178: World Snake
The cold electronic synthesized voice on the other end of the phone was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the excitement Lin Mo had just felt from the power feedback.
"The World Serpent..."
Lin Mo chewed on the unfamiliar name, his mind racing. The other party not only knew his real name but was also privy to the secret of being a "Gods Chosen"—a truth only revealed to him by the remnant soul of the deity in the Temple of Deadly Poison.
The sheer amount of information this represented was chilling.
This meant that the other party had likely been secretly monitoring him since the moment he entered *The epoch*, or perhaps even earlier!
"Who are you? What do you want?" Lin Mo's voice was low, yet his tone was exceptionally steady.
The more he faced unknown danger, the more he forced himself to calm down. Panic and fear solved nothing.
"Who we are is not important, Mr. Lin Mo." The voice on the phone remained placid. "What is important is that we know what you are. You are a 'Gods Chosen,' an extraordinary being selected by *The epoch* who will wield the Authority of the rule in the future. And we are your kind, or rather, your guide."
"Guide?" Lin Mo keenly seized upon the word.
"Yes. You must be curious why the power from the game is feeding back into reality, and why this world has suddenly become so unfamiliar," the electronic voice continued. "It is because the world is 'Ascending.' And *The epoch* is the core of this Ascension. The goal of our 'World Serpent' is to guide 'Gods Chosen' like you to adapt to the coming new era and grasp true power, rather than being eliminated in ignorance."
The other party's words were full of temptation, positioning themselves as saviors and mentors. But Lin Mo smelled an extremely dangerous aura within them.
"That sounds very tempting." Lin Mo's tone betrayed no emotion. "So, what do I need to pay to join you?"
There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world; he understood this better than anyone.
"Heh heh..." The electronic voice let out a soft, inexplicable chuckle for the first time. "You are very smart, Mr. Lin Mo. What we require is simple—your loyalty. And... after you have fully mastered the 'Deadly Poison rule' in the future, you must share your insights into the rule with us."
The dagger was finally revealed!
The opponent's ultimate goal was indeed the [godhead fragment] and the god-level talent [Endless Poison Source] that he possessed!
Lin Mo understood instantly. The so-called "guide" merely wanted to turn him into a puppet that could be manipulated and plundered at will. Once he lost his usefulness, his fate was obvious.
"What if I refuse?" Lin Mo asked coldly.
Silence fell on the other end of the line for a moment, as if they hadn't expected Lin Mo to refuse so decisively.
"We never force anyone, Mr. Lin Mo." The temperature of the electronic voice seemed to drop a few degrees further. "But you must know that the awakening of power cannot be hidden. Soon, others will discover your 'anomaly.' Without the protection of an organization, a newborn 'Gods Chosen' is like a firefly in the dark, attracting countless hunters. We were the first to find you, but we certainly won't be the last."
"Are you threatening me?" Lin Mo's gaze sharpened.
"No, this is merely a warning," the electronic voice said slowly. "We will give you three days to consider. In three days, we will contact you again. We hope that by then, you will have made a wise choice. Oh, right, to show our sincerity, we'll send you a small gift, consider it a welcome present."
As soon as the voice finished, the call was abruptly cut off, leaving only a dial tone.
Lin Mo held the phone, his brows tightly furrowed.
The "World Serpent"... this organization was far more mysterious and difficult to deal with than he had imagined. Not only were their intelligence capabilities astonishing, but their modus operandi was full of coercion; they were clearly a massive, powerful organization.
"A gift?"
Lin Mo was highly wary of the "gift" the other party mentioned. He immediately checked his phone but found no traces of a virus or Trojan horse being implanted.
He walked to the window, carefully pulling back a corner of the curtain to observe outside.
The neighborhood was as calm as ever; a few elderly women were walking their dogs downstairs, and some children were playing happily. Everything looked completely normal.
Was it just a bluff?
Lin Mo didn't believe it. A calculating organization like the "World Serpent" would never make an empty threat.
He returned to his computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard, attempting to search the internet for information on the "World Serpent" organization. However, the results were only entries about animals or mythological legends, with no information related to a secretive organization.
The opponent had left virtually no trace online, as if they didn't exist in this world at all.
"Wait..."
Lin Mo's attention was suddenly caught by an inconspicuous local news notification.
[Local police successfully raided a massive criminal gang in the abandoned factory district of the city's west side early this morning, arresting over ten suspects. The gang had long been entrenched there and was implicated in multiple cases of vicious assault and extortion...]
The news was accompanied by a blurred, mosaic image of the arrest scene.
Lin Mo's heart leaped. He clicked on the news and scrutinized the blurry picture. Although the faces of the key figures were obscured, he still recognized a familiar silhouette based on the clothing and hairstyle of one of the suspects.
That person was none other than Long Tian, the leader of the Mad Dragon Guild, who had previously investigated him in reality and sent people to harass him at school!
And the "abandoned factory district on the west side of the city" mentioned in the news was one of the Mad Dragon Guild's real-world strongholds!
"This is the 'gift' they sent?" A cold sweat broke out on Lin Mo's back.
The "World Serpent" had actually used swift, decisive action to wipe out a crucial real-world stronghold of the Mad Dragon Guild overnight! They did this partly to flex their muscle, demonstrating their terrifying ability to interfere with reality, and partly to "help" him solve a problem indirectly, using it as leverage to recruit him.
What ruthless methods! What deep schemes!
Lin Mo did not receive this "gift" easily; instead, he felt unprecedented pressure.
He realized he could no longer sit around and wait for death. Whether to counter the threat of the "World Serpent" or to uncover the truth behind the world's changes, he had to take the initiative.
He needed more intelligence and needed to know if there were other "Gods Chosen" like him existing in this world.
Lin Mo's gaze finally fell upon the gaming helmet.
Perhaps the answer still lay within *The epoch*.
He put the helmet back on, his consciousness sinking into that world, which was both familiar and strange.
The moment he logged in, the guild channel exploded.
"Guild Leader, you're finally here! Something huge has happened!" Iron Wall's anxious voice rang out immediately.
"What is it?"
"Look at the faction map! Those lunatics from the Destroyer Faction have started moving!"
Lin Mo immediately opened the newly updated map of "Sky City." On the map, the blue dots representing the Guardian Faction and the red dots representing the Destroyer Faction were interlaced, clearly separated.
In the center of the map, a strategic stronghold named "Storm Fortress" was currently shrouded in a large swath of deep red.
"Oracle Guild, along with over a dozen other guilds like Mad Dragon and Overlord, are currently launching an all-out assault on the 'Storm Fortress' under Luo Li's command!" Summer Rain's voice also came through, tinged with seriousness. "The Storm Fortress is the most crucial transportation hub and energy core of Sky City. If they capture it, our entire Guardian Faction will be put on the defensive!"
"Our people have engaged them, but they have too many forces, and their commander is too skilled. We can barely hold on!"
Lin Mo looked at the red arrows constantly pushing forward on the map, his eyes instantly turning cold.
Luo Li... the World Serpent... the threats from reality and the virtual world seemed to weave together into an inescapable net, closing in on him at this very moment.
"Gather everyone. Target: Storm Fortress!"
Lin Mo's voice carried an undeniable resolve.
"It's time to let those Destroyers remember the fear of being dominated by Deadly Poison!"