447: Cycle Diversion

Inside the air-raid shelter, the people who had previously been packed in tightly stared numbly at the surveillance screen.

On the screen, the body of the Yamata no Orochi was rapidly approaching. The sound of its scales scraping against the ground could be faintly heard through the screen, instantly engraving despair into everyone's hearts.

Many people's legs went weak, and they collapsed onto the ground in despair. Many others, panicked, attempted to climb toward the ventilation ducts, only to be yanked down by the people behind them the moment they grasped the edge.

Their elbows slammed hard against the concrete floor, causing unbearable pain and cold sweat to pour down, yet they didn't even dare to let out a groan.

Others fought over spots in the corners, digging their fingernails into others' arms, leaving bloody scratches while spewing profanities.

"Move aside, I found this spot first."

"Why should I give way? If we're going to die, we'll die together."

"Yamete! Stop it quickly. Save me, don't pull on my loincloth!!!"

But all their struggles were in vain.

The next second, a deafening boom shook the entire air-raid shelter. The entire thick wall was torn open by the snake's head, and debris splattered into the crowd.

Some were struck in the forehead on the spot, blood streaming down their cheeks. Before they could react, eight pairs of blood-red eyes lit up in the darkness, radiating a bone-chilling cold, looking exactly like ghost fires wandering in the dead of night.

Screams rang out one after another, but they only lasted for a few short seconds before being completely drowned out by the sound of the snake's mouth devouring them.

The last echoes dissipated into the ruins, leaving only a deathly, chaotic silence inside the air-raid shelter.

...

"Your Majesty!"

The doors to Jiaotai Palace were pushed open. Lin Ran walked in quickly, holding a glowing scribe's token in her arms, her black ponytail tied up meticulously.

Even though her steps were hurried, her back remained straight.

She held a tablet tightly in her hand, the screen displaying dense streams of data. There was not a hint of panic on her face, only the calm efficiency that belonged to a Chief Assistant.

Her gaze swept across the hall, and she saw Shang Wan Ning reclining on the phoenix couch. In front of her, a light screen was playing real-time footage of the Yamata no Orochi prowling and foraging among the ruins of Country R.

Wherever the snake's tail swept, the buildings of the past were instantly reduced to powder, and the corpses on the ground were easily swept away; the scene still looked utterly tragic.

"The Yamata no Orochi is causing chaos within Country R; the death toll has exceeded thirty-seven million in three hours."

"Souls are flooding into the Underworld en masse. The six current channels at the Bridge of Helplessness are completely saturated, and the queue has already reached the other side of the Wangchuan River..."

"The Department of Reincarnation system is nearing overload, and some souls have begun to gather and make noise on the banks of the Wangchuan River, which could trigger chaos at any moment."

Lin Ran's speech was steady and clear.

She placed the tablet gently on the table in front of Shang Wan Ning. The curve representing the number of souls on the screen was terrifyingly steep, the peak having long since broken through the capacity limit.

She paused slightly.

"You Lin just sent an urgent message, asking if it is possible to temporarily open additional express channels to relieve the pressure."

"But currently, all backup channels in the Underworld are undergoing maintenance and cannot be activated in the short term. Furthermore, Fengdu City is currently optimizing residential resources, and reserved spots must be saved for spirits with merit."

"If this sudden influx of souls were all allowed into Fengdu City, it would not only disrupt the existing order but also require additional Yin energy to maintain management, which would not be worth the cost."

Shang Wan Ning lazily lifted her eyelids, her gaze sweeping over the glaring data on the tablet, then she glanced at the bloody scene of the Yamata no Orochi feeding on the light screen.

She sat up slowly, and a maid handed her a cup of hot tea at the right moment.

The Empress took it and took a sip; the warm tea moistened her throat. Her tone was flat: "You rushed over just for this?"

"Resources in Fengdu City are already tight; we are struggling even to provide for the law-abiding spirits who have merit. Why should we make room for these people who died an unnatural death?"

"There is no need to disrupt the Underworld's established arrangements for them."

Lin Ran nodded in agreement without the slightest hesitation.

As Chief Assistant, she was already accustomed to Her Majesty's style of handling matters and asked directly: "Then what standard should be used for soul diversion? Subordinate will coordinate with the Department of Judges and the Department of Reincarnation in advance to avoid any subsequent oversights."

"Is the query function of the book of life and death just for show?"

Shang Wan Ning put down her teacup and tapped her fingertip on the table.

"Have the Department of Judges immediately retrieve the complete records of these thirty-seven million souls from their time in the living world, verify their merit values one by one, and process them according to merit grading. There can be absolutely no ambiguity."

Ling Qi stood to the side, her fingertips quickly sliding across a portable light screen, checking relevant Underworld regulations. Hearing this, she added: "According to current Underworld rules, merit value is directly linked to a soul's reincarnation treatment."

"Graded processing can both quickly divert souls and demonstrate fairness, avoiding waste of resources, which fits current emergency needs."

"Mm."

Shang Wan Ning nodded.

"For those whose merit from their lifetime meets the standard, open a VIP exclusive channel directly and arrange for priority reincarnation; they won't need to wait in line. Consider it a reward for the good deeds they did while alive."

Speaking of this, a trace of coldness flashed in her eyes.

"As for those who have committed many evils and are entangled in karmic obstacles, there is no need for mercy. Cast them directly into the Eighteen Levels of Hell and punish them according to their evil deeds while alive."

"Those who were deceitful and lazy are to be punished in the Tongue-Ripping Hell; those who took lives are to be cast into the Oil Cauldron Hell..."

"Only when their karmic obstacles are cleared can we talk about reincarnation. Do not let them reincarnate with their evil deeds and continue to plague My Mercury Plane."

Ling Qi lightly flicked her finger.

The light screen popped up estimated merit distribution data for this batch of souls. She scanned it quickly: "Based on calculations from past soul data in similar disasters, about ten percent of these souls have committed many evils."

"If we cast them all into the Eighteen Levels of Hell, it will just happen to make full use of the Hell's punishment resources and also serve as a warning."

Lin Ran operated the tablet quickly, responding while recording: "Understood."

"Subordinate will have the Department of Judges annotate the details of the souls' past evil deeds while verifying their merit, and send them categorized to the corresponding Hell execution departments."

"Ensuring that every evil soul is punished according to their crimes, without any errors or omissions."

Shang Wan Ning nodded in satisfaction.

"Those with a merit value of less than ten are all to be cast into the Realm of Beasts."

"These people died unnatural, accidental deaths and had no blessings to begin with. Their lives were mediocre, and they didn't even have a shred of merit to their name. Even if they were barely allowed into the human path, it would be hard for them to have a good outcome."

"Throwing them into the Realm of Beasts is just right; it doesn't take up spots in the human path and complies with the rules of merit matching, saving resources."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The two replied in unison.

Ling Qi raised her hand and sent the detailed merit grading rules on the light screen to Lin Ran, relaying her experience: "Chief Assistant Lin, the reincarnation process for the Realm of Beasts is relatively simple, and the diversion speed is fast."

"This batch of souls with merit less than ten accounts for about sixty percent. Prioritizing their diversion will quickly alleviate the congestion at the Bridge of Helplessness, and handling the remaining souls will be much easier."