The Evil God Forum
No.0 Megatron: Did the Faith Rankings just crash? Why did I see my rank suddenly jump up one spot and then drop back down? Can it really be such a coincidence?
No.1 Bunny Girl: What? Are you blind?
No.2 Megatron: You’re blind!
No.3 Bunny Girl: Definitely you!
No.99 Mr. Frog: Ribbit! Stop arguing! I also noticed my rank changed suddenly, ribbit ribbit! A clever frog doesn’t make a scene; he looks for clues! Haven’t you un-clever gods noticed that the total number of Evil Gods has decreased by one?
As soon as this was posted, the thread shot to the “Hot” section.
No.157 Cat Lady: Who is it? Tell me! I’m so excited, I can’t stop myself from turning all the humans in the instance into cats! Meow.
No.180 Mr. Frog: It seems to be a god from the Huaxia region, code-named “Pretty Mask.” This frog once borrowed a mask from her for a masquerade! But now I can’t find her, ribbit!
No.181 Megatron: There is only one reason to disappear from the Faith Rankings: annihilation. But it’s impossible for humans to annihilate an Evil God! Dammit, I’m telling you, she was definitely taken out by another god!
No.188 Bunny Girl: Unlikely. Even for greater power or a seat of authority, every god lives in their own domain. Who would travel thousands of miles to another god’s turf just to be a chump? “Pretty” probably annihilated a while ago, and the ranking change just now was a fluke.
Supportive comments flooded in, even labeling Megatron as a “Paranoid Victim God.” After being cursed out, Megatron grumpily opened a private chat window and sent a message: Is this really just a coincidence?
The other party didn’t reply. Megatron closed the window. Before logging out, he noticed his chat partner’s avatar was a Tarot card: A full moon hung high in the sky, two dogs bayed at the ground below, and a woman’s face seemed reflected in the moon.
Quite stylish, Megatron thought to himself.
La Lai never expected that the words she had spoken to Li Zhu half an hour ago—”Our paths part here; we shall not meet again” would result in such a swift slap to the face.
Upon exiting the instance, she checked her standing on the Faith Rankings. She had risen from the dead last spot of 3498/3498 to rank 3208. It seemed that while the followers at Pretty Middle School were mostly lost, low-quality believers, padding the numbers still had its uses.
The Evil God at rank 3207 was titled “The Diviner.” Evil Gods had no names, but they gained unique titles for various reasons. La Lai glanced at the title, thinking it likely related to the god’s abilities.
In the next moment, she raised her deep blue eyes. She expected to return directly to the seafloor of R’lyeh, but instead, human houses appeared before her. Before her hundred-year slumber, she had seen such buildings in ancient Western cities; they were called “villas,” places where the wealthy lived.
So, why am I here?
Two seconds later, it dawned on her. Although Evil Gods and humans both inhabited Earth, the gods were higher-dimensional beings. Because she had used a “Player” identity, the system had teleported her back to the human dimension once the instance ended.
Naturally, she couldn’t go back to R’lyeh yet.
At this point, La Lai remained composed. At worst, she would find a random patch of sea to sleep in until the next instance. Sleeping was the same regardless of the location.
The next moment, her calm expression shattered.
The iron gates of the villa complex, which had been tightly shut, were pushed open. A tall, handsome man nearly 1.9 meters tall strode out. He wore a familiar long black coat and a wristwatch that looked incredibly expensive. He was arguing with the person beside him as he walked.
La Lai caught fragments of the conversation: “I’m not going…” “What’s there to see…” “Can’t I just hire a professional manager?”
Her eyes flickered. There was no time to wonder why Li Zhu was here; her reflexes kicked in, and she moved to avoid him.
“Excuse me, Miss, who are you looking for…?”
The security guard, who had been absent until now, finally appeared. He blocked La Lai’s path, his eyes shining with a sense of duty.
La Lai: “No one…”
She turned to leave, but the guard, eager to press further, leaned in, exposing a gap at her side. Li Zhu finally noticed the commotion. “Wait, you over there…”
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a certain spot and stayed there.
Secretary Qiu: “…Boss! Boss!”
Li Zhu muttered to himself, “Am I seeing things? Dreaming while awake? No, after how she treated me, do I actually have some ‘M’ traits?”
He said hurriedly, “That person looks familiar. You stay here, don’t move. I’m going…” Before he could finish, he rushed toward the familiar retreating figure.
Secretary Qiu, seeing his boss bolt, chased after him. “Don’t use another random excuse to trick me! You must attend this meeting. The Chairman said it’s either the meeting or the blind date pick one!”
La Lai wanted to leave, but the guard remained persistent. She rubbed her forehead in frustration just as Li Zhu appeared before her. Li Zhu’s eyes were screaming: It really is you?
“You…” Li Zhu started, but clearly didn’t know what to say. The words died in his throat.
La Lai turned her face away coldly. Seeing this, the faint smile on Li Zhu’s lips vanished. He asked softly, “What are you doing here?”
Before she could speak, his expression turned incredulous. “You didn’t… after failing once, you didn’t specifically track me to my home to finish the job, did you?”
Secretary Qiu, catching up, looked back and forth between them, his heart racing: Could this beautiful girl be secretly in love with this deadbeat scion? Chasing him in public isn’t enough, she had to follow him home?
La Lai was expressionless. “I’m not that bored. Most likely, because I spent so much time with you, the system made a mapping error.”
Secretary Qiu’s internal monologue: Aha! “Spent much time together”!
Li Zhu wanted to ask more, but under the watchful eyes of Secretary Qiu and the guard, it was difficult. He pulled La Lai aside and told Secretary Qiu, “She’s new here; I’m taking her out for a tour. Tell my parents I’ve got this! See ya!”
With that, he led La Lai to a Rolls-Royce parked at the entrance, started the engine, and sped away.
The guard was unusually enthusiastic today, asking Secretary Qiu, “Should I chase them on my BMW electric tricycle?” He emphasized, “It’s a BMW brand, you know.”
“No need, why would we chase them?” Secretary Qiu pulled out his phone and saw a message from Chairman Li Mingchen: The meeting is starting. Is that brat coming or not?
Secretary Qiu replied gleefully: He’s not coming!
Chairman: ?
Secretary Qiu: Congratulations! His peach blossoms are finally in bloom!
Chairman: !!
Inside a landmark shopping mall in the CBD, Li Zhu and La Lai sat in the VIP lounge, each holding a cup of milk tea. Li Zhu slowly unpacked a box and pushed its contents toward La Lai. “Here, a new phone. The SIM card is already inside.”
He shook a stack of pamphlets in front of her. “Manual and warranty card.”
La Lai took a sip of the sickly sweet tea. “Why didn’t you ask why I wanted to buy these?”
“You already said it: ‘I can infer whatever I like.'”
La Lai scrutinized him for a moment. “I like talking to smart people.”
Li Zhu: “Thanks for the compliment.”
People bustled outside in the mall, showcasing urban prosperity. The VIP lounge was empty of others, and Li Zhu had dismissed the waiting attendant. Watching the crowds, Li Zhu suddenly said, “This game hasn’t involved every human globally yet. My parents still don’t know it exists; they just think I slept in a bit long.”
“Time flows differently in the instance than in reality. The ‘Global Broadcast’ is just a ruse; only those chosen by the game can hear it.”
“But what are the rules for selection?” Li Zhu fell into deep thought.
La Lai asked, “If you were the culprit, would you be satisfied with only this small group entering the game?”
Li Zhu shook his head. “No. I would expand it gradually… You mean we’re just random samples, and the scope will expand further later?”
La Lai: “No one knows what He is thinking.”
“Who is He? The mastermind behind all this? Or the person you hate?”
La Lai stood up, pushed her chair back, and said, “That’s enough for today. You want to know too much. Now, take me to the seaside.”
Li Zhu thought he misheard. “You’re going where?”
Just then, a wave of perfume wafted toward them. The chair La Lai had just pushed back was pulled out again. A girl in a sophisticated Chanel-style suit, wearing seven-centimeter heels and sporting long, silky black hair, sat directly opposite Li Zhu.
The girl reached out her hand. “I’m Huang Yin. You’re quite early.”
Li Zhu: ???
In a flash of realization, he remembered that this mall was the location for his “Plan B.” The plan set by Li Mingchen: If Li Zhu refused to attend the meeting with the important client, he must go on a blind date.
This VIP lounge was precisely the meeting spot his father had envisioned before they went to dinner hand-in-hand!
La Lai gave him a look that was half-smile, half-mockery. “Transfer the fare to me. You guys chat; I’ll go by myself.” With that, she turned and left.
Li Zhu watched La Lai’s silhouette disappear at the door. His gaze returned to the hand of the girl in front of him. He didn’t take it, saying dryly, “Sorry, I have an emergency. How about we just skip the formalities?”
The girl: ?
“Even though my family has a vast empire and you might think I have a throne to inherit, I haven’t touched a single company matter since I was a kid. My dad swore that if I went rock climbing, surfing, or downhill skateboarding again, he’d donate every cent of the family savings to the sea and leave me nothing…”
The girl asked hesitantly, “So… do you still do those things?”
Li Zhu said proudly, “Last year, I placed in the top ten in an international downhill skateboarding open.”
The girl pursed her lips and gave a shy smile. “I’m terribly sorry, but your hobbies are too dangerous. I’m looking for a more stable life…”
Li Zhu nodded. “Understandable. Shall I walk you out?”
“No need!” The girl picked up her Chanel bag, touched up her lipstick with a pocket mirror, and gave Li Zhu one last polite smile. “My friends are waiting for me outside.”
Li Zhu watched her leave in a hurry. Just as he pulled out his phone to pack up and leave, a notification popped up on his lock screen. The moment he saw it, his pupils constricted.
The next second, he opened his contacts and dialed the number he had just saved.
“Hey, where are you now?” Before she could voice a refusal, he spoke rapidly: “My people found Cui Yingzi.”