A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 324 The Stage for the Chosen One

"A major main quest usually happens every ten years. It hasn't even been ten years since the last one, so why is it happening earlier than expected?"

"Whatever, it's better this way. Although there's all sorts of scheming, investigation, and looting in the game world, it's generally too uneventful. Over the years, most of the knowledge and resources have already been discovered and occupied. It's only during large-scale main quests like this that things really get chaotic, with far more opportunities than usual."

"That's right. When things get chaotic like this, the knowledge and resources possessed by certain game characters, as well as other players, all become like mobile treasure chests. Even if you can't get the generous rewards at the end of the main quest, just taking advantage of the chaos during this process can bring you countless benefits."

"Don't be too optimistic. Large-scale main quests are also very dangerous. Normally, when players are active in the game world, even if they die, they will only have a headache and be weak for a while, and they won't be able to log in for a few days. Brain death is relatively rare. But in large-scale main quests, brain death occurs in large numbers in the later stages of the quest."

In the Promised Land, within the game world, inside a bar run by a player.

More than fifty players gathered together to discuss matters related to this major main storyline.

In the game world, players rarely fight alone. Some bring their real-world relationships of friendship or enmity to the game world because they are from the same place. Others, after interacting in the game world, are encouraged to recruit helpers and form new forces in the real world.

These fifty-odd players, though seemingly noisy, are actually a warlord force that controls a wasteland city in reality. They belong to the decision-making level, and each of them has a large number of underlings under their command.

After a period of commotion, people began to raise the real issues.

The middle-aged man with a scar over his right eye adjusted his glasses, sat down in the main seat, and said, "In reality, we're all people who've come through thick and thin, so there's no need to reiterate the importance of danger and opportunity. What we need to consider now is the efficiency of our actions."

"In fact, I instructed some people several years ago to keep a close eye on some unusual news in the metropolitan area and the historical district. The first four major main events were held in the other four districts, and the fifth one is either in the historical battle or in this metropolitan area. I helped you all find ways to try opening multiple accounts, triggering the transfer quest, and buying transfer items, all to prepare for today's situation."

A chorus of compliments immediately arose from the crowd, praising the city lord for his foresight and declaring that their departments were also prepared to strive for excellence and at least not hold anyone back.

The scarred man continued, "The concept of the Chosen One actually exists in the first four main quests, where there are similar game characters, just with different names. They used to be called things like 'Genius of Our Time' or 'Chosen One of Divine Fire'."

"When I had people keep an eye on all the news before, I focused on finding out about these special people. Now that the news has been gathered, we can be pretty sure of the identities of the three chosen ones."

He tapped the table, and several three-dimensional figures were projected onto the bar's dance floor.

"The first one is Zhuang Gujian."

A 3D projection moved to the front and magnified, showing a cynical and charming young man dressed in a black Tang suit with red patterns, holding a long sword with a yellow tassel draped over his shoulder.

"This man's father was once the richest man in the city, with assets of hundreds of billions. His mother was the heir to a mafia family, his aunt was an arms dealer, and he had seven older sisters, all of whom were stunning beauties and ruthless. However, when he was twenty years old, he had a car accident while racing and was betrayed by his brother and fiancée. His fate is unknown, and his family has also suffered a great blow."

"When he reappeared at the age of twenty-three, he had become a successor of ancient martial arts. He cleaved flying bullets with his sword, skinned the entire family of the traitor, and imprisoned his fiancée. Unexpectedly, his fiancée also had an ancient martial arts sect behind her. In the following three years, he took control of all the ancient martial arts sects and families in the world and became the leader of the martial arts world in the contemporary era."

The scarred man said, "We've also collected some ancient martial arts; they're more of a spiritual cultivation method that leans towards physical techniques. You should know something about them."

Everyone present nodded. Several of them had broken through to the fourth level or higher in their spiritual energy in reality because of their exposure to ancient martial arts.

"The second one is Long Jiusheng."

Inside the dance floor, three projections rotated and changed positions, with the second 3D projection appearing in front.

Wearing a suit and trousers, frameless glasses, and meticulously styled hair, with a dignified expression and a broad forehead, he now makes a gesture of adjusting his cufflinks.

Although it is just a 3D projection, the man's heroic and noble appearance seems to evoke a sense of awe and reverence through this virtual image.

"This person first became famous a few years ago at Hengdian World Studios, playing a minor role as the emperor in a large-scale ancient costume romance fantasy TV series. We can't find any information about his past achievements, but because of this minor role, with less than ten minutes of screen time in the entire series, he became a new generation idol, his fan base exploded, and after acting in two more TV series and one movie, he became a movie star."

"Later, he turned to business and, at an incredible speed, became the richest man in the city, with a net worth that surpasses that of Zhuang Gujian's father."

The scarred man continued, "In the business world, he is already the undisputed supreme authority, although his business dealings don't seem to rely on normal commercial methods. But undeniably, he absolutely embodies the characteristics of a chosen one."

Everyone is familiar with this figure.

The urban area of ​​the Promised Land covers an area of ​​nearly two million square kilometers, and its apparent level of technology is roughly equivalent to that of the early 21st century in the real world. Of course, it has more than one city.

However, in 26 cities including A, B, C, and D, there are posters of Long Jiusheng in every city, and his Long Group personnel often appear in the news.

"The third one is Zhao Lingtian."

The last 3D projection has moved to the front.

He was a handsome young man wearing a white silk robe, with long hair reaching his waist, and playing with an antique mirror in his hand.

"He was the eldest son of the Zhao family, but because his father had too many wives, he and his mother were not valued and were ostracized by the family."

"When he was young, he was of poor talent. Whether it was ancient martial arts, business, or biochemical modification, he was far inferior to his brothers and sisters, or even to those offspring of the collateral branches. Many family businesses in both the underworld and the legitimate world were unwilling to entrust any of them to him. When he was seventeen, they simply arranged a marriage for him, and under the title of a young master, he was forced to marry into another powerful family as a hostage. He was bound to suffer a lot of humiliation."

"Unexpectedly, when he turned eighteen, his arranged marriage wife became truly devoted to him. Even his wife's direct sisters, aunts, cousins ​​from collateral branches, and outstanding cousins ​​all fell in love with him one after another."

"Many of the men who were originally engaged to or dating these women met tragic ends; almost none of them survived, and their families were also successively ruined."

"Whether they are self-made business prodigies, scientific geniuses, sports champions, or metaphysical masters, none of them can turn their lives around after encountering Zhao Lingtian."

The scarred man clicked his tongue twice as he spoke, "This guy rose to power the fastest and had the most women. I don't know what the game operators were thinking when they designed this character. In the other servers, even the feudal emperors, immortal heroes, and magical nobles don't have a harem as big and complete as his."

"Anyway, up to now, the new Zhao family, which he controls, has expanded its power to the point where it can extend its tentacles throughout the entire urban area."

Someone asked, "Now that we've identified three chosen ones, which of their camps should we choose?"

Immediately, a young man with half his head shaved and his lips painted blue-purple sneered, "Is that even a question? Of course, we want all three. With our skill level, we shouldn't even think about becoming the biggest winners in this large-scale event. Naturally, it's wise to diversify our bets, act according to circumstances, and know when to quit while we're ahead."

The red-haired, wavy-haired beauty in a leather jacket chimed in, "It's rare for Leng Yin to say something sensible. Anyway, although we belong to the same side in the real world, we rarely interact in the game world. If we split into three groups, no one will notice."

Some people said, "Even if we divide into three groups, there is still the issue of focus. Given our number of people and our strength, it is impossible to divide them equally into three groups."

A lean old man with gray hair spoke up: "Of these three, I think Long Jiusheng is the most magnanimous. When the people behind the game designed this character, they probably had some kind of 'masterful' spirit in him. It shouldn't be a loss to put more people on his side."

The scarred man shook his head: "Zhuang Gujian is extremely ruthless, so he's the most difficult to deal with. But this Long Jiusheng is also troublesome. He seems normal, but many of his subordinates and people who have had dealings with him in the business world have a strange fanaticism towards him."

He raised his hand and pointed to the 3D projection over the dance floor. "In comparison, this Zhao Lingtian is actually easier to approach."

Everyone asked, "What do you mean?"

The scarred man snorted, "Although he already has a large harem, he still enjoys collecting beauties."

Subtle changes in the expressions of those present were evident. Most of the men smiled knowingly and enviously, but among the fifty-odd people, there were also a dozen or so women.

Especially the woman in the leather jacket with wavy red hair, she is naturally beautiful in real life, and in the game, her face, which is sculpted based on her real-life bone structure, is even more stunning.

The woman twirled a strand of red hair between her fingers and said casually, "I'd be happy to sleep with men, but to be kept in this man's harem, surrounded by a bunch of women, hehe, those of you who are interested can get yourselves operated on."

"What are you thinking about?"

The scarred man scanned the crowd. "We're here to make a profit, not to sell ourselves out. Although the Zhao family's influence is growing, in F City, where we are, there's only one branch, Zhao Tianjue, doing business here."

"This Zhao Tianjue is good at flattering, but he's a complete waste when it comes to actually doing things. After arriving here, he has only incurred the wrath of the locals, making things very difficult for him."

"We just need to find a few fresh beauties in the nearby schools, send them into the Zhao family through Zhao Tianjue's channel, and we can easily integrate into Zhao Lingtian's camp."

The scarred man's gaze locked onto the young man with bluish-purple lips.

"Leng Yin, I remember you've had your fair share of womanizing in the game world. I'll assign you a group of people to snatch those you've set your sights on but haven't yet gotten your hands on."

This game world is so realistic that players experience almost exactly the same things as in the real world. Naturally, some people will enjoy interacting closely with the local characters in the game world.

However, Leng Yin was only after his body; if he were to exchange it for the women he hadn't yet gotten his hands on, he wouldn't object.

Without delay, a group of people immediately left the bar.

Half an hour later, six or seven girls were thrown into a large truck.

They were all selected as school beauties or department beauties by nearby schools.

"This face is really well-designed, it's so pitiful, what a pity, let's go in."

Accompanied by flippant remarks, another person was thrown in.

The girls, whose hands and feet were already bound and whose mouths were taped shut, became even more excited when they saw this person.

A short-haired girl struggled to tear off the tape from her mouth and anxiously leaned over.

"Ye Wu, Ye Wu, how are you?"

Ye Wu, whose hands and feet were also bound, managed to sit up. Seeing that all the girls around him were people he knew, he gritted his teeth and tears welled up in his eyes.

He was so handsome that even when he was crying in extreme anger, he was still incredibly beautiful, with reddened eyes and soft, delicate hair.

The short-haired girl felt even more heartbroken when she saw him cry.

Ye Wu is incredibly gentle and academically gifted, a celebrity among many schools in the vicinity. Although he seems to come from a poor family, countless girls dream of becoming his girlfriend.

"Don't cry, don't cry."

As the short-haired girl comforted her, her own voice trembling with tears, she cried, "Why did they even kidnap Ye Wu? You're a boy!"

"This kind of thing... does it mean we have to be watched by Ye Wu...?"

She burst into tears, and the girls around her seemed to realize something when they heard her words.

A frail-looking girl with long hair suddenly trembled and fainted.

There was also a girl with curly hair who seemed to have made up her mind. Suddenly, she stood up and tried to ram her head against the inner wall of the carriage.

Ye Wu's eyes widened as if they were about to burst, and with a sudden surge of strength, she jumped up and stopped the girl.

That girl was really determined to commit suicide. Ye Wu felt a jolt in her chest and a tightness in her chest.

He fainted from the pain, and when he woke up again, he found that he and his group had been placed in a luxurious and comfortable hotel suite.

However, the ropes binding them and the duct tape sealing their mouths have not yet been removed.

A few of the girls were still sober; their eyes were swollen from crying.

Looking at these girls whom he didn't want to be girlfriends but had always wanted to cherish, and seeing them now looking like they were about to wither and shatter, Ye Wu felt his heart was about to wither away.

He could hear people moving around outside and their conversations.

Those people were discussing offering them all to a young master surnamed Zhao.

Ye Wu's heart ached, she was restless, and her heartbeat grew stronger and stronger.

These are all people he cherished like younger sisters. How could they... how could they do this?

His heartbeat was so loud it filled his ears, making him unable to hear any outside sounds; he felt as if his heart was about to burst.

His vision began to blur, and tears streamed down his face.

How could they do this? How could these people do this?

These people...

How dare you?!

Ye Wu stood up in a bizarre posture, like a puppet on a string, and a soft laugh came from under the duct tape sealing her mouth.

The girls, still crying, looked at him in surprise.

The next moment, they discovered that the nylon rope and tape on Ye Wu's body had turned to ashes and scattered away, as if they had been weathered for thousands of years.

The boy's hands and feet were freed. He indifferently wiped away a tear from his face, stuck out his long, pointed tongue, and tasted the saltiness between his fingers.

"These idiots."

He grinned. "You actually gave this piece of trash enough stimulation to wake me up."

"Ye... Ye Wu?" the short-haired girl asked hesitantly. "What's wrong?"

"Don't call me by such a weak name."

The boy turned around and glanced around.

The short-haired girl screamed in agony as her clothes tore open in several places, splattering blood as she struggled backward, screaming.

The gentle and invincible Ye Wu approached her step by step. Her face was still beautiful, but it had become terrifying.

"remember……"

He crouched down, bit his fingertip, and the blood congealed into a sharp spike at the wound, piercing the short-haired girl's forehead.

"I am the King of Mercenaries, Night Without End."

The short-haired girl let out a piercing scream, attracting the attention of Leng Yin and the others.

They broke down the door.

They saw the figure of a boy with his back to them.

Ye Wuqi took a step back to the side.

Thus, the short-haired girl in tattered clothes was exposed to those people.

Dark, powerful, and eerie bat wings unfolded from the girl's back.

When she opened her eyes again, a blood-red storm descended upon the hotel.

The following day's news reported two major gas explosions in F City.

A hotel owned by the Zhao Group was destroyed in the fire, and it appears that director Zhao Tianjue tragically perished in the inferno.

Another case involved the bombing of a bar, according to an anonymous blogger online.

When the bar was bombed, someone filmed a bizarre scene.

In the sea of ​​fire, there seemed to be many figures fleeing in panic, controlled by an inexplicable force, raising their heads and opening their mouths wide.

Iron stakes fell from the sky, piercing their mouths, passing through their throats and down to their genitals, pinning them to the ground.

In reality...

On this day, the entire management team of a city on the west coast of a continent that resembles a wasteland perished.

The crimson flames emanating from the gaming helmets burned them to ashes. The building they were in was also destroyed in the eerie flames. Half of the city where the warlord's leadership was located was affected, and the ground and high-rise buildings were burned into a semi-molten, glass-like state.

Thick black cigarette ash rose from the flames, transforming into countless black bats that circled and laughed in the sky before dissipating after a long time.

(End of this chapter)