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After chatting with Mo Ruqiu, Ji Mo flipped through her old chat history with Jiu Chonglou.

Because Jiu Chonglou is often out of service area, Ji Mo rarely contacts her when she is not around.

When she returned, the two were inseparable again, discussing matters face-to-face and rarely using online chat.

The two had very little chat history; after scrolling up for a short while, they found messages from more than two years ago.

An invitation to join the group.

【White Moonlight】invites you to join the group chat 【Sanchuan Tailor Shop】.

Theoretically, the official work group has a total of 207 people, including those with grayed-out profile pictures.

It can only be described as a company tradition. Since Ji Mo joined the group, the number of chat messages in the group has never exceeded ten. There are no group announcements or group tasks at all.

Even if Ji Mo switches to the message box and sorts by the latest reply, she still has to scroll to the very bottom of the app to find this group.

It's fair to say that Ji Mo has seen more full-time colleagues than the number of chat messages in this group over the past two years.

"The rules world is in such a mess, and no one is offering any opinions. Is it because they don't know the information in other closed little worlds, or are they just too lazy to speak up?" Ji Mo rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Xiao Jiu is the same; she didn't even post a group announcement."

Although it's a group chat, anyone can post announcements; there's no distinction between administrators and regular group members.

After much hesitation, Ji Mo modified the announcement in another group and posted it in 【Sanchuan Tailor Shop】.

"Okay, as expected, there are no read records... Hmm? There's 1 read record?"

Ji Moqie returned to the chat channel and found that someone had indeed replied.

[Ming]: I'll come back after I finish dealing with the records at hand.

"It's Wangshu..."

To Ji Mo's dismay, after Wang Shu finished typing that line, she seemed to have no intention of continuing the conversation.

"The way Sanchuan obtains intelligence is seriously flawed," Ji Mo sighed, turning on the television. "Even with fewer people, this is unacceptable."

Although Jiu Chonglou left without a word, Ji Mo still had to continue what they had been doing before, investigating the situation in the world of rules as much as possible.

After seeing Kuroko on TV last time, Ji Mo remembered the channel number.

Although the program primarily represents the stance of Hope City, or the ghost stories, it can be considered a semi-official channel of the rules world.

Even if the world of rules falls into chaos, the official account will not stop broadcasting.

Today's program has already aired, and the replay has not yet been uploaded, so Ji Mo can only fast-forward through the recordings from the past few days.

The host was still the same strange man in a sharp suit, but with a metal TV head above his neck.

Good evening, residents of Hope City and all our friends who follow our station. Here is a summary of today's news.

"Hope City is now under lockdown, and all entry and exit points will be strictly controlled. Residents are requested to cooperate and minimize unnecessary outings in the near future to avoid unnecessary injuries or property damage."

Several blurred images of the capture flashed across the TV screen, vaguely revealing inhuman silhouettes.

"The border guard has successfully arrested a total of 73 individuals attempting to illegally cross the border, including monsters, humans, undead, and other life forms."

"At the same time, Hope City has recently received a large number of applications to transform bizarre phenomena into ghost stories. Whether or not to follow the current special situation and promote the process of turning these phenomena into ghost stories on a large scale has become a focus of debate in the council recently."

The television screen displayed large posters with headlines such as "Hope City May Experience a Brief Population Explosion," "New Strange Tales of Varying Quality," and "Conflict of Interests Between New and Old Residents."

Regarding whether Hope City will intervene in the current conflict, the high-level spokesperson reiterated: Hope City maintains an absolutely neutral stance and has no intention of intervening in any struggle between the resistance forces and the mainstream supernatural forces. All parties are requested not to extend the fighting to our neutral areas. Out of humanitarian considerations, Hope City is also willing to provide material and medical assistance to other human cities in the world of rules that have unfortunately been drawn into the conflict.

The interview scene appeared on the TV screen, with several strange tales and human figures sitting on both sides of the stage, and a being who appeared to be a human male giving a passionate speech.

Although when people mention Hope City, the first thing that comes to mind is ghost stories, and the second is humans being tamed like pets, these two constitute the most well-known stereotypes.

But in reality, there are quite a few high-level human superhumans inside Hope City.

Some are locals from the world of rules, while others are powerful individuals from both worlds, possessing substantial assets or prestigious titles in the other world.

These people often hope to dress up as helpless humans, be taken in and cared for by a ghost story that evokes pity, and enjoy the love and sincerity they never received in their hometown, while secretly working remotely.

Sometimes they even bring their families along; these families often refer to business partners.

If you don't know their identities, you might mistake them for entrepreneurs simulating starting a business. They'll come over when the argument is about to escalate to the point of violence, hug everyone, pat them on the head, and gently comfort them, telling them not to rush and to talk things out. This usually helps to quickly quell the internal arguments within the team.

Someone once described this comfort as reminding him of his long-deceased mother, filled with sincerity, equality, and affection.

Some solitary human superhumans could not resist this tenderness. They went from occasionally pretending to be ordinary people and indulging in this gentle embrace to gradually not wanting to leave and becoming a force that protects Hope City.

Strong people are welcome everywhere, especially since some strong people are good at management, so they can naturally hold high positions in Hope City as well.

██ Amusement parks are large-scale projects where extraordinary individuals propose general plans and then invest in or acquire stakes in them.

Due to the limitations of humanity and the lover of the underlying code of the supernatural tales, human superhumans, despite having a minority of votes, are able to gain a voice that is roughly equivalent to the number of votes a supernatural tale should have.

Ji Mo recalled the knowledge she had gained, and before she knew it, the news broadcast was coming to an end.

"For those compatriots who are currently stranded in other worlds for various reasons, if they wish to return to Hope City, please contact the local overseas office or embassy as soon as possible, and we will do our best to provide assistance."

"That concludes today's news report. City of Hope, may you find peace."

The screen went black, and Ji Mo came to her senses.

"There seems to be a lot of information, but almost none of it is helpful."

Only those who want to join the eerie world of Hope City would find this episode of the evening news useful.

At least they know that if they don't quickly obtain the conversion rights through official channels, they won't even be able to enter Hope City, let alone become a ghost story.

The situation of wandering ghost stories is much better than that of wandering ghosts.

Ji Mo fast-forwarded through a few more episodes of the ghost story news broadcast, but found it not very meaningful, so he started looking for programs from other rule-based worlds.

There are very few programs specifically for the rule-making community, and it's embroiled in internal strife. At this point, the only program still airing is "Approaching Humanity."

A program about how to raise human beings.

Each episode discusses key points to consider when raising humans, and also provides a hotline for answering questions.

Compared to their programs, the call frequency of "Approaching Humanity" is truly enviable.

This segment alone accounts for 50% of the program content.

However, due to the recent situation, the program has not only been extended, but the focus of the appeals has also shifted to issues of human anxiety.

More than one ghost story involves people asking about their human companions who lived in war-torn regions before being adopted. The uneasy atmosphere in the city and the comments on the internet have plunged the humans into extreme anxiety.

"My human... he's been acting very strangely lately. Every night before bed, he repeatedly asks me, 'You won't abandon me, right?' He can only fall asleep with a clear answer. What worries me even more is that he often cries out in his dreams, saying things like, 'Don't abandon me, I eat very little, I'll be good, I won't hold everyone back...' I've tried giving him more food and toys, but it doesn't seem to help. What should I do?"

There are also complaints about the increase in ghost stories in the city. These ghost stories often don't have their own humans and are only interested in kidnapping other people's humans.

After listening to the consultation, Ji Mo felt that there was a reason why this program was so popular. It directly grasped the pain points of ghost stories and was no less than a national program arranged by the government.

"They have a fixed audience, so it's normal that they can't compete," Ji Mo comforted her. "For this show to have low popularity, Hope City would have to be gone."

The number of transmigrators from the mortal realm is far fewer than that of others.

But when Ji Mo thought about the fact that most of the humans raised by the ghost stories were outsiders, he felt very uneasy.

To outsiders, ghost stories and the bizarre are two completely opposite things, and could even be considered two different species.

But to the locals in the world of rules, there is no difference between ghost stories and the supernatural; they are both monsters that like to take away the people around them and never give them back.

Even if a person is still alive, they are treated like a pet and are basically not allowed to leave Hope City. When they play or wander around the streets, they need to be accompanied by strange tales or wear a locator.

Ultimately, the supernatural and ghost stories are all about beings that don't treat humans as equals, and can even use classic phrases like "Family members, this human wants to come home with me" to describe cats and dogs.

You're saying that a portion of humanity is treated normally?

Please, those humans are all high-level superhumans, and they are respected wherever they go.

Is that genuine, equal treatment? It's clearly just groveling because you can't win.

However, it cannot be denied that becoming one of the few people living in the Hope City Ghost Stories is one of the few ways that the locals can be considered happy.

At least escaping from a human city to Hope City is much easier than smuggling yourself out; there might even be strange tales that will actively guide you.

Therefore, the locals have a love-hate relationship with ghost stories, and those who choose to seek refuge in Hope City are often seen as people who abandon their dignity and willingly degenerate.

Even the strong are no exception, and their reputations are even worse.

—Clearly capable, yet instead of trying to change reality, she falls into a life of pleasure?!

That's roughly the assessment.

"But at this rate, if the resistance wants to continue winning, they will eventually have to bow down to Hope City."

Although the previous news broadcasts mainly focused on what happened in Hope City, they occasionally mentioned the rebels' great victories. Ji Mo searched based on the names of the victorious cities and the territories they occupied, and found that the rebels' victories were all in obscure and mysterious places.

In other words, the resistance may seem powerful now, but their gains could be wiped out at any time.

After all, this is a world where the power of individuals can far exceed that of nations.

The rebel regime's political structure and logistical capabilities did not even qualify it as a sovereign and complete state.

Once a large number of high-level, unpredictable individuals take action, the resistance is very likely to experience internal turmoil or a rise in capitulationism within a short period of time.

After all, humans in the realm of rules have organized so many riots, and every single one of them ended in failure.

If they are willing to surrender and hand over their original leader, the Weird will most likely show leniency as in the past.

"In a sense, the mortal realm has also helped the resistance. Besides observing how many high-level combatants the resistance possesses, those high-level monsters are also temporarily unable to spare manpower because they are fully focused on recreating the pillar god of [Death]?"

Ji Mo secretly guessed.

Although there is no direct evidence, my intuition tells me that this is the truth.

The world of rules is notorious for its survival of the fittest, and it is common for high-level monsters to disregard the life or death of low-level monsters.

"For the resistance to succeed, the more ninth-tier experts the better, but after being suppressed for so many years, they'd probably struggle to even muster two. To win this war, their own strength alone is definitely not enough; external support is indispensable..."

Of all the foreign aid the resistance can currently secure, Hope City is undoubtedly the most cost-effective and the most likely destination.

Aside from the ideological difficulty in accepting it, Hope City was almost the best ally of the resistance.

"If you can accept help from the ghost stories and urban fantasy world, you probably wouldn't mind having another helper, right?"

"Unlike those who want resources and people, what Sanchuan wants are just fragments that are not very useful to them."

"The only problem is, what do the other people in Mikawa think...?"

Ji Mo glanced at the group chat, not intending to change the announcement to ask for opinions for the time being; he just wanted to see how many people had read it.

"...Who took down my announcement?" Ji Mo was taken aback at first, then became confused: "And they even issued a new announcement."

Unlike his previous read count of only 1, this announcement had a read count of over 50. Ji Mo even suspected he was being subjected to passive-aggressive treatment, but after reading the announcement, he instantly felt relieved.

It's a money-making guide posted by the "God of Wealth," filled with recommendations for stocks and hard currencies to buy at rock-bottom prices. It even suggests going to a certain small world where you can steal resources by cheating others out of thin air.

Several more files have appeared in the group files.

[God of Wealth]: @All members, the latest battle situation map has been uploaded to the group file. Those who want to withdraw or enter should seize the opportunity! Don't ask why you're poor if you miss this wave!

If the chat interface hadn't remained empty as always, with no one having sent a "read" message indicating they were buying at the bottom, Ji Mo would have suspected he'd stumbled into a stock trading group.

Is that correct?

That doesn't make sense.

While Ji Mo was in a state of confusion, he suddenly discovered that the God of Wealth had messaged him privately.

[God of Wealth]: It's good that you posted the announcement, I almost forgot to send this information to the group.

[God of Wealth]: Invest as soon as you have a little money. I've already specified the time limit; once it expires, you won't make any money. Remember! Don't invest after the deadline, or you'll lose money!

[God of Wealth]: You can still engage in double-crossing even if you don't have money, but remember to discuss with the experienced double-crossers in the group which side you should go to, so you don't run into a situation where there isn't enough to go around.

[God of Wealth]: Hurry up and let them make some money, so they won't have to borrow from me whenever they're short of cash.

[God of Wealth]: Oh right, I saw you posted an announcement, so you want to get involved in this matter, right?

[God of Wealth]: [File][File][File][File]

[God of Wealth]: This is a list of purchases made by the resistance and the supernatural forces during this period. Many of them are black market goods. I will also send you some transaction information and contact information after I have compiled them.

[God of Wealth]: Isn't he here? Why isn't he replying?

Ji Mo looked at the files, each starting at 2GB, wiped the sweat from his brow, and replied, "Yes, they are. It's just a bit of a surprise."

[God of Wealth]: An accident?

[God of Wealth]: Oh right, you think that because no one is replying to you, they don't actually want to deal with this, right?

[God of Wealth]: No, the group rule is that if you need help, just say so. If you can come over, reply. If you have information, send a private message. If it's really urgent, usually that guy Shi Sui Tian Jun will directly tag the member who needs it, and the person tagged will come back on their own.

[God of Wealth]: The others haven't contacted you yet; they're probably still organizing their data. They don't want me to have all the data ready and quickly identify the useful information.

[A Sad Song]: Aren't you afraid that if you do this, the situation might suddenly change and you won't have time to provide support?

[God of Wealth]: Hmm? Has no one told you about the two major insurance policies?

[A Sad Song]: Insurance?

[God of Wealth]: As long as the beginning of the year is still here, there will always be enough time in Sanchuan.

[God of Wealth]: As long as the Emperor is still here, even if the sky collapses, he will be there to protect it and prevent it from falling.