Chapter 40: Chaos of Gods and Demons

On the first floor of the apartment building.

Li Feng closed his umbrella, shook off the raindrops, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

Moments later, the elevator doors slid open. Li Feng looked around cautiously before finally stopping in front of Room 501, where he gently knocked on the door. "Daguo, open up."

Footsteps approached from deep within the apartment, and the door was yanked open with a sharp snap.

Ren Daguo’s hair resembled a bird’s nest, and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Li Feng. "Get in. You don't need to change your shoes."

"My goodness, this place of yours is so hard to find," Li Feng complained. Upon entering, he spotted Editor Lao Xu and flashed him an awkward, ingratiating smile.

"My friend, Li Feng," Ren Daguo said as he closed the door, making a brief introduction. "My boss, Lao Xu."

"Hello, hello!" Li Feng extended a hand with an overly eager and sycophantic expression. "You must be Editor Xu from Chinese Literature, right? Daguo talks about you all the time. A pleasure to meet you, a pleasure indeed."

"Ah, have a seat," Lao Xu replied perfunctorily.

Li Feng sat down, took the opening manuscript requested by Ren Daguo out of his bag, and placed it gently on the table.

"I'll get some water. You two chat," Ren Daguo said with a dull, expressionless look before walking toward the kitchen.

Standing under the light, he opened the refrigerator door with one hand while operating his phone with the other, promptly exiting two very active group chats.

...

Downstairs, the torrential rain was still battering the city, turning the narrow alley into a vast expanse of water.

The dwarf with the topknot stood beneath the bicycle shed, turned his head, and said to his newly arrived companion, "Li Feng has entered Room 501, and the target Ren Daguo is also inside."

"Wait a little longer. Mr. He and the others will be here soon," the tall, thin companion replied with a poker face.

Meanwhile.

After leaving the Minhuang Grand Theater, Mr. He and four other Copper Bells taking different routes were also hurrying toward the apartment building separately.

...

Directly opposite the apartment building was a medium-sized, three-story spa called Xinyuan.

The location of this spa offered a clear view of the entire apartment building, which was why Ren Ye had come here.

"Give me a room facing that building directly, preferably on the third floor," Ren Ye said, wearing a raincoat and speaking at a rapid pace as he stood outside the front desk.

"Sir, Room 301," said the young woman behind the desk in a pink uniform, stepping out politely. "I'll take you up. Has the sir been here before? Our specialty is foot massage...!"

"Oh, oh."

Ren Ye responded distractedly, following her all the way to the third floor and into a room with an exceptional view.

After a brief arrangement, the guiding receptionist left.

Ren Ye walked around the bathtub placed in the center of the room, hurried over to the window, and checked the situation downstairs.

The little dwarf was still there, and now he had been joined by a tall, thin man.

Ever since he came into contact with the Star Gate, Ren Ye had seen quite a few players. Although he still couldn't clearly perceive the fluctuations of astral energy, both men downstairs—judging by their posture and the aura they exuded—looked very much like players from the Chaotic Faction.

Standing by the window, Ren Ye frowned deeply.

To be honest, he really couldn't guess why Li Feng had come here, but based on the intuition of a veteran anti-fraud officer, he had a premonition that something major was about to happen here.

What should he do?

By himself, he clearly couldn't control the situation.

"Knock, knock!"

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. A slightly plump, thirty-something woman with decent looks walked in carrying a small leather case. "Love rises with the striking of the clock, but the heart remains restless when it stops. Good evening, sir. I am Number 68, very glad to be at your service."

Damn it, this shop has such a strong sense of ritual; they even have a rhyming intro.

Ren Ye turned back irritably and said impatiently, "Get out, get out, don't disturb me."

When the woman looked at Ren Ye, a look of astonishment crossed her face. His face was covered in Band-Aids, and his hands were wrapped in dirty bandages. With this look, he resembled someone who had been brutally beaten up by ten burly men.

Although this client looked a bit disgusting, she still persisted, "Since you're already here, why not get a massage? My technique..."

"Get out, get out!" Ren Ye snapped anxiously. "Don't let anyone else in."

"Fine," the woman rolled her eyes and dashed out in a flash.

Five minutes later, in the hallway, a fat woman asked Number 68, "Didn't get chosen?"

"Beaten up into that damn state and still didn't fancy me, tch!" the slightly plump woman replied with a proud and spoiled pout before walking back into the technician's room, sighing, "Sigh, my feet get to rest for a while longer..."

...

After the people left, Ren Ye thought hard and finally decided to call for backup. He took out his phone and immediately dialed Huang Wei's number. "Hey, I have an emergency here. Gather the elite right away. Bring plenty of people, and be fast. Come to the opposite side of the apartment building where my dad disappeared. I'm in a spa called Xinyuan... When you get close, absolutely do not make a sound. I suspect there are Chaotic Faction players here, so don't alert them."

Ren Ye spoke at breakneck speed, but there was no response from the other end of the line.

"Hello, Lao Huang, Brother Huang, are you listening?" Ren Ye asked anxiously.

"Aren't you quite arrogant?!" Huang Wei replied leisurely. "Didn't you run off the moment you had the chance to take a piss? Since you're so arrogant, why are you calling me? Solve it yourself. Where there's a will, there's a way..."

"Hello, hello? Brother Huang... What do you mean by this? Hey, Brother Huang, I'll go your..." Ren Ye cursed into the phone for a couple of sentences, only to find that the other party had already hung up.

Stunned. Bewildered.

Ren Ye mentally cursed the official organization for being unreliable. Utterly inhuman! I'm acting alone precisely to avoid causing trouble for you guys... Don't you even have that basic tacit understanding? A bunch of idiots, especially that big idiot Huang...

"Creak!"

Just as Ren Ye was fiercely greeting Brother Huang's family members in his mind, the door swung open again. A man walked in and asked politely, "Sir, do you think you can accept my size 44 big feet?"

He looked up abruptly, and a tall, majestic, and masculine figure came into view. It was none other than Brother Huang.

In an instant, warmth flowed through his heart. Ren Ye stood by the window and said, "I was just thinking in my heart that you're a good person and would definitely not abandon me."

"Ha, I'll believe that when I see it."

Huang Wei sneered, walked over to the window, glanced down at the dwarf, and said, "I'll settle accounts with you later for acting without authorization."

The words Gu Nian had spoken in the car that day had taken effect. Huang Wei hadn't returned home or played games for the past two days; he had been secretly tailing Ren Ye, enduring immense pressure from his superiors.

However, when Ren Ye killed the bull terrier that day, he had almost failed to restrain himself from stepping in, but Gu Nian had held him back, and the two of them had merely helped King Huai clean up the scene afterward.

With the security levels surrounding Ren Qingning and Ren Daguo being so high, how could he possibly let Ren Ye act alone? If anything were to happen, both he and Yan Duoduo would face severe punishment, and might even be sentenced to exile in the Star Gate...

"Those two are members of the Bell Ringing Society." Huang Wei stared at the dwarf from the window, turned his head, and asked Ren Ye, "But I don't understand, what are Li Feng and them doing coming to this apartment building again?"

"I can't figure it out either," Ren Ye shook his head.

"Forget it," Huang Wei thought cautiously. "I'll notify Gu Nian and have her keep a close eye on the building."

"How many people did you bring?" Ren Ye asked, worried.

"Eight," Huang Wei lowered his head to glance at his watch. "That dwarf's perceptual ability is extremely strong, and I didn't know in advance they would come here. But it doesn't matter. In ten minutes at most, Keepers from at least three districts will arrive."

"OK!" Ren Ye nodded.

After the two finished talking, Ren Ye continued to observe the situation downstairs, while Huang Wei used his earpiece to communicate with Gu Nian.

...

About five minutes later.

A car stopped at the mouth of the alley, and the female player with the chilling breeze blowing from her neck walked up to the foot of the apartment building with three companions, joining forces with the dwarf.

"Where is Mr. He?" the dwarf asked immediately.

"He has arrived, nearby," the female player replied, shaking her head. "Let's get to work!"

"Alright, then I'll begin." A wicked smile played across the dwarf's cheeks as he slowly closed his eyes and projected his perception.

Within two breaths, three flesh worms crawled out of the cuffs of his sleeves and slowly crawled toward his fingertips: "I offer a sacrifice of silkworms—fall asleep!"

"Snap!"

As his words fell, the three flesh worms rapidly withered, their life force vanished, and they turned into shriveled husks that dropped to the ground.

Inside Room 501 of the apartment building.

"Hiss~!"

Li Feng suddenly felt a sharp sting in the back of his neck, and he instinctively reached up to touch it.

A tiny flesh worm crawled out from a hair follicle and burst with a soft pop.

A emerald-green light swept across the living room, causing Ren Daguo, who was reading the manuscript, and Editor Xu, who was eating snacks, to both turn dazed and ultimately fall unconscious in various postures, just like Li Feng.

Downstairs, the voice of Mr. He sounded simultaneously in the earpieces of the dwarf and his companions: "Never mind the other two, go!"

Hearing the command, the group of six headed straight for the apartment building.

...

Inside the guest room.

Huang Wei turned to look at Ren Ye and called out, "They're moving. Let's go!"

Ren Ye nodded, followed closely behind Huang Wei, and together they reached the lobby on the first floor.

"Welcome again!" the young woman behind the desk greeted politely.

Huang Wei had already settled the bill when he arrived, so neither he nor Ren Ye lingered; they rushed straight toward the entrance.

"Creak!"

The door opened, and a man in his seventies wearing a backward baseball cap, overalls, and an oversized T-shirt walked in, holding an umbrella.

Ren Ye felt the man's style was a bit strange and couldn't help making eye contact with him.

The old man paused, turned to the front desk, and said, "Give me a room, and pick a few pretty feet..."

Ren Ye withdrew his gaze, rushed outside with Huang Wei, and headed straight for the apartment building.

Meanwhile, in the earpiece of the dwarf who had already entered the apartment building, Mr. He's voice sounded: "There are Keepers, hurry up!"

"Ding!"

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and the doors opened.

The dwarf glanced around, pointed at Room 501, and said, "This one."

As his words fell, three Copper Bells stepped forward, and one of them raised a palm, preparing to smash the security door to pieces.

"Flutter..."

At that moment, a white pigeon flew joyfully from the end of the corridor.

The six people standing at the elevator entrance froze for a second as they watched the carrier pigeon suddenly accelerate and charge straight at them.

"Evade!" the dwarf shouted.

"Magic performance—Exploding Carrier Pigeon!"

The familiar shout, the familiar long legs, and a magic wand appeared at the end of the corridor.

"Boom~!!!"

The carrier pigeon exploded like a fireball above the heads of the six people, the heat wave surging in all directions, and the flames rolling back several meters high.

...

Around the apartment building.

Xu Peng, wearing the robes of a Yellow-tier Keeper, raised both arms and hoisted the wordless stele hanging on his chest into the air: "Plant the stele!"

As his words fell, Keepers from the other three directions simultaneously activated their wordless steles.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

The four wordless steles slammed into the ground like bullets, instantly echoing one another and emitting a strong light.

Within a single breath, all the buildings within three hundred meters of the apartment building became distorted and blurred, and the space was completely isolated.

...

On the fourth-floor stairwell.

Huang Wei turned to look at Ren Ye and said in a hurried tone, "Fall back! When I make a move later, don't get close."

"Why?! I can help..."

"I told you not to get close, so don't get close," Huang Wei barked, glaring. "Go find Gu Nian!"

"Can you handle it?" Ren Ye looked at his sallow cheeks and the very decadent eye discharge, feeling somewhat doubtful.

Hearing this, Huang Wei looked down at him and asked, "Have you ever heard a saying?"

"What?"

"The Red Dog is invincible under heaven!" Huang Wei said gloomily. "From today on... you will worship me."

"Bang!"

As his words fell, a crimson murderous aura burst from within Huang Wei's body, rising turbulently like a flame.

His pupils turned blood-red in an instant, hanging on his face like two crimson suns...