Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

Her figure hovered above the fragments, wearing a long emerald green dress, with long silver hair flowing in the void, and a pair of translucent wings on her back.

She was extremely beautiful, but her eyes were sharp and wary, and she held a curved longbow in her hand.

The two sides faced off for a while, separated by 500 kilometers.

Then the Elf Queen spoke.

Her voice, carried by natural energy, was clearly audible in the void: "Powerful being, I am Elana, Queen of the Emerald Forest. Our world was shattered in the Great Collapse, and we are merely seeking refuge. We have no intention of being your enemy."

The voice of the leading Zerg mid-Legendary level Zerg was transmitted through mental fluctuations: "My Overmind said that you can stay in this fragment."

But do not approach the world ahead, do not try to spy, and do not send out any probe signals.

If you do these three things, you will be safe; if you don't—"

It didn't finish its sentence, but the meaning was clear.

The Elf Queen remained silent for a moment, then bowed slightly: "We accept your terms and thank you for your leniency."

Contact has ended.

Lin Yu stood on the observation platform for a while, then turned and returned to the Xuandu Purple Mansion.

The elves were temporarily docile, but he would not let his guard down. He had the Queen of Insects set up a hidden monitoring network between the fragments and the divine body, so that the elves' every move was under surveillance.

Over the next few days, Lin Yu focused his energy on cultivation.

His body had recovered to 95%, his source energy was circulating smoothly, and the injuries to his meridians and dantian walls had healed.

But the barrier of the mid-level legendary realm was still there, like a sheet of paper. He could feel the power behind the paper, but he just couldn't break through it.

He didn't force his way through.

The more you rush spiritual practice, the slower it will go.

Meditating for eight hours a day in the Purple Mansion, nourished by both the purple aura and the primordial energy of the divine body, the reserves of source power are slowly increasing. Although slow, every bit of growth is real and substantial.

For the rest of the time, he kept an eye on the movements of the three fragments through the Queen's monitoring network, while also handling Zerg affairs.

On the eighteenth day, the ocean debris entered a range of one thousand kilometers.

The aquatic creatures on the fragments gathered in increasing numbers, numbering more than 100,000. The side of the fragment facing the divine body was densely covered with glowing aquatic creatures, which looked like a ring of lights around the fragment from a distance.

Seven epic deep-sea behemoths floated on the very edge of the fragment, the largest of which was over two hundred meters long, resembling a moving island.

They still did not show hostility, but their worship behavior intensified.

The queen reports that the energy fluctuations released by these aquatic organisms are beginning to contain structured information, like a primitive language. The queen is attempting to decode it.

Lin Yu instructed it to keep watching without responding.

He dislikes things that are out of control. These aquatic creatures worship the divine body as a "god," and who knows what kind of trouble might arise if they worship it for too long.

If their worship stimulates the divine core, that would be a big problem.

"Establish an energy shield between the fragments and the divine body," Lin Yu said. "Block the fluctuations they release, preventing them from reaching the divine body."

[Understood. However, the shielding layer requires continuous energy consumption, and void storms will erode it, necessitating regular maintenance.]

"Do."

【Yes. 】

After arranging the matter of the ocean fragments, Lin Yu went to the Red Demon's area.

Red Demon was doing a one-handed push-up on a fungal carpet. The wound on his severed arm had scabbed over with a dark red scab, and his breathing had improved considerably. He stopped when he saw Lin Yu enter.

"How's the recovery going?"

"I can fight now." Red Demon stretched his right arm. "It's a pity I'm not used to having only one arm."

Lin Yu pulled over a chair formed by a fungal carpet and sat down, looking at the Crimson Demon.

"Describe those black-armored men you mentioned again in more detail."

This wasn't the first time Lin Yu had asked, but Chi Gui showed no impatience. He knew he was currently living under someone else's roof, and intelligence was his only value.

"He was about the same height as an average person, covered in black armor with no decorations on the plates, and his face was completely covered by a mask, leaving no room even for his eyes," the Red Demon recalled. "They didn't speak, didn't communicate, and their teamwork was extremely seamless, like they shared a single brain."

"Energy characteristics?"

"It's like system energy, but not entirely." The Red Demon frowned. "System energy is very clean and regular, but... their energy is more mixed..."

He paused.

"It smells a bit like the aura of a corpse."

Lin Yu remembered this description.

"What about their combat strength?"

"The two who were chasing me were a beginner-level Legendary and a mid-level Legendary. I killed the beginner-level one, and the mid-level one burned my arm." The Red Demon's expression darkened.

Lin Yu tapped his fingers on his knee.

The system panel is the interface between the player and the system.

The ability to interfere with this interface indicates a deep connection between the Black Armor Man and the system.

"After they kill a legendary player, they take the body away," Red Demon added. "After I killed the low-level one, the mid-level one chased me while dragging away his companion's body, like he was retrieving something."

Recover the bodies.

Lin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Where is Mr. Fang? You said you saw him gathering the survivors."

"I only caught a glimpse from afar," Red Demon said. "He led a group of men in gray uniforms and set up a base in the ruins of the neighborhood. I didn't dare go near—the place was too quiet, surrounded by monsters, but his area was spotless, not even a bug in sight."

"Anything else?"

"Those gray uniforms... their movements are too synchronized. Their walking posture, the amplitude of their arm swings, everything is exactly the same." The Red Demon paused, "They're somewhat like the black-armored men, but without that heavy aura of death."

Lin Yu remained silent for a while.

Mr. Fang said he wanted order. Gathering survivors and establishing strongholds aligned with his words. But the "too orderly" feeling that Red Demon described made Lin Yu very uncomfortable.

"Is there anything else to add?"

Red Demon thought for a moment: "There's something I don't know if it will be of any use. When I was drifting in the void, I met an old man."

Not a player, but an NPC, dressed in tattered clothes, sitting on a world fragment fishing.

"Fishing in the void?"

"Yes, the fishing rod went straight into thin air, I don't even know what I was fishing for." The Red Demon's expression was somewhat strange. "I was almost dead when I floated past him, and he glanced at me."

"Do you remember his location?" Lin Yu stroked his chin.

"I remember the general direction, it was northeast from the neighborhood, I drifted for about seven or eight days, there were no landmarks in the void, so I can't be sure."

Lin Yu nodded and stood up.

"Take good care of yourself. Once you're healed, you have two choices—leave, or stay and work for me."

The red demon paused for a moment, then grinned: "I can choose to leave?"

"Yes," Lin Yu said, "but if you leave now, you won't survive more than three days in the void."

The red demon's smile froze on his face, then turned into a wry smile: "Then I'll stay."

Lin Yu didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Red Demon is a legendary player. In the context of system collapse and player power decline, every legendary player is a force to be reckoned with.

Moreover, the Red Demon's straightforward personality makes him easier to control than those with deep thoughts.

Of course, the necessary precautions will be taken.

Red Demon was placed in a separate area within the heart chamber, and was not allowed to enter the small world, touch Tangtang and Qingmingzi, or approach the divine core.

The queen insect set up a three-layered monitoring network around him, and his every move was under surveillance.

On the nineteenth day, the Queen completed the decoding of the energy fluctuations of marine organisms.

[The master has deciphered part of the information within the fluctuations. The content is simple, with only three words repeating—"mother," "return," and "awaken."]

Mother. Return. Awake.

Lin Yu pondered these three words for a moment.

"They mistook the divine body for their 'mother'?"

Based on the emotional undertones of the fluctuations, this is highly probable. The primordial energy released by the divine body is similar to a mother's call to her offspring. "Return" signifies a return, and "awaken" means… they desire the divine body to awaken.

I hope the ancient gods will awaken.

Lin Yu didn't think this was a good thing.

The Divine Core is currently suppressed by Qingyuan's consciousness. If the Divine Core awakens, the Zerg, as "parasites," will be the first to be eliminated.

"Will their worship affect the divine core?"

No, not at the moment. The fluctuations released by marine life are too low to reach the location of the divine core.

However, if the fragments are closer together, or if higher-level beings join the worship, the accumulated fluctuations could theoretically stimulate the divine core.

"Is the shielding shelf ready?"

[The setup is complete and can block 93% of fluctuations. The remaining 7% is below the safety threshold.]

"Continue monitoring."

[Understood. Also, the ruins have changed.]

"explain."

The debris has accelerated its movement by 30% in the past 48 hours and is approaching the divine body. At the current speed, it will enter the 1,000-kilometer radius in about five days. There are still no signs of life on the debris, but a faint energy reaction has been detected; it is not a life signal, but more like some kind of device operating.

Ruins are the remains of a destroyed civilization, or a still-functioning device.

"Send reconnaissance units over there, collect data from 500 kilometers away, and don't get close."

【clear.】

Day .

Lin Yu was cultivating in his Purple Mansion when the Queen Insect's voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of urgency.

[My Lord! Multiple high-energy signals have been detected rapidly approaching the divine body from the depths of the void!]

Lin Yu opened his eyes: "How many? What level?"

[Seven signals, three legendary and four epic peak. They are moving extremely fast and are expected to arrive in twenty minutes. An even larger energy signal—the legendary peak—is pursuing them.]

Seven fugitives, a legendary ultimate pursuer.

Lin Yu flashed out of his Purple Mansion and arrived at the observation platform in the heart chamber. He opened his Heavenly Eye and looked into the depths of the void.

Thirty thousand kilometers away, seven points of light are moving at high speed, their trajectories zigzagging, as if they are trying to avoid something. Five thousand kilometers behind them, a dark red light is in hot pursuit, each flash covering thousands of kilometers.

"All legendary units, enter combat readiness. Turrets, charge!" Lin Yu quickly ordered. "First, see what they're up to. If they get within a thousand kilometers of the divine body, pursue and attack them all at once."

【clear!】

Eighteen legendary Zerg units quickly took their positions, and thousands of energy turrets began charging.

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Yu could see the fugitive clearly.

Seven humanoid beings, dressed in armor and robes of varying styles, were wounded and fled while turning back to fight. Three were legendary-level beings—a tall, thin figure shrouded in black mist, a woman with four wings on her back, and a burly man wielding a giant hammer. Four epic-level beings followed behind, all appearing weak.

The pursuers were getting closer and closer behind them.

It was a dark red light, within which a humanoid silhouette could be vaguely seen. Lin Yu activated his Heavenly Eye at full power and saw the outline of black armor plates within the dark red light.

Black-armored man.

But this was not the ordinary black-armored man described by the Red Demon. This black-armored man was much larger, with dark red patterns flowing across his armor plates, exuding a terrifying aura of legendary peak.

"Queen insect, feature comparison."

[Comparison complete. The Pursuer's energy characteristics match the black-armored man described by the Red Demon with an 89% match, but the energy level is several levels higher. Confirmed to be from the same system.]

The man in black armor. Legendary pinnacle.

The seven fugitives had clearly also spotted the divine body—an ancient god's form with its defense system activated, standing out like a beacon in the void. They changed direction and fled towards the divine body.

"Battle platform, warning fire."

Dozens of energy turrets exploded in a dense zone of blasts a thousand kilometers in front of the escapees. The seven escapees abruptly stopped.

The figure shrouded in black mist raised its hands, transmitting its voice through its energy: "Friends ahead! We mean no harm! We are players being chased by that thing, and we request temporary refuge!"

Players.

"This is my territory," Lin Yu's voice echoed through his mental energy. "Turn around immediately and run in another direction. Take another step forward, and I'll take you all down with me."

"Friend, that thing is the pinnacle of legend, we can't escape—" the four-winged woman said urgently.

"Turn around."

Lin Yu's tone left no room for negotiation.

The seven men's expressions changed drastically.

But at that moment, the dark red light behind them caught up to within 5,000 kilometers.

The legendary, peak-level black-armored man stopped.

It floated in the void, the dark red patterns on the black armor plates flowing slowly, and the mask had no openings, yet it gave people the feeling that "it was watching you".

It glanced at the seven fugitives, then at the divine body.

Then, it turned to the divine body, its mask facing Lin Yu's direction.

A cold, mechanical will swept across the surface of the divine body.

High concentration of system-dissipated energy detected. An abnormal spatial anchor point detected.

Ancient god-level biological tissue detected. Determination: Level 1 anomaly area. Execution: Deletion.

"All guns, fire!"

Thousands of energy turrets fired simultaneously, sending dark golden energy projectiles raining down on the black-armored men.

The man in black armor raised one hand.

A dark red barrier unfolded before it. All the energy projectiles that hit the barrier disappeared without a trace, like pebbles thrown into water, creating a few ripples.

A volley of cannon fire is enough to severely damage a mid-tier legendary weapon; it can't even break through its barrier.

The man in black armor lowered his hand, leaned forward slightly—and then disappeared.

"The Sovereign! It is on the surface of the divine body!"

Lin Yu suddenly turned his head.

The black-armored man had appeared on the surface of the divine body at some point, less than three kilometers away from him.

It stood on its dark golden crystalline shell, looking down at the fungal carpet beneath its feet, as if studying something.

Eighteen legendary Zerg creatures simultaneously charged forward.

The King of the Underworld took the lead, his dark golden death power transforming into a giant scythe that slashed at the black-armored man.

Dracula approached from the other side, his Blood Abyss power coalescing into a blood-red spear.

Po Jun's energy fist, carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, slammed into the back of the black-armored man's head.

The man in black armor did not turn around.

It raised one hand and casually waved it behind it.

"Bang--!"

The three legendary Zerglings were sent flying as if swatted by a fly swatter.

The Emperor of the Underworld tumbled dozens of times in mid-air before finally stopping after smashing through three energy turrets.

Dracula's blood spear shattered, and his right arm bent at an unnatural angle.

Po Jun's chest was deeply dented, his armor was shattered, and dark golden blood gushed out.

One move. A mid-level Three-Headed Legendary, all sent flying in one strike.

Lin Yu gripped the Demon-Slaying Sword tightly.

The man in black armor turned around, his mask "looking" at Lin Yu.

[Player detected. Privilege Level: Tier 3. Abnormal Status: Possesses unauthorized Ancient God organization, unauthorized spatial anchor, and unauthorized Zerg legion. Judgment: High-risk abnormal individual. Execution: Delete.]

It raised its hand, and a dark red light gathered in its palm.

Lin Yu's Heavenly Eye saw densely packed runes in that light—the system's underlying instruction code, more complex than anything he had seen in the Rift Corridor.

This attack cannot be taken head-on.

"Space lockdown!"

Lin Yu gave a low shout, unleashing his source power and deploying a spatial blockade with a radius of ten meters.

The light in the black-armored man's palm rippled slightly.

A beam of light shone out.

The moment the light shot out, Lin Yu activated Spatial Flash, his body disappeared from the spot, and reappeared three hundred meters away.

A dark red light shone on the spot where he had just stood, and a circular hole with a diameter of ten meters appeared on the crystalline shell. The matter at the edge of the hole was being decomposed, leaving not even atoms.

The black-armored figure turned around again, its mask locking onto Lin Yu. Its body vanished once more.

Lin Yu's Heavenly Eye detected the spatial fluctuations the moment it disappeared, and he almost instinctively rolled to the side.

The man in black armor appeared where he had just been, and one of his hands had already grabbed him.

A fingertip grazed Lin Yu's shoulder, cutting a gash in his clothes and skin, causing blood to splatter.

fast.

Lin Yu had no time to think. He thrust out the Demon-Slaying Sword with a backhand, aiming at the dark red rune in the center of the black-armored man's mask—the Perception Core.

"clang--!"

The demon-slaying sword struck the runes, sparks flying. The black-armored man's head tilted slightly by half an inch—the sword had forced him back half a step.

The man in black armor slapped Lin Yu in the chest with his palm.

"Click—"

The source energy shield shattered, and Lin Yu was sent flying like a cannonball, carving a trench hundreds of meters long into the crystalline shell.

He struggled to his feet, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and at least three bones in his chest were broken.

The man in black armor walked slowly, and with each step, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on his crystalline shell.

It's not in a hurry.

In its judgment, Lin Yu was already dead.

Lin Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his mind calmed down.

We can't beat them.

They are no match for each other in a direct confrontation.

This black-armored man possesses a unique type of power, and his actual combat strength may be far greater than that of an ordinary peak legendary figure.

His third eye was working at high speed, analyzing every detail of the black-armored man.

Then he saw it.

On the chest of the black-armored man, beneath the armor plates, there was a pulsating dark red light, like a heart.

It stores energy when light contracts and attacks when light expands.

core.

Destroying the core will kill it.

The question is how to get close.

The black-armored man's spatial teleportation renders distance meaningless; its defense can withstand a volley of artillery fire, and its attack power can instantly kill a mid-level legendary character.

A direct breakthrough is impossible.

It needs an opportunity that it cannot avoid or block.

The man in black armor walked a hundred meters away from him, raised his hand, and dark red light condensed again.

Lin Yu took a deep breath, ignoring the light, and focused all his mental energy on the Demon-Slaying Sword.

Source power, spiritual power, and understanding of the true technique of slaying demons all converged at the tip of the sword at this moment.

The Heavenly Eye locked onto the dark red orb of light on the black-armored man's chest.

He "saw" a dark red line connecting the tip of his sword to the core of the black-armored man.

"Slay the demon—"

Lin Yu drew his sword.

There was no dazzling sword light, no earth-shattering momentum. Just a simple thrust of the sword forward.

But the moment the sword was thrust out, a dark red light also shot out from the black-armored man's palm.

Both attacks hit simultaneously.

"The fixed calamity."

Lin Yu's voice was very soft.

The Demon-Slaying Sword pierced the armor plate on the black-armored man's chest.

Under the effect of causal locking, the black-armored man could not dodge; it didn't even try, because on a causal level, the sword "had already" hit.

The sword tip pierced through the armor plate and into the dark red light.

"Sizzle—"

Like a red-hot iron block plunged into ice water, a large amount of dark red steam billowed from the chest of the black-armored man.

Its body trembled violently, and the runes on its mask flickered wildly.

However, at the same time, the dark red light from the black-armored man also struck Lin Yu.

His left shoulder was grazed by the light, and his left arm was instantly disintegrated from the shoulder down, disappearing without a trace, bone and flesh together.

The remaining force of the light swept across his left chest, evaporating three ribs and part of his lung.

excruciating pain.

Lin Yu didn't even look down at his wound.

He gripped the sword with both hands and channeled all the remaining source energy along the blade into the black-armored man's core.

"Smash it!"

"Click—"

The dark red light cluster cracked open.

The black-armored man froze, the runes on his mask went out one by one, and the dark red patterns on his body quickly faded.

It looked down at the Demon-Slaying Sword on its chest and slowly raised its hand.

Lin Yu suddenly spun the sword, unleashing a burst of source power.

"Bang--!"

The core was shattered.

The black-armored man's body began to crack from his chest, and dark red fragments peeled off like glass, revealing nothing underneath.

Beneath the armor plates was emptiness, devoid of flesh and bone, only a dissipating mass of dark red energy.

It is not a living organism, but a pure energy construct.

The fragments drifted in the void, turning into dark red specks of light along with the armor plates, and slowly dissipated.

Lin Yu, leaning on the Demon-Slaying Sword, knelt on one knee on the crystal armor.

My left arm is gone.

The wound on his left chest revealed the edge of his beating heart, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

His face was as white as paper, and his breathing was rapid and weak.

But his eyes were very bright.

The reason he didn't use leverage to defeat this guy was because during the battle just now, he sensed that the barrier of the mid-level legendary realm had shattered.

As the source energy surged through his meridians, breaking through the barriers, his control over the source energy became more refined, and he could even vaguely sense the flow trajectory of the source energy in the surrounding space.

"dominate!"

The Queen's voice was filled with anxiety, and countless Zerg units swarmed in.

The healing spores of the Psionic Tree Mother were sprinkled on Lin Yu, and the biomass quickly covered the wounds to stop the bleeding.

The King of the Underworld and Dracula struggled to fly over, and despite being injured themselves, they immediately stood in front of Lin Yu.

"I'm fine," Lin Yu said, panting, as he was helped up by the two heavy beetle queens. "What about the other seven players?"

After the black-armored man was killed, they watched from a distance.

Lin Yu sneered.

These people had a clever plan: they wanted him and the black-armored men to fight to the death, and then they would reap the benefits.

"Tell them to disappear in ten seconds."

【clear.】

Upon receiving the message, the seven fugitives turned tail and fled, quickly disappearing into the depths of the void.