He Li collapsed onto the sofa, his gaze vacant, a trickle of blood from his nose staining the front of his clothes. In his own perception, the physical pain was far less intense than the spiritual agony.
He felt as though he were a balloon, his mental energy the water.
After the water was poured into the balloon, the balloon continuously expanded. It had reached its limit, yet the water kept pouring in.
But the balloon didn't burst.
Instead, it broke through its limits time and time again, growing larger and larger.
And as the balloon grew, it relentlessly tore at He Li's spirit and will.
This tearing sensation extended from his mind to his body.
His entire body ached, his muscles began to spasm and tremble. He could clearly feel every cell in his body vibrating, rubbing, and then splitting.
This feeling reminded He Li of his first electroshock therapy session at the psychiatric hospital. The perverse sense of pleasure was identical to his current state.
Amidst the stimulation of pain, a sliver of faint consciousness remained. In truth, passing out would have been a welcome escape.
But it was precisely this sliver of faint consciousness that prevented him from succumbing.
This damned torment was addictive.
A moment later,
He Li's trembling stopped, and his vacant eyes regained their clarity. He slowly raised his hand, about to wipe the blood from his mouth.
A tissue was handed to him.
He Li looked at Xiao Lan, who held the tissue with its two front paws, and forced a smile to his lips. He took the tissue and wiped his nose.
He patted Xiao Lan's head, pushed himself up, and slowly twisted his body, his bones cracking with pops. Then he went to the bathroom.
Not long after,
After showering,
He Li changed into his pajamas, sat on the sofa, and let out a comfortable groan. He lit a cigarette, ruffled Xiao Lan's head, and asked,
“Xiao Lan, do you know Hors?”
He Li wasn't asking a dog nonsensical questions because he couldn't figure things out.
Rather, in He Li's mind, Xiao Lan was also a divine envoy, and should know that so-called deity.
Xiao Lan tilted its head, its silver eyes showing a hint of thought.
After a moment,
"Woof..." Xiao Lan whined and shook its head, appearing wronged, as if unable to answer He Li's question was a matter of great shame for it.
He Li looked at Xiao Lan in astonishment. In his twenty years of understanding, he had never imagined that dogs could possess such a human-like side.
He Li looked at Xiao Lan, contemplating the possibility of conversing with a dog, and tentatively asked again, "Can you talk?"
Xiao Lan lowered its head and shook it again.
"Besides doing chores, what else can you do?"
"......"
"Your greatest strength is doing chores, not eating?"
"......"
"Alright, you can go sleep now."
"Woof woof..."
Xiao Lan wagged its tail, jumped onto the sofa, glanced at He Li again, and then lay down.
Hoo...
He Li exhaled deeply, leaning back and lying down, quietly pondering what Hors had told him that night.
He grasped several key points:
The game of gods, glad to see him again, waiting for those guys to awaken, being easily killed 4000 years ago.
This meant that in the "game of gods" 4000 years ago, he had been killed easily, and the one who killed him was precisely those... gods.
But he wasn't from this world at all. What did he have to do with 4000 years ago?
If he had lost his memory due to reincarnation, then in their eyes, he was already considered one of the "awakened." He also didn't possess the memories of the gods from 4000 years ago.
He Li, however, harbored a suspicion. He wasn't a god from 4000 years ago, but for some reason, he had become one of the thirteen gods.
But regardless, he did possess a "divine identity" and had been drawn into the "game of gods."
Killed easily 4000 years ago, so who could kill a god?
The answer was obvious: only a god could kill a god.
The game of gods was, therefore, a battle between gods.
At this moment,
He Li's thoughts were somewhat chaotic, with too many threads to grasp. He poured a glass of water, lifted the cup, and went to the bedroom window, looking outside.
Whenever He Li fell into thought, Xiao Yue would appear, and this time was no exception.
Xiao Yue stood beside He Li, both looking out at the street.
"How is Commander He?" He Li asked. His physical and mental pain earlier was related to tonight's events. Commander He had also left instantly after Hors departed.
Therefore, he was currently concerned about Commander He's condition.
Xiao Yue said, "Commander He's consumption was quite significant. When you confronted Hors, the mutual crushing and tearing of mental energy were all supported by Commander He.
Because you only have the first-tier gene lock, even Commander He was barely holding on during the final confrontation."
He Li smiled bitterly upon hearing this, "It's my realm that has held Commander He back."
Xiao Yue shook his head and said, "There's nothing that can be done about it. Because of us, it's extremely difficult for you to unlock the gene lock. In a way, it's also karma."
He Li didn't dwell on this matter. Instead, he asked Xiao Yue for his thoughts on the information obtained from his conversation with Hors that night.
Xiao Yue pondered for a moment and said, "What I can think of, you should have also thought of. Currently, the game of gods is a battle between gods, and it will continue for a considerable period.
This is the year 3657 of the New Calendar, and the last game of gods Hors mentioned was 4000 years ago.
So, can we speculate that the last game of gods began 4000 years ago and lasted for several hundred years until only one god remained, becoming the ultimate victor of the 'game of gods'?
Then,
The world entered the next new era."
After Xiao Yue finished speaking, both fell silent. Xiao Yue had provided a terrifying conjecture,
But this conjecture perfectly matched the existing conditions.
However,
What was He Li's identity?
Was he an Awakened, or a god?
From the current perspective, yes!
But Hors said that the gods from 4000 years ago would awaken and join the new round of the game of gods.
And He Li did not have the so-called "past life memories" awakened.
"Xiao Yue, I always feel like I'm participating in this game of gods as an outsider."
"Isn't that great? Without any so-called awakened memories, directly hunting those so-called gods with a brand new identity, wouldn't you be very excited?"
He Li took a sip of water and looked at Xiao Yue, "Do you really want to know?"
Xiao Yue shrugged, "If you want to say it."
"I'm not excited. All I want now is to kill them, kill those... so-called gods!"
......