Chapter 030 : The Value and Irony of This "Group Photo"

Before Ling ke crossed over, he had watched a movie called The Avengers.

He knew that the plot of this movie wasn't particularly deep, just a pure special effects spectacle.

But there was one small development in it that he found quite interesting.

Namely: The scene where the trickster god Loki deliberately gets captured, causing tensions within the Avengers to rise sharply, leading to a brief fracture, and even mutual wariness and hostility.

Now, Ling ke is pulling the same trick.

He knows that, since he hasn't yet drawn a truly powerful game character template and currently doesn't have a single "Herrscher-level" combatant on hand...

With his side lacking high-end combat power, he naturally has to be wary of the enemy's high-end combat power.

For example: Kevin Kaslana.

And because Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent have now formed an alliance, he must further guard against Kevin, this ancestor, potentially giving his descendants special treatment.

Like... opening the Stigmata Space to Durandal, allowing her to achieve "Tian Yuan" ahead of time.

Besides, there's Raiden Mei... the one in the Elysian Realm might just give her a boost with the "Origin" buff.

Add to that the seemingly harmless but with potential rivaling the Earth's god, Seele...

And... if the runaway child's rebellious phase ends, directly "Herrscher of Sentience + Garuda Artificial Stigma" Fu Hua...

And then there's Otto...

Ling ke is well aware that if he only had to deal with the protagonist group from the original storyline, it would actually be easier.

He could just threaten them with the lives of ordinary people.

This vicious move, while not guaranteed to be 100% effective, would at least make the protagonist group hesitate.

The fact that Welt decided to publicly announce the "hunting declaration" content he revealed earlier is proof enough of this.

However...

The same situation, if handled by Otto and Kevin, would be entirely different.

These two are the type who "know it's not just, but will do it anyway."

They are too decisive, willing to sacrifice others, and even themselves, without hesitation.

Therefore...

"A game isn't fun if it's too easy."

Inside the Dominion Theater, Lingke narrowed his eyes, "It's this level of difficulty that makes it interesting to challenge and gives a sense of accomplishment when you clear it."

"And..."

He thought to himself, "For those 'enemies' of mine, over time and with repeated encounters, simple acts of killing are no longer enough to 'break their hearts.'"

Indeed.

Just look at the changes in Raiden Mei recently.

The first time they reunited, she was completely unable to handle Ling ke's "provocations."

But by the second time, she had already started to take a hardline stance.

This is not the result Ling ke hoped to see.

He wants these people to suffer forever.

Not to inspire them, to clarify their hearts, and to resolve to join forces to defeat him.

The same goes for Rita...

Her mindset is more mature, making it harder to "break her heart."

Even if it works, the impact is minimal.

So...

"So, in the end, I still have to serve that 'main course' that I've meticulously prepared for."

Yes.

Ling ke has already thought of a plan cruel enough to make all his enemies collapse and suffer endless, heart-wrenching torment...

And sending the "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" as a wedge is the first step in that plan.

As for the second step...

"Let's wait and see who can't hold back first and secretly comes to contact 'me.'"

Ling ke began to look forward to it.

******

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Ling ke is clearly a man of his word.

Now, although his current core objective has been achieved, and the "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" appears to have been captured but was actually deliberately left at Schicksal Headquarters... he hasn't forgotten to do something else.

Namely: Launch a full-scale attack on the nine cities other than Manchester.

"A person must keep their word."

Inside the Dominion Theater, Ling ke's true body sneered, "Otherwise, some people might think I'm playing house."

"By the way, the results of this battle can also slightly stimulate their nerves, making the 'negotiations' they think are happening come sooner."

"I don't want to wait much longer."

"And you... can't afford to wait at all."

Clearly, Ling ke had planned everything out.

Sure enough...

At Schicksal Headquarters, just over ten minutes after the "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" was trapped, the higher-ups of the three major organizations came to see him together.

At this point, the latter group didn't even have time to properly prepare a meeting room.

They directly gathered in the compartment of the prison where space had been sealed by the "Second Divine Key."

Upon closer inspection, this place was quite similar to some virtual training fields used for combat.

At this moment, Otto, Welt... and even Kevin, the leaders of the three major organizations, along with their subordinates, colleagues, and partners, all gathered at the higher observation point.

To be honest...

"From my perspective, this is truly a spectacular sight."

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" sneered and muttered this sentence.

And his words were naturally picked up by the high-precision audio capture devices installed in this prison... or rather, large-scale secret room.

For a moment...

"Tsk~"

Others might not say it, but at least Dr. Tesla couldn't help but click her tongue.

Clearly, the number of people who didn't want to be in the same room as Otto was far more than just Kiana.

Even now, for Kiana personally, she felt that the consciousness of the "Herrscher of the Void" she had suppressed was becoming more violent.

What was that saying again?

Oh, right!

"When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury!"

The mocking voice of the "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" rang out once more.

"Let me see..."

His gaze swept over the people who had appeared at the observation point.

He even used his hands to mimic a camera frame, squinting his eyes...

"The person whose father was killed by Otto."

"The person whose mother was killed by Otto."

"The person whose best friend was killed by Otto."

"And even someone who was killed by Otto... 'themselves.'"

"And then... all standing together with Otto?"

"Hahahaha!"

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke," who had already raised his hands, couldn't help but clap, "What a perfect match, you all."

"Too bad I don't have a Polaroid camera on me, or I'd really capture this overly darkly humorous... historic moment!"

"Yes, absolutely, you've only lost your loved ones, but you still have him (Otto)!"

"He (Otto) can completely fill the void in your hearts, can't he?"

Hearing this, many of the people above had extremely unpleasant expressions on their faces.

But among them, Kevin and Otto were clearly not included.

At this moment, the expression on the face of the "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" suddenly turned cold...

"So I say, is this what humanity in this era has become?"

"It's even worse than the last era!"

The "Domination Puppet: Ling ke" spoke as if he were an announcer, "By the way, what was the final outcome of the Earth's human civilization in the last era?"

"Hmm, it was destroyed."

He narrowed his eyes, "So, this even worse era naturally can't have a better ending than the last one, right?"

"Otherwise, it would be too unfair."

"You..."

A certain lobster doctor couldn't hold back and was about to lash out.

But she was immediately stopped by Welt, who had been prepared, as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

At this moment, Dr. Tesla turned her head to look at him, seeing him shake his head helplessly...

"Don't forget our purpose."

Hearing this, Dr. Tesla took a few deep breaths.

Finally, she managed to suppress her easily provoked temper.

But she didn't take her eyes off the "Domination Puppet: Ling ke."

This was a reflection of her sense of responsibility.

She was not running away.

As for the others...

At this moment, the people present at the scene were:

From Schicksal: Otto, Durandal, Rita, and Amber.

From Anti-Entropy: Welt, Tesla, Einstein, Bronya, and temporarily accompanying them, Kiana, Fu Hua, and Theresa.

From World Serpent: Kevin, Raven, Jackal, Gray Serpent, and... also temporarily accompanying them, Raiden Mei.

The "Big Three" were all here.

However...

"Otto hasn't yet exposed Li Sushang's existence."

"Kevin hasn't exposed 'White Feather.'"

"From Anti-Entropy, Seele didn't come, probably because Bronya didn't want her to be too involved in matters related to me."

"Raiden Ryoma isn't here either..."

Ling ke, indirectly observing all of this from behind the scenes, had many thoughts running through his mind.

In the end...

"Sure enough, it's not much different from what I expected."

Lingke smiled, "Since you all love to gather so much, I'll take this opportunity, under the cover of the war reports from those nine cities..."

"To take the 'Moon' first!"