The next morning,
Susan returned from her "business trip," shedding her usual urban elite persona of a suit and high heels. She wore a light blue, white-striped fitted long dress paired with off-white high heels, her long, curly hair dyed a wine red.
Susan wasn't conventionally beautiful, but she had a fantastic figure and, more importantly, an exceptional aura.
As all eyes fell upon her,
She walked confidently into the room, flashed everyone a charming smile, and raised the paper bags she was carrying. "I brought gifts for everyone," she announced.
The others exchanged glances, clearly still processing Susan's transformation.
Unbothered, Susan walked to the sofa area, set down the gifts, and then approached the bar. She hitched up her long dress and casually sat on a high stool that Tao Xue needed to jump to reach. She tapped the bar, producing a crisp "dong dong" sound.
"Alcohol."
It was only after Susan uttered this word that everyone slowly relaxed. She was still the same old drunkard; otherwise, they might have thought she was possessed by some demon.
Bai Fei quickly mixed a drink, which essentially involved pouring the base spirit and diluting it with other mixers, a simple process as Susan disliked flashy cocktails.
After Susan finished her drink, the others began to unwrap their gifts.
Each paper bag had a name on it. Susan gave He Li an exquisite lighter, Bai Fei a bottle of aged wine, Min Liang a set of peripherals, Sister Jiang a coffee cup bursting with girlish charm and a designer pair of glasses, and Tao Xue a rose gold bracelet.
Except for Min Liang, who let out an excited howl and rushed back to the monitoring room to use his new peripherals, everyone else sat in the sofa area, playing with their gifts.
Seeing that everyone liked her gifts, Susan smiled happily. She then took the wine glass handed to her by Bai Fei, took a sip, and was about to say something when she suddenly looked at He Li and asked, "When did you get promoted to a Level Five Spirit Warrior?"
He Li, who was using his new lighter to light a cigarette, was taken aback. He hadn't felt any promotion to Level Five Spirit Warrior. He carefully recalled the intense physical and mental pain he experienced at home the night before, and after it subsided, he did feel significantly more energetic.
"I think it was the night before last, while I was drinking water by the windowsill at home. After finishing the water, I felt a surge of energy."
As He Li finished speaking, the scene fell silent for a moment before returning to normal.
Getting promoted by drinking? Could there be anything more absurd?
If they hadn't personally witnessed He Li sitting there, drinking a glass of water, and advancing from Level Three to Level Four Spirit Warrior just days ago, then He Li's answer would have been dismissed as bragging.
However, after a series of unbelievable and bizarre events, one more occurrence didn't seem like much.
From the bizarre and absurd to calm acceptance, perhaps all it took was witnessing it once.
Susan pursed her lips, swallowing the words she had intended to say.
At noon, after lunch,
Except for He Li, who was half-reclining on the sofa, and Bai Fei, who was behind the bar wiping glasses, everyone else had returned to their rooms to rest.
He Li idly scrolled through his phone.
[Zhengsi Furniture Decoration Co., Ltd. Divided by the Board of Directors, New Chairman May Be Elected, Former Chairman Zhang Yong Dies Mysteriously]
[Zhengsi Furniture Decoration Co., Ltd. Chairman Zhang Yong and His Lover Xu Hui Killed by Zhang Yong's Daughter, Property Dispute Involved]
[Following Zhaoye Group, Xu's Group... and four other large companies, Zhengsi Home Improvement owner becomes the fifth wealthy individual killed by demons]
It had to be said that these editors, at times, had a knack for it. They could spin a 500-word essay from a single picture, and most importantly, they got it right.
"Except for Zhang Yong, these wealthy individuals brought their fates upon themselves. But Zhang Yong deserved his fate too, considering his rise to fortune wasn't exactly clean," Bai Fei said, placing a glass of iced water on the table in front of He Li.
He Li replied, "Brother Fei, haven't you noticed?"
"Noticed what?" Bai Fei asked.
"Their deaths are all related to me, either directly or indirectly," He Li said, putting down his phone and taking a sip of iced water.
"So?" Bai Fei looked at He Li, puzzled.
He Li pondered for a moment, lit a cigarette with the lighter Susan had given him, and shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just making some connections."
"Such connections of yours could easily lead me to misunderstandings, like their fortunes, which you couldn't spend in several lifetimes."
"Brother Fei, do you think I'm a shallow person?"
"Of course. I don't think someone who enjoys watching excavators catch fish can have much depth."
"Brother Fei, your scope of criticism is too broad."
"Sorry, I'm referring to you specifically."
"Heh heh... Ah Fei, you're really something."
...
...
With Captain Susan back, there was no need for patrols. He Li clocked out of the Spirit Management Committee on time at six in the afternoon.
Ever since being labeled a god by a group of powerful figures, He Li had been in a state of constant tension and vigilance. He hadn't relaxed even after his direct confrontation with Horse.
The game of gods, as it could be temporarily confirmed, involved thirteen gods leading their respective divine envoys, engaging in a battle to determine the ultimate victor, and then ushering in a new era.
Thinking of this, He Li became extremely angry.
As one of the thirteen gods, the other twelve had memories of their past lives.
But what about him?
Not only did he lack memories of his past life, but one of his divine envoys had also run off, leaving behind only a dog. While the dog was valuable and could do chores, the battle of gods was about combat, not washing dishes or sweeping floors.
Thinking of this, He Li, who was driving, patted his forehead in frustration.
"Such oppressive thoughts. He Li, you should rest properly for a while."
He Li drove steadily, reached out to turn off the central control screen, and then said, "Uncle Li, I'm not feeling oppressed; I'm feeling very agitated. You should understand this feeling, the desire to kill everyone who bothers me – the demons, Horse, those gods, and even Susan."
"I'm not surprised Susan is on your list at all."
After making a teasing remark, Li Qin continued, "You can certainly do that, but you need to grow. At the very least, become a true Spirit Warrior and unlock your gene locks beyond Level Five. That way, at least a few of us can utilize some real power, instead of being wrapped in heavy chains and only able to wiggle a single finger.
He Jun expended a great deal of energy last time killing those three people and confronting Horse. It was his deterrence that kept Horse at bay; otherwise, you might have been severely injured or even dead by now."
He Li's gaze flickered. He didn't dwell on this issue. Growth was his most urgent task, whether it was for the Hunter group of the Spirit Management Committee, those damned divine envoys, or the gods themselves.
When there's a problem, solve it. If the problem can't be solved, then deal with the people causing the problem, or... the gods.
...