The leading figure, Expert Liu, fell into contemplative silence, seemingly worried that rashly bringing up the mei would expose Zhao Song's identity.
After all, they were upright, ordinary humans, not vampires.
He hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Let's observe for a few more days, then test the waters."
He still didn't dare bring up the matter of the mei so quickly, lest it give away their true nature.
Meanwhile, the chat group was bustling with activity.
"I want to drink blood so badly."
"Drank a delicious beverage today. (Only cost three hundred bucks a bottle, no big deal.)"
"Demon hunters? Nothing more than a tasty snack under our fangs."
"Ran into a bunch of demon hunters on my way back tonight. Even though I was super brave and super strong, I was outnumbered in the end, and they robbed me of quite a few blood coins."
"*Sigh*, the demon hunters snatched my phone too. I need to find time to infiltrate their lair and steal it back."
All sorts of messy, random remarks filled the group.
To Qi Yuan, none of it held any real substance.
Yet to Zhao Song and the people of the Sky Federation, this information was packed with important clues.
"They mentioned phones. It seems these vampires also live in a civilized society."
"How strange. Do they also call them phones where they live?"
"Is the writing system identical, or is this wondrous object translating our messages into concepts we can understand?"
"Either way, this is the supernatural—an existence our current science and technology cannot explain."
The supernatural was not mere superstition; it could also be interpreted through a scientific lens.
It was simply that their current technological level remained too primitive to explain it.
"Just like the mei," Expert Liu murmured.
At the mention of the mei, everyone present looked visibly shaken.
Compared to two centuries ago, today's Sky Federation possessed advanced technology and a flourishing civilization.
One could say that in this world, there were no ancient famines where people exchanged children for food.
Everyone, even the homeless, had enough to eat.
Yet beneath the dazzling neon lights lurked the increasingly rampant menace of the mei.
Especially at night, they appeared along the streets with unsettling frequency.
Not everyone could perceive these creatures; only a small portion of the population could see them.
And anyone who saw a mei was doomed to sheer misfortune.
Terror and death.
The atmosphere surrounding them was eerie and bone-chilling.
Once, a travel group of twelve went out for barbecue.
After eating and drinking their fill, they prepared to hail taxis back to their hotel.
Under normal circumstances, three cabs would have been enough.
Yet one of them hailed a fourth, insisting he saw fourteen people in their party.
Everyone else saw only twelve.
It was somewhat reminiscent of Chinese horror.
In the end, left behind with the extra two figures to wait for their ride, the cold wind sobered him up, and he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Ignorance might have spared him, but the moment he realized the truth... the extra people turned and fixed their chilling, eerie gazes on him.
He never caught that cab, nor did he ever return to the hotel.
Incidents like this were frequent in the Sky Federation.
With a population exceeding one billion, over a million people died each year directly or indirectly from the mei, and the number climbed steadily every year.
A mere decade ago, that annual toll had been only a hundred thousand.
According to federation projections and the escalating frequency of their appearances, within three more years the annual death toll would surpass ten million.
In twenty years, civilization itself would collapse, wiped out by the mei.
Hence, they were desperate. They treated this chat group as their final lifeline.
"I hope the vampires can... deal with the mei," a tall woman murmured, her eyes brimming with hope.
It was a hope shared by everyone present.
***
Time passed quietly.
As usual, the chat group remained quiet during the day and grew lively once night fell.
"If this All-Heavens Divine Mirror weren't so wondrous, I'd almost think this bunch was made up of elementary or middle school kids. No time to chat while in class during the day, only coming online after getting home at night."
"Yeah, and they log off right on time every day, too."
Many in the Sky Federation murmured among themselves with complicated expressions.
Still, they knew this was an illusion; the group was filled with vampires.
Of course, there might also be others like Zhao Song who weren't vampires at all and were merely pretending.
Through conversational analysis, the experts and think tank had already grown suspicious of the identities of thirteen members.
At the same time, they confirmed that the group owner—the so-called Vampire Emperor—had no way of verifying whether they were vampires or not.
Just then, the Vampire Emperor spoke again.
"Are any of my subjects willing to place their faith in me? I plan to test my divine oracle recently."
Qi Yuan was telling the truth.
He had been pondering the matter of the divine oracle lately.
A divine oracle was somewhat akin to the Word of Law.
Reaching the Divine Oracle realm was simple enough: one's divine oracle had to gain the recognition and trust of believers.
The deeper their trust and recognition, the more formidable one became upon stepping into the Divine Oracle realm.
After that came extracting the true meaning of the oracle.
Seeing these words, the Sky Federation personnel held their breath.
Zhao Song's eyes widened with excitement.
The group owner was finally bringing up supernatural matters?
Yet what was this "divine oracle"?
They were burning with curiosity, but they didn't dare ask, terrified of exposing themselves.
"Divine oracle? What's that?" Fortunately, another member asked on their behalf.
"A divine oracle is simply the words spoken by a god," Qi Yuan replied offhandedly.
This statement was actually half-correct.
Generally speaking, for the True Gods of Myriad Gods Mountain, a divine oracle was condensed from their own core rules.
For instance, if a True God's core was fire, or if the path he pursued was fire, the oracle he condensed might proclaim that fire could incinerate all things.
He would then bestow a flame upon his believers to burn away everything.
Qi Yuan had learned this while chatting with several True Gods on Myriad Gods Mountain.
However, he had his own understanding.
*If a so-called divine oracle is merely limited to things like fire, water, or space, then it must belong to a Void God, not a True God.*
*A divine oracle... ought to be the Word of Law.*
Just as Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment meant establishing one's foundation with the Heavenly Dao,
shouldn't a divine oracle simply mean that whatever I say becomes law?
Qi Yuan's train of thought was straightforward.
After all, he already possessed a superpower: his spoken words could grant people's wishes.
For example, back in the Canglan Realm, a cultivator had once wished for a quiet Dao Companion.
Following Qi Yuan's response,
a cup had appeared directly beside that cultivator—a heated one, no less.
He used the Sole Palace to create his divine kingdom.
As for the divine oracle, Qi Yuan felt he could condense his superpower into an oracle—namely, the Word of Law.
Looking at the chat group, Qi Yuan continued, "There are many truths in this world, and my word is one of them."
Qi Yuan didn't consider his word to be the sole truth.
"Grant me a soft companion, then? The kind that can protect me," the user who consistently referred to herself as Duke Nael said.
Hearing this, Qi Yuan hesitated slightly.
"Are you sure you want a companion?"
He couldn't help recalling the cultivator in the Canglan Realm.
His divine oracle was still unstable right now.
He was afraid he might end up bestowing another cup.
"Yes!" Duke Nael insisted.
In the group, the others watched these messages with curious eyes.
The Sky Federation researchers stared eagerly, wanting to gauge the group owner's true depth.
"In that case, by my divine oracle, I grant you a companion!"
On Myriad Gods Mountain, Qi Yuan spoke aloud, his tone calm and carrying a faint hint of sacred majesty.
In that instant, his wish-granting superpower overlapped with the divine oracle.
Meanwhile, in an unknown world amidst towering skyscrapers, a young girl lay on her bed in pajamas, calves kicked up, giggling as she browsed messages in the All-Heavens Divine Mirror.
She was the one posing as Duke Nael.
Ever since being diagnosed with severe delusional disorder, she had to undergo treatment during the day and only had space to herself at night.
Yet Duke Nael had always believed she wasn't ill.
Clearly, it was the world that was sick.
All those people possessed animal traits—horse eyes, tiger heads, serpent torsos—yet they wore clothes and pretended to be human.
Across the entire city, true humans like her were exceedingly rare.
"Can he really give me a companion?"
The girl waited with starry, expectant eyes.
Yet a heartbeat later, her anticipation turned into a shrill shriek.
"Ah... what... what is this?!"
Suddenly resting in her hands was a soft, gelatinous object.
Her face flushed crimson in an instant.
She stared at this "companion" in sheer shock and mortification.
"This companion is a bit... absurd," she typed into the group.
The others asked curiously:
"Did he really give you a companion?"
"What's it look like?"
"*Ahem*, it looks a bit like a rod," Duke Nael said.
"A vampire's cane? That's a great companion."
"It's kind of weird," Duke Nael continued.
"What, not satisfied?" Qi Yuan replied. "Didn't you ask for a soft companion? So it's soft. But don't worry—when the time comes, it can be very hard too."
Qi Yuan was speaking the truth.
Duke Nael's wish had been for a soft companion that could protect her.
The moment Qi Yuan's divine oracle was issued, the companion descended into her world.
Whenever Duke Nael encountered danger, the companion bestowed by Qi Yuan would instantly harden, becoming indestructible like a dharma artifact to shield her and slay evil spirits.
"I want one too!"
"I want a sweet wife!"
"I want a delicious egg!"
"I want ice cream!"
The chat group instantly turned into a wishing well.
Many members started chiming in with their wishes.
*Sure enough, where there's a crowd, fools are never lacking.*
*No need to play mind games with them.*
Qi Yuan was in a good mood.
In any other group, members would likely be cautious and hesitate to make random wishes.
Here, however, it was entirely different.
"Very well. My divine oracle shall grant your wishes."
"Here is your sweet wife. Be careful, though—she's afraid of heat and sunlight, so don't bake her or she'll melt easily."
"Here is your delicious egg. Careful, it's quite hard, so don't crack your front teeth on it."
Qi Yuan went on a wish-granting spree.
His superpower was continuously refining into a divine oracle.
Of course, even after mastering the divine oracle, his innate superpower remained intact.
Over in the Sky Federation, the observers grew tempted as they watched the scene unfold.
"Should we take this chance to make a wish?"
"What would we wish for?"
"We need to hold a meeting and study this carefully."
After all, it was rare for the group owner to fulfill everyone's desires so freely.
Could they seize the opportunity to bring up the mei?
Just then, Zhao Song suddenly turned deathly pale.
"A mei!"
His pupils dilated, his eyes consumed by absolute terror as his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
His scream instantly drew everyone's attention.
A dire premonition flashed through every mind in the room.
"What's wrong, Zhao Song? Do you see a mei?" Expert Liu swept his gaze across the room with deep concern.
"Y-yes... It's right under the table, holding my leg... *sob*..."
A tight, clammy sensation gripped his leg. Zhao Song didn't dare move, much less look down.
At first, he had merely wondered what was touching him and glanced under the table.
Yet when he lifted the tablecloth, he locked eyes with a pair of vacant, sinister pupils, sending a wave of numbness through his entire body.
He knew he had encountered a mei.
"What do I do?" Zhao Song was, after all, only a high school student without extraordinary mental fortitude. Facing a terrifying mei, he broke down completely.
"Don't panic! Stay calm!" Expert Liu took a deep breath.
The surrounding people looked at Zhao Song with pity.
Among those who encountered a mei, barely one in ten thousand survived.
Those few were blessed with miraculous luck.
Zhao Song clearly had no such fortune.
"There's still a chance to survive. We just need to figure out its pattern." Expert Liu inhaled deeply, his mind racing.
Right then, the tall woman suggested, "Why don't we ask the group owner?"
The suggestion resonated with everyone.
"Yes, ask the group owner!"
"Maybe he can solve this for you!"
If Zhao Song died, what if the chat group disappeared along with him?
Many experts agreed that keeping Zhao Song alive was paramount, and turning to the group owner might be their best shot.
As the numbness creeping up Zhao Song's leg intensified, Expert Liu made the final call: "Ask the group owner what to do when you encounter a mei!"
"Okay..." Zhao Song's voice trembled, choked with sobs.
"Lord Vampire Emperor, I encountered a mei! I want to live... What should I do? I don't want to die, *sob*..."
At this point, Zhao Song couldn't care less about keeping up his act. He was, after all, just a student.
"Encountered a mei?" A smile flashed across Qi Yuan's eyes. "Simple enough. Find a nearby restroom and squat in one of the stalls. If the mei knocks on the door, just say someone's inside."
Qi Yuan was quite pleased with his answer.
If someone was already occupying the stall, wouldn't the mei have to leave?
"Do as I say, and you'll survive."
Hearing this, the experts in the room wore bizarre expressions.
"Someone's inside?"
"What kind of bullshit answer is that?!"
"Can that even work?!"
Clearly, none of them bought Qi Yuan's advice.
It was simply too preposterous and nonsensical.
Besides, restrooms were among the most frequent hotspots for mei encounters.
Tens of thousands died every year after encountering mei in restrooms.
The room erupted in anxious chatter, all deeming the idea utterly unreliable.
Then Expert Liu said in a heavy voice, "Do as the Vampire Emperor says."
They had no better options left; they had to treat a dead horse as if it were alive.
Encountering a mei was almost certain death anyway.
What if the group owner's advice really could save Zhao Song's life?
Trying was better than doing nothing.
"My leg is numb, *sob*... I can't walk to the restroom," Zhao Song sobbed.
The mei was still clutching his leg, leaving him completely unable to walk to the nearest restroom.
"Get someone to carry him," someone muttered.
The crowd's expressions shifted slightly.
Since none of them could see the mei, they could technically carry Zhao Song without being directly affected by it.
However... doing so meant stepping into the mei's trap and risking death alongside him.
That was why people in the federation were warned never to heed cries for help at night.
The moment you went to assist, you would be entangled by the mei as well.
"Li Xiang, go carry him," a high-ranking official finally ordered, commanding a guard to carry Zhao Song to the restroom.
Chapter 600