24: Should we accept the olive branch from mortals, or bring down the wrath of the gods?

Ten days later, Great Xia Country.

Three thousand meters underground, inside the highest-grade biological laboratory.

On the one-meter-thick special alloy walls,

dense suppression runes were intricately carved.

The air was filled with ozone and the unique burnt smell of energy clashes.

And in the center of the laboratory,

within a transparent cage made of dozens of layers of ultra-strong bulletproof glass,

the golden flame that had burned for ten days and ten nights finally slowly extinguished.

As the light faded,

the figure of a young girl appeared.

She floated silently in mid-air, her feet bare.

Her delicate face was unchanged.

But her skin was as white as jade, seemingly imbued with moonlight.

Her long hair moved without a breeze.

Every strand flowed with a faint golden glow.

Her eyes were crystal clear,

containing a non-human, divine beauty that seemed to look down upon all living beings.

Su Ke Ke looked blankly at the glass outside.

Those experimental personnel and soldiers, clad in heavy protective suits and wielding menacing energy weapons,

were as if facing a formidable enemy.

Who was she? Where was she?

Fragments of memory were slowly reassembling.

Just then,

the familiar yet cold mechanical voice sounded in her mind.

"Ding! Long-term mission: Under the Lamp, Dark, has failed."

"Failure reason: The host was completely exposed during the mission period and failed to meet the core requirement of 'perfectly acting as an ordinary high school student.'"

Failed?

Su Ke Ke was stunned.

An indescribable irritation welled up in her heart.

She had experienced such a life-and-death crisis.

Yet the mission still failed.

The system's voice sounded again.

"Given the emergence of unknown causality, the failure penalty has been waived."

"Ding-dong ~ The 'Whispering Throat' divinity has been refined by the residual power and perfectly merged with the host's soul."

"Obtained exclusive title: 'God Who Is Not a God.'"

"Title effect: You have gained the qualification to establish a church, develop believers, and achieve godhood through faith."

"Your 'Primary Calamity Authority Fragment' has absorbed all divine power afterglow and automatically upgraded to 'Intermediate Calamity Authority Fragment (1/10)."'

"Your current strength is: Tier 3 Peak."

A series of messages

exploded in Su Ke Ke's mind like a thunderclap,

making her instantly forget the annoyance of the mission failure.

Only endless shock remained in her mind.

She... became a god?

Although she only had the qualification to achieve godhood through faith,

this monumental news was enough to make her overjoyed.

Just then,

the heavy alloy door of the laboratory opened.

A middle-aged man in a black trench coat, with a golden dragon-patterned general's star on his shoulder, walked in amidst the salutes of the crowd.

His face was firm, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

He was the chief commander of the Soul Suppression Bureau's Jiangcheng branch—

Gu Tiancheng.

He walked to the bulletproof glass.

He calmly gazed at the young girl inside.

Through the loudspeaker, his steady voice resounded throughout the laboratory:

"Ms. Su Ke Ke, hello. I am here on behalf of the Great Xia Country government to formally negotiate with you."

"We have no intention of being your enemy. The country can provide you with the highest level of protection, the best living conditions, and all the resources you desire."

"We have only one request: join us and place your power under the supervision of order."

Mortal appeasement, the shackles of order.

This was a seemingly irresistible generous offer.

However,

before Gu Tiancheng could finish speaking,

Gu Jianghan's intrigued intention

transformed into a new mission

and unfolded with a rumble in Su Ke Ke's mind.

"Ding! Triggered main choice mission: The God's First Lesson."

"Mission description: Mortals attempt to put a collar on the newborn god. Your choice will determine your future path."

"Option One: God's Hibernation."

"Accept mortal appeasement and become their 'canary in a cage.' Use national resources to secretly accumulate power, awaiting the opportunity to soar."

"Reward"

"Option Two: God's Declaration."

"Reject mortal negotiations and show them one ten-thousandth of your power. Make them understand that gods are meant to be worshipped, not traded!"

Inside the transparent cage,

Su Ke Ke floated in the air, motionless.

Outside the glass,

Gu Tiancheng frowned slightly, staring intently at her.

The soldiers behind him were even more nervous, their palms sweating.

From the young girl who had just successfully “nirvana,”

they couldn't feel any energy fluctuations, as if she had never existed.

Just like the divine projection that destroyed a city ten years ago... it was this unfathomable calm that was most terrifying.

They didn't know.

At this moment in Su Ke Ke's mind,

the whispers of a "devil" were echoing.

They were two completely different

yet equally tempting paths of destiny.

To help her make a wiser choice,

the system's voice sounded again,

detailing the rewards of both options.

"Option One: God's Hibernation."

"Mission Rewards:"

"1. Skill: 'Perfect Disguise (A-rank)' — You can perfectly simulate your aura, energy fluctuations, and even soul characteristics into any existence no more than two major tiers above you, and no one can see through it. (PS: Except for those with divinity)"

"2. Authority Derivative Skill: 'Seed of Lies' — You can consume divinity to transform a lie into a 'seed' and plant it in the target's heart. Thereafter, this seed will draw upon the target's suspicion and fear, grow on its own, distort their cognition, and even make the lie 'come true' in their world."

"3. Exclusive Title: 'Under the Lamp, Dark' — When wearing this title, your sense of presence will naturally decrease, making it easier for others to subconsciously overlook you."

Su Ke Ke's mind was greatly shaken.

This was not hibernation at all!

This was clearly transforming into the God of Death, walking among mortals to harvest lives!

Manipulating hearts, playing with reality, and being crowned king in the shadows!

Immediately after,

the rewards for the second option also appeared,

carrying a completely different heat and majesty, enough to incinerate everything.

"Option Two: God's Declaration."

"Mission Rewards:"

"1. Authority Derivative Skill: 'Divine Might Calamity' — You can designate an area and, with divinity, invoke the 'Calamity' authority to randomly or specifically unleash natural disaster-level strikes such as earthquakes, thunderstorms, meteorites, or floods."

"2. Divine Armament: 'Calamity Divine Throne (Prototype)' — Summon a throne constructed from your divinity. When seated upon it, all your 'Calamity' abilities' effects are increased by 50%, and you gain an absolute defensive force field. This armament can evolve with your growth."

"3. Exclusive Title: 'Walking Calamity' — When wearing this title, your majesty will materialize, and all beings weaker than you will experience immense mental pressure when facing you. Those with weak wills will directly surrender or collapse."

If the first choice was

to become the monarch of the night!

Then the second choice

was to become the tyrant of the day!

Two paths,

two completely different paths to godhood,

were thus laid before her.

The rewards were so generous, full of fatal allure.

Gu Tiancheng looked behind the glass.

Those eyes, refocused and imbued with divinity.

His heart involuntarily tightened.

He knew that her deliberation was over.

And her next action

would determine the fate of the Great Xia Country, and even this world.

Would she accept the olive branch of mortals, or unleash the wrath of a god?

Su Ke Ke, I'm very much looking forward to it.