My wife is the stand-in.

Grandpa Amber pushed his teacup forward and spread his hands: "It's your granddaughter who likes him, but he hasn't agreed yet. What are you worrying about here for? If you're so capable, why don't you make Shuyu change her mind? Who are you trying to impress by giving me this attitude?"

"I'm not your biological father. You've been flirting with young girls and made a mess of things for me to clean up. Now I'm expected to take care of your granddaughter?"

"I think Nozaki is a good person. He doesn't go to bars or flirt with women. He's a good match for Shuyu."

"It's a good thing that Shuyu didn't get involved with you two! Otherwise, the Yushan branch would be in deep trouble from now on!"

After being thoroughly scolded by Amber, the old man surnamed Lin only hummed a few times and did not seem angry.

It's clear that the two have been close friends for many years.

"Then I'll call my son and ask him to get everyone in the factory involved to get this kid trending on social media?"

"The more the better!" Amber put down the teapot, put his hands in his pockets, and said, "If you do this well, I'll clean up the mess for you."

"Also, you're not getting any younger. Stop trying to pick on those young girls. Spend more time at nursing homes and public squares, and find some old ladies to spend your days with. Let the young people be the young ones."

Amber snorted, "You old ox eating young grass, can you even get hard?"

The old man surnamed Lin pouted, looking extremely displeased, and after a long while, he finally uttered a few words:

"Bunny!"

-------------------------------------

Amanosaki, who could only output information but not receive it, couldn't see the changes in the popularity of the live stream.

He was unaware that the official personal account of the Yushan branch had entered the fray, and even less aware that tens of thousands of people had inexplicably flooded into the PK round and were frantically trying to climb the rankings.

In short, Iron-Blooded Train Hero Yang Wanli suffered a swift defeat, ending this PK battle that even the official "Douwu" team couldn't understand. Then, like a ravenous shark, he began a frenzied PK against other streamers.

Countless small streamers suffered as the branch leaders' generous donations swept across the entire PK leaderboard like a storm.

Moreover, following negotiations by the Yushan branch, other branches that had dispatched heroes on patrol boats also expressed their support to varying degrees using their official accounts.

Under the pressure of the top sponsor's official account, many small streamers remained silent, expressing their support for Amanosaki regardless of their willingness.

The audience also realized that this live broadcast, which seemed like a staged performance, was actually real.

Inside the shaft, Amanosaki, kneeling amidst the shattered bones, suddenly raises his fist, signifying the arrival of a turning point.

That string of numbers has finally crossed 100%!

"The hyperspace portal has been established, the divine kingdom of Synapse is online, and the [Universal Card] has been activated."

The four large characters "寂寂无名" suddenly became as thick as stains, twisting and transforming into the brass-colored "崭露头角" (emerging talent).

An unnamed hymn resounded, and a great radiance shrouded the entire shaft.

"Failure is merely a test from God for believers; only the steadfast will attain eternity. He will walk on the earth as in His kingdom."

Amanosaki mumbled sarcastic sayings he'd learned from surfing the internet in his past life, particularly from the "Anti-Pressure and Blame-Taking" forum, looking every bit the devout believer.

The angel spread her wings, feathers scattering as Icarus, a faint smile on her face, stood atop the shaft, her toes touching nothingness. As her wings unfurled, the demons and skeletons in the tunnel melted like ice in a furnace.

The soldiers, dressed in camouflage and holding rifles, stood at the wellhead, looking down at the ugliness at the bottom of the well.

Secular justice and religious justice merge at this moment.

What is your wish?

Icarus parted her lips slightly, revealing full and moist lips that looked like blooming flower buds.

Her voice seemed to be in the sky, yet also right beside everyone, ringing in the ears of every audience member.

Amanosaki placed his left hand on his waist and his right hand on his heart, his gaze intense: "I think my brother is safe and sound."

Then a diamond-like card fell from the ball of light in front of Amanosaki. He took it with both hands, and the card turned into a potion. He helped up Li Junzi, who was burning up and had already begun to get infected, and carefully poured the potion into her mouth.

Just moments before, Li Junzi had been limp and listless. He jolted awake, lazily rolling to his feet and warily surveying his surroundings. When he saw Icarus high above, he looked completely bewildered.

"My goodness, is there really a heaven...? Angel, how come you look just like my sister-in-law today... Waaah!"

Amanosaki rushed forward and covered Li Junzi's mouth tightly: "My brother here has always had some mental issues. He has offended an angel."

As he spoke, he secretly grabbed Li Junzi's lower back and pulled hard, causing Li Junzi to urinate a few drops of cat urine from his eyes.

This scene was spontaneously interpreted by the audience as him being moved by "God" and shedding tears of emotion.

The old man surnamed Lin from the Yushan branch was amused, and he squinted at Amber Gong: "The kid you're so optimistic about is actually calling your disciple a fool!"

Amber Prince snorted coldly: "Hmm?"

The old man surnamed Lin immediately cowered, his eyelids drooping. He hummed a little tune and muttered to himself:

"Fine, I won't say it then. I'll admit defeat if I have to beg."

"What do you wish for?" Icarus asked again.

"Don't ignore me, ahhh!"

Before Amanosaki could reply, the creature bared its teeth and claws, yet couldn't get any closer. Its tentacles futilely pounded against the invisible wall, resembling a sick tiger with its teeth and claws pulled out.

Two cards silently disappeared from Icarus's hand within the ball of light.

It's a universal card!

She and Amanosaki are one, so there's no need for these fancy formalities to fulfill his wishes!

It was all a performance!

Chapter 97: Do no evil, do all good

The Universal Card is a mysterious object that connects the divine realm of Synapse with the mortal world. Anyone who holds it can make a wish and exchange it for something from Synapse.

This thing can be gold and silver, luxury cars and beautiful women, or all sorts of wonderful things that contain divine power.

The productivity of God's Kingdom is different from that of a factory; it is based on science.

Amanosaki used two universal cards to make the wish to 'suppress Liu Nu and prevent him from escaping or making any rash moves'.

Including the card he used to treat Li Junzi, he has now used up three cards.

The cost was that Icarus's popularity dropped by 1.5%.

Fortunately, they are currently live streaming, and the loss of brand awareness is being quickly made up for.

This made Amanosaki feel a pang of heartache. 'When you were Tom, you summoned lightning to kill the Queen Fish, then helped me fight a branch-level demon—and that didn't cost you any fame!'

Icarus rolled his eyes:

'If this were Earth, the universal cards would be endless, but unfortunately, this isn't. In this world, one must abide by its rules; using universal cards across time and space comes at a price.'

'Yubaba's magic has its limits, but the Universal Cards are practically an omnipotent wish-granting machine. Calling them the Holy Grail wouldn't be an exaggeration; collect ten or so, and any magician in Type-Moon can directly wish to see a fleeting moment of the Root.'

"Your wish to heal Li Junzi was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito—a huge waste of talent. You might as well have just wished for his powers to become stronger; then he could heal himself."

"I..." Amanosaki regretted it so much that he wanted to slap himself.

Then, with a shameless grin, he asked, "Can you make me even stronger?"

"Look at your conscience. From the beginning until now, how much have you gained? Just yesterday's medicinal bath alone, if used to its fullest potential, would have guaranteed you reached the branch leader level. You're making wishes now; aren't you afraid of overdoing it? Don't bite off more than you can chew! Liu Nu is a prime example!"

"As for eradicating the four-clawed scaled fish across the entire country, to be honest, given my current level of fame, even exchanging all my cards for universal cards wouldn't be enough. These strange fish are scattered throughout major river basins and the deep sea, affecting over a hundred million people; that's already a grand ambition."

Amanosaki hesitated, not daring to refute.

He knew that Icarus was afraid he would become addicted and dependent on her.

The heroes of this world are those who first have determination and then continuously improve themselves; those who just drift along and wait to die have no future.

Moreover, Icarus did not want to become a man who could only succeed by relying on women.

'Even though I've been living off my own husband quite a bit, I still have to put on a show.'

Amanosaki, having figured out the connection, knelt down with a thud and said in a deep voice:

"Liu Nu, the guard of the Fengdu branch, has fallen into heresy and become a great enemy of humanity. I beseech the goddess to grant me great power to slay this fiend and bring peace to the people of Fengdu!"

These words caused an uproar!

Yang Wanli, who was standing in front of the screen, trembled and stepped back, falling into deep self-doubt.

How could a mere guard have fallen into heresy?!

This is a once-in-a-century major accident!

At this moment, the screen was flooded with comments, full of question marks and exclamations.

Some people even tagged the official accounts of the Yushan branch and the Fengdu branch.

In the shot, the holy Icarus simply nods slightly:

"as you wish."

As he spoke, the three universal cards in his hand disappeared, and a slight muffled sound came from the distant top.

The muffled thuds were very rhythmic, and within just a few breaths, the dense muffled thuds became increasingly clear.

With a dull "thud," a large spear pierced through the thick, impenetrable concrete wall, leaving a cloud of dust as it stuck at Amanosaki's feet!

This massive spear pierced straight through the ground and smashed down relentlessly!

The 1.2-meter-long rifle was crafted entirely from bright silver Damascus steel, its shaft twisted into a spiral shape, the intricate and magnificent Damascus steel patterns revealing an exotic flair. The rifle hummed and vibrated, as if alive, preparing for battle.

Amanosaki picked up the gun, his eyes widening in surprise. He looked up at Icarus, making sure he hadn't wandered onto the wrong set, and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

The gun itself looks normal, but the muzzle...

The spearhead is forked into a U-shape, with two sharp points. Both spearheads are incredibly sharp and so bright that they can reflect a person's image. Coupled with the spiral metal pattern, it is truly awe-inspiring.

Amanosaki was very familiar with this thing; he had seen it countless times in anime and had even played with it at anime conventions.

It was red back then, though.

Yes, this weapon, forged from three universal cards, doesn't look exactly like the Lance of Longinus from Evangelion, but its appearance is exactly the same!

It's like a hardcore gamer who got tired of flimsy plastic and spent a lot of money to create cosplay equipment!

Amanosaki looked at Icarus's wicked creation in his hand and wondered to himself, 'Can I have this thing after I'm done using it?'

"That's why I chose this weapon—it's for you! Creating a weapon to kill consumes far less energy than bestowing the power to kill."

Icarus said she was "afraid you'd become dependent on me," but her actions spoke louder than words; when Amanosaki begged, she actually gave it to him.

'She's truly my good girl! She always grants my requests!'