Chapter 12: The Deity, "Master of Paradise."
Under the cover of night.
The silent city was sparsely dotted with faint lights. Within this seven-story "TV Station" building, a sharp, clear sound rang out.
"Ding dong."
An ascending elevator slowly came to a halt on the second floor of the TV station. The elevator doors were about to open.
Inside the second floor, the few surviving employees grimaced fiercely, gripping firearms and aiming at the elevator entrance. They were ready to unleash a furious barrage the moment the doors slid open.
The next moment—
The elevator doors slowly parted.
Yet...
The elevator was empty. Only a waving lucky cat statue, normally placed at the front desk on the first floor, sat in the exact center of the elevator.
The employees froze in place, confusion flashing in their eyes.
At that moment—
A cheerful voice came from the nearby fire escape exit. Chen Jiang and Silent Snake had appeared there without anyone noticing. Four pistols simultaneously fired, the crisp, rhythmic gunshots echoing.
The few employees on the second floor had no time to react and soon collapsed in pools of blood.
What followed—
Chen Jiang and Silent Snake pressed forward relentlessly, using the same tactic to sweep from the second floor all the way to the rooftop.
...
Ten minutes later.
Every employee inside this office building had been eliminated.
"Ha..." Chen Jiang exhaled softly, standing atop the TV station’s roof. He pulled a bottle of red wine from a nearby cabinet, poured a glass, and walked toward the shattered floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the streets below.
The rooftop was an entire floor dedicated to offices, with no workstations.
The firepower inside the TV station far exceeded that of the Law Enforcement Bureau—by several times. Besides the armed security guard at the first-floor entrance wielding an automatic rifle, every employee inside was equipped with firearms such as pistols. If other players found the map in the "Bar" and decided to head to the TV station—a place that sounded relatively safe—they would most likely meet their end there.
From the corpulent TV station manager, Chen Jiang retrieved a small item—a pendant emitting a white glow.
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"Item Name": White Pendant.
"Item Grade": White.
"Item Effect": The faith power contained within this item is favored by the deity "Lord of the Paradise," Kalkrus Yongxi. If you choose the deity "Lord of the Paradise" Kalkrus Yongxi as your faith and submit this item to your deity, you will gain 100 faith points from that deity.
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"Item Hint": Please choose your deity carefully. Once chosen, it cannot be changed.
"PS: Can be carried out of the instance."
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Chen Jiang toyed with the white pendant in his hand. In this office, he saw a statue of a deity.
Its features were unclear. It knelt on both knees, with massive, dark wings enveloping its form.
That must be the statue of the "Lord of the Paradise."
After leaving the "Gods' Paradise" novice instance, he had seen thirteen colossal statues suspended in the sky of the real world. One of them resembled this statue.
Among those thirteen statues in the sky, one was so blurred that even its appearance was indistinct.
Before entering this instance,
He learned that he was currently in the novice village numbered "08029." Only after completing three instances could he officially enter the Gods' Paradise and choose a deity as his faith.
"This doesn’t look like a righteous deity," Silent Snake said calmly beside him. "The strangeness in this city probably stems from this deity."
Chen Jiang remained expressionless, silent, instead focusing on the panel that popped up when he obtained the pendant.
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"You have come into contact with an object favored by a deity. As a player without faith, upon officially entering the Gods' Paradise, you may select one deity from the thirteen gods as your faith."
"Each deity has different preferences, personalities, and grants different powers to their followers."
"There are also conflicts among the deities. If you choose a deity with many enemies, you may face attacks from followers of other gods within the instance."
"Kalkrus Yongxi is the true name of the deity known as 'Lord of the Paradise.'"
"The basic power granted to level one followers is—"
"When entering an instance, you may choose one buff from three random options. The buff’s level improves as the follower’s level rises."
"Faith points can be used to increase your follower level."
"The higher your follower level, the more powers the deity bestows."
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"Lord of the Paradise" is the deity’s official title, representing its powers. "Kalkrus Yongxi" is the deity’s true name, which is usually not spoken lightly. Most often, the deity is addressed by its official title.
The Gods' Paradise has thirteen deities.
These thirteen deities are the rulers of the paradise.
In other words—
Only after officially entering the Gods' Paradise and choosing a deity as your faith can one truly begin the chapter of Gods' Paradise and genuinely leave the novice village.
...
Chen Jiang pocketed the pendant. It was a valuable item and should fetch a good price.
Of course,
He wasn’t necessarily going to choose "Lord of the Paradise" as his deity. Although the basic power granted to followers sounded excellent—essentially giving him an extra skill each time he entered an instance—he wanted to know what powers the other twelve deities granted.
And...
What deity his master had chosen back then.
...
Chen Jiang searched the entire office building carefully. Aside from the white pendant, there was nothing else of value. This pendant was the only worthwhile item in this "office building."
He also picked up plenty of firearms, although none could be carried out of the instance.
The subsequent instances became much easier.
Under the cover of vehicles and firepower, Chen Jiang, Silent Snake, and a middle-aged man rampaged through the night, scavenging several seemingly special buildings—only to find them empty.
Apparently, only the two buildings marked on the map contained high-value items.
They headed toward the city’s sole external passage—a bridge spanning the river. However, an air barrier blocked their path. They had to wait until dawn to cross the bridge.
Finally—
As the horizon began to lighten with the faintest gray, the sky blushed red, and a crimson sun slowly rose above the city skyline.
A panel appeared before them.
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"Ding, F-level difficulty instance 'Midnight City' main quest: Survive until dawn completed."
"You may exit the instance and return to the Gods' Paradise at any time within 6 hours."
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At this moment,
The air barrier blocking the bridge to the city’s edge vanished.