Chapter 197 Batman and Robin

Could it be that Lin Pingzhi and Linghu Chong in this world became Batman and Robin, saving the world and rewarding the good and punishing the evil?

Li Ang scratched his head, ending the terminal vending machine special effects.

Since the power level of this world was relatively low, Li Ang didn't put much effort into it, just casually tossed down some miscellaneous items and let Lin Yu take the initiative.

What he gained was a pile of... martial arts manuals.

Dugu Nine Swords, Yi Jin Jing, Beiming Divine Art, Lingbo Weibu, One-Finger Zen, Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms, Six Meridian Divine Sword, Evil-Exorcising Sword Manual...

Any one of them thrown out could cause martial artists to fight and snatch them frantically, never stopping until there was a bloodbath.

Li Ang looked at the large pile of books spat out by the terminal vending machine, clicked his tongue, and casually opened one of them, the *Yi Jin Jing*.

"...Outside the marrow and bones, inside the skin and flesh, even the five internal organs, there is nowhere that is not sinew, and nowhere that is not membrane... The sinew body is empty and spiritual, and when qi arrives, it rises; the membrane body is heavy and turbid, and qi is not doubly filled..."

These martial arts manuals were all collected by Batman and others in three days, guaranteeing the original text, and theoretically, they could be learned.

However, they were, after all, classics produced in a low-martial world. Even if they were cultivated to a very high level, they might not be able to knead alloy like clay, so their value was not particularly high.

"Just use them to fill the shelves."

Li Ang collected the manuals scattered on the ground and retrieved the terminal vending machine—the cooldown time of the vending machine depended on the frequency and intensity of cross-border transactions.

After this use, he would have to wait three days before he could teleport again.

"Why does it feel a bit like a lottery? If I can teleport to a world with a high power level and encounter someone who can communicate, I can quickly trade for super-value goods.

"But more likely, I'll teleport to a world with a low power level and little value,

"Or not even meet anyone I can communicate with at all,

"Like that mutated world."

Li Ang rubbed his chin and said to himself, "Could it be that I have to go to the game plaza to buy a [Universal Language] skill scroll of perfect quality or higher?

"That way, no matter if I encounter orcs or slime creatures, I can trade with them normally..."

The user couldn't release power through the terminal vending machine across two worlds, but using a common skill like Universal Language to understand what the other party was saying should be feasible.

"Wow~"

A cry of surprise interrupted Li Ang's thoughts. Li Ang turned his head and found that Chai Chai was lying on the sofa in the cabin, holding snacks in her hands, staring at the television.

The television was playing a battle scene.

More than a dozen blurry figures were fighting fiercely in mid-air.

Dense arrows, magic, and abilities flew across the sky, and the earth trembled and cracked.

"What movie is this?"

Li Ang casually asked. With the development of electronic information technology, Hollywood's special effects software was becoming more and more advanced, and the special effects scenes produced were so realistic that they could be mistaken for the real thing.

There were even holographic cinemas that simulated not only images and sounds,

but even air smells and physical vibrations.

It was no longer like the so-called 5D, 9D, and 12D cinemas of the past, which frantically shook seats, making people vomit their overnight meals, or sprayed white water on people's faces to simulate sea waves and fog.

"It's not a movie,"

Chai Chai pouted at the television, "It's live."

"Hmm?"

Li Ang looked at the television screen and saw a huge statue of Christ standing on the top of a mountain, and a dense cluster of buildings built on the mountain below the statue, "Rio de Janeiro?"

What appeared on the screen was Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil.

As the camera gradually zoomed in, Li Ang also recognized some of the supernatural beings in the sky above Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian Seven Wuhai.

Or rather, the former Brazilian Seven Wuhai.

"After the Gate contention ended, didn't the Global Supernatural Alliance acknowledge the conjecture that the Gates = other worlds?

"Then European Heavy Industries Group began to massively annex small multinational corporations.

"The original Brazilian Seven Wuhai were either recruited by European Heavy Industries or simply disappeared, never to be seen again, dead or alive,

"Like that Ant King."

Chai Chai casually introduced, "Now Brazil is basically the private territory of European Heavy Industries.

"The management of European Heavy Industries has replaced the weak and powerless Brazilian government.

"One company after another has replaced the responsibilities of the original official departments,

"Coordinating and controlling the entire process of every Brazilian's life from birth to death—this may also be a good thing for the Brazilian poor. At least under the management of European Heavy Industries, their quality of life has risen rapidly, they can eat their fill and dress warmly, and the safety conditions are much better than when gangs used to run rampant."

"Oh, oh,"

Li Ang remembered that European Heavy Industries Group nominally retained the existence of the Brazilian government, but at the grassroots level, it had fully taken over all aspects of society,

turning the entire Brazil into a huge private company.

Most citizens had become company employees.

"The original Seven Wuhai were the leaders of all forces in Brazil, considered uncrowned kings. After European Heavy Industries attacked, they didn't resist much and all became dogs.

"At this moment, fighting with them in the sky above Rio de Janeiro are supernatural beings belonging to the American Military-Industrial Complex."

Chai Chai said lazily, "I guess the American Military-Industrial Complex is also very envious of the feat of the European Heavy Industries Group, which treats an entire modern country as its private property."

As Chai Chai explained,

the battle on the television also gradually became fierce.

More supernatural beings flew in from the horizon, fighting in a melee, but both sides tacitly pulled the battle further and further away, away from the city below.

Continuing to fight in the high altitude.

With Li Ang's eyes, he could roughly identify the types and effects of the skills and props they were using.

As the Killing Game continued to advance, the second-tier player group had further improved their strength compared to before the Gate contention.

The resulting fluctuations were also becoming more spectacular.

A strong light flashed, and vast light and heat radiated from the high altitude of Rio de Janeiro, almost melting the statue of Christ below.

"Ah, the signal is interrupted."

Chai Chai looked at the black screen of the television with some regret and complained, "Tsk, what is this.

"It's the same routine as Hollywood series movies, forcibly ending it to create hype for the sequel."

"If you want to know the result of the battle, just ask Luo Zi. She should know more inside information."

Li Ang casually said that what happened in Rio de Janeiro was nothing more than a company war.

Two giant interest groups were fighting to the death for greater power and control over ordinary people's lives.

In a sense, it was quite cyberpunk—Rio de Janeiro under the rule of European Heavy Industries Group had both towering neon skyscrapers and dirty, narrow slums.

The company's supervision of the people penetrated every corner, and every dockworker wore wrist and ankle shackles. Any slacking off or stealing milk tea would be detected by artificial intelligence and deducted from their wages accordingly.

Recently, even the company management proposed to install electric shock functions in the smart wrist and ankle shackles.

As soon as an employee slacked off, a light electric shock would be automatically released.

More cyberpunk than cyberpunk.

"Yeah, I'll ask."

Chai Chai cheered up and took out her phone to call Luo Zi.

Li Ang stretched lazily. He didn't really care about the news from other parts of the real world's Earth anymore.

No matter how other continents fought to the death or which forces occupied them, it had nothing to do with him.

The Gates were about to connect,

and only forces with no way out would become even more crazy.

Just as he was thinking casually, the friend communication list vibrated. It was Xing Hechou.

"What's up, Lao Xing."

"Li Laodi, are you free now?"

Xing Hechou said seriously, "The situation is urgent."

"Hmm?"

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. Counting the time, the next script mission was almost here, and he should seize the time to prepare, "What is it? Just say it."

"The plane war may have begun."

Xing Hechou spoke very quickly, "A stargate in the Siberian dense forest has produced spatial energy fluctuations, and the index is constantly rising."

"...I'll be right there."

Li Ang frowned slightly, closed the communication panel, and used Colt Revolver and Bullet Teleportation to go directly to the Special Affairs Bureau's Yin City base.

The people of the Special Affairs Bureau in the base were discussing countermeasures, and Han Shuishi was also there.

Seeing Li Ang's appearance, Xing Hechou immediately introduced the basic situation.

"The Siberian stargate appeared after the Gate contention. That stargate has been dormant and unable to be entered for exploration.

"The Russian side and the Global Supernatural Alliance had to set up a base camp in the dense forest and place supernatural beings and modern strategic weapons there.

"Five minutes ago, the Siberian stargate had its first spatial energy fluctuation and released some water sources toward our planet.

"After testing, the water released from the stargate is pure, untainted water.

"The Russian abnormal event response agency—the GRU—immediately launched drones into the stargate, but all drones,

"Whether modern technology or supernatural creations from the Killing Game,

"Whether using shortwave communication or carrying cables,

"All lost contact after entering the stargate.

"The same is true for familiars and pet demons."

Xing Hechou quickly said, "We are communicating with the GRU, hoping that they can open the border and let our people go to observe and prevent the situation from worsening.

"Unlike the Mayotte Islands or India, Russia's official power is stronger.

"They prefer to solve the problem themselves—if they can solve it themselves."

Li Ang asked, "Is this the second stargate projection event?"

The last time a stargate threw something over was the stargate in the Mayotte Islands—the other party threw over a pebble.

According to the rules of engagement in civilization wars, any action must be taken with extreme caution.

A stone, a basin of water, can be the prelude to a civilization war that sweeps everything.

"Yes."

Bai Haozheng, who was sitting behind the table, said, "From a probabilistic point of view,

"The stargate in the Mayotte Islands and the stargate in the Siberian snowfield

"Should be connected to two worlds.

"Judging from the Siberian stargate's action of throwing over pure water, the civilization behind the stargate is also very clever and knows how to test the waters.

"What worries us is that

"The spatial energy fluctuation level of this stargate is gradually increasing—the higher the energy level, the higher the quality of things that can be thrown over.

"At first, it may only be a basin of water, but later it could be a person,

"Or even supernatural beings or intelligent weapons."

Bai Haozheng's worries were not without basis. Assuming that the world behind the stargate possessed the same intelligence as human civilization, then they could also think of the various conjectures within human civilization about the stargate.

Probing behavior could escalate into war at any time,

like the Cuban Missile Crisis during the Cold War.

No, even worse than the Cuban Missile Crisis—the all-out nuclear war caused by the Cuban Missile Crisis could still be intercepted by ballistic missiles,

and survivors could survive for a while in the nationwide underground nuclear fortifications,

but the plane war...

No one knew what was behind the stargate,

possibly a supernatural civilization with everyone a soldier,

or maybe a planet-level evil god that ordinary people would go crazy just by looking at.

One second it may still be singing and dancing, and the next second human civilization may no longer exist.

All actions regarding the stargate must be taken with extreme caution.

Li Ang could understand this, so he didn't put on an emoticon of "Is this all you called me out for?".

Soon, the Special Affairs Bureau's liaison specialist with the GRU had results.

The GRU agreed to send personnel from the Special Affairs Bureau to Siberia for observation.

"Bai Haozheng, you lead the team and take the comrades through the spatial teleportation array. I'll go first."

Han Shuishi stood up from his seat, nodded to Li Ang, took out a single-person spatial teleportation scroll from the void, tore it open casually, and his figure instantly disappeared into the conference room.

Li Ang left the Special Affairs Bureau building, used the Ladder Cloud Ascent skill to ascend to the high altitude, and pulled the trigger to the north. After several teleports, he quickly arrived at the Siberian stargate coordinates provided by the Special Affairs Bureau.

The location of the stargate was in a riverside forest in Siberia.

The GRU had invested a lot of manpower and material resources here,

cutting down all the obstructive trees in the surrounding area, laying reinforced concrete floors, and parking a group army-level rocket force.

If war broke out, the rocket army troops stationed here would launch enough tactical nuclear weapons into the stargate in the first instance.

In addition, the GRU also arranged a high-quality supernatural special forces team in the camp.

In the team, there were several familiar faces, that is, Balalaika, Torch, Poplar, God of the North Wind, and others who had been seen in the Gate contention before.

The GRU's liaison specialist came to welcome Han Shuishi and other Special Affairs Bureau personnel, while Li Ang walked to the front of the stargate and casually looked around.

Compared with the stargate in the Mayotte Islands, the volume of the stargate in front of him was smaller.

It emitted a faint blue circular halo around it.

In the middle of the halo was a red and black vortex.

"The shapes and colors of each stargate and Gate seem to be different. My stargate is mainly blue and white, the one in Mayotte is pure white, and this stargate is red and black.

"I don't know if it's determined randomly, or if it's related to the power attributes of the stargate user itself."

Li Ang looked at the red and black stargate, his brow furrowed slightly, and he had a faint ominous premonition in his heart.