Chapter 4: The True Divine Concealment Phenomenon
"Do you like it? A small token of my appreciation, nothing fancy. Please, don't refuse it!"
Tanoxi spun around once in the computer chair and spoke to Tang Ping with a delighted grin. Meanwhile, Tang Ping—the recipient of this "gift"—stood there in utter disbelief.
"You... you did this?!"
"Merry Christmas!" Tanoxi leaped from the chair. She threw her hands high and playfully curled one leg behind her, looking as if she were celebrating a major holiday.
"....."
Tang Ping's mouth twitched. Though he desperately wanted to point out how nonsensical his new boss's timing was, he decided against it. Strictly speaking, this was indeed the kind of miracle that only happened at Christmas... assuming no crimes were involved.
"Whew~"
Tang Ping exhaled deeply. Once he had gathered his thoughts, he dropped to one knee, took her right hand, and kissed the flawless white skin of her knuckles.
"From this day forward... I am at your command, my Lord!"
Tanoxi gave a charming smile. Like a proud swan, she lifted her slender neck. She turned her hand over to grip Tang Ping's right palm, where a deep blue tattoo resided—the proof of their contract. The blue represented the sea, her birthplace. The Cthulhu-like pattern was a physical manifestation of herself. With this mark, she had declared to the entire world: *This guy belongs to me now!*
---
"You said you thought of a brilliant idea. Well, let's hear it!"
Atop the roof of the Augustus Hotel—a five-star establishment in the heart of Rookie City—two figures appeared. The taller woman spoke to her companion, but the man replied only with the sound of retching.
"BLEGH!!—"
Tang Ping collapsed onto the concrete, vomiting up the last bit of food in his stomach. The ground was now covered in foul waste, and a faint, sour scent hung in the air. He wasn't worried about staff coming up to protest or security throwing them out. Why? Because there wasn't a single living soul left in this massive building.
He had seen with his own eyes how she did it... and Tang Ping, completely unprepared for such sights, had been reduced to this state. Ah, just remembering the scene made him lose it again.
"URGH! BLEGH!"
Tanoxi looked on with pure disdain. "...The Great Mother always said men were unreliable. She was right."
"Ha... ha... ha..." *And whose fault do you think that is...* Tang Ping panted, looking up to shoot her a weary glare. They had come here to find a place to stay because Tanoxi found Tang Ping's rental far too small and shabby. Staying for a few minutes was one thing, but staying overnight? *No, thank you.* So, he had brought her to the largest, most luxurious hotel in Rookie City. Tang Ping had figured that since he was now a billionaire, he could just book the most expensive suite and stay for a year or two.
Instead... the moment they hit the lobby, before he could even reach for his wallet, his boss had shown her "valiant" side. She had toggled "Invincible Mode" and cleared the entire dungeon. Tang Ping had initially tried to brush it off and find a room to sleep in—since he couldn't stop her anyway—but he realized he had developed a sudden bout of claustrophobia. Being inside the rooms made his mind wander to what had happened in the neighboring rooms, making it hard to breathe.
Thus, he retreated to the roof for some air. Looking at the starry sky helped him feel a bit better. If only Tanoxi hadn't burst onto the roof covered in blood a second later...
---
Twenty minutes later.
"Look at you, such a pathetic excuse for a man! Here, take this!"
Tanoxi tossed him a bottle of mineral water, presumably scavenged from one of the rooms. Tang Ping didn't stand on ceremony; he twisted the cap and took a massive gulp.
"Gulp, gulp... Hah!"
Thank God. He felt much better. Tang Ping wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, looking like a survivor of a natural disaster.
"Now, tell me. That 'great method' you thought of."
Tang Ping steadied his breathing and ran the general idea through his mind one more time. After weighing the feasibility of the plan, he finally spoke.
"Let's build a nation."
"Build a nation?" Tanoxi was puzzled. She didn't understand why she needed to build a country when all she wanted were followers. Wasn't that just making things more difficult?
Tang Ping nodded and continued.
"Yes! You are an Evil God. No existing nation on this planet will allow you to establish a religion. In fact, they would probably do everything in their power to eliminate a terrifying entity like you!"
It would be fine if Tanoxi were a fake god. But she was the real deal. And that was the problem.
More than two thousand years had passed since the end of the Age of Gods. The influence of religion had waned, replaced by massive conglomerates, high-ranking officials, and politicians. These humans, who had occupied the top of the pyramid for generations, already considered themselves the masters of Earth.
If a "real one" suddenly jumped out and said, "Power is divinely granted, and you lowly creatures must obey me," one could only imagine how ugly their expressions would be. The world could tolerate the *idea* of gods—they could stay in Bibles or on altars—but they weren't allowed to roam around in modern society. Even setting aside her status as an "Evil" God, her mere existence was a challenge to every sovereign power on Earth.
"But, if we establish our own country, we can set the religion and the laws however we want. We decide what is right or wrong, black or white. We won't need to care about the opinions or regulations of other countries, because it will be our own internal affair."
This was the best solution Tang Ping could devise. His inspiration had come from the image on the ice cream box: a pasture, cattle, sheep, a fence, and a farmer holding wheat, with the words "Fairyland Farm" printed below. Those elements formed the core of his speech—Nation Building.
Tang Ping knew very well that in a game, the one who reaps the most profit isn't the player, but the gaming company. All players must follow the rules set by the company; the host decides who breaks the rules and who gets the rewards. Even if players want to quit halfway, it doesn't matter, as long as new players can be recruited to take their place.
"So, what we need to do is set the rules, design the framework, and create an amusement park where the followers... no, the *players*... will be so happy they never want to leave. As long as they stay here willingly and keep producing wool and milk for us, it will be a win-win situation."
這段劇情將氣氛從先前的幽默轉向了冰冷且帶有詩意的驚悚感,湯評獨自在寂靜城市中烤肉的場景與遠處正在發生的「進食」形成了強烈對比.
以下是為您翻譯的英文版本:
---
Tanoxi pondered for a moment before asking, "...Are you sure about this?"
"Not at all!"
"...."
"However..."
"?"
"...Don't you want to try? If we succeed, we'll be rolling in wealth. And if we fail..."
"Then it doesn't really matter, does it? Hahaha!" Tanoxi laughed heartily. She had never met such an interesting human. To be honest, she didn't even know how to find followers, let alone build a divine kingdom. She wasn't a traditional deity born of the White Sand Divine Realm. Aside from combat-oriented divine arts, she was completely clueless regarding the knowledge of gathering followers, establishing religions, or constructing a kingdom.
The strange idea of seeking followers hadn't even been her own. If she hadn't devoured that mummified corpse on the Continent of Ice, she likely would have never given the matter a second thought.
"Fine, it's a deal! My loyal servant!"
"Loyal servant?"
"An affectionate nickname I gave you. Do you like it?"
"....I'm touched. Truly." Tang Ping rolled his eyes. He had thought he might finally escape the servant class, but as it turned out, he was still just a corporate slave—just for a different boss.
Seeing that Tang Ping wasn't exactly thrilled, Tanoxi didn't get angry; she simply giggled. She looked toward a bright star in the distant sky, a plan forming in her mind. If the lingering memories in that corpse weren't faked, then that being had relied on this method to create a powerful divine kingdom. By drawing a continuous stream of faith from followers, the being's own strength had advanced, reaching a much deeper realm. Although Tang Ping's method was slightly different, the fundamentals were much the same.
*Can I... really do it?* Tanoxi asked herself. It wasn't that she was afraid or unsure. She was simply using the question to tell herself: *I can.*
"Lady Tanoxi, let's set out tomorrow morning! Ever since the 2012 Cataclysm, a massive number of uninhabited islands have emerged in the Pacific. There are enough of them for us to develop without being discovered by other nations. We'll build our new country there and found a religion with you as the center of faith."
"Mm, we'll leave first thing tomorrow. As for now... hehe!" Tanoxi glanced first at Tang Ping's stomach, then shifted her gaze to his thighs, and finally to his brain. Then... she licked her lips.
"Uh... why are you looking at me like that?" Tang Ping instinctively backed away, but unfortunately, there was a concrete wall behind him. He had nowhere to run. *Dammit! This cursed sense of déjà vu!*
"I'm starving! Can we eat something first?" Tanoxi stroked her belly, a cryptic smile spreading across her face.
"..."
Even though the silver-haired beauty was using an inquisitive tone, the will behind her words was absolute. Tang Ping knew very well that if he said anything to displease her, he might very well become her pre-dinner dessert.
"Sigh... I really can't deal with you. Can you at least let them go without pain? We live in a modern society; let's be a bit more humanitarian."
"Simple~"
"Oh! Also, you need to seal off the city. Stop anyone from entering or leaving, and block all electronic signals from getting out, otherwise it'll be a huge pain later. Can you—"
"Easy~" Tanoxi interrupted him, brimming with confidence.
"Then start with this place, this place, and this one. Most of the people there should still be working overtime at the office... oh, right! Those people are exceptions. You can be as cruel as you like with them." Tang Ping opened the map on his phone and marked several locations for her. Those were places where he had once worked—shadows of his past that he could never forget. But as of today, they would be gone.
---
**Midnight.**
Tang Ping sat in front of a supermarket near the Augustus Hotel, preparing a barbecue. He busily filled the grill with ingredients: cubed steak, pork belly, beef brisket, corn, sausages, mushrooms, saury, squid balls, tempura... every fresh ingredient imaginable was at his disposal. Countless empty packages were tossed carelessly onto the ground. If anyone else had seen this, they might have scolded him for littering, but it didn't matter. Tang Ping was the only one there, so there were no rules to break.
As the charcoal heated up, the meat turned a golden brown, and a mouth-watering aroma filled the air. The sizzling sound was exceptionally loud in the silent night, sounding like a bustling symphony. Tang Ping picked up a brush, soaked it in barbecue sauce, and spread it boldly over the food. Like a professional painter, he added new colors to the raw ingredients, all while humming a lighthearted tune.
*"The white angel, the white angel, performs a magnificent dance~ She is so happy today, for she found a little stray dog~"*
*"Eat your fill, eat your fill~ after the meal is done, we shall go home together~"*
*"The broken doll, the broken doll~ dances clumsily around the angel, tonight we shall hold a grand feast~"*
*"Endless lamb chops, endless red wine, this must surely be heaven~"*
*"The sorrowful doll, the sorrowful doll~ taking the same steps, wearing the same smile, march toward the blood-colored angel~ a peaceful dreamland awaits you there~"*
In the quiet night, the singing and the scent of grilled meat intertwined, drifting into the surrounding buildings and adding a trace of human warmth to the lonely city.
"Mmm~ smells great. Next..." Tang Ping removed the cooked items one by one and placed them on a side plate. Soon, the barbecue was piled high like a small mountain, covering the entire table. He picked up a beef skewer and took a large bite. *Mm, tender.* He put it down and took a bite of corn. *Mm, sweet.*
Tang Ping popped open a can of cola and gulped it down. Actually, drinking like this was hard on the throat, but for some reason, he just felt like doing it.
"Hah!—"
He set the cola down and reached for the next skewer. But he hesitated.
*Should I take it? Should I really be eating this? After doing something so terrible?*
Tang Ping was wavering, yet he wasn't sure what he was wavering about. Or was this actually guilt? Because he hadn't saved anyone? Ultimately, he reached out toward the tempura. But the moment he was about to touch it, he stopped.
"..."
Then, he changed direction and reached for the chicken skewer. Again, he lifted it only to put it back down.
*Dammit! What is wrong with me! The table is overflowing with food, I have so many choices, why am I hesitating! Just eat! All those high-end ingredients you couldn't afford and only dreamed of are right in front of you. Fill your stomach! You finally have enough to eat—what are you doing? Throwing a tantrum? Is this how you honor those who were sacrificed?*
"No..."
*I'm just...*
Tang Ping looked at the table full of food, the red-hot grill, the empty streets, and himself. No one came to talk to him, no one came to clink glasses. Food for ten people, and only one portion was consumed. Because only he was here.
*Communication... turns out it's a luxury,* Tang Ping suddenly thought.
"Sigh..."
*Rest in peace, everyone. I won't let you die in vain. Cruelty now is for the sake of mercy later. If there is a next life, remember to stay far away from that girl.*
Tang Ping looked in the direction Tanoxi had gone, noting the shadows that were gradually disappearing. He lifted the cola once more and drained the can.
---
**March 21, 2040.**
That night, without anyone noticing, a green orb of light—bright enough to illuminate the entire city—was launched into the sky. Within seconds, it had enveloped the city. There were no explosions, no screams, and no bloodshed. It was a silent, peaceful night.
This was the origin of what future generations would call the "Ghost City." At the same time, this mass disappearance—which would dominate every newspaper, magazine, and social media platform across the globe—marked the beginning of the tragedy for the Republic of Elind.