Chapter 227: The Meat Grinder (Part Eight)

Chapter 227: The Meat Grinder (Part Eight)

"The true creator?" Xie Fangcheng repeated, quickly grasping his meaning, "The current six guild leaders are not the original founders of the game?"

"I don’t think so," Yan Xun replied, "Just look at the current state of the game. Regardless of the other players, these six current administrators are clearly no saints. How could such a group possibly have collaborated seamlessly to create such a massive game, and still coexist without issue?"

If these six really were the founders who created the game from the very beginning, a game as vast and controlled as 'Three Thousand Worlds' would inevitably have internal conflicts, given their personalities.

Unless the game wasn't created by them, and these six are merely deceitful usurpers.

"Moreover, something must be keeping them in check, forcing them to band together and, at the very least, not betray each other."

Whoever was able to create such a game, regardless of their initial intention, is clearly far more powerful than the six of them combined.

With Yan Xun's words, Xie Fangcheng suddenly recalled, "It's said that at the dawn of the game's creation, a malicious dragon tried to claim the game as its own, only to be killed by the combined forces of the six guild leaders. Could the founder be that dragon?"

But if it was that dragon, there would be no way for Xie Fangcheng to approach it since the dragon is already dead.

Understanding his point, Yan Xun explained, "Finding the founder isn't the goal; uncovering the core design of the game is. If this game can create replicas within collapsing worlds and reclaim some that have already fallen, making them part of the game, then the core essence of the game must involve reversing the impending collapse of these worlds. The method may not be perfect, but it should give us some insights."

After all, right now, both Xie Fangcheng and Zhong Dao'an are somewhat at a loss when it comes to saving collapsing worlds.

"How should I access this core content?" Xie Fangcheng asked.

Yan Xun responded, "While we might not know, I'm certain the six guild leaders do."

Realization dawned on Xie Fangcheng.

"And that corrupted elf was deliberately let loose. It seems at least that Satan has set his sights on you."

At that, Xie Fangcheng couldn't help but remark, "His name is Satan, not... What is he thinking, sending that elf our way?"

Isn't this like deliberately feeding them intelligence?

"I'm not sure. It could be a test, but it feels more like a provocation."

Given the corrupted elf's account, this so-called Satan, one of the six guild leaders, could have easily killed them all. Yet, he chose to stage that gruesome drama in the demon realm. He seems to have an antisocial personality.

Xie Fangcheng has never met the guild leaders, so Satan may also not know Xie Fangcheng's true strength.

If he were in the dark, someone of Yan Xun's nature would never easily reveal his hand.

Yet not only did Satan step into the fray personally, but he also deliberately spared the elf. Regardless of his intentions, Yan Xun sees such behavior as foolhardy.

But from Satan's perspective, as one of the six most powerful figures in the game, few have ever challenged his position over the years.

To Satan, his actions might be akin to a giant toying with ants. No matter who the opponent, he would assume an easy victory.

However, if Satan is of this nature, Xie Fangcheng is rather pleased.

He particularly liked dealing with arrogant fools. What Jie Manager dreaded most were those with a hundred tricks up their sleeves. Regardless of their power, it's a nuisance to face cunning opponents. Even if they can't kill him, they sure can annoy him!

But these thoughts made Jie Fangcheng sigh again.

"I wish you could come back to the main hall with me."

If Zhong Daoan could join him in the main hall, with his intelligence, they could quickly uncover the deepest secrets of the game. Jie Fangcheng wouldn’t need to constantly ponder his adversaries or the core of the game.

It's no exaggeration to say that since entering this game, Jie Fangcheng felt he had burned more brain cells than in his entire life.

So tiring!

Even with the bit of cognitive space lent to him by Professor Zhong, Jie Fangcheng felt mentally exhausted.

Hearing him, Yan Xun could only smile and say, "Though there’s no concrete proof, I have a feeling... that one day, I’ll return."

For a logical robot to say something like this, Jie Fangcheng felt tremendously comforted.

As the two of them continued their intimate conversation, Jie Fangcheng hadn’t forgotten the fallen spirit.

After all, this was the culprit behind the deaths of Dongyue Shenjun and Zhong Daoan. Jie Fangcheng may be soft-hearted, but he wouldn’t easily forgive her.

While Xiao Qi's reasoning made sense – that they were merely tools, and the real culprits were the creators and managers of "Three Thousand Worlds" –

With Jie Fangcheng’s nature, he might not be bloodthirsty, but he could be petty, especially concerning matters related to the deaths of Dongyue Shenjun and Zhong Daoan.

Especially since the former's death might have been a conspiracy that still required some unraveling. As for Zhong Daoan? He didn’t possess the "Ghost Eye" but died protecting Jie, shot by Yan Ge.

"What are your plans for the spirit?" Yan Xun curiously asked.

"Either kill her or do you have some kind of human experimentation here?" Jie Fangcheng's words were cruel. "If she's with me, there's no way out but death."

It was the first time he showed such a resolute side.

It was to be expected. As a civil servant in the underworld, not all cases Jie Fangcheng dealt with were about wronged spirits. Most were truly wicked souls.

Faced with such entities, Jie Fangcheng had never shown mercy.

Yan Xun nodded thoughtfully. "Our world truly lacks guardians with individual strength."

His words implied a desire to retain Xiao Qi for work.

"What about her memories?" Jie Fangcheng asked.

Yan Xun grinned, "No worries. We have memory-altering technology."

While such a technique is taboo, once banned pre-apocalypse for its ethical implications, for Yan Xun, any historical human knowledge or science is stored in his chip.

Replicating memory-modification technology wasn't a challenge, and the necessary resources could be acquired along the way.

In light of this, Xie Fangcheng refrained from offering any additional opinions. After all, the group of five had directly taken the life of Zhong Dao'an, and even though Yan Zhen is now a robot, within this world, he evidently embodies the essence of Zhong Dao'an.

With the victim right before him, Xie Fangcheng naturally deferred to his wishes.

As for the other victim, Dong Yue Shenjun, if what Xiao Qi said holds true, it’s highly likely that Ji Dai himself had issued the mission for them to assassinate him.

However, at the moment, there's a scarcity of clues. Even Yan Zhen can't provide a definitive interpretation.

"Perhaps acquiring that 'Ghost Eye' might provide the answers to all our dilemmas," Xie Fangcheng mused.

And the method to procure the Ghost Eye? Isn’t it apparent?

In Xie Fangcheng's mind, Satan's name was already crossed out. He was just waiting for the opportunity to track down the chairman and have a rather "intimate" discussion.

Meanwhile, as the two conversed, Xiao Qi on the other side of the vehicle was riddled with questions she sought answers for.

What exactly is the Ghost Eye? Why, after merely completing a typical S-level hunting ground task, had it triggered Satan's aggression?

Truthfully, Xiao Qi wasn’t overly flustered. She believed she still held some leverage, for surely the enemy too was encumbered with questions. Such as the nature of this personal task, Satan's capabilities, and why he had thrown her into this hunting ground, among others.

As long as she held value, a chance at survival existed.

Furthermore, after regaining her composure, Xiao Qi even considered proposing a collaboration with Xie Fangcheng.

She could tell that this guardian of the S-level hunting ground had not been in the game for long. He wasn't familiar with its intricacies, and probably lacked powerful allies.

After all, she was an S-level hunter, and a rare fallen elf to boot.

While fallen elves might not have the same affinity to nature as the natural elves, they possess a superior understanding of magic and magical arrays.

Hence, many teams, if possible, prefer to have an elf with them. Be it setting up teleportation arrays or undertaking specific tasks in certain dungeons, having an elf made things considerably more efficient.

Of course, Xiao Qi recognized Xie Fangcheng's animosity towards her.

But she was indifferent to it.

That was the past. Back then, he was merely the guardian of the S-level hunting ground. Now, both were players in the game.

In the eyes of many players, their identity as players far transcended that of NPCs. They believed they were more advanced than the lesser inhabitants of these gaming worlds. Xiao Qi shared this sentiment.

Even if they had killed his friends, this guardian was now a fellow player. What did past NPCs matter?

Such thoughts dominated Xiao Qi's mind, but the insulating membrane in the car remained undropped.

He seemed to have lost interest in her. As time ticked away and day turned to night outside the car window, there was still no response from him. Xiao Qi's patience wore thin.

She tapped on the membrane.

Shortly after, the membrane finally descended.

Xie Fangcheng turned his gaze coldly toward her, asking, "What do you want?"

Confronted by this menacing visage, Xiao Qi couldn't help but shrink back a little, suggesting, "Perhaps we can collaborate?"

With her friend brutally killed, Xiao Qi naturally harbored intense resentment towards Satan.

However, she had previously dismissed any thoughts of revenge because Satan's prowess was overwhelmingly formidable and the reputation of being a leader of one of the six major guilds was too intimidating. Taking revenge, as a mere S-rank Fallen Elf with her limited power, seemed implausible.

But now, the more she pondered, the more she felt that this guardian's strength might be on par with Satan's. Even if he was slightly inferior, the gap wouldn't be significant.

With her assistance, and given some time to further hone their skills, taking down Satan might become feasible.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," thought Xiao Qi.

To her surprise, her proposition seemed to intensify Jie Fangcheng's murderous aura.

"I won't collaborate with you," Jie Fangcheng responded icily.

Xiao Qi paused, then quickly realized, "Is it because we killed... I mean, the Deity of the Eastern Peak? But we were merely carrying out a mission..."

Jie Fangcheng cut her off, "Do you recall you killed another person as well?"

"Who?" Xiao Qi was momentarily baffled. It took her a while to recall that Yan, one of their members, had shot a random bystander from a distance.

Could it be that this seemingly insignificant bystander was of importance?

Xiao Qi apologized, "I'm sorry."

She seemed genuinely remorseful, but Jie Fangcheng just shook his head, "Do you believe a mere apology can bring him back to life? You're being overly optimistic."

It was only then that a sense of foreboding crept over Xiao Qi.

"You..."

Was he still intent on revenge?

A second later, Jie Fangcheng, showing signs of impatience, waved dismissively, "Just get it over with, or I fear I won't be able to restrain myself."

Yan Xun chuckled, "Very well."

"Hey! What do you mean? Change what?... What is this?? I am an S-class hunter! A fallen elven kind! If you aim to challenge Satan, you need a comrade like me!! You won't win fighting alone!!"

The vehicle had once again split in two.

Xie Fangcheng couldn't help but murmur, "Why would I need a comrade like that?"

The adjacent robot cast him a peculiar glance, seemingly amused.

On the seventh day of their journey, they finally reached Central City.