Chapter 23: The God, “The Hunger Artist”

The Mute Snake, having quickly returned to the elevator shaft exit, glanced at his watch. Daring not to delay for even a second, he removed his pulley system and secured the iron door of the shaft.

Like a lithe serpent, he slipped back into the water tank on the rooftop.

The very moment he slid inside, the fireworks across the sky began their slow finale. A grand and dazzling display, perfectly masking the entirety of his operation. Just as Brother Jiang had planned: using a public performance destined to be remembered to cover a theft that would never be discovered.

With that, the magic show officially drew to a close.

***

"Is that it?"

In the municipal building's surveillance room, a group of security guards stood by the window, holding their phones and gazing at the sky where the fireworks had ceased. "Haven't seen a show of that scale in a long time," one remarked, still feeling unsatisfied.

"True. And you have to admit, the view from this window is excellent; we saw everything."

"It almost made me feel like it was the Lunar New Year, haha!"

"Alright, alright." The head of security turned back to look at the surveillance monitors. Seeing nothing unusual, he waved his hand. "Get back to your posts, or the leadership will dock our pay when they come to inspect later."

***

Meanwhile, three Audi sedans slowly drove into the municipal building complex. The Mayor of Chaoge City, accompanied by a Special Envoy, walked straight toward the elevator shaft on the lowest level of the underground parking garage without any entourage. He opened an iron door, roughly 1.3 meters high, and stepped inside to find the safe positioned directly ahead.

The middle-aged man pulled a flashlight from his coat, carefully scanning the pitch-black shaft. Finding the dust on the floor undisturbed, he turned to the Special Envoy with a smile. "Please."

The two men simultaneously pressed their palms against the fingerprint scanner on the safe.

*Click.*

The safe popped open, revealing several sheets of paper lying flat and undisturbed inside.

"There is one thing..." The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Although, according to regulations, I shouldn't be asking, my political performance over these years has been quite solid. Is there any possibility for me to join that organization?"

"It is possible." The Special Envoy took all the documents, placed them into a sealed bag, and said softly, "As long as you die accidentally, there is a certain probability of joining us. It must be an accidental death; natural aging or illness does not count."

"Furthermore—there is no need to yearn for this. It is not a good place. Many want to escape but cannot. Once you enter, it is like a bone-eroding poison; you are trapped for life until death. Even I do not know if or when I might die in there."

"Besides, the Federation needs a large number of people to maintain social stability. Your current position is equally important."

The middle-aged man, clearly unwilling to give up, added, "I heard from a grapevine source that a young man was recently invited to join your organization without having died first."

"..." The Special Envoy tilted his head, studying the Mayor of Chaoge City for a long time before suddenly laughing. "Your sources are quite well-informed. But then again, sitting in your position, it’s not hard to uncover certain things."

"There is no need to keep calling it 'that organization.' Just call it the 'Gods' Paradise.' At your level, you know enough."

"There is only one way to enter the Gods' Paradise without being dead: by obtaining a 'Gods' Paradise Admission Ticket.' Do you have any idea how expensive a single ticket is?"

"If one doesn't demonstrate some sort of abnormal talent, the higher-ups would never spend the resources to purchase a ticket for them."

"What kind of talent?"

"For example, extremely high intelligence, exceptional wit, or a knack for decryption and solving clues. You certainly don't qualify, so don't bother thinking about it."

"Alright, my mission is complete. I am heading back to report."

With that, the Special Envoy did not linger. He turned, walked out of the elevator shaft, and strode toward the Audi parked nearby.

***

The next day at noon, daylight broke.

The Mute Snake, who had hidden in the water tank all night, blended in with a maintenance crew that had been scheduled to arrive at the rooftop and left the municipal building without a sound.

In a courtyard in Chaoge City, Chen Jiang and the Mute Snake stood by a table, examining the printed documents one by one, carefully reviewing every detail.

After a long silence, Chen Jiang spoke softly.

"Mute Snake, go back inside and get some rest."

"Understood."

These documents contained a wealth of information regarding the Gods' Paradise. Most importantly, he realized he had overlooked one thing: the fact that he was a 'Gods' player in reality must never be discovered.

In the real world, only one person knew he was a player.

That was... the little fatty's father.

From now on, he would need an alias when operating within the Gods' Paradise. Otherwise, if he entered other instances and any player survived alongside him, it would be too easy for his identity to be exposed.

As for the little fatty's father, the best solution was to eliminate him as soon as possible.

***

Every city had a department not managed by the municipal government, known as the 'Bureau of Nature.' On the surface, it protected local water sources and the environment, but in reality, the unit was composed entirely of the city's official 'Paradise Players.'

Once a player was detected by the authorities, they were invited to join this Bureau. Every time they returned alive from an instance, they were required to report and summarize all information gathered within it.

This included every detail encountered regarding the Paradise. Everything was eventually consolidated into a safe, where a Special Envoy would collect the information to be compiled at Federation headquarters, with key intelligence then transmitted back to the Bureaus of various cities.

This ensured information sharing, maximized the safety of the players' operations, and allowed for resource allocation.

However—in reality, the Federation had recruited less than one-third of the total players. After all, it was far too easy for a player to evade capture; a mere thought was enough to travel to the Gods' Paradise. Moreover, various chaotic organizations were also actively recruiting players.

On the surface, the Federation appeared peaceful. Beneath the surface, it was riddled with holes.

The main daily work of the Bureau of Nature was to prevent other players from abusing their abilities in reality—tracking down and eliminating those who used their special powers to murder, rob, or create chaos, all to maintain social peace. They labeled these individuals 'Violators.'

The Gods' Paradise possessed thirteen deities. Upon becoming an official player, one could choose to become a follower of a deity. Different deities had different styles of conduct, and the methods for followers to increase their 'Faith Points' varied as well.

For instance... the 'Paradise Master,' Karl Crus, the Eternal Play, was one such deity.

There was another deity whose worship was strictly forbidden by the authorities. Once a player worshipped this god, they would face total extermination at the hands of the Bureau of Nature.

The deity known as the 'Hunger Artist,' Fenrir Empty-Stomach.

One of the ways to increase Faith Points for this god was to sacrifice humans—not humans from the instances, but humans from the real world.

Each deity bestowed different 'Authorities' upon their followers. The basic 'Authority' granted by this specific god was incredibly powerful: any 'Free Attribute Points' earned by a follower of this deity would be doubled in effect.

Chen Jiang suddenly grew curious.

Which deity did his master worship?