### Chapter 413: Is the President of the Real Protection Association Captured?
“Monroe, male, aged 43, born in the year 23385, you were once a V7 game player with a wealth of experience in conquering game worlds. You’ve even been invited to become a game architect but refused…”
“That’s right, if I didn’t say it firmly enough, I’d probably still be in denial.”
In a completely sealed special interrogation room, a slightly pudgy middle-aged man sat in the center chair with his wrists and ankles loosely shackled. He didn’t seem surprised by the youth revealing his identity information.
“I advise you to take this seriously, Mr. Monroe. You should understand that you’re now facing capital punishment for betraying civilization, or perhaps I should call you the president of the Real Protection Association?”
“You just caught some guy called Monroe. True, the real president of the Real Protection Association will always be active wherever you invade, not stuck here for your amusement.” Monroe chuckled without any fear.
“But you need to realize that whether you are the president isn’t decided by your denial alone…”
“What do you think the Real Protection Association is? Just a scattered group of riffraff without leadership? Come on, that’s not funny at all,” Monroe interrupted bluntly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
The person who was cut off hastily tried to object but stopped themselves, as if listening to someone in command. Clearly, there was an analyst or a team of advisors behind them.
“Mr. Monroe, we didn’t bring you here to argue, we know you’re not the first president of the Real Protection Association, nor the last. Even though the association is relatively new, we hope you can cooperate with our investigation.”
“Oh? What exactly do you want to know from me? Even I find this intriguing.”
“Why did the Real Protection Association betray your own civilization!”
“What does betrayal mean? I don’t understand. Could you explain it to me?”
“I’m asking you why you betrayed our civilization! Our world!” he reiterated, his voice laden with emotion. But his efforts to intimidate failed miserably.
“I don’t get it. List my crimes; maybe then I’ll understand what betrayal means!” Monroe said forcefully, turning the tables on him. This sudden shift made the young interrogator back away instinctively, to Monroe’s satisfaction.
“I don’t think this is betrayal. Don’t you agree? Our association merely threatened your interests. If it weren’t for us, you’d be facing a global trial now, not hiding in this underground dungeon. You… don’t have the guts to expose the truth!”
“If those ignorant fools knew the truth, it would only create more instability…”
“How could you justify depriving them of their right to know? Our existence seeks such rights.”
“Right, that was your association’s original idea. Therefore, we never targeted you before. But you tested our architects’ limits, strayed from your ideals, and became nothing but mad dogs biting everywhere. You’re waging war against civilizations!”
“Don’t your actions prove it? You’ve turned worlds into playgrounds where the gaming mentality has rooted deeply. But… gaming is not the path to civilization. It’s art, a spice, not the whole thing. You’re deforming the whole civilization! You treat all bottom-tier players as fuel for your games, while considering only the gamers as humans. Aren’t they humans too? Ah?”
With Monroe’s fiery outburst, silence fell over the room. The interrogator was stunned, while Monroe smiled relieved, finally able to confront and vent his frustrations in front of the architects.
But he knew this wouldn’t awaken the superior architects. His actions might even become fodder for their lunchtime talk.
Only pain would make them wake up. He knew his power was minuscule, as was the association’s.
Even with an organization wrapped in “protection,” it remained weak. They protected neither the fictional characters nor Monroe himself since he recognized those people as real. So?
What he guarded were the genuine players, who had spent their whole lives in games—born, educated, graduated, and then becoming professional gamers. This left Monroe feeling powerless and made him aware that anything from the Real Protection Association was futile.
Thus, he and his association were looking for higher, better-world clues, triggering disasters to reshape this decaying civilization, hoping to find a glimmer of hope before it was too late. Before they were labeled enemies to this civilization.
After all, a civilization without foes decays faster.
And if these unknown forces could destroy everything? He could only apologize to everyone. Yet, someone with ideals never settled and someone would try to pull others out of this decaying swamp.
You could call Monroe extreme; yet, every time these architects developed games with the All Worlds Terminal, wasn’t there a risk of wiping out civilization entirely?
“Didn’t your association meet some entity called the Catastrophe Witch in the game Sinful Star? A traveler from another world?”
“Heh, I see ignorance in your eyes, but you’re eager to ask this, proving you’re anxious. We found her.”
“You freaks!”
“What? The witch I know doesn’t seem threatening… but you’re scared of her. Is there something I’m missing about her?”
“Huh, sorry. Fine, if you must know… She’s known as the Extraordinary Witch, a powerful being roaming the void. Anthropomorphic women with high intelligence and strength. We know about her only through hearsay…”
“Hearsay?” Monroe scoffed.
“The beyond vastness of space holds untold secrets. Imagine a civilization many times stronger, leaving records like a tombstone. If it’s important enough to list warnings, it has to involve caution regarding the Extraordinary Witch!”
“Impossible!”
“But you should pray the witch the architects seek isn’t what the record describes.”
“Why hide critical information! Who are you to ask such sensitive questions?”
“Think of your worth! The High Architectural Council has decided to abandon Sinful Star. Your final plan is doomed.”
“Heh… To force the Council to the brink, to abandon a world? Fine, if they k*ll me, it’s worth it. Isn’t there still the Secret Excavation Plan to consider? The value was deemed equal to All Worlds Terminal levels. That hurts, doesn’t it?”
“So what! The world has released its final destructive excavation plans. Even if abandoned, they’ll squeeze every last drop of value.”
“I expected this, your ugly faces are repulsive.”
“You’ve no right to judge us,”
…
In a Small World
“Give us the girl! You guys only run and hide!”
In the open world Sinful Star, suddenly shutting down and distributing new game slots caused a sharp spike in player numbers.
This led to an increased focus on the hidden quests, making the new tasks crucial to ending the game.
High-level players quickly uncovered traces of the Catastrophe Witch’s network. They traced her to a girl named Qiu Ruxin. Realizing her link to the Real Protection Association, and the association’s contact with the witch, more excavators targeted the Real Protection Association with vengeance.
Their bases were exposed, including the villa which was destroyed. Now, these defenders were taking Ruxin and desperately fleeing.
They fled with her, dragging their useless burden.
This showed how deeply embedded the Real Protection Association was in this world. Avoiding so many excavators repeatedly indicated their desperation.
“This isn’t funny, you really have no way to reach the Catastrophe Witch? Her help would save us!”
“There is… but only if absolutely necessary…”
“Now’s the time! Or we all d*e. Being captured would be worse than d*ath! Understand?”
“I understand!” Now, Ruxin clenched her teeth, gripping the green tear necklace tightly—used to summon Xiao Han.
Xiao Han once said to hold both hands and pray to complete the summoning ceremony… but she didn’t know the prayer.
“Know the summoning words? Anything works.”
“Summoning words? How would I know? Did you ask me when you summoned her?”
Just then, an explosion trap triggered, sending Ruxin’s carriers and her flying to the ground. She rolled and crashed into a stone.
“Guh… urgh…” Ruxin moaned in pain.
A normal person would be severely injured, let alone with the fall and collision.
Pain and dizziness overwhelmed her. She faintly heard voices.
“Run! Keep running! Think we’ll play lapdogs again like last time?”
One attacker struck her, adding insult to injury.
Another checked her condition and saw the pendant she clutched.
He pried it from her grip. Ruxin struggled against the excavators.
“Important? Tell me where the Catastrophe Witch is, I might return it.”
“You… never…”
“Think I’m negotiating?”
He stepped on her wrist, causing her to cry out in pain.
“For someone else being stubborn…?”
“Heh, Xiao Han… will k*ll you all!”
The pain replaced her dizziness. She longed for power. If only she were as strong as Xiao Han.
“But remember… Without this ritual, Xiao Han won’t come!”
“Xiao Han? Oh yes, the Catastrophe Witch! Know something? Give me her location, or I’ll k*ll you.”
“If you k*ll me… You’ll never see her!”
“She spoke? You think she’ll wait?”
“She’s not from here. Gone… Only I can find her!”
“Heck, let’s see you find her. Or… no one gets to watch her appear!”
“Freak, stay back! k*ll her and I’ll take you down!”
“Heh, just scare her. Let me see your worth. We’ve chased you days! Worth it?”
Ruxin coughed, tasting bl**d. She regained her grip on the pendant.
“To find her, tell me the ritual words… only I know them…”
“Be honest.”
She held the pendant, praying with injured hands.
“Goddamn Xiao Han… Answer me! Like that first meeting… appearing out of nowhere…”
She prayed blindly. Suddenly, an extraordinary aura emanated from the pendant. Complex runes formed intricate patterns.
Soon, the reverse summoning ritual deployed, shocking the excavators. Most had never seen such phenomena.
They hesitated, watching curiously and none dared interrupt.
One was alert, standing guard like guarding a final boss entrance.
Then, energy surged, forming a portal.
