Chapter 392: The Key to the Fourth Layer of the Abyss

At 5:30 a. m., on the ninety-ninth floor of Saint Song Corporation, the Chairman's lounge.

At Saint Song Corporation, aside from Wu Chang, the Chairman has always worked the longest hours—whether under Schultz or under He Yun's current management.

Schultz never returned to his house in Wildo City more than a few times a year; since joining Saint Song Corporation, He Yun hasn't even left Saint Song Tower.

To accommodate the Chairman's rest, a dedicated area on the ninety-ninth floor was renovated into the Chairman's lounge.

Although Wu Chang is the nominal official Chairman, he spends less time at Saint Song Corporation than Schultz or He Yun spend resting; this lounge is his first time entering it.

He now stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the sunrise slowly rise.

Behind him, He Yun lay sideways on the large bed, gazing at Wu Chang's back, her eyes languid, utterly devoid of the aggression she'd shown when vowing to reward him.

He Yun asked: "What are you thinking about?"

Wu Chang said: "I don't know. I just feel a kind of strength when I see the sunrise."

A sliver of light pierces the night, driving away gloom and darkness from the world—this feeling is indescribable.

Whether in Schultz's office or the Chairman's lounge, the eastern-facing areas were meticulously designed to offer the perfect sunrise view.

At the time, Schultz was immersed in the apocalyptic visions revealed by the Omniscient Crystal; this design must have made him feel something similar when watching the sunrise.

He Yun rose from the bed and walked behind Wu Chang, gently embracing him.

"Are you worried about the future?"

Wu Chang nodded, then shook his head:

"I am worried about the future—but not my own future. I'm worried about the future of my world."

With his current strength, he could walk freely across the Wasteland Realm; beside him stood Ailin, who had attained the Imperishable Holy Flame—even if Joy arrived in the Wasteland Realm, she'd still get slapped twice.

He could protect himself, but Blue Star couldn't.

His intuition told him that both the Four Organizations' Evolutionists and the Light Society were setting traps targeting both the Wasteland Realm and Blue Star.

Although he'd learned their plan preliminarily from Christine, he still felt the Light Society and the Four Organizations were holding back—the plan wasn't as simple as it appeared.

The Four Organizations' current displayed strength isn't worth serious concern—but this is merely the power they're showing.

The Four Organizations' weak presence in the Wasteland Realm is largely due to the Wasteland Realm's own low upper limit.

According to existing intelligence, the Four Organizations were the first to discover the existence of the Abyss Game; their history is nearly identical to the time the Abyss Game appeared.

Many even believe the Four Organizations were established long before the Abyss Game emerged.

Since its inception, the Abyss Game has spanned over twenty years and expanded its player base multiple times.

If the Abyss Game were considered a video game, Wu Chang's entry point would likely be version 10-something, or even the final pre-launch version, while the Four Organizations were first-test players.

A dead camel is still bigger than a horse; their sheer depth of foundation and the intelligence they possess cannot be underestimated.

Remember, Joy is no benevolent soul—if the Four Organizations truly had no hidden cards, Joy would have swallowed them outright instead of cooperating with the Evolutionists.

Cooperating with the Evolutionists indicates two things: first, the Evolutionists possess sufficient strength; second, they can provide sufficient assistance for Joy's plan.

The Evolutionists and the Light Society: the former holds absolute intelligence, and regarding their understanding of Blue Star and the Abyss Game, they claim second place, and no one dares claim first.

The latter possesses absolute power: not only are they packed with strong individuals, but they can mass-produce Imaginary Divinity—at least in the Realm of Reason, no one can resist the Light Society.

Blue Star being targeted by these two factions always leaves Wu Chang unable to relax.

Seizing this opportunity, Wu Chang told He Yun his plan to enter reality and transform Wanghai City.

Half a month ago, He Yun had too many things to study and couldn't spare attention—she could only assign subordinates to assist Wu Chang.

But now, having obtained the Mechanical Heart talent and been "crowned" by the Mechanical Wang Guan, she doesn't just have spare attention—she can even create body doubles.

Before they finished breakfast, He Yun had already finalized a feasible plan through the Technical and Design Departments.

She designed a modular, rapidly assembleable super-factory, combining the Underground Shelter dimension with Saint Song Corporation's technology.

This factory would allow Saint Song Corporation to firmly establish itself in the real world and manufacture various machines suitable for reality.

He Yun pointed at the concept diagram in the projection and said:

"With Saint Song Corporation's production capacity, I can manufacture its basic modules in just three days."

"Each module is the same size as the Peacekeeper—you just need to make a few round trips to transfer them all."

"Once the factory is operational, give me one month, and I can replicate a full Shelter underground—even if your world is completely corrupted, like my dimension, with the surface filled with death, I guarantee the people you care about can be safely relocated underground."

He Yun's tone was full of confidence—surviving the apocalypse was her specialty.

Wu Chang said: "No need to be so extreme—even if the Evolutionists go completely mad, they won't go this far."

He Yun smiled: "Don't worry. Leave it to me."

Wu Chang shoved the rest of his breakfast into his mouth, grabbed He Yun's knees, lifted her into a bridal carry, and said:

"No wonder you're my Vice Chairman—you're incredibly reassuring. This time, it's my turn to reward you."

…

Only nine days remained until the World Dungeon; both He Yun and Wu Chang had much to do.

Wu Chang stayed at Saint Song Corporation until daylight broke, then prepared to return to reality.

Before leaving, He Yun asked Wu Chang to leave the Peacekeeper behind at Saint Song Corporation.

After activating the Mechanical Root Power through the Mechanical Wang Guan, she had many new ideas and planned to use this time to maintain and slightly upgrade the Peacekeeper.

Wu Chang would retrieve it before the World Dungeon began.

Wu Chang said: "After three days, I'll come to pick you up and the super-factory."

He Yun said: "It might not even take three days. Once the super-factory is built, I'll notify you immediately."

Wu Chang asked, puzzled: "How will you notify me immediately?"

He Yun pointed at Wu Chang's phone, as if mentioning something trivial: "I've embedded part of my consciousness into your phone. As long as you're within Ailin's Divine Realm, I can communicate with you directly."

"Don't worry—I'll pretend I don't see certain things."

Wu Chang's cheek twitched slightly. Dammit—he could no longer preserve his purity in this world.

Even if he dropped dead now, no one could inherit his Mamba Iron Elbow by smashing his phone.

Back in Wanghai City, a day had passed since the end of the Steam Phantom instance.

It was time for him to meet his employer, Christine.

As usual, he had his True Self wear a disguise mask and arranged to meet Yu Na on Commercial Street.

When the two met, they naturally began discussing the recently concluded Qualification instance.

Unlike the former Archdeacon of Revelation, Yu Na had ambition and dared to take risks—she naturally wouldn't pass up a World instance.

Her combat power ranked roughly between three and four thousand, far from the top tier of the Combat Rankings.

In the Qualification instance, she entered an A-rank instance with moderate contamination; through sheer determination, she not only completed the most difficult ending but also fulfilled a hidden quest.

This earned Yu Na not only an invitation to the World instance, but also pushed her invitation number into the top one thousand.

According to Yu Na, she owed this achievement entirely to Wu Chang's help.

Thanks to establishing contact with him and building a secret church in Wanghai City, Christine was extremely satisfied with her work, rewarding her with a relic and granting her a large boost in contribution points.

It was precisely these that gave Yu Na the leverage to go all-in during the Qualification instance.

Wu Chang asked curiously: "You spent all your resources on the Qualification instance—how do you plan to handle the World instance?"

Yu Na replied without concealment:

"The True God told me that this World instance's scale far exceeds any previous one; with my strength, merely surviving will be extremely difficult."

"Rather than hoarding power for the World instance, it's better to gain an advantage in the Qualification instance—then, once the World instance begins, leverage that head start to join your faction."

Wu Chang: "Six."

No wonder Revelation had angered every faction yet its members remained fiercely loyal to Christine—she really knew how to play the game.

After lunch, the interdimensional communication ritual was ready; Wu Chang followed Yu Na through the secret church to the ritual altar.

Yu Na activated the ritual and then left voluntarily, giving Wu Chang and Christine the space alone.

Watching the gradually forming light and shadow on the altar, Wu Chang performed a Stilian noble bow and said:

"I'm delighted to see you again, Your Eminence Christine. I've just returned from a rare S-rank instance—its trials were deadly; had I not held firm to the belief that I must fulfill my promise to you, I might never have returned."

Christine returned the bow, mimicking Olivia's royal etiquette.

She caught the implication in his words and reminded him: "Stilian has my church, and my divine realm—I see everything that happens there clearly."

"Zhu Li is my earthly emissary; her decisions represent my will. Since she promised to grant you Stilian's faith, I won't renege."

"Moreover, as compensation for sending you to the S-rank instance, you should have already received it."

Wu Chang asked: "You mean?"

Christine condensed her power into the shape of a horn-shaped light and said:

"The Holy Revelation Horn, and the Leyman divine power sealed within it."

Wu Chang said: "Isn't that the reward for completing Olivia's commission?"

To treat his rightful reward as compensation was hardly reasonable.

Christine said:

"The compensation isn't just the horn itself—it's what it signifies."

"At the Moonlight Sanatorium, if I hadn't lent Zhu Li power to stop Leyman's final revenge, you would have died there."

"From the beginning, you owed me a favor."

Wu Chang recalled Zhu Li's words when she gave him the Holy Revelation Horn—he had just entered the Abyss Game and hadn't even sensed Leyman's backup plan.

Without Christine's intervention, he truly couldn't have resisted then.

He praised: "Thank you for your generosity."

"I wonder whether my actions this time have satisfied you, Your Eminence Christine."

Christine laughed loudly, saying:

"Of course I'm satisfied—especially when Leyman's projection appeared and collided with you. Every time I think of it, I can't help laughing."

"As long as you're pleased, that's enough." Wu Chang stole a glance at Christine, guessing what conflict lay between her and Leyman.

From Christine's reaction, it wasn't deep hatred—more like she simply enjoyed amusing herself at Leyman's expense.

No need to ask: at the Moonlight Sanatorium's end, her reason for stopping Leyman wasn't to help him, but purely to sabotage his plans.

The relationships among demon gods truly are complicated.

Christine's laughter slowly faded after half a minute; her voice still carried residual amusement as she said:

"My commission should have ended when you returned, but circumstances have changed—I need you to do me another favor."

"This task counts as a separate transaction; upon completion, I will reward you accordingly."

Wu Chang assumed an attentive posture, waiting for Christine's next words.

Christine said:

"After Zhu Li awakened, she will soon activate the divine grace I granted her and ascend to the Realm of Reason—but now there's a problem."

"With Leyman and the Mother of Desire involved, the World instance has expanded too widely, squeezing out other normal ascension pathways. For Zhu Li to ascend, she must rely on the authority you control."

The free passage to the Realm of Reason has been blocked; to enter now, one must use Wu Chang's World Pillar.

Wu Chang nodded: "If it's just a matter of this, no reward is needed."

Lending a path—even if he accepted a reward, it wouldn't be anything he valued; better to owe Christine a favor, so that when he moves against Leyman, he might gain intelligence from her.

Christine said: "Are you certain you won't accept a reward? Lately, those in the Realm of Reason have been restless. Since you're already lending your path, I'd like you to make one more trip—to deliver Zhu Li to her designated location in the Realm of Reason."

Wu Chang said: "It's no trouble at all."

Before entering the World instance, he planned to visit the Realm of Reason anyway—it wouldn't interfere with his schedule.

But since Christine had added extra service, he seized the chance to ask a question that had long puzzled him.

"Your Eminence Christine, I've wondered for a long time: why do you high-ranking demon gods, deities, care so much about us?"

Wu Chang had intended to say "demon gods," but thought it impolite and corrected himself in time.

From a positional standpoint, Christine, Lyman, and the Mother of Desire are all native deities of the Abyss.

To gather faith, they established divine realms, and their presence can be seen across all planes—this is not surprising.

For instance, the Great Mother of the Quiet Town Plane also collects faith in the Wasteland Realm.

But unlike the Great Mother, Christine and the Xieshen Sect's activities do not seem centered on harvesting faith; they prioritize absorbing players as followers and cultivating powerful players.

In the several worlds Wu Chang has experienced, wherever the Quiet Church appears, its highest leadership is almost always composed of players.

The Quiet Church selects its Holy Children, and all candidates for Holy Child are players.

It is not only the Quiet Church: the Revelation seeks to build a large divine realm in reality, and the Mother of Desire attempts to turn Fang Hui into a manifestation to enter the real world—both demonstrate their special attention to the real plane.

In comparison, faith has become an insignificant part.

In response to Wu Chang's question, Christine did not evade, saying:

"The reason, you should already be able to guess—you are special."

Wu Chang pressed: "How special?"

This time, Christine hesitated, as if there were secrets she could not yet reveal to Wu Chang.

"Special in that you and the Abyss have chosen each other."

After hearing this, Wu Chang slowly typed a question mark. He understood that the Abyss chose players, but could Christine's "mutual choice" possibly refer to that join interface during entry into the Abyss Game—where you could only click "Confirm," with no option to refuse?

That would be too mutual.

He probed: "Could you explain?"

Christine refused: "When you reach the third layer of the Abyss, the answer will come naturally. Until then, knowing too much is not beneficial to you."

Wu Chang did not press further; after a brief exchange, he ended his meeting with Christine.

Leaving the underground chapel of the Revelation, he teleported home and immediately retrieved the Omniscient Crystal.

Although the Omniscient Crystal could not directly answer some questions, once Christine had opened the door, the Crystal could supplement the information.

Yet he did not rashly ask the Crystal for the truth—he still remembered the cluster of pitch-black malice he had once seen within the Crystal; just one glance had nearly shattered his mind.

The Abyss indeed holds many lethal secrets.

He currently had no "Whispers of the Nameless One"—if he suffered another such encounter, he might truly fail.

He carefully asked the Omniscient Crystal:

"Within the scope of what I am currently allowed to know, tell me: what does Christine mean by 'mutual choice' between players and the Abyss?"

Omniscient Crystal:...

Wu Chang: "Is it that you cannot answer, or that I am not yet permitted to know?"

Omniscient Crystal:...

Wu Chang exhaled slowly. Silence itself was an answer.

If the Crystal lacked capability or incomplete data, it would not remain so silent.

He had guessed correctly—the secret behind this information was indeed beyond his current reach.

The Omniscient Crystal differed from Christine; the Crystal knew Wu Chang's strength, yet still deemed him incapable of bearing the consequences of learning these hidden truths.

Fortunately, he had not asked rashly—otherwise, disaster might have struck.

He pondered a moment, then said: "Maintain the previous conditions—only tell me what I am currently permitted to know."

"What makes players special to Lyman and these Xieshen deities?"

This time, the Omniscient Crystal responded.

Its surface flickered with light; after nearly five minutes of waiting, a line of text appeared before Wu Chang.

"Abyss Game players are the key to entering the fourth layer of the Abyss."

(End of Chapter)