Chapter 953: The City Sheltered by the Calamity Witch
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 953: The City Sheltered by the Calamity Witch
"Those old fogies finally couldn't sit still."
Tang En watched the footage, which was playing out like a real-time live stream. Many of the people sitting in that meeting likely had no idea such surveillance methods even existed.
"Chairman... what should we do next?" one of Tang En’s subordinates stepped forward to ask.
At this moment, Tang En wasn't officially the Chairman yet, but his followers had already begun addressing him as such. In their eyes, it was only a matter of time.
"They’re all sly old foxes," Tang En replied with a light chuckle, not answering directly. Instead, he pointed at the screen toward the elder who had just finished speaking. "That old man who just spoke with such righteous indignation? He has a Knowledge Seed, too."
"Wh—what?"
"Then... isn't this just our own people fighting our own people?" The subordinate behind Tang En was visibly shocked.
"Take a guess," Tang En asked with a smile. "How many people on that screen are actually die-hard anti-Witch faction members?"
He didn't wait for a response, nor did he tell them the answer. Instead, he swiped his hand across the screen, cycling through various "live feeds" from different perspectives.
In this secret meeting... were this many people actually broadcasting it?!
Tang En thoroughly enjoyed the shock on his subordinates' faces. This was what the Calamity Witch called... a dimensional strike, wasn't it?
The internal shifts within the Association were far more terrifying than he had anticipated. It had completely upended his original plans and made him realize he had almost failed to keep up with the pace of change.
His original vision of an "armed coup" was just about to begin when he discovered that the opposition was on the verge of becoming "his people" entirely. Even the transfer of the Chairman’s power would likely be a peaceful transition. After all, people are highly sensitive to their own loss of status.
They were all looking for a way out.
But everything was happening as fast as an avalanche. And what was the safest way out?
To be one of them, of course!
Obey the Lady Witch, accept her power, and even accept her surveillance... as long as they kept their lives, what did any of that matter?
In this critical moment before the storm, that "Knowledge Seed" was the ticket to their survival. The clever ones knew that this revolution required blood.
The few people in the video who didn't have a first-person perspective... they were the sacrifices. They were the bargaining chips used by those who had "secretly defected" to prove their loyalty.
Cheap as they were, as long as they provided a reason, they were useful.
But their even bigger bargaining chips... were actually the Outsiders!
However, the Outsiders weren't chips to be used against the Calamity Witch; they were to be offered to her—chips to increase their own value!
This was essentially orchestrated by Tang En.
Since he had accepted the Calamity Witch's mission to kill all the Outsiders, he had to find a way to bring about the outcome she desired, even if the Association underwent such unexpected changes.
When Tang En first approached these people, they couldn't believe the Calamity Witch actually intended to wipe out all the Outsiders in one fell swoop.
But when several Outsiders revealed to the Association’s high-ranking elders that they were loyal to the Calamity Witch...
They believed it.
The "rumors" that the Outsiders were a force meant to oppose the Witch were instantly debunked. Among the Outsiders, there were also deep-cover pro-Witch agents!
This made them even more afraid to ally with the Outsiders to resist her. After all, who knew if the Outsider you allied with would stab you in the back at the critical moment and declare, "I am loyal to the Calamity Witch"?
It was a risk they couldn't afford to take.
Ultimately, there was only one path left for them: join the Calamity Witch’s camp.
Yet, at this moment, only Tang En knew the truth. Those Outsiders weren't some pro-Witch faction—they were the Calamity Witch’s clones!
That was the true horror of the Calamity Witch.
Despite possessing such overwhelming power, she chose to display such terrifying psychological tactics. This wasn't an invasion like the Outsiders were conducting; this was a cat playing with mice.
The rhythm of the meeting was now entirely under Tang En’s control.
Perhaps many at the meeting felt that while the arguments seemed heated, the final result always seemed to drift toward a predetermined goal.
Almost everyone sitting there was an old fox. They sat at the conference table, fingers interlaced, silent. They peered through the gaps between their fingers at the others, silently wondering: Is he one of "us" too?
They found the Knowledge Seed to be incredibly useful. When they made the interface visible only to themselves, no one else could see the panel in front of them.
So, while arguing at the table, some of them also tried to set up a temporary chat room.
Anyone who dared to join... was one of their own.
Of course, to be safe, it was anonymous. This was to guard against turncoats who might hold a Knowledge Seed but still act against the Witch's will.
The current scene was a blatant display of "saying one thing while doing another."
"...Finally, I will set an ambush here and have the Outsiders wait..."
"Wait... isn't that a bit too simplistic?" an "honest" man asked with a frown.
As soon as he spoke, the others looked at him with strange expressions, making him feel momentarily awkward.
"The simpler it is, the more efficient! The less likely it is to go wrong!" a highly respected elder said, tapping the table to smooth things over.
"That is indeed the logic. The more sophisticated a plan, the easier it is for flaws to appear. We have never fully gauged the Calamity Witch's methods, so we must use absolute, crushing force to ensure she cannot cause even the slightest ripple!"
From the perspective of those in the meeting, having at least a dozen Outsiders besiege one Calamity was indeed a sure bet. The plan was simple but effective.
The mastermind, however, saw another layer. The more direct the Outsiders acted, the more the traps they had previously set could ensnare them, giving the Calamity Witch enough room to use "special means" to exterminate them all.
And so, two groups of people, each with their own ulterior motives, reached an agreement.
The plan proceeded with a smoothness that was almost too normal.
Once the meeting adjourned, the entire Association sprang into action.
The branch association located in Igesuo Surface City couldn't possibly spend all its energy on internal strife. As the only banner currently being held high by the Real Protection Association, it was attracting more and more branch offices to seek refuge.
Due to geographical limitations, it was extremely difficult for them to physically relocate, but establishing a degree of communication was possible.
Slowly, another name for Igesuo Surface City began to circulate.
"The City Sheltered by the Calamity Witch."
With the shutdown of the Star of Sin, rumors regarding the Calamity Witch became increasingly outrageous. After all, that world was gone and there were no witnesses left to contradict them. Wouldn't people believe whatever they were told about her deeds?
Thus, the rumors in the outside world grew more and more absurd.
Some said the Calamity Witch possessed immense magical power, able to ignite an entire city with a wave of her hand, or even summon a thundercloud to blanket a whole region in lightning strikes.
Others claimed that a single stomp from the Calamity Witch could trigger earthquakes affecting several cities, with buildings unable to withstand such divine might.
Essentially, people were making up stories based on her name, emphasizing the terror of a "Calamity."
Of course, those who had actually experienced it claimed the Calamity Witch had the ability to "unplug the internet." Many were skeptical of this.
Naturally, these rumors mostly circulated among those who believed the so-called "game" was reality. Most were just people trapped in their own information cocoons entertaining themselves, while others were simply jumping on the bandwagon for clout.
But it didn't matter. Those willing to sink would stay in their false happiness until death, and those willing to resist would ultimately find themselves immersed in a false resistance. The grand tide was not something an ordinary person could influence.
* * *
At that moment.
The clone I was primarily controlling sat in my residence, analyzing various pieces of information.
As the most special clone, I wasn't just sitting here doing nothing; I was receiving and processing a massive amount of data.
The other clones were centered around Igesuo Surface City and were spreading throughout the world under various identities.
Because time was tight, the information collected was not only messy but also of low value. Most of it was gathered using the Ley Line Identification Art as the primary method for wide-area searches of specific regions.
It couldn't be helped; this world had annoying restrictions on much of its visible data, making it impossible to verify the authenticity of many records.
Even the topic of the Supreme Council, which everyone knew about, was a subject of debate—was it 12 people or 13? The official version was 01 to 12, a total of 12 people, but there were also claims that it was perfectly normal for a 12-person council to have 13 members.
False information was rampant.
I even discovered that the world map widely circulated in this game world... was fake!
In some developed regions, the maps didn't even show the Ground Fissure Settlement Zones. Maps from different places had significant discrepancies, possessing a certain beauty of self-deception.
What I was looking for, naturally, was the location of the Infinite Group's Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters. I also wanted to find as many of their branch offices distributed around the world as possible.
I needed to ensure one thing:
That I had the leverage to flip the table at any moment!
However, the thought that in such a "developed" world, I had to personally conduct a carpet search to confirm certain locations made me want to laugh.
Then again... this inadvertently demonstrated the Infinite Group's capabilities. They were truly formidable when it came to information control! Their enforced ignorance had caused me quite a bit of trouble.
So, I could only search using my current only lead. I was looking for the areas most important to the Terminal of Myriad Worlds headquarters.
The residences of the Vanguard Players!
Back when I first used the Luck Summoning Spell to kill that player through the network, I had roughly locked onto the general area.
While the Luck Summoning Spell couldn't pinpoint an absolute location, only a general region, once I arrived in that area, I could use the Ley Line Identification Art to precisely locate the unlucky guy who had been "thinly veiled" by magic.
"Sigh... still too few clones..."
I closed my eyes to let this clone rest for a moment and let out a sigh.
But there was no helping it. My main body was currently cultivating hobbies with Sister Bai, and I didn't want to disturb that mood for the time being. As for the clones, I probably wouldn't be able to summon them into the game world in large numbers anytime soon.
While I was thinking, Tang En arrived at my place again. Not long ago, he had already given me a general overview of the situation.
His arrival now was to discuss the finer details of the arrangement to ensure the upcoming plan went off without a hitch.
Even if Tang En didn't tell me these things, I had already organized the entire context of the event through the Tree of Great Knowledge. The reason I had Tang En report in person was partly because he requested it, and partly... to keep him from feeling useless.
In my future plans, Tang En was to become the face of the Real Protection Association.
According to their plan, the "ambush" site was also near the city center, but it maintained a safe distance from the Omni-Link Main Network Tree. They needed to borrow the power of the massive energy network while ensuring the Main Network Tree wouldn't be destroyed, so this was their only option.
As for the casualties in the city center...
What casualties?
Wouldn't those casualties be sacrifices caused by the Outsiders?
If the Calamity Witch wiped out this group of people again, it would be a great deed to win over the hearts of the people!
The impact of an event largely depends on how it is publicized. Such are the methods of those in power.
I had no objection to this.
What did their ruthlessness toward their own people have to do with me? Was I supposed to interfere just so they could label me a "Saint"?
I didn't want that.
My greatest mercy to this world was... not letting blood flow into a river across its surface.
Tang En continued to explain some very critical details. He didn't want even a single mishap!
After all, they were planning to trap and kill so many Outsiders at once. If even a few escaped, they would never sleep easy again!
Furthermore, even the power network would find it difficult to kill these Outsiders, so the primary purpose of the specially prepared site was containment, leaving the final kill to the Calamity Witch.
The hardest part... was gathering so many Outsiders in one place and convincing them to ambush the Calamity Witch according to the plan.
But all of that could be left to the headaches of those who wanted to become "our people."
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, nearly two days had gone by.
The atmosphere within the Association had been exceptionally oppressive over these two days, as if something major was about to happen.
The decisions and plans of the Association’s high-ranking officials were naturally not disclosed to the general members, but even without being told, they could sense something was brewing.
A significant number of people, unable to bear the tension, had already applied to leave the Association.
If they were people who knew nothing, the Association wouldn't stop them. But for those who knew the inside story, it wouldn't be so easy.
Under the weight of the grand tide, how could those caught in the vortex hope to escape by their own strength?
At this moment, Igesuo Surface City was like a bow drawn to its limit.
And that taut bowstring finally snapped the moment a figure streaked across the sky from the hotel—now renamed the "Witch Tower"!
Only after that figure had been flying for quite some time did the intrusion alarms finally begin to wail!