The rain grew heavier.
Water overflowed across the ground, soaking into the earth and turning the mud thick and clinging. Tang Erda followed Spades unsteadily. In the downpour, he could barely make out Spades' rapidly moving figure ahead of him.
Spades was clearly heading toward Lake Pluto.
The closer they got to the lake, the deeper the water became. Soon, Tang Erda's lower body was submerged. Up ahead, Spades plunged into the muddy water like a fish diving back into its element.
Tang Erda took a deep breath and jumped in after him.
The lake water was turbid, raindrops pelting the surface relentlessly. Combined with the earlier bombardment of artillery and mines, the lakebed had been completely churned up. Visibility underwater was nearly zero. One couldn't see anything—only feel waves surging again and again. Tang Erda relied purely on instinct and years of pursuit training to keep up with Spades.
From time to time, long, snake-like black shadows slid past him in the darkness. Tang Erda dodged them cautiously without slowing down.
Spades swam quickly. It didn't take long before they reached the bottom of the lake.
The lakebed looked drastically different from when they had come to plant mines. Countless craters—large and small—pocked the ground, all blasted open by artillery shells.
Fortunately, the water was deeper here, and visibility improved slightly. Through the murky current, Tang Erda could barely make out Spades hovering near the bottom.
Then, calmly, Spades took out a rotting, still-moving left foot from his waist. He held it up and examined it carefully underwater, like a detector searching for a signal.
Tang Erda followed his gaze.
The explosions had stripped away layers of sediment, revealing an unusual volcanic rock formation beneath. Over it flowed a thick, tar-like, earthy substance.
Spades handed the severed foot to Tang Erda.
Hesitantly, Tang Erda inserted the corpse fragment into the asphalt-like sludge.
[System Prompt: Congratulations to player Tang Erda for triggering the corpse storage point – the bottom of Pluto Lake.]
[Placing a complete limb of the collected living corpse at the bottom of the lake counts as 1 point. Placing a fully intact corpse counts as 20 points. Scattered placement of corpse parts counts as only 12 points. Players are advised to assemble the corpse as completely as possible before placing it.]
[System Prompt: The bottom of Pluto Lake is not currently territory occupied by player Tang Erda's camp. You must either join the indigenous camp that controls Pluto Lake or assist your own camp in capturing it. Only then can points be awarded.]
The corpse fragment slowly slid out of the sludge.
Spades immediately caught it and held it firmly in place.
Tang Erda cast a long look at the lakebed, then raised his head toward Spades. He opened his mouth slightly—bubbles spilling out—and pointed upward, signaling that they should surface for air.
But before they could swim up, the water above them suddenly trembled violently.
Tang Erda's head snapped up.
The countless wooden boats floating on the surface had burst into flames.
Through the distorted water, the burning boats loomed overhead like blazing clouds suddenly igniting in a storm-dark sky.
For a fire attack to succeed during such torrential rain, there had to be something wrong with the boats themselves. Someone must have tampered with them—soaked them in oil, perhaps—turning them into floating fuel.
This was not a strategy the indigenous forces here were capable of executing.
Someone else had intervened.
-----------------
On the surface—
The traditional indigenous people wore shawls woven from straw ropes and feathered ring hats. Armed with guns and artillery, they charged forward on rafts that had not been painted red. A strange accent vibrated in their throats as they shouted.
At the front was the same man who had led the sacrifice earlier. His expression was fierce as he roared:
"Kill these people cursed by God! Take back what belongs to us!"
"The paint given by God will summon unquenchable flames to burn the sinners!"
"Kill them! Burn them!"
The Reverse God and the others, who had been heading toward the river, turned around. Bai Yi climbed out of the water, staring warily at the burning boats.
"Didn't these traditionalists plan to wait until the enemy's attack ended and then turn around to attack us, the new faction that's already exhausted? Why are they suddenly attacking now?"
Bai Jiamu frowned. "Both sides are locked in chaos right now. Attacking us at this moment does them no good at all. Have they gone mad fighting for power?"
"Something provoked them," the Reverse God extended his hand calmly. "Give me the telescope we brought. Let me see what happened over there."
Bai Jiamu handed him a standard telescope.
The Reverse God braced it against his nose. His shaking, blurred vision gradually steadied, focusing on a small smoking patch of jungle beyond the lake.
He adjusted the lens.
Then he gasped.
A shed in the jungle was burning. The highly revered statue beneath it had been shattered by gunfire, splashed with paint, and set ablaze. The entire sacrificial site was in ruins.
Only half the shed had burned. The torches beside it were still lit.
It was obvious—the intruder had smashed the statue during the ritual itself.
The audacity.
No wonder the devout traditionalists were frenzied.
The Reverse God traced the line of burning boats backward through the telescope.
Sure enough, he saw a man leaping nimbly from boat to boat. He carried a gun; bloody bandages wrapped his calves and shoulders. Despite his injuries, he dodged attacks with astonishing agility.
Behind him trailed a long line of enraged natives, chanting religious hymns. Bullets and rockets flew past him.
The Reverse God's pupils contracted.
It was Guy—the one who had surrendered yesterday. One of the main NPCs.
Shouldn't he be at the Red Cross receiving treatment for his serious injuries? Why was he here, burning the statue of the traditionalists?
Though Guy maneuvered skillfully, he still took two hits.
The Reverse God frowned.
Why wasn't he diving underwater? Even in murky water, random gunfire would be less dangerous than remaining a visible target above the surface.
Moments later, the answer appeared.
Guy suddenly raised a massive statue head in front of him and pressed a gun against it. While running, he held it high and shouted passionately at the pursuing natives.
The traditionalists hesitated to shoot.
The Reverse God narrowed his eyes.
Clever. Using the god's head as both shield and hostage.
Bai Jiamu had already taken the telescope and stiffened.
As Guy approached, they could finally hear his voice through the pounding rain.
"You say God exists. You say God saved you. You say God gave you everything—and told you to kill the good people who helped you!"
He stood atop a swaying wooden boat. Several corpses lay at his feet, killed by shrapnel. Their eyes remained open; the blood on them had long since dried.
Guy glanced at the dead with compassion. His eyes were red.
He raised the statue head high and aimed the gun at its forehead.
"This is the only symbol of your so-called god here! If God truly exists—take your head back from my hands!"
The Reverse God's expression changed instantly.
"No. He's using extreme measures to prove God doesn't exist. If he truly shatters their faith, they'll kill him without hesitation. Stop him!"
Bai Jiamu's face tensed. With a flick of his wrist, he threw a gleaming scalpel through the rain.
It struck the gun in Guy's hand.
Bai Jiamu exhaled. "I hit it with my skill weapon. He missed."
At the moment Guy pulled the trigger, the scalpel knocked the gun aside. The bullet went wide.
The leader of the traditionalists burst into manic laughter.
"God sent believers to stop you! God exists! You cannot kill God!"
"God protects Himself—and me! That factory director, that filthy hypocrite, was meant to die under God's will!"
Guy knelt half-collapsed on the boat. His eyelids trembled.
Suddenly, he grabbed the fallen scalpel.
Without hesitation, he raised it—and slashed down.
Bai Jiamu: "!!!"
The Reverse God: "!!!"
What is wrong with this kid?!
Guy seemed to explode with desperate strength. Muscles bulged in his shoulders as he repeatedly brought the blade down. He gasped for breath; rain streamed down his soaked hair.
The statue's head was hacked apart, scarred and splintered under the relentless blade.
Across from him, the traditionalist leader screamed, his voice strangled and shrill. His eyes were wide with disbelief as the painted, "divinely protected" idol was reduced to splintered fragments.
Panic and horror twisted his face.
A native beside him muttered blankly, "How could he destroy the paint blessed by God…"
"Why didn't God drown him with rain? Why didn't thunder strike him down?"
"Why would God allow a traitor to defile His statue…?"
The leader's eyes bulged. He slapped the speaker across the face and roared hoarsely:
"Enough! God exists! God protects us! Will you abandon Him like these traitors? Do you want to be punished and drowned?!"
The murmurs of doubt weakened.
Guy lifted his head.
Through wet strands of hair, his eyes—filled with countless emotions—locked onto the hysterical leader. A sarcastic smile curved his lips.
"God does not exist."
"He has never protected you. You are doing all this for your own desires."
Staggering to his feet, Guy raised the mutilated statue's head toward the leader.
"You coward hiding behind a cult's lies—do you dare face the broken god you created with your own deception?"
The leader's eyes burned red. He raised his gun and screamed:
"Shut up! You are the one abandoned by God!"
Gunfire erupted.
Bullets tore through the shattered idol and struck Guy.
Guy slowly closed his eyes.
A satisfied, weary smile rested on his face as he fell backward—into the lake of death named Pluto—together with the broken god's head.
The Reverse God's expression was complicated. He stopped Bai Jiamu from rushing forward.
"This is the NPC's main storyline. We can't interfere. Just watch. He is destined to die. This is his choice."
Bai Jiamu stared in disbelief. "Why would he choose death? If he hadn't provoked the leader, he might have survived."
"What he wanted," the Reverse God said quietly, "was for the leader to destroy the idol himself in anger."
He gestured toward the natives and sighed.
"Look at their faces. Doubt has already taken root."
"Guy knew that smashing the idol himself wouldn't completely shatter their faith. He wanted the creator of the lie—the leader—to be the one who destroyed it. Only then would they awaken."
The Reverse God exhaled slowly.
"When he surrendered, he was already prepared to pay with his life."
He paused, then frowned thoughtfully.
"But something is strange. According to my previous predictions, Guy's main storyline should have triggered in the mid-to-late stages. Why did it advance to the first day of the war? He already knew exactly what to do to reach his goal. Who taught him?"
Bai Jiamu reacted quickly.
"Abnormal NPC behavior is always caused by players. Someone pushed him toward suicide?"
The Reverse God went silent for a moment.
"…What is this player trying to achieve by accelerating Guy's death—and intensifying the conflict between the two camps?"