243. Hidden Visitor
[You have disconnected from "Star Abyss"]
"Phew... finally done with everything on hand."
Jiao Ziniu rubbed his head, stood up from the game pod, and habitually clenched his fists, trying to channel strength to adjust his body state.
Of course, there was no such thing as "strength" in reality. All that remained was a dizziness from overusing his brain and being mentally focused.
"You've played for 27 consecutive hours, excessive gaming is harmful to your health."
He shrugged, took the nutrient drink handed to him by the VT android, and wiped his mouth.
"Can't help it. This mission was really intense. We fought [Society] in an epic battle. Damn, the entire process was so thrilling—you have no idea how exhilarating it was when we controlled Delta-tier armored soldiers mowing through the mechanical hordes. That feeling beats any action movie I've ever seen!"
"It must have been spectacular. I can already picture your heroic posture. You must have had a lot of fun," VT flatly recited, then reminded him: "Now that your game session is over, shouldn't you be getting ready to head out?"
"...Head out?"
"You have an appointment with Miss Xia Yubing..."
"Oh! I almost forgot!"
Jiao Ziniu slapped his forehead.
"I'm supposed to meet Xia Yubing today. Damn, I'm gonna be late! I need to get moving. VT, call a car for me. I'm changing clothes now."
VT replied stiffly, "Loyal suggestion: When meeting a girl, you should at least take a shower and keep yourself fresh."
Jiao Ziniu bit into a piece of bread, threw on his coat, and rushed out.
"No time! I'm going like this!"
VT responded mechanically:
"Mr. Jiao Ziniu, if you manage to get a girlfriend, it won't be because of your charm. It will definitely be because she's deaf..."
"Huh? What did you say? The elevator's closing! Anyway, help me inform Cumin Powder that I won't be joining the raid this afternoon. Bye!"
Seated inside the capsule train, Jiao Ziniu took a deep breath to calm himself, then looked at the briefcase in his hand and muttered:
"VT is really something. I only see Xia Yubing as a friend, and besides, I didn't even choose a proper gift…"
In truth, he wasn't good at interacting with people.
In the game, with disguise mode, he could deceive NPCs, and through sharing provocative images and gaming skills, he could mingle with top-tier Professional players like Cumin Powder and Nightblade Sword.
But in reality, he was just a shy, socially anxious tech guy from a well-off family.
Xia Yubing, Wenlong, the Guild Leader—and the now-deceased Li Zi—were among the few friends he frequently interacted with.
After joining "Star Abyss", due to being stationed on White Candle Star while his friends remained on Azure Star, they had fewer chances to meet.
'It would be great if the next version allowed interplanetary connections with Azure Star. I miss gaming with the club.'
Thinking this, he put on his headphones and started browsing the forum:
"Breaking News! Azure Star's First Major Event! Gretorvo successfully seizes power in Tianhuan and liberates Joan Capital!"
"The red-white conflict in Tianhuan is imminent, with various factions gathering forces. How will the Eastern nations fare amid the upheaval?"
"Guild recruitment: Players with royalist leanings, join us in Bingzebei City and achieve glorious accomplishments with the king!"
"In this day and age, there are still monarchs? Destroy the royalists! Serve in the Tianhuan People's Army! Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!!!"
Jiao Ziniu scrolled through the forum and couldn't help but sigh.
The threads were as chaotic as ever today.
Ding ding—
"Hmm? What's this push notification?"
Jiao Ziniu clicked the pop-up, and a line of large text appeared:
[Version Update Announcement]: "Slight Derision Proverb"1.56.ver
[Level Cap Increase]: Alpha-tier lv.30 → Gamma-tier lv.80
[Starting Level]: Raised to Alpha-tier lv.30 (for newly registered accounts)
[As time flows, Azure Star undergoes more changes.]
"Sniping Empire": Evil shadows spread rampantly within Red Arrow's borders. Citizens of the Empire, act quickly—Red Arrow Empire's second faction, 'Apostles of Entropy,' has emerged!
"White Plum Frost": David Lin's deep-seated reforms continue, but they've fully exposed Frost-Plated Republic's internal contradictions—Frost-Plated's second faction, 'White Plum Army,' has arisen!
"Red-White Civil War": Prime Minister Gretorvo is determined to establish an egalitarian republic, while the former Prime Minister's brother, Park Jung-tae, quietly amasses his own power—the revolution is here!
Tianhuan is now divided: Republican (Gretorvo's side) and Royalist (Park Jung-tae's side). Choose your faction and serve Tianhuan!
"Rising Undercurrent": The Zhengxu Democratic Republic now hosts tens of thousands of digital immigrants. This is our new home, but ill-intentioned individuals are already targeting us. Identify and eliminate them—Zhengxu is now filled with impostors, [Society] citizens, and Apostles of Entropy.
[HeadHunter Ad Placement]: Due to expansion into new territories, Abyss Heavy Industries is seeking more talent. Various positions and special agent roles are now open to players. Join Abyss Heavy Industries today.
[New Origin]: Abyss Employee (restricted to [Biochemist])
[Holy Monument Doctrine]: A religious organization skilled in nurturing Omega Energy users, the Holy Monument Sect is spreading widely across Red Arrow. If you're feeling lost in your Omega Energy usage, this might be the place for you. However, their deity seems to be... Leozi?
[New Origin]: Holy Monument Disciple (restricted to [Mutant])
[Mechanical Apprentice]: A signal has been sent from the Outside World—a mysterious mechanical mentor is inviting you to receive his guidance and use your expertise to help others.
[New Origin]: Wandering Techie (restricted to [Mechanic])
...
After handling his current affairs, Li Aozi declined Gretorvo's offer to stay, tidied up briefly, and set off to a nearby region to search for clues about the Calamity Armament once trained by the Abyss Humanitarian Relief Organization—Zonia.
The process was not smooth, so Li Aozi switched to his main account and used gravitational waves to post an intel-gathering quest on Azure Star.
With a massive pool of experience at his disposal, offering a mere 10 million was enough to mobilize tens of thousands of players to take up the quest. Throwing in a discount on Omega Energy rentals further incentivized players to visit the White Obelisk.
While the players gathered intel, Li Aozi resumed his simulation-based management.
Most players considered joining the Holy Monument Sect, as the buffs granted by [Suffering] and [Death] were highly appealing to them.
"Smile of Suffering"—You and your followers accumulate 'Suffering' points when experiencing pain or defeat, which can be exchanged for experience.
"Prison of Death"—You and your followers gain a chance to revive during battle (once per natural day).
Your followers can devour the souls of the dead to acquire their memories, specialties, or skills. This ability also works on soul crystals.
Although these buffs didn't directly enhance combat power, they accelerated player growth and increased forgiveness for mistakes.
Regular players who died in battle could only revive at temporary or save points.
Followers of Leozi not only gained an extra chance to revive but could also stand up on the spot.
The synergy between the two talents gave players confidence to challenge difficult enemies—after all, even in defeat, they could earn Suffering points, convert them into experience, and benefit from the extra revive to increase their chances of landing a kill.
Most importantly, Li Aozi held a monopoly in this area. Other Azure Star religions were either worshiping false gods or provided negligible buffs like slight attack boosts, poison resistance, or ghost-proofing.
The Holy Monument Sect significantly improved the gameplay experience. Players who initially felt trapped by the [Mutant] class quickly became the favored class of the update.
Even players who didn't convert to the Holy Monument Sect or become followers of Leozi contributed to the sect's financial success through sheer player influx.
[Mutant] players arriving near the White Obelisk instantly realized its benefits and eagerly joined.
For regular players, buying a house near the Holy Monument Sect was a smart investment. The area was safe and enriched by Daoist buildings, making it a good financial asset.
Li Aozi excelled at managing traffic flow. He seized every opportunity to promote the Holy Monument Sect—whether through tourism, local cuisine, or charity events—to maximize exposure.
The results were clear. Ega City, once on the empire's fringe, saw its housing prices increase twelvefold, its permanent population grow by 300,000, and its mix of natives, players, and Outside World immigrants flood into the sect.
After several days of events, the Holy Monument Sect's cash reserves exceeded Ega City's GDP for the past three years. The bustling population led to an uptick in criminal activity, including several severe terror attacks, all swiftly quelled by the sect's Beta-tier high priests.
Overall, the situation remained highly favorable.
Through careful planning, Li Aozi expanded the Holy Monument Sect's assets and membership, even considering launching a real estate company or bank to handle its growing enterprises.
It wasn't due to his exceptional management skills; a large influx of settlers a year earlier had led to a baby boom.
At least 30% of second-generation immigrants had been detected with Omega Energy genes, mostly related to [Gravity] and [Truth Eye].
These children, being top-tier innate Omega Energy users, would be ready for the [Mutant] educational system by age eight.
Other newborns, influenced by the White Obelisk, would also have an easier time becoming [Mutants].
To support this, Li Aozi swiftly established extraordinary education and training institutions within the sect's territory.
These measures reassured immigrant families, encouraging them to live, work, and spend locally. As foot traffic surged, industries thrived or at least showed promising growth.
If the mayor of Ega City knew Li Aozi controlled the Holy Monument Sect, he'd probably be bowing at his feet.
With the current momentum, even a chicken randomly pecking at a keyboard could manage the situation successfully.
Just as Li Aozi was balancing religion and urban development, a piece of information came to his attention.
"Zonia has been found, but…"
Li Aozi examined the players' reports with a peculiar expression.
"...the target is now with [White Knight]?"
[White Knight] was supposed to be dead, eliminated by him.
Unless a special Professional revived him, it meant the council had a presence in the area.
The latter scenario seemed unlikely—without [Seamstress] Yavanna, the Hidden Council couldn't assemble.
"Then it must be the former."
Li Aozi rubbed his chin.
"Looks like [Secret Society] has quite a few agents on Azure Star..."
But Li Aozi's own agents on Azure Star were even more covert.