Chapter 151
Number 18 woke groggily, rare clarity surfacing for a moment.
“Senior, why are you here?” Number 18’s body flickered between human and original form, unstable.
“What did I tell you before?” Cang Jiu’s gaze was cold. “Didn’t I tell you not to eat?”
Number 78’s death had been strange, and Number 18 hadn’t yet regained enough sanity. Eating all sorts of odd things every day — no wonder he wasn’t improving.
“Senior, I didn’t mean to,” Number 18 said, aggrieved. “I only took a bite. I was hungry — I couldn’t resist.”
Number 78’s corpse hadn’t decayed and kept giving off an enticing fragrance.
Many fellow Executors had messaged Number 18, asking what he planned to do with Number 78’s body. If he didn’t want it, they’d buy it. The lower-ranked Executors, in particular, couldn’t resist a comrade’s remains and had pestered Number 18 repeatedly.
Number 18 thought that as long as he hid Number 78’s corpse well enough so the other colleagues wouldn’t notice, everything would be fine.
But when he went to drag it away, he couldn’t help himself—he secretly took a bite.
Really, just one bite.
It’s just that the chunk he bit off was a little too big, and that was enough to cause trouble.
“When you recover this time, I’ll sew shut every mouth on your body,” Cang Jiu said coldly. “We’ll talk again when your sanity returns.”
“Senior… will I really get better?” Number 18 struggled to sit up. “I’ll go eat a god-spirit for treatment.”
“Ordinary god-spirits can’t cure you now.” Cang Jiu pressed him down with one hand. “I’m already searching. Don’t move around. I don’t want to have to kill you again.”
Number 18 noticed his contribution points had dropped drastically again.
One look and he knew—he must’ve lost his mind and been killed over and over by his senior. His contribution points were now pitifully low, so low it almost made him cry.
Why is it this low, QAQ?!
“Senior, you actually split off part of your consciousness to help me capture a god-spirit?” Number 18 stared at Cang Jiu for a while before realizing his replies were always a beat late—surely because most of his consciousness was focused on his split body.
Number 18 was moved to tears. He didn’t even mind anymore that his senior had killed him countless times, making his contribution points plummet.
As expected, senior really was the best.
“Rest properly.” Cang Jiu didn’t directly answer Number 18’s words, but neither did he deny them.
Ahem… though it wasn’t entirely for Number 18’s sake. On that point, Cang Jiu felt a little guilty.
***
In the laboratory.
Cynthia unfolded a block of gold and found it covered with dense writing.
It detailed the current situation outside and Lu Chuan’s deductions, including a very thorough plan to use Lilus as bait to lure out the [Mother of Fertility]. It was written with such detail and sincerity that it showed Lu Chuan wasn’t bluffing—he truly wanted Cynthia’s agreement.
With such sincerity, Cynthia found it hard to refuse.
Lu Chuan always knew when to be sincere, when to be shameless, and when to mix the two.
To make an elder sister agree to let her younger brother act as bait—this was undoubtedly a test for Cynthia.
But could she refuse?
In the lab, though her position seemed high and many researchers obeyed her orders, in truth, the more authority she had, the less freedom she possessed. She couldn’t leave the lab for long, and even the slightest hint of curiosity toward top-secret matters would attract suspicion.
Once, Cynthia had been about to probe into the lab’s legendary embryo, but someone else brought it up first. A colleague quickly pulled her back.
That colleague who let slip the embryo’s secret? He exploded into pieces on the spot.
“He must still be drunk from yesterday.”
“How dare he defy Mother of Fertility?”
“Anyone who leaks secrets will die.”
***
Cynthia realized then she’d brushed shoulders with death.
Her current identity surely carried a restriction too. One careless step and she wouldn’t even know how she died. Even if her player’s body could survive, it would draw the [Mother of Fertility]’s hostility instantly. So she gave up on digging for information from colleagues and instead focused on regrouping with her teammates.
She had restrictions. Surely her teammates did not. Likely only core researchers received this kind of “special treatment.”
So close, yet untouchable.
The [Mother of Fertility] was still a god after all. Even incomplete, her lingering power wasn’t something they could face head-on. Tricks were necessary.
Thinking of this, Cynthia sighed.
How could she refuse Lu Chuan’s request?
Even if she did, Lilus would probably stir up trouble anyway—he wouldn’t let Lu Chuan hog the spotlight.
With Lu Chuan drawing attention in front, Lilus wouldn’t act as recklessly as before.
Cynthia rolled the gold sheet into a small ball and stored it in her system space.
She would return it after the dungeon ended—otherwise Lu Chuan would definitely pester her.
“Assistant, come here,” Cynthia called casually.
“My lady.” Several research assistants hurried over cautiously, waiting for her orders.
“Did that mother-host who was sent here give birth successfully?” Cynthia asked.
“It seems the child is already born.”
“The mother survived, but the newborn god-servant is weak and unremarkable.”
“The genetics are still unstable.”
“Mm. Observe the mother for two more days. One of you go out and inform them the mother and child are safe.” Cynthia instructed, “Tell the leader especially—this time we’ll overlook it, but not again.”
The assistants nodded repeatedly. “Yes. These mothers aren’t particularly valuable. If every little problem is brought to us, we’d never get any real work done.”
“Make sure my words are repeated exactly, understood?” Cynthia emphasized.
“Yes.” The assistants responded crisply.
With them delivering her message, Cynthia could rest easy.
She wasn’t in a hurry.
They had just entered this dungeon. Best to let Lu Chuan and Lilus stir things up first.
***
Lu Chuan and Shen Li waited outside. When the assistants came out and repeated Cynthia’s words verbatim, Lu Chuan knew she had agreed.
Next, they just needed to find Lilus.
How to bait the [Mother of Fertility] would require finesse.
Not too blunt, not too subtle. The balance had to be precise.
Lu Chuan stroked his chin. This challenge actually seemed a little fun.
Finding Lilus wasn’t hard—just head to the infant nurturing center under the pretext of “checking for new mothers suitable for god-servants.” There, Lu Chuan heard endless complaints from the caretakers about Lilus—his excellent fertility, his violent temper.
At the center, Lilus was basically undefeated.
At first, he only fought humans his own age, but soon realized they were all bark and no bite. Then he challenged alien mothers.
Turned out, they weren’t much stronger either.
With no one worth fighting, Lilus grew restless, wanting to break out. But he still had reason enough to restrain himself—he knew the [Mother of Fertility]’s divine power lingered everywhere. Besides, he’d soon reach adulthood anyway. The caretakers even considered accelerating his maturation just to kick him out sooner.
Using “bonding with a god-servant” as an excuse, Lu Chuan managed to take Lilus out temporarily and explained his plan.
“…Being bait isn’t a problem, but my sister might not like it.” Lilus agreed without hesitation. His abnormal left hand marked him as non-human, so he was grouped among alien mothers.
“I already asked Cynthia. She agreed. Don’t worry.” Lu Chuan nodded. “But you can’t just blatantly announce who you are. Best if the [Mother of Fertility] discovers you herself. And you must be mentally prepared: for her to notice you, you’ll likely have to face her head-on at least once. That could endanger your life. Even if you survive, your sanity will definitely take a big hit.”
“I’ve got sanity cards. If it drops too much, I’ll top it up.” Lilus grinned. “I want to see for myself—how strong is a god who hasn’t even revived yet? I’m strong now, you know. I just barely made it onto the Master Rankings, but that’s only because I haven’t really unleashed myself yet…”
Lu Chuan and Lilus quickly finalized the bait plan, deciding to act the next evening to avoid delays.
They had no clue how far the [Mother of Fertility]’s revival had progressed, or how she intended to advance the dungeon. Facing her directly could reveal her current strength and force her into new moves—like rushing to cultivate more fertility seeds. If she felt threatened, she’d act, and that would create exploitable openings.
If they just sat idle until she was fully prepared, striking then would truly be like an egg hitting a rock.
“Relax, I know how to play bait.” Lilus thumped his chest. “Can’t let you hog the spotlight forever, can I?”
With the plan set, Lilus felt at ease.
Back at the nurturing center, the caretaker once again lectured him: be obedient, please the god-servants, bear strong children, earn the Mother’s favor…
Normally, Lilus wouldn’t even bother listening to this kind of talk, but this time, for once, he listened to the person in charge’s whole speech. Then he asked, “So you’re saying I have to bear children? That I can’t become a divine servant? Even though none of these other so-called mother-hosts can beat me?”
“Whether or not you can become a divine servant was already decided the moment you were born,” the person in charge replied. “If you want to change that, the only option is to seek help from the Mother of Fertility. The stronger you prove yourself as a mother-body, the more children you bear, the more likely the Mother of Fertility will grant you a chance to change.”
“So you’re saying everything is decided at birth?”
“Of course,” the person in charge said. “The kind of person you’ll become is determined the moment you’re born. You were born an exceptional mother-body, stronger than the rest. But becoming a divine servant is not in your fate—that was fixed from the start.”
Lilus sneered.
The very next night, he prepared to escape.
[Detection: Player Hand of Resurrection is about to activate an ability and use an item. This action will attract divine attention. Proceed?]
“Proceed!” Lilus answered without hesitation.
What he wanted was precisely the Mother of Fertility’s gaze. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even bother making a move.
With abilities and items activated, Lilus unshackled his left hand without restraint. He crushed all the guards at the infant incubation center, then stormed his way straight toward the laboratory.
The security outside the lab, along with those patrolling so-called divine servants, were no match for him either.
Those divine servants, born from the genes of mid- and low-tier gods, were all mediocre at best. Their only real advantage was sheer numbers.
Inside, the researchers were stunned. They never imagined a mother-body could become this strong. What’s more, the enemy’s left hand had undergone some kind of mutation—yet the mutation was stable and overwhelmingly powerful, nothing like the crude fusions of the divine servants they’d seen before.
Many researchers’ eyes lit up with excitement as they watched Lilus.
“Capture him alive! Don’t kill him—he must be taken alive!” they shouted, ecstatic at the prospect of turning him into an experiment.
Cynthia, too, watched Lilus’s display clearly from above.
This bait was far too obvious.
She wanted to cover her face with her hand, but since this was her younger brother, she could only grit her teeth and endure.
Even through the thick protective suits, Lilus immediately spotted his sister among the researchers. There was no reason—he just knew.
Sis, look at me. I’ve gotten strong now.
These so-called divine servants? Even if they all come at me together, they’re no match for me.
The more he fought, the more exhilarated Lilus became.
Only two or three divine servants posed any real threat. The rest were barely at the level of an A-rank player—combat strength probably not much greater than Lu Chuan’s.
He could take on ten at once!
Cang Jiu strolled over slowly, deliberately in no hurry. He had no intention of fighting Lilus anyway, so he dragged things out, buying time.
But dragging on endlessly wasn’t right either, so he prayed that the Mother of Fertility would quickly notice Lilus’s abnormality and take him away, sparing Cang Jiu from having to step in.
Sure enough, Lilus’s blatant use of abilities and items eventually drew the Mother of Fertility’s attention.
Deep within the lab, the embryos began to stir violently.
“Haha! So this is the extent of your divine servants’ strength? Pathetic!” Lilus laughed loudly, ready to mock them and maybe even sneak in a punch on Lu Chuan while the crowd distracted him.
But before he finished speaking, a crushing, terrifying pressure descended.
The next moment, the divine servants watching and waiting to fight all dropped to their knees, chanting the Mother of Fertility’s name.
Cang Jiu dropped to his knees as well—though with his strong core, his knees hovered a centimeter above the ground.
As if he would kneel to a mere Mother of Fertility.
Lu Chuan didn’t care. Kneeling was kneeling—it was like paying respects at a funeral in advance.
The Mother of Fertility’s consciousness was normally focused on the embryos formed from the Seed of Fertility. Those embryos had been inert for a long while, but recently they’d begun moving again. Clearly, the sacrifices were taking effect—or perhaps a new, more suitable offering had appeared.
After all, the Seed of Fertility wasn’t formed from the Mother of Fertility’s divine power directly. It only took the form of a baby in line with her will and power, and thus it constantly sought to absorb more of her strength. By sacrificing divine servant infants to it, she was feeding it, nurturing it into the vessel of her resurrection.
But now, just as the seed was reviving, chaos broke out outside. The Mother of Fertility had no choice but to turn her attention outward.
To her, nearly everyone outside was a sacrifice for her resurrection. Too much disruption among them was… problematic.
Her gaze immediately fell upon Lilus.
No—more precisely, upon the half of his bloodline belonging to a high-tier NPC.
She knew that bloodline all too well.
Back then, she had been tricked by humans. That woman had stolen her power, successfully conceived a child with a high-tier NPC, and promised the child would belong to her—only to run away with it!
When she pursued them, she got caught in the battle between that Guildmaster and the Executor.
In the end, she fell to the relentless attacks of Master-Ranked players and the Executor alike.
If not for that, would she still be struggling to resurrect now?
During her revival, she had tried countless times to replicate Cynthia and Lilus’s miracle. The divine servants born from mid- and low-tier god genes weren’t bad, but they were nowhere near human players.
Even the Main God System considered those human players its property—how could she not covet them?
But no matter how many times she attempted, none succeeded. Either the mother-body was too weak to withstand the child’s growth, or the child was born with incompatible blood and died quickly, or if the child lived, it turned out fully human or fully NPC—never a perfect balance.
And now, after so many years, the child of that woman had delivered himself right to her doorstep?
Sensing the terrifying pressure from above, Lilus tried to flee.
The stronger his desire to escape, the more convinced the Mother of Fertility became.
He attempted to trigger dungeon suspension, to temporarily log out of the instance.
But while he was still negotiating with the game system, how could the Mother of Fertility possibly let such a prize escape?
Her divine power crushed down. Weaker mother-hosts disintegrated into ash on the spot.
At the same time, some mother-hosts and divine servants instead grew stronger under her power. Pregnant ones, especially, felt their bellies swell as their unborn children grew robust, far stronger than before.
Lilus, as her prime target, threw in everything he had.
Abilities, items, Master-Ranked buffs—everything.
The fight ignited his true fury.
Yet even so, he felt utterly powerless.
A cold fear crept over him. Images of countless possible deaths filled his mind. The game system kept warning him of his dropping sanity value.
So this is what a god is…?
He could hardly believe it.
He had slain evil gods before, but compared to the Mother of Fertility, those things weren’t even worthy of the title. And she wasn’t even fully revived yet—just a fragment of her residual power.
The gulf between high-tier gods and mid- or low-tier gods was beyond species.
Lilus thought he had held out for a long time before collapsing from exhaustion.
But to the onlookers, he had been defeated almost instantly—he hadn’t lasted three seconds.
Lu Chuan didn’t dare let #888 come out now. The situation was chaotic enough already.
Once the Mother of Fertility seized Lilus and vanished, the others slowly rose from her crushing aura. Their faces were dazed, as though they had just “witnessed” a miracle.
The Mother of Fertility was frighteningly strong. Lilus looked impressive, but in reality, he hadn’t even lasted three seconds.
But considering he himself was born under her power, his suppression was only natural.
Still, Lu Chuan didn’t care. All he knew was that he now had new material to mock Lilus with.
Three-Second Man. Hahaha.
