Responding to Reality, Weirdness Runs Rampant

At that moment, a tall, aloof, and beautiful woman walked into the office.

She is the head of this team.

After entering, she couldn't help but say with disappointment:

"I heard everything you said in the monitoring room."

"It seems you don't really care about him; you still harbor contempt and a sense of superiority."

"You still believe you have a psychological advantage, and that the opponent is a lone wolf, no matter how strong they are, they are still at a disadvantage."

"This is actually a very wrong self-positioning."

"You want to use this to restrain Gao Linzhi?"

"Impossible. Gao Linzhi is currently pursuing Immortality. He doesn't like anyone, and he doesn't want anyone to bother him or waste his time."

"Your practice of burning incense is precisely what he detests."

"You naively believe that this is the path to Immortality and that he will like it, but you forget that in the game, he did not have the people of Wolf Snake Island worship him."

"Because he knew the drawbacks of this path to Immortality."

"It strips people of their physical form, leaving only their soul and spirit, which is essentially tantamount to cutting oneself off from heaven and earth. Without matter, there is no spirit."

"This is the most fundamental and common sense principle."

"Gao Linzhi possibly not understand this: after losing your original body, are you still yourself?"

"The cloning and Longevity Technique in science fiction movies are actually quite similar to the practice of burning incense for ancestral worship. The former also replicates your memories and thoughts, so to outsiders, you have achieved Immortality and remain the same person, but what about your own thoughts?"

"I doubt anyone believes they have achieved Immortality through this method."

"Similarly, the way of incense offerings is the same. Your soul and memories have been preserved, but who can know if it's just a copy?"

"The more you do, the more you try to build ties with him, the more he will hate and despise us."

"This is the nature of a strong person."

Everyone fell silent.

Upon hearing this, someone couldn't help but shake their head. "The Captain is right."

"Our idea just now was ridiculous."

"We were too arrogant."

"We're still struggling to find a way to Immortality for him, but we've forgotten what he wants. Like many parents, we always want to give our children the best, but we don't realize that our children don't want those things at all."

"They just want to play."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Since we can't bind it to the human race through the Incense Path, what plan should we devise?"

The female leader nodded and said, "That requires getting to know him better and genuinely becoming one of his kind."

"For example, establish a Longevity Society."

"A group of people gathered together with the goal of achieving Immortality, each with their own different plans for Immortality."

"Moreover, this plan must be truly implemented."

"It's not just Gao Linzhi; other powerful individuals can also be lured away using this plan."

"As long as they pursue Immortality, they are unwilling to take risks."

"Like those wealthy people, they might wage war for money, wealth, and status, but they won't destroy planets, nor can they destroy everyone."

"The same applies to these Longevity Being; as long as ordinary people demonstrate their value to the Immortality program, they won't go to the most extremes."

Everyone agreed.

And so the "Longevity Society" was formed.

There were many similar projects to this one.

There were many Immortality projects even before the game's invasion.

The simplest example is administering various injections; more advanced methods include replacing aging organs and replacing the entire blood supply...

Some people can lie in a hospital bed indefinitely, relying on hundreds of millions of yuan in annual expenses to forcibly prolong their lives for another twenty years.

The quality of life they lived was, as one can only imagine, questionable.

Now, the influx of games can be considered an unparalleled boon for today's wealthy and elite.

Even if one's wealth suddenly increases a hundredfold, it's still hard to compare.

This day.

The real world.

Southern mountains, underground karst caves.

While Gao Linzhi was continuing to learn the Longevity Technique from the headmaster, his true form was naturally still in the cave at the foot of the mountain.

Suddenly, a radio broadcast came from inside the room.

The radio signal is naturally received by connecting to the outside via a wired connection.

After several confrontations, the members of the United Association understood Gao Linzhi's strength, and the two sides were in a delicate balance.

The main reason is the emergence of a greater threat, the invasion of reality by the supernatural, which forces them to choose to ease their relationship with Gao Linzhi.

This is the real world, not a metropolis where conflicts are brewing for a long time.

At that moment, a message came over the radio.

A sweet-voiced announcer is broadcasting globally via satellite.

This satellite broadcasting covers almost everywhere, unless you are in a cave or underground; even in the desert or on the top of a mountain, you can receive it.

It is rarely played.

Unless a major global crisis occurs, such as a certain disease.

At that moment, the announcer spoke in a serious tone:

"Residents who hear this broadcast, if you have noticed anything strange recently, do not panic, and report it immediately."

"If you encounter anything strange, do not approach it; call the police immediately."

"You may also encounter some strange creatures; various weapons are often ineffective against them. Please do not attack them, and keep your distance."

"Please do the following three things: First, stay away; second, report the incident; third, protect the scene and do not damage it."

Upon hearing this, Gao Linzhi naturally understood what had happened.

Clearly, this is a bizarre reverse invasion of the real city.

Moreover, the problem has become so serious that the Company Union Federation can no longer resort to cover-ups and suppression.

Because the supernatural won't listen to you. You can shut the residents up and cover their eyes, but when the supernatural comes, it comes.

Clearly, a new era of bizarre phenomena has arrived.

The United Association has not yet revealed the whole truth.

Gao Linzhi wouldn't criticize this.

After all, this is an invasion from another world.

It's also related to a mysterious game.

If we were to reveal everything prematurely, many people would simply think that the Company Union Federation has gone mad, or that it's planning something big.

We can only take it slowly now, gradually getting more people to accept this reality through handling each strange incident.

The Skyfall Game can invade strange worlds, and the other side can do the same, which is fair.

It's like how colonizers colonized indigenous peoples, only to have the indigenous people invade their own homes in the end.

Gao Linzhi was well aware that everyone was now in a position to be involved.

Unlike before, large and small companies can no longer control or prevent Rogue Players who have obtained game qualifications from speaking out by encircling and suppressing them.

Because the bizarre cannot be contained or suppressed; it is like an earthquake or a volcano—you can only avoid, prevent, and endure it, but you cannot eliminate it.

Unless you stop living on the planet.

If you don't want to be left behind by the times, you have to join in.

Gao Linzhi now clearly understands that the supernatural has begun to expand in the city.

That's why they urgently broadcast this global announcement—to give residents a solution.

He then immediately used the communication between pets to send the Corpse Vine outside to go online and check the current situation.

Soon, the Corpse Vine was in an empty apartment, turned on its computer, and logged onto the Archipelago Forum.

Sure enough, the forum was in an uproar.

"Holy crap, holy crap, the United Association is out of control!"

"Yes, it's been broadcast globally. Clearly, many people have encountered strange occurrences, and many didn't know how to handle them, resulting in their deaths."

"That's right, the United Association is announcing measures now shows they still have some humanity."

"Heh, if they don't want angry residents to vandalize their headquarters, they'd better get to work sooner rather than later."

"There was no other way. At first, they were thinking of monopolizing the game's access, preventing ordinary people from having any chance to access the Skyfall Game."

"That's right. Now something strange has appeared, and they can't control it. Just like in wars throughout history, in order to mobilize more people to fight, they have to give more and more rights to the lower classes; otherwise, they can't ignite the people's enthusiasm for fighting."

"Yes, just like how modern powers crushed feudal powers, it was because the former gave the lower classes some rights and protections, making them feel that they were also part of this power. In that case, they were willing to risk their lives and put in their efforts."

"It's the same now. The bizarre threat outweighs everything else, forcing them to appropriately disclose some truths and measures to the residents in order to cope with it."

"That's right. If we continue to cover it up, it will be impossible to report any unusual growth that emerges in time."

"Residents will only panic more when they encounter such a situation, so wouldn't it be better to partially disclose the matter?"

"That's right, their stated purpose is to make ordinary people the first line of defense and early warning system. Do you really think they're being kind?"

Meanwhile, other amateur forums and websites are filled with all sorts of questions.

"What happened?"

"That's strange, I don't know either."

"Should we stay away from strange things and odd occurrences? Isn't that superstition?"

Gao Linzhi looked at the various discussions on these online forums.

Many uninformed people had no idea what had happened.

They could only guess, ask around, and ponder on their own.

The answer received was, naturally, ambiguous.

Many people online say they should go to temples and churches in various places to seek blessings.

Clearly, these places of worship will soon flourish.

Moreover, they will no longer be the kind of people who can only comfort others with words.

They are very likely to develop abilities similar to those of the Skyfall World Shrine.

This was practically inevitable.

After all, the power of the human heart, once the bizarre invades reality, will also become reality.

This will inevitably trigger a truly massive change.

Everyone should learn a profession.

At least similar to the professions in the Skyfall World.

Combat professions, spellcasting professions, and divination professions.

Gao Linzhi sighed.

A large-scale disaster is imminent.

Really.

Not only on the radio, but also on television and online, related information is being disseminated quietly.

Different companies release information with varying degrees of detail.

Some companies are so straightforward that they simply reveal the whole truth within the cities they control.

Some companies continue to cover things up, saying nothing and only claiming they've seen an illusion.

This is the advantage of a corporate system.

It is very resilient.

Each company is independently responsible and is a small force capable of self-improvement.

Even if some fail, others quickly rise to prominence.

Seeing the current situation, Gao Linzhi wondered why the world is structured as a corporate system rather than a national system.

It must be because of this strange threat, which has appeared before.

Games have indeed appeared before.

This type of company system has significant advantages: it is flexible, resilient, and easily regenerable.

In this way, even if most of the company system is destroyed, as long as a few companies still exist, they can be quickly reorganized and expanded again using the remaining manpower.

And at this time...

Gao Linzhi listened to the radio broadcast, which brought new news about strange occurrences.

As expected, it was impossible to hide anything anymore.

"Residents of Ancheng, an unidentified creature has recently appeared in the city. Please do not leave your homes unnecessarily."

"Relevant supplies and compensation will be sent to you via drone and the internet."

"Everyone, if you notice any unexplained noises in your home, or hear strange laughter, especially if it's accompanied by White Mist, please report it immediately."

"People from other cities, if you know a solution, please call..."

"We will award you honorary citizenship and 50 kilograms of gold as a reward."

Clearly, the importance of gold is now known to almost all companies.

They give generously, but they also become stingy.

In the past, it would have taken at least a ton.

Now it only weighs 50 kilograms.

As time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer of them.

"If you see a white shadow loitering on the roadside, move away immediately and report it."

Gao Linzhi knew that these were the most common strange occurrences in the Skyfall World.

The harm is actually not that great.

In the Skyfall World, the indigenous people are already familiar with them and will teach their children how to deal with them.

Staying away is the best course of action.

Inform the elders.

He ran home.

If the other party starts to become destructive, then sneak into the ancestral hall.

It's time to gamble with your life.

Yes, in feudal times, this was the only way for people at the bottom of society to survive.

Moreover, these solutions are all effective.

Of course, this effectiveness refers to the continuation of the population and clan.

In addition, indigenous people strictly prohibit the casual worship of deities in their homes.

Burning incense is also not allowed indiscriminately.

These things can only be done in the ancestral hall.

These behaviors are likely to attract strange scrutiny.

In the modern world, residents still have a significant voice.

After all, everyone has the opportunity to start a company.

Therefore, these methods of relying on the lives of indigenous people to endure hardship are difficult to use in the real world for the time being.

The people would never accept such a method of surviving by chance.

However, the people are currently unaware of the truth and can only passively accept it.

Subsequently, a series of company bans were issued.

The incense business was hit hardest, plummeting to zero.

Companies of all sizes prohibit the private production, sale, and burning of incense and candles.

Incense is truly poisonous.

It is particularly likely to attract strange attention.