Chapter 566: The Player’s Arrangement
Although the concept of “Soul Mimesis” seems somewhat unrealistic, how can it be achieved without any conceptualization?
The idea of the soul is closely tied to dreams, and it has already been understood that this is the key breakthrough for the current problem.
Fool Dreams are difficult to exist independently in reality through their own consciousness; once detached from their bodies, they revert to the dream state. Therefore, there is a need to reshape their life’s essence.
Since I cannot instantly transform them into beings of pure soul, I will take it step by step, starting with “Soul Mimesis,” allowing them to enter my Dream World when utilizing the Enlightenment Meditation Technique.
Of course, if this ability of Soul Mimesis is derived from the Grand Wisdom Enlightenment Spell, then its application goes far beyond just using it on Fool Dreams.
However, it is still too early to think about this now.
I exited the Dream World and took some time to sort out my emotions.
I still felt relatively energized, despite having read all day long; it wasn’t exactly tiring. I was preparing to find something to do, so I initiated the Spirit Vision information deduction to see if there were any changes in fortune.
The Spirit Vision technique can observe the trends of fortune and scripts, as fortune is traceable under the influence of world consciousness and scripts. This is the foundational premise for the deduction of the Spirit Vision spell.
However, the methods players use to manipulate fortune are not that easy to guess. In metaphysical terms, these guys don’t play by the rules; they introduce what are known as “variables.”
But now, as I took a quick glance, I suddenly noticed something was off.
This… the Children of Fortune were showing signs of decline; the variable was about to complete its harvesting of this fortune!
I suddenly sat up from my bed. How could the situation have changed so drastically when I hadn’t deduced Spirit Vision in a while?
Could this auction be something huge?
It seems like they are trying to wipe everything out… But do those players really have that kind of strength…?
I truly couldn’t understand and was somewhat reluctant to believe it.
Unless they had some hidden means, or perhaps those players were genuinely outmatched in a direct confrontation, then they would rely on pre-arranged tactics, like the nuclear bomb they had originally placed.
If they set one off here, it would be a total disaster.
But the likelihood of that isn’t very high…
In any case, I should first eliminate a player to understand what exactly is happening.
After all, dead bodies have no secrets under the Earth Vein Identification Technique.
Although those players don’t truly own those bodies, after a player dies, their memories do not return to the Earth Vein.
But as long as they have ever disclosed any information, I can slowly collect it and even analyze what they have done and why. This is far more reliable than mere conjecture and unrealistic reasoning.
So I hesitated no longer and directly launched the map for Earth Vein information integration.
At this auction, there were already two players I had discovered, and their movements were clearly visible under the Earth Vein information, so I didn’t need to exert much effort.
After I opened my hotel room door and stepped out, I instinctively noticed that there were quite a few surveillance cameras. If those players wanted to do something, they would certainly have to avoid these cameras.
Out of curiosity, I went to check the inconspicuous emergency staircase instead of taking the elevator.
However, just as I had chosen the stairs over the elevator, I noticed something unusual in the stairway surveillance.
“This is… Extraordinary Pixel…”
Gently grasping the surveillance data, I pulled down something that was nearly invisible from the outside.
It seemed to possess the ability to camouflage within its surroundings.
My Earth Vein Identification Technique didn’t clearly present much information about it; there was hardly any matching data.
These may be the powers that those players possessed, but I didn’t let go of it right away. Instead, I checked surrounding information, such as the disrupted surveillance, to deduce what this thing was up to.
Based on my speculation, if it targeted the surveillance, then… it was highly likely a spoofed video feed?
That would mean physically blacking out the cameras and not allowing the individuals monitoring the feed to notice.
If the surveillance in this stairway was “hacked,” then this stairway would become a safe passage for those players to traverse floors.
After all, stairways were nearly ornamental in such high-rise buildings. Moreover, this was a safety escape stairway, so usually, not many people came here.
Not to mention that even the staff had a separate elevator.
At this moment, I was toying with this “Extraordinary Pixel,” which should be the extraordinary effect constructed with the core of [Extraordinary Knowledge] in its power system.
While it seemed like I was just playing around, I was actually testing the nature of this power with my own means, relying on the Earth Vein Identification Technique to collect data from my tests.
The Extraordinary Pixel is indeed a manifestation of the power derived from [Extraordinary Knowledge]. Even though it is just a pixel, its spell nature is terrifying, inheriting the characteristic of the Great Spellbook that the spell effects exist permanently.
This means that while a pixel can be broken down, completely erasing it requires the power from the Great Spellbook itself. Ordinary means would require significantly higher costs to contend with it.
Thus, this creates a terrifying fact: the “items” generated by the Extraordinary Pixel exhibit remarkably fearful physical properties.
As long as these pixels cannot be completely destroyed, their greatest damage is the decomposition of the pixel blocks. However, after dissipating, these pixel blocks can still be reassembled.
However… this characteristic doesn’t seem to manifest in those ordinary players. Perhaps… this power being dispersed among so many players may render it inadequate…
So… if they truly want to gain something, they only need to concentrate their strength to accomplish a single task, and the power they can wield would become extraordinarily terrifying.
Having figured this out, I hesitated no longer and directly moved to the lower levels of the hotel.
After having a rough understanding of the extraordinary power fluctuation of this Extraordinary Pixel, I updated the special annotations regarding this aspect of power in my Earth Vein Identification Technique.
But as I synced it to the entire hotel’s Earth Vein information structural distribution map, I suddenly discovered… the entire hotel emanated this Extraordinary Pixel power fluctuation!
The Earth Vein information doesn’t lie… It seems those players really haven’t been idle these past few days…
Moreover, I also observed vast amounts of this energy fluctuation in some special parts of the hotel. If I were to mark locations with a pixel the size of the one I just tested with a red dot, these areas of the hotel would be nearly bursting with red!
After carefully discerning these areas, I realized they were mostly storage rooms, warehouses, and individually assigned electrical rooms for each floor in the hotel.
Additionally, there were some small conference rooms that had not been used for some time, abandoned offices repurposed as storage rooms, and so on…
“What are they planning?” I muttered, frowning.
It can’t possibly be that they really set up bombs here to blow the hotel sky-high.
But regardless, I needed to take a look in order to uncover the truth.
I glanced at the tagged player, who seemed to be wandering around the hotel. Their route partially overlapped with the specially marked areas, likely checking on those things.
“I’ll go eliminate you soon.” I sighed lightly.
To avoid alarming the snake, I came out from the stairwell and headed towards the closest marked area.
Upon arriving at this location, I found that it was clearly not somewhere guests should be.
I sensed my surroundings, avoiding some scattered staff and surveillance, and easily made my way to this place. No wonder those players chose this area; it was indeed easy to blend in.
As I gently pushed the door open, I entered what resembled an employee storage room. The space was decent-sized, and the dust on the ground indicated it hadn’t been visited for quite some time.
I never expected that the outside of the hotel, looking glamorous, could also have poorly designed functional areas inside; otherwise, it wouldn’t be unused.
“Weird, nothing seems out of the ordinary…” In the dark room, I turned on the internal lights and quickly scanned around, ultimately spotting footprints left in the dust.
“They were here…”
Following the footprints, I locked onto a direction. If I were relying solely on my eyes, there might not have been any abnormalities, but I had Spirit Vision and even the Earth Vein Identification Technique. How could such abnormal means possibly stop me?
As I reached out, I touched something in the air that felt like a thin film. This seemed to be a pseudo-visual three-dimensional image made of pixels.
When I lifted this “veil,” the arrangements the players made here presented themselves directly before my eyes.
It was an almost wall-sized… pixel creation?
No, these pixels didn’t seem to be the main body, but the main body was wrapped inside the pixels. The surrounding pixels… seemed more like a form of energy erosion.
I picked up a chunk of pixel at my feet, and a dent appeared on the ground. It seemed that the composition of these pixels was the matter of the floor itself; this was… a form of matter assimilation!
I quickly correlated this with the Earth Vein information on structural imaging, then updated the current data…
I discovered that this erosion seemed to be gradually replacing the hotel’s architecture.
I pushed through the pixels to reveal the core causing the erosion in this small area, but I found I couldn’t take it with me.
If I had to forcibly take it, I might manage, but that would inevitably cause quite a commotion, and it wouldn’t be worth the trade-off.
Moreover, even if I could clear this small area, how would I clear an entire hotel later?
I took a few deep breaths to calm my emotions.
I suddenly realized I had made a mistake; this hotel isn’t mine. Why had I subconsciously felt anxious for them?
Are players a threat to the Main World?
Perhaps yes, as they could pose a terrifying threat to society.
But most things in this world can generally be divided into two categories: “What does it have to do with you?” and “What does it have to do with me?”
I pondered what motivated me to do all this, what drove me to get out of the comfortable bed in the suite, avoiding the staff and eventually arriving here, only to discover such a big mess?
Was it curiosity about the unknown? The cognitive desire to observe from a higher perspective while being involved in the chaos, or something else?
It seems to be a combination of all these.
Now, the truth had revealed a corner to me, but I didn’t have much patience left to play along.
The simplest solution would be… to k*ll a player, and I could probably obtain an outline of their layout information.
Looking at the marked player wandering on the Earth Vein information, heh, you’re the one.
After making the decision, I headed directly towards that place. Instinctively, the Box of Books appeared in my hand.
At the same time…
The middle-aged uncle-like player wandering among the floors suddenly received a message.
“What? d*mn it… Didn’t we say that the Catastrophe Witch had been doing nothing these days? How did she suddenly discover our arrangement?”
“Unknown. The opponent didn’t provide any reasons; their target is clear, and they already took down one of the interference modules we set in the stairwell’s surveillance. They’ve headed straight for a storage room we prepared.”
Information from another player responsible for monitoring the data visuals reached the player’s ear.
“What now? Don’t you guys have a response plan for this guy?”
“Yes… Wait, that guy…”
“What else? Speak clearly.” The middle-aged uncle in charge of the operation said.
“That guy hasn’t destroyed our layout; they probably left considering some factors. In any case, prepare for the worst. If she tells the hotel manager about this, we’ll be in a tight spot.”
“By the way, how long are we supposed to drag this out? The auction is about to start, and most of the main characters are already arriving. There’s no need to wait for some small fries!”
“Do you think launching an operation is that easy? This requires cooperation from the All Worlds Terminal. For that purpose, those Game Architects urgently issued emergency maintenance notices to multiple other game worlds, just to mobilize terminal resources to ensure the success of this operation. Can’t you guys delay a bit longer?”
“Tch~ If you think it’s so easy, why don’t you come? You just sit in the suite and do nothing; how nice that must be.”
“Dividing roles is clear; there’s nothing to debate here. You don’t have the tech, I do; I deserve the comforts… Wait! Wait a minute.”
“What now? Stop startling me and say it clearly!”
“The direction that Catastrophe Witch is moving is wrong; she’s coming in your direction!”
“No way, really? Could it be a coincidence?” the middle-aged player asked.
“Quickly leave this place and check between the floors.”
Receiving the information, he dared not delay and turned a corner, heading to the elevator to change floors.
As he entered the elevator, the quiet, cramped space made even the sound of the elevator running seem faint; only the pounding of his heart confirmed his tension.
“What floor did you press? She stopped at the eighth floor; that route is leading to the elevator!”
“Eighth floor… Wait, what?”
“Change floors! Hurry! Hurry!”
The player didn’t dare to waste time and immediately switched floors. Now he was certain he was being targeted!
“d*mn it… She’s moved, hasn’t she? Are you being monitored in real-time? You idiot! Did she notice you when you first encountered her?”
“How would I know! I only caught a glimpse of her and she didn’t see me!”
“Quickly check if you’ve left any markings or the like on you. Oh, and don’t come to my floor. If you d*e, don’t drag me down with you; I’ll first warn the others.”
“Hey! Hey! What should I do next? I put so much effort into this plan; are you abandoning me?”
“We acknowledge your value. You hold off that Catastrophe Witch and stay alive! Remember what I said earlier about having a contingency plan for this kind of special situation? Listen to my orders later! If you have conditions, head to that place on the top floor.”
“Hey, hey! d*mn it, there’s no response. How long do I have to hold her off? I only have one life! This d*mn middle-aged uncle’s body is full of ailments; how am I supposed to hold her off?”
