Gamers Are Fierce

The foggy carriage vanished as if its mission was complete, and the giant demons that had been relentlessly pursuing from above also faded away into oblivion.

At this moment, what lay before everyone was an immensely spacious area that seemed to have no end in sight, resembling the bottom of an ocean. The dome above featured a small, round moon hanging in the void. The cold moonlight shone down, making clearly visible the surrounding ripple-like patterns of light and shadow, similar to those on the surface of the sea. The air also carried the salty tang of seawater, and one's hands and feet could feel the icy chill of ocean water, yet there was no difficulty breathing, just as if one were breathing air on land.

The uneven terrain at the bottom of the space was covered with a layer of fine sand. Amidst it thrived jellyfish, fish, squid, prawns, whales, seals, sharks, seaweed, sea anemones, and swimming crabs; the marine life was abundant and flourishing.

It looked like a vibrant ocean—only this ocean's ecosystem was far too prosperous and diverse to resemble any natural seascape in the real world.

Is this... an illusion?

Ash, who had long since donned a gas mask like the others, gently ground his foot on the fine sand beneath, hearing the clear sound of sand rubbing against sand.

Overhead, a large school of Butter Fish swam freely, their flat bodies covered in a layer of fine, round, silver-white scales that reflected a bright white light under the moon above.

Suddenly, a five-meter-long Man-eating Shark dove down fiercely, opening its mouth wide to bite into the school of Butter Fish at random.

The school was devoured by nearly half in an instant, and the remaining Butter Fish fled in panic. The Man-eating Shark did not continue to pursue or attack the people below but lazily swam away with a flick of its tail.

Strands of blood from the dead Butter Fish drifted away and dissipated. A mostly devoured fish body fell, and Ash caught it in his hand.

"The physiological structure is no different from that of real-world fish."

Ash looked at the half of the fish in his palm, which was slowly turning into a wisp of smoke, and murmured, "So this is the Mirage Dragon's dream."

Li Ang, carrying a Palace Lantern, turned to look at Ji Jiu, who was shackled in irons on his hands and feet. Without wasting any words, Ji Jiu produced a stone-like plate from his pocket, resembling a Si Nan. The perimeter of the plate was inscribed with squiggly, unclear small seal script, with a metal long-handled spoon situated on top of it.

The long-handled spoon slowly rotated and finally pointed in a direction.

"The Ritual Track's site is right there."

Ji Jiu went on, "According to the original plan set by Datura, the Ritual Track is already halfway through. The patients infected with the Datura disease will, under the influence of the medicine and mental control, spontaneously sing, accumulating 'Pollution.' As long as I go there with the Palace Lantern and open the foggy gate that confines the Mirage Dragon, that unnamed contact person will be able to transfer the 'Pollution' onto the Mirage Dragon's crown and take control over it. The extent of the 'Pollution' determines the degree of control the Formation's core has over the Mirage Dragon. About half the 'Pollution' value, even if insufficient to completely control the Mirage Dragon, should be enough to influence Its behavior. That means now is the best opportunity to stealthily disrupt the Ritual Track and seize control of the Mirage Dragon. And after gaining control of the Mirage Dragon, one can use the Palace Lantern to return to the surface."

As Ji Jiu laid out the plan with transparency, Li Ang's face still showed little emotion. He silently watched Ji Jiu and slowly said, "You shouldn't know so much."

Logically speaking, as a mere executor within the Datura organization, Ji Jiu should, by the principle of confidentiality, only be privy to part of the plan—not like now, clear on where the very crux of the final plan lay.

Ji Jiu was silent for a moment, then struck his own abdomen with a fist, retching, and spat out half an ear.

"I possess a skill known as 'Memory Consumption.' As long as I consume more than 30% of a fresh body part of a living being, I can access the memories of that individual from the past seven days."

With an expressionless face, Ji Jiu stated, "This evening, when the heads of the Yin City Datura Organization received the news and fled, I attacked my superior, who was on a speedboat, along with the Datura members protecting him. In order to evade the pursuit of the Special Affairs Bureau, he had not activated any positioning devices or communication equipment, so neither the Datura Organization nor the Special Affairs Bureau knew that he was already dead. His brain contained most of the details for this mission; unfortunately, he also didn't know who was specifically in charge of the Ritual Track."

If everything had gone according to plan, the Resentful Demon Gulu Lugu, along with Ji Jiu and Zhi Jue, could have hunted down those Lone Wolf teams one by one. They wouldn't be in their current situation, placing the hope of fulfilling Ji Jiu's personal long-cherished wish on outsiders.

"..."

Li Ang remained silent for a moment before looking at Ji Jiu. "Why?"

Li Ang naturally questioned Ji Jiu's motive.

"I have mentioned before that I do not agree with the philosophy of the Datura Organization, especially in how they handle the Mirage Dragon," Ji Jiu said slowly. "They want to use the Mirage Dragon to maintain their wealth, power, and status. What I wish for is world peace."

* * *

In the profound darkness of the vast space's deep-sea trench, a lantern became the only source of light.

Li Ang, disguised as Ji Jiu, held the lantern and the Si Nan, walking along the cliff path in the middle of the sea trench. The other players were all above the trench, ready to descend according to the plan at any moment.

Below the cliff, chants from humanity went on continuously.

The word 'chants' might not be entirely fitting. The multitude of voices was a mix of screams, mad laughter, sobs, and roars—primitive, savage, akin to the calls of a pack of beasts. It was chaotic and strident, yet simultaneously uniform and filled with malevolence.

Li Ang, clutching the lantern, looked downward and saw tens of thousands of people crammed into the sea trench.

No marine creatures could be seen at the bottom of the trench. The floor was covered with fine sand, which, upon closer scrutiny, revealed faint traces suggesting an enormous and grand pattern.

Above this pattern, a dense mass of people stood hand-in-hand, forming countless interlocking concentric circles. The outermost circle rotated clockwise while the second one moved counter-clockwise in a recurring cycle, composing a circular formation that nearly filled the trench.

These people, infected with the Datura plague, wore expressions as ferocious as wild animals. They murmured indistinct words while dancing and writhing, dark smoke billowing from their mouths.

Strands of smoke coalesced in mid-air, forming a deep, rotating, circular dark cloud.

At the sea trench's cliff in front of the circular dark cloud, there stood a foggy gate nearly filling the entire bottom of the trench. The surging gate of fog guarded an equally immense cave entrance. Facing the concentric circles of humans, it stood silent and oblivious, showing no reaction.

It would be difficult to describe with finer strokes the scene Li Ang beheld. No words in the world could convey the darkness, the icy coldness, and the inhuman element within this spectacle.

The flowing wind, the surging heat from the humans, the weighty air, the oppressive atmosphere—all the details comprising this 'grand' scene could not be adequately captured by any camera. Even if filmed, the lack of detail would make the footage feel stale, hackneyed, and dull.

Only by being there in person, witnessing this scene with one's own eyes, could one truly sense the gloomy depths and chilling coldness of this unknown Formation.

It seemed as if something had been sensed. In the center of the concentric Formation, a human-shaped creature who had been sitting on the ground silently stood up, gazing at Li Ang on the cliff above.

Li Ang, holding the lantern, met its gaze, lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, and began to glide down the cliff, slowly descending toward the trench below.

The time had come for Batman, the Nightmare of Yin City, to make his appearance.