69: Chapter 68 Horror! Doubt! Greed!

"씨발! What kind of joke is this? This is fake, fake, fake! I only said a few truths... Why kick me? On what grounds are you kicking me? I haven't even finished reading those guides yet!... Yanhuang Civilization, are you afraid?" A middle-aged man from the Taegeukgi Camp stood up abruptly, his harpoon clattering onto the deck. He froze for three seconds, his face deathly pale, his fingers trembling as he frantically swiped through the air, trying over and over again to wake up the Fate Platform interface.

"Non! This is impossible! Wait... didn't I just say a few truths? Freedom of speech, freedom of speech! You don't have freedom of speech, ahhhhhh..." A young woman from Gaul screamed and squatted down, her dagger slipping from her hand and bouncing twice on the deck.

"Mein Gott... No, no, no... I only agreed with a comment, and that's enough to kick me out? I... I still have so much left to learn... The Magic Sea Beast Tide is coming soon." A middle-aged engineer from the Teuton Camp collapsed onto the deck, his eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. He swiped his fingers in the air several times, his face turning paler with each swipe. After confirming it couldn't be restored, his previously rigid posture suddenly softened, and his fingers clenched unconsciously, the knuckles faintly white.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! No... you can't do this! I only cursed a few times! I haven't finished reading the method for making sea salt, and the Magic Sea Beast Tide is coming! The competition for camp rankings, this group of detestable Sick Men of East Asia must be afraid that we will surpass them!"

A burly man from the Stars and Stripes Camp smashed his fist against the ship's railing—once, twice, three times. Blood seeped from his knuckles, leaving dark red marks on the deck. He frantically called out to the Fate Platform in his consciousness, veins bulging on his forehead, repeatedly muttering "come on, come on."

"Baka... I, I only said one thing... Why kick me out without a warning... Yanhuang Civilization, you cowards, you must be afraid that if we had the Fate Platform, the subsequent camp rankings would be no match for us. Damn it!!!" After confirming the notification wasn't fake, a middle-aged man from the Fusang Camp knelt on the bow, his forehead pressed hard against the deck, his hands clenched into fists as he pounded the deck, unable to hide the traces of panic in his expression.

These people had all once been the "Genius" of their respective camps.

They had talent, equipment, and confidence. They pointed fingers in the Symphony Realm and wielded power in the camp channels.

Now, they were just one of the most ordinary points among four billion people.

Floating on the boundless sea.

Although their mouths remained tough, there was no doubt they were panicking inside.

Aside from these ordinary survivors, those true powerhouses from foreign civilizations had also discovered this matter at this moment.

Stars and Stripes.

In a sea area where a storm was raging.

Jackson's fingertip hovered above the "Transmit" button.

He didn't even have time to clearly see the line of English he had typed... "How much longer can you Yanhuang Civilization people be arrogant? In the camp ranking battle, we, the Stars and Stripes, will pull you down from the top of the list, just like we have done to the whole world for the past hundred years."

The screen went dark.

The entire Cause and Effect Fate Platform was completely withdrawn from his consciousness. It was like someone had pulled a wire out of his brain.

The sea breeze poured into his collar. He stood on a dilapidated fishing boat less than eight meters long, holding his golden dual pistols, "Wings of Freedom." The Stars and Stripes gems on the pistol grips were still shining, but that light could not reach his eyes.

"What the..."

He was stunned.

Three seconds later, he frantically called out to the Fate Platform in his consciousness. No response. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. One minute. Still no response.

That thing which existed as naturally as breathing in the depths of his consciousness... was gone.

Jackson stood on the deck, fingers gripping the pistol handles until his knuckles turned white. His gaze swept over the surrounding sea, and the corners of his mouth twitched. When the Fate Platform was still there, he could see others' conversations and learn about the danger Rank of sea beasts and weakness guides. Now, there was nothing.

He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly sneered and shoved the dual pistols back into his waistband.

"Is this all it takes to be afraid? The number one powerhouse of Yanhuang Civilization? The so-called top of the list is truly a hollow reputation, just a guy with good luck." He lifted his chin and said to the Void Realm, "The warriors of the Stars and Stripes never rely on anyone's charity. I have killed countless high-Rank sea beasts with these guns; staying with a group of cowards only dulls my blade."

"Since you are afraid, then enjoy this last moment of laziness. I will let you know the consequences of offending me."

His voice was harsh, his eyes fixed on the notice below the Magic Sea Beast Tide announcement—the individual ranking battle and the camp ranking battle.

This was his opportunity, and also the opportunity for the Stars and Stripes.

The Fate Platform was a great thing, he admitted, but it should not be in the hands of that thief with a hollow reputation, and certainly should not belong to the despicable lower-class civilization of Yanhuang Civilization; it should belong to their great Stars and Stripes civilization. A trace of fire rose in his eyes.

Although he didn't show it on his face, he was clearly very bothered by being kicked out of the Fate Platform.

Humans are social animals.

...

Indian Camp.

Tens of thousands of nautical miles away.

Amit knelt on the deck.

The silver large dolphins driven up by twelve tamed giant-toothed two-headed blood sharks were piled on the bow, enough for him to eat for three days. He was the pride of Tianzhu, possessor of the talent [Yoga Practitioner], capable of communicating with marine life.

But at this moment he was kneeling, hands supporting the deck, head lowered.

[Sorry, based on the official assessment of the Cause and Effect Fate Platform, you do not meet the standards for a Fate Platform user and have been kicked out.]

That line of text was branded into his brain.

He slowly raised his head. The double suns made his eyes ache. Twelve large fish were swimming around the ship, waiting for his command.

He froze, his face full of disbelief. Although he had felt a faint worry in his heart when he took the initiative to provoke the first powerhouse of the Yanhuang Camp earlier, after all, the law does not punish the masses.

Moreover, he had always believed that this Fate Platform could absolutely not be exclusive to Yanhuang Civilization, and that the so-called top of the list must have stolen the merit and glory by using some unspeakable means.

As the proxy of the Tianzhu God in the mortal world, he had to come out to set things right.

But now, he had really been kicked out. Even if he didn't want to believe it at this moment, he had to believe that this Divine Artifact, the Cause and Effect Fate Platform, was indeed controlled by the Yanhuang Civilization behind the scenes.

A trace of regret welled up in his heart, but it was immediately replaced by anger and greed.

"What kind of number one powerhouse of the Magic Sea? He got scared after being challenged by me and kicked me out—this is the best proof. A Divine Artifact like the Cause and Effect Fate Platform is definitely something these thieves occupied using unknown means. It should naturally belong to Tianzhu." He lifted his head and said to the Void Realm, "Great Tianzhu God, I have received your revelation. That so-called peerless powerhouse of Yanhuang Civilization is just a fox disguised as a tiger... Wait for me..."

His voice was loud, as if he wanted someone to hear it. But the twelve large fish suddenly became restless at the same time, and one of them turned its white belly over and floated on the water surface... dead.

...

Taegeukgi.

Park Jun-ho's automated fishing platform was running at full speed.

An eighteen-year-old Taegeukgi Genius with the [Mechanical Affinity] talent, he had turned his broken boat into a small factory. Drones circled overhead.

He had been brewing for two days and typed a line of text...

"To everyone in Yanhuang Civilization, your Fate Platform is indeed powerful. But our Taegeukgi mechanical civilization is the ultimate answer. In the camp ranking battle thirty days from now, you will lose."

Transmit.

[Sorry, based on the official assessment of the Cause and Effect Fate Platform, you do not meet the standards for a Fate Platform user and have been kicked out.]

Park Jun-ho blinked.

He blinked again.

"...What?"

He looked down at his hands... machine oil and fish scales. Drones buzzed overhead. The conveyor belt clicked and clacked. Everything was normal, except for the Fate Platform.

He tried to log in again. No response. He tried again. No response.

He stood on the deck and looked up at the drones. They were faithfully circling, one circle after another.

The corners of his mouth twitched as he smiled, wiping his oil-stained hands on his pants.

"Heh." He said to the drone, "Is Yanhuang Civilization afraid? Afraid that my mechanical civilization will surpass yours? That's why you kicked me out?"

"The so-called first civilization, the first powerhouse, is nothing more than this. A temporary lead is just having an advantage. When the glory of Taegeukgi is inserted into the Cause and Effect Fate Platform, it will be used better than Yanhuang Civilization's..."

His voice carried a hint of deliberate lightness. But he wiped his hands on his pants for a long time, not stopping even when his knuckles turned red.

...

Fusang.

Takeda Shinichi stood on the bow, holding a "Murasame Imitation Blade" in both hands. The blade reflected the double suns, casting a dazzling arc.

He typed a line in the Symphony Realm.

"Zhonghua's hegemony. Is history repeating itself?"

Transmit.

[Sorry, based on the official assessment of the Cause and Effect Fate Platform, you do not meet the standards for a Fate Platform user and have been kicked out.]

Takeda Shinichi stood motionless for three minutes.

Then he took a deep breath and raised the sword to his eyes. The blade reflected his face... sharp-edged, expression rigid.

"Mere Yanhuang Civilization people." He shoved the sword back into his waistband, his voice cold and hard, "The samurai of the Great Fusang Empire do not need anyone's charity. Yanhuang Civilization, you are afraid. You are afraid that I will defeat you in the camp ranking battle. Yang Hang, I will take your head with my own hands, and then offer the great Cause and Effect Fate Platform to the Great Emperor of Fusang..."

Victoria of the Fog City Camp, looking at this notification, let the high-Rank sea beast she had just hunted halfway go, and the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

"This Yanhuang Civilization powerhouse is really a bit petty..."