212: Chapter 212 Parliamentary Ban! I Use Virus to Counterattack Peak, Civilized Economy

The verdict from the platform's Supreme Council came crashing down just three seconds into the opening of Chapter 18.

No warning, no due process, just a direct dimensional-level, reality-altering strike.

The moment Lin Chen ended his livestream, the sky above the Underworld Group headquarters cracked open—not a physical fissure, but a tear in the very fabric of rules. The world's foundational code was exposed like ripped cloth, and matter began to flicker unstably.

[Sanction Notice: shareholder "Lin Chen" (ID: LC-666)]

[Charges: Malicious disruption of platform order, hijacking broadcast signals, illegal fundraising, intent to subvert the platform's governance system]

[Penalty Resolution:]

1. Immediate revocation of all shareholder privileges (equity retained, but voting rights, backend access rights, rule modification application rights, etc., are all frozen).

2. Stripping of 'Fate Autonomy Protocol' protection (restoring the possibility of you and your associates being interfered with by the platform's preset scripts).

3. Release of 'Rule Virus: Primordial Corruptor' into your world (Effect: The world's origin will gradually disintegrate, the foundation of material existence will vanish).

4. Freeze all dimension point accounts under your name (Total: 210 trillion) and associated assets.

[Execution Countdown: 3, 2, 1—]

[Execute!]

"Bzzz—"

The golden badge on Lin Chen's chest representing shareholder authority instantly dimmed to gray. He could feel his connection to the platform's backend being violently severed.

Immediately after, the Fate Autonomy Marks on the foreheads of Su Qingyu, Zhang Hao, and others began to flicker and fade.

"No..." Su Qingyu clutched her forehead, her face pale, "Those scripts... those possible fates... they're back! I can feel it!"

Even more terrifying was the third penalty.

From the crack in the sky, black data streams surged forth—not ordinary data, but a materialized "Rule Virus." They wriggled down like living things, and everything they touched began to experience "logical collapse."

The first building touched, the main tower of the Underworld Group headquarters, began violating the laws of physics: its upper half tilted 45 degrees to the left yet remained standing, the windows on the lower floors reflected scenes from three minutes in the future, and the steps at the entrance automatically extended infinitely towards the horizon...

"The world's origin is being rewritten!" Zhang Hao screamed, his data perception ability letting him understand what was happening clearer than anyone, "Boss! These viruses are forcibly modifying the underlying code of our world! If this continues, all physical constants will collapse, and this world will turn into... incomprehensible gibberish!"

The fourth penalty took effect simultaneously.

The account interface before Lin Chen instantly zeroed out all numbers. 210 trillion dimension points, completely frozen. All assets of the Underworld Group across the myriad realms were labeled [Seized].

All of this happened within ten seconds.

Inside the Council's private channel, the seven Supreme Councilors (all ancient beings holding over 5% shares) watched the surveillance feed coldly.

"It's over," the First Councilor's voice was like cold machinery, "A newly promoted shareholder, actually daring to challenge the rules. Laughable."

"What about his crowdfunding capital?" the Second Councilor asked.

"All intercepted. The investments from 980 million viewers, totaling approximately 300 trillion dimension points, have now been transferred to the Council's oversight account. They will be used to repair the chaos he caused."

"Didn't those viewers protest?"

"They did. But when we informed them that Lin Chen planned to use that money to short their civilization's economic system... the protests turned into 'kill him.'"

On the screen, Lin Chen stood in the crumbling world, looking up at the crack in the sky.

He wasn't panicking. Instead... he was smiling.

"What is he smiling about?" the Third Councilor frowned.

The next second, they found out.

Lin Chen spoke towards the crack in the sky, "Councilors, did you forget—yesterday I spent 10 trillion to buy a 'half-hour Data Sea experience pass.'"

"And in the Data Sea, I didn't just peek at the viewers' secrets."

"I also conveniently... copied the access key to the platform's core database."

He raised his hand, a pure black data key materializing in his palm—the symbol of the platform backend's highest authority, theoretically impossible to replicate.

"Impossible!" the First Councilor exclaimed, "The key has one hundred and thirty thousand layers of quantum encryption!"

"That's why I spent 9 trillion on a 'universal decryption package,'" Lin Chen smiled, "Money well spent."

He crushed the key.

Black points of light scattered, forming a temporary channel—directly linked to the platform's core database.

"Now, even though I've lost my shareholder privileges, I have the 'emergency access rights' granted by the key," Lin Chen's fingers moved rapidly in the void, "And according to the platform's ancient bylaws, Article 1: When a world is attacked by a 'Rule Virus,' the owner of that world has the right to activate the 'Primordial Defense Protocol'—to mobilize platform resources for reverse-tracking and source retaliation against the virus."

He pulled up the original text of the bylaw and projected it onto the sky.

The seven Councilors were stunned.

This bylaw... it did exist. But it was established during the platform's founding. Later, because it consumed too many resources, it had been shelved. No one had used it for millions of years.

"Activate the protocol," Lin Chen pressed the confirmation key.

[Warning: Activating the 'Primordial Defense Protocol' will consume 3% of the platform's reserve energy. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

Bzzz—

The entire Myriad Dimensions Sandbox platform, all livestream worlds, dimmed simultaneously for an instant.

3% of the platform's total energy was siphoned, transforming into a golden torrent spanning dimensions, pouring into Lin Chen's world.

The black viruses eroding the world, upon touching the golden torrent, evaporated instantly like snow meeting boiling water.

But this wasn't the end.

The golden torrent traced back along the virus's path, breaking through dimensional barriers all the way to—

The Supreme Council's private server cluster.

"He's tracking us!" the Fourth Councilor exclaimed in shock and anger.

"Sever the connection! Now!"

It was too late.

The golden torrent had already locked onto the seven source coordinates of the virus release—precisely the core worlds controlled by each of the seven Councilors.

Then, the torrent split into seven, flooding into those worlds along the coordinates.

"What is he trying to do?!" the Second Councilor roared.

Lin Chen's voice came through the reverse channel, terrifyingly calm:

"According to the bylaw's supplementary clause: If a virus attack is confirmed as 'malicious and premeditated,' the defense protocol can be escalated to 'reciprocal retaliation measures.'"

"So now..."

"What you did to my world will be equally applied to yours."

Seven screens popped up simultaneously.

The First Councilor's core world—"Eternal Divine Kingdom"—began showing the same rule collapse as Lin Chen's world. Temples tilted, angels' wings grew eyes, hymns sang curses...

The Second Councilor's "Mechanical Paradise," all AI logic became chaotic, mechanical deities began self-dismantling...

The Third Councilor's "Elemental Ancestral Court," the four elements reversed, fire froze, water burned...

Seven high-level worlds simultaneously descended into primordial collapse.

"Stop! We'll rescind the penalties!" the First Councilor finally panicked—those worlds were foundations they had cultivated for countless epochs!

"Too late," Lin Chen said, "Once the protocol is activated, it cannot be interrupted. Unless..."

"Unless what?!"

"Unless you pay the 'protocol termination fee,'" Lin Chen pulled up a bill, "The amount is: ten times the energy consumed, which is 30% of the platform's total reserves. Converted to dimension points... approximately 9,000 trillion."

Dead silence.

30% of the platform's total reserves? That would directly cause the entire Myriad Dimensions Sandbox system to shut down!

"You're insane! That's impossible!"

"Then watch your worlds crumble," Lin Chen sat down, even pouring himself a cup of tea, "Oh, by the way—the 210 trillion you froze of mine, I've already transferred it all to 9,273 anonymous accounts through the key's backdoor program."

"And those accounts, in the past three minutes, have been shorting the 'Emotional Economic Index' of your seven civilizations."

The screen switched.

On the economic monitors of high-level civilizations, the core indices of the seven civilizations—the "Emotion Coin" anchored to their civilization's emotional output—were plummeting off a cliff.

Because their citizens (those viewer orbs) were now in extreme panic—afraid Lin Chen's livestream might really be gone, afraid their investments would be lost, and even more afraid their civilization's economy would collapse.

Panic sentiment transmitted to the Emotion Coin, triggering a chain reaction of selling.

And Lin Chen's anonymous accounts were profiting wildly from the shorting.

"You're using our virus attack... to create panic... then shorting our economies..." the Second Councilor's voice trembled.

"The essence of business is information asymmetry," Lin Chen took a sip of tea, "You knew I wanted to acquire platform shares, but you didn't know I actually prepared three plans."

"Plan A: Peaceful acquisition. You cooperate, everyone wins."

"Plan B: Hostile takeover. You resist, I smash money to buy anyway."

"Plan C..." he put down the teacup, "Destroy the valuation of the acquisition target, then buy at the bottom."

"You chose to make me go with Plan C."

"So now, your worlds are crumbling, your economies are crashing, your citizens are panicking."

"And I..."

Lin Chen pulled up the profit data from the shorting accounts:

[Current Floating Profit: 410 trillion dimension points]

[Estimated Final Profit: Over 1,000 trillion]

"...am making money."

"And incidentally, once your worlds are sufficiently ruined, I'll use the money I made to buy your core assets at scrap value."

"Including..."

He paused, then uttered the words that completely broke the seven Councilors:

"...including your equity in the platform."

"By then, I won't just be acquiring 5% of the platform."

"I'll be acquiring... 51%."

"Achieving true controlling ownership."

"And the start of all this—"

Lin Chen pointed at the crack in the sky:

"—was just because you released a little virus on me."

"Thanks for that."

The communication was forcibly cut off from the other side.

But the collapse could no longer be stopped.

In Lin Chen's world, the golden torrent had purified all viruses. The world stabilized.

But the seven Councilors' worlds were accelerating their collapse.

Zhang Hao watched all this, his legs weak, "Boss... did we just... poke a hole in the sky?"

But Su Qingyu tightly gripped Lin Chen's hand, her gaze firm, "It's good that it's poked. This sky shouldn't have existed in the first place."

Lin Chen looked at the constantly rising numbers in his account and said softly:

"It's not over yet."

"When they can't hold on any longer, they'll come to negotiate with me."

"And at that time..."

"...the price I'll demand will be ten times higher than it is now."

The all-dimensional livestream signal suddenly and automatically restored at this moment.

The first thing all viewers saw was the tragic state of the seven high-level worlds collapsing and the glaring profit numbers on Lin Chen's account.

The barrage fell silent for ten seconds.

Then, it went completely wild.