novelraw Chapter 42 : The Game Begins
Chapter 42 : The Game Begins
Chapter 42: The Game Begins
The weight of too many questions pressed upon Li Wei’s heart, and he finally applied for a leave of absence from his superiors.
He wanted to leave that environment for a while, to sort through his thoughts.
On an autumn afternoon, Li Wei walked alone along the Bund of Haicheng.
The river wind brushed past, carrying a faint chill that swept away a bit of the frustration clouding his heart.
Li Wei looked at the ships moving across the river and at the skyscrapers on the opposite bank that symbolized modernity and prosperity, feeling a surge of emotions.
This was the city he had sworn to protect with his life.
But those deleted posts, those descriptions filled with fear, and those strange missions assigned to his team hung over his heart like a thick fog.
Just as he was lost in thought, a chorus of screams suddenly erupted from the entrance of a nearby bank!
Li Wei jerked his head up—several masked men armed with automatic rifles were charging out of the bank, firing into the air as they dragged hostages with them.
“Don’t move, any of you! Anyone dares to call the cops, I’ll blow your head off!”
The leader of the robbers pressed the muzzle of his gun against the head of a young female office worker, roaring at the terrified crowd around him.
Li Wei’s body reacted faster than his mind.
As a SWAT officer, the instinct to protect civilians had already been carved into his bones.
Without the slightest hesitation, he took off his jacket and quietly flanked the robbers from the side of the crowd.
He didn’t have a gun, but he had to do something.
“Put down the hostages! You’re surrounded!”
Li Wei darted out from behind a stone pillar, shouting at the robbers, hoping to draw their attention and buy time for others to escape or call for help.
“Who the hell is this idiot? Looking for death!”
One of the robbers instantly swung his rifle toward Li Wei and squeezed the trigger.
“Ratatatat!”
Li Wei rolled swiftly to the side, diving behind a nearby car. Bullets struck the vehicle’s metal frame, sparking violently.
The situation was dire.
There were four of them, all heavily armed, and they held hostages.
He was empty-handed—not even a knife.
While he was thinking of a countermeasure, the leader was already forcing the hostages toward the getaway car.
He couldn’t let them escape!
With a grim determination, Li Wei dashed out from behind the car like a leopard pouncing on its prey, charging straight at the robber preparing to board the vehicle.
His movements were fast, sharp, and professional.
But bullets were faster.
The robber providing cover saw him emerge and immediately pulled the trigger.
“Bang!”
A searing pain tore through Li Wei’s left leg, and he lost his balance, crashing heavily to the ground.
Blood instantly soaked through his pant leg.
“Damn it! Still trying to fight back?!”
The leader sneered when he saw Li Wei fall.
He shoved the hostage roughly into the car, then raised his gun, the dark muzzle aimed squarely at Li Wei’s head.
“In your next life, don’t be such a hero.”
The shadow of death enveloped Li Wei completely.
He stared at the dark barrel of the gun—not with fear, but with endless unwillingness.
Was it… going to end like this?
Damn it.
If only he had a gun in his hand, none of these bastards would get away!
Just as the robber’s finger was about to tighten on the trigger, a cold and majestic voice thundered in Li Wei’s mind, like the decree of a god descending from the heavens!
【Welcome to ‘Game of Gods’】
【Matching player identity and faction】
【Identity match complete】
【Faction match complete】
【Player: Li Wei】
【Identity: Gun God】
【Faction: Radiance】
【Your will is the bullet; your gaze is the crosshair】
……
The instant that voice rang out, Li Wei felt a scorching power surge from the depths of his soul.
At that moment, time itself seemed to slow.
He could clearly see the robber’s twisted grin, the tightening of his finger on the trigger, even the trajectory of the bullet about to leave the barrel.
Without thinking, Li Wei lifted his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together as though holding an invisible gun, aiming straight at the robber’s forehead.
Then, with all his strength, he “pulled” the trigger.
“Bang!”
A crisp gunshot, indistinguishable from the real thing, echoed across the noisy Bund!
Before the stunned eyes of everyone present, and under countless recording phones, something unbelievable happened.
The robber aiming at Li Wei—his forehead suddenly burst into a spray of blood!
The cruel grin on his face froze; his eyes were filled with shock and incomprehension beyond words.
Then he collapsed backward, dead.
The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone was frozen.
They stared wide-eyed at this sight that defied all laws of physics.
The remaining three robbers stood motionless, staring blankly at their leader’s twitching corpse.
What… just happened?
Where had the shot come from?
That man on the ground—his hands were empty!
“Your turn.”
Li Wei raised his “invisible pistol” toward the three stunned robbers.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Three more sharp gunshots rang out!
Three precise, deadly bursts of blood exploded from each robber’s forehead almost simultaneously.
They didn’t even have time to scream before they followed their leader, collapsing lifelessly into pools of blood.
Four heavily armed robbers, each wielding automatic rifles, were slain in seconds by a single unarmed young man—in a way no one could comprehend.
As the realization set in, murmurs spread through the crowd.
“What… what the hell was that?!”
“Am I dreaming?!”
“A… a god! He’s a god!”
Surrounded by gasps and exclamations, Li Wei looked at his own hand, feeling the surging power coursing through his body, equally overwhelmed.
“I…”
He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
Yet he knew—the mysteries of the “Transcendent” that had haunted him for so long had just been completely revealed.
……
At the same moment Li Wei awakened—
In different corners of Haicheng, eleven other “players” chosen by the “God” received the same divine decree.
In the eastern suburbs of Haicheng, atop a high-voltage tower hundreds of meters tall—
An electrician inspecting the power lines suddenly trembled violently.
He felt a torrent of electricity surge through his body, fusing with his very soul.
Instinctively, he lifted his hand, and a thick blue arc of lightning shot from his fingertip, striking another tower in the distance, sending sparks flying and nearly causing a massive blackout across the area.
……
In the presidential suite of Haicheng’s most luxurious hotel, a massive light screen displayed a map of the city. Twelve new light points shone simultaneously upon it.
Yun Ge poured himself a glass of fine Bordeaux red wine and took a satisfied sip.
“The players are in position.”
“Well then…”
“Let me see what kind of performance you’ll give me this time.”