56: Chapter 56 The Victory of Pay-to-Win

Inner Fortress, Observation Zone.

This was originally a temporary residential area for newly joined survivors who still needed to be vetted. The facilities were simple but sturdy, and it was under 24-hour surveillance by the Underworld Soldiers. Now, only one "distinguished guest" lived here—Lin Tian.

He had been placed in a separate private room. His wounds had been cleaned and re-bandaged by someone in the Fortress with basic first-aid knowledge, and he had been changed into a set of clean, coarse cloth clothes. There was even a simple meal and fresh water set before him.

Judging by the treatment alone, Lin Chen, this "older brother," didn't seem to be treating him too poorly.

However, Lin Tian sat on the hard wooden bed with his head lowered, his hands tightly gripping the hem of his shirt, his nails nearly digging into his palms. That weak and helpless expression had long since vanished, replaced by a suppressed gloom and a trace of imperceptible anxiety.

Outside the room, the footsteps of two fierce-looking and capable-looking guards, personally selected by Zhang Hao, could be clearly heard patrolling back and forth. The footsteps were neither fast nor slow, yet they carried an invisible pressure, as if treading directly on his heart.

He knew that his every move was under surveillance. Lin Chen hadn't believed him at all!

"One million nether talismans... He actually spent one million nether talismans just to check my background..." Lin Tian gritted his teeth, his heart filled with both shock and rage. This was completely beyond the expectations of him and the people behind him. In their view, even if Lin Chen had suspicions, he would at most observe and test him secretly. Who could have imagined this guy would completely ignore conventional logic and directly use a method they couldn't comprehend, paying a truly extravagant price to verify a "negligible" suspicion?

"Are pay-to-win players all this unreasonable?!" He almost cursed out loud.

This feeling of being completely seen through, yet not knowing exactly how much information the other party possessed, made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. The meticulously designed script of a "lonely and helpless younger brother seeking refuge with his powerful older brother" appeared so laughable and fragile under the opponent's simple and crude "monetary offensive."

He had to do something to turn the situation around, or at the very least, regain some initiative, or... send out a message.

His gaze silently swept across every corner of the room, finally landing on an inconspicuous shadow in the corner. From his fingertips, a wisp of black Qi, thinner than a strand of hair and almost merging with the shadow, began to seep out extremely slowly and cautiously...

...

Meanwhile, in the core area of the Fortress, Lin Chen's private space.

This place was less of a bedroom and more of a command center filled with a sense of futuristic technology and nether energy. A massive virtual screen floated in mid-air, displaying countless complex data streams and surveillance footage from various areas of the Fortress.

Lin Chen leaned comfortably back on a throne crafted from a certain black metal and Ghostwood, holding a cup of tea brewed from the Underworld specialty [Ghost Soul Flower] that emitted a faint blue glow, taking a gentle sip.

Before him, the system interface was expanded.

[Target: Lin Tian (Fake)]

[In-depth Identity Information Verification: 1,000,000 nether talismans required]

[Confirm payment?]

Looking at that glaring number, Lin Chen didn't show any pain at the cost; instead, a trace of an interested expression appeared on his face.

"One million... interesting, truly interesting." He rubbed his chin. "It seems the one I've hooked this time isn't some small fry."

Without the slightest hesitation, he sent a thought.

"Confirm payment."

[Ding! Payment successful! nether talismans -1,000,000]

[Information verification in progress... High-level interference detected, analysis difficulty increased...]

[Correlating 'Ancient Netherworld' fragment information... Correlating 'Fallen Sacrifice' ritual... Correlating 'Substitute Puppet' core...]

[Deep scanning target's soul brand... Comparing with Netherworld Bloodline database...]

A series of system prompts flashed by rapidly, and the data on the interface scrolled frantically, even experiencing brief lag as if the system were battling against some powerful interfering force.

A few seconds later, all the scrolling stopped, and a detailed report emitting a dark golden light appeared before Lin Chen.

Lin Chen's gaze quickly swept over the key information in the report. His expression shifted from amused to cold, and finally, his lips curled into a frigid, murderous arc.

"As expected... they aren't coming for me as a person, but for the potentially awakening 'Nether Lord' bloodline..." he muttered to himself, a flash of realization in his eyes. "Using the secret methods of the Ancient Netherworld's Fallen Sacrifice to nurture a 'Substitute Puppet' with a highly simulated soul brand disguise, attempting to steal bloodline permissions and Netherworld authority at the critical moment of a 'plum tree for a peach tree' swap... What a clever plan!"

The report clearly revealed Lin Tian's essence—a meticulously manufactured vessel and puppet possessing a portion of forged Nether Lord Bloodline aura. Its purpose was to replace or plunder the bloodline through a specific ritual when the true Nether Lord Bloodline awakened or returned!

The mastermind behind this had a very deep understanding of the Ancient Netherworld and was plotting something massive!

"What a pity, what a pity," Lin Chen set down his teacup, stood up, and stretched his neck, letting out a slight clicking sound. "You miscalculated one thing."

"I am not someone who likes to follow other people's scripts."

"And I especially don't like being treated as meat on someone else's chopping block."

He closed the system interface and stepped outside. The coldness radiating from him seemed to cause the room's temperature to drop several degrees.

...

Observation Zone, Lin Tian's room.

The wisp of black Qi from his fingertip had successfully seeped into the shadow and was moving slowly but steadily toward the Fortress's perimeter along the cracks in the wall, like a tiny venomous snake with a life of its own. This was a secret method taught by the faction behind him; it was extremely well-hidden, and he was confident it would evade the perception of those Underworld Soldiers.

As long as he could transmit this message containing his current situation and preliminary judgment, letting those outside know of Lin Chen's difficulty and "unconventional behavior," the plan could be adjusted accordingly...

Just as his heart settled slightly, thinking success was imminent—

*Buzz!*

A slight vibration came from a hidden protective talisman on his person! This was an extreme danger warning!

He snapped his head up.

On the ceiling of the room, at some unknown point, a massive, cold eyeball composed entirely of ghost-blue energy had emerged—the Surveillance Eye of the soul suppressing pagoda!

That eyeball stared at him emotionlessly, taking in all of his little tricks from just now!

Simultaneously!

*Sizzle—!*

The wisp of black Qi traveling through the shadows seemed to hit an invisible wall burning with Nether Fire. It instantly let out a slight pop and was incinerated into nothingness!

*Snap! Snap!*

Inside and outside the room, all the Lighting Runes instantly blazed with light, illuminating the entire Observation Zone as bright as day! The door to his room was slammed open from the outside by a massive force!

Standing at the doorway was a cold-faced Lin Chen. Behind him was the phantom image of bai qi standing like an iron tower, along with a grinning and knuckle-cracking Zhang Hao, and Su Qingyu, who had rushed over with a complex look in her eyes.

The two guards bowed and stepped aside.

The color drained from Lin Tian's face instantly, and his heart felt as if it were gripped by an icy hand, nearly stopping. He subconsciously backed away, falling onto the hard wooden bed, his lips trembling as he tried to say something, but no sound came out.

It was over! Everything was exposed!

Lin Chen stepped into the room, his pace neither fast nor slow, yet carrying the weight of a thousand tons. His gaze swept over Lin Tian's pale face, glanced at the Surveillance Eye slowly fading on the ceiling, and finally landed on the corner shadow where Lin Tian had just cast his spell.

"Nice technique, quite well-hidden." Lin Chen spoke, his voice flat but carrying a bone-chilling coldness. "It seems the people behind you spent a lot of effort to get you in here."

He walked up to Lin Tian and looked down at him, those deep eyes appearing as if they could pierce through his soul.

"Unfortunately, you don't seem to understand the situation yet."

Lin Chen leaned down slightly, staring into Lin Tian's pupils which were contracting violently from fear, and declared clearly, word by word:

"From the moment you stepped into this Fortress, you, along with all the shady schemes behind you..."

"All of your ownership rights,"

"Have already been temporarily bought out by me for one million nether talismans."

"Playing these little tricks on my turf?"

Lin Chen straightened up, the arc of his lips cold and cruel.

"Who gave you the courage?"