Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 32: Code Name “Ghost Shadow”

People who think too highly of themselves often make the most elementary mistakes. In the eyes of Fei Lao—a seasoned assassin’s agent with a wealth of experience—wasn’t Lu Renjia, with his lack of any background, the perfect “scapegoat”? Little did he know that in the modern world, internal energy had become extinct, and martial arts had evolved into “Internal Style Kung Fu.” Because of the immense lethality of “Internal Style Kung Fu,” it was held exclusively by a handful of “martial sects.” Yet in the footage captured by those surveillance cameras, Lu Renjia’s seemingly effortless attack techniques bore no resemblance to any martial arts treasured by any “sect.” Coupled with Fat Man’s urgent need to find someone with no background but decent fighting skills to impersonate “Ghost Shadow,” he turned to Lu Renjia. If the video edited by Xiao Bai were to fall into the hands of certain Internal Martial Arts masters, it would undoubtedly cause a huge stir. After hanging up the phone, Lu Renjia looked at his recently purchased laptop, a cold smile curving his lips. Since the other side had a powerful hacker capable of finding his videos and hacking into his computer, it stood to reason that the laptop right beside him—and even his cell phone—were also under their surveillance. Lu Renjia glanced at the unassuming digital watch on his wrist and thought to himself, “Hmph… You can monitor my phone and computer, but no matter how skilled you are, you won’t be able to hack into the ‘Evil God System,’ will you…” With that thought, Lu Renjia lay back on the bed in boredom, closing his eyes slightly to feign a nap. Just as Lu Renjia had anticipated, as one of Asia’s top hackers, Xiao Bai was already watching everything in Lu Renjia’s room with crystal clarity through the built-in camera on the laptop sitting on his desk. Seeing that Lu Renjia had lain down and fallen asleep, Xiao Bai opened another bottle of Coke and began guzzling it down. Fei Lao, sitting nearby, glanced over and teased with a laugh, “Coke kills sperm… If you keep drinking like that… do you even want to have kids?” As longtime partners, the relationship between Xiao Bai and the Fat Guy was a delicate one. “Pfft… no need for you to worry. With my IQ of 210, I figured that out ages ago. That’s why I deposited plenty at the sperm bank five years ago… Who knows, I might already have ten or so kids by now… Besides, a man has sex with his own brain—it doesn’t matter at all what’s lying beneath him…” “Damn… If you’re just jerking off to your fantasies, just admit it… No need to make it sound so refined. While you’re chasing after that ‘fifth girl,’ you’d better keep a close eye on that guy… Whether we can weather this storm safely this time depends on him…” Fatso scolded with a laugh. Lu Renjia, lying in bed pretending to doze off, plunged headfirst into the “Evil God System.” After all, having completed his journey through *The Demon Cult Leader of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, he still had one random gift pack left to claim. A random draw screen, similar to a slot machine, appeared once again in Lu Renjia’s mind. Armed with the experience of drawing the “Performer’s Mask” last time, Lu Renjia was eagerly anticipating what good item he might get this time. In his mind, Lu Renjia gripped the slot machine’s lever and pulled it hard. “Jingle… jingle… jingle…” Saint bloodline, Saiyan bloodline, Hulk bloodline, Sanhua, Black-Yellow—these bloodlines and weapon icons flashed by one after another, until the pointer finally settled on an icon labeled “Insight.” Just as Lu Renjia stood there in shock, the cold voice of the “Evil God System” echoed in his mind. “Eligible Candidate Lu Renjia has drawn an attribute function point—‘Insight.’ The Eligible Candidate’s ‘Insight’ has increased by 2.” For a moment, the feeling of mental clarity gave Lu Renjia an indescribable sense of relief. As his “Insight” grew stronger, images of those tedious math, physics, and chemistry problems—the ones he’d pored over while studying—began to surface in his mind. The problems that had once stumped him no matter how hard he racked his brain were now crystal clear; he could see the answers at a glance. “Damn… if I’d had this ‘Insight’ back when I took the college entrance exam… Peking University, Tsinghua University… none of that would’ve been a problem…” Lu Renjia thought to himself. Lu Renjia hurriedly checked his attributes. “Physical Attributes of a Qualified Individual: Internal Energy (Early Second-Tier), Reflexes 10 (ten times that of an average person), Strength 15 (fifteen times that of an average person), Speed 10 (ten times that of an average person), Insight 3 (three times that of an average person). Overall Rating: F-Rank Martial Artist.” Seeing that his Comprehension had risen to match that of Feng Xifan—the body he had possessed during his first journey through the Small Thousand Worlds—and considering all the E-rank and E+-rank martial arts he’d acquired, Lu Renjia felt a surge of secret delight. After all, Feng Xifan had created his own E-rank martial arts: the *Six Harmonies Divine Art* and the *Eight Wastes and Six Harmonies Sword Technique*. This showed just how terrifying a Comprehension three times that of an ordinary person truly was. “This is the path to becoming a grandmaster…” Lu Renjia thought to himself. No one gets rich without a windfall, and no horse grows fat without night feed. Although Lu Renjia had managed to scrape together three or five ten thousand in cash through his lucrative career as a robber, recalling the straitened circumstances he’d faced before becoming a qualified user of the “Evil God System,” he chose not to take a taxi but instead rode the bus to the East Third Ring Road. Looking at the upscale internet café before him, called “Seeking the Way,” a confident smile curled at the corners of Lu Renjia’s mouth—great skill naturally breeds boldness. As a martial artist in the early stages of the second tier, even in the world of the film adaptation of *The Deer and the Cauldron*, he was, after all, a skilled fighter in the martial arts underworld. Moreover, he was in Shendu—the political, economic, and cultural center of Huaxia. Although he wasn’t a native subject of the emperor’s court, Lu Renjia knew full well that Huaxia was the country with the strictest gun control in the world—and Shendu, as its capital, was no exception. Therefore, even if there were twenty or thirty people lying in wait inside this “Xundao” internet café, Lu Renjia—as an early-stage second-tier martial artist—wasn’t afraid. Stepping inside the “Xundao” Internet café—where the minimum charge was ten yuan per hour—he saw life-size game posters hanging all around. The 36-inch LCD screens were the perfect choice for both gaming and watching movies. The owner, seemingly eager to showcase his unique style, had even hung a limited-edition Harley-Davidson motorcycle above the cash register. Lu Renjia pulled out his ID card and a can of Red Bull, then approached the counter to swipe his card. The internet café attendant, who had been keeping his head down, lazily looked up after hearing a “beep…” The pale face—which looked as though it hadn’t seen the sun in ages—caught Lu Renjia’s attention, and he couldn’t help but take a second look. At that moment, instead of asking Lu Renjia how much he wanted to top up, the pale-faced attendant pointed toward the luxury private room and said, “338… Our boss is waiting for you…” Lu Renjia was taken aback. He had originally thought that the man on the phone had invited him to an internet café, most likely to talk via video chat or QQ, but he never expected the other party to actually be the owner of this very internet café. Arriving at Deluxe Private Room 338, Lu Renjia pushed open the door and stepped inside. A middle-aged man wearing an oversized basketball jersey and beach shorts was engrossed in a fierce online battle, mouse in hand. Lu Renjia’s sudden arrival caused the potbellied man to lose his focus for a moment. “Bang…” His in-game character was shot in the head by his opponent. “Damn it!!! Damn pay-to-win players!!! You’re forcing me to top up my account!!!” the obese middle-aged man shouted. Setting down the mouse, the seemingly ordinary middle-aged man—with a harmless smile on his face—looked just like an older otaku obsessed with video games, his slightly receding hairline revealing a hint of baldness. A pair of twinkling eyes began to take Lu Renjia in from head to toe. “Great heroes emerge in youth… The fact that you came proves you’re a man of your word… Have a seat!” Upon hearing the man’s voice—which was identical to the one he’d heard on the phone—Lu Renjia casually closed the door behind him and sat down on the sofa next to the fat man. The luxurious private room, measuring about ten square meters, not only had excellent soundproofing but also featured a refrigerator, a private bathroom, and a leather sofa so wide it could comfortably accommodate two people lying flat—one that clearly didn’t come cheap. Noticing Lu Renjia’s wary gaze, the fat man chuckled softly. “Do you think the ‘social scavengers’ business is supposed to be all mysterious? Do you think I, as a hitman’s agent, should be hiding in the shadows?” “It’s not what I think—it’s just how it’s portrayed in movies… Don’t meetings between hitmen and their agents usually take place in some run-down temple or old church? Is this internet café yours?” Amid this seemingly trivial banter, Lu Renjia’s eyes had already seen right through the potbellied, seemingly harmless fat man standing before him. Although he couldn’t sense a trace of inner energy emanating from the man, Lu Renjia was certain that this fat man was the strongest person he had ever encountered in the real world. That belly, which looked like a life preserver, was merely an illusion; the man’s thick arms likely harbored explosive strength roughly twice that of an ordinary person. The fat man shook his head with a smile. “What kind of era are we living in now? Let’s be honest—our line of work is essentially a service industry. And since it’s a service industry, we have to build our own brand to stand out from the competition… My motto is: treat every client as you would your own parents. Relieving your parents’ worries and solving their problems is the natural duty of a child…” Lu Renjia’s mouth twitched. “Since when did hitman agents start getting into corporate culture? I guess the saying ‘the customer is always right’ applies to every industry… I still don’t even know your name…” “I’m the owner of this internet café; everyone calls me Fatso… You can call me Fatso too, Mr. Lu Renjia… Hehe… As you can see, I’ve taken quite a risk by arranging a face-to-face meeting with someone as skilled as you. Of course… you could also say this shows I’m being sincere enough toward you, couldn’t you? Mutual trust is essential for any partnership…” Glancing at the insincere smile on the other man’s face, Lu Renjia was reminded of Zhu Yuanzhang, that ruthless warlord—a man whose hypocritical grin concealed a heart full of malice. In the world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*, Lu Renjia had slaughtered well over a thousand people. If it weren’t for the fact that every eligible candidate must complete the bizarre tasks issued by the “Evil God System” before their sin level reaches eight stars, Lu Renjia would have definitely killed this Fatso who had discovered his secret. “You’re right… mutual trust is the prerequisite for cooperation. Since I’m here, it means I’m very interested in this ‘Social Cleanup Crew’ job… though, of course, I’m even more interested in the pay!” As he spoke, Lu Renjia put on an air of greed. Lu Renjia knew that everyone has weaknesses; if a person appears flawless in others’ eyes, they are bound to stand out as an outsider. So he feigned a craving for money, leading the fat guy to believe he was someone who valued wealth above all else. This would lower the other man’s guard. Sure enough, thanks to the “artist’s mask,” Lu Renjia’s money-grubbing demeanor drew a dismissive chuckle from the Fat Guy. Fatso had originally planned to blackmail Lu Renjia by using his stepfather’s family—with whom he shared no blood ties—but now it seemed unnecessary. “That’s easy to arrange. High risk, high reward… I’m the most famous agent in the business, with an impeccable reputation… But since you’re a newcomer, the pay for this job won’t be much. Don’t worry, though—with your skills and my connections, I’m sure it won’t take more than a few years for you to become a household name…” “In our line of work, even though we don’t have to hide in the shadows like we used to, we still need a catchy codename, don’t we? Hmm… seeing as your moves are as ghostly as a phantom, let’s just call you ‘Ghost Shadow’… Since we’ve reached a preliminary agreement, just wait for good news. In a few days, I, Fatso, guarantee I’ll hook you up with a $100,000 job…” Before he knew it, the other man had bestowed the code name “Ghost Shadow” upon him, but Lu Renjia didn’t mind—after all, a name was nothing more than a label to him. Watching Lu Renjia’s retreating figure, the Fat Guy let out a sigh of relief. “I’ve finally dodged a bullet… Sigh, looks like I’ll have to start looking for a new candidate in a little while…”