Chapter 341: He Yun

The three moles in the Administration Bureau were on par with Xu Dejun, all around level fifty, and had no special trump cards.

Dealing with the three moles didn't take Wu Chang much effort.

For players like them, most lacked underwater combat ability, and their physical attributes were generally strained, with minimal resources invested in inspiration and willpower.

The moment the three entered the Blind Abyss, they immediately panicked.

Added to their own guilty consciences, their psychological flaws were amplified, allowing the Chaos Power and the Blind Abyss's whispers to exploit them, turning them into living targets in the water.

The ensuing battle became much easier.

Could space distortion not handle these riffraff, when it couldn't even affect Hercules in his Lionhide Armor?

One use of space distortion pierced the abdomen of the strongest of the three, rendering him immobile.

Seeing this, the remaining two grew even more panicked; under the influence of the Chaos Power, they even turned on each other.

One Evolutionist mole and one Light Society mole began fighting underwater.

While Wu Chang used the Chaos Power to drain their attributes, he waited for space distortion to cool down.

The moment the cooldown ended, he repeated the same move, felling the second one.

Facing the last mole, he became the Deep Sea Elbow King, landing three elbow strikes—the mole had already lost all sensation from negative status effects and the Blind Abyss's influence.

The only regret was that he hadn't triggered the Breakthrough Master, and his stacked strength attributes weren't high enough.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed these tactics—he could've simply smashed through the Rational Realm's dimensional barrier and torn the moles' limbs off directly.

He turned to Xu Dejun and said:

"They're only seriously injured and temporarily incapacitated. Take them away—you should have ways to control them."

No one present objected to Wu Chang's commanding posture.

In the Rational Realm, strength speaks loudest—considering how little time had passed between when the three were taken by Wu Chang and when they reappeared half-dead: less than two minutes.

One against three, even with the element of surprise, this feat was utterly unbelievable.

With strength, your voice should be loud.

Everyone present inwardly accepted it—they truly couldn't have done it themselves.

If it were them, let alone matching Wu Chang, they couldn't even imagine defeating three players of equal level in two minutes.

Even if they were swapped with any one of the three on the ground, they had no confidence they'd last longer than the fallen.

More importantly, Wu Chang was a Wasteland Realm player—not from the Rational Realm.

After a brief silence, the previously outspoken impulsive man spoke again:

"We certainly believe in Peace Lord's capabilities, but acting so suddenly left us flustered—we hope Lord can give us an explanation."

The impulsive man spoke with great humility, his tone inquiring rather than accusatory.

Had Wu Chang been one of their own, had such a genius emerged from within the Bureau, even if these three had been mistakenly attacked, it would've been their duty to reflect on what they'd done wrong to provoke Wu Chang's misunderstanding.

Wu Chang showed them the recorded footage of his private conversations with the three, alongside the anomalies detected by the Omniscient Crystal.

"My ability can only roughly detect that they're abnormal and harbor guilt. I've made the direction clear—whether you proceed with further investigation to confirm truth or go straight to interrogation is up to you."

The Abyss Game isn't the real world—it doesn't presume innocence, nor does it require a fully closed chain of evidence to declare guilt.

The flaws pointed out by the Omniscient Crystal, combined with Wu Chang's mysterious "ability," were already sufficiently convincing.

No one alive in the Rational Realm was foolish—their gazes toward the three moles had already changed.

Before the Dengzhixu Sect members could say more, Wu Chang handed the materials to Xu Dejun and prepared to leave.

His purpose in coming to the Rational Realm was solely to rescue Xu Dejun and casually observe the Dengzhixu Sect's living conditions.

He was here to lend a small hand, not to act as their babysitter.

The person was saved, and he'd learned of the Light Society's plans—it was time to leave.

Though the Dengzhixu Sect members wished to keep him, they knew Wu Chang's primary battlefield was the Wasteland Realm.

Without exaggeration, Wu Chang's existence was a variable in the entire Abyss Game.

Whether he could stop the Light Society's plan would determine not only the future of the Wasteland Realm and the real world, but also the fate of the Rational Realm.

Only if he won would the Rational Realm remain under Dengzhixu Sect control, granting them room to survive.

If the Wasteland Realm and the Rational Realm merged, they would be utterly powerless against the Light Society.

After a brief farewell, Wu Chang boarded a flyer and returned to the Stone Forest he'd arrived from, then passed through the Pillar of the Real World back to reality.

Meanwhile, Wu Chang's physical body in the bedroom woke from his dream, opened his eyes, and found the spot beside him empty—He Yun had already risen early.

After a quick wash and breakfast prepared by He Yun on the living room table, he went to the lab and found He Yun indeed seated before her computer.

He stepped forward, embraced He Yun, and gave her a coffee-scented good-morning kiss, saying:

"You woke up so early? I thought you'd sleep later than me."

He Yun's physical body was strong, but nowhere near as monstrous as He Yi's—without her exosuit, she remained within the bounds of mortal flesh.

Much stronger than ordinary real-world humans, yet weaker than a typical player.

Last night, during their intimate exchange, Wu Chang—with 82 HP, 70 Agility, and 70 Endurance—had utterly overwhelmed He Yun.

Yet she'd only slept half the night and already woke up refreshed.

He Yun teased: "I was afraid you'd change your mind and sneak away while I was still asleep."

Wu Chang tightened his embrace, as if affirming his stance, saying:

"Impossible. My two defining traits are never regretting anything, and being greedy enough that once something's mine, making me give it up is like asking me to die."

He Yun laughed: "I don't mind your greed."

As they spoke, a faint tremor came through the floor—as if something had landed outside.

Less than a minute later, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, then He Yi opened the lab door and said:

"Amazing! Xiao Yun, your upgraded exosuit—its handling is incredible! Fighting with it feels better than using my own body!"

After speaking, He Yi noticed another person in the lab and immediately grabbed Wu Chang by the arm, dragging him out.

"You came just in time—those outsiders outside are too weak, not even satisfying to fight. Only you can train with me."

Wu Chang hesitated: "That's not right—I still have important business to discuss with He Wei."

He Wei looked down at his computer screen and said, "If you're not in a hurry to leave, you can keep him company for a bit."

"The mech's improvements incorporate technology from your cousin's research, though I'm not sure how much of its potential has been realized."

He Yi said, "Look, even Xiao Yun says so—come on, let's go."

"Alright then." Wu Chang reluctantly followed He Yi out.

His face showed reluctance, but the smile at the corner of his mouth could barely be contained.

He was no longer the same as before—he was no longer the weakling He Yi used to bully at will.

His physical attributes had increased dramatically, and his combat skills had reached master level—he refused to believe he'd still be treated like a punching bag by He Yi.

Following He Yi outside, when he saw He Yi don and activate the mech, he forgot all about sparring or revenge.

Because the upgraded mech before him had been modified to an absurd degree.

The mech from the Underground Shelter dimension wasn't a giant, piloted robot like in Lowda or 1VA lore—it was more like a wearable powered exoskeleton.

The mech merely amplified the operator's strength, speed, and firepower.

Greater emphasis was placed on the operator's skill than on the machine itself.

Thanks to He Wei's improvements, the Underground Shelter mech had evolved from a simple exoskeleton into the rudimentary form of a small robot.

Native mechs, after being worn, typically stood around 2.5 meters tall; He Yi's was larger, but no more than three meters.

But He Yi's current mech stood at 4.5 meters, and its design had shifted from modular armor pieces to a full enclosed cockpit.

The piloting mode had changed from human-centric with mech as auxiliary, to the pilot merely commanding the mech as a whole.

If it were only the size and piloting mode changes, Wu Chang wouldn't have been surprised.

Pure technological shifts like these wouldn't significantly enhance the mech's performance—they'd instead lose the original pilot's unique traits.

In the context of the original world's lore, this wasn't necessarily an improvement.

But what truly stunned Wu Chang was that after He Yi entered the cockpit and activated the mech, in his perception, He Yi and the mech became one single entity—or rather, the mech had become alive.

If he closed his eyes and sensed with spiritual intuition, a four-and-a-half-meter-tall giant stood before him.

This effect of human-mech unity originated from divinity.

Wu Chang was very familiar with the divine aura within the mech—it resembled the Source Armor's aura, yet was different.

Regardless of the differences, the divinity was genuine, even denser than that in the Source Armor.

In terms of divine density, He Yi's mech rivaled Farrell's Fly King avatar, nearing demi-god level.

"How's it? Is my upgrade vastly different from the original?" He Wei's voice came from behind Wu Chang.

Wu Chang swallowed hard, turned to He Wei, and shook his head.

He Wei smiled, unconcerned, and said:

"Because I've incorporated over four different technical systems—I've only just begun experimenting, and their integration is still poor. There's plenty of room for improvement; it's normal that it's subpar."

"It's just an unfinished product. Once I visit your cousin's dimension and fully merge all four systems, there'll be a qualitative leap."

Wu Chang's cheek twitched; his voice grew hoarse:

"My head shake wasn't because it's subpar—it's because it's no longer inferior to your cousin's Source Armor design. It's already surpassed it."

What joke? Even as an experimental unfinished product, it's this powerful—and He Wei implies further qualitative leaps ahead.

If this trend continues, He Wei's envisioned final mech probably isn't meant to rival the Source Armor—it's meant to rival the Hymn Project's artificial god.

At this moment, he once again felt the crushing disparity between people.

Previously, in his eyes, Schultz had always been the very definition of genius—thanks to the Omniscient Crystal, his mental knowledge reservoir rivaled a library.

He mastered physics, chemistry, biology, electronics—all seamlessly—and even developed the Source Armor and Degenerate Monsters that condensed divinity through human form.

Wherever he went, with his comprehensive knowledge, he could effortlessly rebuild an entire technological tree.

To Wu Chang, Schultz had been the intellectual peak of the Wasteland Realm.

In contrast, his impression of He Wei was that of the Underground Shelter's "small-town inventor."

He followed his own path—fiddled with mechs, bold, full of wild ideas, capable of fusing technology and mysticism.

He had a bit of talent, but his stage was too small to let it shine.

He'd given Schultz's research to He Wei not expecting He Wei to actually accomplish anything—more like repurposing useless waste.

Learn something? Profit. Learn nothing? Still not a loss—it's a gift.

But he never imagined Schultz had spent his lifetime extracting divinity—and He Wei had mastered it in under a month.

He Wei's "a bit of talent" was clearly an "infinite amount of talent."

Compared to her, Schultz—who'd undergone Spirit Energy Enhancement surgery to unlock his talent zone—now seemed merely a hardworking contestant.

Wu Chang couldn't help but sigh: the Abyss hides tigers and dragons—there's no greatest genius, only greater ones.

Many only need one chance, one path shown to them, to leap from carp to dragon.

Without his help, He Wei would've remained just an inventor of the Underground Shelter, easily crushed by Mercury and the Mother of Desire.

But now, with He Wei in possession of the method to condense divinity, if she truly builds a Hymn-level mech, it won't take long before she pins Mercury to the ground and beats him senseless.

"How did you do it?"

He Wei spoke in a cold, clinical report tone:

"Technically speaking, I'm still slightly behind your cousin—I've only mastered about 80% of his research."

"But your cousin was too obsessed with extracting divinity from human nature. I don't understand why."

Wu Chang replied:

"Because your cousin is a staunch atheist—he wanted to prove humans could master divine power on their own."

"His world seems to face some great catastrophe—only divine power might stand a chance against it."

He wanted to use humanity as a common thread to connect all people worldwide, uniting them as one, granting everyone divine power to overcome the crisis.

He Yun furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, then said:

"From this perspective, his path is arduous, but if successful, it would be a permanent solution."

"Yet if his goal is merely to escape the gods while still possessing divine power, there are far simpler ways. Not relying on the gods doesn't necessarily mean being different from them."

Wu Chang blinked and said:

"Can you explain it in a more understandable way?"

He Yun pointed to He Yi's mecha and explained to Wu Chang the method she had adopted.

In her view, the essence of a god is a being that masters the transformation of faith power into divine power.

Whoever controls this ability is a god.

The key to this transformation lies in the initial divine seed; once one possesses the first trace of divinity, the divine seed automatically converts any subsequent faith power it encounters.

Gods form their divine seeds by observing the world's rules, seeking them from the world itself.

Schultz chose a path not outward, but inward—toward humanity itself.

The root of divinity is faith power, and faith power originates from humans.

He attempted to condense a divine seed from humanity; if successful, he would need no middleman like faith power, directly linking to all humans and drawing from their beliefs the portion capable of becoming divine power.

Thus, humans would no longer need to kneel and worship, offering faith power—they could stand and take divine power directly.

This method fundamentally alters the generation chain: sentient life → faith power → god → divine power.

This path is high in difficulty, high in risk, low in reward, and highly uncertain.

But viewed differently, what Schultz truly sought to eliminate was not faith power—it was the god as middleman.

He Yun's approach was to strike directly at the gods themselves.

The gods' role is to transform faith power into divine power.

So if she combined her technological mysticism with Schultz's research on condensing divinity, she could use her technological mysticism devices to directly convert faith power.

This method does not alter the original chain of divine power generation; it merely removes the gods while preserving the stability of the process.

Or rather, it replaces the gods with He Yun's own artificial gods, achieving the same result: no dependence on gods, yet divine power synthesized while standing.

In a certain sense, He Yun's plan better fits the name "artificial god" than the Hymn Project.

As for Schultz's other goal—leading all humanity to escape the apocalypse—when it came to this, He Yun was extremely familiar.

If one mastered industrial synthesis of divine power and knew in advance that the apocalypse was coming, then uniting the world's resources to build a massive underground world would be straightforward.

After He Yun's explanation, Wu Chang understood her method of condensing divine power.

By her method, one could indeed avoid many uncertain detours and achieve greater simplicity and effectiveness.

Then why didn't Schultz think of such a simple method?

It's simple: Schultz didn't fail to think of it—He Yun's entire process hinges on her invention: technological mysticism.

A technology that directly converts faith power into energy using subterranean shelter tech.

Looking back now, this ability, in a certain sense, is already a power only a god could possess.

This technology, which He Yun found unremarkable, might even be harder than Schultz's method of condensing divinity from humanity.

Realizing the connection, Wu Chang exclaimed:

"You told me before that the Desire Stele's faith power was insufficient, and you wanted more. The shortage of faith power wasn't just for purifying the surface—it was also to condense divine power."

Thus, He Yun merely intended to use Ailin as a totem to gather the realm's faith power—but she had no intention of giving that faith power to Ailin; instead, she planned to intercept it and convert it directly into divine power.

No wonder she had actively invited Ailin into the underground shelter, and why, when mentioning Ailin, she showed no resentment but rather a guilty, uneasy feeling.

She was using Ailin's presumed existence as a means to exchange for this realm's faith power.

He Yun showed no embarrassment whatsoever, saying:

"I never intended to hide this from you—there was only one and a half prototype mechs, so I had to wait until your brother returned to explain."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow, sharply noticing something, and asked: "One and a half? What does 'half' refer to?"

He Yun said: "Didn't I promise to make you a customized mech? It was nearly finished, but now that I've acquired this new technology, I'm modifying it."

Wu Chang kissed He Yun deeply—what was one realm's faith power? Take it! If it wasn't enough, he could draw from other realms.

What man could refuse a super mech imbued with divine power?

(End of Chapter)