A little while later.
Ming Xuan's expression grew somewhat solemn.
There was a trace of unease and worry in her eyes as well.
She hesitated.
"Boss, the guns... it seems they really, really don't work anymore!"
Gu Zhe had been mentally prepared for this.
After all, there had already been rumors about firearms losing their power.
Quite a few people online had made that claim with absolute certainty today. With posts so easy to debunk, there was no reason for so many people to say the same thing.
So it really was true!
Gu Zhe understood the concerns of Ming Xuan and the others.
For most ordinary people and those within the establishment, force was the foundation of social stability.
Now that force had been weakened, some ordinary people naturally felt uneasy.
But as for Gu Zhe...
He actually felt little in particular. Given his rate of growth and his bizarre class abilities, he was confident that even if modern weapons had not been weakened, he would merely have needed to lie low a little longer.
Sooner or later, he would stand at the pinnacle, unafraid of such threats.
The current situation had merely brought that day forward.
It allowed him to cast aside certain concerns right now and feel even more secure.
Overall, the failure of firearms was terrible news for groups that relied on them, but for those who wielded mysterious powers, it meant a further loosening of restraints.
That was why some people on the forum had begun speaking more boldly.
Of course, Gu Zhe also worried whether today's celestial upheaval would bring some unusual disaster.
After all, whether or not the changes in the world had given him personally more room to maneuver, he was still a member of humanity. In the broader picture, his individual interests did not conflict with humanity's.
Nor did possessing mysterious powers make him consider himself some kind of new human. In my heart, I, Gu Zhe, will always be human.
Whatever happens, however uncanny my powers become...
These changes in power will never shake my understanding of myself or twist my will.
I will always be me!
No one can shake me. No one can hold me back.
Ming Xuan did not know that, at that moment, Gu Zhe had once again clarified his own convictions.
She checked another message that had arrived on her phone.
After a moment's thought...
"Boss, the Jinyiwei just sent a message. They said that as realms such as the Netherworld draw closer, scientists have detected subtle rules throughout the Solar System undergoing some sort of mind-driven change. But the effects on everyday life are minor, so they hope you won't worry. Also..."
"They also advise those with mysterious powers to continue observing order and not be misled by certain statements. Social order remains under government control, and the government has long been prepared for all these changes."
Gu Zhe understood.
The government was hinting that supernatural individuals should not cause trouble or think the failure of firearms gave them license to run wild.
On the one hand, saying everyday life would be largely unaffected was reassurance.
On the other, saying everything remained under government control was also a warning.
Gu Zhe smiled faintly.
My way of doing things, the principles guiding my will, my moral bottom line...
I won't bow and scrape or become anyone's lackey just because powerful outside forces constrain me. At most, I'll keep a lower profile.
Nor will I twist my will and become a deranged monster just because the outside world grows weaker.
So their warnings and reassurances are of no use to me.
Whether I act with a bodhisattva's mercy or the fury of thunder, it will be entirely decided by my own heart. Outside changes and influences will make no difference.
Although Gu Zhe did not care about the message...
He did not resent it, either.
He fully understood the Jinyiwei's concerns. Not everyone was as composed as he was.
There were bound to be people with mysterious powers who had always considered themselves superior, yet felt frustrated and stifled by the threat of firearms. Now that the world had changed, they might well seize the opportunity to stir up trouble.
Perhaps they had been waiting for this day all along.
Then they could claim their own territories and rule as local tyrants!
Plots like that were common in apocalypse novels.
When power escaped control, some people remained true to themselves, but more chose whatever served their interests.
Ming Xuan stole a cautious glance at Gu Zhe.
Sometimes her boss was warm and easygoing, like a big brother-no, like a sweet younger brother whose company felt like a spring breeze.
But at other times, he seemed mysterious and inscrutable, with a unique mind whose depths she could not fathom.
This was a man with his own firm logic and values.
Sometimes he was caring, sometimes very manly, and sometimes a little melodramatic.
In a certain sense, as both a boss and a partner, he inspired great trust. He was not the sort of companion who could be easily shaken or swayed.
Mm!
She tilted her head and looked at her boss, who seemed to be pondering something.
He makes me feel so safe, too.
Especially now that she had learned the world was changing.
Her boss's calm, untroubled demeanor was all the more captivating.
He was like a secret that made her want to unravel it.
It's just...
I'm older than him, and now I'm his subordinate!
A small pang of inferiority stirred in Ming Xuan's heart.
Suddenly, the workplace favors she had once utterly loathed did not seem quite so repulsive anymore.
Um... would he ask for that sort of favor?
Instinctively, she straightened her back and thrust out her chest, then glanced down.
What Liu Zhaodi said should be true, right?
Boss... boss... should like...
She snapped out of it.
Ming Xuan stole another glance at Gu Zhe, a guilty look flashing across her face.
Inwardly, she scolded herself. "Oh, Ming Xuan, so you're lovestruck too... Look at what's happening, and you're still thinking about all this nonsense."
She thought for another moment.
Then she said cautiously:
"Boss, even though firearms have stopped working, the government has already made plans. We... the Gu Family won't do anything treasonous, will we?"
Speechless, Gu Zhe reached out and lightly flicked his beautiful secretary's nose.
"What goes on in that head of yours all day? Treason, really? I suspect you're saying the opposite of what you mean, hinting that I should seize the chance to stir up trouble."
"Tsk, tsk, Ming Xuan, oh, Ming Xuan. You've got some ambitions, haven't you? What, do you want a position second only to me, above everyone else?"
Ming Xuan was completely dumbfounded.
I said one simple thing, and you came up with all that?
Saying the opposite? Hinting that you should cause trouble?
She pouted.
Being the boss sure is nice. You can just make your subordinates take the blame.
"Haha, enough teasing. Don't worry. Even if we stir things up, we'll do it within the rules."
"For the Gu Family to develop, we actually need to uphold the rules. Chaos would..."
"Hmm..."
Gu Zhe abruptly stopped teasing Ming Xuan.
Because within his consciousness...
Several thoughts had reached him.
They informed him that something had changed.
With a thought...
He split his consciousness in two and descended into the Netherworld.
With the Basic Paper Figure Manipulation Technique perfected, dividing his consciousness into several parts to take a general look around was no problem, provided he did not need especially precise control.
First was the Du Xiao World. Three phantom red moons had actually appeared in its formerly chaotic, muddled sky.
At the same time, the entire secret realm was expanding nonstop. New terrain began to appear, murky streams formed, and certain impurity-laden yin ores emerged. The entire world became somewhat richer, and its cold yin energy grew stronger.
Gu Zhe understood. Some mysterious rules of the world were indeed undergoing a tremendous change, allowing even secret realms born from the emptiness of heaven and earth to seize the opportunity to grow.
He could also feel the strength of his lord paper figure subordinate increasing along with it.
It seemed that by taking advantage of the secret realm's growth, his subordinate could quickly reach the seventh-grade realm of that Du Xiao Fierce Ghost, using the secret realm's changes to make up for the shortcomings of his own growth.
Next came the true lands of the Netherworld.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."
The noise was even louder than in the real world.
Violent tremors shook the Netherworld, sending countless particles of dust and debris swirling between heaven and earth.
Countless ghosts were terrified and uneasy.
The powerful Bone-Eroding Yin Wind became even fiercer.
Previously, ordinary ghosts without shelter could still endure the yin wind for a week or two.
Now, perhaps just a day or two of exposure would leave them muddle-headed...
Countless ghosts watched the changes in the Netherworld Land in terror.
Even the ghosts staying in the Apartment and the hotel were deeply uneasy.
Some were afraid, unaware of what had happened, while others felt a certain anticipation, as though heaven and earth had become more suitable for yin souls.
As far as the ghosts could see...
The earth cracked open, and endless yin energy gushed out, increasing its concentration in the Netherworld and making their instinctive absorption of it more efficient.
And that was not all.
Far away, an unknown distance of hundreds of millions of miles or trillions of kilometers...
Countless towering peaks seemed to rise from the earth, piercing the sky.
Abysses split open in the ground, and unfathomable caverns spread.
Within them, certain terrifying beings leaked unimaginable auras, as though turning over in an ancient slumber. Supreme black energy spread upward, connecting with the sky.
Countless Netherworld rivers became murkier, broader, more chaotic, and deeper.
Within the nine nether astral force in the void, the ghastly white lightning became fiercer, and the surging layers of astral force grew ever thicker.
Countless roars and cries echoed within, as though hidden Netherworld titans were stirring up tides, as though a supreme celestial river were rolling through it.
Beyond that...
A kind of "mirage," like a canopy across the heavens, also appeared in the Netherworld's void!
Within that canopy were faint images of the human world, of the sun, moon, and stars, and of the vast universe.
There were also uncanny realms, endless sacred mountain ranges, halls that spanned the heavens, vast wheels that turned the sky, boundless dark seas, the River of Yanming, an unparalleled bridge of salvation, and the indescribable shadows of gods and demons...