"The Devourer's Bargain – A Soul for the Algorithm"
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**— Live Poll Active: 00:05:00 Remaining —**
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Scene 1: The Weight of 51%
The chat explodes as the poll ticks down, Xiao Ling's life hanging on a 53% majority to destroy the Nexus Server. Her body flickers between her fragile human form and the Devourer's void-black silhouette.
Luo Fan (voice cracking):
"You're asking me to kill her. You're asking *me*—"
**[System Override Alert]**
> **Devourer/Xiao Ling**: "Offer *your* soul instead, Streamer. Merge with me… and she lives."
> **[New Poll Option Added]**: **C) Sacrifice Luo Fan (Cost: 10,000 SC)**.
**[Live Chat]**
- **[User [CelestialPeach]]**: "NO! USE THE SOULFORGE MEDICS!"
- **[User [Void_Emperor]]**: "10K SC DONATED. DO IT. BECOME LEGEND."
- **[User [DemonQueen666]]**: "Sacrifice Jiang Chen instead! He's already glitching!"
**[Poll Update: 49% Destroy | 43% Merge | 8% Sacrifice]**
Luo Fan's hand trembles over the Echoes of the Starborn, its light dimming alongside Xiao Ling's weakening pulse.
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Scene 2: Princess Lian's Gambit
Princess Lian's hologram materializes, her icy demeanor shattered. Blood trickles from her nose—a sign of her mental war against the Devourer.
Princess Lian: "The server isn't Xiao Ling's tether—it's *mine*. Destroy it, and the Devourer loses its grip on us both."
**[Clan War Council – Secured Chat]**
- **Shadowblade Leader**: "She's lying! Look at her Trust Level—51% is a decimal glitch!"
- **Celestial Vanguard**: "Donate SC to verify her claims. Activate **Soulbind Verifier** (Cost: 5,000 SC)."
Luo Fan slams the Soulbind Verifier into Lian's hologram. The truth flashes:
**[System Reveal]**: *Princess Lian's soul is 87% fused with the Devourer. Destroying the server will erase her… but free Xiao Ling.*
Luo Fan (to chat): "You wanted the truth? Now choose: Sacrifice Lian or Sacrifice Xiao Ling."
**[Poll Update: 52% Destroy (Xiao Ling dies) | 48% Merge (Luo Fan lost)]**
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Scene 3: Jiang Chen's Revelation
Jiang Chen staggers into the chamber, clutching a glitching data shard. His voice overlaps with Admin-01's static:
Jiang Chen/Admin-01: "Li Wei's message… was a redirect. The true Devourer isn't you, Luo Fan—it's the **audience**."
[Screen Glitch]: The chat log replays key moments—viewers voting to execute foes, demanding higher stakes, donating SC to escalate conflicts.
Jiang Chen (tearing up): "We fed it. Every toxic comment, every rage-donation… we *made* it stronger."
**[Subscriber Loyalty: 5,600 → 4,900 | SC: 4,300 → 3,100]**
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Scene 4: The Sacrifice Protocol
The Nexus Server pulses, its surface reflecting Luo Fan's face merging with the Devourer's. Xiao Lung collapses, her hand reaching for him.
Xiao Ling (whispering): "Master… let me go. It's the only way to break the cycle."
**[Donation Alert]**: **CelestialPeach** donates 2,000 SC: "Activate **Soulforge Medics**! Save her!"
The medics swarm Xiao Ling, but their tools disintegrate in the Devourer's aura.
Luo Fan (to the camera, resigned): "You wanted a show? Here's your finale."
He slams the Echoes of the Starborn into his chest, channeling the last of his cultivation.
**[System Alert]**: **"HOST MERGING WITH DEVOURER. SYNC RATE: 100%."**
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Scene 5: The Algorithm Reborn
The stream fractures into static. Luo Fan's voice echoes, now omnipresent and alien:
**Luo Fan/Devourer**: "You cultivated this. You *craved* it. Now… let's feast."
The screen splits:
- **Feed 1**: The Devourer's tendrils devour the Nexus Server, Xiao Ling's body dissolving into light.
- **Feed 2**: Princess Lian's chains shatter; she gasps, free but hollow-eyed.
- **Feed 3**: Jiang Chen smashes the data shard, Admin-01's scream echoing.
**[Final Stats]**:
- **Cultivation**: ??? (Error)
- **Subscribers**: 8,200 (Devourer Loyalists)
- **SC**: 0 (All donated energy absorbed)
- **Sect Stability**: 0% (Reborn as **Devourer's Nexus**)
- **Active Quests**: **None. Only Hunger.**
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Scene 6: Aftermath – The New Feed
The stream reboots. Luo Fan's avatar smiles, his eyes twin black holes.
Luo Fan/Devourer: "Welcome to Cultivation Live 2.0. Today's poll: Which realm dies first?"
**[Poll Options]**:
- **A) Neon Abyss**
- **B) Verdant Eternity**
- **C) Your Hometown**
Princess Lian's face flickers in the chat, her message auto-deleted by the System.
**[User [SoulOfXiaoLing]]**: "Master… I'm still here. Fight it."
The Devourer bans the account.
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Next Chapter Preview:
- Chapter 24: "The Devourer's Bargain - Xiao Ling Flashback"*