Chapter 75 Savage Expansion (8)
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All the plans proceeded in an orderly manner.
Even Zhuang Lao, who initially wanted to stay out of it, became part of the plan.
Lin Zhaohe thought he was joking when he heard him mention being involved in his own murder. However, a few days later, he learned from him that he had already joined the Godslayer Association.
The association welcomed most of the opposition members who resisted the appearance of the divinity from the beginning. Despite their later failure, they remained undeterred.
The divinity’ unreliable appearance reignited their influence, completely changing the situation. They nearly defeated the supporters with overwhelming force.
“Look, we ourselves are not good people. Can we really write about noble saints?”—This mocking statement was surprisingly accurate, leaving the former followers of the divinity speechless.
Zhuang Lao always enjoyed being part of the action. Even before anyone invited him, he willingly joined in. Lin Zhaohe asked why he was so eager, and he replied that he might as well have a say in his own death.
Lin Zhaohe couldn’t find the words to respond. The more he thought about it, the more he found it amusing.
The people who made deals with Zhuang Lao were clearly afraid that this uncivilized divinity might cause trouble again. They went all out to build him a mansion. In just a few days, the house took shape, standing out amidst the concrete and steel structures like a slap to the locals.
They even relinquished the capital. What more dignity did they have left to preserve?
Zhuang Lao waited for the house to be repaired. These days, he idled at home, watching TV shows. Lin Zhaohe observed his bored expression and commented, “Boss, do you have too much free time these days?”
Zhuang Lao: “Isn’t this a brief moment of brilliance before death?”
Lin Zhaohe couldn’t help but laugh and sigh. He asked about the progress of their plan.
“We just need to wait for the house to be fixed, then make a wish,” Zhuang Lao explained. “Once the wish is granted, we can discard him like trash…”
Lin Zhaohe: “Can we really go through with it?” Despite finding the divinity detestable, he did, to some extent, save humanity. Taking action against him felt a bit ungrateful.
Zhuang Lao laughed. “Then tell me, how should we handle him?”
Lin Zhaohe was momentarily stunned.
“A god with an all-powerful yet terrible personality is like a ticking time bomb no matter where you place him,” Zhuang Lao laughed heartily, as if he was talking about someone unrelated to him. “Xiao He, even if he were flawless, there would still be people wanting to take his life…” Lin Zhaohe remembered even harmless gods facing assassination attempts, let alone the current situation.
Lin Zhaohe had no response. Zhuang Lao made a valid point. After resolving the matter at hand, how to deal with the deity was indeed a major issue.
Zhuang Lao paused and asked, “Will you come with me to the meeting tomorrow?”
Lin Zhaohe: “…What meeting?”
Zhuang Lao: “Of course, it’s the…”
Godslaying Convention.
Lin Zhaohe thought Zhuang Lao was joking until they arrived at the venue. It was only when he saw the men and women sitting around the long table that he realized Zhuang Lao was serious.
Not only was he serious, but Zhuang Lao was clearly a heavyweight figure in the convention. As soon as he took his seat, almost everyone ceased their conversations and directed their gazes towards him.
“The villa will be completed soon,” the person presiding over the meeting was the handsome young man who had previously made a deal with the divinity. Wearing his gold-rimmed glasses, he still had the appearance of a living Bodhisattva, but his words sent chills down people’s spines. “He might make even more demanding requests by then. Have you all come up with a plan?”
“Haven’t we prepared a few assassination methods already?” someone said. “I think they’re quite reliable.”
“Those methods are too crude, considering he’s a deity,” the young man said. “It would be best to have a foolproof plan…” His gaze fell upon Zhuang Lao and Lin Zhaohe.
Zhuang Lao leaned back, his expression indifferent. “What’s the matter?”
“Everyone knows Mr. Zhuang’s abilities,” the young man treated Zhuang Lao cautiously. “If Mr. Zhuang could intervene, it would undoubtedly be the best option.”
Zhuang Lao was known for his formidable strength and mysterious background. To this day, no one knew the true source of his abilities. His most famous skill was the emerald fire that could incinerate souls—a deadly technique for eliminating both lives and evidence.
If Zhuang Lao could handle the situation, it would be the ideal solution. However, judging by Zhuang Lao’s current attitude, he seemed uninterested in the matter.
Indeed, Zhuang Lao had little interest in getting involved. When he brought Lin Zhaohe here, it was as if he came to watch a show while munching on melon seeds. His name was mentioned without any acknowledgment, as if he had “lack of interest” written all over his face.
Lin Zhaohe couldn’t help but find Zhuang Lao to be a mere spectator in all of this, leaving him in a state of both amusement and frustration. But then again, this play was quite intriguing. Watching a group of people plan his own murder, with the opportunity to participate, had a tinge of dark humor.
The plans, ranging from A to D and a jumble of miscellaneous ideas, were piled up. If all of them succeeded, they would reduce that divinity to ashes and bone. In the end, the group decided that as soon as the wish was fulfilled, they would strike.
Zhuang Lao calculated the time and mentioned he still had two weeks of free time ahead of him.
Seeing Zhuang Lao’s indifferent demeanor, Lin Zhaohe sighed and exclaimed, “Don’t you feel any resentment towards these people who want to kill you?”
Zhuang Lao replied, “Well, I do have some resentment. I just wonder why they didn’t act sooner. I’ve been spitting everywhere for two weeks, and I can barely come up with insults anymore.”
In order to maintain a low-quality image, it was evident that Zhuang Lao was putting in his best efforts.
Despite some psychological side effects caused by this deity, everyone’s lives visibly improved.
The fusion zones previously affected by large-scale works had returned to their original state. Even the towering structure that appeared when Lin Zhaohe transformed into Yellow Banana Girl had vanished. Apart from the strange two-dimensional characters walking on the streets, everything was almost identical to before the fusion. Humans who had struggled to survive through the disasters finally obtained the peaceful and harmonious life they had dreamed of. In addition, the previously prohibited two-dimensional industry began to revive as well.
Lin Zhaohe came across many novel openings on the internet. Although people were only browsing them privately for now, signs of cultural revival could be vaguely seen.
As a web novel writer in his life, Lin Zhaohe naturally felt a strong urge to write, but he held back. Seeing this, Zhuang Lao reassured him to write fearlessly, saying that our days of hardship were over.
Lin Zhaohe: “Why are they over?”
Zhuang Lao: “Because… I’m going to die.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……”
At first, it sounded like a joke, but it was actually serious. After the completion of the villa, the government decided to hold a grand ceremony for the divinity and planned to have him fulfill the promised wish during the ceremony.
The attention-seeking deity naturally wouldn’t refuse an opportunity to show off. Greedy and rude as he was, he still desired the love and adoration of the people. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that he had become the enemy of the world, still fantasizing about a future of blissful life…
The ceremony was scheduled for the evening after the villa was completed. On the day before, Lin Zhaohe received a call from the villainous Lin Yan. He never expected that Lin Yan would indirectly warn him about someone planning to harm Zhuang Lao.
Knowing that Zhuang Lao was the deity, and the few people who knew that fact could be counted on one hand, Lin Zhaohe was surprised by Lin Yan’s kind-heartedness to call and give a reminder.
“Don’t worry,” Lin Zhaohe said, “He knows how to handle himself. But what about you? Weren’t you the one who hated the deity and wished for his death?”
Indeed, Lin Yan fell silent for a moment. “I think it’s not the deity that I hate.”
“Then what is it?” Lin Zhaohe asked.
“What I hate are wishes.”
Lin Zhaohe fell into silence, recalling his own vacant expression when sitting alone in the room in the game. He didn’t understand the dark side of human nature as well as Zhuang Lao did, and naturally, he would meet a miserable end.
As for Zhuang Lao, he knew about these assassination plans better than Lin Yan did. He even decided to choose his favorite method of death from among these planned killings.
Lin Zhaohe looked at him with resignation and asked, “Boss, why are you so happy?”
Zhuang Lao replied with a hint of grievance, “Finally, no more overtime. Can’t I be happy, Xiao He?”
Lin Zhaohe remained silent, thinking that Zhuang Lao had a point.
“Look at them, with so many ideas. Wouldn’t it be disappointing if all of them fail?” Zhuang Lao said.
Lin Zhaohe: “So what’s your plan then?”
Zhuang Lao clapped his hands excitedly and said, “I have a plan. We’ll have a mind-blowing farewell ceremony! Let everyone remember me forever!”
Judging by Zhuang Lao’s expression, it was clear he wasn’t joking. The malice in his eyes was almost tangible.
Lin Zhaohe suspected that this guy was up to something big tomorrow and asked, “Boss, what exactly are you planning to do?”
Zhuang Lao laughed heartily and said, “You’ll find out when the time comes.” After a moment’s pause, he added, “I certainly won’t let Xiao He down!”
Later, Lin Zhaohe, who had witnessed the entire process, discovered that Zhuang Lao not only wanted to fulfill his promise to him but was also determined not to disappoint anyone who wanted to get rid of him.
Today was Friday, a clear snowy night. After finishing a day of work, everyone could finally return to their warm homes, enjoy hot meals, and watch some entertaining programs.
Ever since the fusion zones disappeared, everyone’s lives had returned to normal. They worked from nine to six, enjoyed weekends off, and had no worries about their lives. It was truly a heavenly life.
The thought of being able to sleep in tomorrow brought a smile of happiness to Li Yuan’s face. As an ordinary human being in the three-dimensional world, it was already quite difficult for her to live with all her limbs intact up until now.
The long darkness finally had a glimmer of light. Li Yuan felt the warmth of food entering her stomach, spreading throughout her body, making her feel comfortable all over.
“Let’s watch the news channel,” her mother, knitting a sweater beside her, suggested. “I heard that today that divinity is going to fullfill a wish, and once the wish is granted, there won’t be any fusion zones anymore.”
Li Yuan sniffed, “Is it true? That divinity is quite annoying. He wouldn’t change his mind halfway, would he?”
Her mother replied, “I don’t think so.”
People had been discussing this matter for half a month. It was said that the wish, which should have been fulfilled long ago, had been delayed by this deity, causing everyone’s expectations of him to diminish.
Li Yuan didn’t like this deity either. He was short and fat, with a big belly and a bald head. He reminded Li Yuan of her detestable boss from before the fusion, who liked to find faults and sexually harassed female employees. She took a sip of soup and saw that deity, with his increasingly large belly, walking onto the lavishly decorated stage. Under the lights, his ugly face glistened with oil, causing discomfort in Li Yuan’s stomach.
“Let me say a few words,” the deity delivered an exciting opening.
Upon hearing these words, Li Yuan instantly felt devastated. She was on the verge of tears and choked, “Mom, why do we have such a deity?”
Her mother had a good temper and faced the deity’s behavior without any discomfort. She simply raised an eyebrow and said in a gentle voice, “Yuan Yuan, people shouldn’t be too greedy.”
“But how are we being too greedy?”
“Look,” her mother said, “before he came, we didn’t even have a safe place to live. Now we do, and we don’t have to fear randomly dying one day. It’s already a great blessing.” The woman in her late fifties continued knitting, rambling on, “Being able to grow old with you is already fulfilling for Mom.”
Li Yuan was at a loss for words. She thought she would hear the familiar complaints from her mother’s mouth, but she didn’t expect her mother to be so easily contented. Unfortunately, there were very few people like her mother. Everywhere she went, she could hear complaints and hatred towards the deity.
Li Yuan felt the same way.
Suddenly feeling a bit guilty, Li Yuan lowered her head and took another sip of soup. Perhaps her mother was right. She shouldn’t hold such extreme views towards the person who saved them. Even if he wasn’t a perfect person, at least… he saved them.
On the television, the deity, with a joyful expression, lifted a glass of celebratory red wine, gave it a shake, downed it in one gulp. Then, his radiant smile suddenly froze on his face, and a trace of red liquid spilled from his lips…
Li Yuan’s mouth dropped open. She didn’t expect to witness a murder on live television, in front of everyone’s eyes.
[A/N]:
Zhuang Lao: Finally going to die—
Lin Zhaohe: Why are you so happy about it?
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