120. 【Journal】Hidden Society

  Hidden Society, Gaia.

  This is Li Aozi. This is the first time I’ve started rec something like this.

  I’m currently at the abandoned settlement in Triaown, with some lights on and coffee brewed. The damage from Aether has been too severe, and I just want to rest properly.

  Holy, I hought that, relying on my fht advantage all this time, I would actually make a mistake for the first time.

  I ’t uand why such a peculiar existence as the Hidden Society isn’t recorded on Qiqiao work’s official website. There are no pyer sightings, not even rumors.

  True to its name, ‘Hidden.’

  I pn to record this i. Although person keeps a diary, I’m treating this as a journal to jot down some strange occurrences.

  Ever siransmigrated, with the advantage of leading in versions, I’ve acquired the best ons and seized important resources. Most talents have gathered around me. Without this intel and resources, based solely on my abilities, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today—it’s unimaginable. I even feel like I came back specifically with these memories in tow.

  Sometimes, I feel like I shouldn’t just limit myself to the path of the 【Starfall Master】’s main god, but instead, aim for the Domination system’s main god… But no one knows how a god of aire system be achieved.

  There are many things I don’t know. I am not omnist; my intelligence is actually limited. To prevent being corrupted by society, I never inteo raise my intelligeoo high from the start.

  (In the previous life’s game, oransformed by society, it was equivalent to at deletion. I dare not take that risk iy. Besides, if it’s knowledge, with high enough 【Charisma】, knowledge will naturally e to me, and intelligent characters will be drawn to me. With 【Single-Minded】 in hand, I don’t o waste effort on an invisible time bomb.)

  When it es to society, I be sidered an expert. In the previous game, with the help of Narrative-level civilizations, I accumuted participation in hunting nine societies, the most among pyers. They were:

  【Mute Society】—Naraka Dian (Lv.199)

  【Meical Society】—Margegon (Lv.300)

  【Color Domain Society】—Liu Qi Weiku (Lv.270)

  【North Shore Society】—Havels (Lv.298)

  【Eternal Society】—Bodolton (Lv.230)

  【Phoenix Jade Society】—Finijiedi (Lv.200)

  【Purple Moon Society】—Atenia (Lv.180)

  【Dream Drug Society】—Fekonmi (Lv.160)

  【Abyssal Fme Society】—Satangima (Lv.300)

  Writing this down, I feel it—yes, societies ot be defeated by individuals; only civilizations stand against them.

  At first gheir levels don’t seem high, but iy, their actual bat power is level × (number of Chairmen + Senators + Jury Members + Citizens).

  Yes, multiplication.

  Societies do many horrifying things. You temporarily repel or drive them away, but there’s only one way to kill them—kill all citizens, jury members, senators, and chairmen, from bottom to top!

  It’s the most insane sughter because once a society switches to bat mode, all citizens in a level 200 society will be raised to level 200. Then it’s a mess; you’re fag a geometrically growing moving catastrophe that individual strong people ’t resist.

  But do you knoe hunted societies?

  —Trap two opposing societies together, let them tear each other apart, but prevent them from dev one another, or else we’re doomed.

  I’m very good at this, especially the process of ‘luring into a trap.’ I’ve always had great cooperation with those Narrative-level civilizations in this field, even feeling like I was born to hunt societies.

  Hmm, saying this might sound a bit disgusting—I feel very fortable, happy, and delighted when I see societies scream, wail, and die in pain.

  Due t with Narrative-level civilizations, I ohought societies weren’t that terrifying. The Narrative-level would precisely exile the victor when one society died, letting them fight for nothing. How satisfying, like dogs biting each other, letting those beastly idiots kill each other.

  However, the Hidden Society shattered my naive fantasies. It’s absolutely the most bizarre existence I’ve ever entered.

  Let me expin:

  Societies be thought of as evolved from civilizations, the ultimate entities in all human domains, even sidered as living civilizations with self-awareness.

  Ierstelr world, societies are referred to as ‘it’ because they are seen as living civilizations as that feed on civilizations.

  For societies, citizens are hunting ans or cells.

  Yes, cells.

  Cells are equal to each other, and societies use this fact to corrupt highly intelligent or rebellious superhumans.

  But they alk about what happens to those cells.

  —Serve the main body, even to the point of death.

  Those who think that mastering power means mastering everything will find that their power is nothing in the face of society. No matter how strong you are, you ’t beat a society that’s even just dozens of levels (if such a low-level society exists).

  Acc to the official formu, a level 100 society elevate its level to ohousand or evehousand (depending on the number of its citizens and the strength of its chairman).

  Moreover, even if it doesn’t fully explode, its lifespan is endless. you outst it?

  What fuses me most about the Hidden Society is this: if its citizens are so powerful and possess deadly toxins (especially the toxins—without that Aether Blood, I could have killed that White Knight even without gravity), why isn’t it doted on Qiqiao work?

  At the very least, shouldn’t there be some pyer eyewitness ats?

  So far, it seems that the Hidden Society uses a certaiher substance as a medium to transform humans into professional citizens, granting them extraordinary abilities and breaking dowy from within, with the ultimate goal of ing civilization.

  The Hidden Society itself is referred to as ‘Gaia’ or ‘Hidden Mother,’ which seems to be its sounds strange—Gaia… this isn’t a name I’ve entered in any nguage I know, not from Azure Star or the Federation nguage from my past life.

  Iire universe, the Hidden Society might be aremely dangerous ic predator. It’s definitely not from the Star Abyss; I’m sure of it.

  The stronger one is, the greater the ive effects after diving into the Star Abyss. The Hidden Society wouldn’t take the risk of surfag here.

  Of course, there’s another possibility: it currently resides in the sixth yer of the Star Abyss—in Abyss, so there’s o surface. What’s scattered outside are just some of its citizens.

  That’s the only pce pyers and the official authorities are forbidden to enter.

  Let me think about the other parts.

  Speaking of which, I got some information from Xia Jianjing. She mentiohat her mentor actally inhaled natural Aether early in his career, causing his entire body to bee obscured, turning him into a cyb wandering the outer world for two turies.

  Unfortunately, he wasn’t C3 Luka-type ic Human.

  The Hidden Society only accepts C3 Luka-type ic Humans as citizens, but acc to Xia Jianjing’s mentor, being human isn’t enough; one must have the qualifications required for a professional’s actual growth—‘quality.’

  There’s a certain liween professionals and the Hidden Society. The Hidden grants them powers and, at suitable times, provides ‘guidao help them develop their abilities.

  Xia Jianjing told me that professionals of the Hidden Society are directly influenced by Gaia’s will. As the tration of Aether Blood in a professional increases, Gaia tinually grants them knowledge araordinary abilities.

  Fortunately, citizens of the Hidden Society also follow the Ref strength cssification system—Ref. Finally, something I reize; thank goodness.

  All society’s citizens need ‘Ref’ to enhaheir physical strength ierial world. Each ref greatly improves their power.

  From the first ref to the final, there are ten in total. The final ref is sidered equivalent to an Omega-level powerhouse, with society g to have at least 2,000 final ref-level citizens—what a joke. The entire universe probably doesn’t have more thahousand Omega-level beings, of whom ten pert are too old to fight, ay pert have to dive into the Star Abyss to avoid being targeted by societies.

  The remainihan a thousand are new, fresh members of civilizations at Omega level.

  If societies truly had that maimes refed citizens, the universe would be doomed.

  So I estimate the real number of final ref citizens is at most ten, maybe not even five, because advang within society is much harder than oar Abyss side of civilization.

  Xia Jianjiiohat professionals incorporated into the Hidden Society’s system will have their influence rapidly fade ohey die; mortals won’t remember any deceased professionals, even their own kin and friends.

  That’s great; I’m really looking forward to taking down Youhei.

  Every time I think about the Hidden Society, I feel blocked, like there’s natural gas stu my chest, and the slightest spark will make me explode.

  I love babies as much as I hate the Hidden Society—se. I just learned about this thing, yet I feel like I’ve harbored a grudge for a long time.

  Sometimes, I start to suspect that my memories from my previous life have been tampered with. I even feel like my transmigration nned, maniputed from behind the ses.

  This sounds overly spiratorial, but I se—not just sihe Hidden began, but in many areas that don’t match my recolles.

  For example, Nomi.

  In the inal story, Nomi was just a minor character who could serve as a temporary ally. No one ever dug up her true identity.

  And Alexia—after defeating the Duke, Beccaria System was supposed to break down and backfire, and she should’ve beortal st week.

  But she didn’t. She still lifts buses and judges criminals with the judicial system.

  Also, the mimics—they didn’t have a fear of fire in the previous life; we just killed them ht. They were weak but caused signifit harm.

  And Du Zexin… he’s ged a lot, and as a long-term NPC, his plot and personality should have been fully explored, with no room for twists.

  So what was he fiding in me?

  All this feels eerie. I even think that everything I experienced in my previous life was just a game, and this world now is the real one.

  There was no Hidden in the game, but it exists iy. There was no Grinna Waterspiral, the high-level dragon mert, in the game, but she’s here iy. I could blow up ps in the game, but iy, I’m just a regur small streamer...

  Enough, enough.

  Everything I have now isn’t fake.

  But how do I expin my ability to unicate with pyers and the ges in the real world caused by me?

  I’m a little worried. I fear someone’s been quietly pushing things from behind the ses, or, as Du Zexin said, I’m simply afraid of everything beyond my prehension—afraid of what I ’t trol.

  But if there’s a mastermind, what would they want?

  I’m not the best professional pyer, nor am I the most famous streamer. I might be in the first tier, but I’m still just an ordinary person.

  If my transmigration was driven by some force, I really don’t know what makes me special.

  What do they wao do?

  I don’t know.

  If I had to say something special… it’s probably my body’s name.

  This ‘Li Aozi’—I mean the pronunciation is a bit awkward, not even easy for Azure Star people.

  So much so that everyone who calls me by s it wrong.

  And y-nine pert of the time, they get it wrong like this:

  —Liozi.

  FAL