Who gave you permission to travel through time with Earth?

Chapter 42, Instance "Fall Off"

If we compare the universe to a giant tree, and the world of life to the fruit hanging from its branches, then the main star system is the branch connecting countless worlds, and the main star is the trunk and root of the world tree!

The meaning of the falling off is quite clear: the falling off of the copy, the decay of the world, like a thoroughly rotten fruit "sliding" towards the main trunk, crashing into their world with extremely terrifying mass and decay!

Compared to that, the problems caused by stowaways or extraterrestrial beings are merely minor incidents, like catching a cold versus being directly bombarded by artillery! It goes without saying which is more serious.

"Regardless of size, the fall of a world (planet) is a huge disaster. Even if the system and powerful figures intervene to quell the aftermath, the location of the fall will be completely erased from the map."

"Then comes the problem of decay. A detached world signifies the end of a star's lifespan. Birth, aging, sickness, and death—the world, too, can become sick. Within it lies countless fallen and decaying beings and forces!"

"So...it needs cleaning?"

Fang Jin asked softly, astonished by another form of erosion besides the stowaways, and one that was even purer, with the detachment of the copy bringing pure destruction and malice.

He suddenly became curious. Guo Shi said that the dungeon was falling apart because the world's lifespan was coming to an end, but if the reason for the impending lifespan was the exploitation by these players from all over the world?

To go further, even if it wasn't completely drained, it still had a devastating impact on the planet's ecosystem, making it impossible for people to survive... Is it possible that it could choose to "fall off on its own"?

...and how was the smuggling operation carried out in this manner?

"Yes, we can't let him spread decay to the main star, so we must reduce the radiation levels of the fallen worlds below the standard. This is the duty that every regional administrator must fulfill."

Guo Shi was unaware of Fang Jin's wild thoughts, but she also realized something, and then said with a cold smile, unabashedly raising her middle finger in a certain direction.

"But they often just fulfill their obligations."

"After the core of the fallen world is removed, the remaining decay will no longer affect the main star. They will most likely choose to leave directly and stop clearing out the remaining decay."

"That's how Taipei is. Even now, the remnants of the world's dead still exist there, some even retaining some vitality. The deeper you go, the more it's filled with death. Who would do business there if there wasn't even a blade of grass left?"

"The West City was also affected. Although there were effective drugs, they were all controlled by the Bronze Pavilion. Moreover, even if the drugs were taken, the subtle effects could not be changed."

Guo Shi pointed to the strange object in the middle of the sinkhole, and disgustedly stuck out his tongue. Although the detached world, having lost its core, would no longer decay,

However, the remaining effects will take time to wear down. Directly removing them would require an additional astronomical expense, and the Bronze Museum would not do such a losing business.

After all, it only shortens the lifespan of tens of thousands of people around and causes them to develop hundreds of thousands more tumors. In fact, players' bodies can be immune to the effects of this residual decay, so why allocate funds and spend money?

...and you can make money from it.

This was the dire situation that nearly made Guo Shi grind her teeth to pieces, and it was also the driving force behind her desperate desire to strengthen the Red Sentinel Gang. She couldn't possibly let her brothers die in such an unclear and ambiguous way.

"I see. A third of the West Market has also been affected by corruption. That's why no one has been able to claim a share of the pie here, and the leaders of the Southeast have allowed the West Market to become a hub of organizations and even collapse."

"They are afraid of dying too."

Fang Jin pondered, habitually tapping his temples. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tiny, rice-grain-sized shadow slowly moving within the ruins of Taipei, even attempting to approach the corpses in the center.

"There are people in the rubble? But isn't this the area most severely affected by decay and decay? The closer you get to the inside, the easier it is for your body to decompose and decay? What are these people trying to do?"

He even doubted that he was seeing things, but then he realized that the first shadow was not an isolated case. Behind him, dozens of grains of rice were slowly moving, indicating that the group of people had entered the landslide area in an organized manner.

"Oh...they are 'scavengers'," Guo Shi said, having gradually calmed down. Clearly, this scene wasn't uncommon in the wasteland.

"After all, it is the heritage of an entire world. Even though the core and most of the good stuff have been taken away, as the corpse's body deteriorates, there will always be some other things that the corpse 'spit out'."

"Those are the targets of the scavengers. Some of them are players, and some are not, but even players will be affected by the decay near the corpses. They are a bunch of crazy people who would rather die than spend money."

"They're considered one of the larger organizations in the West Market... at least bigger than our Red Sentinel Gang. Speaking of which, the Scavengers even competed with your father for distribution channels before, but this time they didn't take advantage of your misfortune..."

"..."

Fang Jin's rare display of ignorance pleased Guo Shi, who was playing the teacher, but then she realized something was amiss and abruptly turned her head, asking in confusion:

"Wait, didn't you also grow up in the black market? In fact, you're my senior in terms of seniority. Why do you need to ask me about these things..."

Then, Guo Shi abruptly stopped speaking. She and the Red Sentinel Gang members around her who had overheard the conversation simultaneously saw flashes of white data in their eyes, subconsciously forgetting the strangeness they had just noticed.

"Ouch... why does my neck hurt a little?"

Fang Jin smiled but didn't speak. The versatility of the positive attribute was even wider than he had imagined. Even if it was only passively consumed a little, the system could still provide support for at least the next year.

Unless a high-ranking player directly probes for information, or you loudly reveal your identity in a crowd, people around you will naturally interpret your identity in a more reasonable way.

After leaving the sinkhole, the members of the Red Whistle Gang had mostly dispersed. They had already put on fierce faces and were waiting for difficult customers to come to their door, ready to knock them out with a club at any time and become robbers. They were very dedicated to their work.

Fang Jin and the others also arrived at their destination... After all, they couldn't really be just wandering around. There were still half a month until his next dungeon run, and before that, he had to at least ensure that Ark Shop could gain a foothold in the black market.

Relying solely on the Red Sentinel Gang's coverage is insufficient to eliminate other organizations' surveillance of the shops; he must leverage his status as a shop owner to establish sufficient prestige in the West Market.

Moreover, he still has too many channels scattered in the mouths of these jackals. Whether he wants to take them back or reassure some wavering good-for-nothings, he has decided to fight this battle head-on.

Therefore, there is no doubt that he needs intelligence.