As someone in sequence 001, I also want to give up today.

At the same time, all over the world.

The S-level experts who received Li Yu's call reacted differently, but all gave an affirmative answer.

In a top-secret laboratory 300 meters underground in Beijing.

Zhao Mingyuan, wearing a white coat, with hair as messy as a bird's nest and glasses thicker than the bottom of a beer bottle.

He was staring at the rapidly scrolling data stream on the screen, muttering to himself.

"Energy curvature deviation 0.0003%... space constant perturbation... no, there's a variable we haven't considered..."

The phone rang, but he didn't even look at the caller ID and immediately pressed speakerphone.

"Hey? I'm busy. Speak quickly. My 'vacuum decay simulation experiment' is at a critical stage. If I can't find a way to suppress it in thirty seconds, this laboratory and the three blocks above it may disappear from the earth."

Li Yu on the other end of the phone: "..."

"Dr. Zhao, it's me, Li Yu."

"Oh, Xiaoyu. What is it? Make it quick, there are 25 seconds left."

"Lilith-senpai has broken through to SS rank! We're having a celebration party for her at Cloudtop Manor the day after tomorrow. Are you coming?"

Zhao Mingyuan's fingers, which were frantically typing on the keyboard, stopped.

He pushed up his thick glasses; the countdown on the screen showed nineteen seconds left.

"Lilith...SS-rank? Are you sure? Her mental strength threshold has broken through 100,000? Has the 'existential collapse' problem of energy form been solved? To what extent has her 'Reconstruction of Everything' expanded? Can it maintain stability under strong observer effects?"

He fired off a series of professional questions in one breath.

Li Yu: "...Dr. Zhao, you can ask her these questions in person. So, are you coming?"

Zhao Mingyuan glanced at the countdown on the screen, which had already reached ten seconds.

Then I looked at a button next to me that was flashing red and had the words "vacuum critical" written on it.

He was silent for two seconds.

Then he reached out and typed a complex command on the keyboard.

The countdown stopped at "3".

All the alarm lights in the laboratory that were flashing wildly went out instantly.

"go."

Zhao Mingyuan said crisply and decisively.

"How could I possibly miss such a historic example... no, such a historic moment? Coincidentally, I've recently had some new ideas about the 'stability of high-dimensional energy structures in the real world' that I can discuss with Lilith."

"Then let's meet at Yunding Mountain Villa at 3 PM the day after tomorrow."

"Understood. By the way, please reserve a seat for me closest to Lilith, preferably one where I can collect some samples of her energy dissipation after her breakthrough."

"...I will tell her."

Thanks.

Zhao Mingyuan hung up the phone, looked at the now calm laboratory, rubbed his hands together, and showed the excited expression unique to a fanatical researcher.

"SS-rank...a whole new energy dimension...fantastic...my new research topic has been settled!"

He completely forgot that there were only three seconds left before the laboratory was annihilated.

---

On a beach on a private island in the East China Sea.

Under a bright red parasol, Honglian Suwan, wearing a bikini and sunglasses, with a hot figure, stood.

He was leisurely lying on a beach chair, holding a glass of chilled juice with a small umbrella stuck in it.

She held the phone to her ear, her red lips slightly curved, her voice languid and alluring.

"Little Yu, why did you think of your older sister? Did you and Chen Zhe have another fight? Do you need me to teach you a few tricks for managing your husband?"

Li Yu looked helpless on the other end of the line.

"Sister Honglian, let's get down to business. Senior Lilith has broken through to SS rank! There's a gathering at Cloudtop Manor the day after tomorrow. Are you coming?"

"Lilith? That little bean sprout who never grows up?"

Su Wan raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes behind her sunglasses, which quickly turned into intense interest.

"You've actually come this far...tsk tsk, the younger generation is truly formidable. Alright, I'll definitely be there. Perfect timing, I just ordered a few new dresses and was worried about not having any occasions to wear them."

She took a sip of juice, licked her lips, and her smile became somewhat playful.

"When the time comes, we'll have to give our little witch a proper 'congratulations'... For example, let's see if she'll still get so angry when I pinch her cheeks after she's reached SS rank?"

Li Yu: "...Sister Honglian, that's enough. Senior Lilith is now an SS-rank."

"So what if she's SS-rank? Does that mean she's not a little girl anymore?"

Su Wan didn't care.

"Alright, I got it. See you the day after tomorrow. Remember to tell Lilith that I have a 'surprise' for her!"

After hanging up the phone, Su Wan took off her sunglasses and gazed at the distant blue sea with a wistful look in her eyes.

"SS-rank... the first one? It seems this world is getting more and more interesting."

---

In a dimly lit room in a city in southwestern China, piled high with various game consoles, figurines, snack bags, and instant noodle buckets.

With dark circles under his eyes, messy hair, and wearing a dinosaur onesie pajama, Akito was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, frantically pressing the controller with his hands and staring intently at the TV screen.

On the screen, dazzling skill effects flashed as his character battled a boss in a dungeon.

"Heal me! Heal me! Quick! I'm dying! Ah—we wiped again! This boss design is definitely flawed!"

He was so angry that he threw the controller down and grabbed the soda next to him, taking a big gulp.

Just then, the phone rang.

Without even looking at the screen, he answered the phone, his tone irritable: "Who is it? I'm in a dungeon right now, get to the point!"

"Mingren, it's me, Li Yu."

"Oh, Sister Yu."

Mingren's tone softened slightly, but he was still very anxious.

"What's up? I'm currently clearing a dungeon, and if I don't pass this week, the guild is kicking me out!"

"Senior Lilith has broken through to SS rank! There's a gathering at Cloudtop Manor the day after tomorrow, are you coming?"

"Lilith? SS-rank?"

The Ming man paused for a moment, then curled his lip.

"What does this have to do with me? I don't play PvP... Wait, Cloud Peak Resort? Is that the Cloud Peak Resort that supposedly has a holographic game room and a top-notch buffet?"

"……Yes."

"Is there an arcade? A buffet? And it's free?"

"...Yes, it's free."

"Go! I have to go! What time? I'll log on early to finish my daily tasks!"

"3 PM the day after tomorrow."

"Okay! I've got it! By the way, Sister Yu, can I bring my game console? I'm currently participating in a limited-time event..."

"You can take it... just don't be too flashy."

"Okay! Thanks, Sister Yu! I'm off to continue my exploration! Bye-bye!"

Mingren hung up the phone and immediately picked up the handle again, full of fighting spirit.

"For the free buffet and arcade the day after tomorrow! Brothers, we have to pass this time! If we do, I'll treat you... to photos of your gathering at Cloud Top Mountain Resort!"

His teammates booed him in the voice chat.

---

Inside an apartment in Jiangcheng.

Li Xian was leaning lazily back in his chair.

The aftermath of last Saturday's incident at the amusement park has been largely resolved.

Tu Yan's body was taken away by the General Bureau's technical department for research, in an attempt to find clues about the "God Group" and the mysterious "God Emperor" from the remaining energy traces and restrictive structures.

The information obtained from the more than 20 members of the God Group who were arrested was very limited after an overnight interrogation.

Most of these lower- and middle-level members only know how to execute orders and know very little about the organization's core structure, the whereabouts of other senior members, and the specific purpose of the so-called "divine intervention ritual."

The only slightly valuable information they could provide was that this operation was indeed personally ordered by the "God Emperor," who demanded that a sufficient quantity and quality of "soul sacrifices" be collected in Jiangcheng.

The reason is unknown, but it seems to be related to some special "causal node" in the Jiangcheng area.

As for what that node is or where it is, people at their level are simply not qualified to know.

When the interrogation report was delivered to Lin Mo, the causal agent merely pursed his lips and said, "As expected."

The fact that the God Group has been able to remain hidden for so many years suggests that its secrecy measures and methods of controlling its members must be extremely strict.

The chances of uncovering core secrets from these peripheral pawns are inherently slim.

However, losing one of the five elders at level A, three level B core members, and more than twenty mid-to-low-level members at once is definitely a crippling blow to the God Group.

In the short term, they probably won't dare to make any major moves in Jiangcheng or even the entire East China region.

This also brought a sigh of relief to everyone at the Jiangcheng Supernatural Abilities Bureau.

After all, no one would feel comfortable being targeted by a crazy cult.

Li Xian was not surprised by the interrogation results, nor did he care much about them.

What he was more concerned about was the nature of Lin Wanwan's supernatural abilities, which he had only glimpsed briefly that day and hadn't had time to study in depth.

Based on his perception at the time, Lin Wanwan did indeed possess an extremely high-level talent that involved the rules of the game.

However, this talent seems to be blocked by some kind of innate limitation or self-protection mechanism.

With her current level of mental strength and cognitive ability, she simply cannot withstand the power of its full awakening.

Forcibly "unlocking" her could cause irreversible damage to her mental and even spiritual well-being.

There's no need to rush.

Li Xian was thinking as he used his telekinesis to spin the pen on the table.

"That girl's basic mental strength has now exceeded 52 points, which is a rocket-like improvement speed in school. At this rate, once she naturally grows to D-level or even C-level, the blockage should gradually loosen, and it won't be too late to guide her then."

"Anyway, with the bell around 'influenced' her (although the direction might be a little off), plus the formal training at school, she'll figure it out on her own sooner or later."

Thinking of the bell, Li Xian's lips unconsciously curled up.

That girl has been showing off these past few days.

At school, Lin Wanwan, this "monster," attracted the majority of attention.

Lin Wanwan's score soared from 12 to 52 in less than two weeks, alarming the school's higher-ups. It is said that a special observation group is secretly monitoring the situation.

The bell's performance of "stable improvement to 18 points" seems unremarkable.

This perfectly aligns with the "above average, unassuming" persona that Li Xian wanted her to maintain.

But at home, Lingdang secretly bragged about it to Li Xian several times.

"Old Deng! Today, I used my enhanced mental power to secretly 'freeze' Wanwan's unruly eraser in mid-air for ten seconds! She didn't even notice!"

"I've broken through again! I now have 19 points of basic mental strength! After the fission, it will be 361 points! One more point and I'll reach Rank D!"

"Wanwan asked me today why my mental strength increases at an 'average' rate, but sometimes I give off an 'unfathomable' feeling... I almost let it slip! Luckily, I was quick-witted and said it was a characteristic of 'mental amplification'!"

Li Xian would always compliment her with a couple of words, then remind her to keep a low profile and not to overdo it.

By the way, continue feeding her with various exotic beast ingredients to solidify her foundation.

Now, every day when Lingdang gets home from school, the first thing she does is rush into the kitchen to see what delicious food is ready for dinner.

Fat Orange expressed strong dissatisfaction with this—because Bell always steals the best parts from it.

The newest member of the family, "Xiao Jin" (a golden cat with paws and a pudding-like tuft), is adapting very well.

It seemed to really like the scent of the bell (after all, the bell played a part in its birth).

Whenever the bells approach, its vines sway merrily, and the pudding-like fragrance emanating from its flowers becomes exceptionally strong.

From being wary at the beginning, Fat Orange can now calmly perch on the top shelf of the bookshelf, watching the glowing plant below interact with a certain gluttonous little girl.

Occasionally, it will meow, indicating "I, the great one, have given you permission to play."

Everything returned to the peaceful yet slightly lively track that Li Xian liked.

Li Xian's phone, which was on the table, rang.

Caller ID: Li Yu.

Li Xian picked up the phone casually, and before he could even say "feed," Li Yu's excited voice, almost cracking, came from the other end:

"Brother! Great news! Lilith has broken through to SS rank! We're throwing a celebration for her at Cloud Peak Manor in Beijing the day after tomorrow. I've already booked the plane tickets—yours, mine, and Lingdang's! I've also asked Sister Su Lin to take care of Fatty Orange! You don't mind, do you?"

Li Yu spoke at lightning speed, giving Li Xian no chance to refuse, and introduced each of the party members to Li Xian.

Li Xian held his phone and remained silent for three seconds.

He glanced at Bell, who was playing "you point at me, I point at you" with Little Gold (the golden cat paw pudding bush) on the living room carpet, and then at Fat Orange, who was dozing on the cat tree.

Going to the capital?

Attending an SS-rank (and quite a few S-rank) gathering?

That sounds complicated...

but……

Li Yu's sisterly bias made him think that his brother was just a "more powerful B-level", but Li Xian knew that in that kind of situation, he might "encounter" some very interesting samples of abilities.

For example, what would be the effect of optimizing the newly upgraded SS-rank Lilith with the [Reconstruction of Everything] skill?

For example, Hyotei's "Winter Authority" would be great to have a portable air conditioner in the summer.

For example, with Dr. Energy's "Energy Domination," could we save on our electricity bills in the future?

And then there's Crimson Lotus's [thermal radiation], I wonder what it would become if it were combined with Flame Heart's control...

Thinking about it this way, it seems... not entirely unacceptable?

"Brother? Are you still listening? Are you going or not?" Li Yu urged from the other end of the line.

"……go."

Li Xian sighed.

"But it's a promise, I'm just going to have a meal and make an appearance. Don't make me have to socialize, I have social anxiety."

"Okay, okay! You're just going to be a background character and broaden your horizons! Don't worry, I'll be here!"

Li Yu hung up the phone happily.

Li Xian put down his phone, walked to the living room, and picked up Lingdang, who was playing a game.

"Girl, I'll take you to the capital the day after tomorrow for fun and a big meal."

Bell's eyes lit up instantly.

"The capital city? A grand meal? Do you have pudding?"

"I think... there probably is."

"Yay! Off to the capital!"

Looking at the cheering bells, Li Xian rubbed his temples.

I hope this trip to Beijing will be peaceful.

Let's not have a situation like at an amusement park, where you might encounter a cult performing a sacrifice while just having a meal.

This lazy bum just wants to quietly leech off some abilities and improve his quality of life.

Why is it so difficult?