Chapter 107 Past and Present
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The world was indeed changing for the better, but as it improved, people’s hopes for the divinity dwindled.
In the imaginations of many, even if the divinity lacked astonishing beauty, they were expected to possess a noble and distinctive aura. They shouldn’t have been a middle-aged man with a greasy appearance, and to make matters worse, he was even bald. It completely violated human aesthetics, leaving a repulsive impression.
Being unattractive aside, the fulfillment of wishes was also flawed. Almost overnight, the loyal followers of the divinity seemed to have awakened from their delusions. They watched the television, feeling a sense of discomfort rise in their throats, as they beheld that greasy, repugnant face.
“Even if he’s ugly, at least he made the world a better place! You can’t even survive, so why demand such high standards?” Some rational individuals pleaded.
“Are these demands really so high? I advise you not to make wishes indiscriminately. You never know what strange and grotesque things you might receive.” Some people spoke angrily, feeling as if they themselves had been deceived. “Haven’t you seen someone wishing to lose twenty kilograms in a day? Look at how that turned out!”
“What happened?” he asked.
“I got into a car accident and ended up losing one leg. Exactly twenty kilograms,” she replied.
“……”
Lin Zhaohe nearly spat out his drink when he stumbled upon the post online. He coughed violently, his face turning beet red. “Boss… you actually granted this wish,” he managed to say.
Zhuang Lao glanced at the text on the screen and shook his head. “I didn’t do it. It’s probably just his misfortune.”
As a true deity serving humanity, he fulfilled wishes without any side effects. It was inconceivable for him to purposely teach someone a lesson by causing them to lose a leg. This person was most likely simply unlucky, and now they were dragging him into it.
However, he was currently controlling the intensity of wish fulfillment. For wishes without additional conditions, he pretended not to fully grasp their perfect meaning, and then fulfilled them in unconventional ways.
Bringing back deceased parents was the maximum he could do.
He initiated the situation, and others naturally helped fill in the details. As the saying goes, once doubt arises, the accusation has already been made. People discarded their filters and began blaming Zhuang Lao for unfortunate events, to the extent of suspecting divine retribution for a lost wallet on the roadside.
Lin Zhaohe was completely taken aback by the situation. This was just the beginning of Zhuang Lao’s plan. In the following days, he started appearing frequently, attempting to imprint that repulsive face firmly in people’s memories.
Smoking, spitting everywhere, swearing, treating others rudely, and even showing disgust when disturbed by a child’s crying. Zhuang Lao embodied a collection of low human qualities. Even Lin Zhaohe, who knew the truth, felt a murderous intent towards Zhuang Lao when witnessing such a scene. How could anyone bear to kick away an adorable little white dog?!
If it were just a matter of poor manners, it could be overlooked. However, this person also lacked competence in his work. The wishes he fulfilled were half-hearted, and he appeared excessively greedy. He had the audacity to directly demand things from the government, saying that making the fusion zone disappear was simple— just trade with him. He wanted a thousand-square-meter mansion, over a hundred servants, and more…
In a time when everyone faced great survival pressure, they finally had a savior. But to their disappointment, they soon discovered that this supposed savior was nothing but a capitalist exploiting people. This stark contrast completely shattered the defense lines in people’s hearts. Suddenly, there was no voice defending Zhuang Lao, and the internet was filled with insults directed at him.
Zhuang Lao sat in his fluffy pajamas, satisfied as he read the forum posts full of insults. “Well done, well done. Previously, there was still some softness, but now the insults are just right.”
Lin Zhaohe was at a loss, unable to anticipate that Zhuang Lao could come up with such a weird perspective.
Indeed, he had a perfect grasp of human nature, knowing exactly what to do to receive the most criticism. A kind deity on the verge of fulfilling any wish did not receive respect and admiration. Desires could distort the appearance of humanity, making them no longer seem human.
Conversely, demanding and stringent exchanges would make people more cautious in their choices.
“Won’t you be discovered coming back like this?” Lin Zhaohe pinched Zhuang Lao’s plush hat. “You really kicked the little dog away today?” The clothes originally belonged to him, but Zhuang Lao insisted on wearing them, resulting in an uneven length on his leg. However, Zhuang Lao didn’t mind at all and wore them happily.
“No, it wouldn’t be a real dog,” Zhuang Lao said. “I’m not a pervert, why would I bully small animals?” He glanced at Lin Zhaohe’s fluffy little dog ears and smiled meaningfully. “Besides, don’t you know that I love dogs the most? Xiao He, don’t you?”
It was unclear what crossed Lin Zhaohe’s mind, but his face instantly turned red.
“The Story of a 50-year-old, 1.65-meter-tall, bald beer-bellied middle-aged man, who saves the world and likes to spit everywhere” replaced the topic of the second-dimensional fusion and became the most discussed subject among people.
It seemed like everyone had a common target to attack and started pouring all their negative emotions onto this deity.
Lin Zhaohe was initially worried about whether Zhuang Lao would be affected. However, after observing, he realized that Zhuang Lao was well-prepared and had a great mindset. Occasionally, he even created alternate accounts to insult himself, claiming to be a maid in the deity’s mansion. He described the deity as extremely sleazy, wanting to sexually harass her…
Lin Zhaohe looked at the emoticons that Zhuang Lao skillfully used and questioned, “Boss, you’re not posting insults about yourself every day, are you?”
Zhuang Lao laughed. “The more fiercely they insult, the quieter it is over here.”
Since his image was shattered, the number of wishes sent to him significantly decreased. Unless someone was pushed to a desperate situation, they wouldn’t place their hopes on an ugly deity who even kicked small dogs.
It seemed like people hadn’t noticed that, unconsciously, life had reignited with enthusiasm and hope. The disappeared fusion zones eliminated their worries about life. The clown-like deity became a source of entertainment. It was unrealistic to improve their lives through wishes, so everyone had to return to reality.
Even though there wasn’t a deity who could fulfill any wish, everything continued to develop in a positive direction.
During this process, Lin Zhaohe received another call from Lin Yan. He thought Lin Yan had something to say, but there was silence for a long time before Lin Yan managed to speak, “Zhuang Lao really has some skills.”
Lin Zhaohe burst into laughter with a “pfft” sound.
In theory, Lin Yan had done so many extreme things to prevent people from worshipping the deity. He feared a tragedy would repeat itself, so he continuously attempted to rewrite history. However, he didn’t realize that history had been different from the very beginning.
In this world, the pure and divine deity transformed into a cunning lover. He wouldn’t sit obediently on the altar and listen to people making wishes. Instead, he would sit cross-legged, holding a cigarette, and cast disdainful glances at his followers. Finally, he would point his finger and say, “You, yes, you. You seem quite wealthy. Give me all your money, and then I’ll help you fulfill your wish.”
Both overtly and subtly, his words exuded a nauseating smell of arrogance, completely extinguishing any desire to be close to him.
“I told you not to kill him first,” Lin Zhaohe said. “Look, Zhuang Lao is the boss. The boss always has more tricks up his sleeve than the employees.”
Lin Yan fell into another long silence and finally said, “If only I had known that the deity would change…”
Lin Zhaohe burst into laughter, a hearty laugh.
Lin Yan murmured, “Well, it’s not so bad like this.” He sighed and hung up the phone.
Lin Zhaohe laughed so hard that he bent forward and backward. After the laughter subsided, he felt a sense of loneliness. If he had known from the beginning that things would unfold this way, he wouldn’t have needed to do so many extreme things. The plan to create a deity would still have succeeded, but it seemed like nobody really liked the deity they had created.
The concentration of the second-dimensional world had decreased significantly. Zhuang Lao’s company was temporarily shut down due to his dual identity. Lin Zhaohe was also out of work, staying at home. With nothing better to do, he tried to manipulate Zhuang Lao’s character, trying to lead him away from the void of darkness. However, he walked for a long, long time without finding an exit. It wasn’t until one day, through a fortunate coincidence, that he suddenly discovered a small door amidst the darkness.
The small door was narrow and could only accommodate one person. Warm light came from inside. Lin Zhaohe manipulated the character to stand before the door, gently knocking on it.
No one responded. The door wasn’t locked. With a gentle push, it opened.
Lin Zhaohe walked into the room, facing the bright light. The screen took a moment to display the surroundings. It turned out to be a tiny room with a small figure sitting inside. Lin Zhaohe looked at the person, and their hand holding the mouse froze. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to move forward. It was just that the person sitting there seemed to be none other than himself.
The small figure was dressed in white, sitting motionless by the edge of the bed. His expression was indifferent, showing no reaction to the intruder. Zhuang Lao’s character circled around the small figure, but received no response.
The room wasn’t spacious, with only a bed and a potted plant. At first glance, it appeared simple, but there was an unusual atmosphere lingering in the air. The monitor above, the iron railing by the window, and various faintly visible protective measures all hinted at something.
Was this really him? Was this the one who could grant any wish in the past? Lin Zhaohe wondered. The tight security measures didn’t seem to restrict the actions of the deity but rather… protect him.
The small figure sat on the bed, lost in thought. Lin Zhaohe tried to communicate by clicking on him with the mouse, but there was no way to engage in a conversation. His mental state seemed quite poor, reminding Lin Zhaohe of Lin Yan’s description of the deity. Anxious, his mouth went dry.
After several unsuccessful attempts at dialogue, just as Lin Zhaohe was about to give up and leave, a white dialogue box suddenly appeared above the small figure’s head. Inside the dialogue box was a line of text: “What is your wish?”
Lin Zhaohe looked at the text, feeling a chill run down his spine. He maneuvered the character back to his “own” side, attempting to engage in conversation, but without success. The character remained unresponsive.
At that moment, Zhuang Lao, who had been busy outside, happened to return. Upon entering the room, his gaze fell upon the screen displaying Lin Zhaohe’s situation. A flicker of concern flashed in his eyes as he softly said, “Xiao He.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Ah… Zhuang Lao? You’re back?”
Zhuang Lao: “What are you doing?”
Lin Zhaohe: “I was just idle and wanted your character to walk away from this map. I searched for a while and found a small door nearby. When I entered, this happened.” He paused and continued, “This character seems to be me.”
Indeed, although dressed differently, there were still similarities in the hairstyle and facial features. This character in the game represented the successful outcome of the God Creation Plan, the deity of the generation, Lin Zhaohe.
Unlike the spirited Zhuang Lao, Lin Zhaohe appeared so lonely. Clad in white, he sat quietly in the isolated room, his expression filled with sorrow.
Zhuang Lao reached out and embraced Lin Zhaohe, the grip slightly tight. He didn’t say anything, but it was evident that he felt distressed.
Memories of Lin Zhaohe being a deity emerged in his mind, although the details were blurry, the feeling of sadness was exceptionally clear. Zhuang Lao said, “Xiao He, it’s all in the past now.”
Lin Zhaohe replied, “You don’t have to worry about me. I don’t remember anything.” He had no recollection of those memories, and therefore, couldn’t feel any sadness. He became the person least affected by this ordeal.
Zhuang Lao tightened his grip on Lin Zhaohe’s hand and whispered, “It’s okay, Xiao He. Everything is different now.”
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