261: Observer Stage

That inviting thought felt like a formless nail driven into Li Dong's mind—clear, yet impossible to touch.

He had just dismantled that big guy who called himself the "Supreme Judge" into a pile of Law parts, and before he could even catch his breath, this "Observer" who had been watching the show for so long sent him a backstage pass.

"Fine, one by one it is," Li Dong muttered to himself. It was less of an agreement and more of a notification to the other party: "I'd like to see what kind of tricks you have up your sleeve."

With a thought, he gave up resistance and let that consciousness guide his own.

The Universe before his eyes instantly "glitched."

It wasn't the tearing sensation of spatial teleportation, but a deeper, more fundamental process, akin to "uninstalling" and "reinstalling."

Li Dong felt his "existence" broken down into countless lines of code, only to be reloaded into a brand-new System.

When he "opened his eyes" again, he was no longer in any known space.

There was no up, down, left, or right here; no stars or matter—only an endless, surging "data stream."

They were colorful ribbons of light, silent waterfalls, each ray containing massive amounts of information, brushing past his "body" and bringing a strange sensation of being washed over by the memories of the Universe.

"The new admin?" Li Dong asked toward the void.

Before his voice faded, the data stream ahead began to converge, as if an invisible programmer were typing code, and a blurred humanoid outline slowly emerged.

It had no facial features or physical form, its entire body composed of shimmering, iridescent information, as if it were a reflection of the entire Universe.

This was the "Observer."

"Your 'Variable' is very interesting."

A thought, devoid of any emotional color yet clearer than any language, resounded directly in Li Dong's consciousness.

"Interesting? I call that living."

Li Dong moved his non-existent "limbs." "Unlike some programs that only know how to format."

"The 'Hand of Order' is a 'repair program'; its logic is to clear error codes and restore factory settings. As for me, I am an 'archiving program,'" the Observer's thought explained, devoid of ripples.

"Archiving program?" Li Dong raised an eyebrow. "Sounds... useless."

"My duty is to record. When the 'True Lord' virus ravaged the Universe, the Universe's Origin derived two Systems to save itself. The 'Hand of Order' is responsible for antivirus, and I am responsible for backups. It deletes in the front, and I record in the back to prevent the entire System from collapsing completely."

Li Dong was stunned for a moment.

What was this? An intergalactic internal conflict? One antivirus software, one data backup?

"So, you two were born from the same father, but one became an extreme germaphobe and the other a peeping tom?"

The Observer's data stream fluctuated slightly, seemingly processing Li Dong's crude metaphor.

"That is one way to understand it. However, the 'Hand of Order's' logic has reached a dead end; it defines all 'Variables,' including life and emotion, as 'errors.' And you..."

The Observer's "gaze" focused on Li Dong. "You are a 'random number' thrown into the System by the Universe's Origin when it was on the verge of despair."

"A... Variable that shouldn't exist, an experimental subject to break the deadlock."

"Experimental subject?" Li Dong laughed. "You high-and-mighty types all like using that word."

"So, how does it feel that this experimental subject of yours just took down your ace 'antivirus software'?"

"That is precisely why I sought you out."

For the first time, a trace of something akin to "approval" appeared in the Observer's thought. "Our goals are aligned. To let this Universe truly 'come alive,' rather than cycling endlessly in a dead, rigid order."

It did not give Li Dong much time to think; a massive stream of information surged directly toward him.

Li Dong did not resist.

In an instant, countless images exploded in his mind.

He saw brilliant civilizations defined as "disorderly" by the "Hand of Order" because their emotions were too abundant, only to be coldly erased;

He saw fragments of the "True Lord's" rise—not simple evil, but a deeper, more profound distortion of the rules of the Universe;

He even "touched" a "trauma" deep within the Universe's Origin, left from a long, long time ago, still aching faintly even now.

These "trash" items cleared away by the "Hand of Order" had now all become precious archives in the Observer's database.

"Do you see? The 'Hand of Order' is treating the trauma, but its medicine is deadly poison."

The Observer's voice sounded again. "And your appearance has allowed the Universe to see another possibility. You turned on the light."

"And then what?"

Li Dong broke free from those sorrowful memories. "Turn on the light, and don't the cockroaches all come scurrying out?"

"To be precise, the 'Void Predators'."

The Observer corrected him. "They are the cancer cells of the Universe, having lurked for a long time under the shadows of the 'True Lord' and 'Order.' Now, they have smelled the 'vitality' you brought, just like sharks smelling blood."

"What's the new situation?"

"There is. A new kind of 'anomaly' is spreading."

As the Observer spoke, a clear star map unfolded before Li Dong. "Some worlds that have just been reborn are having their 'Star Cores' stolen silently. Just like this."

On the star map, a point of light dimmed, and the entire world withered rapidly along with it.

The method was clean, efficient, and left no trace.

"Did those 'Void Predators' do this?"

"Yes. They are more cunning and greedier than the 'Hand of Order.' They do not seek balance; they only seek to devour."

The Observer's thought became serious. "I need an 'executor,' and you need 'intelligence.' We can cooperate."

"Cooperate?"

Li Dong looked the information-composed figure up and down. "How would this cooperation work? You play boss, and I work for you?"

"I provide intelligence and analyze weaknesses. You are responsible for 'Attunement' or 'clearing'."

"Sounds decent."

Li Dong nodded, then changed the subject. "But I have a condition."

"Please, speak."

"First, I am not your tool, nor am I some executor. Where I go, what I do, and how I do it—that is all up to me. You are only responsible for providing information, or rather... providing the menu. Which dish to eat, I will choose."

Li Dong stared at the Observer's outline.

"Second, stop observing me sneakily. If there's something, say it directly; if not, don't install surveillance in my head."

The data stream fell into a brief silence, seemingly calculating the pros and cons at high speed.

A moment later.

"Agreed."

The Observer's reply was crisp and decisive.

"I accept your conditions. As a sign of good faith, here is the world coordinate of the first stolen Star Core."

A point of light flew out from the Observer's body and merged into Li Dong's consciousness.

The next second, the surrounding torrent of data began to recede, and Li Dong's consciousness was "ejected" from this peculiar space.

He returned to the cold Void Realm, as if everything that had just happened was merely a dream.

But the incredibly clear coordinate in his mind proved it was not a hallucination.

A "librarian" who only knew how to back up, a "germaphobic programmer" who only knew how to format, and now, a group of "Universe cancer cells" that were like heart-stealing thieves.

Li Dong twisted his neck, his joints making a series of crisp cracking sounds.

"This Universe is really getting more and more lively."

He looked in the direction the coordinate pointed—it was a distant and silent Star Domain.

New trouble had already arrived at his doorstep.