Chapter 42 God-level NPC Turns into a Wooden Stake, Qin Wentian Drops 20 Levels

The news of the God of Light surrendering exploded across the world channel for the entire day, but Lin Ye did not leave. He stood in the center of the plaza, his face deathly pale, his eyes unfocused, as if all his strength had been drained away. The god-level NPC he had summoned with an oracle scroll that cost him fifty million gold coins had just surrendered like that. It wasn't defeated; it surrendered. It gave up voluntarily.

"No... impossible..." he muttered, his voice sounding as if it were being squeezed out of his throat. "How could a god-level NPC surrender? How could it..."

Lin Ye walked up to him and looked at him. Qin Wentian was in a terrible state—his level had dropped from 35 to 30, most of his epic equipment had shattered during the recent battle, and the multicolored weapon in his hand was dull and lusterless. The top-tier account he had spent hundreds of millions to build was now no different from an ordinary player.

"Guild Leader Qin, do you still want to fight?" Lin Ye asked.

Qin Wentian raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. He stared at Lin Ye for a long time, his lips trembling, unable to say a single word. What could he say? All his trump cards had been played. His guild was gone, his money was gone, his equipment was gone, and even his god-level NPC had surrendered. What did he have left to fight with?

"You..." Qin Wentian finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "What exactly do you want?"

Lin Ye smiled: "I don't want anything. I'm just telling you—your god-level NPC is mine now."

Qin Wentian was stunned, and before he could react, Lin Ye had already turned and walked toward the center of the plaza. The God of Light was still kneeling on one knee, his golden wings folded behind his back, his greatsword stuck in the ground, his entire person motionless like a sculpture.

Lin Ye squatted in front of him and patted his shoulder: "Hey, get up."

The God of Light raised his head, his golden eyes void of expression: "I have already surrendered. What more do you want?"

The corner of Lin Ye's mouth curled into a wicked smile: "Is surrendering the end of it? You have to pay a price."

The God of Light fell silent. He knew what Lin Ye meant—in the ancient era, the loser had to offer tribute to the victor. He was a god-level NPC; his tribute was not an ordinary thing.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Lin Ye thought for a moment: "First, tell me the whole truth about this game. Second, lend me your power. Third—" he paused, "help me beat someone up."

"Who?"

Lin Ye looked back at Qin Wentian. Qin Wentian shuddered and subconsciously took a step back.

"Not him. He's already finished." Lin Ye smiled, "It's the person hiding in the back stirring up trouble. You know who I'm talking about."

The God of Light's eyes flickered. Of course, he knew who Lin Ye was talking about—the man in the suit, the person pulling the strings from behind the scenes, the person who wanted to destroy this world.

"I cannot tell you the whole truth," the God of Light said, "but I can tell you a part of it."

"Speak."

The God of Light stood up, his six wings slowly spreading, golden feathers shimmering in the sunlight. His voice became deep and solemn, as if reciting an ancient oath.

"'gods domain: origin' is not a game. It is a real world called 'gods domain'. You humans project your consciousness into carriers in this world via game capsules. The monsters, NPCs, and dungeons you see are all real, existing creatures and locations. Your equipment, skills, and levels are also real, existing powers."

He paused and looked at Lin Ye: "And you are special. Your Talent, 'Perpetual Energy Level Decay', is not a program, but a power that truly exists in the depths of your soul. You were able to awaken it because your soul resonated with this world."

Players across the server heard this through the live stream and were stunned. The world channel completely exploded; messages flooded in rapidly, dozens per second, all filled with shock and disbelief. Some said this was game plot, others said the God of Light was spouting nonsense, but more people began to believe—because this game was too real, too real to be written by a program.

Lin Ye was silent for a long time. He remembered the feeling when he first awakened his Talent—that power didn't come from a program, but surged from within his body. He remembered the monsters in the Abyss Dungeon—they weren't code, they were living creatures. He remembered the energy fluctuations he felt when he destroyed the Abyss Core—that wasn't game data, it was real power.

"So that's how it is." He stood up and looked at the God of Light, "Thank you."

The God of Light nodded: "You don't need to thank me. Your power is far greater than mine. I just made the right choice."

Lin Ye smiled: "What about the second thing? Lend me your power."

The God of Light hesitated for a moment, then reached out, palm facing up. A ball of golden light condensed in his palm, getting brighter and brighter, finally turning into a golden badge.

[System Prompt: You have obtained the god-level item [God of Light's Badge]. Effect: Can summon an avatar of the God of Light to assist in battle, lasting 30 minutes. Cooldown: 72 hours. This item is bound, cannot be traded, and cannot be dropped.]

Lin Ye put the badge into his inventory and nodded with satisfaction: "The third thing. Help me beat someone up."

"Who?"

Lin Ye's mouth curled into a wicked smile, and he turned to look at a corner on the edge of the plaza. A player wearing a grey cloak was standing there, his ID hidden, his face unclear. But Lin Ye knew who he was—the boss behind the scenes of the Black Market Guild, the person who had offered a ten-million-real-currency bounty to kill him.

"Stop hiding." Lin Ye shouted in that direction, "Come out."

The grey-cloaked player was silent for a few seconds, then lifted his hood. A middle-aged man's face was revealed, his eyes cold, a trace of disdain on his lips. His ID was displayed—"Black Emperor," level 40, top ten on the entire server. But everyone knew this wasn't his real body. His real body was an executive of the game company.

"Ye, you are very smart," Black Emperor sneered, "smarter than I imagined."

Lin Ye walked up to him, hands in his pockets, a wicked smile on his lips: "You're the one who put a bounty on me?"

"It's me."

"Why?"

Black Emperor smiled: "Why? You ruined my business. The Heavenly Temple, the Black Market Guild, the material market—they are all my people. You ruined them all, and I lost billions. Do you think I shouldn't have put a bounty on you?"

Lin Ye nodded: "You should. But you put a bounty on the wrong person."

"What do you mean?"

Lin Ye pointed at himself: "You messed with the wrong person."

He turned to the God of Light: "Beat him."

The God of Light hesitated for a moment, then spread his six wings and flew toward Black Emperor. He raised his greatsword, golden flames burning on the blade, and slashed down.

Black Emperor's expression changed drastically, and he wanted to run, but the God of Light's attack was too fast. One slash hit him, his shield shattered instantly, and most of his HP dropped. The second slash, and his HP hit zero.

"Ding! Player [Black Emperor] has died. Level drop: 40 → 20."

Black Emperor stood up at the respawn point, his face ashen. He had dropped 20 levels, all his epic equipment had exploded, and even the cloak he had spent tens of millions of gold coins to buy was dropped. He wanted to curse, but opened his mouth and couldn't say a word.

Lin Ye walked up to him, squatted down, and patted his face: "Next time you put a bounty on me, bring more money. Ten million isn't enough to fill the gaps in my teeth."

Black Emperor gritted his teeth, unable to say a word.

Lin Ye stood up and turned to leave. Su Qinghan followed behind, unable to help but laugh: "You really are... even daring to beat up a game company executive."

Lin Ye shrugged: "So what if he's an executive? Can executives just put bounties on people whenever they want?"

Fatty Wang came over, gesturing excitedly: "Brother! You're too awesome! Even Black Emperor was killed by you! He's a big shot in the top ten of the entire server!"

Lin Ye smiled: "Not a big shot, just a leek."

The three walked back to the Commoner Supermarket, with the cheers of tens of thousands of players behind them. Meanwhile, Qin Wentian stood in place, looking at Lin Ye's back, his eyes complex.

Pojun walked over and asked in a low voice: "Guild Leader, are you okay?"

Qin Wentian shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I'm fine. I just feel... I was too stupid before."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought money was omnipotent. Now I know, there are some things money really can't buy." He looked at the direction where Lin Ye disappeared and sighed, "Let's go. Go to the Commoner Supermarket. From now on, follow him."

Pojun was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Alright."

The two walked side by side toward the Commoner Supermarket.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the main city, Black Emperor stood up from the respawn point, looking at his empty inventory, his face ashen. He opened his private messages and sent a message to someone—

[Private Message] Black Emperor: The plan failed. That Ye is much stronger than we imagined.

The other side was silent for a long time, then replied—

[Private Message] ???: I know. Initiate Plan D.

Black Emperor's expression changed: "Plan D? Are you crazy? That will destroy this game!"

[Private Message] ???: Let it be destroyed. If I can't have it, no one else should either.

Black Emperor looked at this message, his whole body turning cold. He knew the boss was about to get serious.

At this time, Lin Ye was standing on the top floor of the Commoner Supermarket, looking at the distant sky. In the sky, a trace of purple light could be vaguely seen—that was the direction of the Gate of the Abyss. But today, that purple light was brighter than ever before.

"The world is about to change," he said in a low voice.

Su Qinghan walked up and stood beside him: "What's wrong?"

Lin Ye pointed to the sky: "Look."

Su Qinghan looked up, her expression changing: "The Gate of the Abyss... is expanding?"

Lin Ye nodded: "Someone is playing tricks. And, not an ordinary player."

"Then who is it?"

Lin Ye's mouth curled into a wicked smile: "Who else could it be? That person hiding in the back."

He turned and went downstairs: "Let's go. It's time to get to work."

"Where to?"

"The Gate of the Abyss. It's time to go probe the bottom."