Chapter 194 | Swarm: I Became a Cataclysmic Disaster

[God of Order: Abhoth is starting to feel the crisis too. Being suppressed by the Awakened for these past three years, its expansion and offensives have been blocked.]

[God of Compassion: Speaking of which, among the worlds it is simultaneously invading, there are probably over 120 legions dispatched by its creations alone.]

A few days ago, on the "Earth" section of the Divine Net forum that he regularly checked, the deities had gathered to discuss this passionately.

Lin Miao had been silently following it as well.

Because this was a long-foreshadowed, highly historic moment.

[God of Order: Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Awakened system will update and enter its Second Period.]

Then, on that forum, several deities, working together as arbitrators and representatives of the Awakened system activated on Earth, began releasing a major announcement.

If calculated by share percentage of the Awakened system, Lin Miao's share was minuscule—perhaps not even reaching what people would call a bug's level.

However, unlike Lin Miao, there were others who had invested several-fold, even dozens of times more resources. It was precisely because of them that the Awakened system was ready to evolve once again.

This was a game where deities competed against each other to determine the true master of Earth, all while expelling the servants of the Outer God Abhoth.

And its second stage was now about to begin.

“A completely new form of rifts, various newly added rewards, a system-operated multidimensional auction house, and dimensional exchanges where one can obtain aid from creatures of other planets.”

Lin Miao read through the contents and felt a wave of familiarity, slipping into deep thought.

This familiarity felt just like playing a video game.

Just like a game company releasing updates and hosting events, the deities were enjoying the Awakened system that currently dominated Earth as if they were playing a game.

In fact, a significant portion of this system was designed precisely for their entertainment and leisure.

If the system itself existed to unite the deities and maintain order, then it had to provide them with corresponding returns.

[God of Order: A general announcement will be made, but as we all know, getting the servants to accurately understand the contents of the announcement is a difficult task. Therefore, representatives from each region will take the lead in holding an absolutely neutral meeting. Any deities who violate the rules and cause trouble will not only be purged but also punished.]

To inform their servants on Earth of these contents in advance, they had called for a meeting.

Every deity was obligated to notify their own servant representatives to attend this meeting.

Any adverse consequences resulting from a failure to do so would be their own responsibility, so no one chose to ignore it.

“...The chairman has an external schedule.”

Today, the day Bai Zhantang said they were ready to set off, was that very day.

All the deities had paused their competition to dispatch representatives for the meeting.

Lin Miao looked at the news reports and let out a wry smile.

The chairman's external schedule, the vacations of big company CEOs, the schedule changes for Awakened interviews, and so on.

None of this was a coincidence.

Tens of millions of ordinary citizens still thought of tonight as just another ordinary day and were preparing for bed, but the select few who relied on the deities to manipulate this country at will were currently gathering in one place.

The moment the car parked and the engine died.

“Are you nervous?”

Bai Zhantang, sitting in the driver's seat, spoke to Ye Yunshang in the passenger seat.

“A little.”

Just as Bai Zhantang had asked, Ye Yunshang's face was indeed somewhat pale.

Bai Zhantang, on the other hand, appeared quite calm. “It's not like we're going to a fight. I just don't know what they'll say or what we'll hear.”

Ye Yunshang felt that she would rather go fight monsters; that would actually put her mind more at ease.

She was now the queen of the human colony, but in Lin Miao's eyes, she was a born warrior.

If one had to make a comparison, she was more like Kerrigan than Elise.

Bai Zhantang opened the car door and stepped out. “I'm the same. This is my first time attending this kind of gathering too. But as a reward for serving the Great One, isn't it a blessing to get a glimpse of the truth of the world?”

This place looked like an ordinary factory shrouded in the night on the outskirts of a metropolis.

But beneath this factory lay a massive underground bunker built on the foundation of an air-raid shelter.

This was not just a physical concealment; magic had also been deployed, making it completely impossible to find through ordinary means.

This top-secret facility was precisely a space that the deities had constructed in advance for such purposes.

Through the tense eyes of Bai Zhantang and Ye Yunshang, Lin Miao could clearly see everything there.

“This is...”

“Ah, I know who that is!”

The moment the two of them passed through the invisible illusion barrier.

The quiet bunker entrance, which had been completely empty just a moment ago, instantly transformed into a completely different space, bustling with noise and crowded with people.

Then, someone recognized them and took the initiative to come forward and greet them.

Chairman Zhang Heng.

Seeing his fat face, Lin Miao let out a quiet sigh.

Almost no one in this country didn't know him, and he was accompanied by Leng Feng, one of the few Tier 5 Awakened, who served as his guard.

Zhang Heng was not only the chairman but also a servant of the deity with the greatest influence in the Dragon Nation right now—【Source of Silent Wisdom】.

“You've been quite famous lately, Ye Yunshang.”

“...Thank you.”

“Go on inside and wait. Everyone should be here soon.”

As the regional representative of the Dragon Nation, the existence hosting this neutral meeting was his master. Thus, Zhang Heng and Leng Feng, acting as core servants, actively maintained order.

Sure enough, walking into the bunker, even more people were noisily gathered together, chatting.

Since the deities who reached the agreement guaranteed absolute neutrality, this could be considered a rare gathering.

In fact, the place was filled with expensive drinks and food, making it look less like a meeting and more like a banquet.

“What an absolute lie. If this scene were made public, how would the masses react?”

Lin Miao looked at all this through the eyes of the two and sighed.

Commissioners who were still arguing with each other in meetings just a day ago were now laughing merrily, calling each other brothers.

The attorney general, who had loudly demanded an investigation into corruption and embezzlement in front of the cameras, was currently drinking with the CEO of a major corporation;

and the head of a new media company, who had always advocated for strict regulation of the Awakened, smiled and apologized to the Awakened, asking if they should play along a little.

Everything in this country ultimately ran according to their intentions.

The vast majority of ordinary people still thought they possessed independent self-awareness and free will, when they were merely running around in circles following the bait scattered by these people.

It wasn't just this country either.

Most of the entire world was already like this.

The invasion of the deities had already begun twenty years ago.

“How could this be...”

Ye Yunshang was so shocked by what she saw that she was left speechless.

“Of course you'd be shocked discovering the truth for the first time. Did you know? Those regions abroad clamoring about being at war are the same. It's nothing but a collusive scam.”

Bai Zhantang shook his head with a smile.

Although they were in fierce competition and could put each other to death at any moment, at the same time, they also possessed a strong sense of belonging, feeling that they were different from the general public and belonged to the 'same order'.

“But isn't this only natural? You've seen it too, haven't you, Miss Ye Yunshang? You've experienced it firsthand, haven't you? This land is nothing but a mere handful of sand, while in the distant universe, there lies a vastness beyond our imagination!”

Bai Zhantang, on the contrary, looked as if he thought this couldn't be any better, his eyes shining brightly.

The power and knowledge bestowed by the deities were so extraordinary that even calling them miracles wouldn't be an exaggeration to ordinary people.

Once you tasted it, it was very hard to break free.

The pleasure of being the only one who knew the real truth.

“Hmm...”

Honestly, it was hard for Lin Miao to deny it either.

Come to think of it, the only person on this land who knew more than everyone sitting here was him.

“Anyway, these are all people I'm going to devour.”

Although he hadn't told Bai Zhantang and Ye Yunshang yet, Lin Miao wanted to firmly grasp control of the Dragon Nation at the very least.

If he drove away all the deities interested in the Dragon Nation right now and claimed all the factions and servants they had built as his own, it would tangibly help him realize his plan of cultivating the Great Devourer and expelling the Outer Gods and other deities from Earth.

In this process, the targets that Ye Yunshang's hive mind needed to devour were all gathered here.

Unlike the Great Devourer, Ye Yunshang could not produce soldiers.

However, she could subjugate others and have them join her colony.

Those in power, the wealthy, media figures, as well as high-tier Awakened possessing military force, and so on.

As long as he devoured everyone present here, Lin Miao could control the entire country, just as they had done for the past twenty years.

“Now, I will announce the contents of the notification.”

Soon, everyone took their seats, and Zhang Heng stepped forward as the representative to begin reading the contents of the notification received from the deities.