Chapter 325: 325 Thoughts of Lin Bai (Making up for Alliance Hierarch Wu Bai’s missing updates)
"Does your world have a concept of Das Kapital?" Lin Bai silently used the Truth-telling Technique on Zheng Tong.
"What do you mean by Das Kapital?" Zheng Tong asked.
"When capital comes into the world, every pore of it drips with blood and filth. With fifty percent profit, it will take reckless risks; with one hundred percent profit, it dares to trample all human laws; with three hundred percent profit, it dares to commit any crime, even risking the gallows, and it wouldn’t mind sending others to be hanged," Lin Bai explained. "What do you think is the profit margin behind doubling human lifespan through world-transmigration?"
"..." Zheng Tong fell silent.
"Strangling the Cultivators of another world to eliminate the risk of them performing Body Snatching, turning another world into a colony, and extending your own power into another real world," Lin Bai continued. "How many people can resist such temptation? Don’t tell me you didn’t understand the benefits involved when you plotted against my Blood Sect."
"..." Zheng Tong remained silent. He understood the underlying reasons, but he was unwilling to admit it. He wanted to argue, but instead, he said, "Of course, I know. Players must establish their own bases in the game world for quick expansion. Nobody wants you to survive the Heavenly Tribulation..."
Suddenly, his expression changed. "What did you do to me?"
"Truth-telling Technique," Lin Bai said. "From now on, you can only speak the truth. So, think before you speak. Avoid anything inappropriate. We share a body now, and we need to communicate sincerely."
"FUCK YOU!" Zheng Tong spat out angrily.
"What did you say?" asked Lin Bai.
"I fucking want to kill you! Who the fuck wants to share a body with you!" shouted Zheng Tong.
"So how do you plan to deal with me?" Lin Bai asked.
"Of course, the plan was to appease you first..." Zheng Tong’s voice suddenly stopped, his face turning extremely pale.
"See? You can’t even resist a simple Spell of mine. And you still want to drive me out of your body?" Lin Bai said helplessly. "As long as I don’t cancel the Truth-telling Technique, you’d probably be too scared to even speak to anyone else! I’m going to stop using Silence on you now. Redial your boss and tell him what’s happening."
"..." Zheng Tong fell silent.
"You’re scared, right?" Lin Bai said, laughing. "You’re afraid that while you’re reporting, you’ll suddenly blurt out something like, ’Who the hell made you the boss, you stupid pig?’ or perhaps, ’One day I’ll get your hot wife...’"
"Stop talking!" Zheng Tong was sweating profusely. "You’re a devil..."
"I’m glad to hear your true assessment of me. Say whatever you want; I don’t mind," Lin Bai said. "Everyone is duplicitous. Lies provide us with the best camouflage. If everyone spoke their mind, the world would descend into chaos. Calm down for a moment, then we’ll return to our earlier discussion."
"This isn’t fair," Zheng Tong, radiating negative emotions and feeling deeply wronged, said. "I can only tell the truth, but I have no way of knowing if you’re telling the truth or not!"
"I’ve always been stronger than you. It took me just two months to establish the Justice League. You’re just a minor Player in your Sect, perhaps a low-level manager in a company in the real world, someone who can’t even control his own destiny. What right do you have to talk to me about fairness?" Lin Bai responded. "The strong having more say—that’s the greatest fairness in this world. You need to learn to accept that."
"You’re an absolute bastard," Zheng Tong grimaced. "We can’t possibly succeed. The moment you’re exposed, my fate is death. Why not choose someone more influential to possess? I’m just a minor character; why trouble me?"
"It must be fate!" Lin Bai said. "Zheng Tong, don’t consider my possession of you a bad thing. You might just rise to greatness because of it! I can promise not to control your body and to continue existing as we are now. Can you accept that?"
"As long as I’m alive, you won’t be able to take control of my body!" With the Truth-telling Technique compelling his honesty, Zheng Tong was blunt. "Lin Bai, everyone knows about your exploits. I’ve never seen you compromise. Unless, of course, this is something you can’t manage."
"Alright, at least you’re clever," Lin Bai said. "I’m more optimistic about our cooperation now. Zheng Tong, I wonder if your world has stories like this: an ordinary person, by chance, acquires some kind of cheat or a golden finger, then rises against the odds, dominates all opposition, and finally becomes an outstanding figure."
"Those are merely the fantasies of novelists," Zheng Tong scoffed. "There are countless elites in this world. I don’t believe a golden finger would ever favor an ordinary person."
"Why not? Take me, for example. In that situation, you were the best choice. You can think of me as your golden finger—a portable Alliance Hierarch of the Justice League," Lin Bai said. "From now on, with my help, your life will take off like a rocket, and you’ll become the hero who saves the entire world."
"Save the world?" Zheng Tong sneered. "Are you really trying to save the world, and not for personal gain?
"Your point about capital might be valid, but have you considered this: if even a big shot like you can’t control my body through Body Snatching, what makes you think others can?
"In the game world, Body Snatching is a last resort, fraught with peril. How many Cultivators would be willing to invade our world and perform Body Snatching on us?
"If I’m not mistaken, the Divine Skills you use are all based on Rules, right? It has already been proven that Cultivation Rules are completely ineffective in our world. Besides you, is there anyone else in the game world who can master Rules?
"Even if they succeed in Body Snatching, the best they could hope for after coming here would be to become ordinary people! The initiative in both worlds has always been in our hands. We can start whenever we want, and if we detect a threat, we can end it at any time by cutting off the channel to your world."
"Have you ever considered another possibility?" Lin Bai said. "What if the people of this world, having been given gaming capsules, invade our world? And what if the game company gives gaming capsules to the people of the game world and, in turn, uses your world as a playground?"
"That’s just a possibility," Zheng Tong said. "An assumption like that won’t convince me."
"A possibility means it *can* happen. You don’t even know where the game company is, do you? Your world’s level of technology can’t produce these game capsules," Lin Bai sighed. "Wake up! Stop deluding yourselves. The game company is the source of all disasters. If the cause isn’t investigated, neither world will ever know peace. Zheng Tong, follow me! Do this well, and in the future, you will be the savior of both worlds."
"Lin Bai, why do you have to force me? I’m just a minor character," Zheng Tong said hysterically. "The moment you use Spells in this world, forget about investigating the game company; you and I will instantly become enemies of the entire world. It’s just like how the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demonic Sects tried everything to trap you in the Heavenly Tribulation, wishing for your swift demise.
"No one wants someone in the world who poses a constant threat to their rule.
"No matter how powerful your Immortal Techniques are, you’re just one person. Can you really take on the entire world?
"I know you’re trying to persuade me, possibly to save your world. But if you unleash large-scale destructive Spells in this world, causing massive panic, you’ll become a public enemy, not a savior!"
"A correction: I cultivate the path of Rules, not Immortal Techniques," Lin Bai said. "Immortal Techniques might not work, but Rules definitely will. Besides, in the Immortal World, I also started from scratch and built myself up alone."
"You think the situation in both worlds is the same? You think the people in our world are as naive as those in that world? Wait... you’re not planning on cultivating followers in this world, are you?" Zheng Tong, struck by a possibility, asked in astonishment. "By becoming your believers, can people in this world also increase their combat power?"
"Of course," Lin Bai stated firmly. "Zheng Tong, my patience is limited. If you’re unwilling, I can just kill you and possess someone else. It would only waste a few more days. Right now, you have only two choices: either join me, or die..."
"What should I do?" Zheng Tong’s expression changed subtly. He took a deep breath and stopped arguing with Lin Bai.
"First, tell me about the structure of your world," Lin Bai said.
Zheng Tong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Our world consists of five continents, with a population of over ten billion people, and nearly a hundred countries. These countries are divided into Eastern and Western blocs.
"As you know, our world’s technology is insufficient to support such fully immersive virtual reality game capsules, let alone invade another world through them. Even now, we can’t reverse-engineer the game capsules; our current technology can’t even destroy them..."
Through Zheng Tong’s description, Lin Bai gradually gained a preliminary understanding of the real world. It was quite similar to Earth. Population density was high in large urban centers and relatively low in remote areas.
The level of technology was comparable, perhaps slightly more advanced than Earth’s, but not by much.
Financial magnates and governments controlled the world. There were occasional wars, but they were not large in scale. Currently, the entire world was in a relatively peaceful period.
As discussed in private chats among Players, the game company remained a mystery. No one knew its location or its members. Many people even linked the game to extraterrestrials...
The strategy of the powerful consortiums was: if they couldn’t crack the game, they would go along with it and extract the maximum profit.
"...That’s pretty much it," Zheng Tong finally summarized. "The technological gap is too large. We can’t even find where the game company is, let alone deal with it. The current approach of the nations towards this game is also one of laissez-faire. Assuming the game company is benevolent, even if they exploit the time difference to acquire our world’s technology within the game world, it would still be greatly beneficial to us."
He paused, then said, "Lin Bai, it’s still the same point. Once you’re discovered in this world, it will quickly ignite conflict between the two worlds. No one will think of dealing with the game company first; they’ll target you, or rather me, first. As for a covert investigation, they probably wouldn’t even know where to begin."
"Zheng Tong, what do you think is the ultimate purpose of my actions in the game world?" Lin Bai asked.
"Spreading Rules? Defeating Players?" Zheng Tong ventured. "Saving the world?"
"More or less!" Lin Bai, projecting an image of himself sitting with crossed legs in Zheng Tong’s mind, replied. "Actually, everything I’ve done has outraged the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demonic Sects, making them hell-bent on killing me, all because I want to control the narrative in that world."
"..." Zheng Tong was stunned.
"With control of the narrative, anything I do will be effortless," Lin Bai said.
"You’re just a madman who disregards everyone else’s thoughts," Zheng Tong scoffed. "That’s why you’ve put yourself in such a perilous situation."
"No, that wasn’t a perilous situation; it was my land of opportunity," Lin Bai countered. "As long as I survived the Heavenly Tribulation, I would have been the undisputed number one in that world. I was so close to success."
"You clearly had better solutions, yet you chose the stupidest one." Under the influence of the Truth-telling Technique, Zheng Tong’s words were a direct expression of his true feelings. "Didn’t you ever consider negotiating with the higher-ups of our world from the very beginning? Why didn’t you try? You might have succeeded!"
The System had issued no task!
Lin Bai paused. Yes! When did I become so extreme? Did I really want to find the game company? Or had the System spoiled me, making me addicted to this desire for control? If I just wanted to create a comfortable nest for myself and focus on surviving the Heavenly Tribulation, that would have been enough...
Lin Bai sighed, banishing the chaotic thoughts from his mind. "No, you’re wrong. Negotiations also require leverage. Going into negotiations empty-handed only puts you in a passive position."
"So, you want to replicate your approach from the game world in this world!" Zheng Tong suddenly realized, blurting out in horror.
"It’s the fastest way to find the game company," Lin Bai said. "Only by ruining their plans will they be forced to reveal themselves."
"Lin Bai, are you really looking for the game company?" Zheng Tong pondered for a moment, then asked, "Or are you planning to rule both worlds under the pretext of finding the game company?"
"Ruling the worlds is also a way to save them. Even if the game company never shows up, ruling both worlds would resolve potential conflicts at their root, which would also count as foiling the game company’s conspiracy!" Lin Bai said with a smile. "Besides, on that day, the life you’ll enjoy will be far more comfortable than it is now! Look at your current living conditions—not even 300 square meters. I can’t even see a single luxury item in your room. Don’t you find that embarrassing?"
"Lin Bai, you’re a complete madman! You’re the true culprit throwing both worlds into turmoil!" Zheng Tong’s eyes reddened. "In the game, people kept saying you were guiding its progression, but everything you’ve done is clearly destructive!
"It was also you who first broke the barrier between the game world and the real world through Divine Soul Possession... Lin Bai, you are definitely not a native of the game world. Who are you, really?"
"I am the savior," Lin Bai said.
"I don’t believe you," Zheng Tong replied.
"All this talk, and you still can’t stop me. So, are you in or out?" Lin Bai let out a scornful laugh. "I might be inclined towards destruction, but your tone clearly indicates you want to save the world. In that case, you should be my partner. You can even try to reason with me from time to time. If I found someone else, they might not be as well-intentioned as you! Who knows what kind of mess I’d make of the world then!"
"Fine!" Zheng Tong gritted his teeth and spat out the word, uncertain if it was an answer to Lin Bai or a curse.
"By the way, where were you when I was controlling your body?" Lin Bai asked.
"When you performed Body Snatching on me, I lost control of my in-game body and switched to a third-person perspective. Later, when Luo Xue and the others took me away, I was worried something might happen, so I chose to log out," Zheng Tong said. "After logging out, you don’t return directly to the game capsule. You stay on the game interface, check forum information, reply to emails, and things like that. Only when you exit from the game interface do you return to the game capsule.
"When I logged out from the forum, I returned directly to my body, but my body was already out of the game capsule. That’s when I realized you had performed Body Snatching on my real body..."
"Why don’t you try logging back in?" Lin Bai suggested.
Zheng Tong didn’t move, but stood rooted to the spot, his face deathly pale as he muttered, "My God... the game capsules aren’t connecting to our consciousness at all... they’re sending our souls directly into the bodies within the game..."