When the game shut down, I took my skills with me.

In the Gaia plane, the outskirts of the beach villa area have become a large-scale, frenzied pilgrimage site.

Looking at the dense crowd before him, the glint in their eyes made even this imposter "divine messenger" a little uneasy.

"Ahem!" He cleared his throat, trying to puff out his chest to make himself look more like the person in charge. "Just now, the administrator issued a decree. The master is in meditation, and the noise of us mortals has disturbed his peace."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent instantly.

Everyone instinctively covered their mouths, even their breathing became cautious, for fear that if they breathed too loudly, they would become the sinners who disturbed the gods' slumber.

Fatty Wang was very satisfied with the result.

He continued, "However, the administrator, being compassionate, could not bear to see us without a path to cultivation. He specially ordered me to open the 'Way of Gourmet Food' lecture hall here, to impart to you all the superficial insights I have gained."

A collective gasp of barely suppressed excitement rose from the crowd.

"Of course, the great Dao cannot be easily passed on." Fatty Wang changed the subject, completely switching into shrewd businessman mode. "If you want to listen to the lecture, you need a ticket. If you want to buy the 'Divine Grace Crystals' I refine, you need even more qualifications."

He pointed to the trash can not far away, which was coveted by countless people.

"The Administrator walks among mortals, and every action he takes contains profound truths. What he casually discards are not ordinary objects, but 'sacred objects' containing fragments of laws. We mortals cannot comprehend them directly, otherwise we would almost explode like I just did."

Everyone felt a wave of fear, thankful they hadn't acted impulsively.

"Therefore!" Fatty Wang's voice rose eight octaves, "Starting today, we're launching the 'Relic Recycling' program! Anyone who submits a 'relic' that I've authenticated as belonging to the Administrator can exchange it for a lecture ticket! Limited to one hundred tickets per day!"

"Furthermore, 'Divine Grace Crystals' will be offered as rewards for the lectures and can be redeemed using 'Contribution Points'! Only those who have made outstanding contributions to our 'Ark' are eligible to enjoy Divine Grace!"

Wang Pangzi's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the minds of all the players.

A completely new "religious economic system" centered around the administrator was thus established in a crude and direct manner.

"Quick! Go find him! I remember the administrator was sitting by the lake yesterday!"

"That barbecue grill! I saw the manager use it! There must be sacred objects on it!"

"Don't try to take it from me! That stretch of beach that the manager walked on is mine!"

The crowd dispersed in a flurry, like a pack of hyenas on a treasure hunt, rushing frantically to every corner around the villa area and beginning a thorough search.

Anything that Lu Yuan might have touched—an empty bottle, a used tissue, a barbecue skewer—became the most precious treasure in their eyes.

A massive "trash-collecting" campaign unfolded across the entire Gaia plane in an absurd yet frenzied manner.

Fatty Wang watched all this, hugged the Coke can he had polished until it gleamed, and chuckled to himself.

He seemed to see a golden road paved with garbage, leading to the pinnacle of life.

……

Meanwhile, on Earth.

In the Dragon Shield command center, Qin Shiyue's voice echoed in the quiet hall.

"...Let's title the announcement 'On the Only Correctness of Following in the Footsteps of the Gods!'"

Everyone present could hear the undeniable resolve in those words.

"Chief, this... this isn't too much..." A young staff officer couldn't help but speak up. He felt that the title was no longer like an official announcement, but more like a fanatical manifesto.

"Too much what?" Qin Shiyue gave him a cold look. "Do you think we have any other choice?"

He pointed to the fan-shaped death zone that had been forcibly erased from the big screen, and the unscathed sacred forest.

"The facts are right before our eyes! That gentleman, with a single, straightforward 'rebound,' drew a red line for all of us. Those who obey me prosper, those who oppose me perish—this is not a metaphor, but a law of physics!"

"He gave humanity a chance to ascend, but those people didn't cherish it and instead embraced the abyss. Instead of directly unleashing divine punishment, he used the enemy's own power to destroy the enemy. What is this? It's a warning! And also a final act of mercy!"

Every word Qin Shiyue uttered struck everyone's hearts like a hammer blow.

"We can no longer think about problems using the old methods of international relations and geopolitics. Now, there are only two types of surviving forces in the world."

He held up two fingers.

"One type is those who will follow in Mr. [Sir's] footsteps. The other type is those who will be crushed by Mr. [Sir's] footsteps."

"Execute immediately! Release this message simultaneously to all known survivor organizations worldwide, with the highest priority!"

"yes!"

With Qin Shiyue's order, an official document destined to be recorded in history was sent to the desks of major powers around the world through the highest level of encryption.

The headquarters of the "Lighthouse" project in the United States.

Lead analyst Serafina Vince stared at the announcement on the screen, which included full video footage, and then dropped her tablet with a thud.

"A rebound... a 300% energy increase... zero decay... this doesn't conform to the law of conservation of energy! This... this isn't physics! This is theology!"

Russia, the "Red Bear" unit base.

General Ivanov watched the video silently, turned off his communicator, picked up the vodka on the table, and took a big gulp.

"Pass on my order," he said in a deep voice, "Find the oldest bottle of Tsarist vodka in our warehouse, and package it properly. We have to... we have to send a 'local specialty' to the gods of the East."

Vatican City, Europe.

The elderly pope made the sign of the cross, his cloudy old eyes filled with tears: "A miracle...this is the true miracle...the old gods are dead, the new gods have risen..."

On this day, all the forces in the world that were still hesitating, observing, or even harboring ulterior motives made their only choice.

……

Gaia plane, inside the villa bedroom.

Lu Yuan woke up in a peaceful atmosphere. He stretched and felt refreshed.

I've been sleeping for so long, I'm a little hungry.

He picked up his phone and dialed Fatty Wang's number.

"Fatty, I'm hungry. Get me something to eat."

On the other end of the phone, Wang Pangzi's voice came through, incredibly excited, even a little trembling.

"Yes! My Lord... no! Brother Yuan! You wait! I'll offer you... no! I'll present you with the most sincere... ah, bah! The most delicious breakfast right away!"