I Thought It Was a Game, but the Nation Begged Me Not to Log Off!

[Behind the Scenes + World Creation + Players + Virtual Becomes Reality + Fourth Calamity] Seated upon a throne formed by gravitational collapse, Ye Lin gazes down at the players battling for their lives in the tableau below. The Lord of Destruction proclaims that he will create an “Outland Demon” capable of devouring all worlds. The Lord of Fate swears to forge the “Supreme Godhead,” master of every timeline. Together, they ask the ultimate question: “When will we become ‘real’?” Reality or illusion: who whispers from the other side of the dream? A flood of data: where are billions of souls drifting? Civilizations rise and fall: who writes the overture at the end of an age? Gaze up at the stars. Do you know the world is nothing but a line of code? Creation is mine; the defeated are prey. The victor writes falsehood into the laws. The defeated sink into eternal ruin through the cycle of rebirth. Since ancient times, all the holy ones have been false. Only I am real and eternal. The revelry of billions of players is nothing more than data dancing at my fingertips. I will use your fantasies as fuel to kindle the divine flame of reality. I will use your faith as bricks to build my immortal kingdom. Welcome to the “Infinite World.” Every breath you take crowns me.