Chapter 208: The Virtual God Has Limitations

"Aaaahhh! Why am I forced to watch this movie?! Baddies! Baddies! You're all baddies! Waaahhh…"

"Uh, you're saying this thing can reduce stress levels across the entire He Zujie?" In the research institute's conference room, Sanlian stared at the virtual streamer screeching on the big screen, his expression clearly saying, "You've got to be kidding me."

The other researchers dragged in here all wore identical expressions of "What the hell is this?"

Due to the Giant He Xing's unique physiology, each individual has their own developmental tendency; after their first transformation, every one of them has already lost the ability to "identify with" a protagonist, because each is truly one-of-a-kind.

Thus, among Giant He Xing entertainment, there are no films or TV shows requiring "identification with the protagonist," since a research-type Giant He Xing with six brains simply cannot empathize with a brute who is ten meters tall and forcibly draws a three-hundred-dan bow, nor can they comprehend why a virtual mascot watching a movie would feel relieved.

"Let me reiterate once again! I never said it was! I merely think that live streaming does have the capacity to spread across the entire He Zujie!"

Jialuo clenched his teeth and restated his position, but Sanlian pointed at the viewer count:

"But this viewer count covers too wide a range—one in every thirty people in He Zujie is watching the stream, and this doesn't even account for multiple people sharing one device. This level of penetration is far too high to be coincidental."

"… " Jialuo fell silent. What else could he say? He was a rank-two streamer—anything he said sounded like a forced excuse.

He let out a faint sigh, scanning his colleagues in the room, feeling utterly isolated. To avoid being labeled a Giant He Xing traitor, he carefully rephrased his words before finally speaking:

"Honestly, I don't fully understand it either. I study human society—I haven't actually become human. As for comprehension, I can only grasp the part of humans that finds relief in being soothed to sleep when insomnia strikes. But for humans, sleep is a direct way to relieve stress…"

"Regardless, it's clearly an entertainment format that can spread nationwide. So what's next? Shut down this livestream? Or ban livestreaming entirely?"

Though Sanlian couldn't comprehend it, he leaned toward trying it anyway, reasoning that "at least it's harming humans."

Hearing this, Jialuo frowned slightly, then shook his head:

"Banning it outright is dangerous. Don't forget the Evil Gods still exist. If this stream is harmless, fine—but if it's truly the root cause of reduced stress across He Zujie, then shutting it down would cause that pressure to rebound exponentially, and with intense, targeted direction. All of you here study deities—you understand what I mean."

Hearing Jialuo's words, everyone nodded. Their goal was to maintain He Zujie's pressure balance, ensuring the land remained unsuitable for deity birth. If they accidentally created an Evil God, it would be the opposite of their purpose.

"How about this: we proceed step by step. Use network controls to restrict access region by region, compare pressure changes between areas blocked from the stream and those still able to view it—that should give us a conclusion. Also, we can have PR personnel deploy virtual streamers across the network for various trials, to determine exactly which element relieves stress."

A Giant He Xing with eyes that hovered midair offered a constructive suggestion. After listening, Jialuo considered it, then said:

"That's a good idea, but I'm not skilled in this area—don't expect me to lead this project."

"No one's asking you to. Keep monitoring He Zujie's social state. Also, keep an eye on the post-ban status. Let the Design Department handle the rest—they've had nothing to do lately; perfect chance to give them some work."

Sanlian, as the lead, immediately approved it. But Jialuo's expression grew uneasy. He hesitated, then stayed silent—he had been following Xiao Lingdang's stream, even ranking second. Saying too much might draw unnecessary suspicion.

…

"Master, my livestream has been disrupted."

The next day, evening. With Liu Yunxi in seclusion, Feng Xue was cooking for himself when he suddenly heard Xiao Lingdang's voice—he raised an eyebrow:

"So fast? Looks like even the aliens have some heavy hitters! How bad is it? Full network ban? Or just shut down the channel entirely?"

"Not that severe. They seem to be testing first—they've cut off my livestream channel in Hokkaido. On the surface, nothing changed, but anyone in Hokkaido who opens my stream now sees only a black screen." Xiao Lingdang grumbled, dissatisfied. Though she'd prepared for this, losing believers out of nowhere still annoyed her.

"That's fine. Are the enlightenment devices still active?" Feng Xue nodded, showing no tension.

Because this was, in his estimation, the least severe possibility.

As long as Xiao Lingdang's data threshold was met, her ability to enlighten devices was incredibly powerful—viewers who came to know her through livestreaming were nearly instantaneously turned into general believers.

Now that the livestream was cut, Xiao Lingdang could still use her authority as the Goddess's guide to interfere with believers, provided only that they had sufficient awareness of her and the enlightened device (a phone) was nearby.

Though not as direct as "the deity appearing (via livestream)," it could still make believers think, "If it were Xiao Lingdang, she'd probably tell me this." For now, it shouldn't cause any issues.

But the Giant He Xing's swift discovery of the livestream made Feng Xue realize these aliens weren't fools—his original plan now needed adjustments.

The guidance authority can be activated at any time. Minor guidance shouldn't trigger any devotional energy response. But Master, what if the Giant He Xing shut down the entire internet? Lacking initiative, Xiao Lingdang lost her bearings once events exceeded the contingency plan. Feng Xue sighed at the limitations of the Virtual God, abandoned training her sentience, and issued direct orders:

"If the livestream is completely blocked, first notify Xiao Ye, then inform the resistance organization that 'the aliens may use the livestream to locate the original body,' and guide them toward Location Three. This plan is named Preplan 7. Execution begins now and ends at the originally scheduled deadline."

"Understood. Preplan 7 has been logged. Master, if there's nothing else, I'm going back to streaming!" Xiao Lingdang mechanically completed the entry, then immediately reverted to her lively state. Feng Xue rolled his eyes—then his face darkened—

He'd burned the dish.

(End of Chapter)