If the Ghost Gate is the firewall of the Underworld, then the Bridge of Helplessness (Naihe Bridge) is the entire Underworld server's only "Data Bus."

  Right now, this bus was suffering from a severe "I/O Blockage."

  "Stop squeezing! Demons in the front row, don't gnaw on the stone lions! Those are landscape facilities!"

  Daoist Singularity stood on a giant rock by the River of Forgetfulness. The multi-functional whisk in his hand had transformed into a megaphone, and he shouted hoarsely.

  The Bridge of Helplessness was packed tight with bizarre, low-level demons. They were like a pile of garbled code viruses, choking the vital throat of the passage, blocking the ghosts behind them from reincarnating, and cutting off the support route for the Yin Soldiers.

  [Current Traffic Condition: Congestion Index 100%. Estimated transit time: 9999 hours.]

  Looking at the congestion line on the Heavenly Dao Tablet, which had turned a blackish-red, Singularity felt his migraine coming on again.

  "It must be cleared," Singularity chewed his fingernail, his brain spinning rapidly. "If I use the 'Five Thunders Orthodox Law' for precision clearing, I need to calculate 400 lightning strike coordinates, and there's a 25% probability of accidentally damaging the bridge structure. The Bridge of Helplessness is a fixed asset of Meng Po's department; I can't afford to pay for it..."

  As a rational technocrat, Singularity fell into a typical "Over-Optimization Trap." He was looking for a perfect solution that could kill all the demons, preserve the historic site, and save mana all at once.

  However, there was someone—or rather, a muscular man—who never did multiple-choice questions.

  Thud, thud, thud.

  Heavy footsteps, accompanied by that unchanging, heart-palpitating heavy metal drumbeat, approached from behind Singularity.

  The green figure (let's call him Slayer for now) walked over. He had just finished cleaning up the remnants at the Ghost Gate, his body reeking of thick blood and gun oil.

  Slayer stopped at the riverbank, looking at the stone bridge packed so tight water couldn't trickle through.

  He didn't speak; he just tilted his head.

  "Ah, Big Boss!" Singularity's eyes lit up as if he saw a savior, and he scrambled over. "Look, this is called a DDoS attack. These beasts are blocking the way, and we can't pass. According to my calculations, if you can fly over and cut in from the flank..."

  Click-clack.

  Slayer ignored Singularity's tactical advice. He reached behind his back into his dimensional backpack (which was actually a four-dimensional chrysanthemum-shaped interspatial pocket) and pulled out a massive, dark green cylindrical object.

  Singularity knew his stuff. Although he had never seen the real thing, he had watched war movies from the mortal realm.

  That was a Rocket Launcher. And judging by the caliber, it was definitely not a standard Earth model; you could practically stuff a winter melon into that barrel.

  Slayer hoisted the rocket launcher onto his shoulder, the black muzzle aiming at...

  Not the densest cluster of demons, but the bridge pier of the Bridge of Helplessness.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Singularity's pupils quaked instantly.

  "Wait! Big Boss! Stop! That's the Bridge of Helplessness!" Singularity rushed forward, trying to hug Slayer's thigh (though he was bounced off by the armor). "That's a Grade 1 National Protected Cultural Relic! Built in the Han Dynasty! That's Meng Po's lifeblood! You can't—"

  BOOM!!!

  Slayer pulled the trigger.

  There was no complex aiming, no so-called "tactical entry." Only the purest aesthetic of explosion.

  A custom high-explosive rocket, trailing a tail of flame, accurately hit the middle section of the Bridge of Helplessness.

  In that instant, time seemed to slow down. Singularity watched helplessly as the ancient stone bridge, which had carried the tears of millions and witnessed countless partings and reunions, disintegrated... inside a massive fireball.

  Rocks flew, accompanied by the severed limbs of demons, falling like dumplings into the River of Forgetfulness below.

  The hundreds of demons blocking the bridge didn't even have time to react before they were physically "Uninstalled."

  The massive shockwave whipped up the foul water of the river, drenching Singularity from head to toe.

  [System Alert: Obstacle Cleared.]

  The smoke cleared.

  The formerly congested Bridge of Helplessness was now... indeed not congested anymore.

  Because the bridge was gone.

  Only a massive fault line remained, stretching between the two banks.

  Slayer lowered the smoking rocket launcher and turned to look at the dumbfounded Singularity. Though his expression was hidden, Singularity could feel him saying: "Done."

  "Done... my ass!"

  Singularity collapsed, clutching his Daoist crown, pointing at the empty river surface. "Where's the bridge?! Where's the road?! How am I supposed to explain this to King Yama? 'Oh, report to leadership, to clear traffic, we blew up the road'?! And how are the ghosts behind us supposed to cross? Swim? The river water is strong acid!"

  Slayer didn't seem to consider after-sales service. He walked to the edge of the cliff, gauged the distance, and tensed his thigh muscles, seemingly preparing to jump across with a running start.

  "You can cross, but we can't!" Singularity wanted to cry but had no tears.

  Watching Slayer about to jump away, Singularity took a deep breath, forcing his rationality to return.

  Absolute Rationality engaged.

  Since the physical entity had been destroyed, it could only be solved on the software level.

  "Forget it. Out with the old, in with the new."

  Singularity's gaze sharpened. He pulled the glowing multi-functional stylus from his hair bun. He bit his fingertip (actually pressed a switch to squeeze out some spiritual ink) and rapidly drew runes in the air.

  But these weren't ancient characters; they were C++ Code.

  "Limitless Heaven and Earth, Borrowing Law from the Universe! Holographic Projection, Entity Construction! Compile and Run!"

  Vrrrrm—!

  As the tip of Singularity's pen tapped, a blinding beam of spectral blue light shot from this side of the broken bridge to the opposite bank.

  Spirit particles in the air began to arrange and combine frantically, countless glowing Eight Trigrams symbols stacking like pixels.

  In just three seconds.

  A Cyber-Naihe Bridge, composed of pure energy, semi-transparent, emitting a ghostly blue light and featuring RGB breathing effects, was constructed out of thin air over the River of Forgetfulness.

  It had no piers, was completely suspended, and had a surface as smooth as a mirror. There were even LED scrolling text screens on both sides reading: "Please queue for reincarnation, no noise allowed."

  Slayer stopped.

  He looked back at this high-tech energy bridge, then at Singularity, who was clutching his knees and gasping for air.

  "Huff... huff..." Singularity wiped his sweat and swallowed two Instant Cardio-Relief Pills from his waist. "This is called... a Holographic Light Bridge. Infinite load-bearing capacity, anti-slip built-in, and demons stepping on it will be instantly purified to ash. How is it?"

  Slayer was silent for two seconds.

  Then, he extended his thumb and gave Singularity a thumbs-up.

  Next, he stepped onto the light bridge. His combat boots made a sizzling electric sound on the energy surface as he strode toward the other side.

  Singularity looked at the traffic index turning green again on his tablet, and the stream of ghosts rapidly passing over the light bridge. He sighed helplessly.

  On the Underworld Damage Record Sheet, he tremblingly wrote:

  Item: Bridge of Helplessness (Naihe Bridge)

  Status: Physically Destroyed

  Reason: Force Majeure (referring to that green-armored lunatic)

  Note: Upgraded to Version 2.0, efficiency increased by 300%.

  Singularity watched Slayer's retreating figure heading toward Meng Po's Pavilion. He suddenly felt a stomach ache coming on.

  "The road is clear. Although the bridge is gone, the road is indeed clear."

  Singularity shook his head and hurriedly followed.

  "Hey! Big Boss! Ahead is Meng Po's Pavilion! The soup there tastes terrible, but it's a strategic resource! Please, whatever you do, don't blow up the pot too!!!"