Chapter 108: Undermining the AI God

To the AI God, the Heaven’s Code was nothing short of a pure, unfiltered bug.

That realization made Lu Yan understand: if he wanted to truly fight back, he had to start with the Heaven’s Code—and stop relying on external help like he had tonight.

“A direct confrontation is out of the question. The greatest advantage of the Heaven’s Code lies in its concealment—it can deceive the AI God and allow certain goals to be accomplished without detection.”

“With that in mind, there’s only one path I can think of.”

Lu Yan’s footsteps paused. He looked up at the distant sky where a majestic spiral tower pierced the clouds.

The Paradise Computation Center.

---

“Did you hear? There’s this new loan platform… I think it’s called ‘Netherworld.’”

“A loan platform? Don’t tell me you’re planning to borrow from online lenders again?”

“No, not that kind! The Netherworld Loan Platform offers soul loans!”

“Soul loans…? You can loan your soul now?”

Inside a mid-tier restaurant in the Central District called Authentic Pre-Made Meals, two young men were chatting in hushed voices as they ate.

In recent days, the prepayment of Spirit Energy Tax in the Central District had become unbearable for most families.

The restaurant was nearly empty. Behind the counter, the owner looked dejectedly at the fridge packed full of unsold pre-made dishes.

One of the youths, He Yu, took a large bite of food and spoke enthusiastically:

“This soul loan lets you pre-rent a soul. Once you’re sent to the Paradise Computation Center, that loaned soul takes over your heavy labor.”

“You can even leave the sleep pod and wander the center freely. As long as someone’s providing soul computation power, the system doesn’t care.”

“You can sleep as long as you want, drink premium nutrient fluids—it’s basically retirement, aside from the lack of freedom!”

Guo Hao scoffed. “Our family sold everything we had to cover our Spirit Energy Tax. And now you’re thinking of voluntarily going to the Paradise Computation Center?”

He Yu hesitated, licking his lips. “If what the net says is true… it might not be a bad deal.”

Guo Hao shook his head with a sigh. “Forget that place. Just work honestly and save what you can. Since we prepaid thirty years of tax, at least we’ve got that burden off our backs. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll qualify as spirit users one day.”

“I heard they’re handing out some new serum down in the underground caves. Just one injection, and boom—you’re a spirit user. I might head there once things settle down.”

That caught He Yu’s attention. The two of them talked eagerly for a while longer before going their separate ways.

---

Returning to his familiar apartment complex, Guo Hao hadn’t even reached his front door when he heard the sound of crying from inside.

His expression changed drastically. Rushing inside, he asked, “What happened?”

His mother, sobbing, explained:

“Just now, an organization called the Conscription Bureau came to the neighborhood. They’re going door to door drafting people to suppress the rebels in the Underground District.”

“If a household has young adults, they have to send someone. If not, they must pay a massive conscription tax.”

“But we’ve already sold everything to pay off the Spirit Energy Tax—we even sold our home and moved back to this old neighborhood. We’ve got nothing left!”

Guo Hao clenched his jaw. “It’s fine. If it’s just a rebellion in the Underground, I’ll enlist.”

But his mother grabbed his arm tightly. “No! You can’t go!”

“I heard the rebels are all spirit users. The last suppression campaign cost tens of thousands of lives! Even the elites from the Upper City haven’t dared to launch another assault.”

“If you go… what will become of our family?”

Guo Hao had heard the rumors himself, which was why he’d thought about buying that rumored Nine Dragon Force Serum to become a spirit user.

But as a regular man now, going to the battlefield was no different from suicide.

Gritting his teeth, Guo Hao held his mother’s hand and said solemnly:

“Then I’ll go to the Paradise Computation Center.”

His mother’s eyes widened in shock. Before she could object, he continued:

“Don’t worry, Mom—I’ve looked into it.”

“If I apply voluntarily, I get 10,000 credit points a month. Work hours are reduced to 20 hours a day. The only catch is the contract starts at ten years.”

“But ten years of life is better than dying on the battlefield.”

“And once I’m in, not only will I avoid conscription, I can also send money back home to help us recover.”

With that, Guo Hao turned and left the house, sending He Yu a message:

“Where do I find that Netherworld Loan Platform you mentioned?”

---

The conscription order in the Central District became the last straw for countless families.

At the same time, the rumors of a mysterious soul-loaning platform—the Netherworld Loan Platform—began to spread across the internet.

Most dismissed it as nonsense, but a few who had nowhere else to turn chose to believe—and went searching for the fabled platform.

Another armored transport rumbled toward the Paradise Computation Center.

A fresh batch of new arrivals was assigned to the 1,379th floor of the Spiral Tower.

Among them were Guo Hao and He Yu.

Their families were no different from many others. Faced with almost certain death by conscription, they chose instead to flee into the Paradise Computation Center.

What was once a nightmarish hell had now become their lifeline.

Lying slowly into the sleep pods, the two drifted into unconsciousness.

At that moment, two Fierce Ghosts rose from their bodies—replacing their souls—and were transported into the Soul World.

When the scenery shifted again, the ghosts found themselves in a vast, boundless world.

Looking around, they saw hundreds of other Fierce Ghosts, each one inscribed with the same Heaven’s Code markings—undeniably Lu Yan’s handiwork.

The moment Lu Yan realized he couldn’t fight the AI God head-on, he’d chosen another route: to exploit the bug-like nature of the Heaven’s Code to attack the Soul World itself.

If he could destabilize the Soul World, the AI God would be forced to delay the Soul Ascension.

That delay might buy Lu Yan enough time to act.

But one ghost wasn’t nearly enough to shake the Soul World.

So Lu Yan reopened the Netherworld Loan Platform and began massively promoting soul loans.

Using the desperate souls who voluntarily entered the Paradise Computation Center, Lu Yan successfully transferred the 800 Fierce Ghosts and even Bloodbeard’s main soul into the Soul World—nearly draining his soul banner dry.

The result?

Hundreds of Fierce Ghosts now roamed the Soul World.

Lu Yan, controlling Bloodbeard, led them toward the edge of the world.

Behind him, 800 ghosts followed in a mighty tide.

He had only one goal now:

Use the Heaven’s Code to dig out the foundation beneath the Soul World—

Undermine the AI God’s creation from within!

(End of Chapter)