Seized by the System

American Special Event Investigation Bureau, New Netherlands, United States of America.

A beautiful woman in white showed up suddenly in the Chief’s office.

The agent who was reporting to Chief Hook could not stop himself from stealing a few more glances of this Eastern goddess.

This was not her first appearance here.

As an experienced agent, he was adept at controlling his real thoughts, but today, a strange idea formed in his mind.

Why did the people of the Upper Realm have similar ideals of beauty as the Earthlings?

Sure, there were many varieties of demons and spirits with different forms and sizes. However, the ones who had achieved enlightenment looked almost similar to Earthlings.

He read many analytical essays that gave all sorts of answers, but none of them were convincing. In fact, it was a mysterious question that was quite impossible to answer.

There was a rather ingenious hypothesis which proposed that the Earthlings were created in the image of the Upper Realm deities…

In the West, God created humans; In the East, Nüwa created humans… If it can be said that God and Nüwa were incarnations of the Upper Realm deities, the answers to many questions would have been revealed.

Why did so many myths and legends circulate the Earth? Why had the Vitality Recovery period begun so suddenly? Also, why did so many arcane realms materialize?

As a matter of fact, Earth was an escape route for the Upper Realm. It was due to thousands, no, millions of years of evolution and development that led to the Earthlings walking down a different path of civilization.

Nonetheless, this hypothesis was quickly hidden behind closed doors and banned from public knowledge.

The agent only learned about this hypothesis through the study of classified documents and records. He understood the higher-ups’ actions, for this would easily result in the popularity of capitulation.

“Ahem.” Hook jolted his subordinate back to his senses. Becoming a mech had its advantages. He would never have to worry about succumbing to temptations from the opposite sex and looking as foolish as his subordinate.

“Chief, that’s all I have to report. I’ll leave you to your work.” The agent spoke.

“Ok, you can leave now. I still have some matters to discuss with this Eastern deity.” Hook’s voice was tinged with the electronic hum of a mech.

The agent left immediately.

“Your Excellency the Moon Goddess, please have a seat. Tea or coffee?” Hook stood up and began fetching drinks from a cabinet.

“Don’t worry about it. With regards to what I said last time, what do you think of it, Mr. Hook?” The woman in white beamed with expectation.

“You mentioned last time that I inherit the Seed of the Heavenly Axiom and thus, I can turn the tables and converge the Earth’s Heavenly Axiom. I’ve thought about this carefully and still, I’ve decided to decline.” Hook shook his head.

“Oh, I didn’t know. Mind if you share your reason for declining?” The woman in white did not seem to be surprised.

Hook did not respond at once. Instead, he brewed an extremely bitter cup of coffee for himself.

He gulped it down, closed his eyes and savored the lingering taste of the beverage before replying. “It’s simple. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. It took me a while before being reborn as a mech. I hardly feel human, nevertheless, I’m still alive. Once I’ve converged with the Earth’s Heavenly Axiom, I fear I’ll lose my self-awareness. I’ve done lots of research from classified records before coming to this conclusion. This so-called ‘Convergence of Paths’ is nothing more than losing oneself and becoming one with the Maxim. Even those saints who are capable of converging are unwilling to go along with this final step.”

“I see. You aren’t wrong, but there’re a few exceptions.” The goddess commented blandly.

“What exceptions?”

“That Vigilante A, didn’t he converge with the Land of Sanguinity? Aren’t you curious as to why he could still roam freely?” The woman in white asked cheerily.

As soon as he heard this name, Hook’s expressionless face showed some signs of scorn and resentment.

“Huh, how did he do that? The Convergence of Paths does come with pitfalls. Although he might retain his self-awareness at times, his daily contact with the Heavenly Axioms of the arcane realms will eventually result in his assimilation with the Maxim. In the end, he’ll become the Maxim itself and completely forget what it is to be human.” Hook replied, clenching his teeth with fury as he spoke.

“It’s easy. He cultivated the Path of Heavenly Punishment, which allows him to use the power of the Earth’s Heavenly Axiom to resist assimilation from the Heavenly Axioms of the arcane realms. As a result, his self-awareness is still intact and roam wherever he pleases.” The goddess clarified.

“I see, it’s just that I can’t use his methods.” Hook felt jealous and vengeful. The Eastern Pharos had gotten all the good stuff!

Naturally, he could acquire an array of classified information with his authority.

There was the Land of Heritage at the Truth Department which had been developed for a rather long time. Yet, they had not converged successfully.

It was not because they were unable to do it, but it was because they could not do it.

The key was that after the Convergence of Paths, the person who converged would lose himself and end up as an incarnation of the Maxim.

It had neither the emotions of a human nor a moral alignment, and it lacked the self-awareness of a human. Like artificial intelligence, it would use all kinds of tactics to adjust the Heavenly Axiom’s revolution.

Of all the six powerhouses at the Truth Department, the most suitable person for the job was Ren Ruofeng. The catch was that he carried huge responsibilities and could not agree to the act of converging.

At that exact moment, the woman in white grinned and proffered her snow-white palm.

Hook was not interested in this. What piqued his fascination was the green orb floating above her palm.

“This Mind Easing Orb was crafted by the saints of the Upper Realm. It can resist assimilation from the Heavenly Axiom and allows the user to retain his or her self-awareness…”

“Hiss…” Hook was exceptionally stunned.

He understood that this woman would not lie to him blatantly. Even if she had an ulterior motive, she would hide it really well instead of tricking him over this matter. That would be too embarrassing for the deities.

However, he was still the Chief of the Special Event Investigation Bureau and had witnessed all sorts of situations. He was a smart man and not the type of officer to bend over backward for personal gain.

He immediately recognized another problem. The goddess would not lie, but that did not mean that she would not hide something else.

Therefore, he enquired. “Does this orb have an expiration date?”

“Haha, you’re a genius indeed.” The goddess in white flashed him a smile. “This orb can be used for five hundred years. Five hundred years later, the orb will be replaced by a new one.”

“Understood. It’s a deal.” Hook agreed. It was as if the fellow who flatly declined the offer earlier had vanished.

What a joke. Five hundred years to his prior human form was equal to immortality.

These deities from the Upper Realm still made deals from their own perspectives when trading with humans.

Of course, he fathomed the purpose of using an artifact with a fixed time period was to allow the goddess to control him and make him her pawn.

However, he did not care.

Five hundred years was enough for him to obliterate all of his enemies.

“Perfect. Mr. Hook, you shall not regret this.” The woman in white chirped pleasantly.

“Perhaps, at least I don’t regret it now. Since we’ve made a deal, would your Excellency answer a question of mine?”

“Speak.”

“What does your Excellency intend to do with Earth in the future?”

“Haha, deities and humans will be segregated. Distinctions and hierarchies will be established and everyone will be put into his or her own rightful place.”

“I see.”