Protector Mercenary Tao, Meme Curse Unleashed (4K)

"Is this… Paradise?!"

Lin Qinfu looked at the city that had been fully erected in barely half a day. The streets were paved with thick black stone slabs, laid out in an orderly fashion and differentiated according to district.

In the districts with more shops, the stone paving was even more finely fitted.

Lin Qinfu led the group of fully armed militia into the new city with great caution.

Even with guns in their hands, these local militiamen felt no safer at all.

Only after Bai Cangshu saw Lin Qinfu and the representatives of the other local families enter did he turn around and lead several people from the commercial district toward the inner city.

He had redesigned this real-world city belonging to the Reincarnators according to the layout of public spaces.

It was arranged in concentric rings, centered around the Babel Tower at the heart of the city. The shops would be leased and sold as stalls for Reincarnators, each one directly molded into existence by Reincarnators using Shaping Magic.

They would soon be reinforced and have permanent barriers established around them.

Bai Cangshu planned to establish more than three large-scale barriers throughout the city, meant to drive out ordinary people, reduce the destructive force of energy unleashed within the city, and greatly suppress sensory abilities.

Although it could not fully replicate the functions of Reincarnation Space, here, Reincarnators’ stay would be… unlimited!

Moreover, the moment anyone entered this city, they would be declared to be under his protection.

With his current Fierce Reputation, that would be a powerful draw.

Later, he would have Jin Yue’an and the others further refine the commercial district, allowing Reincarnators to more conveniently find what they needed here, while also forming patrol units to maintain public order.

At the very center of the city, Bai Cangshu had deliberately erected a Babel Tower.

The lowest floor of Babel Tower would serve as a dueling arena for resolving disputes between Reincarnators. There, Reincarnators could settle conflicts entirely through force or vent the violence in their hearts.

As for the higher floors, Bai Cangshu had his own plans. He had always wanted to hunt powerful people everywhere, but here, he could use rewards to lure powerful Reincarnators into the tower to fight one another.

And he would wait on one of the floors within the tower…

Lin Qinfu had no mind left to notice Boss Bai’s expression. He was stunned by the scale of the city that had appeared out of thin air.

He had coordinated numerous construction crews and watched the former city rise bit by bit. Under March Group’s financial offensive, it had been completed at a pace far beyond that of ordinary construction projects.

Yet compared with the speed at which this solemn, imposing city had been built, it was not even on the same level.

"B-Boss Bai, are these people… Ability Users?!"

He had also spotted the strangers leaning against the walls. Every one of them exuded an aura that made people afraid to approach.

Du Enqin walked over from behind. She did not ask something so obvious. Instead, she had noticed something else.

"Boss Bai, do you mean that ordinary people like us can also settle in this city?"

She still remembered the terrifying disaster from two days ago. Fear filled her heart, but she did not dare show it on her face. Lin Qinfu might have followed Boss Bai for too long and forgotten that the Boss Bai before them was actually the most terrifying person of all.

The city had indeed collapsed two days ago, but Boss Bai had emerged completely unscathed!

Bai Cangshu’s gaze swept over the woman, who was a little smarter than Lin Qinfu, and he pointed at her from afar.

Bzzzt~

In an instant, a faint electric current seemed to pierce through Du Enqin’s body, flowing rapidly through her.

For that instant, she felt as though her body had been activated. She shuddered, and her mind became unusually clear while her entire body felt much lighter.

"Boss Bai…"

Bai Cangshu raised a hand. Du Enqin immediately stopped speaking, though her face remained a mixture of shock and delight.

"The era has changed. Naturally, the two of you must board the ship of this new era…"

Delight appeared on Du Enqin’s face, while Lin Qinfu remained baffled and even somewhat terrified. His mind was simply too slow to catch up.

But Bai Cangshu did not care about their reactions and merely continued.

"Of course, the waves of the new era are fierce… very fierce…"

"One misstep, and you’ll be crushed to pieces."

As he said this, Bai Cangshu suddenly looked at the two of them, making both instinctively flinch.

Holding the cursed meme in his hand, Bai Cangshu said to them,

"Survive, and you belong to the new era~"

Lin Qinfu felt the hairs on his back bristle with stabbing pain. That intense danger felt almost like a hand gripping his spine.

"B-Boss Bai… can we not…"

Crack.

It was like something had been crushed, or an invisible curtain wall had been shattered.

Lin Qinfu instinctively staggered back. He stared at Bai Cangshu in terror and saw that the few people who had been leaning against the wall in the distance had all changed expression.

"You’re releasing the meme at a time like this, His Excellency Mercenary Tao?!"

They quickly retreated, but Bai Cangshu seemed not to hear them and burst into laughter.

"This is an extra reward for you. It’s good stuff. With the strength of your Mental Power, as long as you’re careful, you won’t die~"

Perhaps Great Sun of Finality wanted to ease the conflict with Mercenary Tao, or perhaps he truly believed that Mercenary Tao shared his ambition to change the world and could be considered a fellow traveler.

That was why the spellcasting Reincarnators he had sent to help Bai Cangshu rebuild Paradise were all Title-level.

Their mental attributes were quite high, enough that they would not be easily devoured by the Meme Curse: Desire.

Of course, if someone’s will was truly too fragile, this special curse from the world of Sweet Home could still pose a fatal threat.

Lin Qinfu stumbled several steps, clutching his throat. There was clearly no smell and no taste, yet he felt that something had entered his body.

He no longer had the spare attention to fear Bai Cangshu. He began running toward his jeep, wanting to flee no matter what.

Du Enqin, however, touched her body. She felt no changes, and the ability Boss Bai had used on her just now had felt incredibly miraculous, with excellent effects.

She was willing to accept the invitation of this so-called "new era."

Thus, Du Enqin remained where she was.

Bai Cangshu took in both their reactions. No matter what the two chose, it made little difference to him.

The Meme Curse had already been released. Before it dissipated, it would continue spreading. Everyone infected would be linked to the desire most urgently buried in their hearts.

Then they would begin suffering heavy nosebleeds, enter the mutation stage, develop auditory hallucinations, and begin producing all kinds of special powers based on their own desires.

The stronger the desire, the more drastic the transformation.

Those devoured by desire would turn completely into monsters, while those who held on to their minds could retain their reason.

Monsters whose desires were completely fulfilled would form cocoons and become "new humans" stripped of all desire.

Bai Cangshu looked at Du Enqin, who showed no reaction at all, and clicked his tongue.

"You don’t have the aptitude."

On the other hand, the cowardly and weak Lin Qinfu had already undergone some sort of change within.

Du Enqin looked disappointed, but she still remained silently behind Bai Cangshu.

Bai Cangshu also said to her,

"Next, the area around this city will descend into chaos. You’ll be responsible for guiding the Ability Users who successfully enter Paradise, as well as the special infected who retain their sanity, and registering them."

"The shops in this city can be leased to those who register."

"As long as they remain in this city, they will not encounter danger."

After saying that, Bai Cangshu leapt into the air. Before Du Enqin’s horrified eyes, he flew directly up the hundreds-meter-tall tower.

The several Ability Users who had remained here earlier had also long since vanished.

Du Enqin’s heart pounded wildly. She knew Boss Bai had probably done something, that Lin Qinfu had been affected, and that many more people would be affected next!

She took several deep breaths before calming down. Looking at the empty city, she decided to summon her own people first…

—

You have been affected by Meme Curse: Desire

You have resisted this effect

Standing on the highest floor of the tower, Bai Cangshu looked at the prompt on the panel and felt slightly disappointed. He had originally wanted to use this curse to intensify the desires within himself.

Though surging desire was not Heart Light, it could bring him closer to that feeling.

Nearly everyone who displayed that intense pulse before him was accompanied by violent emotional fluctuations.

Bai Cangshu sat cross-legged, and his body naturally floated into the air.

Bzzzt~

Faint lightning flickered in and out of sight, entering the air from the surface of his body before spreading outward in expanding rings.

Dark clouds began rolling across the sky, while muffled thunder boomed.

Mantra Lv9 was fully unleashed, bringing the entire city into Bai Cangshu’s perception.

Furthermore, Bai Cangshu now possessed the ability to clearly sense someone’s coordinates and thoughts whenever his name was mentioned. Within Mantra’s range, he was no different from Enel on Sky Island back then.

Boom!

Thunderclouds churned downward, quickly pressing over Paradise and echoing the Black Tower.

Bai Cangshu closed his eyes.

Magnetic Field Rotation, current: 20,000 horses (rising)

The lightning accumulated in Bai Cangshu’s body, combined with abilities such as Heart of the Thunder Emperor, was still rapidly driving his Magnetic Field Rotation upward.

With a thought from Bai Cangshu, a Qi Sword appeared over his knees.

This thing probably came from a world derived from some webnovel. Its offensive power was quite good when wielded, capable of harming people from afar.

But for Bai Cangshu, whose martial techniques had already reached the Peak of Technique, this level of energy projection and condensation no longer interested him.

As long as his energy values were high enough, he could release Qi and magnetic fields far more freely.

Ororchi Yashiro EX051, you are absorbing the energy of the item: Qi Sword. This operation will irreversibly reduce the quality of the item: Qi Sword and eventually destroy it.

Bai Cangshu ignored the prompt from Reincarnation Space. Powerful Qi and magnetic fields appeared in both his hands at once, enveloping the Qi Sword.

You absorbed 1 point of Qi. Energy attribute: Qi increased by 1 point.

You absorbed 1 point of Qi. Energy attribute: Qi increased by 1 point.

You absorbed 1.1 points of Qi. Energy attribute: Qi increased by 2 points.

The incomparably pure Innate Qi seeped into Bai Cangshu’s body bit by bit like sweet dew, nourishing the increasingly abundant Qi within him!

Bai Cangshu felt as though his cells were being nourished. A steady stream of Qi emerged, and the sensation was immensely comfortable, making his aura grow increasingly powerful.

Boom!

The thunderclouds rolled downward, nearly touching the Black Tower.

Suddenly, Bai Cangshu opened his eyes. Amid flashing lightning, his gaze crossed nearly a hundred kilometers and fell upon a dense forest outside Paradise.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A figure flickered constantly, occasionally splitting off several Shadow Clones that shot in different directions.

But powerful Freezing Qi emerged from the river. Soon, a person slid down the ice covering the river.

"Yang Yan, this ends here. Hand over all your items and Singularities, and I may consider sparing your family."

The newcomer had a head full of white hair and was surrounded by Freezing Qi. As he approached step by step, the surrounding forest was completely frozen.

The man called Yang Yan had bloodstains all over him. Wearing a gray work uniform, he showed a pained expression upon hearing those words.

"Using family as a threat—is everyone in the Far East Magic Society this despicable?!"

The white-haired man remained unmoved and continued forward. With nowhere left to run, Yang Yan looked toward the Black Tower and the rolling thunderclouds in the far distance, then suddenly shouted,

"His Excellency Mercenary Tao!"

"I want to join Paradise! Please grant me your protection!"

His voice rolled outward under the reinforcement of Chakra. The white-haired man’s expression changed, and he no longer concerned himself with Yang Yan’s items and Singularities.

One hand stretched out, and powerful Freezing Qi immediately swept toward the man.

Yang Yan flipped backward, planted a foot on a tree, and shot out of the forest. He fled forward through the air once more, but a huge pillar of ice suddenly burst from the woods like an enormous spear, stabbing toward Yang Yan in midair.

Rip!

A bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the sky, shattering the ice pillar with a crash.

"Reincarnators are not permitted to kill one another within Paradise territory."

A cold voice descended from above alongside the rolling thunderclouds.

Yang Yan landed from the air and staggered. His ankle had frostbite. Looking at Absolute Zero Yun Wujiu standing opposite him, he grinned and laughed with lingering fear.

"Haha… I made it. I made it to Paradise!"

"You can’t touch me. His Excellency Mercenary Tao will protect me!"

With that, Yang Yan turned around and sprinted toward the tower.

Yun Wujiu frowned as he looked at the rolling thunderclouds overhead. Mercenary Tao’s display was too terrifying, and he did not dare attack again for the moment.

After thinking for a while, he also headed toward the Black Tower.

Mercenary Tao had promised protection, but he had not said Yun Wujiu could not enter.

He decided to go in and take a look as well.

But after only a few steps, a new prompt suddenly appeared.

You have been affected by Meme Curse: Desire

Detection in progress...

Check failed. You have been affected by Meme Curse: Desire

Yun Wujiu halted. Countless scenes from his past began surfacing in his mind for no reason.

The near-death feeling from his youth, when those people had pinned him beneath an icy lake and he had felt as though he would freeze to death at any moment, returned once more.

Drip, drip…

Thick blood began dripping from his nostrils.

Yun Wujiu shook his head, feeling an abnormal consciousness emerge in his mind as intense malice continued spreading.

Crack, crack.

Icy Freezing Qi naturally began spreading from beneath his feet…

Yang Yan ran quickly, bounding across the tops of trees. He soon left the forest and reached open ground.

The Black Tower and the immense, majestic Paradise had fully appeared in his sight.

He was about to continue rushing over and ask His Excellency Mercenary Tao for a way to save his family. If necessary, he could even sell that secret to His Excellency Mercenary Tao.

At the very least, if His Excellency Mercenary Tao learned that secret, those people from the Far East Magic Society probably would not have an easy time.

Roar!

A roar like that of some wild beast rang out. The next moment, Yang Yan saw a creature charging at him on all fours, with a human-like head but the body of a beast.

Its entire body was bluish-gray. As it ran, it roared again, its eyes pitch-black.

Yang Yan’s whole body shuddered, and he felt himself begin to sway.

Not good, Infrasound?!

He touched his ears. His eardrums had already ruptured, and his balance had been affected as well.

He immediately formed hand seals, releasing his clones once more.

Bang! Bang! Bang…

The monster charged straight through them, shattering the clones one after another.

Yang Yan hid underground instead. His mind spun with dizziness, and his heart was filled with uncertainty.

What’s going on? There are monsters in the real world too?!