Chapter 143: Bathtub Smuggling, Tactical Home-Swapping

The official website of "Catastrophe OL" was currently in an uproar.

Back when a certain Minotaur demon appeared in the fifth layer of the labyrinth with a group of greatsword soldiers, many players had speculated that the development team was brewing a major update. As it turned out, the "dog developers" did not disappoint!

Just as the recent clash between the Greatsword Soldier Regiment and the Ogre army was concluding, the Ogre tribe's leader suddenly acted as if he'd taken drugs, erupting with unprecedented combat power. With a group of fearless cannon fodder, he managed to crush the regular army under that Minotaur demon.

That battle could be described as earth-shattering; even the heavens and earth dimmed in color, and the very Dao was ground down... though one couldn't see the sky or the Dao inside the labyrinth, all the players hiding in the distance to watch felt a similar sensation.

Both sides were incredibly strong!

And they all fought with the momentum of risking their lives!

The scene was practically identical to when they fought the Chaos in the fourth layer!

Unlike the natives of this world, the players didn't care about things like Chaos or Catastrophes, and they certainly wouldn't turn pale at the mention of them.

Seeing that the outcome of the battle was about to be decided, many players who couldn't keep their hands to themselves had already snuck to the edge of the battlefield to scavenge for equipment.

However, right at this moment, a sudden anomaly occurred!

A rift resembling an abyss suddenly appeared on the battlefield, reaching a length of several hundred meters and a width of over ten meters!

That rift looked like a scar carved into the earth, radiating a scarlet aura, as if it were alive!

Because it happened so suddenly, caught off guard, many players who were busy "licking boxes" fell in, disappearing into the scarlet dust!

And then, those players sucked into the rift saw an almost identical sight—

Above their heads was no longer the dome of the fifth layer of the labyrinth, but a turbid sky.

The sun in the distance looked as if it had been extinguished, leaving only a hazy halo radiating a weak light.

And right beside that sun, a yellowish gaseous giant planet floated quietly in the turbid sky, like a giant's eye overlooking the devastated surface.

That scene deeply shocked everyone.

Through various signs, almost all players could infer at a glance—they were no longer in the labyrinth, nor even on the Aos Continent, but had arrived on another planet that appeared to be dead!

Due to the realism this game had always displayed, many players were speculating whether that dim sun and the giant planet beside it were hinting at something.

And just as everyone was heatedly discussing the intentions of the "dog developers," a post by a server-wide T0 big shot suddenly grabbed everyone's attention.

That post could be described as a stone causing a thousand ripples.

In just a few minutes, the post had reached hundreds of replies, climbing to the top of the official forum's trending topics list!

Gou Shi: "Holy crap, stop keeping us in suspense!"

Whale Fall North and South: "What exactly did the pangolin see?"

Sharking Things: "GKD (Get it done)!"

One Ye Ye Zhiqiu: "... Brothers, calm down! First of all, just as you all guessed, the world behind the portal is on another planet! Currently, we are not sure if it is in the same star system as the planet where the Aos Continent is located, but this is clearly not the same planet!"

Go to the Pier for Some Seagulls: "Pfft!"

Turkey-Flavored Rice Crust: "No duh! Do you even need to say that?! (Angry)"

The comments below the post were mostly trash talk.

However, One Ye Ye Zhiqiu ignored them and continued to update the post.

"... The world behind the rift is abnormally vast; we walked for a long time without seeing an end. At first, Watching Hu Wan and I both thought the development team used repeated assets to generate the terrain in real-time, but we soon realized we had thought too simply!"

"There isn't a single landmark in the entire world that repeats! Not only that, the number of monsters here is even richer than we imagined, and their varieties are bizarre! Besides the relatively common four-legged jackals, there are arthropod insects lurking in the rifts and caves!"

"Unlike the monsters we found in the labyrinth before, these monsters don't seem to be monsters, but rather more like ordinary animals. First, they don't possess transcendent power; second, they don't have the same sentience as monsters. However, the eerie thing is that they are also different from ordinary animals; they leave no corpses behind after death, and what they drop isn't magic crystals, but blood-colored crystals!"

"They are like elemental summons! But what constitutes them isn't any element we are familiar with."

"And what surprised us even more wasn't just this... after crossing a wilderness, we soon encountered a forest!"

"That wasn't an ordinary forest; it was composed of towering mushrooms! Those mushrooms had many similarities in shape to the fibrous mushrooms on the 5th layer of the labyrinth, but in terms of both quantity and volume, the former were far larger than the latter!"

"I cannot describe the surprise in my heart at that time with words, because I found it hard to imagine that on that waterless wasteland, such a massive mushroom forest could be sustained. Or perhaps... it is precisely because of the existence of those mushrooms that the entire planet's nutrients were drained, keeping it in a state of being dead but not yet dead."

"We approached the forest, and soon we discovered something even more shocking. Those mushrooms weren't just alive; they seemed to be gestating life?"

"We saw with our own eyes a mushroom resembling a palm tree spit out a humanoid creature from a sac-like structure beneath its cap!"

"That guy was incredibly ugly, but its vitality was abnormally tenacious; it fell from a height of over two meters and was completely fine, and as soon as it landed, it could walk and climb! We observed from a distance for a while and suddenly discovered its kind walking over from the depths of the mushroom forest, calling 'Kao' 'Kao' at it a few times, then tying it to their backs, seemingly intending to take it somewhere else."

"Intuition told me we might have triggered some important plot. However, just as we were preparing to follow, that 'Kao' carrying the infant suddenly noticed us and immediately launched an attack!"

"The translation crystal couldn't translate its language, and it refused to communicate with us, so we were forced to fight back! It's worth mentioning that after we killed it, it didn't turn into blood-red crystals like other creatures in this world, but left behind a visible corpse!"

"We performed a simple autopsy on its corpse and found that its internal structure was highly similar to the human body, except for the composition of its bones and muscles, which were more like plant proteins, plant fats, and fibers!"

"Incredible, isn't it?! A dead, silent planet with only mushrooms, monsters that turn to ash immediately after death, and humanoid creatures born from mushrooms... The feeling this gives me isn't like some dungeon attached to the labyrinth, but more like a brand-new world! Later, we moved along the edge of the forest and discovered man-made structures resembling castles. And judging from the doors, windows, and other structures of the castles, the rulers who once lived on this planet were highly similar to us... just like those 'Kaos'."

"Connecting this to what happened on the 5th layer of the labyrinth, I have an immature hypothesis—that silent world behind the rift is very likely a world once conquered by Chaos! And those Kaos born from plants are not only minions loyal to a certain pantheon of Chaos but also a clumsy imitation of the 'conquered' by the 'conquerors'."

One Ye Ye Zhiqiu updated quite a bit of content in the post.

Rather than a strategy guide, it was more like an investigative report from a first-person perspective.

Some players exclaimed "awesome" after reading it, but many others and "cloud players" felt it was all just hype.

Imagining so much from a gaseous planet... could it be that it's just a texture?

As for those mushrooms that can give birth, that sounds like there's something to it.

One Gulp of Chemical Pool: "Humanoid creatures born from fungi... holy crap, it's Greenskins!"

Gou Shi: "Good fellow, have we run into the real 'Ork Logic' (Waaagh!)? (Funny)"

Sharking Things: "Wagggg!!!"

Little Late Can't Get Enough: "What are you guys talking about? Why don't I understand. (Dazed)"

Watching Hu Wan: "They are making Warhammer references... although it does look a bit similar, I think the difference is quite large; at least we didn't find traces of Ork Logic. (Side-eye)"

One Ye Ye Zhiqiu: "But it's true that they also possess transcendent power! Speaking of which, what is the situation on the fifth layer of the labyrinth now? Is anyone over there?"

Ayami Little Devil: "Me me me! I'm over there!"

One Ye Ye Zhiqiu: "Can you help me check what the situation is near the rift?"

Ayami Little Devil: "Currently, it's occupied by Ogres and Goblins! But it's not just them; there are also some guys who look like Orcs, they should be the 'Kao people' you mentioned."

Gou Shi: "I feel the term 'Fungi People' is more recognizable. (Funny)"

Table Stool: "Suddenly a bit curious about what they taste like."

Lele: "Holy crap, seriously, man?!"

Ayami Little Devil: "Never mind what they're called, anyway, there are quite a lot of them! Looks like there must be thousands! Not only that, I also saw in mid-air that the other side of the rift seems to be another world. Inside, there are messy shacks, and earthen walls built from either birch wood or mushroom stalks... Oh right, and there's an altar located right in the center!"

Watching Hu Wan: "It seems those 'Kao people' teleported to our side through that altar."

One Ye Ye Zhiqiu: "If this game had a recording function, that would be great, or a function to upload screenshots. If we could get a look at what that altar looks like, we might be able to find it on that side."

One Gulp of Chemical Pool: "Why are you looking for that thing?"

One Ye Ye Zhiqiu: "To go home, of course... we can't just die our way back."

Long Xing · I'm Eating: "Don't look for it, brother."

Long Xing · Super Fierce Warrior: "Give up!"

Long Xing · Run Number One: "You won't lose much experience, really!"

One Ye Ye Zhiqiu: "..."

Watching Hu Wan: "You guys are truly dogs..."

"..."

The topic quickly evolved from a discussion of the new map to a discussion of the new version.

Players had different opinions, but they unanimously agreed that the "dog developers" were playing a big game of chess!

However, what they didn't know was that the "dog developers" they spoke of only learned about the things they had just discussed after reading the posts on the forum.

After reading One Ye Ye Zhiqiu's investigative report from beginning to end, Luo Yan was not only shocked but also incredibly surprised.

"... It seems the analysis by the academic circles of the Netherworld was actually correct?" Although this world has not even completed a global circumnavigation, and there is still controversy regarding the "Round Earth Theory" and the "Earth Theory," the scholars of the Demon Capital have still realized the existence of other worlds, and that Chaos might come from another world.

Standing from the players' perspective, it was naturally clearer; judging from the celestial structure above their heads, it was clearly a completely different planet.

And this also proved from another matter a speculation he had formed a long time ago—

Subspace technology can be applied to intergalactic travel!

Currently, it is speculated that three conditions need to be met.

The first is that the coordinates of the two worlds in subspace are sufficiently close; the second is that both worlds possess "magic power" capable of responding to the prayers of spiritual entities; and the third is that both worlds simultaneously possess conscious entities—or believers—capable of reaching a consensus!

To use an inappropriate analogy, Saint Xisi and Lord Bayeli are both indigenous gods of the "Aos Planet." Besides the creatures on the Aos Continent being familiar with their names and stories, only the Earth players from the "Land of Magic Depletion" know of their existence and understand their doctrines.

Chaos, however, is different; they are more like a great power possessing "intergalactic colonization" capabilities, active in a fairly vast star field.

It's not just the humans of the "Aos Planet" who know of their existence; many worlds similar to the "Aos Planet" can also hear their whispers, and some may have even become their slaves—just like the "Kao Planet" where One Ye Ye Zhiqiu and the others are currently located.

In this way, Luo Yan had roughly inferred the principle of the Chaos invasion.

On one hand, the Four Gods of Chaos spread the whispers of Chaos through star-field-wide or universe-wide broadcasts.

Worlds with sufficiently strong individual spiritual energy and active magic power can hear their broadcasts, such as the Aos Planet. Worlds with weaker individual spiritual energy and inactive magic power cannot hear their whispers, such as Earth, Mars, etc.

The latter are inherently irrelevant to them; after all, even if they accidentally developed believers, they couldn't establish a portal to invade, and invading wouldn't bring any benefits—it's just a pile of rotten rocks, common in the universe, without even the foundation to gestate civilization.

The former, however, are the focus of their invasion, not just because the believers there really have the conditions to lead the way, but also because these planets rich in magic resources hold huge benefits for them!

Conquered worlds can not only contribute faith power to them continuously but also serve as their springboard and garrison for invading other worlds!

After penetrating this mystery, a bold idea suddenly popped into Luo Yan's mind—

These damn Chaos guys keep slapping portals in his face; they simply don't put him, the Demon King, in their eyes!

Since they are always coming, instead of waiting for them to attack while bending over, why not just slap a portal on their side?

Anyway, looking at One Ye Ye Zhiqiu's post, the "Kao Planet" sent to invade them this time doesn't seem to have much strength.

At least not like the previous "Mist of Deception," where as soon as the portal opened, there were flying squids and ten-meter-tall cyclopes; if it weren't for Xixi arriving in time, they almost wouldn't have held the line.

I heard that the Gate of Chaos only appears in one place at a time.

In other words, as long as I jam the gate and don't close it completely, no new Gate of Chaos will refresh around the Great Graveyard!

As for slapping a teleportation array on the other side, that's simple too!

Although not many people on Chaos's turf know his name, let alone have faith in the Demon King, he has players over there!

Especially those two players who just happened to help him draw a teleportation array once; it wouldn't be impossible for them to help him draw a Great Graveyard-exclusive teleportation array again!

Saint Xisi and Lord Bayeli wouldn't dare to pull such a stunt, but Luo Yan doesn't care.

Anyway, he's a small workshop; he's not afraid of using strong ingredients.

Failure might cost a few Chosen Ones, but success would be a benefit for ages!

He will open up a new line of thinking for resisting the Chaos invasion; from now on, undead that can't be killed will wander on Chaos's turf!

The more Luo Yan thought about it, the more he felt his idea was simply genius, sharing the same miraculous effect as the "bathtub smuggling and British home-swapping" in "Yeh-na-la 3"!

Without any hesitation, he immediately ordered Hearing You You.

"Hearing You You, issue a quest to the player 'One Ye Ye Zhiqiu,' telling them to find a place that is easy to defend and hard to attack, and draw a teleportation array there."

Hearing You You was stunned for a moment and said in surprise.

"What are you trying to do?"

"I want to try and see if we can take the initiative into our own hands..." Luo Yan laid out his conceived plan.

First, he intends to establish a base on the Kao Planet, then send a few Lizardman acolytes over to build a sub-statue of the Demon King to see if they can absorb the faith power of that world and cut off a piece of the cake from Chaos's hands.

Theoretically, the dominance of Chaos faith on the Kao Planet should be 100%, and now, because of his counterattack, it has become 99.99... %.

Luo Yan can be certain that no matter how much he can siphon off, the other side, whose foundation has been shaken, will definitely feel as uncomfortable as if they had eaten a fly.

After all, given the prosperity of faith on the "Aos Planet," trying to snatch a tiny bit of "market share" from the vast number of various races is as difficult as ascending to heaven. But if it were the other way around, immigrating a batch of "Magic Cultists" from the Aos Planet to the "Kao Planet" might not be a more fatal virus for the Kao Planet, which has withered tribes and a single faith.

"Ah?!" After listening to the Demon King's "bathtub smuggling" method, Hearing You You was shocked for a long time before saying the next sentence, "This... is such a thing possible?!"

"I don't know," Luo Yan, lying flat on the bed, grinned and said proudly, "but won't we know if we try?"

He felt the possibility of realization was still quite high!

After all, according to Senior Gelien's statement, using a teleportation array near the Gate of Chaos, even if it doesn't point to the Gate of Chaos, might still get you sucked in.

Now he is simply pointing it at the Gate of Chaos, only he has set more precise coordinates, so he thinks there shouldn't be a problem!

In a sense, this can also be considered hitching a ride on Chaos.

Hearing You You was still a bit worried and reminded him tactfully.

"But... Demon King, are you planning to invade Chaos while resisting the Chaos invasion? You don't have many people to begin with, and you still have to allocate some manpower to the offensive; wouldn't that be a bit too much of a stretch?"

"That's not a problem," Luo Yan shook his head slightly and continued, "Whether it's invading Chaos or resisting the Chaos invasion, it's not just the duty of our Great Graveyard... I believe the Campbell Principality will definitely be more anxious than anyone else upon learning that a Gate of Chaos has appeared within their territory."

Hearing You You looked at him in surprise.

"You mean..."

Luo Yan said with a smile.

"We have cooperated with the Trident Knights once; I believe they wouldn't mind cooperating again... unless they want to wait until Chaos occupies the entire labyrinth and face the threat of Chaos alone."

It's not just the Trident Knights; he can even borrow the power of the Adventurers' Guild.

For example, once his little players establish a base on the Kao Planet, he can have the players open another separate back door nearby for the adventurers, connecting to the teleportation array in Mist Town, and divert the adventurers over there.

Although he initially intended to guide those adventurers to the deeper layers of the labyrinth to put pressure on the rebels dominating the lower layers, now that the Gate of Chaos is slapped in his face, he thinks those traitors shouldn't be able to sit still either.

In the face of a life-and-death crisis, even if they aren't willing to submit to him, they have to face the threat from Chaos together with him.

Perhaps borrowing this opportunity of the Chaos invasion, he might be able to recover the entire labyrinth in one fell swoop!

Just as Luo Yan was conceiving the plan in his heart, One Ye Ye Zhiqiu and Watching Hu Wan, who were far away on the side of the Kao Planet, also received a new quest.

【Quest: Establish a Great Graveyard base on this planet corroded by Chaos!

Description: Find a safe location to deploy the teleportation array.

Reward: 30,000 Nether Coins, 3,000 Contribution Points】

"Holy crap... did they add an extra zero to this reward?!" Staring at the quest panel in disbelief, Watching Hu Wan's eyes widened.

"It seems my speculation was correct... we should have entered the main quest flow of the next version."

While speaking, One Ye Ye Zhiqiu looked around, his gaze locking onto a mountain peak not far from them.

The terrain there was dangerous, surrounded by rift valleys on three sides, all steep cliffs, with only one side appearing to be accessible.

That seemed like a good location.

Especially on the mountainside, there seemed to be an ancient castle standing there.

The rolling wind and sand obscured its outline from time to time; it looked like that ancient castle had been abandoned for many years, not looking like there were any signs of human habitation.

"Let's go with that side."

Just as One Ye Ye Zhiqiu's voice fell, and he was preparing to set off, he saw Brother Watching Hu Wan beside him suddenly grip the dagger in his hand.

Following Watching Hu Wan's gaze, he soon saw a figure suddenly rolling out from the wind and sand sweeping nearby.

In his hand, he held a battle axe, and his whole body radiated an ominous aura, causing the soul fire inside the two's skulls to shake involuntarily.

"It seems these 3,000 contribution points aren't so easy to get..." Watching Hu Wan pulled out his dagger and muttered, "Old rules, I'll pin him down, you cast the spell."

"Wait a second." One Ye Ye Zhiqiu suddenly raised his hand to stop him, staring unblinkingly at the guy holding the battle axe.

Just as Watching Hu Wan was confused, the guy holding the battle axe suddenly stopped his steps and cast his gaze toward them.

A hoarse voice came from his mouth, a sound like a traveler trapped in the desert finally seeing the slow smoke from a chimney on the horizon.

"Are you... the Demon King's people?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 144 =====