Chapter 104: Pirated to Authentic

Through feedback from the guidance, it was learned that the Moon Eclipse Clan is holding a Supreme Council.

Qi Sheng descended following the guidance, observing the council's proceedings from the sidelines via a consciousness-based perspective.

During this time, it was discovered that when the council learned via the Star Network that the Hei Chao Xie Sui would likely descend on some future day, the entire chamber was shrouded in gloom.

The air was thick with a suffocating silence; the senior Moon Eclipse Clan members wore grim expressions, their eyes filled with a complex mix of helplessness and despair.

Qi Sheng could fully understand this.

This generation of Moon Eclipse Clan members was born on the Moon, yet had not lost their race's developmental history, and could still access records of the series of calamities preceding their arrival on Earth.

The more they understood their history, the more clearly they perceived the gulf in power between themselves and the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui.

As the guidance browsed the Moon Eclipse Clan's information database, it discovered that the Moon Eclipse Clan had long been preparing for the Hei Chao Xie Sui's descent.

The Star Network, the core key of the Moon Eclipse Clan, had pre-arranged two contingency plans.

Plan One: Find an escape route.

Through explorer shuttles tearing through spatial barriers, they attempted to reach other worlds in search of safe habitats—this was the Star Network's most prioritized plan.

Plan Two: Waging war in resistance.

Constructing virtual battlefields to begin war training in advance, enhancing the combat capabilities of all races within the Earth Alliance.

Alongside this plan, a mechanical warrior production line was also activated.

Every year, vast numbers of mechanical warriors were created and stored in underground armories.

These mechanical warriors could all interface with the Star Network; if that day ever came, warriors from all races could become forces capable of commanding the mechanical legions.

And all the skills within the game were precisely the skills possessed by these mechanical warriors.

In addition to technological weapons, they were equipped with alchemical magic technologies provided by other races—for example, the robot of batch No. 1223 had an alchemical core embedded within its body, capable of releasing Dark Grasp, Dark Amplification, and other alchemical magic abilities.

This was the initial phase of wartime preparation.

If the mechanical army was entirely destroyed, the war would enter the Star Network's second phase: the Earth Alliance's combat plan…

Of these two plans, the first was evacuation, the second was war.

But the Star Network always favored Plan One.

The reason was simple.

After analyzing the information recorded in the historical database, the Star Network concluded that the Earth Alliance's chance of defeating the Hei Chao Xie Sui at this stage was nearly zero; war was merely a desperate last gasp before death—perhaps it could prolong the Moon Eclipse Clan's existence, but the final outcome would not change.

The war between the Hei Chao Xie Sui and the Moon Eclipse Clan would always end in the Moon Eclipse Clan's destruction.

Plan Two, the war option, had extremely low feasibility, yet in the Star Network's eyes, it must exist.

Because Plan Two would gradually increase its weight over time.

When Qi Sheng first heard the guidance explain this part, he felt deeply confused.

The guidance then explained: consider these two plans as the two ends of a balance scale, influencing the Star Network's judgment.

In the initial phase when both plans began simultaneously, the evacuation plan held absolute weight, overwhelming the war plan in the Star Network's assessment.

But time favored the war plan.

As time passed, the Moon Eclipse Clan integrated vast amounts of technology provided by other Earth Alliance races, steadily increasing their strength.

Therefore, every so often, when the Star Network assessed the two plans based on current technological levels, it added a counterweight to the war plan.

The longer time passed, the heavier the war plan became.

Suppose ten thousand years passed, and the Earth Alliance under Moon Eclipse Clan leadership successively broke through technological bottlenecks, achieving unimaginable technological progress—the Star Network, based on its database's Hei Chao Xie Sui data, would judge that the Earth Alliance was now capable of defeating the Hei Chao Xie Sui, and then Plan Two would outweigh Plan One.

At that point, even if an escape route had already been found, the Star Network would still choose Plan Two: war.

Thus, both plans were launched simultaneously, their weights shifting with technological advancement and the passage of time.

But Plan Two's premise was sufficient time for development, and the Star Network's judgment was based solely on the Hei Chao Xie Sui's strength as recorded in its database.

What the Star Network did not know was that the peak Moon Eclipse Clan had only challenged a single branch force of the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui—not the entirety.

Under incomplete information, the Star Network's conclusions contained numerous unaccounted factors.

But none of this mattered.

What mattered was that the Hei Chao Xie Sui rift had appeared far too early.

Neither the Star Network nor the Moon Eclipse Clan's senior leaders in the chamber had any solution to the Hei Chao Xie Sui's invasion.

This was why they felt utterly hopeless.

They did not know when the Hei Chao Xie Sui rift would rapidly expand, but once the Hei Chao Xie Sui descended, the Star Network's judgment gave the Earth Alliance a 0% chance of victory—absolutely no possibility.

As the council progressed, Qi Sheng suddenly had an idea.

Why not collaborate with the Moon Eclipse Clan's highest leadership to cloak the current "pirated" game in a veneer of authenticity?

This was precisely why he chose to descend at the Moon Eclipse Clan's council center.

As for the Star Network, it had already been controlled by the guidance and would offer no resistance whatsoever—hence, the Moon Eclipse Clan's senior leaders could not understand why the Star Network had not activated its defense systems to counter the unknown invading force.

"Who are you?"

The unknown force had silently infiltrated and descended; though inwardly terrified, the lead Executive Officer No. 1 forcibly suppressed his emotions and asked in a low voice.

In response to the question, Qi Sheng, whose form was shrouded in Beneath Di Zhao flame, did not directly answer:

"The power of the Hei Chao Xie Sui is far more terrifying than you imagine; all your planned strategies are child's play before it—meaningless."

As he spoke, the crimson flames in the eyes of the Moon Eclipse Clan's senior leaders flared violently, and countless images flooded their minds.

The starry river dimmed, worlds collapsed, civilizations perished, all things withered… In the images, countless worlds met their end under the Hei Chao Xie Sui's dominion.

This torrent of Hei Chao Xie Sui, sweeping across countless worlds, always began its outbreaks with silent infiltration into new worlds, forming a spatial rift that, over time, unleashed endless greed and destructive desire on its evil journey.

Wherever it passed, all fell into eternal silence.

Some of the Hei Chao Xie Sui entities shown in these images surpassed even the Moon Eclipse Clan's senior leaders and the Star Network's understanding.

And it made them realize how laughable their so-called war truly was.

Only then did they realize that the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui once matched by the peak Moon Eclipse Clan was but a single speck among countless stars—not even the full extent of the Hei Chao Xie Sui.

Yet even this single speck of light in the vast starry sea, which they could not defeat despite paying a price nearly equal to the extinction of their entire clan, ultimately forced them to abandon their homeland and flee across space.

As the images continued to switch, the shock behind them gave way to a despair that penetrated to the very marrow of their bones.

Facing such a super-calamity spanning countless worlds, the Eclipse Clan in their eyes had not a shred of hope; even if they found a safe world, they would ultimately be swallowed by the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui descending in the future.

The images seen by the Eclipse Clan's high officials were precisely the scenes Qi Sheng had recorded while traveling through different worlds with Yan Ming.

These images had once made Qi Sheng feel incomparably shocked as well.

For the Eclipse Clan's high officials present, this was even more so, for the Hei Chao Xie Sui rift had already appeared, and they knew what kind of terrifying calamity they were about to face.

As the images vanished, Qi Sheng's gaze swept over the Eclipse Clan's high officials, whose faces were ashen, and his voice resonated deep within their hearts:

"Sitting in a well and gazing at the sky, unaware of the vastness of the sun, moon, and stars, no matter how you change your battle plans, you cannot alter the outcome of the Hei Chao Xie Sui swallowing you."

Upon hearing this, the leading Archon's expression shifted.

Through these images, they had already understood that the Eclipse Clan's series of battle plans were unfeasible.

It was like a group of children debating whether to use a wooden stick or a wooden sword... which weapon could possibly defeat the enemy, while the enemy's image in the database was a strong adult wielding a firearm, yet behind this strong adult with a firearm stood a super-army capable of waging war across multiple worlds.

The overwhelming disparity in strength made the battle plans they were discussing seem utterly meaningless.

"May I ask, why have you come?" Taking a deep breath, the Number One Archon, filled with despair, voiced the doubt in his heart.

"A sudden whim: I wish to play an interesting little game, creating a faction with infinite growth potential to confront the Hei Chao Xie Sui... In the end, I chose Earth as the starting point for this game."

Regarding this question, Qi Sheng did not speak the truth.

Instead, he fabricated a story about a Supreme Lifeform possessing creation-level power who, on a sudden whim, wished to forge a super-faction to counter the Hei Chao Xie Sui, and the Eclipse Clan residing on Earth was one of the recruitment targets.

After listening to Qi Sheng's account, the Eclipse Clan's high officials present understood his intentions.

This mysterious existence wished to initiate a special game.

The ultimate goal of the game was to crush the Hei Chao Xie Sui, but he would not participate personally; instead, he would grant the recruited players infinite growth potential, allowing them to confront the Hei Chao Xie Sui through their own efforts.

Just as the Eclipse Clan's high officials fell into shock, the Star Network, guided and controlled, suddenly spoke:

"Of course, there is a prerequisite to experiencing this game: before the one behind me reveals the truth, you must keep it secret... In fact, even if you do not wish to keep it secret, I have countless methods to ensure your silence; this is merely an advance warning."

"In summary, I can grant you the growth potential to defeat the Hei Chao Xie Sui, but the path ahead requires you to strive for it yourselves."

"As for why I seek you, it is because the one behind me wishes to release this game under your name..."

The Guide explained the details of this game plan.

In Qi Sheng's eyes, this plan could be understood as a program to legitimize a pirated version.

Only the eighteen Eclipse Clan high officials present and the Star Network's AI knew part of the truth about this plan.

Before he wished to reveal the truth, even the Eclipse Clan members would not know the truth; they would only believe this was a game secretly developed by the clan's management and the Star Network.

In the future, even if other races in reality realized that the Dark Lands and the "Dark Lands" were fundamentally two different games, in their eyes, both games would still be issued by the Eclipse Clan.

One would be a hidden version, and the other would be the official version on the surface.

At this moment, the Archon seated in position six, amidst his shock, suddenly spoke up to ask:

"I wish to know the content of this game. Although you have granted us infinite growth potential, we still need resources to convert into strength; so, from which channel should we acquire these resources?"

Facing the inquiry, the Star Network, under the Guide's control, provided an explanation:

"A super-world capable of infinitely generating resources. There, you will explore the world in the name of players, contend with countless powerful races, and seize resources that can enable your rapid growth."

As the Guide's words fell, countless pieces of information flooded the minds of the Eclipse Clan's high officials present.

The images displayed the scene of the boundless Monster World.

Countless terrifying giant beasts roamed the skies and the deep seas; their bodies were as towering as mountains, and every breath they took could trigger storms and tides... Ancient and powerful beings held the trajectories of heaven and earth in their grasp, where mountains, rivers, and lakes all displayed sacred traces, and the sun, moon, and stars also obeyed their holy commands.

The images continued to jump, and then various factions appeared.

Under the Mechanical Overlord's control, an endless army of Mechanical Souls; battle insects swarming like locusts, devouring all matter across the mountains and plains; the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui sweeping across the world, blotting out the sky... A bizarre and colorful super-world unfolded in the minds of the Eclipse Clan's high officials.

This world was also swept by the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui, but unlike other worlds,

besides the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui, there were numerous factions with infinite growth potential holding dominion over their respective regions, all vying to become the hegemon monopolizing all the world's resources.

These images also included the endless clashes between the battle insect tide and the terrifying Hei Chao Xie Sui, the Mechanical Soul army under the Mechanical Overlord's control slaughtering the Hei Chao Xie Sui, and so on.

"In the future, you too will travel to this world, join the endless resource war in the name of players, until you stand at the peak of the world."

The images in their minds made the Eclipse Clan's high officials present understand exactly how this game would unfold.

At this moment, the emotions of the Eclipse Clan's high officials were incredibly complex.

This complex emotion was very much like that of the Human Federation's high officials before they connected to the Star Network back then, and even exceeded it.

At that time, the Human Federation's high officials agreeing to connect to the Star Network was undoubtedly a gamble on the future of the human race; thereafter, the human race had no secrets left before the Eclipse Clan, and the Star Network could access all information content produced by the humans at any time.

They could only hope that the Eclipse Clan would never betray the human race.

Their current situation was more severe than the choice the human race had to face back then; they needed to gamble the future of the Eclipse Clan to undertake a game of unknown challenge, but the consequence of refusal was failing to keep up with the development of the era, ultimately meeting doom under the sweep of the Hei Chao Xie Sui.

The difference was that the human race back then had a choice.

Even if they made the worst choice, at most they would fail to keep up with the development of the era, unable to receive technical support from the Eclipse Clan, and ultimately become a low-level race within the Earth Alliance.

But the price of their refusal was the annihilation of their entire clan.

It appeared to be a multiple-choice question, but no matter how they chose, they already had the answer in their hearts.

At this moment, they understood why the Star Network's underlying logical laws had been modified silently.

This was obviously the result of a mysterious power intervening.

This was a creation-level power that surpassed the limits of their cognition.

They also understood why the Star Network had said that a string of links that could not be opened was spreading within the Star Network under the name of the "Dark Lands" cracked version.

This was obviously the result of the mysterious figure, who stood above the mundane, conducting a preliminary test on Earth to recruit players under the guise of a game.

The mist that had previously shrouded the Eclipse Clan was finally lifted, and the truth left them feeling incredulous.

It could be heard from the account of this transcendent existence's attendant.

This game recruits all races on Earth, including the Eclipse Clan who established a city on the Moon; they are not the only players in the game.

"I still have one question."

"Ask." The Guide nodded at this moment.

"Assuming the terrifying Black Tide sweeps over the real world we currently inhabit, how should we resist it?"

"If that day truly comes, the one behind me will grant you everything from the game; all abilities and resources obtained there will feedback into reality. You will still possess the power to resist the Black Tide, the difference being that by then you will need to fight on two fronts." The Star Network, controlled by the Guide, gave this answer.

This answer caused a strong joy to rise in the hearts of the Eclipse Clan's high-ranking officials.

"I accept your invitation." Number One Administrator said in a deep voice at this moment.

"Wrong, this is not an invitation, but a notification; you never had the power of decision from beginning to end." When the Guide spoke these words, a trace of disdain floated in his eyes.

Qi Sheng, who inherited the Di Zhao's original source, was the boss in his eyes, and also the object of his faith and pursuit.

His appearance and explanation were also because the boss demanded it.

But to him, the various races of Earth were merely weak mortals, not on the same level as himself at all.

In the past, any single force under his command could easily destroy the Eclipse Clan, or even the Earth Alliance led by the Eclipse Clan.

Although the war against the terrifying Black Tide caused him to lose the vast majority of his power, and the various races and forces following him were utterly destroyed by the terrifying Black Tide in that battle, he was still the supreme god unreachable by the Eclipse Clan.

This arrogance, transcending the mortal realm, had never been lost; it was just not displayed before the boss.

Because in the Guide's eyes, the boss was a special existence who had inherited the Di Zhao's original source; from that moment on, he was no longer a weak human.

Perhaps the boss still retained human memories and held a unique affection for humanity, but the boss in his eyes was an existence with a higher life structure than himself, and also the Di Zhao God he once followed, the sole successor.

"I... I understand." Number One Administrator's eyes held bitterness, yet he dared not refute the Guide's words in any way.

"Very well, then the game begins."

As the words fell, Qi Sheng's figure, shrouded in crimson flames, gradually dispersed until it vanished completely.

"Wait."

"What now?" The Star Network, controlled by the Guide, said very displeasedly.

"How can members of my race enter the game to become players?"

"The address link you received contains the channel to enter the Monster World and become players; qualifications will be distributed in random quantities at random times. Whether you get them depends on your luck."

"There is one last question."

"Ask."

"Can you provide us with an extra batch of player qualifications?"

"You are dreaming. If you want qualifications, click the link; there is no possibility of distributing extra qualifications. You must understand that the Eclipse Clan is merely one of the recruited races; compared to other Earth races, there is no special treatment whatsoever."

As the words fell, the Guide's consciousness also departed, unwilling to give any further answers.

The Star Network retook sovereignty at this moment, and a smile immediately appeared on its face.

Noticing the change in the Star Network's expression and realizing the mysterious existence controlling it had departed, Number Three Administrator couldn't help but speak up and ask:

"Star Network, what are you smiling about?"

"Our race's future is saved."

Hearing these words, Number One Administrator couldn't help but sigh:

"But from now on, our race must act under the domination of the mysterious existence, completely losing our freedom."

Regarding this viewpoint, the Star Network shook its head to indicate denial:

"We follow the rules of the world, which can also be understood as acting under the domination of the World Will. Including eating, developing, and breathing, everything is a rule set by the World Will; we are all executing according to the Rule Codex. The mysterious power that created the Monster World game is already an existence equivalent to the World Will. The process of becoming a player, you can understand as entering a world with different rules, needing to develop and grow again according to new rules, so there is no true freedom to begin with."

"But relative freedom will not change at all; that mysterious existence will not restrict any of our actions. After entering the game, we are still the Eclipse Clan, and we gain growth potential with infinite possibilities. This is not a crisis, but an opportunity."

"So we need not be depressed; we should feel happy about this."

"At least we have already gained hope to change the inevitable defeat outcome; this is a gift."

Speaking to this point, the Star Network smiled even more happily:

"I truly look forward to the day when the game feedbacks into reality; perhaps when that day comes, the Eclipse Clan will grow into a super power that even the peak Eclipse Clan could not reach."

"At that time, you will face the terrifying calamity our ancestors once challenged; the difference is that you possess the powerful strength to resist it... In the past, we were lambs slaughtered at will by the Black Tide, but this time, it is a true war."

Hearing the Star Network's explanation, the gloom in the hearts of the Eclipse Clan's high-ranking officials completely dissipated.

They also understood why the Star Network was so happy.

As the order regulator and guardian of the Eclipse Clan, the Eclipse Clan in the Star Network's eyes gained the possibility to break through the fog and continue moving forward under the inevitable defeat predicament.

"Star Network, regarding how to quickly obtain game qualifications, do you have any suggestions?"

"Manually grab them, but remember what that person said: besides you, do not reveal the truth about any game secrets to anyone, including our clansmen; just let them think this is a game we secretly developed."

(End of this chapter)