Opening his eyes again, the two of them were already standing on the platform of the Special Affairs Bureau’s sealed room. The medical robotic arms around the platform automatically reached out to scan for potential injuries and to check for any meme infections or script world pathogens.

"Time stopped at the moment of transmission, unlike the last script task where the time synchronized with the real world..."

Li Ang glanced at the electronic clock embedded in the wall, raised an eyebrow, pondering.

He didn’t stay in the Special Affairs Bureau for long. After a brief chat with Wang Congshan, he left the bureau and returned to the cruise ship anchored offshore of Yin City to check the gains from the task.

This time, the task [Tied by Fate] awarded a total of 1600 experience points, over 3000 game coins, and a randomly selected skill scroll.

For Li Ang at this stage, over 3000 game coins were just a bonus. However, the 1600 experience points were enough to level up, reaching Lv26, with an experience bar of 1356/2600.

As for the random skill scroll, Li Ang had the mindset of "hopefully, something useful will come out" and tapped it casually.

[Skill Scroll Name: General Survival Skill]

[Attribute: Consumable, disappears after single use]

[Type: Universal]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Special Effect: Survival of the Fittest. Achieve harmony with the surrounding environment, adapting as much as possible without changing the life form]

[Consumption: At least 0.1 Spirit Energy Value/second]

[Cooldown Time: 10 minutes]

[Learning Condition: Physical Attributes greater than or equal to 10 points, total Spirit Energy Value greater than or equal to 2000 points]

[Remark: The poorer the original life form’s adaptability to the surrounding environment, the higher the consumption of spirit energy]

[Remark: Natural selection, survival of the fittest]

[Remark: Historians today find it hard to imagine that in California, United States in 2010, there was a D4 level extreme drought warning, with only three days of rainfall in a year, reservoir levels dropping, forest fires, and agricultural reduction, while the local water and electricity bureau merely suggested to the public "reduce lawn watering from four times a week to three" — Era of Mass Dehydration]

"Hmm..."

After thinking for a moment, Li Ang quickly made up his mind, clicked the scroll, and learned the skill.

After researching for a while, he roughly understood the mechanism of [General Survival Skill],

basically, it’s about extending survival time in harsh environments.

For instance, humans who can only breathe with lungs could only hold their breath underwater for two minutes,

but with the skill activated, they could somehow breathe seawater, extracting oxygen from it,

extending survival time to 30 minutes.

This skill also works effectively in vacuums, high pressure, low temperature, high temperature, radiation, dryness, strong magnetic fields, corrosion, and highly toxic environments,

the harsher the survival environment, the higher the consumption of spirit energy per second.

"Multiple survival skills are always good. After all, even a life origin biomod that can temporarily adjust the body according to the external environment will have occasions where it’s not applicable.

If that ultimate creature Kars had this skill, maybe he would have made a triumphant return."

Li Ang muttered, then canceled the activation of the General Survival Skill,

since the skill has no time restriction and maintains no sound or visual special effects when activated, with only the slight fluctuation of the spirit energy value on the player panel indicating it’s in effect.

"Life origin biomod, Swamp God Power, and now General Survival Skill. Can the three together withstand a nuclear explosion from a distance..."

Li Ang pondered for a bit, but dismissed the dangerous thought.

The skill description only says "adapt as much as possible", not "completely ignore",

No matter how adaptable, it can’t offset the omnipresent high temperature, high pressure, light, and radiation.

————

In the following period, Li Ang returned to his previously busy routine.

He did not become idle simply because he didn’t have to attend school or tutoring,

but instead, grew busier because he no longer needed to disguise himself.

He either stayed in the automated pet box, decoding genes and tuning bioweapons;

or studied the essence of the mind, improving the proficiency of psi skills;

during any idle time, he would race against the clock to read various mysterious studies texts.

"In profound domain of the soul, concealed yet bright, refining with solid marrow, returning white to blue..."

In the room of the cruise ship, Li Ang, reading the words in the book, felt his head about to explode.

This book is a theoretical text from within the Heterodox Academy, provided by Scholar Zhu as a favor, with many annotations specifically added for beginners,

However... it still looks quite taxing, some parts of the textual description are vague and elusive, subjective and idealistic, bordering on mysticism with no unified practical standard.

As a steadfast materialist psychic, Li Ang had to pause for a while after reading each segment to digest,

struggling to understand phrases like "generate true qi, infiltrate the mud ball," and "block stagnant qi, communicate the ultimate pass."

"Ugh, headache..."

Rubbing his brow, Li Ang forced himself to memorize the upper half of this text.

Through the annotations by modern members of the Heterodox Academy, he now understands why the texts of earlier times appeared so mystical—

The Heterodox Academy believes that

the vast cosmos and all matters and beings originated from a single point.

This initial point can have numerous names: Dao, Origin, Source, Truth, even Singularity.

Everything developed from the starting point, evolving into the world and all beings,

humans inherited the spiritual nature of the "Dao" and thus survive, possessing wisdom.

If humans were to progress further, they need to get closer to the "Dao", understand it, trace its origins, and reach the primordial essence.

Much like blind men feeling an elephant, ordinary beings with limited wisdom find it difficult to see or understand the complete picture of the "Dao". Everyone’s comprehension of it varies,

The Heterodox Academy acknowledges this and sets no uniform standard,

but encourages its members and disciples to perceive everything around them in their own way, from small to large, from themselves, to the world, to the great Dao, and within limited life, to infinitely pursue closeness to the Dao’s origin.

(In the popular perception of the Heterodox Academy, the world is a parable, a byproduct of the Dao, not its entirety. But even merely controlling qi with divine command, as form and spirit unite, enhancing the world and grasping yin and yang could already wield divine-like power.)

In other words, the Heterodox Academy advocates "a Master leads the way, cultivation relies on the individual",

This kind of extremely abstruse and profound, subjective and idealistic writing,

serves merely as a medium and disguise,

cultivators need to see through the guise of words, to directly perceive the metaphysical "intent" that the predecessors intended to convey through the text.

"Well-written, but it’s not quite suitable for me."

With some regret, Li Ang put the text away, turning to glance at Chaichai, who was watching TV on the sofa.

Li Ang sighed, "Why are you slacking off again? Did you practice today?"

"Today is Saturday, I can rest for a day."

Chaichai, dressed in a coral fleece pajama, nervously moved the snacks from his lap to the side of the sofa, "Besides, I’m watching the news, gathering important international information, making it easy for planning decisions..."

"Gathering important international information? Watching Yin City Local Station, what vital information could you gather, especially from the ’Yin City Golden Eye’ program?"

Li Ang flicked Chaichai on the forehead in amusement,

Yin City, as an international metropolis with a population of twenty to thirty million, sustains numerous TV stations and programs, among which a few stand out.

First is the acclaimed "Yin City Grand Stage, come if you’re sick," known for its quirky talent shows and on-stage incidents where participants and guests hurl insults at each other.

Next up is "Yin City Golden Eye," although it’s a news program, it mainly focuses on trivial and bizarre cases in everyday life,

often featuring absurd incidents,

such as "Boyfriend Farts Continuously, Girlfriend Screams No, Neighbor Mistakes it for Domestic Violence and Calls Police,"

"Tower Crane Operator Defecates from Height, Unintentionally Hits Three People, Compensates 4,300 Yuan,"

"Robber Attempts to Rob Store, Gets Beaten Up, Cries on the Spot and is Comforted by Shop Owner,"

"Man Tries to Impress Boss by Digging Up Boss’s Ancestral Grave Multiple Times,"

"Thief Climbs Onto Roof After Crime to Scroll Douyin, Laughter Gets Him Caught,"

These bizarre news stories, paired with the host’s sarcastic tone of reporting, are simply the perfect entertainment for meal times.

If there’s footage of a reporter interviewing the parties involved, then it becomes even more entertaining,

it’s like a bunch of normal people very seriously acting out an abnormal drama,

sometimes even Li Ang can’t help but marvel at the strange and bold aspects of people in society.

"It’s just too boring, isn’t it?"

Chaichai protested, covering his forehead.

Recently, Liu Wu Dai had given several unlimited credit cards to Chaichai, leading Chaichai into the trap of consumerism.

The limited edition game consoles, figurines, models, and dolls he used to drool over were all bought,

he installed seventeen or eighteen live streaming and short video apps, and went into livestream rooms throwing lots of gifts when he found the host pleasing to the eye and good-sounding,

he also gave generous donations to niche animation, manga production companies, and niche fandom writers to encourage them to be more diligent, receiving warm gratitude from fellow fans waiting for content, becoming a temporary opinion leader.

But after the spending spree, only emptiness remained,

soon Chaichai returned to the state of just eating and waiting to die—albeit in a more refined way compared to before.

Noticing Li Ang’s look of disappointment, Chaichai timidly yet boldly picked up the air conditioner remote, silently raising the room temperature, and wrapped himself in a blanket.

Li Ang asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"Raising the temperature, working up a sweat,"

Chaichai buried himself in the blanket, and said, "Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% talent, so working up a sweat makes me a genius."

"..."

Li Ang twitched at the corner of his eye and was about to give Chaichai a proper lesson when he received a message from Liu Wu Dai.

Liu Wu Dai: Are you there? The first batch of Transcendent from the Ark Plan is about to arrive, should I get the Longqing moving?

Li Ang: Yes, go ahead.

The Longqing is the name of this cruise ship,

a while ago, Liu Wu Dai had mentioned the progress of the Ark Plan to Li Ang,

in the first phase, it is estimated that one hundred to two hundred players and Transcendent with sensitive identities, along with their families, will join the Ark Plan for shelter.

These players and Transcendent,

usually have some capabilities, but not high enough to be in the first or second tier,

they are considered traitors, criminals, prey, or high-value targets by large organizations.

On their own, they can’t survive out there, so they seek shelter from Liu Wu Dai.

The Longqing Sea Transport Group, part of the Liu Wu Dai family, was a massive multinational corporation that ranked among the world’s top five hundred even before the Killing Game began, with a deep foundation and networks spanning various continents.

It has some influence over African Warlords, Northern Russian Oligarchs, and United States Congressmen.

Plus, Liu Wu Dai herself maintains good relations with the Special Affairs Bureau, by acting as a mediator, she can resolve some disputes.

Of course, a significant aspect of the entire Ark Plan is the presence of Li Ang.

Previously, in the [Crosswood] bar, conversations among mercenaries about top-tier Transcendents somehow got leaked,

the classifications standards of the first tier and the disaster-level Transcendents above the first tier,

were widely acknowledged in small circles and large organizations.

And Li Ang, as one of the few representing apex force,

has become an important strategic factor that other major organizations have to consider.

Simply by borrowing his name, Liu Wu Dai greatly accelerated the advancement of the Ark Plan, reducing obstacles significantly in all aspects.

Woo—

the Longqing cruise ship blared its loud horn, heading deep into the open sea.

Li Ang donned a dragon mask, put on a white coat, and went up to the deck,

soon, he saw two large white ships belonging to Longqing Sea Transport Group approaching on the horizon.

The two ships slowly approached,

Li Ang activated the Cloud Ascending Ladder, stepping on invisible stairs, lifted into the air, and walked above board to one of the ships, greeting Liu Wu Dai who stood on the deck.

"75 players, 102 psychic users, and 455 family members. Here are all their documents."

Liu Wu Dai handed over a thick pile of paper documents.

Li Ang took a random look at the documents and asked casually, "Where’s the mule?"

"Not here yet, he said he needs to continue preparing the second phase of the Ark Plan."

Liu Wu Dai took a deep breath,

preparing the Ark Plan, providing shelter for Transcendent with nowhere to turn to,

will bring about significant trouble,

but it also presents substantial potential benefits.

As the executor of the plan, Liu Wu Dai naturally wouldn’t adopt a multi-party parliament like European Heavy Industry Group,

the whole plan is decided by three people,

her, the mule, and Li Ang.

The three each contribute, each taking what they need, for mutual benefit.

"Time really flies."

Liu Wu Dai leaned on the railing with both hands, letting out a rare sigh,

Li Ang lifted his head from the documents and glanced at her, then looked at the other ship not far away. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

On that ship, hundreds of Transcendents and their families were looking through the cabin windows at the two of them.

Their gazes were complex,

full of gratitude, awe, anxiety, fear...

Li Ang tilted his head, understanding what Liu Wu Dai meant by "time flies,"

the two were still players who met at the Solitary Cold Temple,

but now, they had acquired the power to decide the lives and deaths of countless others with a single word, becoming the "scenic view on the mountaintop" in others’ eyes.

"I wonder if among these people, some are pointing at us and saying ’they are replaceable.’

Li Ang smirked, closed the file,

and with a thought, spiritual energy as vast as tidal waves surged out, silently sweeping across the nearby ship, roughly inspecting the passengers’ thoughts to confirm there were no betrayers.