Chapter 2: I Want You
Evening had fallen over Newbie City.
Tang Ping was walking briskly toward his rented apartment, joyfully clutching a shoe-box-sized container in both hands. Inside was his prize: a luxury ice cream gift set made from fresh ranch milk.
"Ice cream~ Ice cream~ Sweet melting happiness~ A taste of heaven~ No instant noodles for me tonight~"
Tang Ping hummed his improvised tune, stepping lightly. The grin on his face was so wide that passersby couldn't help but wonder if he had just hit the jackpot.
"Ice cream~ Ice cre—!"
Suddenly, his joyful march came to a dead halt. In the middle of the bustling street, Tang Ping became the only person to stop moving.
*Wait...*
*Something feels... wrong.*
Tang Ping recoiled slightly, hugging the cold cardboard box tighter. It wasn't the temperature of the ice cream that bothered him, but something more direct—something that pierced his very soul.
Suddenly, goosebumps erupted all over his body. He felt as if he had been submerged in cold formalin; the suffocating sensation filled him with dread. He looked around frantically, trying to find the source of his terror.
Pedestrians with headphones on, wearing "don't talk to me" expressions... High school girls in uniform, playing and laughing together... Cars roaring past one after another... The neon signs lighting up the street...
Everything was as usual—peaceful, noisy, and perfectly normal.
"What's going on...?" Tang Ping muttered, beginning to doubt himself. Was he sick? Or was the stress finally causing hallucinations? Everything around him was normal.
The crowd was still a crowd.
The street was still a street.
The sky was still the sk—!
*Wait... is there a figure in the sky?*
He rubbed his eyes and looked again. In the dimming sky, there was only the sunset, clouds, and skyscrapers. Nothing else.
"Was it just my eyes playing tricks on me...?"
---
Just as he was about to continue walking, a white monster suddenly appeared right in front of him.
"Holy crap!" *Thud!*
Tang Ping fell backward in shock, dropping the cardboard box on the ground. The thing before him was so bizarre that he forgot to even run.
The creature was at least three meters tall and humanoid in shape. Its skin was as white as fresh snow, marked with strange deep-blue patterns on its limbs and torso. Its head seemed to be covered by a massive hood, with silver hair cascading down to hide its face. Through the strands of hair, Tang Ping could vaguely see large purple eyes flickering like ghost fire.
What shocked him even more was that the monster was floating in mid-air.
*A ghost?!* *An alien?!* *Am I going to be abducted for experiments?!*
Ignoring everything else, he fumbled for his phone to call the police.
*Beeeeeep—*
For some reason, the call wouldn't go through. He looked at the screen; the icon showed [No Signal ×].
*Are you kidding me?!* This was a major commercial street in a big city! By all logic, the signal should be at full bars. Was his phone broken? Or was this like in the movies where signals die when a ghost appears?
While he panicked, the white monster took a step toward him. Tang Ping tried to turn and run, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead. In desperation, he shouted for help.
"Help! There's a monster! Someone—!!"
Halfway through his scream, he realized that none of the people around him noticed the creature. Not only that—whenever someone walked within five or six meters of him, they would naturally veer away. It was as if an invisible glass bowl had separated him from the crowd, creating a massive, isolated space.
"&#%$#%#@&%"
A piercing sound came from the monster's mouth. It sounded like a siren's song—eerie, yet strangely hypnotic. But Tang Ping wasn't entranced; he was terrified. He just wanted to go home and get away from this hellish place.
He scrambled backward on his hands, inch by inch...
*Bang!*
He hit something hard and cold behind him—a concrete wall. He turned to stand, hoping to climb over it, but there was nothing there but an invisible air barrier.
"Damn it!" He was definitely trapped in a barrier or another dimension!
When Tang Ping turned back around, he nearly died of fright. The white monster had somehow closed the distance. They were only two steps apart. A massive shadow fell over his face, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of pressure.
The monster slowly lowered its head and whispered again, seemingly trying to communicate.
"&%##"
The distorted, uncoordinated tone only made Tang Ping more frantic. His eyes bulged, his lips trembled, and his heart hammered like a basketball being dribbled frantically. His only thought was: *Don't make a sound, or I'll be killed!*
He kicked against the ground, trying to smash through the wall of air with his back, but it was useless. Throughout his struggle, the monster didn't attack. It simply maintained its hovering gaze and tried to speak to him again.
---
After several failed attempts at communication, the white monster finally realized he couldn't understand its language. It reached out a white, squid-like tentacle from its back and—*slap*—pressed it against Tang Ping's forehead.
It's over! I'm dead! *I didn't even clear my computer's hard drive!*
*Wait... I'm okay?* Tang Ping opened his eyes to find his forehead wasn't pierced, and he wasn't being eaten. In fact, it felt... warm. Like his mother's palm on his forehead when he was sick as a child.
Sixty long seconds passed in silence. The man and the monster stayed frozen in that "wall-slam" position. Since his head hadn't exploded as expected, Tang Ping's tension began to ease. He even found the strength to look at the creature.
He had initially found it grotesque, but looking closely... it was actually quite beautiful. Its snow-white skin was smoother and finer than any botox-injected celebrity model. And those large purple eyes... they actually gave him a strange sense of peace.
"...Can... can you hear me?"
A voice suddenly echoed in Tang Ping's mind.
"???" Who was talking? Tang Ping strained his eyes to look left and right—his head was still held in place by the monster. There was no one else around.
*Is this white monster talking?*
*Slap!* Tang Ping's right cheek stung from a heavy blow. There was no doubt who did it.
It can understand me? Even though it's a monster?
*Slap!* Now his left cheek was hit. But now he was certain—this white entity wasn't just a monster; it was an intelligent life form capable of communication.
*Slap!* That was the third time. To stop this ridiculous cycle, Tang Ping forced his mind to stop wandering and asked mentally: "Excuse me, who are you?"
"Be quiet, I've almost mastered it," the voice replied.
"Mastered what?"
---
Tang Ping didn't understand, but his head began to feel numb and hot—a sensation that grew stronger by the second.
*This is it... my head is going to explode this time...*
Just as he fell into total despair, the tentacle pulled away from his forehead, and the burning numbness vanished.
Huh? It's not killing me?
"You should be able to understand my speech now, right?" A woman's voice sounded in his ear, startling him.
"Y-You speak Chinese?" Tang Ping stammered.
"Yes, I just learned it. Never mind that—you're the one who called me, right?"
Just learned it? In sixty seconds? Just by touching my forehead?!
Tang Ping's mind went blank. He imagined everyone on Earth who had ever struggled to learn Chinese crying in a corner. What kind of god-tier ability was this?
But now wasn't the time for jokes. She said I called her? What does that mean?
"The world's greatest, most beautiful, and most powerful Evil God responds here to the call of a loyal believer. Speak! What is your wish!"
The white monster spread its arms wide, and a blinding golden light appeared behind it. In that moment, she looked sacred and majestic. Just looking at her brought peace; just hearing her voice made worries vanish. It was as if Buddha or God had descended.
Tang Ping knew this was the ultimate opportunity. If he seized it, he could escape his misery and reach the pinnacle of life. Countless thoughts raced through his head as he opened his mouth to speak.
"You—!"
The moment he spoke, he bit his tongue—a lingering effect of his previous panic. But it was too late. She had heard him.
"Oh? You want *me*? What a greedy human~" "No, that's not...!"
Tang Ping tried to clarify, but she didn't give him a chance to interrupt.
"A low-level creature like you usually wouldn't have the right to stand before me, let alone utter such outrageous nonsense! If it were the old me, I would have torn off your limbs and stuffed them into your stomach, but..."
The white monster looked up, an invisible fire burning in its eyes as it made a decision.
"...current circumstances are special. I must make a change as well!"
Wait! Big sister, please listen to me!!!
"A human attempting to lay hands on a noble deity? How interesting! So ugly, so greedy! You are a perfect match for an embodiment of evil like me!" "Fine, I agree!"
With that, a brilliant green light erupted from the white monster, enveloping it completely.
---
A moment later, the light faded.
The white monster was gone. In its place stood a peerless beauty, completely naked. She had silver hair that reached her waist, glowing purple gem-like eyes, and two circular green halos behind her head. Her face was like that of a celestial being; one look was enough to make it impossible to turn away.
And most importantly... she was incredibly well-endowed!
"I hereby declare! You shall have all of me—body, soul, wealth; everything I am belongs to you alone. You shall love me deeply, and I shall respond to you. In health or sickness, in wealth or poverty, even against the judgment of the gods or the temptation of demons, your heart shall not change. Even if this planet crumbles tomorrow and the world meets its twilight, our vow shall not be erased. You shall take my hand, and I shall hold yours tightly. We shall accompany each other until the end of the journey. Under the witness of the great stars and before this sacred, inviolable contract, your wish is granted!"
Having said her piece, the beauty grabbed Tang Ping's right hand and thrust it into a volleyball-sized orb of green light.
"Now, the contract is official!"
She wrapped her jade-like arms tightly around Tang Ping's waist. A faint scent of sea salt wafted into his nose. Tang Ping could see his own bewildered expression reflected in her amethyst eyes.
"Now... you won't be able to run away! Hehehe~"
The moment those pink lips covered his own, Tang Ping had only one thought...
*So soft!*