The military man’s words were incredibly persuasive. Though he didn’t succeed in recruiting Lin Xiaohe, he did manage to pull in a passenger who’d been eavesdropping nearby.
The two of them started whispering, discussing when to hold the initiation ceremony.
“The Insect God will surely feel our devotion and descend upon Vitaria Star once more, cleansing all evil and letting her radiant light shine upon the land again!”
Insect God Lin Xiaohe…
You guys chat. I’m out.
The Zerg had done a number on Vitaria Star’s infrastructure—surveillance dead zones were everywhere.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was watching, Lin Xiaohe blinked and appeared at the Outlets Grand Hotel.
The lobby manager was still that handsome middle-aged man, though his eyes now carried a lot more weariness.
“Hello, I’d like to check in. Room 1103.”
That was the room her family had stayed in when they first arrived at Vitaria Star on the fifth ring.
At the sound of Lin Xiaohe’s voice, the lobby manager’s attention wavered.
Lin Xiaohe: “Hm?”
The lobby manager gave an apologetic smile: “I’m sorry, your voice reminded me of someone. I’ll get your check-in processed right away.”
As Lin Xiaohe looked around the lobby, she casually asked: “Reminded you of who?”
“An incredibly, incredibly, incredibly remarkable person—a beacon of humanity!” The lobby manager used three “incredibly”s in a row.
Lin Xiaohe was using an alias from her database, so he didn’t recognize her.
“The Outlets Hotel has changed a lot.” Lin Xiaohe stared at the metallic glint of the lobby manager’s right hand, noting to herself that he had changed a lot too.
Noticing her gaze, the lobby manager explained with a smile: “This is a mechanical arm. My original one got eaten by the bugs.”
Lin Xiaohe hadn’t expected him to be in such a stable state of mind, and a flicker of admiration showed in her eyes.
The lobby manager finished the check-in and handed her the key card: “Just being alive is already a blessing. Being able to keep doing the work I love—that’s a blessing upon a blessing.”
Back in the day, the Outlets Grand Hotel didn’t even need key cards.
But because of the Zerg’s destruction, Vitaria Star’s technological level had regressed by decades.
Many facilities and systems weren’t beyond repair—they just couldn’t afford to fix them. There simply weren’t enough resources.
The Outlets Grand Hotel had clearly been attacked by the Zerg too.
On the large wall in the lobby, reddish-brown stains were soaked deep into the material—remnants of blood that had seeped in.
The massive screen in the lobby was broadcasting the gospel of the Neptune Cult.
“We originated from the ocean, and the ocean is where we belong. Only by returning to the sea can the soul find peace…”
Just as Lin Xiaohe took the key card and was about to leave the lobby, Shi Qiang barged in with a whole crowd of people.
His tone was impassioned, full of fervor: “Once you complete the initiation, you’ll become children of Neptune, the God of the Ocean! Devote yourselves wholeheartedly to the divine, and you will surely enter the divine kingdom and achieve full awakening!”
Shi Qiang was acting like a tour guide, leading the group through check-in.
He turned his head and spotted that striking flash of red, raising an eyebrow: “You again?”
The tone didn’t sound like it was a good thing.
The lobby manager, who was in the middle of processing the check-in, looked up, his cautious gaze shifting between the two of them.
Lin Xiaohe: “It’s me.”
“You here to watch our initiation ceremony too?”
Watch the ceremony?
A thought crossed Lin Xiaohe’s mind: “Yeah. Afraid I’ll watch?”
“Heh. Come ahead—who’s afraid of who?”
By nature, Shi Qiang would’ve loved to hurl a bunch of sarcastic remarks, but since he was leading a bunch of potential converts, he had to maintain the image of a senior figure. So he swallowed all those nasty words.
The Outlets Grand Hotel really knew how to do business, no doubt about it.
During the college entrance exam season, they’d set up dedicated exam channels. Now that there were no more exams, they’d cleared out five whole floors specifically for various cults to hold their initiation ceremonies.
Between renting out meeting rooms and providing accommodation for the followers, it was more than enough to keep the hotel’s business afloat!
The Neptune Cult was a major religion on Vitaria Star. Shi Qiang had booked the top floor and scheduled the ceremony for midnight tonight.
Lin Xiaohe arrived ten minutes early—everyone was already there.
In the center of the hall, some kind of material had been used to paint a totem that looked like rolling waves.
Shi Qiang wasn’t qualified to officiate—a dedicated person would be coming for that.
After arranging everyone’s seats, he sat himself respectfully in the front row.
Lin Xiaohe naturally couldn’t go inside, so she could only watch from the doorway.
It wasn’t until 11:59 that the officiant finally showed up.
She was a young woman, her face and exposed skin covered in fine, dense little scales.
As she passed by Lin Xiaohe, she paused briefly, a flicker of confusion passing through her eyes—but she couldn’t afford to delay the ceremony.
Pushing aside that hint of doubt, she strode boldly toward the totem.
This summoning ritual was crucial—it was about a descent—and it had to succeed!
As the clock struck twelve, she opened her mouth and sang an ancient chant.
No one understood the lyrics—it seemed to be a completely unfamiliar language—but it made everyone feel the breath of the ocean.
Lin Xiaohe’s experience was even deeper.
Whether it was due to the contract she’d made with the Giant Sound Whales, or the mental training method she’d once practiced from them, through the song, she saw sunlight and the vast sea.
The perspective kept drawing closer, and she saw the creatures in the ocean!
Its skin was deep blue, dotted with faint bioluminescent spots. It had enormous eyes, webbed toes, and a streamlined body, speeding through the water with incredible agility.
It seemed anxious, opening its mouth to emit sonar calls that human ears couldn’t pick up.
The perspective followed it closely, diving deeper and deeper into the abyss.
Less and less light penetrated the surface, and increasingly strange creatures appeared around it.
At the edge of her vision, a single point of light suddenly appeared, followed by countless more, densely packed together.
Lin Xiaohe had a feeling—this might be their city!
Just at that critical moment, the singing stopped!
Everything she’d just seen burst like bubbles, popping one after another.
Lin Xiaohe felt a knot lodge in her chest, stuck midway—neither up nor down—and it was suffocating.
Guys, can you feel me?! She’d been this close to uncovering the mystery, and then the curtain dropped!
It left her itching with frustration!
Lin Xiaohe pressed her lips tightly together, displeased, and turned to look at the woman slumped on the totem.
Her expression was bizarre—caught between laughing and crying: “The divine kingdom… haha, the divine kingdom! Wuwu, so close!”
So close—Neptune had almost descended!
In those brief ten minutes, whether it was the Giant Sound Whales on the sixth ring or those in the Black Domain, they were all buzzing like they’d been drugged, bursting with endless energy.
Wes patted his mount and teased: “Hey, what’ve you been sneaking behind my back?”
The little Giant Sound Whale was clueless: “I dunno! Baby didn’t do nothin’! Baby’s innocent!”
At the same time, over on Kyushu Star, a shrill alarm blared in the Life Safety Center.
Old Black didn’t even have time to put on his shoes—he scrambled toward the VIP ward: “What happened?!”
The monitoring doctor was dumbfounded, pointing at the display screen with a trembling hand: “Her… her mental energy suddenly skyrocketed—shot straight past 3S…”
Old Black rushed to look at the screen—the line representing mental energy had shot up like a rocket, surpassing 3S in just five minutes!
He clutched his racing heart and looked toward Lin’s mother on the hospital bed. Her eyeballs were moving rapidly beneath her lids, as if she were about to open them any second.
“AHH! NO! STOP!”
You freaking disaster! Why didn’t you keep climbing?! How come it crashed and burned straight into the gutter?!
Old Black went limp, slumping onto the floor. These ten-odd minutes had felt like a dream—way too intense!
