The gathering of the Gods was completely silent.
Every God sat frozen in their respective seats, wearing expressions ranging from disbelief to outright horror as they watched the same footage playing across the enormous screen.
He Zhihan. Shouldering a heavy rocket launcher. Reducing an entire motel to a smoking crater of ash and flame.
The footage replayed.
Then replayed again.
And again.
Finally, the God of Fortune leaned back, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "That... is not supposed to happen."
"Why is this happening?!" The God of Madness slammed a heavy fist against his armrest. His chaotic, wide eyes pointed accusingly at the glowing projection. "Why?! I’m going to tear that arrogant mortal apart!"
The Goddess of Lust crossed one leg smoothly over the other, her silk robes flowing around her as she offered a lazy, intoxicating smirk. "For a God of Madness watching a brief display of pure lunacy, you’re the least qualified deity in this realm to whine about it."
Madness whipped his head toward her, his aura flaring with rage. Lust merely blew him a kiss.
The God of War’s expression darkened into a storm cloud. "Why is there a rocket launcher in the System?"
Greed burst into loud, hysterical laughter. "You’re the idiot who insisted we start introducing modern and diverse weaponry to give the mortals ’flair’!"
"I didn’t think some maniac would use a shoulder fired warhead to erase an entire Scenario structure!" War’s voice dripped with disgust.
Greed only laughed harder, clutching her ribs.
The God of Death suddenly rose from his towering throne, black shadows flowing around his body. "It’s time to execute him."
"Noooo," Greed groaned, waving a dismissive hand. "Come on! Don’t ruin the show."
"The Scenario is already ruined," Death growled.
The God of Pestilence rested his sharp chin against his hand, a dark, amused glint dancing in his sickly green eyes. "I, for one, appreciate a player who thinks for himself. Like the arrogant Demigods trying to kill off all the players. Which death is encouraging."
His gaze remained fixed on He Zhihan’s cheshire-cat grin burning through the dust on screen.
"But... we’ve stumbled upon a monster who destroys the chessboard instead of playing by the rules."
"He needs to be disciplined." A low, resonant voice echoed through the vast hall.
Every God turned.
The God of Fate sat motionless at the head of the divine circle, his gaze fixed entirely on the image of He Zhihan.
"Finally!" Madness practically bounced in his seat, a manic grin splitting his face. "How do we break him?"
"Deploy one of your vessels to hurt him." Fate’s cold, unblinking mismatched eyes shifted toward Madness. "And I am speaking directly to you."
Madness’s expression brightened with delighted anticipation. "Yes!" He practically vibrated with excitement. "Consider it done." The source of this chapter is g.com.
He cast his wild, erratic gaze around the others. "Does anyone else dare to object?"
Not a single God objected.
°~°
[Warning.]
[Player He Zhihan has interfered with a designated Scenario mechanism.]
[Calculating consequences...]
"Eh?" The heavy missile launcher vanished from He Zhihan’s grip.
He stared at his empty, upturned palms for a brief second before clicking his tongue in irritation.
"Fine. But can I still use the launcher without sacrificing my soul or sanity?"
[Yes, Player He Zhihan can use the launcher at will.]
Zhihan glanced at the burning ruins of the motel. "Don’t I get a reward? Why would there be consequences? You haven’t given me any participation points."
[Participation points will be calculated and distributed upon the official conclusion of Mission One.]
Zhihan rolled his eyes. "Right. I have to wait until sunrise."
Without another word, he turned toward the dark forest.
"I’m still waiting for those consequences, System."
There was no reply.
Zhihan frowned. "Hey."
Silence.
He stopped walking. "What is going on with you?"
He attempted to summon his System panel.
Nothing happened.
His expression finally changed.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
He stared at the empty space in front of him. "Hey. Don’t leave now." Visit g.com for the full chapter.
He frowned. "Is this the consequence?"
Muttering curses under his breath, he picked up his pace, his dark eyes adjusting to the dense gloom.
The forest grew unnaturally thick the farther he traveled. Gnarled, thorn branches clawed at his oversized sweater, and the pale moonlight barely managed to breach the canopy overhead.
Testing his footing, he leapt smoothly onto the trunk of a massive oak, scaling the bark and pulled himself onto a sturdy branch.
From his high point, all he could see were endless rows of trees until a faint glow caught his eye.
Firelight.
Someone was sitting around a campfire in the distance.
He Zhihan squinted his eyes and jumped onto the next branch effortlessly, his boots making almost zero sound against the wood as the orange glow grew brighter beneath him.
Reaching the final tree overlooking the clearing, he slid down the rugged trunk, dropping into a low, soundless crouch on the forest floor.
He parted the thick brush with one hand.
Sitting casually beside a crackling fire was an ethereal figure bathed in golden light.
Ji Changsheng.
He sat alone on a fallen log, one pale hand resting casually over his knee as the warm flames illuminated his striking, otherworldly features.
He Zhihan just stared, his mind racing through a dozen calculations at once.
How the hell is he sitting here?
Why wasn’t he dead?
Ji Changsheng didn’t even turn his head toward the rustling leaves. "How long are you planning to hide in the dark?"
He Zhihan blinked, stepping cleanly out from the brush. "I wasn’t hiding."
A faint curve touched Ji Changsheng’s lips. "Are you sure?"
Only then did he slowly turn his head.
Those breathtaking, mismatched eyes settled directly on He Zhihan’s face.
Luminous amber. Cold, deep jade....
"Yeah," He Zhihan strode into the warm light of the campfire. "I’m sure."
°~°~^~
A/N: Hello, my dear readers! I’d love to know how you think the book is going so far from your perspective.
Also, just to clarify how the weapons work: the first time He Zhihan uses a newly purchased weapon, it requires a piece of his soul or sanity. After that, the weapon belongs to him and can be used normally without consuming his soul or sanity again.