I went berserk in the game of gods.

Chapter 70 There's a Ghost in the High-ups

'I never imagined that a player with such a noble character and high moral standards like myself would have mostly negative reputation... Have I done anything wrong?'

Cao Yu thought back briefly and realized that since becoming a player, he had basically been doing good deeds in accordance with his nature.

Being kind to others, taking care of teammates, protecting family, meeting superiors' expectations, resolving intrusion crises... even if you occasionally kill a few people, they are all evil people.

Eradicating evil completely is an act of upholding justice!
He is a champion of justice.

So, who the hell is it that's slandering his reputation behind his back?
After a sigh, Cao Yu turned off the system's reputation notifications.

Negative reputation, it's annoying to look at!

Stop watching.

Cao Yu quickly went downstairs to the boxing gym on the first floor and found his second brother, Yang Jian, who wasn't quite busy yet.

When Yang Jian saw Cao Yu approaching, he instinctively took a few steps back in alarm.

"..." Cao Yu: "Second brother, you have hurt me."

"Cough... It's an instinctive reaction, an instinctive reaction." Yang Jian pointed to the rest area not far away and said, "Let's talk over there."

Cao Yu followed him over.

After sitting down, Yang Jian used some kind of prop to create a temporary barrier that could block out sound.

Cao Yu observed abnormal fluctuations in the airflow. He guessed that his second brother must possess a device that could manipulate gas.

Yang Jian seized the initiative and accused:
"Sixth Brother, you should know very well why I stepped back, right? Ever since you practiced that unknown technique that night, I've felt a constant sense of unease and danger when I'm around you."

Upon hearing this, Cao Yu glanced at Xiao Qi, who was playing nearby, very subtly out of the corner of his eye.

Xiaoqi was holding a butterfly knife, which she skillfully handled without any instruction, spinning it in a fancy way.

As if sensing Cao Yu's gaze, Xiao Qi dispersed her butterfly knife, teleported to Cao Yu's side, and grabbed his arm, saying:

"Grass carp, it's so boring here, let's go play in the dungeon."

You want to go kill people in the dungeon, right...? Cao Yu ignored him.

After his Superman evolution reached 11%, and he could project his mind outwards, he was able to attach his superpowers to his handheld weapons, which increased his attack range.

As for Xiao Qi... perhaps because of her spiritual life, the amplification effect she received was more obvious—she could instinctively condense her outward spiritual power into various weapons of different lengths, including but not limited to butterfly knives, longswords, giant scythes... In short, Cao Yu was extremely envious.

The next second, Cao Yu pulled Xiao Qi back into his mind and asked Yang Jian, "Second Brother, how are you feeling now?"

"It's much better now." Yang Jian breathed a sigh of relief.

If it weren't for the fact that Lao Liu was his own brother, he would never have gotten so close to him.

At least... at least ten meters apart!
Otherwise, he would feel very insecure.

"Second Brother, your sixth sense is quite strong," Cao Yu said meaningfully. "I'm also a Celestial Player, but I don't have your level of intuition... Is this sense of danger related to cultivation aptitude?"

"That's not true," Yang Jian said casually. "Maybe I just have a strong sixth sense."

“That must be your third eye awakening, Second Brother,” Cao Yu said confidently.

"...Sixth Brother, you came to me just to talk about this?" Yang Jian reminded him, "I'm very busy during the day."

Cao Yu became serious and asked, "Second Brother, you're a D-level player now, right?"

"I guess so. I became a player two months earlier than you. But you... you seem to be almost there too?"

Yang Jian's keen senses detected the presence of "Qi" within Cao Yu's body.

If a player's seven souls exceed a critical point during the manifestation process, they will transform from formless to tangible.

That is, 11% evolution level.

At this point, all of the physical attributes of the immortal player will be enhanced to the theoretical limit of human beings.

The seven souls control the body's internal circulation.

The transformation of the seven souls into tangible things represents the manifestation of the internal circulation—the manifestation of which is the energy of "Qi" circulating between the meridians of the human body.

Because it is related to the soul, "Qi" is also called "spiritual power".

Yang Jian was somewhat surprised... This sixth brother is pretty fast.

Is this the D-level range?

"It's true that nothing can be hidden from Second Brother."

As Cao Yu spoke with a tone of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection), he glanced at his player panel.

【Nickname: How am I any different from that traitor Cao Cao?】 【ID: C09009233333】

【Item: Spirit Control (D)】

[Rank: E]

[Superpower: Seven Killings Empress (Number ???)]

[Superman's Evolution Level: 11%]

[Sage Evolution Level: 11%]

Evolution Points: 13550

After raising Superman's evolution level to 11%, he did not immediately test the effect of the "Death Curse". Instead, he patiently spent 500 evolution points to upgrade the Immortal Path as well.

Speaking of which... isn't Second Brother's perception a bit too amazing?
"I feel that evolving to the D-rank is actually quite difficult. I only managed to advance by using a few dungeons to accumulate enough evolution points after receiving a lot of rewards from the Special Affairs Bureau. But you, Second Brother..."

Cao Yu asked with considerable curiosity:
"Without resource support, you've already reached D rank... When Second Brother went into dungeons, he must have gotten all A rank ratings, right?"

"Why would you think that?" Yang Jian asked helplessly. "Is an A rating something you can just get whenever you want?"

“Ordinary players definitely won’t be able to do it, but you can’t be so sure, Second Brother,” Cao Yu said.

"...You're doing it again, aren't you?" Yang Jian said sternly.

"No, I have something important to ask you." Cao Yu asked about something important: "Second Brother, do you know about the regional test instance?"

He plans to ask this question to many people—people he can trust.

D-level players who are capable and well-connected generally have considerable knowledge and experience—with this in mind, he also included Yang Jian as one of the people he was to question.

Of course, he didn't have high expectations.

To his surprise, Yang Jian gave him the response he had been expecting.

"...Where did you hear that from?" Yang Jian was taken aback and quickly asked, "Did you report this to the Special Affairs Bureau?"

"Oh? It seems you know too, Second Brother. That means my guess was right. I found out in the last instance, but I haven't reported it yet."

Cao Yu offered his own speculation:

"Something feels off. The Evolution Game has been in the Federation for two and a half years. With so many players and so many dungeons, even if this information is hard to obtain, with such a large player base... I simply don't believe that no one has known about it for over two years."

He paused, then continued:

"I reckon the officials are aware of this, they just haven't made it public. Not clearing the zone test dungeon for a long time might result in having your zone number revoked... Second Brother, you're a veteran player, from your perspective, do you think the officials are afraid of causing unrest if they make it public? Or is there some other reason?"

"Both are possible. However, the latter is more likely."

Yang Jian reminded him:
"If you analyze the growth trend of the number of players, you will find that the evolution of the game has begun to accelerate, which proves that the situation is gradually becoming critical."

Compared to being stripped of their serial numbers, what are a few disturbances? Besides, the Federation is already in chaos with so many copy intrusions, yet the higher-ups' attitude is ambiguous, as if they're not worried at all.

How many students do your four academies graduate each year? The number of Evolution Game invitations held by the authorities is probably a fraction of the total number of graduates you have. And most importantly…”

He said in a serious tone:

"It's been two and a half years. Although the Federation's B-level players are pitifully few, some have emerged."

Players who manage to survive the initial, brutal development phase and be among the first to reach rank B are undoubtedly quite capable. Why haven't they cleared the regional trial dungeon yet? Is the dungeon too difficult? Or is there another reason?
I suspect there's something wrong here. You were right not to report it; you should stay out of this mess.

"Don't worry, Second Brother, I know what I'm doing."

Cao Yu laughed and said:

"It just so happens that I wasn't the only one who got this information from the last instance. He'll probably report it. If the Federation doesn't react, it'll probably be suppressed. In that case, I'd better not get involved. After all..."

His tone also became serious:

“Even you, Second Brother, the god of justice, think there’s something wrong with the attitude of the higher-ups. I’d guess it’s pretty much true.”

Yang Jian: "..."

"You old bastard..." Yang Jian's seriousness didn't fade as he continued:
"Since you've brought this up, I'll tell you one more piece of information."

He covered his lips with his hand and said in a low voice:
"If you encounter members of the 'Rebel Society' in the future, you can try to contact them, provided it is safe to do so."

"The Rebel Society?" Cao Yu covered his lips and asked, "Never heard of it...a secret organization?"

"I suppose so," Yang Jian replied. "I haven't had any contact with them, but I've heard people mention them. The Rebel Society is a 'counter-espionage organization' that claims there are ghosts in the upper echelons of humanity. They seem to know something. However... if you do encounter them, remember to prioritize safety and make sure there won't be any problems before making contact."

(End of this chapter)