Li Ang didn’t care about the strange expressions on the faces of Hoenhem and others. He played with the captured phone by himself, aiming the camera at those who were gradually turning into Buddhas, unlocking it, and browsing through various apps,

It looked like he was really trying to download financial loan apps from the phone.

The players from Europe were astounded,

they had heard before that although Li Ang was strong, his thinking wasn’t quite aligned with normal people,

they used to hear it as a joke, but didn’t expect it to be true.

Hoenhem and Xing Hechou, after being speechless for a moment, quickly reacted.

Unless he’s suddenly in the mood for mischief, Li Ang doesn’t do meaningless things,

some seemingly ridiculous actions would later be proven to have deep meaning.

Playing with the missing persons’ phones could likely be his way of deducing their encounters through the phone’s state,

or he might be using the phone to perform mysterious arts/ritual tracks to measure the Sibi King.

"No signal, no network connection,

the phone time displayed of missing persons from the same area is consistent,

the time displayed on phones from different areas also matches their respective time zones, each differing.

Moreover, the phone batteries are generally low,

some phones with inherently low battery capacity that require daily charging, like Apple devices, Apple, and Apple, have already shut down.

Looks like the flow of time inside and outside of the Buddha Country is consistent."

Li Ang muttered to himself, not intending to return the phones to the missing persons, but instead stuffed them into his pocket and swaggered after the large group, continuing forward.

With most people wearing slightly heavy protective suits and being wary of potential dangers at any moment,

the players didn’t move fast.

The crowd passed through the dense throng, entering the Horseshoe-shaped Valley, finally seeing the military base previously built by European Heavy Industry in the valley.

The military base, like outside the valley, was also packed with missing persons from around the world,

players discovered that the closer they got to the area where the Stone Cave was located, the higher the probability of people becoming Buddha-like,

those transformed had males and females, old and young, draped in robes, their hands forming various hand seals,

Zen Seal, Preacher’s Seal, Demon-Subduing Seal, Fearlessness Seal...

Some transformed individuals also displayed physical changes—ear lobes grew long and thick, eyes squinted into two slits, cheeks became fuller, resembling the kind and gentle figures of Buddha statues.

And their pockets, too, no longer contained phones, wallets, or personal items.

The transformation into Buddha-like beings was further advanced.

The players’ expressions gradually turned grim,

Michael led everyone to the edge of the military base, stopped, and looked up towards the elevated position as if trying to see through the light screen and discern the Stone Cave on the cliff.

David silently took out a square blast-resistant tablet from his backpack panel, scanned the faces of the missing people present, and searched for information in the global database.

"These people who have transformed come from all over the world, with no commonality in their lives. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Some were not devout believers, just happened to be near religious buildings and were drawn in, including European Heavy Industry employees here.

While some devout believers didn’t show any inclination to transform."

David mused and said to the others, "Moreover, the sects that these transformed believers followed weren’t all Buddhism.

There’s a mix of different religions.

At present, transformation seems random, not that devout believers just transform."

"That’s somewhat good news."

Hoenhem nodded, for these Transcendent individuals, the worst fear was finding the Sibi King halfway, only for these transformed missing persons in Buddha Country to suddenly become Divine Envoys and turn to attack them,

putting the players amidst a sea of Divine Envoys.

"Wait a moment..."

Abel, the representative of European Heavy Industry Group, raised his hand,

when other people’s attention was drawn, Abel said with a slightly serious expression, "The position doesn’t feel right."

"Position?"

David was stunned by the words and quickly reacted, "You’re referring to European Heavy Industry employees’ position?"

"Yes."

Abel nodded and said, "When the Sibi King mutation broke out, most of the personnel in this military base couldn’t react in time and were engulfed by Buddha light.

Most powerful transcendent individuals also couldn’t escape,

before escaping the spherical range with a radius of one thousand two hundred meters, they were engulfed by Buddha light.

Comparing the footage captured by European Heavy Industry Group’s surveillance cameras,

with the scene players are seeing now,

one can find that European Heavy Industry Group’s employees are missing some people.

And the position of the remaining personnel has also changed,

different from the last footage captured by surveillance cameras when the mutation happened."

"Fewer people, positions changed?"

David frowned and said, "What does this mean?

Were some of your European Heavy Industry Group employees still moving inside Buddha Country after the expansion of Buddha light?

And not only moving themselves but also relocating others’ positions?"

"I don’t know."

Abel replied briskly, "I wasn’t in charge of the Ajanta Stone Cave affairs at the time."

"Hmm..."

Xing Hechou thought for a while and said, "I remember, European Heavy Industry initially built the military base to try to control the Sibi King?

You guys first developed the protective suits that allow for temporary movement in Buddha Country.

The protective suits we’re wearing now are improved models of European Heavy Industry’s suits.

Could it be that when the mutation broke out,

some employees in the military base happened to be wearing protective suits, resisting Buddha light erosion, and able to move freely.

This group of people, upon seeing the breakout, hid away, observed the situation for a few days,

then, unable to contact the outside,

tried to save themselves and help others—they found more protective suits in the warehouse and tried to equip their transformed companions.

This might explain why the positions of the European Heavy Industry Group’s employees have changed?"

"Oh?"

David’s eyes lit up, "That’s indeed possible, but it seems unable to explain other points.

For example, where are these missing employees now?

If they recovered their self-awareness and action ability, why wouldn’t they walk out of Buddha Country themselves? Complete self-rescue?

After all, we haven’t encountered any danger or obstacle along the way."

One unresolved question prompted more queries,

all the players stood silently in place.

"Let’s go."

Michael said indifferently, the body beneath the silver-white armor exuded vast power, gently pushed ordinary people on both sides ahead aside, opening a path leading to the Ajanta Stone Cave.

The Ajanta Stone Cave is originally a famous cultural site,

local departments operated the cave as a tourist spot, constructing relatively spacious suspended walkways along the cliff with guardrails outside the corridor to prevent tourists from falling.

European Heavy Industry sealed off the cave area and built suspended corridors capable of bearing heavier loads, facilitating the transport of heavy machinery,

and they modified the terrain, creating a straight staircase connecting the cave to the military base at the foot of the hill.

On the steps, there were also many ordinary people undergoing the metamorphosis into Buddha.

Michael ascended the straight stairs, the flames of the Sword of Flames in his hand burning brightly like a torch, piercing through the dim, oppressive air, expanding the visible range.

It could be seen that the outside of the stone cave was still the same as before, with many detection instruments and lighting fixtures placed by the European Heavy Industry Group standing.

But the stone cave itself behind the beams and columns looked like a blurred oil painting, constantly changing colors and shapes, unclear to the eye.

Just as Michael had said before, the stone cave itself was undergoing changes.

The players displayed various expressions as they walked up the stairs, feeling increasingly oppressed and hostile from the surrounding world the closer they got to the stone cave.

The natural recovery speed of spiritual power kept decreasing,

The detection range of spiritual sense was further reduced.

It felt somewhat similar to how Li Ang and the others felt in the boxed world.

To avoid bumping into those ordinary people transforming into Buddha, the player team was lengthened.

Michael and representatives such as Nebula from the Global Occult Coalition walked at the front of the team,

while Abel, David, and Hoenhem as European representatives walked in the middle of the team,

Xing Hechou, Wang Buliuxing, Blue Lantern as Asian representatives, along with Side Truth and Li Ang as relatively lone wolf players, walked at the back of the team.

"These people’s metamorphosis into Buddha has become very serious."

Li Ang frowned, his gaze sweeping across the steps on both sides.

Compared to the victims below the valley, the metamorphosis progress of the missing ones beside the steps was even higher.

The ordinary attire they wore originally was all gone, only draped in robes, holding Buddha beads.

Some missing people’s faces even faintly shimmered with golden light like Buddha statues, kind and benevolent, unlike a human figure.

"Divine power has infiltrated them deeply, modifying their God Souls,"

Side Truth glanced over, speaking softly, "Even if the Sibi King was truly eliminated, these people would likely never return to being ordinary humans—their personal will has been partially erased by divine power."

"Is that so..."

Upon hearing this, Xing Hechou’s heart sank. Though the Demon Scientist Alliance is a chaotic yet orderly evil guild, and not well reputed among official organizations in various regions,

Side Truth is still someone in the kill field games who understands souls the deepest.

If he says there’s no saving them, then there really might be no saving them.

"The effectiveness of the protective suits we wear is also continuously weakening."

Li Ang sensed the degree of intrusion by external divine power and casually remarked, "It seems that the Sibi King recovers relatively quickly, might even awaken soon."

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, Xing Hechou was taken aback; he knew Li Ang was a demigod with plant attributes, "You’re saying the Sibi King hasn’t awakened yet?"

"Of course not."

Li Ang replied casually, "You guys might not be able to sense it,

however, from my perspective, the divine power spread in the air,

is like how water source slowly flows towards the drain along the slanted floor in a bathtub,

currently at a slow, yet increasingly faster speed, pouring toward the main body of the stone cave.

If the Sibi King were awake, the speed of absorbing divine power couldn’t possibly be this slow.

His current state is likely similar to half-asleep and half-awake,

only possessing a relatively low perception of the external world.

The changes in the stone cave now are probably its instinctive self-protection.

Hmm? Why has the team stopped?"

Li Ang halted his steps, looked forward,

and saw Michael, holding a flaming long sword, standing at the very front of the team,

The entrance to the stone cave before her was rapidly changing shapes,

sometimes a stone arch like an ancient Roman Colosseum,

sometimes a red lacquered oriental gate,

sometimes a wooden church door,

sometimes an unobstructed Torii gate.

"..."

Michael stood there waiting for a moment, yet the stone cave’s entrance showed no sign of stopping its transformation, constantly shifting.

"Move back."

Michael said lightly, her body exuding an immense invisible force, pushing the ordinary people standing on both sides of the stairs backward.

The players standing within the team also reacted, retreating consciously, making space.

The entrance instantly cleared,

Michael stepped forward half a step, slowly raised the flaming long sword, and sliced heavily toward the stone cave’s entrance.

Boom!

During the swing, the Sword of Flames rapidly extended to nearly two hundred meters, even taller than the top of the stone cave.

With its blade burning fiercely, it struck upon the surface of the stone cave, seemingly splitting the entire cliff in two.

Clang——

Under the pressure of the longsword, the surface of the stone cave instantly emitted dazzling golden light, resisting the flaming long sword.

It managed to withstand the slash of the Sword of Flames.

Sparks flew violently,

The air distorted and deformed due to high temperature,

Michael’s wings behind her slowly flapped, and beneath the silver-white armor, another pair of wings gradually regenerated, transforming her into four-winged.

Buzz——

The Sword of Flames once more extended by a hundred meters, and exploded into a blaze,

The surrounding air blurred and twisted, causing the visible range to plummet,

The originally solid and reliable metal staircase slowly liquefied and dripped, collapsing and disintegrating—despite Michael deliberately controlling the range of the Sword of Flames so that the high temperature wouldn’t directly scorch the stairs.

Wave after wave of heat swept in,

Players in the front row of the team couldn’t withstand the high temperatures, retreating backward.

Abel and David stood still in the middle of the team, their expressions slightly solemn,

Hoenhem snapped his fingers, summoning a few ice crystal demons beside him to lower the surrounding temperature,

While the pink-haired girl Dawn summoned the Capini Mech,

managing the mech’s cooling system, releasing a bit of cold air, sheltering her nearby companions.

This clearly shows the stratification of combat capabilities among these individuals,

Li Ang observed everyone’s different reactions, himself completely unaffected by the high temperatures,

He even had the leisure to take out fish, marshmallows, cauliflower, chive, pork belly, pig cartilage, duck intestine, sesame gluten, squid...

and even onion, ginger, garlic, cumin, pepper,

Along with a lot of bamboo skewers,

amidst the troubled and tense gazes from Xing Hechou and others,

taking advantage of the heat waves emitted by Michael,

he sat on a small stool and began barbecuing.

"Have you tasted the fragrant flavor, have you tried the spicy taste?"

Li Ang hummed a song, quickly grilling several skewers of barbecue, ate a few himself, then handed several to Xing Hechou and others, "Come and taste it, eat it while it’s hot."

Xing Hechou instinctively received them, but before he could actually eat, he heard Li Ang say, "A fair price of 100 dollars."