Chapter 104 Frenzy like a tide
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If people had been somewhat reserved in their attitude towards the game before, now the overwhelming frenzy broke free without any reservations.
People chanted slogans, carried bright banners and signs, walked onto the roads, and eagerly approached anyone passing by to introduce “Earth Online” with great enthusiasm.
“This was the most fun game I had ever played! You would definitely regret it if you hadn’t tried it!”
They gathered around people, amidst the chatter, one could barely catch a few sentences, all praising and glorifying the game. “There was even a deity in the game. If you make a wish, there’s a chance it would come true.”
The surrounded pedestrians felt lost, unsure of what to do, and mentioned that they also played games, so there was no need for an introduction.
However, that group of people wouldn’t give up, grabbing the passersby and asking if they had reached level ten or encountered the divinity in the main storyline…
The passersby didn’t understand, so they nodded with confusion.
The group of people excitedly told the passersby about the greatness of the divinity. Some even shared personal stories, claiming that their loved ones had been lost but returned after pleading to the deity.
The confusion on the faces of the passersby turned into hesitation, and eventually became a mixture of belief and doubt.
Lin Zhaohe stood on the upper floor and saw everything through the window. He thought those people were crazy, but soon he realized that it wasn’t just them.
Everyone on the internet went crazy.
The incident where the monster turned into confettis was recorded by someone and shared online. The person who shared the video seemed to be one of the passersby that Lin Zhaohe saved. In his phone, he captured the tragic scenes of people suffering during the disaster—the people who died in the snow, their terrible state fully revealed in the video.
Mutilated bodies and crying crowds made everyone who watched the video feel unbearable sadness. When the video showed the giant monster about to fall, there was no joy of victory in people’s hearts…
This wasn’t a special effects show or a disaster movie. The countless bodies under the giant monster became a painful trauma in people’s hearts. This trauma couldn’t be healed or erased. The wounds would only worsen over time, and people could do nothing about it.
Prayers emerged at that moment, like the pained cries of a dying beast—extremely helpless, mixed with the cries and sobbing of children, like background music from a disaster movie.
The world turned gray. People stood on the street, looking like puppets, staring at the shadows above their heads, their expressions numb and full of despair. Until… colorful snowflakes fell, the monster turned into exploding balloon, like a celebration of Christmas, bursting within the onlookers’ eyes.
In the video, Lin Zhaohe heard people cheering, but the most enthusiastic cheers were happening outside the frame.
Below this video, there were already tens of thousands of comments, growing at an exaggeratedly fast pace. One highly upvoted comment informed viewers that the deity in the video was from the game “Earth Online.” It described the deity as compassionate and gentle, loving their devout followers and willing to fulfill any wish.
The voices of the opposition were completely overwhelmed. Everyone clung tightly to their only hope, like a drowning person grasping at a straw.
Overnight, it seemed like everyone had joined the side of the proponents.
“There’s no other way. If we keep on fusing, we’ll eventually lose even our last space for survival. In that case, why not try a different method?”
“Yes, exactly. If that merciful divinity truly came into reality…”
“It would be wonderful if it really happened in reality.”
…
Like a tide drawn by the moon’s gravity, a deluge of voices drowned out everything. Previous appeals for reason became futile as people were engulfed in the frenzy.
Lin Zhaohe looked at the computer screen, feeling completely out of place in this world.
At the same time, the online player count of “Earth Online” was experiencing an explosive growth. When Lin Zhaohe entered the game, the online player count had already surpassed one billion. This was an almost insane number considering the massive deaths caused by the fusion process. The current total population on Earth was only about 1.5 billion, which meant that nearly two-thirds of the population were in this game, attempting to understand the legendary “divinity.”
Following a trajectory similar to historical development, it was highly likely that the divinity would become the most popular 2D character in human history. Once in reality, their popularity would transform into tangible power, influencing the real world.
Lin Zhaohe suddenly realized that he was witnessing a historical event, a terrifying one. The people caught up in this collective frenzy would lose all rationality, becoming a mindless collective. Even if there were occasional voices of reason, they would easily be overwhelmed.
Standing in the crowded square, Lin Zhaohe unexpectedly felt a sense of loneliness. He remembered what the gradually frenzied people were capable of, and a chill ran down his spine for no apparent reason. He grew concerned about Zhuang Lao and quickly dialed his number.
No one answered the call.
Lin Zhaohe tried several more times but couldn’t reach Zhuang Lao. Instead, he received several messages from Lin Yan, asking about his whereabouts and urging him to stay safe.
“What’s going on?”
“Everyone has gone mad,” Lin Yan said. “They’ve started investigating people who haven’t been playing the game…”
Lin Zhaohe: “……” It was like going from one extreme to another.
Lin Zhaohe: “Do you know where Zhuang Lao went?”
Lin Yan: “I don’t know.”
Lin Zhaohe thought for a moment and decided not to mention Zhuang Lao to Lin Yan. After all, it seemed like he was the only one who knew that Zhuang Lao was the deity…
People had gone mad, and the entire world had gone mad with them.
Zhuang Lao had been missing for three days, and no matter how Lin Zhaohe tried to contact him, there was no response. However, during those three days, everyone seemed to be experiencing good fortune except for Lin Zhaohe.
The fusion zones began to disappear at an astonishing speed, along with the 2D creatures that posed a threat to humanity.
The S-class fusion zones, which were previously completely unsuitable for human habitation, had miraculously returned to its pre-fusion state. Lin Zhaohe once again saw the long-unseen forest park, and the familiar scenery made him feel like he had traveled through time. He remembered the beautiful moments he had spent there, his parents who enjoyed hiking, and even the shops selling trinkets in the forest park. Although the shopkeepers were gone, the appearance and decorations of the shops were exactly as he remembered.
It was an indescribable feeling, as if waking up from a nightmare and discovering that life had returned to normal. They could go back to how things were before…
Lin Zhaohe’s reaction was the same, not to mention others.
People said that the divinity from the game had truly come to reality and started granting wishes to his followers. The already fervent atmosphere was ignited even more. Descriptions of the divinity were posted on every street corner, and some people even printed and distributed books containing those descriptions, hoping that everyone would have a copy.
The plan to create a deity had surpassed everyone’s expectations and achieved success.
However, Lin Zhaohe didn’t feel much joy in the face of reality. He was still trying to contact Zhuang Lao and had decided that if Zhuang Lao didn’t reply today, he would go to the server base to find him.
But in the afternoon of that day, the missing Zhuang Lao finally returned. Lin Zhaohe had gone out for a while and when he came back, he saw the guy sitting innocently on the couch, watching TV. The news was broadcasting updates about the divinity, but Zhuang Lao seemed a bit bored and casually changed the channel.
Seeing this, Lin Zhaohe flew into a rage and charged at Zhuang Lao, landing two punches. “What the hell, Zhuang Lao? Playing disappearing tricks on me?”
Zhuang Lao looked a little aggrieved from the punches. “Xiao He’s getting stronger. Those hits hurt!”
Lin Zhaohe: “Where did you go? I was worried sick. I was about to go to your base to find you!”
Zhuang Lao: “I didn’t want to risk exposing our identities and getting dragged into an investigation.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Ah? Did they discover who you really are?”
Zhuang Lao shook his head and said, “They’re suspicious but have no evidence.”
It made sense. Zhuang Lao’s appearance was quite delicate. If Lin Zhaohe weren’t the author himself, he wouldn’t have thought along those lines. The thought of Zhuang Lao being treated as a deity, granting all sorts of random wishes every day, was something Lin Zhaohe couldn’t accept. He wondered what they should do in that case.
“But we won’t be able to hide it for long,” Zhuang Lao said nonchalantly. “If we’re discovered, then so be it.”
Lin Zhaohe asked, “Won’t they lock you up then?”
Zhuang Lao blinked and replied, “Do I look like the type of victim to you?”
Lin Zhaohe thought about it and indeed, based on Zhuang Lao’s current behavior, this guy had none of the innocence and purity one would imagine from a deity. Instead, he seemed like a ruthless capitalist, instilling a sense of terror that he would make all his followers work overtime. Lin Zhaohe felt that there was quite a difference between him and the characters in the game. So, he cleared his throat and said, “Right, why don’t you let me play your game character?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Lin Zhaohe had wanted to play before but got interrupted. Now, he was finally satisfied. He saw Zhuang Lao’s character, a level 200 character, but after entering, he found himself standing in complete darkness, unable to see anything.
“What is this?” Lin Zhaohe was a bit confused.
“It’s the game,” Zhuang Lao said. “Didn’t I tell you before? The deity asked his lover to make him disappear.”
“Right, but his lover wouldn’t actually agree, would they?” He felt that if it were him, he would definitely not agree. It was not the deity that made the world worse, but the greedy people.
“I don’t know,” Zhuang Lao said. “Perhaps they did agree. Otherwise, how would the world become pitch black?” His character finished watching the final scene and plunged into endless darkness. The darkness seemed to foreshadow humanity’s future.
Lin Zhaohe stared at the screen without saying a word. He manipulated the character to move left and right, but there was no contact with the boundaries. Meanwhile, Zhuang Lao’s character seemed to have entered a different dimension, leaving behind only empty darkness.
Lin Zhaohe felt extremely down.
“What should we do now?” Lin Zhaohe asked.
Zhuang Lao was much more optimistic than Lin Zhaohe. “It’s okay. Let me first deal with all the fusion zones and transform the Earth into a suitable environment for humans. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
They could only take it step by step. Lin Zhaohe thought about the fervent followers online and decided that Zhuang Lao should hide his identity and avoid being discovered.
The situation seemed to improve overnight. Many fusion zones began to gradually return to their original state, and the intensity of fusion decreased. In people’s daily lives, there was an invisible guardian who slowly restored human habitats. At first glance, everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction.
Until someone posted on the internet. The person in the post was a level 100 player and described the terrifying developments in the late stages of the game and the changes in the divinity in an incredibly compelling manner.
“It’s a trap,” the poster said. “Don’t trust external entities. They will only make the world worse.”
“Isn’t it greedy humans who make the world worse?” the first comment surprisingly remained rational. “Why blame the divinity?”
“That divinity grants any wish,” the poster said. “Can you imagine how terrifying a world where any wish can come true would be?”
“Haha,” a reply laughed carelessly. “If that’s the case, I wish the entire XX family would die.”
Lin Zhaohe took a sharp breath as he read the post, then turned to look at Zhuang Lao.
Zhuang Lao was busy munching on an apple and naturally noticed Lin Zhaohe’s gaze. He blinked and laughed. “Xiao He, I’ve realized something.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Yes?”
Zhuang Lao: “I don’t seem to be the merciful divinity they expected.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……”
Zhuang Lao’s heart was as tough as iron. He had no emotional fluctuations when it came to these wishes. He was completely different from the compassionate deity depicted by Lin Zhaohe.
Lin Zhaohe questioned with skepticism, “Are you really the one I wrote about?”
Zhuang Lao shamelessly said, “If you don’t believe me, try again tonight. I promise it will be just as beautiful as you described.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……” You’re becoming shameless.
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