"Xu Dejun probably didn't tell you before that although I helped them, I am not a member of the Order faction. Don't misunderstand, I am not a member of the Evolution faction either. I used to be like Xu Dejun, a non-factionalist, just doing what I thought was right."

"I can do whatever I want, and no one can tell me what to do."

Wu Chang sized up the hunter and said, "Aren't you worried that if the Light Society fails, the Abyss's corruption in the Realm of Reason will accumulate too much, leading to the destruction of the Crimson Courtyard in the Realm of Reason?"

The hunter turned his head to look at Wu Chang, throwing the question back at him.

"You'll soon be promoted to the Realm of Reason, aren't you worried?"

Wu Chang shrugged and said, "I'm not worried."

The hunter replied in the same tone, "I'm just like you, I'm not worried either."

The two paused for a moment, then laughed at the same time.

The hunter asked, "Is that thing on you?"

Wu Chang nodded. Perhaps considering the worst-case scenario, Xu Dejun did not take the box containing the faith virus away before the meeting, but returned it to Wu Chang.

The hunter said, "What I admire about you is that you can act without restraint, doing only what you want, without being swayed by any force."

"While I can't be like you, punching the four major organizations and kicking the Light Society, I can still make decisions of this magnitude myself."

As the two were talking, the hunter and Wu Chang received a message at the same time. Wu Chang opened the message sent by Xu Dejun, which stated that after an internal meeting and vote within the Order Faction, more than half of those who agreed to use the Faith Virus had agreed, and the operation would begin immediately.

Clearly, the hunter received the same message.

The hunter raised his glass of orange juice and asked, "Want to join me?"

Wu Chang raised his glass and clinked it with the hunter's, saying, "Of course, the Light Society has strengthened its defenses this time. Without my help, you might not have been able to get through the various restrictions."

After clinking glasses, the two drank their drinks in one gulp and turned to leave the bar.

The bartender's lips twitched slightly as he came over and took the two glasses away from the bar.

Drinking orange juice and milk together? What bad luck! I've run into an idiot.

(End of this chapter)