Chapter 3
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Chapter 3: Deep Blue World
The back of Mu Ling’s left hand throbbed with extreme pain. Without warning, a black tower-shaped mark had appeared there. The mark was exquisitely detailed and seemed to pulse with strange magical power.
Savior?
She had never heard of this great being, yet she could sense the grand ideals in his words—as if he intended to challenge all the gods and devils in the world.
[This is your reward.]
An indescribably terrifying aura gradually enveloped Mu Ling. Her eyes widened as the aura made her heart convulse, leaving her struggling to breathe.
It was the power of the “King of Deep Blue.”
Mu Ling extended her hands.
The black fog appeared again, slowly wrapping around her fair, delicate arms. An intense pain followed, making her soul feel as if it were screaming and wailing.
Cold sweat immediately broke out across her skin. Her eyes gradually turned blue as information about the “reward” surfaced in her mind.
[Deep Blue World]
As the pain gradually faded, a strange sensation welled up. Mu Ling’s brain felt like it was boiling, filled with knowledge that had once been incomprehensible.
The storm continued to pour down.
Standing in the rain, Mu Ling gradually recovered her composure.
She slowly opened her eyes and found her understanding of “reality” completely overturned and rewritten.
“So this is it.”
Now she possessed one of the colors of “Deep Blue World”—a power countless people could only dream of.
The King of Deep Blue. “He” was an existence beyond description, an otherworldly god standing in the multiverse. “He” possessed nine different “colors.”
Deep Blue World was one of the nine.
Those who possessed it could comprehend the forbidden knowledge of time and suspend it at will. Deep Blue was the concept of stagnation itself.
Mu Ling raised her hands, and the rain suddenly stopped. Droplets hung suspended in the air beside her. Yet her blood continued to flow—she could feel it coursing through every part of her body. What had once simply coexisted within her could now truly function as an “organ” under her control.
Mu Ling remained silent for a long time. Though only two seconds passed, she knew she had become fundamentally different. Her strength had ascended to a new level.
Two seconds later, the rain resumed its fall.
Everything appeared normal once more.
Madness and joy surged through her heart. All of this was thanks to the “Savior” in Babel Tower.
Babel Tower—the mysterious organization she had been forced to join.
How many members are there like me?
What was its true purpose?
To save this rotting world, or destroy it completely?
What is the Savior? Mu Ling drew a deep breath.
If she could obtain such great power each time she completed a mission, then perhaps revenge wasn’t impossible. Once again, the faces of her loved ones appeared in her mind.
From today onward, she would walk a completely different path. The fate of the world might even rest in her hands.
Mu Ling left the street slowly, leaving no trace of her presence.
Who could have known that on this day, under such bizarre circumstances, the future Queen of Eternal Night was born?
—
Three hours earlier.
After defeating the monster, Bai Yan heaved a quiet sigh of relief.
Though much infrastructure and research still awaited his attention, he needed to leave the library now. Closing time approached.
Bai Yan had always been fascinated by horror games. The unpredictable unknown never failed to excite and terrify. And when one became an unknown themselves, the experience grew even more intriguing.
Parts of Babel Tower’s gameplay resembled Cultist Simulator or Lobotomy Corporation.
Players’ daily tasks involved managing the Babel Foundation, accumulating resources, developing supernatural technologies, and identifying potential core employees.
In essence: building, auto-playing, and summoning.
After summoning, Bai Yan would assign various missions to core operators. When they completed their tasks, the organization received corresponding benefits.
To maintain their loyalty, he had to be clear about rewards and punishments.
In Babel Tower, opponents were rarely identical.
Players controlled different core operators to combat various monsters.
Moreover, each core operator possessed unique personality traits, abilities, and weapons. Their gameplay styles varied accordingly.
Players could nurture operators to become stronger, constantly unlocking new abilities and combat methods. The game’s achievement system had always provided excellent feedback.
Beyond regular battles, missions occasionally involved elimination, infiltration, assassination, theft, disguise, investigation, and transport.
Each different mission type brought its own gameplay mode.
Players could experience various game styles, including simulation operations, shooting, role-playing, chess, and puzzles.
In some ways, it could be considered the ultimate video game experience.
Though the daily missions were numerous, students like Bai Yan found the workload manageable.
Bai Yan was a diligent student. Reading in the library was merely a hobby.
He had plenty of leisure time.
Once infrastructure and research developed further, he would become busier.
“Time to leave.”
The rain fell heavily tonight, and the library had emptied of people.
It was already 10:30 PM. If he didn’t leave now, he risked being locked inside.
He put away his phone, stood up, and left his seat, walking away from the gradually darkening library.
In the pitch-black night, Bai Yan held an umbrella and walked alone through the pouring rain.
Babel Tower contained rich idle elements. Even when players weren’t online, the world inside continued normally. Core operators could encounter all sorts of incidents daily.
Some operators would grow stronger independently, surprising Bai Yan. Sometimes, he would log in to find certain operators had suddenly died, forcing him to spend substantial resources to revive them.
He muttered, “Work hard, Nightsaber! You’re my only core operator.”
At that moment, a girl in a black windbreaker rushed past.
Bai Yan instinctively glanced her way but couldn’t make out her face clearly.
“So fast,” he thought, surprised.
Unfortunately, her features remained unclear. He shook his head gently.
To escape the Black Star Faction’s pursuit, Mu Ling ran at supernatural speed.
They passed each other at the school gate.
The person she’d just passed was merely mortal. She didn’t even bother to look back at him.
To superhumans, the real world was just a vast amusement park. Mortals were merely bait and false comfort. They existed too far from her world—too frail, too weak, too distant.
She couldn’t have imagined that a few hours later, this man would be “playing” her through his phone.
