Chapter 333: 333 Seeking Immortality and Collaboration
Xinlong Group.
Game Comprehensive Service Conference Room.
More than a dozen leaders sat around a table, each with a stern expression.
"...When Zheng Tong first called me, he was struggling with Lin Bai for control of his body. However, the Lin Bai Divided God inside him must have used a Silence spell, causing him to lose his ability to speak. But in a very short time, Zheng Tong lost autonomy over his body. This is why when Zheng Tong entered the game, his temperament drastically changed. When he called me after returning, his thoughts were clear because, at that moment, Lin Bai was already inside his body."
Facing everyone, Jin Zong spoke confidently and explained the conversation Lin Bai had with him. "The above is the content of my conversation with Zheng Tong. It all fits together logically. I initially thought Zheng Tong was seizing an opportunity to elevate his status. Now, it seems clear that Lin Bai was turning the situation to his advantage, creating a plausible reason for pretending to be a Player. Everything he did is very much in line with Lin Bai’s typical behavior. We all fell for it because we subconsciously believe an NPC cannot possess a Player..."
"The embassy was dumbfounded. After being possessed, Zheng Tong didn’t die. When Lin Bai entered the game, Zheng Tong still had autonomy over his body and could move around his room. However, he didn’t report the situation to the company. There are probably two scenarios: either Lin Bai controlled him, or Lin Bai persuaded him. Lin Bai single-handedly turned the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects upside down. It would be easy for him to suppress an ordinary person, especially since he can use Immortal Techniques in this world..."
"Jin Zong, since Lin Bai can possess Players, why didn’t he take the opportunity to act in the real world instead of returning to the game world?" a plump middle-aged man asked, raising his hand.
"Firstly, that world is Lin Bai’s home turf. He hasn’t even sorted things out there, so how can he consider invading the real world? One person cannot fight an entire world; he needs more helpers, and those helpers can only come from there. Secondly, Lin Bai provided a reason: he wants to use Lin Si Bai to rescue his main body, which is trapped in the Heavenly Tribulation. Compared to a Divided God, his main body undoubtedly possesses far greater power," Jin Zong answered.
"Since Lin Bai can use Immortal Techniques in the real world," asked an elderly man with white hair, seated at the head of the table, "can we use Body Snatching as a breakthrough to introduce Immortal Techniques into reality?"
"Yes, introducing Immortal Techniques into reality! That’s the direction we should be heading, for the benefit of humankind!" The Chairman, seated at the head of the table, ignored Jin Zong’s game analysis and said, "Since we’re sure it’s a real world over there, we can start preparing for friendly exchanges to promote mutual growth. We are businesspeople interested in profit; there’s no need for hostility and violence right from the start, is there?"
A brief silence.
Jin Zong said, "The Chairman is right. In fact, we have been striving for peace. But Lin Bai deeply misunderstands us, always referring to Players as ’catastrophes.’ This time, through Body Snatching and crossing over, he learned the true nature of the game, which might make him hate us even more. After all, no one wants their world to be someone else’s playground. But rest assured, Chairman, we will gradually communicate with Lin Bai to resolve this misunderstanding."
"Correct. We are in the open, and Lin Bai is in the shadows. We can definitely operate steadily, gradually gain his trust, and make him one of us." The Chairman nodded and said, "Old Jin, as soon as possible, and without infuriating him, find out exactly how much power he can exert in the real world. Especially, figure out what this Body Snatching is all about. What impact could Body Snatching have on our people..."
He paused, then said, "If negotiations are truly impossible, we must have a way to control him. For the sake of world stability, we cannot let him cause trouble in our world. After all, Lin Bei is always an unstable factor..."
The dozen or so young corporate executives sighed silently.
To those who held positions on Xinlong Group’s board of directors, money was just a number.
Previously, entering the game world was merely a corporate development strategy. They had many theories about the game world, but these were just conjectures. Now, with Lin Bai’s Body Snatching, the two worlds have intersected, finally igniting a previously nonexistent idea in their hearts.
It must be remembered that it’s a Cultivation World over there, where Cultivators can easily live for hundreds or even thousands of years.
The ancient emperors’ and generals’ quests for longevity might have been myths, but that world offered real evidence everywhere...
But how easy would it be to snatch a prize from Lin Bai’s grasp?
If Lin Bai were to use just one or two of his methods in the real world, even special forces would be too weak to resist.
Not to mention, a single Separation of Love technique would be enough for him to destroy the world.
Modern technology can indeed cause greater destruction, but correspondingly, individual strength is far too weak...
They want the prize, but they’re afraid of the price.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
Jin Zong, forcing a smile, said, "Chairman, we will come up with a plan as soon as possible."
The Chairman responded, "Send me all plans concerning Lin Bai for review immediately."
Jin Zong replied, "Understood." He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Chairman, what about... our superiors?"
The Chairman thought for a moment. "You don’t need to worry about our superiors, including Jing Ke and Fengda; I will handle them. We can’t monopolize such a significant opportunity. If possible, start working on the Pill Medicine first. You all discuss it and establish a pharmaceutical research and development department. Try to work on the Dan Fangs from the game. If the Herbal Medicine is different, seek substitutes. That world is real, so there’s a chance Pill Medicine can be produced..."
「...」
In the real world, the Chairman had set the tone.
Meanwhile, Players in the game, like Far Vision Eagle, faced the most severe situation since they had started playing.
Deepdiving Fish lamented, "He hid so deeply; we were all deceived."
Tiger that Controls the Mountain said, "It was Lin Bai’s own doing. He revealed his Ruler. Otherwise, if he had waited until he secured the Cultivation World while pretending to be a Player, then suddenly attacked us, all our efforts would have been in vain."
Like the Midday Sun said, "Lin Bai lost because of his overconfidence. He didn’t consider us at all. He never thought that an entire civilization stands behind us."
Far Vision Eagle said, "Has he lost? Even if you know that Amazing Falcon is Lin Bai, do any of you have a better way to deal with him?"
Everyone was silent.
Ride the Wind said, "Lin Bai is truly remarkable. At the time, not much time had passed after his Body Snatching. Moreover, upon discovering our true identities, he resisted the temptation to explore the real world and directly returned to the game world. He also laid out such a grand plan against us. Furthermore, he easily controlled all the Player forces in the game without revealing a thing. Who among us here possesses his courage, boldness, and adaptability?"
Sunset said, "If he weren’t so exceptional, would the Righteous Door dare send only him to stir up trouble in the world? They have absolute confidence in him! It’s amusing that the higher-ups still want us to deal with him. Sometimes, I feel like just surrendering to Lin Bai. Being his enemy is too exhausting."
Far Vision Eagle said, "Stop this useless talk. Let’s first discuss how to deal with Lin Bai! He has body-snatched a Player, so he definitely knows about the forums, live streams, and private chats. I assume we have no secrets from him now."
"The private chat issue is easy to resolve: discuss important matters in team channels as much as possible and avoid public channels," Like the Midday Sun said. "The key is the other aspects; we must prepare for the worst-case scenario. For instance, the body-snatched Lin Si Bai and Lin Bai might not be two separate individuals as we imagine. Perhaps Lin Bai knows everything Lin Si Bai has done and is just playing dumb to lull us into complacency..."
"If he’s acting, we’ll play along," Cunning Fox said. "Develop a plan. Try to guide him in our desired direction through forums and private chats on public channels."
"Is it remotely possible that everything we’re doing is exactly what Lin Bai wants?" Cunning Fox continued. "Lin Bai’s setup is so intricate. Could he have deliberately left Zheng Tong as a vulnerability to lure us in...?"
"Don’t be overly suspicious. Even the wise make mistakes. It’s already impressive that Lin Bai devised such a meticulous plan in such a short time. It’s normal for him to have oversights since he doesn’t understand our world. How could he possibly cover every angle? Don’t deify him," Far Vision Eagle said. "The dilemma we face now is that our superiors want immortality; they want the fruits of the Immortal World. To fulfill their requirements, Lin Bai cannot die. Perhaps we even have to help him conquer this world?"
"We can’t do that. Once Lin Bai has no enemies, we will become his enemies," Like the Midday Sun said. "We must keep the members of the Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects alive."
"Has anyone considered another problem?" Stir-shit stick, who had been silent until now, asked. "What if more Players are body-snatched? What if *we* are body-snatched? Right now, there’s only Lin Si Bai. What if there’s a Lin Wu Bai and a Lin Liu Bai in the future? Are we really going to endanger the real world?"
Everyone looked at each other in consternation, falling into silence.
"In reality, we all know the best method isn’t peace, but conquest. Only when power is in our hands do we have a say." Stir-shit stick sighed deeply. "When two worlds collide, is there really such a thing as peace and compromise? There’s only invasion and annihilation, with the strongest ultimately deciding everything. The correct approach is to kill the body-snatched Zheng Tong and eliminate the source that threatens our world..."
Idiot!
If Lin Bai could be killed, he would have been dealt with long ago. Why would it be this troublesome?
Everyone at the meeting directly ignored Stir-shit stick’s statement.
Far Vision Eagle looked around at everyone and said, "Divine Souls fear ultraviolet and infrared rays. Before Lin Bai begins the Body Snatching process, people like He Qin should remove the light strips. Have the Artifact Refining brothers work harder to produce more concealed light strips, striving to make them standard equipment for every Player. As for Lin Bai, continue to treat him as Sky Falcon. Secretly inform all corporate-affiliated Players not to discuss any useful information in public channels or private chats. Before corporate Players post on the forums, their posts must be reviewed by headquarters. Everyone’s speech and behavior should remain as normal as possible. Don’t let Lin Bai notice any abnormalities, and await feedback from the real world. Zheng Tong is the key..."
「...」
Players had no secrets from Lin Bai.
Private messages and team chats were completely transparent to him.
The Players held meetings and discussed countermeasures, formulating undeniably meticulous plans.
But after only a few encounters, Lin Bai knew the Body Snatching incident was exposed. He also understood the desire of the real world’s elite: to seek immortality!
He sighed. Indeed, no matter the world, human greed never changes...
All along, he had only worried that the Body Snatching incidents would cause social panic, overlooking this particular aspect.
This outcome was also good.
With this ’talisman’—their desire for immortality—Zheng Tong’s safety could be fundamentally guaranteed, and Lin Bai also gained some negotiating leverage.
Lin Bai couldn’t help but marvel at the real world’s efficiency. One person against an entire world—it was incredibly intense. The slightest flaw, and it would be seized upon.
Without the System he possessed, trying to navigate this world, he feared he wouldn’t even know how he died. Some things couldn’t be achieved by intelligence alone.
「...」
Without the Card couple backing him, Lin Si Bai’s progress slowed after leaving Taiyi Country, home of the Magpie Bridge.
At their current speed, they would need at least seven more days to reach the Beast Taming Sect. With little else to do during the journey, Lin Bai pondered for a moment and chose to log out.
He decided to make initial contact with the real world using Zheng Tong’s identity.
Bringing some matters into the open could actually be quite beneficial.
The Seven Righteous Sects and the Five Demon Sects were at odds with him. The Players were an excellent point of leverage. No matter how well one handled schemes and tricks, it wasn’t as satisfying as an open and straightforward confrontation...
「...」
Lin Bai suddenly logged out. This caused a commotion in both the game and the real world.
Zheng Tong was sitting in front of his computer, idly watching a game live stream and occasionally browsing posts about the "Land of Gods and Demons." Lin Bai’s image suddenly appeared in his mind, startling him. "Why did you suddenly log out?" he asked curiously.
"Traveling gets boring. I thought I’d roam around your world for a bit to kill some time," Lin Bai communicated using his Mind Reading Technique.
One should know when to keep a low profile.
If the Players discovered he could even eavesdrop on team channels, any chance of cooperation would vanish. It would also make collecting information much more difficult for him.
"Go out for a walk?" Zheng Tong was horrified. "Everyone knows I’m the Alliance Hierarch of the Justice League! All eyes are on me. If you log out of the game to roam around just because you’re bored, how will people see me? It would be strange if they *didn’t* suspect me!"
"Well now, your IQ seems to be online. You’re actually analyzing the bigger picture," Lin Bai teased.
"Hurry back into the game! If you stay out too long, someone might really come to investigate me," Zheng Tong said anxiously. "For your sake, I haven’t dared to leave the house these past few days. When I’m hungry or thirsty, I just lie in the game cabin and absorb nutrient solution. It couldn’t be more boring! After all my sacrifices, how can you be so reckless?"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! The sound came from the door.
Zheng Tong’s expression changed dramatically. He turned to get back into the game cabin.
At this moment, a voice came from outside the door, "Zheng Tong, open up. We’d like to talk with Mr. Lin Bai?"
Zheng Tong was stunned. "They know?"
Hearing the voice outside, Lin Bai was speechless. He had to admit, people in the real world were incredibly sharp. If the old fogeys from the game world’s Sects had such meticulous minds, he probably would have been finished long ago, even with the System, and would never have been able to develop.
"Open the door," Lin Bai ordered Zheng Tong.
Zheng Tong walked stiffly to the door and opened it.
Outside the door stood the corpulent Jin Zong, flanked by two young men dressed in black.
Jin Zong looked at Zheng Tong with a grin, saying, "Mr. Lin is indeed alert. I wonder where we slipped up for Mr. Lin to have found us out?"
Zheng Tong looked at Jin Zong, his expression strange. "Jin Zong, Lin Bai said he was just bored with traveling and wanted a change of scenery, to familiarize himself with this world. It was your knocking and your question that exposed you."
"..."
Jin Zong’s smile froze on his face.
Clear emotional feedback registered in Lin Bai’s mind: [Resentment from Jin Kai +1, +1, +1...]