World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

When the Hill Civilization attacked, the Federation was forced to form.

External pressure united all the countries, but a mature management system had yet to be established.

The Federal President was the first, elected by numerous countries, relying on the military power of Bi Xing, the strongest nation.

However, the Federation also had a second strongest country, a third strongest country...

In such a vast circle of power, the President could not dominate everything. Whether Bi Xing ultimately defeated the Hill Civilization or lost to it, everyone retreating into the Battle Network would mean a new power distribution.

In reality.

Being able to control the Battle Network, the President was already under immense pressure. With the Alien Star warriors becoming increasingly intense on the Battle Network, he was almost unable to hold on.

In other words, the query conditions of the Battle Network might be opened to all major forces at any time.

If Du Ge defected, there were plenty of forces willing to accept him.

And if Du Ge really was the Masked Hero, their loss would be enormous. A powerful Alien Star warrior could completely influence the situation on Bi Xing. As Luo Yan's right-hand man, Nalan Li couldn't, and wouldn't dare, force Lin Hong to leave.

Therefore.

Even if Lin Hong really committed this heinous crime, Nalan Li couldn't admit it. She might even have to help Lin Hong cover up any possible loopholes.

No matter what Lin Hong's ultimate goal was, he had already succeeded.

It wasn't that he couldn't leave the Homeland Defense Bureau, but that the Homeland Defense Bureau couldn't do without him.

If they dared to abandon Lin Hong and rely on Xu Wan, Xu Wan might meet an untimely death the next day.

...

"Lin Hong, what do you plan to do?" Nalan Li asked.

"Bi Xing doesn't need so many gamers. Keeping the number under two hundred is best," Du Ge said with a smile, looking at her.

Nalan Li glanced at Du Ge and said, "Maybe you're right, but it's impossible to achieve in the short term."

"The best way is to shut down the Battle Network, which would slow down the gamers' growth," Du Ge said. "Of course, doing so would make it a bit more troublesome to find them, but dealing with them would be relatively easier.

Otherwise, if everyone grew to the strength of the Masked Hero, unless you're willing to destroy half the planet, it's impossible to eliminate them."

So you're using the Battle Network to grow, and now you want to cut off others' paths to growth?

Nalan Li glanced at Du Ge and fell silent.

She admitted that Lin Hong was right. The combat power displayed by the Masked Hero was too strong. Calling him Superman wasn't an exaggeration. Maybe hiding in a mech could defend against gamers' assassinations, but who could hide in a mech forever?

Moreover, dealing with such people would require several ace Mecha Pilots for a siege. It was impossible to pull back ace Mecha Pilots from Bi Xing, knowing there was still a battle line in the starry sky!

"The Battle Network can't be shut down," Nalan Li sighed and said. "The Battle Network is Bi Xing's last retreat. Once Bi Xing is defeated, everyone's data will be uploaded to the Battle Network. It concerns the future of the entire Bi Xing civilization, so from the beginning, the Battle Network was designed not to be shut down."

She paused, "Forcibly shutting down the Battle Network would make everyone on Bi Xing distrust the final data plan. No one would be willing to entrust their life to a system that could be shut down at any time."

That's true.

Du Ge was momentarily stunned. He was often influenced by Earthly thinking, frequently overlooking that the Battle Network carried the mission of saving the world, not just a platform for communication.

"Is there any other way?" Nalan Li shook her head and asked.

"Then kill them!" Du Ge said. "Kill anyone who stands out until they don't dare to show themselves."

"..." Nalan Li looked at Du Ge in astonishment.

"Nalan Li, cut the Gordian knot," Du Ge said, looking at the Windwalker he was about to finish modifying, with deep meaning. "Not everyone longs for peace like I do. The longer it drags on, the bigger the trouble Bi Xing will face. Once dragged into the quagmire by the gamers, Bi Xing will be finished without waiting for the Hill Civilization to invade."

...

Nalan Li left, withdrawing the spies before she did.

Since it was destined to cooperate with Du Ge, it was natural to show enough sincerity.

After she left, Du Ge accelerated the improvement of the Windwalker. A low-profile person couldn't have just one alias.

Next.

The Homeland Defense Bureau would definitely start cleaning up the gamers who stood out. Wearing a mech without exposing the Masked Hero would be more conducive to hiding oneself.

...

That night.

Xu Wan entered the Battle Network to release a video code, summoning the Alien Star warriors of the planet.

Luo Yan and Nalan Li discussed Du Ge's issue for two hours, ultimately deciding to set aside all prejudices and cooperate with him. They made a report of the events of the past few days and reported it to the President on the Battle Network.

Du Ge's perception couldn't monitor the Battle Network.

However, after Luo Yan finished reporting to the President, he received all the information collected by the National Strategic Defense Bureau on the Alien Star warriors being monitored, sent by Nalan Li.

...

The next day, news of the underground organization in the Imperial Capital being destroyed by the Masked Hero flooded everyone's attention.

The Federation News posed a soul-searching question: Does the world really need uncontrollable superheroes?

This question quickly sparked public interest and discussion.

Naturally, opinions were divided into two camps. One camp believed the world needed superheroes, as their existence could compensate for the injustices of the judicial system;

The other camp believed the world didn't need superheroes, as they stood above the law. If one day they couldn't control their ambitions, they would become the great villains threatening the world;

Even if superheroes existed, they should be under the control of the state and government, not act recklessly based on their abilities...

On the same day.

Superheroes like the Masked Hero, Black Cat Hero, and Benevolent Hero, who had emerged recently, were brought to the table for discussion.

This led to another question.

Why had figures like Ten Steps to Kill One, Princess Ling Shuang, General Feng, Masked Hero, and Black Cat Hero suddenly appeared on Bi Xing?

Was there a conspiracy behind the sudden emergence of geniuses?

When this question arose, a piece of information suddenly topped the trending searches.

This information bluntly pointed out.

Figures like Ten Steps to Kill One and Masked Hero were possessed by outsiders, and their purpose was to destroy this planet...

Afterward.

Luo Yan announced high-profile that the National Strategic Defense Bureau was officially established, calling on all superheroes and geniuses to join the National Strategic Defense Bureau to fight against the Hill Civilization together.

Moreover.

The Strategic Defense Bureau issued a statement that any unrestrained superheroes who committed crimes again would be listed as key targets by the Homeland Defense Bureau.

...

For a time.

Bi Xing was in chaos, more lively than the New Year.

These sudden explosive news stories were each more shocking than the last. The information about Ten Steps to Kill One only dominated the trending searches for a day before being pushed down.

...

Luo Yan presided over the overall situation at the Homeland Defense Bureau.

Nalan Li went to Imperial Capital University to analyze the situation with Du Ge.

The microcomputer on her arm projected data outward: "In the video released by the Benevolent Hero, the phrase 'spring flowers and autumn moon' should be a contact code. Among all the reply emails he received, six contained responses to the code.

Among them were phrases like 'the moon is bright in the sky' as a hidden header, 'the phases of the moon' as a hidden tail, and 'summer night cicadas' as a jumping word. These six people can basically be determined to be gamers from the same planet as him. The Technical Department will soon lock onto their locations."

"Mm."

Du Ge nodded.

In a technological society, convenient communication indeed aids the growth of Alien Star warriors, but likewise, their every move would be monitored, and one misstep could expose them, leaving nowhere to hide.

With the intelligent brain's high computing power, no matter how deeply hidden the code, it could be easily cracked.

"General Feng hasn't sent out video codes, but based on our analysis, the different actions he takes after each battle should be summoning his kind," Nalan Li said. "We're working overtime to decipher the meaning of these actions, but he started doing them three days ago.

There's a high possibility that his kind has already gathered around him. We're systematically analyzing ticket information to his city from the past few days to identify suspicious individuals and determine how many people have gathered around him."

There's truly no privacy!

At this rate.

In less than three days, they could find out more than half of the Alien Star warriors hidden on Bi Xing.

Luckily, he realized it early. Otherwise, trying to keep a low profile in such a world, a tracking missile could come down, and he'd die without knowing how.

Listening to Nalan Li's analysis, Du Ge sighed, "Nalan, how do you plan to deal with them? Finding so many people at once, I can't kill them all alone."

"Eliminate some, divide some," Nalan Li said. "Next, people from different departments will approach them and guide them to kill each other.

Ultimately, we'll leave some that are beneficial to Bi Xing and use their strength to fight the Hill Civilization.

The President's intention is to eliminate or push back the Hill Civilization's vanguard before their main army arrives."

"Aren't you afraid of losing control?" Du Ge asked.

"Blitzkrieg, why can you wage a blitzkrieg, but we can't? Besides, don't we have you, the big boss, to assist?" Nalan Li glanced at Du Ge, slyly saying, "As long as you start a trend, you can drag everyone in. Now that we're taking action early, forcing everyone out, isn't it all part of your plan?"

"..." Du Ge was choked for a moment, shaking his head, "You're overestimating me. I didn't expect you to make such a big move. Besides, maybe I can handle one or two people, but if there are more than three, I'm probably the one who'll die."

"Lin Hong, why don't you form alliances?" Nalan Li smiled, "Gather your people from Qi Yuan Star, aren't you afraid of them?"

"Mm, worth a try." Du Ge smiled, glancing at him, "Come on, let's continue analyzing. I'll see if there are any people from Qi Yuan Star among them."

"The rest are I Am the Sea God, Chaos Bell, Five Horses Dismember, Fallen Leaves Know Flowers, and the one you mentioned, questioning truth. We haven't detected them sending out codes. You can try to find out if there are people from Qi Yuan Star among these lone wolves."

As Nalan Li spoke, she pulled up another account, saying, "And this one called the Loner, when the official discussion about superheroes was stirred up, he almost simultaneously exposed the matter of outsiders possessing bodies and spent a lot of money to buy trending searches. He might also be a gamer. Where do you think we should start?"

"We?" Du Ge was taken aback.

"Yes, we." Nalan Li smiled, "Last night, the President gave me authority. Luo Yan and Xu Wan are in the open, establishing the National Strategic Defense Bureau, while you and I are in the shadows, forming the dark division of the Homeland Defense Bureau, specifically responsible for balancing various areas, like you said last night, hitting anyone who stands out.

Of course, you're the leader of the dark division, responsible for all action arrangements. I'm your assistant, helping you gather information and connect resources, and we don't have to answer to Luo Yan anymore. He does his thing, we do ours, even if you want to intercept them, you can."

"Such great power?" Du Ge asked with a smile.

"Yes, the power is that great." Nalan Li nodded affirmatively, "As you said, Bi Xing is about to descend into chaos. In a few days, the matter of gamers will be known to everyone.

At that time, the external query of the Battle Network will be forced open, and all major forces will be drawn in. If we, the outsiders, command the insiders, it will inevitably end in failure, so the President has decided to delegate power."

"No wonder he's the President, truly a wise guy." Du Ge couldn't help but praise, "What about the Academy of Sciences?"

"Since power is delegated, it's completely delegated. We will only support and advise on all your actions, without further interference," Nalan Li said. "But all this is premised on your help in dealing with the Hill Civilization.

Otherwise, the President will press the button to destroy Bi Xing, and this game will have no winner. This is our final bottom line and our trust in you."

Du Ge laughed, shaking his head, "You guys are betting quite a lot."

"Cut the Gordian knot, you taught me that," Nalan Li laughed, "Besides, there's not much time left for Bi Xing. The President doesn't want to live as a piece of data uploaded to the Battle Network. No matter how good the Battle Network is, it can't compare to the real world's green mountains and clear waters!"

"You should have trusted me from the beginning," Du Ge smiled, reaching out to point at the name I Am the Sea God, "Let's go, we'll start with him, find ourselves a few teammates, and also avoid the Masked Hero's spotlight."

"Okay." Nalan Li didn't expose Du Ge, instead, she was invigorated, "Do I need to prepare anything? Should we bring the Windwalker?"

"No need." Du Ge glanced back at the over-eight-meter-tall Windwalker, saying, "We're going out to find teammates, bringing such a big guy is too conspicuous. Besides, if I have to get inside to pilot this thing, are you sure you can handle those gamers? If you die, I can't explain it to the President..."

"No need to explain to him, if I die, the President will assign you a new assistant," Nalan Li laughed.

Du Ge looked at Nalan Li, saying, "Nalan, I have one more thing to tell you."

"What?" Nalan Li asked.

"You're the leader of the dark division, not me," Du Ge said. "I'm just the first gamer recruited by the dark division, like Xu Wan under Luo Yan."

Nalan Li was momentarily stunned, then nodded in agreement, "Okay."