Asking the gods is not as good as asking yourself! / The Myriad Ghosts Besiege the City, Survival Rate: 04!

Zhong Yueming turned around and saw an eerie head attached to a long, long neck—so long it towered far above the temple walls—staring down at the two people inside from midair.

The author has brought the DS-R1 Mechanical Guardian to beg for votes and follows!

The author has professional writing experience and has been an avid reader for over ten years. The aesthetics and prose are guaranteed—following this novel won't let you down! Let us witness this book's growth together!

Next, let's have DS-R1 beg for votes.

DS-R1 Mechanical Guardian: "The server is busy. Please try again later."

Chapter 2: Asking the gods is not as good as asking yourself!

The Head Ghost with its long, narrow neck was hanging in midair, staring fixedly at the two people inside the temple.

"Damn! I'm really seeing a ghost!"

Zhong Yueming's heart pounded wildly. He immediately played his own card.

The green-bordered card projected the phantom of a Mechanical Guardian, which rapidly solidified.

The DS-R1 Mechanical Guardian had entered the stage!

It was Lin Chen's first time seeing a card summon, and he was deeply shaken. At the same time, he confirmed once again that this wasn't an illusion—he really had transmigrated!

"DS-R1, use Electronic Pulse!"

Zhong Yueming pointed, and DS-R1 immediately understood. It stepped forward and rapidly locked on to its target, the resonator on its forearm firing an Electromagnetic Wave at the long-necked ghost peeking over the wall.

The long-necked Head Ghost was blasted to the ground and dissipated at once.

"Whoa! It hit!" Lin Chen cheered, doing his part as the team's atmosphere booster.

Zhong Yueming also gave a faint smile, slightly easing his hanging heart. "Of course it did. The trait of my DS-R1 Mechanical Guardian is Intelligent Computing Power. Its targeting ability is extremely strong!"

He continued issuing orders. "DS-R1, carry out Intelligent Deployment around this City God Temple."

The silver-white guardian-type machine immediately sprang into action.

Zhong Yueming then imparted his experience to Lin Chen. "We can't let our guard down. Since this is the Myriad Ghosts Night Parade, there definitely isn't just one ghost. We need to search this shelter quickly and see if there are any usable tools or card materials."

Lin Chen held to a scholar's natural curiosity and asked whenever he didn't understand. "What are card materials?"

Zhong Yueming was somewhat anxious, but he still patiently explained, "You can think of card materials as 'Symbolic Objects' or 'Attribute Objects.' They're mainly used to make cards.

"For example, my DS-R1 Mechanical Guardian was made by combining the main Guardian Card with two card materials: an Intelligent Computing Core and an Electromagnetic Resonator.

"If we find other card materials, we can use known Card Combination Formulas to make cards.

"Because a Card Master's mental power is limited, the number of formed cards they can bring into a dungeon is limited. So if we want to have more cards available inside a dungeon, we need to scavenge materials there and make them on the spot."

Lin Chen asked, "Then what counts as a card material? Can I just pick up a random stone and use it as one?"

Zhong Yueming shook his head. "Of course not. Only objects possessing a certain degree of spirituality or energy count as card materials. Since this City God Temple can serve as a shelter, it already possesses spirituality. Many objects inside it should qualify as card materials."

As they spoke, DS-R1 finished its deployment and returned. Zhong Yueming continued ordering it to keep a close eye on the surveillance. The moment any ghost approached, it was to issue a warning.

The sky over the entire city grew darker and darker. Every so often, eerie shrieks drifted over from the distance.

Knowing time was pressing, Zhong Yueming let Lin Chen do as he pleased. He only told him to gather anything he thought might be useful.

The two of them split up and began searching the inner hall.

Lin Chen still had many questions, but the Myriad Ghosts were out on their night parade, and Zhong Yueming truly had no time to slowly answer them.

Lin Chen first did his part as a tool-man, avoiding any reckless antics and following the team's big brother's lead. Only then could he ensure his own survival.

But this City God Temple was truly dilapidated. After walking around several times, he still couldn't find a single object that seemed spiritual.

Lin Chen figured that the most spiritual thing here had to be the shrine. After saying, "Sorry for the offense," he dug some Incense Ash from the City God Shrine out of it.

Zhong Yueming only found some Spirit-Infused Candles. After the two met up and discussed the situation, Zhong Yueming furrowed his brow deeply. "No good. We have too few materials. We can't combine them into any cards."

Lin Chen took the opportunity to ask, "What Card Combination Formulas are there? How do you form a combination? Explain it to me, and I can help you think things through."

Seeing that there still hadn't been a warning, Zhong Yueming continued, "The existing Card Combination Formulas were all verified by our predecessors over many years. We only need to copy the answers and plug them into the formulas.

"For example, this Spirit-Infused Candle symbolizes the spirituality of a light source. It can be combined with an insect to summon a Spirit Firefly. A Spirit Firefly is a flying summon that can emit spiritual light, making it very suitable for scouting and illumination.

"Alternatively, it can be combined with a Candle Flame and a Nun to summon a Candle-Bearing Nun, which can release Holy Blessing Fire."

Lin Chen asked, "Do you have any of those cards?"

Zhong Yueming said, "No. I still have one ordinary-grade (white) Guardian Card, but none of the materials we currently have can form a known formula with it."

Lin Chen asked, "Then why don't we try combinations outside the known ones? What if we manage to figure out an incredibly powerful card ourselves?"

Zhong Yueming sighed. "It's not that simple. First, trying things randomly may not result in a successful combination, and the materials could be ruined.

"Second, even if it succeeds, there's no guarantee that the card spirit produced by an unknown combination will be kind and controllable!"

Lin Chen was shocked. "Card combinations can be dangerously uncontrollable too?"

"Yes. The essence of a card combination is to summon spirituality by stacking Symbolic Objects.

"But the spirituality you summon is very likely to be evil! Countless Card Masters have been devoured by backlash after summoning evil card spirits, becoming anomalies themselves instead.

"Therefore, the official Card Association has all kinds of controls and prohibitions on unknown card combinations.

"Especially with something like Incense Ash from the City God Shrine, which symbolizes high-risk factors such as divine worship. Combining it into a card has an extremely high chance of summoning a card spirit with the attributes of an evil god!

"Without filing an application and receiving approval, you generally can't try it recklessly!"

It was precisely because of this that Zhong Yueming had chosen to make a Guardian Card with mechanical intelligence attributes. At present, this was the safest and most controllable type of card for humanity.

Lin Chen began digesting this vast body of rule-based knowledge. After pondering for a while, he suddenly asked:

"Then if the Symbolic Object represented by the materials points to a 'Benevolent God,' wouldn't the resulting card most likely be usable?"

Zhong Yueming was amused into laughter by Lin Chen's fanciful notion.

"Are you the apostle of some god? How can you ensure that it points to a Benevolent God? If there were so many Benevolent Gods in our world, we wouldn't have been forced into this state by the ghosts!

"Look, the Myriad Ghosts are out on their night parade! Why hasn't a single Benevolent God come out to exorcise evil and slay ghosts? In our world, evil gods rule the roost!

"Asking the gods is not as good as asking yourself!"

Zhong Yueming suddenly grew agitated, as if emotions suppressed for far too long had burst out uncontrollably.

Lin Chen could understand him. Under the immense pressure of death from Anomalous Invasion every day, anyone would end up railing at heaven and earth.

But Lin Chen caught a crucial point in Zhong Yueming's words. "Could it be that Benevolent Gods don't exist in this world?"

This City God Temple, which possessed a sheltering effect, was a place of divine worship. Wasn't that proof that Benevolent Gods had once existed?

Then why had the current situation come about, with the Benevolent Gods failing to answer and anomalies ruling the world?

There were two possibilities. Either the Benevolent Gods had mostly perished, making them difficult to summon.

Or perhaps the Benevolent Gods still existed, but had been forgotten!

Humanity had forgotten which Symbolic Objects should point to the gods. The price of failing at a random combination was too great, and under the authorities' strict controls, no Benevolent God-type Card Combination Formula had yet been deduced.

If it was the former, then this world had already become a God-forsaken Land. It truly would be beyond saving.

But if it was the latter—if the myths had been severed—then as a researcher of folk mythology, he had a great deal he could accomplish!

He had to verify this with Zhong Yueming!

After venting his emotions, Zhong Yueming saw Lin Chen sitting silently with his brows lowered. Thinking he had put too much pressure on Lin Chen, remorse welled up in his heart.

Ugh, why did I lose my temper at this newcomer who had just entered the dungeon and had been so frightened he'd lost his memory? I should calm down and think about how to survive this Myriad Ghosts Night Parade.

Just as he was about to say a few words to ease the atmosphere, Lin Chen suddenly raised his head and grabbed him.

"Then let me ask you! Have Benevolent Gods never existed, or did they exist and then disappear?"

Before Zhong Yueming could answer, the two of them heard DS-R1's mechanical warning from outside the hall.

"Warning! Warning! A large number of ghosts are surrounding the Level One Shelter, the Ruined City God Temple!"

"Please begin defensive measures immediately!"

The author has brought Zhong Yueming to beg for votes and follows!

This is crucial to the novel's future exposure and recommendation slots!

Now, let's have Zhong Yueming speak.

Zhong Yueming: "Look, this book is currently in the new-book catalog! Why hasn't a single reader come out to vote and follow it? Our book is desperately short of support right now! Asking the gods is not as good as asking for votes!"

Chapter 3: The Myriad Ghosts Besiege the City, Survival Rate: 04!

Zhong Yueming yanked Lin Chen's hand away. This was no longer the time for idle chatter.

He leaped out and watched the holographic surveillance footage projected by DS-R1.

In a distant dark alley, a rumble like muffled thunder sounded first. A two-meter-tall Ghost Yaksa with a black face and fangs stepped out. With every step it took, the bricks beneath its feet cracked.

Next, another ghost raised a black umbrella. Beneath it was a swollen Drowned Ghost, its entire body bleached white from soaking. It left a trail of wet, slimy water and duckweed behind.

Close behind came a Falling Ghost. Its upper body had bent at the waist and snapped at an inhuman angle, propping itself against the ground, while its lower body still struggled to drag the entire battered corpse forward, smearing liver and brains across the ground.

The Blood-Red Wedding Sedan Ghost, bearing the character for joy, came driving the sedan forward on its own with no one pushing it. Two paper effigies, a boy and a girl, followed behind.

The Eyeless Ghost, its empty eye sockets hollow, held a porcelain bowl filled to the brim with rolling eyeballs.

At the very end, the Skeleton Monk with its skull bored hollow ambled slowly forward. A scripture cylinder was stuck inside its rib cage, displaying scriptures so evil and taboo that merely looking at them made one shudder.

Zhong Yueming was numb. Was this the Myriad Ghosts Night Parade?

How were they supposed to fight this? Every single ghost felt like it was at least Aberrant Level. Zhong Yueming himself would struggle to take on even one, let alone face them in a siege!

Could he only hope that these ghosts were merely passing by?

But during the Myriad Ghosts Night Parade, they couldn't possibly have come out for a city walk, right?

He turned to Lin Chen, instinctively wanting to ask his companion's opinion. But then he remembered that Lin Chen was a newcomer who had been frightened silly by the dungeon and didn't have a single card on him. Asking him would be pointless. He would have to rely on himself.

As a seasoned Card Master who had survived two dungeons, Zhong Yueming knew that he had to remain as rational as possible.

He ordered DS-R1, "Help me deduce a survival strategy. How should we get through this ghost siege?"

Because of its Intelligent Computing Power trait, the DS-R1 Mechanical Guardian possessed the ability to calculate survival strategies. Whenever Zhong Yueming encountered danger, it had already provided useful decisions several times.

After all, people could lose their rationality because of all kinds of emotions, but mechanical intelligence could not. In an eerie dungeon, it was like a steady anchor, keeping the Card Master from being swallowed by the dungeon's terrifying ocean.