In the dim detention room.
Yuan Lisha drank milk, her eyes fixed on the computer screen.
Detention meant confinement, but food, clothing, housing, and daily necessities were all readily supplied here. Not just anyone got the privilege of being detained by the Committee.
Usually, detainees were veteran players. Newcomers could barely figure out the basic controls and were still busy exploring the map, leaving them little time for illegal schemes.
Though player qualifications were assigned at random, every player was a strategic resource and part of humanity's collective strength. Unless absolutely necessary, the Committee rarely imposed extreme punishments.
Yuan Lisha rose and began doing Pilates stretches, never taking her eyes off the screen.
On-screen, Pixelated Villagers were building thatched huts, hanging the prey they had hunted from wooden poles. Primitive civilization had been devastated, and everything had to start over from scratch.
She had once entered the Pantheon and ventured into the Crawling Zone where the gods' domains overlapped. That was the true battlefield of worlds.
After being invaded by a Lizardman, the civilization Yuan Lisha had created was destroyed, dealing a catastrophic blow to the faith of "God Jack."
With no other choice, she could only scatter her remaining followers, having them carry Faith Sparks into lower worlds to await their next revival and rise.
As the Flame of Faith contracted, the pain of failure came with it. In an instant, she fell into an ordinary person, no longer able to travel between the two dimensions. Even her divine body had nearly collapsed completely.
Yuan Lisha could not accept it.
She began using certain special methods to gather faith.
As long as she was not discovered, it did not count as breaking the rules laid down by the Committee.
Who would have thought that a high-level player would be wandering around the Safe Zone?
For some reason, that person had set their sights on her... completely unconcerned with wasting precious time.
High-level players had hard-to-understand tastes.
Sometimes, there simply was no reasoning with this world.
Yuan Lisha stretched her legs, keeping her muscles relaxed and supple.
Suddenly, a notification appeared on the screen.
[Flayer's faith has completely vanished from the Forest Fragmented World. His followers in that world will begin searching for a new God.] [Flayer is disappointed in you. Your Reputation has decreased.]
Yuan Lisha narrowed her eyes hard, making sure she had not misread it.
How was that possible?
There were only Novice Gods in Fragmented Worlds—rookie players...
The Flayer had left behind high-level fanatical believers there. With a Novice God's Power of Faith, there was no way they could harm them.
She quickly slapped the wall.
"I have critical intelligence!"
Before long, a girl in a white shirt emerged from the wall.
The girl wore a thin tie over her shirt. Her lips were habitually pressed tight, and her gaze held the wary caution of someone facing a stranger. She carefully examined Yuan Lisha, as if checking her appearance against a record.
"Why is it you again? Can't they send someone else?" Yuan Lisha asked helplessly.
"Song Shiyi. Stop staring at me. No matter how many times you look, you won't remember anyway."
She rubbed her hair and waved impatiently. "Skip the introductions."
"I'm giving you a piece of critical intelligence now. Listen carefully."
"In the Fragmented World I was in before, the Hero the Flayer left there was eliminated, and the Flayer's faith completely vanished from that region."
"I belong to the Flayer in the Pantheon, so I was able to see the related information immediately."
Song Shiyi froze. "The Flayer?"
"A Title God of the Pantheon! Didn't you check your database before coming here?"
Yuan Lisha said through gritted teeth.
She usually liked deliberately teasing Song Shiyi about her condition. After all, Song Shiyi would not remember anything she said the next day. But at a time like this, it had become a burden instead.
Song Shiyi seemed to ponder it. "So he was a Title God. I remember now."
"..."
Suppressing her irritation, Yuan Lisha spoke rapidly. "After the Forest God fell, [Flayer] and [Whistleblower] occupied that Fragmented World."
"As the former Main God, when the Forest God fell, the dimensional worlds he had overlapped together scattered and separated, then were divided among the gods. But one world has yet to be found."
"The Main God Space containing the Forest God's many treasures: [Golden Plains]."
Song Shiyi gradually got into the mood, and her expression turned serious. "You're saying that Fragmented World overlaps dimensionally with [Golden Plains]?"
"I don't know."
Yuan Lisha shook her head. "But I don't believe a Novice God could have dealt with the Hero-level believers left behind by the Flayer."
"The only possibility I can think of is that the Forest God's Apostles are still hidden in [Golden Plains], and they were the ones who attacked the Flayer's subordinates."
Song Shiyi opened her phone and rapidly searched through some information.
"According to your earlier testimony, there was a new player who had been randomly assigned to that Fragmented World."
"Yes. That kid was mediocre. Half a month ago, when I was expelled from that world, he had fewer than three hundred people, and his two Heroes were both trash—only level 2."
Yuan Lisha sneered. "While I was being captured by you people, that kid had the Primitive People raid my tribe and destroy my foundations there."
Song Shiyi gave a small sound of surprise. "It was destroyed that easily?"
"I spread bases and followers everywhere. I'm not like you people, who cultivate one world in depth!"
Yuan Lisha said impatiently, "In any case, it couldn't have been him. Unless he raised two level-30 Heroes in half a month and managed to find the Flayer's tunnels deep underground..."
"The possibility is very low," Song Shiyi agreed.
"It is absolutely impossible!"
Yuan Lisha emphasized, "There aren't even wild monsters above level 20 in a Fragmented World for him to level his Heroes with. Even if he slaughtered every monster in that Fragmented World, he still couldn't reach level 30!"
"If he doesn't build a Wonder or enter the Pantheon, his world can't move and the dimensions can't overlap. It would remain a stagnant Fragmented World with a capped limit."
Supporting her chin with the back of her hand, Song Shiyi said seriously, "Then is there a possibility that he has some special treasure, one that could give him two level-30 Heroes?"
Yuan Lisha looked at her coldly.
"...All right. I know that possibility is indeed very small," Song Shiyi muttered to herself.
Her expression sobered. "In other words, an anomaly appeared in the Fragmented World, resulting in the removal of the Hero left behind by [Flayer] to guard it."
"That's right. This information concerns the Main God Space."
Yuan Lisha stressed, "You should understand what that means."
"I understand. I will verify this information. If it proves true, the Committee will grant you an appropriate sentence reduction in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Special Management Regulations."
Yuan Lisha blanked for a moment. "How are you going to verify it? There's only that one new player there."
"May I ask his name? What do you know about him? An address and family information would be even better," Song Shiyi asked earnestly.
"...I only know that guy called himself 'God Yao.' I know nothing else."
"I see. I will do my best to find this player and verify the information you have provided."
Song Shiyi said, "Once this player enters the Pantheon, we will be able to contact him."
She opened a page on her phone and explained according to the data, "According to the Committee's current statistics, the probability of a new player advancing to the Pantheon is 7.4%, with an average time of 176 days. Just wait patiently."
"..."
Yuan Lisha closed her eyes in anguish and clenched her fists.
Now, she had to pray that the rookie who had ambushed her could advance to the Pantheon and would not die to some accident or natural disaster.
He was her only witness now.
What sin had I committed?
Could it be that in my past life, I cheated on that kid and swindled his family out of everything?
At the company, Lu Yao yawned.
He had spent all night staring at [Mad Flayer], leaving him mentally tense. Once he relaxed during the day, exhaustion overwhelmed him.
He decided to go home early and sleep today.
Tonight, even if the sky came crashing down, his boss offered him a midnight raise, or some distant relative he had never met insisted on leaving him a billion-dollar inheritance... Lu would still be in bed catching up on sleep before midnight.
Before you continue