Chapter 308: The Crumbling Dimension

Wu Chang noted Marvila's suggestion; time waits for no one, and the two quickly devised a plan, implementing it that same day.

With Marvila's help, he won over Amber's homeroom teacher with a dinner, persuading her to assign a special class project to Amber's class.

The project's theme was envisioning the future, specifically: "What kind of person do I want to become when I grow up?"

Each student was required to write down the career they wished to pursue and complete a three-day to one-week social practice to understand that job.

For elementary students, neither the concept of growing up nor future careers was clearly understood.

Aside from the generic choices of scientist, billionaire, or movie star, most of Amber's classmates selected their parents' current occupations.

Such as doctor, lawyer, or police officer.

Students at Knox Elementary all came from middle-class or higher households; excluding superhero or plumber as unusual options, police officer was already the lowest acceptable career choice.

If this were a school near Milan Street or even Roman Street, the students' responses might have been chef, mail carrier, or even gang member.

Amber had little interest in studying and, unlike Grace, did not crave attention; scientist and movie star were not her choices.

Wu Chang assumed Amber would model herself after him or Eileen, becoming a teacher, doctor, or martial artist.

After all, Amber's uppercut on the old building's rooftop had real power, and she had single-handedly killed Mirror Killers multiple times in the Mirror World—clear proof of her strong martial talent, making her well-suited to become a female martial artist.

But Amber's answer, while surprising to Wu Chang, was perfectly logical.

Amber wanted to become the director of an orphanage.

Hearing Amber's answer, Wu Chang and Eileen, who had been eavesdropping outside the classroom, fell silent.

Eileen, influenced by TV dramas, had teary eyes filled with pity; Wu Chang sighed helplessly.

Damn it, with his 60 points of approval, he still couldn't beat Sister Amanda.

As yesterday, the rest of campus life passed peacefully, and before long, dismissal time arrived.

After school, per the homeroom teacher's assignment, students were to carry out their social practice.

Amber's social practice location was naturally the orphanage she had previously lived in.

On the way to the orphanage, Wu Chang advised:

"Amber, I understand how you feel, but as parents, we still need to give you advice about life planning."

"Being an orphanage director isn't easy; living requires more than ideals—it requires bread, and this job won't let you eat vegetables every meal."

"Have you really considered teaching or martial artist? That way, I could teach you at home."

Wu Chang could swear his advice came from the heart, not from some damn male competitiveness.

Amber shook her head and said: "I've heard all this before, but I still want to try."

Wu Chang gave a defeated look and asked: "Then will you at least visit the convent first?"

To ensure the orphanage director possessed compassion and love, directors were typically chosen from senior religious personnel of the convent; to become an orphanage director, one must first become a qualified senior nun.

But Amber showed clear disgust, saying:

"I won't go to the convent, and I don't want to believe in gods—I just want to do something for the orphanage."

Wu Chang shrugged. "Alright, whatever you want."

Entering the orphanage, Amber's demeanor visibly relaxed, a feeling similar to returning to Number 26 Huayuanjie, even slightly more intimate.

Amber's affection for the place didn't mean the people there felt the same toward her.

Director Susan, seeing Amber arrive with Wu Chang and Eileen, immediately frowned, her face clearly showing displeasure.

She glared at Amber and snorted: "Believe me, not everyone gets a second chance—you'll regret today."

After scolding Amber, she stepped in front of her, smiling warmly at Wu Chang and Eileen:

"What trouble has this child gotten into now? I'll speak to her properly later. If there's any damage, I'll do my best to compensate you. But I hope this ends here."

Wu Chang glanced at Amber and saw her body completely hidden behind the towering Director Susan.

Director Susan was strict with Amber, yet upon hearing Amber had caused major trouble, she immediately stepped forward to shield her.

Wu Chang had originally been uneasy about Amber returning to the orphanage, fearing she'd be targeted by the director—but now, it didn't seem so bad.

He smiled and explained to Director Susan that he and Eileen weren't trying to "return" Amber, but were helping her complete her social practice.

Upon learning the full story, Director Susan stepped aside slightly, staring at Amber in surprise; when Amber nodded, she realized her mistake and let them in.

In the director's office, Susan served them coffee, smiling awkwardly:

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding—I've seen cases before where adoptive parents bring Amber back."

"Most are survivors of trauma, so their emotions run high; their appearance frightens the other children here."

Wu Chang nodded. "I understand."

Previously, Amber had been accompanied by glowing fungal colonies and faceless shadows—both brimming with resentment, with verifiable records of brutality; with them around, not even Amber's adoptive families, let alone ordinary friends, ever ended well.

Simply surviving to bring Amber back to the orphanage was already a near-miracle; they likely suffered major losses in person or property, and expecting them to remain calm was asking too much.

After confirming Wu Chang's words and seeing the homeroom teacher's recommendation letter, Susan had Amber change into volunteer clothing and assigned her to work alongside the orphanage's other staff.

Once Amber left, Wu Chang asked about the possibility of Amber becoming director.

Director Susan, though acknowledging Amber's sincerity, believed Amber unsuitable.

When Wu Chang asked why, Susan spoke vaguely, saying Amber lacked reverence for the gods and even blamed them for her own problems—such a mindset was unfit for an orphanage director.

Susan's words were unclear, but Wu Chang understood her meaning.

At the final moment of Sister Amanda's resentment, when Amber kicked and toppled the statue, Director Susan had walked in and seen it.

Susan's resentment toward Amber stemmed not only from the calamities Amber brought that killed her sister, but also from Amber's disrespect toward the gods.

But Wu Chang didn't care about that—there were too many gods; when his personal world became entangled with misfortune, and Eileen became the sole deity of the realm, who could understand gods better than they could?

Marvila had previously believed Amber suffered from existential anxiety and needed to find her own value while confronting her fear of returning to zero.

Every time Amber's adoption ended, she returned to the orphanage.

Volunteering at the orphanage perfectly fulfilled both of Marvila's suggestions.

After three hours of volunteer work, as they left the orphanage, Wu Chang sensed Amber's spirit had improved significantly; the black thorn bracelet on her wrist had faded noticeably, making him silently marvel at Marvila's miraculous touch.

That night, Amber still had a nightmare, but she merely furrowed her brow in sleep without waking up.

The curse mark locked onto No. 26 Flower Street that night was no longer as troublesome as yesterday—only a truck's front tire burst as it passed, sending it careening uncontrollably toward the house, but Wu Chang easily stopped it.

The next morning, Amber showed no third curse mark, and her spirits had improved greatly, easing both Wu Chang and Erin.

If this momentum continues, all Wu Chang and Erin need to do is guard the school and home, and Amber will soon pass her fourth heart demon.

The world is conserved—just as a smile never vanishes, it merely shifts from one face to another.

While Wu Chang and Erin let their guard down, someone else would tighten theirs.

Lin Jiang stared, face ashen, at the lotus in his hand; it was nearly withered, as if ready to die at any moment—but upon closer inspection, its petals still wrinkled, and its color had grown several shades brighter than yesterday.

How is this possible!

This lotus represents the stability of the Dungeon World; if it withers completely, the dungeon world has collapsed.

He could not believe it—the dungeon world, on the brink of collapse, had halted its decay and shown signs of recovery.

Before coming, Lord Mercury had clearly told him that the closer the Curse-Bound Dungeon approached resolution, the more easily the world's will would collapse.

At the moment when the world's collapse hung by a thread, he only needed to trigger the hidden bomb he had planted to easily seize the world's will and turn the Curse-Bound Dungeon into a pillar of the real world.

He had already followed the plan—triggered the monsters born within the dungeon, even doubled the detonation of the hidden bombs—so how could the world's will collapse on its own? Why would Lord Mercury lie to us!

After a brief moment of panic, Lin Jiang forced himself to calm down.

He had come too far to turn back now; even if things looked wrong, he could only press forward with gritted teeth. First believe—then believe again!

If the collapse of the world's will had begun to reverse, it meant the hidden bombs he had triggered were not enough.

Lin Jiang narrowed his eyes and glanced at Long Kai.

Long Kai, who had been checking temporary job sites, shuddered, a chill spreading down his back; he followed the coldness upward and met Lin Jiang's smiling expression.

Lin Jiang walked toward him, took a deep breath, then bowed deeply.

This left Long Kai speechless—he had always disliked Lin Jiang's wait-to-die strategy; they had argued once before, and the tension between them had never eased, yet now Lin Jiang suddenly did this.

Is he… surrendering?

After bowing, Lin Jiang took the lotus in his hand and said sincerely:

"Mr. Long Kai, I apologize for my previous words. I was indeed too blindly trusting of the Light Society. Compared to yesterday, the world's will has improved—if we wait any longer, you and I may truly become those waiting to die."

Lin Jiang's acknowledgment made Long Kai want to smile, but he felt it would seem like he considered himself inferior to Lin Jiang if he smiled just for that.

So he forced his lips down, wearing an "I told you so" expression: "So what are you planning now?"

Lin Jiang lowered his posture drastically and said:

!

"Due to my misjudgment, everyone is in a predicament—it is entirely my fault. But now that it has come to this, we must first find a way to survive and escape."

"The greatest enemy blocking our escape is Peace. I hear he is preparing for the mayoral election; if we let him continue, there will be no room for you or me in Sigef City."

Though Long Kai disliked Lin Jiang, he could find no fault in these words.

Lin Jiang, Li Zi, and he had all merged with the dungeon's monsters, gaining extra attribute liberation.

Once Peace is eliminated, all other players are nothing but paper tigers and clay dogs to them.

Especially he, with his Dragon Knight transformation—once he activates the Golden Dragon Armor, in this Curse-Bound Dungeon where player damage is reduced by 90%, no other player can break his defense.

They say that before a god, no matter how many mortals there are, they mean nothing. He had never seen a true god—but right now, in the Curse-Bound Dungeon, even if a true god appeared, he could still challenge one!

Long Kai thought for a moment and said: "How do we deal with Peace?"

Lin Jiang took out a seal engraved with the ten-thousand-character glyph and placed it beside the lotus.

"Player Peace is strange—I suspect he has found some loophole in the Abyss Game, granting him system advantages even the top leaders of the Four Organizations don't have."

"In other dungeons, he escaped alive from the Light Society's elders; even under the Curse-Bound Dungeon's dimensional suppression, he eliminated both Deep Sea and Murphy—his system advantage has already transcended the rules of this dungeon world. We should not confront him head-on."

Long Kai believed he was invincible now—but with a caveat: Peace was the exception.

He was impulsive, but not foolish.

He needed to guard against Peace—and also against Lin Jiang.

If Lin Jiang ordered him to eliminate Peace, he would never be as foolish as Murphy, relying on stats to charge head-on.

Lin Jiang's sudden decision to avoid direct confrontation eased Long Kai's suspicion of him.

Lin Jiang continued:

"So what we must do is focus on harassment, sabotage, and accelerating the collapse of the world's will."

"Harass Bai Lao's outposts to scatter Peace's players; target the officials supporting Peace to sabotage his mayoral campaign; while Peace is stretched thin, provoke the world's will to hasten its collapse."

Here, Lin Jiang gestured for Li Zi to come closer, then said:

"I know you distrust my judgment and lack faith in me—so this time, you choose which task to carry out."

Though Long Kai truly didn't trust Lin Jiang, hearing him speak so openly made him feel awkward to respond, so he merely said:

"No fight, no friendship—I'm always fair-minded, not holding a grudge against you. Since we've spoken plainly, let's put it behind us."

Lin Jiang raised an eyebrow and asked: "So, Mr. Long Kai, you're willing to follow my plan…"

Long Kai interrupted: "Can you explain in detail the task of provoking the world's will?"

Politeness was politeness—but when it came to choosing a task, Long Kai would never follow Lin Jiang's orders.

The first two tasks were illegal; they were already wanted fugitives—acting would draw not only Sigef City's SWAT but also Peace's pursuit.

Lin Jiang and Li Zi were a team—if things turned dire, they'd surely "leave him to hold the rear."

Compared to Peace, provoking the world's will—which would collapse even if untouched—meant avoiding Peace entirely and hiding their identities; clearly, it was far less dangerous.

When Lin Jiang heard Long Kai reject his plan, he only smiled, showing no embarrassment:

"The world's will resides in Sigef City, but we don't know where—it requires further exploration."

He pulled out a map of Sigef City and another map marked by the Four Organizations.

"One thing we can confirm: the world's will protects itself and rejects all outsiders—under its influence, we players will unconsciously overlook places tied to the world's will."

"These unexplored locations are where the World Will might exist."

Lin Jiang extended his finger toward a gray area and continued:

"So we must systematically inspect every unexplored region. When we've checked a region and later realize we've accidentally overlooked a household or a family, that's when we've found it."

Long Kai glanced at the map and let out a sharp sound of annoyance.

The four organizations have high exploration coverage of Sigef City, yet nearly a quarter of the area remains unexplored.

Searching these regions household by household is a massive undertaking.

But precisely because of that, this mission offers ample opportunity to slack off, stay far from danger, and let him observe Lin Jiang and Li Zi from the sidelines.

"If I find the World Will, how should I provoke it? Kill it?"

Lin Jiang said: "Never attempt to attack it. It exists in the form of an ordinary human, but when subjected to external attacks or intense stimulation, it can unleash the power the World Will is meant to possess."

"It is the World Will itself—it is not bound by the world's rules. Even with our additional attribute liberation, we cannot withstand its attacks."

"We only need to destroy its living environment, cause it distress, and eliminate the people around it. That will provoke it and trigger its renewed collapse."

Long Kai carefully pondered Lin Jiang's words. The plan Lin Jiang proposed carried no danger; instead, it repeatedly emphasized caution and warned against taking risks.

Hearing this, Long Kai felt a flicker of guilt. Had he been overly suspicious? Had he unfairly prejudiced members of the four organizations from the start?

A trace of shame crossed Long Kai's mind, and he said: "Then I'll choose to provoke the World Will."

"You two are old acquaintances, well-coordinated. Even if you encounter a situation you cannot overcome peacefully, you can still escape successfully."

Li Zi frowned slightly, as if about to speak, but Lin Jiang interrupted:

"We are a team. Everyone's mission is vital. Long Kai Mr.'s task is even more critical than ours. The success of the Light Society's mission depends on Long Kai Mr."

Long Kai kept a stern face and said solemnly:

"If so, time waits for no one. I'll begin searching for the World Will immediately. You two be careful as well."

After Long Kai left, Li Zi expressed dissatisfaction: "A stray dog—why treat him with such courtesy?"

He and Lin Jiang were both members of the four organizations, and from the beginning, they had looked down on Long Kai.

When Long Kai was being hunted by Bai Ta and the Evolution Committee, he had begged them humbly, claiming he had shed blood for the Light Society and earned it merit—only then had they reluctantly granted him protection.

Had Hou Jingchuan not suddenly turned against him, Long Kai would have bowed his head before them, addressing every word with "Your Excellency," never daring to act as arrogantly as he does now.

Lin Jiang, however, didn't care. He said softly:

"Ignore him. A fool remains a fool because he believes he truly has choices—and that his choices stem from his own thinking."

"Heh. All the information he knows, I told him. Every choice he makes, I anticipated. He's merely rude in attitude—but why should you and I anger ourselves over a dead man?"

Lin Jiang did not lie. The method to find the World Will and the means to provoke it were genuine—and the safest possible.

But the problem was: the World Will's path toward collapse indicated it had begun to awaken, systematically eliminating the threats around it.

Mr. Mercury had said: the closer the World Will comes to collapse, the more dangerous it becomes.

Long Kai is walking straight into its grasp—after provoking the World Will, does he really think he can escape?

He provokes the World Will, eliminates Long Kai, and simultaneously releases the thing inside Long Kai into the instance plane.

One arrow, three targets.

He refused to believe the World Will would not collapse this time!

(End of Chapter)