Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Prelude to the Great Plague

What is a nation? A nation is a universal wish-granting machine, the largest and most efficient resource-mobilizing apparatus of the old era, and currently the tool through which Lan Yi can most effortlessly achieve his goals.

The emergence of the new order signifies the gradual collapse of the old order.

Yet the disintegration of the old order, due to inertia and recurrence, is not instantaneous but a slow, ongoing process. During this period—before the artificial divine realm has been sufficiently tested—the vast majority of humanity habitually adheres to the old order.

Until the humans of the main world fully open their horizons, power, and qualities.

Inglei, an enclave.

They represent the pinnacle elite of Oceanic civilization. Nearly every major corporation is a supergiant, holding unimaginable core technologies—technologies so advanced they border on the divine. Especially those applied to slaughter, which perfectly inherit the deeply ingrained colonial traits of Oceanic civilization’s soul, inhuman to the extreme.

Within the main world, they are still forced to restrain themselves somewhat. But once the subsequent war zones were opened without limits and team functions enabled, Inglei brought freedom and trade to the indigenous peoples of the artificial divine realm.

The Pantheon.

A group of powerful individuals from Oceanic civilization distinct from Inglei. They crown themselves as true gods among men, deities of the new era, transcending the role of shepherds to become ascended beings.

Their influence spreads throughout Oceanic civilization.

Among them, the most elite psychics, due to their combined cultivation of Dao and martial paths, have a penchant for adopting the titles of the twelve principal Roman gods, crowning themselves to ascend as gods. Their devotion runs so deep that they wholly believe themselves to be the supreme deities. The gods of the Pantheon innovate in martial arts, rivaling the Jianghe civilization on equal footing.

It is worth mentioning:

Lan Yi was once a strong contender for the twelve principal gods.

But the Jupiter throne was particularly special. Oceanic civilization would never permit an individual so deeply marked by Jianghe civilization to ascend to that godhood.

Though Lan Yi cared little for the position, he was somewhat irked when the opportunity was covertly snatched away. Thus, he violently assumed the duties of the chief god Jupiter: for instance, he seduced the chief goddesses Juno and Venus, smashed their temples on Mount Olympus, and, standing atop the mountain, casually fired a city-destroying plasma cannon at the protective shield before nonchalantly departing.

And now, it seems Lan Yi once again has the chance to become the chief god—to sleep with elegant, beautiful goddesses, to indulge daily in grand festivities fitting his persona, gaining strength through these exploits!

After Lan Yi slaughtered the Evil God Clan, demonstrating power that bordered on a chasmic leap ahead, the Oceanic civilization insiders—Inglei and the Pantheon—who had halted their wars, extended olive branches to him.

Many supergiants hoped to forge strategic partnerships with Lan Yi, cooperating on non-sensitive technologies to jointly combat the devastating pandemic wave set to ravage the main world over the coming month.

The Pantheon’s offer was even simpler.

“Come over, and the Jupiter godhood is yours. As long as you remain the world’s foremost, you shall be the true deity. The demigods and followers of the Pantheon will unquestionably obey your command!”

The Evil God Clan?

“Unknown, unclear, not our doing.”

“Not a single punctuation mark in what those foreigners say is trustworthy,” Zhang Shouzheng repeatedly shook his head upon seeing the invitations pouring in from Oceanic civilization through various channels.

“They’re just scared Lan Yi will come looking for trouble and are throwing out excuses,” Ji Ning, well acquainted with Oceanic civilization’s tendency to strike back even when not at fault, remarked.

They now appear benevolent and amicable, but it’s because Lan Yi has frightened them.

At this moment,

the battlefield, jointly cleared and restored by the psychics, bustled with the energy of a grand construction site—a stark contrast to the desolation during Lan Yi’s previous fierce battles. The terrain was flat enough to build a small city here, and it would serve as a suitable site for the upcoming placement of artificial divine realm portals.

The only drawback?

It was too close to the coast.

In the previous life, the coastal or prime regions of Jianghe and Oceanic civilizations had endured the fervent baptism of nuclear bombs. Because of nuclear entanglement, the main world teetered on the edge of a nuclear wasteland. After urgent communications and the addition of artificial divine realm development to the agenda, the nuclear bombardment ceased after a dozen or so detonations.

Upon rebirth, though nuclear crises persisted and Amalikian leaders were sent skyward by bombs, the chaos of indiscriminate nuclear strikes did not recur.

Even within Oceanic civilization, there were reborn individuals who abhorred nuclear warfare.

According to estimates by Ji Ning and other psychics,

this lifetime’s nuclear war was unlikely to erupt.

Supergiants had no desire to risk their resources on a no-win gamble; trading nuclear warheads freely in the artificial divine realm was far more profitable.

“Send those enthusiastic invitations to Lan Yi,” Ji Ning quipped with a hint of sarcasm.

“Really send them?” Zhang Shouzheng frowned.

“Are you going to stop me?”

“Of course not,” Zhang Shouzheng quickly shook his head. “I just worry about Lan Yi’s unpredictable nature. What if he really goes over to Oceanic civilization?”

Well, there was some chance, though slim.

Even in his previous life, when Lan Yi changed faces and bedded countless goddesses, absurdly competing for chief godhood, he did so with a disdainful attitude toward the foreigners—like a domineering hero seizing goddesses and brawling with the weak, rather than integrating as a contributing member.

If Lan Yi really agreed...

To be honest,

reborn individuals of Jianghe civilization would likely celebrate.

Just then, a figure clad in black armor hurried over to Ji Ning, saluted crisply, and then solemnly reported:

“Director Ji, Mr. Lan is leaving the underground area.”

“So soon?”

Ji Ning was surprised. He had only just come up, yet Lan Yi’s task was already complete. Even for irreplaceable resources, it seemed like just another dish served in a different style. For Lan Yi, it was novelty, not overindulgence.

That was good.

It meant that as other reborn factions hid and fled, gaining power in this chaotic era, many matters would be difficult to rapidly progress without Lan Yi’s assistance.

Psychics prepare for war on a global scale.

This is no joke.

All psychics, wielding destructive power, are also grand engineers. Educated in modern ways, they understand a fundamental truth: one person’s power is limited, but the power leveraged through engineering as a fulcrum is truly infinite.

Take Lan Yi, for example.

Although a lone wolf before rebirth, often roaming the Oceanic civilization’s back gardens or borders, in the artificial divine realm 1909, the Thunder Pool Immortal Lotus, the Twelve Golden Men, martial arts propagation, Daoist transformation, energy conversion—all were foundational modules for large-scale world war deployment.

If these modules advanced further,

they would harness various nuclear power plants, unique outer space psychic energies, and continuously produce Daoist soldiers. Materially, electromagnetic smelting and shaping would enable rapid formation of super-large weapons and projects!

Forge a world by casting a city; forge a city as a world.

Clearly, the main world possesses even better conditions for expansion than artificial divine realm 1909.

On this point,

Lan Yi and Ji Ning silently reached consensus.

At this moment, Lan Yi was relaxed and cheerful, sitting cross-legged atop a high earthen mound, gazing down upon the bustling construction site bathed in sunset glow.

He appeared exceptionally at ease.

And indeed, he was.

Having endured the first wave of assassinations by reborn individuals and completed the reception of “friends,” the brief respite was nearly over, with various troubles soon to arise.

He would inevitably settle scores with Oceanic civilization, and to better complete the projects, he would likely have to journey southeast, where the South Asia region was a den of venom. After the pandemic’s arrival, the chaos and overcrowding there had provided a haven for many unsavory elements. One must clean the doorstep’s filth, lest it hinder work and rest.

After finishing these,

a month would likely have passed.

The difficulty of the second artificial divine realm trial was dynamically adjusted, far less carefree and unrestrained than the first. That was why most reborn individuals made the utmost use of their first trial; the war zones were no cradle of comfort, and deploying psychics had a purpose.

As Lan Yi calmly contemplated the fiery sunset,

an old friend climbed the mound from the other side.

“Mr. Lan, you don’t mind if I join you in admiring this vibrant scene where all things vie for life, do you?”

Ji Ning was the only reborn individual who could freely change his face, showing no trace of a mighty man’s reserve.

Lan Yi nodded indifferently.

Ji Ning then sat down heavily, overlooking the lively construction site together.

“The Xinghan has the most capable workers and engineering teams worldwide. They are working overnight to complete the site you requested.”

Since mutual interests were involved, this was treated with utmost importance.

“The fugitives are being pursued, but they know us too well. Capturing them quickly will not be easy. I hope you understand.”

This was understandable; reborn people were intertwined. Unless Lan Yi killed them all, hunting down those elusive fugitives was exceedingly difficult.

“Have you prepared what I asked for?” Lan Yi finally spoke, withdrawing his attention from the bustling scene.

“Everything but the outer space laboratory is ready,” Ji Ning replied cautiously.

Large and small nuclear power stations, proton accelerators, space telescopes, spatial physics labs, plateau hydrological data, pulsed laser prototypes, nuclear fusion labs, geomagnetic stations, supercomputing centers, tactical and strategic nuclear weapons... and a fully modernized army on constant alert.

Except for the outer space laboratory, which due to environmental constraints could not be temporarily allocated to Lan Yi, everything else was prepared with astonishing efficiency and strength.

Even the Xinghan, rallying the nation’s full power, would find it challenging to assemble all this at once.

In other words,

without a stable, complete Xinghan, Lan Yi’s rapid, stable, and effective assembly of these facilities and weapons across the main world within a month would be nearly impossible.

If not for the arrival of the war zones,

the leisurely Oceanic civilization would never hit the brakes.

Moreover, apart from the two mainstreams of Oceanic and Jianghe civilizations,

other offshoots lacked the capacity to quickly accommodate top psychics for expansion. Even with desperate rehabilitation efforts, these offshoots likely had no chance and would eventually be absorbed or merged by the two main streams.

That said,

what was Lan Yi planning with so many facilities and weapons?

Ji Ning had some suspicions.

Lan Yi, an electromagnetic psychic, when expanded and backed by geomagnetism, essentially unlocked infinite energy for planetary-level warfare. The only challenge was how to rapidly apply extracted energy while simultaneously addressing material problems.

Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared.

This is the mass-energy equivalence.

Humanity harnessed nuclear power through this equation. But if one reversed the equation...

“I told you before, I triggered spiritual energy revival in the artificial divine realm 1909, creating an ultimate causality,” Lan Yi said, eyes fixed on the bracelet on his wrist.

A very ordinary ultra-tech artifact—the outer space physiological bracelet.

Why did Lan Yi need to obscure information? Did he really?

“When all psychics evacuate, according to the underlying logic of the artificial divine realm’s operation, that realm should undergo a wave of time acceleration.”

Any artificial divine realm interfered with by psychics

would exhibit a time difference.

The war zones seemed intentionally adjusted to balance the power levels of the main world and the artificial divine realm before the long-term connection of the two. It was not a one-sided crushing dominance.

This situation would persist until the construction of the Two Realms Mountain was complete.

In other words,

artificial divine realm 1909 should be accelerating.

The trend of history, forcibly reversed by Lan Yi, who triggered spiritual energy revival, might result in up to a century of accelerated time.

Did this relate to the facilities and weapons Lan Yi demanded?

Certainly!

Besides preparing for the second artificial divine realm trial and swiftly resolving initial conflicts between martial and Daoist arts, they were meant to maintain suppression or emergency response power for artificial divine realm 1909 once temporary portals opened.

Decades ahead.

Lan Yi’s fame as an immortal master might endure, but his strength would likely be forgotten by many proud, unruly warriors. For the sake of longevity, what might the proud, formidable soldiers of higher realms do?

Even if the warriors of artificial divine realm 1909 bore mental steelmarks, they would remain loyal to Lan Yi.

Yet Lan Yi had not forgotten.

To quickly grasp Xinghan and promote spiritual energy revival, he left over a hundred Thunder Pool Immortal Lotuses scattered nationwide. These were essentially conversion devices. While capable of transforming spiritual energy, they continuously broadcast signals from the artificial divine realm outward.

The Free Mic could not be shut down.

Imagine playing CS in an internet café, with some irritating player constantly yelling into the mic despite everyone’s pleas to stop. The louder he got, the more enraged he seemed, as if possessed by a raging overlord. Could anyone bear not to offline kill him?

Artificial divine realm 1909 was exactly that situation.

If lucky,

the café was empty, and it was no problem.

But if unlucky, encountering space-time locusts, cross-dimensional immortal sects, super empires, ultimate lifeforms, or doomsday remnants...

Then artificial divine realm 1909 (choking up)... what kind of chaotic scene would it become (choking up)?

Therefore, Lan Yi was somewhat uncertain.

Once the portal opened,

what utterly bizarre scene would the artificial divine realm 1909 reveal?

No matter how wild it became, it was always wise to be prepared.

Having heard Lan Yi’s irresponsible recounting of his assaults on the artificial realm’s order, Ji Ning’s expression swayed between wanting to speak and holding back, finally settling into a mute mixture of admiration and helplessness.

You truly are...

free!

What else could it be? You are the de facto leader of Jianghe civilization. Even if you tore a hole in the heavens, everyone else could only cry while patching it up.

In any case, artificial divine realm 1909 shared both blessings and burdens.

When the portal opened,

the other end, true to the war zones’ nature, would either emerge in a remote wilderness or a world hotspot rife with conflict. Stability was not to be expected.

“No wonder you want an army,” Ji Ning finally understood Lan Yi’s purpose.

Without an army, there was no guarantee against unknown dangers.

Lan Yi couldn’t handle everything alone.

Would he block the portal alone?

Such behavior was akin to an old psychic blocking a spatial waste hole. Once constrained, almost no other tasks could be accomplished.

The two fell into silence.

Both were calculating whether the era’s military strength could cope with the war zones’ unpredictable emergencies.

Unlike psychics,

the military was a professional killing machine.

In many artificial divine realms—be they supernatural, apocalyptic, immortal, or high-martial—the dangers were less severe than those encountered in war-like realms. Against diverse worlds, professional killing machines were formidable; many psychics, if careless, could suffer grievous defeats.

The main world’s military retained combat effectiveness before the old order’s total collapse.

Once informationized technological units deployed,

even the era’s top psychics would hesitate to confront them head-on.

Moreover, psychics and soldiers were not professional rivals.

Many psychics, especially from Jianghe civilization, had military backgrounds.

The reasoning was simple.

Compared to ordinary people with little survival skill, soldiers trained to scout and fight in harsh environments were stronger and more rational. With even minimal help from the war zones, their mission success and engagement with martial and Daoist arts would be markedly superior.

Oceanic civilization was more egalitarian.

Born free, dying at random, with rampant guns and drugs, those from harsher environments adapted better to the artificial divine realm.

Interestingly,

data from the previous life showed that in early stages, Oceanic civilization’s elite were more numerous and capable than Jianghe’s. But once the third trial began, ushering in team and free-for-all battles, the situation suddenly reversed. Jianghe civilization’s elites began to blossom and shine.

Why exactly?

No one could say.

In any case, the military’s existence and higher psychic conversion rates prevented the old order’s slow collapse from causing catastrophic consequences. At least after Lan Yi took over the universal wish machine, he did not need to repair it but could immediately put it to use.

For instance, doing what Lan Yi never tired of.

Five days passed in a blink.

For the main world, the psychic influence was only beginning to spread.

Psychics not only brought back vast data on innate spiritual energy, life clusters, and psychic power from the artificial divine realm but, like twentieth-century explorers, unknowingly carried curses, viruses, parasites, dangerous substances, and other hidden threats beneath the veneer of normalcy.

These insidious entities,

invisible to the naked eye, easily overlooked,

spread rapidly through modern logistics across the globe. In the chaotic close contact between people, beasts, and beasts, their fangs finally revealed themselves.

The first to suffer were

Lan Fang, a Southeast Asian agricultural nation. Despite modern medical defenses, its overcrowded slums without sanitation became cesspools fostering contamination.

It began with a patient zero rushed to the hospital.

Within twenty-four hours, the hospital succumbed.

A virus, causing humans to lose reason, amplify malice, and develop a rice-shaped blood blister rash on their faces, began rampant spread.

Within a day, tens of thousands were infected.

From north to south.

Chaos spread. The blistered, irrational infected fought endlessly, day and night, a ceaseless symphony of slaughter and survival.

This virus, with psychic effects, spread desperately, ushering in a biochemical crisis.

Fortunately,

those who had experienced the artificial divine realm’s baptism in the main world had some psychic exposure, attempted meditation, or spiritual energy absorption. Even if they had not activated life clusters or innate spiritual energy, they possessed some resistance.

As long as one was not in such terrifying slum environments, airborne infection rates were very low.

Psychics who had activated life clusters or innate spiritual energy had minimal infection risk, even when wounded in close combat. With martial law in place, Lan Fang had not yet been overwhelmed by the pandemic.

But since it was a great plague,

the blood blister rash was only a prelude.

The truly terrifying threat was yet to come.

Borneo.

In Borneo, Bonny, Sulawesi, and Temasek, nearly simultaneously appeared creatures called the Blood Clan. Masquerading as psychics, they rapidly multiplied and spawned endless hordes of ghoul-like beings.

They not only spread plague but unleashed curses!