“There is nothing good ever on… should I watch a stream or watch a show?”

In a dimly lit room, a lone man sat surrounded by monitors, absentmindedly scratching his armpits. The table before him was cluttered with plastic cups, each containing a half-filled soft drink, some appearing to have been there for weeks. The lanky man intermittently took sips while munching on nearby chips. Unbeknownst to him, another person lingered in the shadows, remaining hidden.

"Is this really the administrator? He looks like a balding gamer with no job. Is this some kind of joke?"

Zhang Dong asked himself, pondering whether he had unwittingly fallen into his enemy's intricate trap. He half-expected the true owner of the place to suddenly appear and mock him, yet nothing of the sort occurred. The man continued to sit there, not doing much. Occasionally, a message would pop up, and he would mumble something before clicking his mouse and keyboard.

The room was cluttered with numerous screens, some hanging from the ceiling on wires, displaying camera footage of the puppets working outside. Zhang Dong could even witness the entire system-holder recycling process, which didn't sit well with his morals. It was evident that this person wasn't the same as those autonomous humans; he was made up of flesh and blood. There was something peculiar about him, as his body wasn't normal - it closely resembled that of a cultivator's.

His cultivation level appeared to surpass the limits of the world he originated from, yet it fell below what he was capable of manifesting. There was no world forming within his being, and perhaps this was the reason he remained undiscovered. It seemed that this person possessed something akin to a pseudo-immortal realm. He was powerful, but this power was granted and not something he had worked for.

‘I guess if we are within a realm or cosmos created by a powerful cultivator, they would be able to grant people power to some extent…’

Various theories floated inside Zhang Dong's head, slowly connecting the elements as he spent more time in this place. It didn't appear that this person posed too much of a threat, so perhaps he could answer some of Zhang Dong's questions. However, it was a tricky endeavor; he was unsure whether anyone in this location was paying attention to the administrator. This man could be an essential cog in the machine that would instantly reveal his position. Nevertheless, Zhang Dong realized that he couldn't wait forever; perhaps this was his only chance to uncover the real truth.

As Zhang Dong contemplated his next move, he observed the administrator engrossed in a heated online debate about the latest gaming trends. The man's attention seemed so consumed by the virtual world that he appeared oblivious to the real one around him. This also begged the question, who was this person interacting with, in the first place? Did he just pick one of the many worlds that were more modern to pass the time, or was he focused on something more specific? There was only one way to find out, moving in closer and checking it out directly.

Silently, he manipulated the ambient shadows with his technique, making himself practically invisible. Moving cautiously, he approached the cluttered gaming station, maintaining a safe distance from the administrator. Then the moment his target seemed to be most distracted, he moved in like a flash.

With his current cultivation, Zhang Dong was more than just a superhuman; it took less than a fraction of a second for him to be behind the man. This was a delicate moment - the man possessed a body similar to that of a legendary immortal. It was possible that he wouldn't go down easily, and using a chokehold from behind would be pointless. Beings of such might had long been able to sustain themselves without the need for air. Thus, Zhang Dong quickly concentrated his lightning energies to deliver a palm strike to the side of this lanky man's head.

“GUEGH!.”

“Guegh?”

The moment Zhang Dong's palm collided with the side of the man's head, he sensed that something was off. Zhang Dong was adept at judging his opponents' strength; it didn't take more than a few hits for him to get a good reading. As his hand made contact, he realized that this being was actually quite weak. The man's body flew to the side and collided with the nearby wall, though he instantly went through it.

‘How can he be so weak? His body is that of an immortal…’

Zhang Dong quickly examined the hole in the wall and chased after the man he had flung. The opening led further inside, revealing other rooms. When he reached the end, he found the administrator passed out on the floor. The man had ended up in what looked like a dirty bathroom, with water gushing onto him in a damaged bathtub. His face was dented on the side where he was struck, and blood was spilling out.

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

‘Did I actually kill him with one blow?’

Zhang Dong's face went pale with worry as he prepared himself for the possibility of being discovered after making such a ruckus. To his surprise, no retaliation came - there were no warning signals, and he couldn't sense any disturbances throughout the facility. In the weeks he had spent there, he had become attuned to the forces and could tell that the puppets were just moving around as usual. It seemed that this place lacked any countermeasures against intruders, and this worked in his favor.

“I guess that I’m safe… but is this guy dead?”

The lanky individual he hit looked as if the right side of his face had been caved in by a collision with a truck. Zhang Dong had assumed that the man would be a formidable foe, so he didn't hold back as much. Only during the collision did he manage to pull back and lower his force. This administrator, who was supposed to be his informant, now had only half a mouth to talk.

“Wait… I can feel something… there is a heartbeat!”

The sound was weak but this person was still alive. Even though he had a body of an immortal being at a base he was still just a human. Relieved that he hadn't unintentionally murdered his only informant, Zhang Dong hesitated for a moment, contemplating his next move. It was clear that this administrator knew something and could possibly explain the world order. His body was slowly healing and before that, he needed to prepare the stage for questioning.

“I should probably tie him up, but the ropes and shackles I have are only at the nascent soul level…”

While looking around, Zhang Dong noticed something - a gray hairdryer with a long cable attached to it. Upon taking this bathroom utensil, he realized something odd - it was an item at the immortal level. Quickly, he started scanning everything with his system and spiritual senses. What he realized was mind-boggling and hard to understand for a cultivator like himself.

“Even the toothbrush is an immortal level item… I would be able to defeat the Azure Emperor with this thing and even the Overseer…”

Every small item or tool was of the immortal grade; the only reason any of it was damaged was because Zhang Dong had reached a realm above these items. This was the first time he had attempted to utilize his power in a combat setting, and breaking the walls that were also made from superior materials was now possible. With everything being of this caliber, he was able to quickly find enough wires and cords to tie the administrator up.

Zhang Dong had truly become a force to be reckoned with, but his system was unable to identify the realm that he had reached. Inside him, a massive tree stood at the center of what looked like a new solar system. Everything originated from it, and numerous celestial bodies were continuously being born, creating something that resembled a new galaxy.

At first, he considered naming it the Dao Tree realm or Dao Tree Creation realm. However, after paying more attention to it, he was more inclined to call it the Dao Galaxy stage. It wasn't quite a universe or a cosmos yet, but a mass of stars and planets from which he gained his power. Zhang Dong was absorbing all that solar energy, reinforcing his power, and as time passed, more stars appeared within his body.

Ever since he entered this strange dimension, the inside of Zhang Dong's galaxy had been growing at an increased rate. There was something in this place that was making him stronger. His new body was primed to absorb energies from the outside, and the small universe inside him continued to grow with time. It was possible that he was near someone of a similar realm, and it was giving his own a boost.

His attention moved back to his prisoner as he was starting to wake up. The administrator groaned and slowly regained consciousness, finding himself bound and at the mercy of the person who had assaulted him. As his eyes focused, panic along with confusion flashed across his face, and he struggled against the makeshift restraints.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?”

He stammered, his voice strained. Zhang Dong remained silent for a moment, studying the man before him. The administrator's eyes widened as he took in Zhang Dong's appearance. The man didn’t look like an all-powerful being that towered over countless worlds but instead like a scared animal. He was sweating, his eyes were darting all over the place and he couldn’t keep eye contact at all, it was clear that he was afraid for his life.

“Hey, I don’t have any money on me! Just take what you want and leave, please!”

“Hey, be quiet for a moment.”

To test out his theory he decided to speak in a more intimidating fashion which seemed to work. The man flinched as if there was no courage inside of his lanky body. He was stunned with fear which continued to give Zhang Dong a strange feeling. However, this could be a chance, if this person was so afraid of him then he just needed to play into it.

As Zhang Dong explored the place, he stumbled upon a few interesting items in the kitchen. The knives there were also of immortal grade, easily capable of cutting the administrator into ribbons. He dragged the man back into the main room with all the monitors, and on the gaming desk, he placed a few knives, now playing around with them. The administrator's eyes widened with terror at the sight of the immortal-grade knives. He swallowed hard, his throat audibly clicking as he tried to find the courage to speak.

“Please, I-I don't know what you want! Take everything, just don’t harm me!”

“Well, that depends on you, I hope that you are good at answering questions because I’ve got a lot of them…”