Chapter 166: God’s Favor (15)

Chapter 166: God's Chosen (Fifteen)

Jie Fangcheng initially thought that after hearing such words from the young man, whether he could sleep at all was a matter of question. Yet, he truly underestimated himself.

Manager Jie closed his eyes and before long, he was deeply ensconced in the land of dreams.

Zheng Dao'an grasped his hand, and the scenery before them abruptly transformed.

Once again, he saw his own figure in the dream.

In Jie Fangcheng's dream, "Professor Zheng" adjusted the glasses perched on his nose.

"Manager Jie, all the things I said were true. Would you consider accepting me?"

Jie Fangcheng paused, then grimaced, "Ah? If I agree, does this mean we are engaged in a ghost marriage? Luckily you're also deceased, making us somewhat on the same plane... But even so, between ghosts, there's still paperwork, scrutiny and all, such a hassle."

Continuing, Manager Jie added, "Besides, considering the current bureaucratic complications in the underworld, not to mention other things, by the time our case gets approved, you'd probably have already reincarnated. How about..."

"How about?"

Jie Fangcheng began, "Why not join me in influencing some changes to our company's cumbersome rules and regulations? That way, once you reincarnate, I won't have to agonize over these heaps of documents daily."

The dream version of Jie Fangcheng had moved beyond the phase where Zheng Dao'an was still in the underworld, advancing directly to a stage where only he remained, speaking of concerns only about how he would file future reports, completely indifferent to whether Zheng Dao'an was still around, resembling a heartless widower.

Very well, this response was indeed very Manager Jie-like.

Zheng Dao'an closed his eyes briefly, before merging directly into his dream self.

Opening his eyes, he didn't indulge in further pleasantries.

"Manager Jie, do you realize you are dreaming?" he inquired.

Coincidentally, the dream version of Jie Fangcheng was engrossed in envisioning a completely modernized underworld, not only revoking the antiquated, cumbersome regulations, but also implementing new, streamlined, and straightforward processes, no longer requiring Jie Fangcheng to laboriously draft and sketch.

However, after Zheng Dao'an spoke, the dreaming Jie Fangcheng froze momentarily, pondering what this young man was saying. He was contemplating a bright future, what was this about dreaming?

Understanding his intent with a glance, Zheng Dao'an promptly responded, "We are currently in the instance [God's Chosen], do you remember? The temple, the starlight, the dream-return fish..."

Familiar terms gradually awakened Jie Fangcheng within the dream. Although somewhat confused, he began to exhibit a faint cognitive ability regarding the current circumstances.

"What were you about to say?"

"I need to explain everything that has transpired to you," said Zong Dao'an.

Zong Dao'an has nearly figured out the current situation in the instance. It is unmistakably a scheme targeting Ronghua, likely orchestrated by Ji Chaoyang.

If Zong Dao'an and Jie Fangcheng hadn't noticed something amiss with Wei Yuan and the others, they would have been replaced by the modified Return-Dream Fish during their daily devout prayers in the instance.

However, on the surface, Wei Yuan and their group seem unchanged.

Zong Dao'an speculates that their replacement wouldn't necessarily lead to the failure of the instance. On the contrary, it might facilitate a "clearance" of the instance, allowing a "return" to the player's lobby, once all members of Ronghua are replaced.

By then, what Jie Fangcheng and he would encounter are still seemingly Wei Yuan, Nie Shuangshuang, and other Ronghua Guild members. However, unbeknownst to everyone, the individuals inside those bodies have been altered.

The people of Ronghua may not be particularly strong, but who would constantly guard against those around them?

Considering their abilities, assassinating Jie Fangcheng is not feasible, but killing themselves seems fairly straightforward. Zong Dao'an is acutely aware of his limited combat prowess.

This scenario occurs if the replacement of Ronghua members goes undetected. Apparently, Ji Chaoyang has a backup plan.

"This instance is likely under Ji Chaoyang's surveillance."

According to the logic of a typical instance, if players manage to kill all the divine servants, and there truly is a "god" as a hidden BOSS with substantial power and resources, wouldn't this deity be furious at the players for killing the servants?

But this deity seems not to fear whether players live or die, but rather fears a lack of infighting among them.

Having exposed the dangers and illusions of prayer, immediate tangible rewards are deployed, striving to segregate the players from the lucid Zong Dao'an and others.

In a regular instance, danger means danger. Its purpose is to instill fear in players, not considering the transformations they might undergo. Its objectives are clear-cut.

However, this instance seems to incessantly incite infighting among players.

Because the happenings within the instance, whether life or death, remain confined to it, but infighting can potentially extend to the player's lobby.

"Ji Chaoyang is watching us, aiming to foster discord within our group. But honestly, even with the combined strength of all Ronghua members, they are no match for you. Dividing Ronghua from us is not to counter you," Zong Dao'an calmly stated, "he is targeting me."

Jie Fangcheng is but one person, despite his extraordinary capabilities, he can't be by Zong Dao'an's side all the time.

When resentment towards Zong Dao'an grows amongst their companions, the lurking Return-Dream Fish within Ronghua members could seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the unsuspecting Zong Dao'an.

"Ah... So, is this why you chose to explain everything in a dream? Can we avoid surveillance here?"

"We should be able to. The modified 'Return-Dream Fish' might be under Ji Chaoyang's control, capable of transmitting substantial information to him. However, the silver one seems to be something different."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Yesterday, your dream spanned a considerable length of time, yet upon returning to reality from the dream, only less than a minute had passed. The flow of information in that moment was too immense; even if Ji Chaoyang had several more brains, he would likely struggle to process such a vast amount of data in an instant."

Jie Fangcheng found it somewhat incomprehensible, but he chose to trust Professor Zong.

"What should we do next?"

"Wait."

"Huh?"

"Wait for the situation in this instance to break free from the 'God’s' control," Zheng Dao'an squinted slightly, "Ji Chaoyang and his group might still have a trump card up their sleeve. Otherwise, relying solely on this instance, even if they manage to deal with me, it will be difficult to handle you and Lang Gu, not to mention the countless other underworld personnel who are constantly entering the game... Manager Jie."

"Hmm?"

"I have a premonition that something might be amiss with the Book of Life and Death."

.

Zheng Dao'an’s explanation was somewhat vague, but Jie Fangcheng understood the meaning behind the “wait”.

What exactly are they waiting for?

Early the next morning, before Jie Fangcheng and his companion woke up, Wei Yuan and his team were already energetically and actively setting up their help points, ready to alleviate the worries of the city's numerous “devout believers”.

Worthy of a city blessed by the deity, the citizens only brought trivial matters from their daily lives for them to solve. It seemed that apart from these insignificant issues, there were no other troubling matters in the city. Everyone lived a blissful life, poor but happy.

Most of these trivial matters could be resolved by a single person, and thanks to the simplified rules, most didn't require face-to-face interaction between players and citizens, thus eliminating the pattern of helping for three minutes and receiving thanks for half an hour.

After a significant increase in efficiency, the help points had no new tasks by noon.

The players were still exhilarated from acquiring new skills and items. Apart from the members of the Death God guild, all other players seemed to have gotten new toys, very eager to test their new skills and items in real combat scenarios.

With no citizens seeking help proactively, the players reverted to their earlier routine of roaming the streets and alleys, looking for someone in a sudden predicament to assist.

As they wandered, they indeed encountered a situation.

A household near the city wall had a house built from clods of earth, which looked rather unstable.

Only in a place graced by a deity, where there were no storms or heavy rains, would people dare to reside in such houses.

The door of the house was open, and a type of white bulrush, unique to Qiming City, was affixed to the wall.

Placing white bulrushes on the wall was a signal to others that the owner of the house was about to form a family with someone else, and this house would no longer be in use.

Divorce was unheard of in Qiming City; those who moved out would never return.

Previously, rooms adorned with bulrushes would be reclaimed by the divine servants and redistributed to those in need.

Now that the divine servants were gone, this house hadn't been reclaimed promptly. When the players approached, they heard the cries of a child coming from inside the house.

"Let's go! Let's check it out!"

The one who discovered this room was a group of independent players led by He Yanhui, who was a nurse before her death. Having recently given birth to her own child, she succumbed to overwork not long after.

Since entering the game, she had always had a soft spot for children. Now, as she stepped into this room and saw the scene before her, she was stunned.

At first glance from the outside, it was evident that the household was in poor living conditions, but it was not until they entered that they truly grasped the gravity of the phrase "a home stripped to its bare bones."

Inside, there were no decent furnishings to speak of, only a stone bed. The bed was covered with dried grass, scavenged from an unknown source, and a frail blanket swathed a crying infant who lay there without even a pillow to cushion its head.

Adjacent to the bed was a cooking stove, upon which sat an abandoned pot with nothing but a thin layer of congealed gruel at its bottom.

"Whose child is this?" He Yanhui moved closer to the bed, lifting the weeping child into her arms.

With a single glance, she could tell the child was hungry.

Unfortunately, she had no appropriate baby formula at hand to feed him.

"Let's head back to the Divine Residence Tower."

The aid station was situated in front of the Divine Residence Tower, and her return with a baby in tow drew a crowd of curious players.

The storage within the tower harbored a considerable amount of supplies, including milk suitable for infants.

After feeding the child and quieting his cries, He Yanhui prepared to search for the child’s mother.

"This child is so young; he can't possibly be left without his family, right? Let's help find them together, see if we can figure out whose child this is, whether something happened to them. Under the benevolent protection of the deity, such a tiny infant shouldn’t have to endure such hardship, left without anyone to care for him, right?"

He Yanhui said, with conviction.

Hearing this, an NPC who had stayed behind at the aid station responded with a matter-of-fact tone, "The godly patron may not be aware, but it is indeed possible that the child has no one to care for him. Such children are simply reclaimed by the Divine Residence Tower."