Chapter 91: Who Is More Cunning

Urban Novel

In the research institute, countless people anxiously watched the screen.

“Our top priority now is control over the Giant God. According to intelligence, personnel from various countries have infiltrated the Thirteen-Person Round Table Conference, all aiming to seize control and, through it, rule the alternate world.”

With limited land on Earth, superpowers had long been launching rockets and satellites, constantly exploring outer space in an attempt to find new habitable worlds. Now, it seemed an incredibly real alternate world had emerged, complete with extraordinary wizarding civilizations and indigenous deities. Any transmigrator could become an Alchemy Emperor there; it was truly an undeveloped fertile land. Moreover, its extraordinary civilization, unlike Earth’s technologically advanced one, held too many secrets. Aside from everything else, the time dilation alone—one day outside equalling a century inside—was enough to drive them mad.

A secret research institute in a certain island nation.

“As a developed nation, our land is too small.”

“We must gain dominion over that wizarding world and incorporate it into our national territory. Should anyone become an Alchemy Emperor and rule that world, our country will grant them status equal to a national prime minister and permit the establishment of the Thirteenth Colonial Zone in the alternate world.”

The Soviet-Russian Research Institute.

Video footage of the game was also playing on a screen. Countless research scientists sat below, their faces serious.

“This is a small step for humanity, a giant leap for Earth. The vegetation, the ecosystem—a completely different ecological civilization from Earth’s. We might be making contact with an alien civilization.”

“Furthermore, setting aside other matters, one day outside equals a century inside. This terrifying time dilation alone is enough for us to conduct immense research. Just one month for us inside would equate to three millennia outside, allowing us to gain a three-thousand-year technological advantage over other nations, instantly dominating the world and becoming the foremost superpower.”

The American Research Institute.

Footage from the game was also playing. Countless scientists in white coats sat below.

“We’re going in. This is an excellent opportunity to probe the alternate world and test real data.”

“If this is real, Earth might usher in the Grand Cosmic Era, a myriad of worlds. We could potentially colonize outer space.”

Various scenarios were unfolding, all highly dramatic. After all, previous information was mere hearsay, data gathered from forum posts that couldn't necessarily be taken as truth. Now, all nations were preparing to investigate firsthand.

At the Thirteen-Person Round Table Conference controlling the Giant God, players like Xue Baixue and Qiuminshan Chesu were still reveling in their success, unaware that seven chosen ones, embodying the aspirations of countless nations, had secretly infiltrated. Undercurrents surged as they schemed against each other.

Xu Zhi:

“These people are crazy. I just evolved a new Giant God creature, and everyone’s causing trouble! These players are causing trouble, and now you lot are too? What exactly do you plan to do with my orchard? This is just a small 100-mu orchard, a mere sandbox game. Why are you always thinking about colonization and expanding national territory?”

“It’s all because the data inside is too real,” Xu Zhi muttered, a strange smile on his face. “Your self-indulgence and excitement are useless. Anyway, those of you dreaming of colonization will all be kicked out, so save your efforts. My current wizarding world can’t handle such upheaval. And those who want to use the time dilation for scientific research, get lost too. Your Giant God evolution task is complete; it’s almost time for you to exit. However, I will offer a small reward.”

Spore Evolution Game Sandbox.

A notification appeared. Then, the thirteen core players controlling the muscles quickly stepped forward to the designated location, intending to cross the world portal and leave the novice village. However, another notification appeared:

*This creature's energy is too powerful to cross the world portal.*

Everyone was instantly baffled. They had read novels; they knew that overly powerful deities could not descend into lesser planes.

“The creature we evolved is incredibly strong; it’s truly a god! Our god-creation plan succeeded! But this god is too powerful, what do we do if it can’t cross?”

Countless people had headaches. However, someone soon proposed an idea: “We are strong as a whole, but we can break down into parts, transport each piece discreetly into the alternate world, and then reassemble it!”

“That’s a brilliant idea!”

Immediately, the entire giant began to disassemble.

Xu Zhi walked to the courtyard gate, sat back on his throne, and shook his head, saying, “It’s not that the creature is too strong; it’s simply that your body is too large to fit through the small white pipe underground.”

Regardless, they quickly began disassembling. It took them most of the day to finally queue up and fully enter the sandbox world.

After a long journey through darkness, a vast light gradually appeared before their eyes. Continuing forward, they finally arrived in an incredibly lush, primeval forest.

*Warning: Please fully integrate into the identity of a native of this world. Any disclosure of content not belonging to this world will result in annihilation.*

“What beautiful scenery!”

“Quick, everyone, assemble!”

“Head, hair, bones!”

“Hurry, hurry! It’s an emergency! Medusa is about to rule the world again! Behold our giant evil god from another dimension, breaking through, descending into the wizarding world to help Emperor Armin defeat Medusa, and then get Armin’s autograph!”

“I’ve already thought of my cool pose for after victory!”

“I’ve already learned over a dozen ‘JoJo poses’!”

Over a hundred players were eager to act, highly excited, and began assembling rapidly. Meanwhile, the seven hidden infiltrators looked aghast as they quickly tested the time dilation.

“We stepped out for a moment, and sure enough, the time dilation is real. It’s terrifying.”

Secretly blended among the players, they had no way to livestream to the outside world. Although they could hand over research topics to external institutes if difficulties arose, for the most part, they had to rely on their individual abilities. Fortunately, each of them was a trained agent with formidable personal capabilities, enough to overcome the various early crises of the alternate world. At this point, they remained deeply undercover, planning to feign being ordinary players, follow the other players’ lead, and start a war with Medusa, all while secretly observing various data. Moreover, they still didn’t know who among the thirteen-person Round Table Conference were the true spies or which nations they represented. They needed to uncover the others’ backgrounds.

This was a game of Werewolf.

On the other side.

Xu Zhi sat in his courtyard, taking a bite of an apple. “Those seven chosen ones believe the players are nothing to worry about, and that one among their seven will surely emerge as the victor, gaining control of the evil god and ruling the alternate world, all while scheming against each other. In reality, there’s an even more insidious person lurking in the shadows. Perhaps *this* one will be the protagonist to usher in the next new era.”

At this very moment, inside the game sandbox.

“They’ve finally gone in.”

A female player, a strange black and red brick-shaped creature with sharp teeth and thorns, watched the vanishing world portal.

“Hmph, men! All hundred-plus of them are driven by lust. They all want to help the righteous and kind Armin, captivated by her beauty, but I am different.”

Pan Yuxian, twenty-eight years old, the young woman who proposed the “Rubik’s Cube” thesis, had not only seen the “Giant God” creatures succeed but her own “Rubik’s Cube” creature had also finally succeeded. Her room was adorned with exquisite posters, but they weren’t of the beautiful Armin; they were of Charlotte. As a maverick and reclusive genius, she found Charlotte more beautiful. This kind of beauty, imbued with evil and darkness, aligned more with her aesthetic.

Initially, everyone thought Charlotte was evil. But during that journey of escape, in the final battle beneath the waterfall, amidst Charlotte and Armin’s fight to the death, the reason Charlotte wished to unseal the Death Monarch Emperor became clear. Years ago, Charlotte, Armin, and Lucy were the best of friends. While on a mission for the Wizard Academy, due to a mistake by the two, Lucy tragically died. Armin and Charlotte, cradling Lucy’s body, went completely mad. Afterward, Charlotte betrayed the academy, deciding to join the Rose Salvation Society to unseal Death Emperor Medusa. Because Emperor Medusa possessed forbidden evil necromancy that could revive the dead, capable of resurrecting Lucy, she wanted to master this forbidden art. Like the Edward brothers before her, she desperately sought to revive the one she loved most.

“This is the tragic fate of those three. Charlotte isn’t wrong; she’d rather endure scorn, just to cast an Infinite Tsukuyomi and return to a world where Lucy exists, where all three can laugh together.”

She lowered her head, looking at the Rubik’s Cube monster species she had evolved. “Why must good always triumph? Why must evil always fail? Is evil truly evil? I believe Charlotte, clearly the more intelligent and peerless genius, should have succeeded!”

“Charlotte, I grieve for you. In that final battle against Armin at the waterfall during your escape, you lost. You had a clear advantage, yet you lost due to the cunning players’ assistance.”

“Since this is a simulated game, I’ll choose my own life’s faction. I will rescue Charlotte, who is imprisoned in the ‘Carlson Great Prison’ on Prison Island, become her friend, and help her defeat Armin again to resurrect Lucy. Charlotte, last time no one helped you, which is why you lost to Armin, who had a whole group of players helping her cheat. This time, I will help you. As the opponent of those 173 ‘idiot’ players, I will help you defeat Armin!”

She looked at the numerous Charlotte posters plastered across her room, then silently put on her VR headset. “Our two factions will stand on opposing sides. You stand with Armin, and I stand with Charlotte. I will take on all 173 of you by myself.”

A notification appeared.

*Notification: Congratulations to player “Pan Ta Jiu Wan Shi Le” for evolving the “Rubik’s Cube” species, which possesses great potential, earning an achievement reward.*

However, no one in the sandbox game heard this information. One hundred seventy-three players had already left the novice village. Now, only seven remained. Apart from her still being in the sandbox, the others had real-world commitments and hadn't entered the game. If they had time, they would have joined the god-creation plan long ago.

Three options appeared before her.

1. Retain the Rubik’s Cube species as the initial starting race.2. Permanently acquire a sandbox game slot.3. Begin a second life.

“No one knows I’m going in too. I’ll sneak in behind your backs.”

She chose the third option without hesitation and silently stepped into the world portal.

“So what if they’re evil gods?” Pan Yuxian smiled brightly. “I know all your weaknesses. I’ve been watching your evolution and birth from the shadows, all the ‘I form the head,’ ‘I form the bones’ talk. I even understand your detailed physical structure better than most of you! Let me sneak in, pretend to be a native of this wizarding world, help Charlotte, utterly defeat you terrifying evil gods who invaded this world, seal you away, and restore peace to the wizarding world!”

Peace, or rather, *nuclear* peace?

Xu Zhi was somewhat speechless. Indeed, the power of a fangirl was immense. This female player was truly devious and cunning, secretly causing trouble behind everyone’s backs. The group of individuals within the “evil god” and the seven chosen ones were still squabbling amongst themselves, completely unaware of their impending calamity and the miserable fate of being severely sabotaged by someone.

This was the counterattack from a Charlotte fangirl.