Chapter 79: Ambers of the Long Night (35)
Just like that… it was over.
After hearing the reply through the communicator, Emmanuel felt a mix of emotions — relief, regret, and a strange sense of peace.
The world spun violently. Though his body was secured by a safety harness, his head kept slamming into the seat. His eyes reflected nothing but the blood-red warning messages flooding every display — the ship had completely lost control. Both autopilot and manual systems had failed. The only thing awaiting him now was a crash.
But at this point, he no longer cared.
He had done everything he could. He hadn’t let Tu Xiao’s sacrifice go to waste. Even if he died here, he could face her with his head held high.
With that thought, Emmanuel finally relaxed — and the past swallowed him whole.
This time, he saw the person who had been speaking in his mind clearly: a figure with shoulder-length black hair and a pair of eerie crimson, slit-pupiled eyes.
He looked… very much like Deville.
Emmanuel’s mind blurred as fragments of memory returned — the final meeting, the final choice.
“What we’re doing now means destroying the last remaining refuge. If this gets out, we’ll all face trial. Are you really ready for that?”
“We are. If they regain their memories and hate us for it, then so be it. We’re the ones who turned a peaceful society into a competition-driven hierarchy, encoding the class system into the very logic of the superintelligent brain. All of it… to complete the AI.”
“Even if that means shortening the computer world’s lifespan — it’s worth it.”
“Hmph. Worth it or not, we’ll see in the end. I still say he can’t be trusted.”
“If it all fails, then let us fall into hell and be cursed by everyone.”
So it had come to this.
Emmanuel felt a pang of regret, a faint satisfaction, and a deep unwillingness to let go. But they had already done all they could — the rest was up to fate’s judgment.
The ship exploded midair, engulfed in flames. Emmanuel himself was consumed by fire, turning into a meteor streaking across the sky.
*
On the ground, the instant the Queen’s gaze landed on Ge Guang, the surrounding demons lunged to attack him.
You Le gripped his twin guns, firing electrically charged bullets. Tini conjured a longsword from thin air, the blade so sharp it nearly vanished into the air. Dong Jishi, the closest one, simply clenched his fist and swung — the blow cracked the air like thunder.
Joy hadn’t even faded from Ge Guang’s face, but he clearly expected this. Within 0.1 seconds, he activated an item — a black shield unfolded around him, blocking every attack. He stood firm, unmoved.
“Damn! The Black Armor Shield? You’re really willing to use something that rare?!” You Le snapped.
The Black Armor Shield came from a high-fantasy dungeon world that even the denizens of Lost Paradise hadn’t conquered. Even in this post-apocalyptic realm, the natives there were monstrously strong. Any artifact from that world was rare and absurdly valuable.
Though technically a “standard” item, it was top-tier among them — unmatched in defense unless met with an equally powerful offense. Players even nicknamed it “the Turtle Shell.” You Le hadn’t expected Ge Guang to use it here.
No wonder he was confident he could seize the Super Intelligent Brain despite being surrounded.
You Le had plenty of guild-supplied items himself, but nothing close to this level. How much had Ge Guang invested? Had he really gone all in?
Pretty much.
Ge Guang hadn’t spent all his accumulated points from his years in the Infernal Crisis zone — but almost. If he failed to claim the AI this time, his entire fortune would be gone in one bet.
He had chosen to gamble everything: all or nothing.
Fate 5 – “Collector”
Effect: You are obsessed with collecting unique treasures. The rarer and more irreplaceable the item, the greater joy and power it grants you. The rarer the treasure, the higher your chance of gaining ability enhancements in that domain.
Original Sin – Greed I: Heightened sensitivity to valuable items.
Greed II: Gain up to +20% to physical stats based on the number of rare items plundered.
Greed III: During plunder, you remain in a state of peak energy.
Ge Guang was a legend in the Crisis Hell — melee, ranged, appraisal, you name it. To spectators, he looked omnipotent, but it was all thanks to this ability. He once annihilated an entire nomadic tribe in a dungeon world and stole their ancestral bow, gaining their archery skills.
He had done similar things more than once. Even in the real world, he had been a collector of rare, discontinued items — and in Lost Paradise, that very trait made him thrive. Every time he entered a dying world, he walked away with riches and power.
And now, his eyes were set on the Super Intelligent Brain — not just for its potential as a mythical-grade item, but because he had a hunch: with its power, he might crack the mechanics of the Infernal Crisis itself and become unstoppable.
*
The three demons’ attacks were fast and fierce, but all were deflected by the Black Armor Shield.
You Le shouted, “Who’s got a trump card left? Use it now or it’s over!”
They didn’t dare touch the Queen — even the aftershock of their attacks vanished ten centimeters from her body. Unaffected, she stepped forward toward Ge Guang.
You Le loaded his final explosive round. Dong Jishi pulled on a pair of red gauntlets — his eyes went blood-red with fury, like Ge Guang had killed his father. His massive fist smashed into the shield, sending a shockwave, but still couldn’t break it.
Were they just going to let that bastard win? They’d rather destroy the AI than see him claim it!
You Le turned his guns toward the Queen and fired — but the wind shifted, deflecting the bullets. The Queen merely glanced at him. Instantly, You Le’s level dropped to 85.
Tini, seeing this, reacted fast — she bought a teleportation spell from the shop and targeted Opatra.
In an instant, Opatra appeared ten meters away. You Le’s eyes widened. “That works too?!”
He immediately used points to buy a binding spell.
Right — if the Queen couldn’t reach Ge Guang, she couldn’t crown him!
Ge Guang’s forehead veins bulged with fury. He tried to charge forward, but Dong Jishi held him back — he couldn’t break the Turtle Shield, but he could at least restrain him.
[Damn, that’s dirty!]
[They’ll do anything to stop him from winning.]
[Wouldn’t you? No one’s that generous.]
[Yeah, I’d rather ruin it for everyone than let someone else win.]
[Uh, you guys might wanna hurry — there’s still that streamer circling overhead.]
[Wait, what? Another demon joining the brawl? But no Crisis Hell demon could be up there…]
[He means that guy from the Hunger Hell! Hahaha I’ve seen his stream too.]
[A Hunger Hell demon? Is he insane?]
[There’s no way he’ll survive dropping in here. That’s suicide.]
“You guys are too despicable!”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Can’t hear you, can’t hear you.”
Ge Guang gritted his teeth in fury. In a moment of recklessness, he spent the rest of his points, exchanging for spells to fight back. For a while, all kinds of magic flashed across the battlefield. Every step he took cost him an enormous amount of points, but one man could never outlast three in resources. Soon, the other demons’ points were nearly depleted, yet Ge Guang still couldn’t shake off You Le and Dong Jishi’s constant harassment—he was trapped as if in a swamp, unable to move.
“You Le! I can cooperate with you! Dong Jishi, I can also give you what you want!”
“Sure, hand over the Super Intelligence Core, and I’ll let you go right now.”
“In your dreams!”
Nahem stood at the edge of the battlefield, his gaze never leaving Opatra. He looked up and murmured, “Almost noon.”
Usually, the coronation ceremony would be over before twelve.
You Le and Dong Jishi were still doing everything they could to stall Ge Guang’s advance, while Tini had quietly stepped aside at some point—apparently waiting for something. No one knew what she was planning.
At the exact moment the clock struck twelve, the Queen—who had been silently watching—suddenly changed.
Her eyes locked on Ge Guang, white data streams flickering across her pupils. At the same time, the same streams flashed in Ge Guang’s eyes. He froze for a second before his face lit up with wild joy.
Of course—this whole world was a simulation created by the Super Intelligence. Naturally, at a crucial moment, it could transfer itself to any data vessel it wished. The ceremony before had just been a performance for the masses.
This time, victory was his again! Once he obtained the Super Intelligence Core and returned to Lost Paradise, all his investments would pay off. His position in the guild would skyrocket—no, he would have the guild completely under his control, maybe even lead them to victory in the next faction war!
Then he would finally escape Crisis Hell and ascend to a higher realm, to plunder even greater apocalyptic treasures.
[Super Intelligence Transfer Progress: 5%… 7%… 8%]
The progress bar was slow, but even so, Ge Guang could feel the difference. His thoughts were accelerating; it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his brain, clearing his senses. The world around him seemed to slow down—as if he were viewing it through a high-speed camera, able to examine every detail at will.
He could see the flex of Dong Jishi’s muscles, You Le shouting anxiously at his live-stream audience—probably urging them to donate—and Tini watching calmly from the side, her expression unreadable.
But it didn’t matter. Once he fully obtained the Super Intelligence, everything would end. He could feel it—the Super Intelligence was equivalent to a GM’s authority in this world. No matter what tricks they had, they couldn’t fight against the “god” of this system.
A meteor streaked across the sky, burning as it fell.
The very next second, several figures crashed down directly on top of Ge Guang. Even though his Turtle Shield absorbed most of the impact, he was still stomped into the ground by several pairs of boots.
Seth: “Looks like there was a bit of a miscalculation, but nothing serious.”
Deville: “We should’ve arrived, right?”
Tang Mobai: “By the way, where is this? The ground feels kinda soft.”
Yan Wuzhen: “I suggest you look around first.”
Tang Mobai glanced around, then looked down—his eyes widened. “Oh. Uh… sorry, bro.”
Ge Guang didn’t respond—or rather, he was too stunned, staring at the rapidly decreasing transfer progress in disbelief.
[Super Intelligence Transfer Progress: 0%]
Wait—how could it go down?!
Life’s ups and downs really came too fast. Ge Guang was completely dazed, hallucinating that the Super Intelligence—like a hermit crab—had suddenly found a softer, cozier shell, and kicked him out without hesitation.
[Tang Mobai, Lv. 99]
[Super Intelligence Transfer Progress: 1% — 100%]
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