Instance game: I signed a pact with the gods, and the gods accused me of cheating

“You don’t. You don’t have any other ‘cycles’ or memories of the same you that are constantly looping. So your fear of me will gradually diminish as your plans go smoothly. For example, you have now honestly told me about your schemes against Grand Secretary Chen.”

“This can be considered as…”

"It completely solved one of the biggest problems in my heart."

After speaking, Qin Yuyan turned her head to look at Qin Shang;

"I told you, there's nothing about you in the comics. How did you manage to clear the last three trials of the Black Tower? How did you manage to perfectly control the Black Tower and avoid having the protagonist's actions recorded in the comic world while clearing the last three trials?"

"Now I understand!"

"Is it using comic books?"

Qin Yuyan licked her pink lips;

"It's not entirely a comic book. Like you said, a comic book is a medium, a medium through which you communicate with Jiang Qiqi in another world outside this one. So, did you have her add a setting? And then casually draw a storyboard, which is a blank page with the words, 'Qin Shang, in a corner unknown to anyone, has actually been quietly farming the remaining three dungeons for the past two weeks,' and then give a new setting: these three are actually Yin-Yang dungeons. On the surface, other players are farming one dungeon, but in fact, as the controller of the Black Tower, you are farming another level of dungeon, a foreshadowing left by the former master of the Black Tower, the amnesiac Qin Shang who caused the major event for the players of the Divine Road, for his future self!"

"But actually, this thing doesn't exist in the comic book at all. The idea that you never left yourself such a backup plan is something that was added later. But as a comic work, it's enough to draw it like this. And after leaving this part blank, there wouldn't be any three copies, because... the author didn't explain it!"

"It's like in a fantasy novel, where the protagonist goes into seclusion in a cave. Three months later, having broken through to a new realm, the protagonist bursts open the cave's stone door. During this time, the days and nights pass, the protagonist goes hungry, eats, drinks, relieves himself, admires the stars and moon, and even goes out for a stroll when he's bored—none of that is written down by the author. The author merely advances the plot, allowing the protagonist to undergo a transformation and level up, laying the groundwork for the main storyline. But actually, these things should have been included in the original story..."

"You really are using yourself as the protagonist of a comic book world. And given that she drew it this way, as the Mother Goddess, I really couldn't have detected that you secretly farmed the last three dungeons and took control of the Black Tower in the two weeks after you left. That's because you didn't farm those three dungeons. It was just that the comic book author outside added this setting for the development of the plot. This was a plan that you two came up with after communicating through the comic book."

"You revealed your hand too early!"

"You were too hasty, too eager to prove to me that you had won... therefore, you lost."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Yuyan's face became serious and solemn.

Hearing this, Qin Shang was stunned for a moment, and then his face flushed red and then pale. He had to admit that he had seen Qin Yuyan show a shocked expression several times, and a sense of smugness had sprouted in his heart. Although he had always overestimated the woman's methods, his vigilance seemed to have been gradually weakened as he was repeatedly shocked by the woman's behavior, just as Qin Yuyan had said.

"Let me teach you a lesson: at the poker table, don't reveal your cards until the final outcome of the hand is revealed!"

"Besides, the reason you haven't attacked me is because you know me well. Although I don't have much combat power, as the Mother Goddess of the Divine Path Server, even though I only have a few abilities from the server like [Copy] and [Refresh]... and don't possess very strong combat power, if you push me too far, I can..."

"Alright, enough with the nonsense, I'm going to push you to the limit now!"

Qin Shang frowned and spoke impatiently.

He disliked the feeling of things getting out of control, and he figured Qin Yuyan felt the same way. They were of the same mind. Even when he was frantically explaining things to her earlier, the woman was already incredibly impatient. Putting himself in her shoes, he felt he should give her some breathing room, like now, letting her experience the joy of being a show-off. However…

Qin Shang didn't want to, so he exhaled a puff of secondhand smoke and smeared it directly on Qin Yuyan's face, a very disrespectful act.

"Just tell me straight, what's your second move?"

Qin Yuyan coughed twice from the choking sound. Upon hearing these words, she didn't see the surprised look on Qin Shang's face that she had expected, as if the tables had turned and he was the one being astonished. Instead, she saw a face that screamed impatience. Coupled with the young man's gloomy features, it gave her the urge to slap him across the face.

The swear word was stuck in her throat, and Qin Yuyan almost blurted out... "Damn it!"

In an instant, he was consumed by rage.

"The Star Gate organization possesses an item, the core authority of the First District, which allows players to directly meet the Mother Goddess. I am currently in your instance, and it is an instance not controlled by the Mother Goddess. You have exploited a bug in the comic to make Jiang Qiqi work for you in another world, becoming your assistant to help you complete your plan smoothly. So, at this moment, is a Mother Goddess who has disappeared without a trace still the Mother Goddess?"

"you guess!"

"Then, which mother goddess did the player who obtained that authority meet?"

Rumble!

Upon hearing this, Qin Shang felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Qin Yuyan was trapped like a caged beast struggling against its own will, like a turtle caught in a jar.

that……

Once this core authority is unfolded, there is no doubt who the Mother Goddess will be!

It's Jiang Qiqi!

Jiang Qiqi from another world!

Qin Shang had no doubt that Qin Yuyan's words at this moment, because the woman no longer had the ability to contact the outside world, meant that she had made plans in advance. Yes, in the "Imitation of God" instance, he was able to understand after communicating with Qin Yuyan that the true Mother Goddess was still Jiang Qiqi, not Qin Yuyan, this woman trapped in the comic book world. How could Qin Yuyan not have a backup plan?

"Your sycophantic brother, Xu Mingyang, should have received the text message by now and is delivering food to Wanyan Xiaowen, right? I had Elder Chen place that prop in Wanyan Xiaowen's cell. If nothing unexpected happens, Wanyan Xiaowen has already handed over a character card and the prop containing the core authority of the first region to Xu Mingyang."

Back then, three core developers had ventured into the deepest part of the Divine Path.

They are Qin Shang, Fang Mo, and Xu Mingyang!

Yes!

Xu Mingyang is not only a developer, but also a player of the Divine Path game.

Xu Mingyang was one of the three people from the Second District who had entered the deepest part of the Divine Path...

One of the developers!

His phone's screensaver is still this photo: a picture of the three of them together.

He remembered Fang Mo, and he remembered Qin Shang.

However, he couldn't remember all the plot points related to the Divine Path. He only remembered that he seemed to have another like-minded partner. His memory of that partner was very vague, but that didn't stop the kind-hearted Xu Mingyang from keeping that photo. Countless times in his dreams, he would remember this good friend. It seemed that the three of them had explored together, gone to mysterious caves, climbed cliffs, and even cooperated and helped each other during the climb.

In the dream, although the three weren't exactly close friends back then—at least Qin Shang and Fang Mo weren't particularly close—they did share a mutual respect and appreciation...

Until Qin Shang was diagnosed with brain cancer.

From Xu Mingyang's perspective, it seems that he has truly forgotten many things from the past.

For example, there's a friend named Fang Mo.

But actually, he forgot... He forgot about the major incident involving the Shenlu players in 17!

Forget everything related to the Divine Path, because back then, the Bad Commander wanted to shut down the server, while Qin Shang wanted to continue the Divine Path game. The two disagreed. In reality, Qin Shang proved the inherent evil of human nature through an experiment, and thus he won!

Xu Mingyang's initial choice was neutrality!

However, even Xu Mingyang himself, who was also a player of the game "Shenlu" and a former developer, was unaware of this matter.

Because he has also lost his memories related to the players of the Divine Path, in Lao Xu's mind at this moment, the organization that specializes in handling transnational illegal and disorderly cases and supernatural events is still called Big Hero 6!

"Guess how Xu Mingyang will react when he remembers all of this—that he was once a developer, a player of the Divine Path, and even a top-tier player of the Divine Path no less than you, and that he has also met Jiang Qiqi, the true Mother Goddess?"

Based on Lao Xu's personality, his fundamental character is unlikely to be changed, or rather, it is very difficult to change. Even before he lost his memory, Lao Xu should have been a kind-hearted person.

"What would he think if he met an author in another world whose comic book storylines could be described as enslaving your lives?"

Qin Shang gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain calm;

"Old Xu wouldn't hurt Jiang Qiqi, even if he knew that everything we were in was being controlled by Jiang Qiqi's comics... Besides, he's not even a proper main character; there's no character introduction for him on the cover of several physical books!"

"If this is your second move, then what is your third move?"

A sly glint flashed in Qin Yuyan's beautiful eyes, and as Qin Shang's gaze grew increasingly serious, she gave a disdainful smile.

"Naturally, we'll use the most primitive methods to corner you!"

"I'm forcing you to use your core authority to make a deal with me."

"Now that I know your trump card, I just need to find a way to prevent you from revealing it. Jiang Qiqi is being held back by a Divine Path player in that world without Divine Path. It should be extremely difficult for her to do anything else, right? All I wanted was a time difference!"

boom--

"After all, as the Mother Goddess, am I only allowed to collude with Elder Chen of the Second Region, and not with the Star Gate Organization of the First Region? Why not just force them to hand over your core authority? Simplifying complex matters has always been my style of doing things!"

"Unlike you, I don't like to complicate simple things!"