Chapter 233: Fang Can Cultivates

On the top floor of the Dragon Group headquarters building, Ji Donglai examined the photo in his hand.

The man in the photo was inside a subway car, his colorful striped T-shirt soaked in blood, his bloodthirsty smile utterly grotesque.

The surrounding snow-white floor tiles were covered in blood, with more than a dozen passengers lying sprawled in pools of blood, as if they were in a battlefield of demons.

This was the mastermind behind the first serial murder case; after considerable effort, he had been directly imprisoned by a superpowered individual.

According to the investigation, this guy was just an ordinary, normal corporate drone only one day ago.

But suddenly, as if driven mad, he went on a killing spree in the subway, and after a day of slaughter, he grew stronger under surveillance with every kill.

By the time they reacted and moved to capture him, his realm had already reached the Seventh Layer of the Profound Gate, and the number of lives he had accumulated on his hands had reached over a thousand.

After that, it even triggered a chain reaction.

Before the news was even released, copycat crimes resembling a chain reaction had already occurred across the country.

At least several dozen people were imitating the Blood-Handed Butcher and carrying out massacres there.

This level of slaughter could not be ignored even by Ji Donglai, who treated ordinary people as nothing, and he must intervene to rectify it.

Just as Ji Donglai was examining the photo, an investigator knocked, requested permission, and entered.

Suppressing shock in his expression, he handed over the documents in his hand: "Director, these are the investigation results after using the Artifact Identification Technique on the mastermind of the first vicious massacre case."

Taking the documents handed to him by the other person, Ji Donglai opened the first page.

Name: Blood-Handed Demon

Realm: Mortal Flesh Shedding

Degree of Flesh and Blood Mutation: 75.56%

Technique: Five Elements Interstitial Art

Wu Gong: Ten Thousand Phenomena Xingyi Fist

Components: Flesh and Blood Memes, Human Wish-Granting Machine, One Soul Two Bodies, Order Tumor, Body of Data

'One Soul Two Bodies, Order Tumor, Body of Data?'

Looking at the final content derived from the Identification Technique, Ji Donglai did not speak, because he knew these researchers would provide an explanation.

"Report, Director: after interrogation, that Blood-Handed Demon can detach his soul from this body; it can be confirmed that there is another main physical body hidden elsewhere."

"Our severe torture has no effect on them; they seem able to fine-tune the pain sensations within their bodies, so conventional punishments have no effect on them."

"During the interrogation of more than a dozen targets, they also mentioned words such as 'player,' 'online game,' and 'leveling up,' and stated that there are trillions of people like them, spread across several star systems."

"They even threatened that low-level native civilization NPCs like us should surrender immediately and cultivate countless native experience monsters for their players to kill."

"After verification, they indeed possess the ability to become stronger by killing monsters, similar to game characters; as long as they kill people, they become stronger."

"The matter of the so-called Interstellar Federation is probably not false; our world might be a game to them."

"This body in this world should be similar to a game avatar; even if it dies, it has little effect on reality."

Hearing one thing after another spoken by the researchers, Ji Donglai only felt his head ache.

This is truly one wave subsiding only for another to rise; it is truly that the longer one lives, the more one sees.

The otherworld over there is not yet resolved, and here a group of self-proclaimed player maniacs has emerged; is the New Nation currently under a Mercury retrograde?

"What you mean is that these people in the New Nation are merely shells, and their true bodies are actually located somewhere else, separated by countless light-years or perhaps by an entire world?"

"Yes, Director. They said this game is still in the trial phase, and in the next stage, at least 50 million players will enter."

'50 million!!!' Ji Donglai opened his mouth in astonishment.

50 million such killers, distributed all over the country; no one knows where a large group of these things will suddenly emerge, and after killing, they run away, making it impossible for the law to control them.

"Yes, but there is no need to worry too much."

"According to their account, this game also has a two-world setting, so those 50 million people should only be distributed in the otherworld."

Ji Donglai breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued to ask: "Is there a way to distinguish them?"

"Yes, Director. The appearance of these players seems to be modified; they are either unnaturally beautiful or unnaturally strange; they can be distinguished by their skin condition."

"Moreover, their names mostly exceed three characters; judging by the name, one can basically determine if they are players," the researcher stated.

"Names exceeding three characters... unnaturally beautiful..." Ji Donglai almost thought of the newly added superpowered individual, 【Shallow Loneliness】.

Why hadn't he noticed that this name was so strange back then? Could this one also be a player?

After pondering for a while, Ji Donglai decided to temporarily leave that superpowered individual alone.

After all, if they truly possess superpowers, they are one of us; regardless of whether she is a player, as long as she does not draw a blade against our own people, it is fine.

"Describe the specific state of that Federation to me again," Ji Donglai said.

"Current information is scarce; those few players are immune to physical torture, and mental torture might cause them to go offline and stop playing immediately."

The investigator said: "We only know that their Federation spans several surrounding star systems, there are no creatures like superpowered individuals or martial artists, and the Federation's wealthy technology can even achieve immortality by easily replacing bodies."

"Technology side, then? Let Fang Can handle the interrogation and see how effective it is," Ji Donglai made his decision.

"Yes, Director."

Inside the villa, Fang Can sat cross-legged quietly on the sofa, gathering all his mental focus into the Sea of Consciousness, gradually visualizing the Great Sun.

Seeing that war with the various nations was imminent, during this period Fang Can prepared to cherish time and strive to increase his power a little more.

Beside him, Liu Qingmeng lay leisurely nearby, holding an electronic tablet and browsing various leisure and entertainment contents.

While entertaining herself, the girl's slender and fair little legs swayed gently, her round and jade-like toes pressing against the unaware Fang Can's lap, slowly scratching at his outstretched palm.

... Perhaps compared to the content on the tablet, teasing the unaware youth was entertainment for her?

By her side, Jiang Ningan, who had originally accompanied the cultivation, found it unbearable to watch and advised:

"Master, Fang Can is still cultivating; you... you should make your movements a little smaller."

"You can't even withstand this little bit of strength? Don't worry; right now he is in cultivation, and no matter what I do, he will have no reaction."

Liu Qingmeng paid no mind, her crystal-clear toes parting slightly to clamp Fang Can's fingers, her tiny foot stepping into his embrace to feel the youth's warmth.

"Hmph, in his current meditative state, he is but a wooden doll, offering no resistance; I can play with him as I please without affecting him."

Speaking with the frustration of one who cannot forge steel from iron, Liu Qingmeng said, "And you? You cannot bear to see your beloved toyed with before your very eyes, your heart restless and your spirit agitated."

"This master is training your composure."

(End of this chapter)