Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 37: Exchange Student

Just as Lu Renjia was throwing the entire city of Hong Kong into chaos, he had already appeared in the world of *Assassin’s Alliance*. Standing on a street with heavy traffic, he heard the deafening roar of a train passing over the elevated track—a sensation reminiscent of the oppressive noise he used to hear while living in a partitioned room on the second basement level. “Congratulations, Qualified One, on becoming a ‘Social Cleaner.’ The system rewards you with one opportunity to physically traverse a Minor Thousand Worlds. Sin points will not accumulate during this period. Time limit: thirty days.” “This is the Qualified One’s first physical journey through a Minor Thousand Worlds. The Qualified One may freely choose a ‘faction’…” The cold voice of the “Evil God System” echoed in Lu Renjia’s mind. The brief prompt took him by surprise. “There’s even such a thing as factions? It seems that when I physically traverse the Small Thousand Worlds in the future, choosing different factions will result in different missions issued by the ‘Evil God System’…” Lu Renjia muttered to himself. In the “Evil God System” dialog box in his mind, two options appeared: “Brotherhood of the Strong and the Bold” and “Cross of the Lone Warrior.” “On one side, they’re strong in troops and well-equipped; on the other, they’re bold and skilled… It’s a tough choice…But this time, the time limit is only thirty days! According to this world’s timeline, the final battle will take place in six weeks. During this month, Wesley Gibson will still be undergoing the crash course in assassin training devised by the main villain, Sloan. If I choose to join the ‘Brotherhood,’ I’ll likely undergo training alongside Wesley Gibson…But then again, I might end up becoming a target for Wesley Gibson’s father, “The Cross,” to hunt down… On the other hand, “The Cross”—the strongest assassin in the Brotherhood’s history—can single-handedly throw the centuries-old “Brotherhood” into complete chaos… If I get mixed up with “The Cross,” I might also face a manhunt from the “Brotherhood”…” With that in mind, Lu Renjia had already made up his mind, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “There’s strength in numbers. Besides… isn’t the reason ‘Cross’ became the Brotherhood’s strongest assassin in history precisely because he went through the Brotherhood’s systematic training…?” Thinking this to himself, Lu Renjia didn’t hesitate to click the “Powerful Brotherhood” option in the “Evil God System” dialog box. As soon as Lu Renjia selected his faction, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind. Just as he had during his previous two soul-travel experiences through the Small Thousand Worlds, Lu Renjia hurriedly began to sort through the sudden influx of memories. “Zzzz…” The screech of tires grinding against the ground rang out from behind Lu Renjia. Lu Renjia turned around and saw a fiery red Ferrari sports car come to a screeching halt almost right at his feet. Through the windshield, Lu Renjia’s eyes lit up. The fiercely wild Angelina Jolie was undoubtedly Lu Renjia’s favorite character in the world of *The League of Assassins*. Fox’s character—with her clear-cut sense of right and wrong yet strict adherence to the rules—and her resolute yet tragic ending had moved countless people to sigh with emotion. The door swung open, and Fox—nicknamed “The Fox”—stepped out, walked straight around the front of the car, and stood right in front of Lu Renjia, so close their faces were almost touching. Lu Renjia could feel her breath, especially as she pursed her sensual lips slightly on her chiseled face, extended her middle finger to push down her sunglasses, and looked at him with disdain. His lips parted slightly as he smiled, “So you’re Lu Renjia, the exchange student from China this time?” As the saying goes, rivals are natural enemies. Lu Renjia could sense the faint aura of murderous intent emanating from Fox’s aggressive gaze—it was as if she were a venomous snake fixated on its prey. Lu Renjia sneered with disdain. In the world of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*, he had slaughtered over a thousand people. He was, quite literally, a cold-blooded killer. After choosing to join the “Brotherhood of the Strong and the Mighty,” a sudden flash of memory struck Lu Renjia, reminding him that the “Evil God System” had assigned him the identity of a representative sent from China by a mysterious organization—one that, like the “Brotherhood,” operated under the banner of “upholding justice on behalf of heaven”—to study and exchange ideas. Lu Renjia narrowed his eyes slightly, glaring back at Fox’s defiant stare, then shrugged with a smile. “Unless there’s someone else named Lu Renjia… I’m the exchange student you’re talking about…” Seeing how calm his counterpart remained, Fox couldn’t help but pause in surprise. If this were an ordinary rookie, they wouldn’t just avoid meeting his gaze—they’d feel a chill run down their spine just from looking into his eyes. “He’s not fazed at all… Interesting…” Fox thought to himself. “I suppose that’s correct, then. Get in the car… exchange student…” Fox said, pointing to the passenger seat. Lu Renjia didn’t seem to mind. Just as he was about to walk around Fox toward the passenger seat, a sense of foreboding struck him—he, who had already mastered all twelve core techniques and advanced to the peak of the second-tier martial artist rank. A sense of danger washed over him. His reflexes—twenty times sharper than those of an ordinary person—gave him extraordinary physical coordination. In an instant, his body jerked backward. In his line of sight, Fox’s arm—tattooed with a wild totem—swept past his face, his palm concealing a blade that glowed with a faint green light. Having previously entered the worlds of the film adaptations of *The Deer and the Cauldron* and *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: The Demon Cult Leader* through soul-travel, Lu Renjia recognized the eerie green glow on the blade as a sign that it was coated in a potent poison. In the blink of an eye, his opponent had struck without warning. Even a clay figurine would have its limits, let alone Lu Renjia, who had once slaughtered a thousand men. He urgently channeled the Nine Yang True Qi; in an instant, his ten fingertips sprouted jade-white nails. Forming his fingers into a blade, Lu Renjia swept upward with his left hand. As one of the “Brotherhood’s” finest assassins, Fox—who had often walked the line between life and death—felt a sudden jolt of alarm. The sense of danger sent her extraordinary heart racing; her heart rate instantly soared to four hundred beats per minute. As adrenaline surged through her system, Lu Renjia’s lightning-fast movements began to slow down in Fox’s eyes, as if frozen in time. Just as Lu Renjia’s scalpel-sharp nails were about to pierce Fox’s neck— Fox, mimicking the way Lu Renjia had dodged her own attack, arched her back and leaned backward, evading his fierce strike. The strange postures of Lu Renjia and Fox caused the office workers walking by to stop in their tracks, stunned. “Click… click…” The sounds of several cell phones snapping photos echoed through the air. “Just a little joke… I’m sure you don’t mind, right?” Fox’s magnetic voice rang out. Lu Renjia felt an urge to curse. The moment they met, without any warning, the assassin struck with lethal force. Was this some kind of joke? This couldn’t help but remind Lu Renjia of a scene from *The Assassins’ Alliance*, where Wesley Gibson was held at gunpoint by a gunsmith hired by Sloan, who forced him to shoot down a fly’s wing. To these self-important assassins, human life was nothing more than a series of symbols woven on the loom of fate. When that symbol appears—whether you’re a commoner or a high-ranking official—the mission of these assassins under the “Brotherhood” is to end your life. “A joke? I hope you don’t make jokes like that again… I’ll take it seriously…” Lu Renjia straightened up and replied coldly. Turning around and glancing at the amused smile on Fox’s face, Lu Renjia walked straight toward the passenger seat, while Fox, as if nothing had ever happened, swayed her willowy waist like a water snake as she walked toward the passersby who were capturing the scene on their cell phones. Through the glass, Lu Renjia saw that Fox had actually drawn her pistol in broad daylight; the bystanders who had been taking photos with their phones had no choice but to obediently hand over their devices. Sitting inside the car, Lu Renjia thought to himself, “It seems this world is quite dangerous… I never expected that these assassins from the ‘Brotherhood’ could possess physical stats about ten times that of ordinary people even without inner energy… It appears that ‘Assassin’s Heart’ is at least an E-rank skill… And as the female lead, Fox’s strength is at least E-rank! Sloan and ‘The Cross’ should be even stronger…The Gunsmith and the Repairman must be no slouches either… As for that Butcher—he actually managed to deflect a bullet with a cleaver used for slaughtering pigs… With blade skills like that, even in the worlds of the film adaptations of *The Deer and the Cauldron* or *The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Demon Cult Leader*, he’d be considered a master of the blade…” With this in mind, Lu Renjia grew even more excited about his upcoming journey to the *Assassins’ Alliance*. As the saying goes, even the most skilled martial artist fears a kitchen knife. These assassins, possessing the “Heart of an Assassin,” not only have physical abilities roughly ten times that of ordinary people but also wield firearms with supernatural mastery. Within the “Brotherhood,” figures like Sloan, Fox, and the Gunsmith have all mastered “Curved Trajectory,” a shooting technique that allows bullets to change course. Furthermore, the “Beyond-Line-of-Sight Sniping” technique demonstrated by “The Cross” is truly extraordinary. And “The Cross” doesn’t use modern firearms like anti-materiel sniper rifles—instead, he accomplishes this with a modified old-fashioned musket. This alone shows just how formidable “The Cross,” the strongest assassin in the history of the “Brotherhood,” truly is. Just as Lu Renjia was pondering how to acquire skills like “Curved Trajectory,” “Beyond-Line-of-Sight Sniping,” and “Assassin’s Heart,” Fox walked into the car carrying four cell phones. “The U. S. is a place that values personal privacy—I certainly don’t want those idiots posting photos on social media…” Hearing Fox’s words, Lu Renjia couldn’t help but quip, “Yeah… the U. S. isn’t just a country that values personal privacy—it’s also a country where guns are rampant…” “Rampant firearms? In a sense, guns give people a greater sense of security; they provide the weak with something to rely on and make the strong even stronger… Moreover, the advent of guns has driven human civilization forward… I’ve heard that most assassins over in China still use bladed weapons when carrying out missions? Some even use their fists?” Fox retorted without backing down. Having sorted through the memories attached to the identity assigned to him by the “Evil God System,” Lu Renjia knew that the mysterious organization he belonged to had entered into an agreement with the “Brotherhood” to exchange knowledge and learn from one another every ten years. However, this seemingly mutually beneficial exchange was, in reality, a test of strength—a display of muscle between the two sides. No wonder Fox had started off by trying to intimidate him right away. Lu Renjia reached out and picked up a coin from the dashboard, slowly rubbing it between his index finger and thumb. As he gradually channeled strength twenty-five times greater than that of an ordinary person, the hard coin, under the pressure of his two fingers, actually shrank into an iron lump the size of a peanut. “It doesn’t matter what I use, as long as it can kill… Besides, a fist never jams…” Lu Renjia said coldly. Looking at the round, iron lump in Lu Renjia’s hand, Fox felt a chill run down his spine. From his earlier test, this exchange student from China had demonstrated speed that was on par with his own—especially those white fingernails that had suddenly emerged from his fingertips. Although they hadn’t injured him just now, Fox could still sense their sharpness. Now, with the utmost nonchalance, the man had literally crushed a coin into a lump of iron. In Fox’s experience, only the strongest “Repairman” within the “Brotherhood” possessed such astonishing explosive power and control. Based in the United States of America, these assassins from the “Brotherhood”—possessing strength far beyond that of ordinary people—all regarded the U. S. as the center of the world and looked down on assassins from other countries. Fox glanced at him and said dismissively, “A fist never jams… but it can’t hit a target fifty meters away…” As he spoke, Fox slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The tires screeched against the pavement, and amid a piercing roar, the top-of-the-line Ferrari accelerated from zero to one hundred in just five seconds. Amid the curses of the passersby whose cell phones Fox had forcefully snatched, the red Ferrari vanished into the rushing stream of traffic.