CHAPTER 425: CHAPTER 338: CHAOS_2

"Got it."

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Yang Qizhou’s eyes before he redirected his gaze to his phone, opening the ’Inventory’ interface. He was preparing to use a million units of Old Sacrifice to directly elevate the rank of the ’God of Victory’ to the pinnacle of ’Angel’.

As for the other gods being shepherded,

Yang Qizhou was unsure if there were still enough symbols to support their ascension, so he decided to leave it for later.

But just as Yang Qizhou was about to carry out the operation, a faint, ethereal prayer suddenly reached his ears:

"Oh great War Blood, symbol of iron and fire, steward of courage, celestial Star Spirit..."

Someone specially marked had begun to chant the full epithet of the ’Iron Blood God.’ Wait, this prayer wasn’t coming from the ’game world’—it was originating from the real world, and in reality, there was only one person who knew that complete epithet.

A senior member of the Deceit Bureau... Zhou Xu.

He was calling for help.

What exactly was happening?

Yang Qizhou had not intended to respond immediately; he thought he’d wait. After all, the current plotline was at a crucial juncture, and because of the merging between ’Ancient Land’ and reality, the game’s text was already auto-refreshing and syncing with his game character’s actions. Right now, he couldn’t afford to split his attention.

But then, on second thought,

Zhou Xu wouldn’t be chanting the full epithet of the ’Iron Blood God’ at a time like this unless something seriously bad had happened. Moreover, it was highly likely to be related to the convergence of Ancient Land and the real world. Diverting just a bit of focus to this situation might even reveal some unforeseen changes tied to the ’post-cataclysm phenomena.’

"Worst case, I’ll just use the power of the ’King of Nature.’ That shouldn’t waste too much time."

With this thought in mind, Yang Qizhou channeled his attention into the ’Ancient Roots,’ using the faith medium of the ’Iron Blood God’ as a passageway to project his gaze.

...

The Capital City, Deceit Prison.

This facility, although established less than half a year ago, had already weathered countless tribulations. Not long ago, it nearly fell to an invasion by the Hermit Association and Death Cult. Designed specifically to detain players from the ’Deceit World,’ the prison was now enduring a catastrophic calamity.

The once-towering concrete and steel walls had mostly crumbled. The mystic symbols used to suppress and seal ’occult forces’ were now in tatters. All around, shadowy figures clashed, their horrifying powers colliding to create a hellish slaughterhouse.

Elsewhere,

Zhou Xu was drenched in blood, gasping for air, his eyes filled with ferocity. At his feet lay two grotesquely twisted, monstrous corpses, their lives already extinguished.

"Is this really the effect of the convergence between game characters and the real world? And it’s only just begun—how has it already gotten this bad?"

The recent infiltration of Deceit Prison by the Hermit Association and Death Cult had barely ended. In light of the severity, the Deceit Bureau had dispatched two teams of a total of fourteen senior members to provide reinforcement, relieving the heavily injured Zhou Xu and taking over all matters regarding the prison.

But no one expected that during the handover, strange phenomena would manifest in the skies.

Even more unexpected to Zhou Xu, however, was...

The inmates—whose powers were sealed, with no access to phones to continue advancing the game’s plot—had suddenly undergone inconceivable mutations. Their flesh began to twist and contort, transforming them into monsters. They broke through the already fragile containment lines, beginning an unrestrained massacre.

Fortunately, the fourteen reinforcements arrived in time. Otherwise, with only the injured Zhou Xu and his men left after the Hermit Association incident, Deceit Prison would already have been utterly destroyed.

Even so,

The situation for the Deceit Bureau remained dire. Of the fourteen senior members embroiled in bloody combat, a third had already fallen. The rest were seriously injured, barely holding the line.

"Damn it..."

Just then, a harrowing scream pierced through the chaos. It was his colleague, Yang Feng. Engaged in a brutal struggle with a monster, Yang Feng was suddenly attacked by a shadowy figure emerging from the ground. In an instant, he was thrust into grave peril.

Seeing his teammate in danger, Zhou Xu couldn’t hesitate. He drew his handgun and pulled the trigger repeatedly,

’Bang! Bang! Bang!’

Bullets infused with mystical energy ripped through the shadow. It howled in fury before vanishing into the darkness.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhou Xu moved behind Yang Feng. After dispatching the monster before him, they stood back-to-back, scanning their surroundings with unwavering vigilance.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on? I don’t mind the fighting—what gets me is being dragged into senseless life-or-death battles. It’s just infuriating..." As he spoke, Zhou Xu fired off several more shots, driving back the attacking monsters.

Yang Feng, now even more grievously wounded than Zhou Xu, gasped heavily. While fending off another assault, he answered: "Chief Zhou, I think I might know the cause."

"What is it?"

"It’s a god presiding over ’Chaos.’ A certain player possessing the ’Chaos’ trait has become its vessel. That god’s power is now manifesting in this world through them. That vessel is likely in the deepest part of the Deceit Prison."

Zhou Xu froze momentarily before understanding.

Though Deceit Prison had the characteristic of sealing players’ powers, sealing was not eradication. The prisoners’ ’Fate’ blessings remained, making them potential bridges for communication with gods from the Ancient Land. Especially during the convergence of the game world and reality, this latent danger had magnified.

Zhou Xu said gravely: "So if we eliminate the vessel with the ’Chaos’ trait hidden in the depths of the prison, we can quell this disaster?"

Yang Feng was about to reply when another figure appeared beside them.

This individual, bathed in blood and radiating overwhelming murderous intent, instinctively alarmed Zhou Xu and Yang Feng. But when they saw who it was, their tension immediately dissipated.

It was none other than Li Yawei.

The captain of one of the two reinforcement squads.

"I overheard what you just said. It’s a solid suggestion. Indeed, one of our members, skilled in ’Exploration Domain,’ has observed the source of all the distortions deep within the prison. However, with our current strength, barging in to eliminate the target is highly improbable."

Even as he spoke, the three of them worked in sync to repel another wave of monsters. Then, Li Yawei pointed toward the depths of the prison.

Amid the prison’s chaotic carnage filled with death and destruction, there were always about twenty monsters stationed on the only way through, holding their position without joining the wider battle. These creatures exuded an overwhelming sense of menace.

Having finally identified a method to quell the disaster, only to find it unattainable, Zhou Xu’s expression hardened.

It was at that moment,

Yang Feng’s eyes lit up with an idea. Visibly excited, he couldn’t contain himself: "Chief Zhou, Chief Zhou, we might be able to call upon him. With his power, he could likely bring this whole crisis to an end with ease."

A monster tried to exploit Yang Feng’s distraction with an attack, but Li Yawei intercepted it.

Hearing this, Zhou Xu’s eyes brightened briefly before darkening with hesitation.

"Last time, we were only able to ask for his help because of a favor. But this time... I’m not sure he’d intervene."

Yang Feng responded decisively: "No matter what, we have to try. With the prison’s current forces, it’s barely holding back the monsters. Let alone the shadow of a god presiding over ’Chaos’ lurking behind them. If these creatures break out, it will spell catastrophe for the nearby cities."

The truth of the situation left no room for debate.

Zhou Xu wasn’t one to dither. After weighing the stakes, he wasted no time and began chanting the complete epithet of the ’Iron Blood God.’

Li Yawei, overhearing this, was bewildered: "Who are you calling for help...? Wait, why is Old Zhou chanting the full epithet of a god? Stop, immediately."

Yang Feng, still fending off attacks, casually replied: "Captain Li, do you think just the two of us managed to deal with the Hermit Association and Death Cult’s joint invasion last time? Don’t worry, this god’s full epithet is safe; it won’t trigger anything horrific. As for whom we’re summoning... He’s the Deceit Bureau’s only S-tier unregistered player. They call him the ’lamp holder.’"

At that moment,

A power saturated with Iron Blood Aura descended.