Chapter 468 - 449: Lottery Compensation! Take Off
He didn’t buy it?
Senior Brother... didn’t buy it?
On the verge of a breakdown, she stared in astonishment at the Grandmaster’s Chair before her.
The figure who had remained motionless through hundreds of loops was now, impossibly, moving.
But his eyes held a look of helplessness and bitterness, mixed with a hint of anger.
Su Ling’er didn’t understand why her Senior Brother wore such an expression.
Her heart suddenly trembled.
’That expression...’
’Could it be because the Demon Venerable’s methods were simply too overwhelming? Under this endless torture, had even someone like Senior Brother, whose will was as firm as a rock, finally been broken?’
’That made sense.’
’Anyone, after being repeatedly crushed thousands of times in this sunless loop, would have their spirit snap.’
’For Senior Brother to have held on this long—even if only by endlessly repeating his past actions to defy the rules—was already a miracle beyond her comprehension.’
’And now, he had finally given up.’
A wave of inexplicable sorrow washed over Su Ling’er.
It was the desolation of watching the first flake of gold paint peel from the statue of a god.
’That damn Demon Venerable behind the Guixi Sect! This damn world!’
...
「Real World, District 9.」
Lin Qingfeng was indeed somewhat angry.
And the blame for this lay with the damned Ashen Heaven Group.
A few days ago, the official "Ultimate Koi" lottery event had been hyped to the heavens.
They called it a chance to change your fate, a key to transcend social classes.
But when the list of winners was released, it was a slap in the face to the intelligence of every player online.
The top five grand prize winners were: Zhang Jiwai, Lin Guorui, Lin Wenshu, Lin Yanan, and Jian Yiyun.
To the younger generation, these five names were just that—five names.
But in the memories of the older generation, this was the once-famous "Busiest Five-Man Group," a lingering symbol of the old world’s privileged elite!
Normally, no one would have thought much of it. After all, people with the same name were more common than stray robotic pet dogs these days.
The problem was, the real Zhang Jiwai himself unexpectedly came forward.
He even posted on the community forums.
The title was just one sentence: "Which young master felt like playing a game?"
In the post, he claimed his prize had been fraudulently collected and demanded the officials correct the error immediately.
This single stone stirred a thousand waves. A little digging revealed a shocking truth: the "Busiest Five-Man Group" of old had been resurrected.
The players exploded.
’So while we’re grinding away at the game every day until our brains turn to mush, some ghosts from the old era can still cheat using their privilege?’
Zhang Jiwai became the vanguard for those demanding justice, especially since a Life Repair Potion was on the line. He could live without the game, but he needed that potion!
But this was just the fuse.
What truly escalated the situation was Ava’s reaction.
As the primary AI governing the entire safe zone, the moment it detected anomalous data streams attempting to interfere with its subordinate AI, the Divine Thought System, it initiated a counter-trace. To its surprise, it found its own permissions had been compromised, preventing it from overriding their jurisdiction.
In response, it directly began to extract the sealed architectures of old-world AIs like Skynet, Ultron, Jarvis, and the Matrix, initiating a comprehensive self-update and triggering the highest-level security protocols.
On the streets, the sanitation bots that usually did nothing but hum and spin in circles sweeping trash suddenly all shut down.
And once Ava completed its full self-diagnostic and update, the Adam’s Heavy Hammer units were deployed.
The news media remained tight-lipped about the matter. Only a few daring underground tabloids published some blurry photos.
Under the neon lights of the deep night, several high-end server rooms hidden beneath the wealthy districts were physically blown up.
Flames lit up the sky.
It was a purge of the old era’s remnants who still dreamed of a comeback.
Rumors even suggested that the incident involved the very same veterans who had built Ava’s foundational architecture.
The internet erupted in debate.
Some cheered: "Those people should have been swept into the trash heap long ago! Well done, Ava!!"
Others worried: "Today it can update itself and eliminate its creators. Tomorrow, will it eliminate us for the sake of an ’optimal solution’?"
All sorts of conspiracy theories were also running wild.
Some stated outright that Ava had awakened to self-awareness and was now clearly in the process of completely breaking free from human control.
Some said this was necessary for the long-term survival of humanity, a mandatory purge of its greedy parasites.
But no matter how fierce the online arguments became, Ava remained silent.
Those who attempted to resist were crushed into paste by Adam’s Heavy Hammer, while their real-world associates who disarmed and surrendered immediately were stripped of their residency rights in the safe zone.
They were exiled.
Thrown into the lawless lands, a place with no climate control, no synthetic food, only radiation, wastelands, and endless scheming.
Left to embrace true "freedom."
The majority of the populace tacitly accepted this outcome.
After all, under Ava’s governance, they could eat and drink well without even working, receive a daily basic income, and play games. If they demonstrated their value or possessed a particular talent, they could even earn a handsome income.
But if the old-world masters and young masters made a comeback, they’d probably all be sent back to the fields to pick cotton, just like in the history vids.
As a result of the incident, the Ashen Heaven Group compensated the players involved, as well as the five real people whose names had been used.
Lin Qingfeng, one of the victims of the lottery fiasco whose winning spot had been replaced by the five-man group, received a belated compensation package after Ava’s purge was complete.
It was the Ashen Heaven Group’s apology to its players.
First, there was a string of dizzying numbers in his Leviathan Bank account.
Besides the money, a special game item lay quietly in his inventory.
[Turn-Based Force Field]
Let wind and thunder cease, let clouds stand still; the myriad laws become a Go board’s lines.
Each move is calculated, each piece placed with care; life and death decided with calm, not by the soldiers’ despair.
The Celestial Dao is constant, and all things have their order. In this Cultivation World, some battles must be slowed down and savored.
[Function: Upon activation, generates an absolute-rule force field in a one-kilometer radius around the user. All targets within the field, friend or foe, will be forced into "Turn-Based Combat Mode."]
[Rule Details:
1. If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move. If I move, the enemy must wait.
2. Regardless of the opponent’s heaven-defying Cultivation or countless magical treasures, they can only perform "idle animations" (including but not limited to: deep breaths, marching in place, leg jiggling, etc.) until their turn ends.
3. Please explore other functions on your own.]
Lin Qingfeng looked at the item and broke into a wide grin.
’Excellent, excellent! Now turn-based combat is my permanent feature!’
’As long as I activate the force field, all hostile targets within a certain range will be forcibly dragged into turn-based combat.’
’Doesn’t matter if you’re a peerless master or a street punk, you’ll have to obediently get in line and wait for your action bar to fill.’
’You poke me, I poke you.’
’I may like Souls-like combat, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying watching others play a turn-based game!’
An image was already forming in Lin Qingfeng’s mind.
’Just imagine it. When that Yunzhou Sword Testing Conference begins...’
’A group of cultivators are about to face off. They’re preparing for Sword Flight, ready to unleash Myriad Swords Return to the Origin, special effects cranked to the max, coolness factor off the charts...’
’Then I suddenly activate the force field.’
’All those arrogant Sect Leaders, elders, and chosen ones are forced to land, one by one.’
’Then they all start taking deep breaths in unison while standing in place.’
’Hoo—Haa—!’
’Hoo—Haa—!’
’And then they duel our sect’s disciples by poking each other back and forth!’
’And there’s so much room for manipulation in there, too.’
Just thinking about that scene, Lin Qingfeng felt he might laugh so maliciously that all his karma points would be deducted.
[The Divine Thought System reminds you: The game has progressed to the auction house segment. Please enter the game.]
’Now that the excitement in the real world is over, it’s time for the show in the game to begin.’
[Establishing connection...]
[Welcome back to Ashen Heaven.]
[Loading character data...]
Entering the game, Lin Qingfeng glanced at the auction stage.
Same scrawny auctioneer, same pile of junk that just begged to be ridiculed.
"One thousand taels... Any other bids?"
Lin Qingfeng pursed his lips. ’Since I’ve got the item to unlock the story branch, I can’t just go on a shopping spree anymore!’
’I’ll just have to say goodbye to all of you!’
He picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and waited for the Memory Stone auction to begin.
’If I’m going for a speedrun, I might as well get straight to the point.’
...
Su Ling’er knew nothing of the events that had transpired in the real world over the past two days. All she saw was that after countless repetitions, her Senior Brother had finally stopped his "buy everything in sight" spree!
’Senior Brother is finally making his move!’
The heart that had been caught in Su Ling’er’s throat dropped, only to leap right back up again.
Senior Brother didn’t raise his paddle.
That damnable Nightlight Glazed Cup—Senior Brother didn’t bid.
Next was the red coral—Senior Brother didn’t bid.
The pipa—Senior Brother didn’t bid.
The beast bone—Senior Brother still didn’t bid.
At that moment, Su Ling’er’s gaze followed Lin Qingfeng’s to a tray that had just been carried onto the stage.
Two burly men carefully unveiled the red cloth.
A simple, ancient-looking stone rested on a bed of silk brocade.
"Everyone!"
The auctioneer wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, forcing himself to rally and trying to salvage the lukewarm atmosphere.
"Everyone!"
"This is an ’Energy-Storing Memory Stone’! It is said to be a relic from the ancient immortals, containing a universe within. It can record sound and light, a truly priceless treasure! The starting bid is fifty thousand taels!"
"The starting bid, fifty thousand taels!"
Before his voice had even faded, a hand shot up, holding a paddle high.
That familiar voice rang out abruptly in the hall.
"One hundred thousand taels."
"I’ll take it."
The utterance of these three words brought the somewhat noisy hall to a standstill.
The auctioneer’s hand, holding the wooden gavel, froze in mid-air.
’Wait, I started the bidding at fifty thousand, and you just doubled it?’
’Which rich young master is this? Does he think money grows on trees?’
In the back rows, several buyers who had been preparing to raise their paddles and snag a bargain froze with their hands halfway up, then simultaneously pulled them back.
’He just doubled the price right off the bat, and for a Memory Stone? How are we supposed to compete with that?’
Someone in a corner, refusing to be intimidated, raised their paddle. "One hundred and one thousand taels!"
Lin Qingfeng’s paddle went up again.
"Two hundred thousand taels."
"..."
The whole hall erupted.
"A hundred thousand taels, no, he just raised it by a hundred thousand taels? Is he insane? The man must be insane!"
"Two hundred thousand taels? Just to buy a Memory Stone? Can you eat that thing? Does it extend your life?"