I paused, momentarily bewildered by his words, before a sudden realization dawned on me: was this the roadside robbery so often discussed online?
“Excuse me, um… are you, by any chance, robbers?” A mix of curiosity and slight surprise colored my tone; I had actually encountered real ones.
Now, it was their turn to be astonished. How exactly does one respond when a young girl directly asks if you are robbers? They had been committing roadside robberies for years, yet this was a first.
“Cough, cough!” The leader, a young man, cleared his throat twice. He was clearly the most experienced among them, stepping up in this crucial moment.
Though only twenty-five, he had been extorting pocket money from first and second graders, and even kindergarteners, since the fifth grade. His experience was truly vast and varied.
“It’s not quite like that,” he clarified, avoiding the direct admission of robbery. Such honesty would sound rather foolish.
“We simply wish to borrow some money. We’ll definitely repay you when we’re able.” His words were carefully chosen to sound civilized and friendly.
Why target a young girl? The reason was simple. Though she appeared no older than twelve or thirteen, her expensive clothing betrayed her family’s wealth.
She was sure to have some pocket money on her, making her an easy mark with no risk of things going awry.
If she genuinely had nothing, they would simply abduct her first, then demand a small ransom from her family.
Frankly, arrested robbers were often too greedy. If the amount requested wasn’t exorbitant, most people, eager to avoid trouble, wouldn’t call the police. After all, a botched rescue could lead to far greater complications.
“Oh,” I hummed, then began to ponder. ‘This likely wasn’t their first time.’
‘Simply knocking them out wouldn’t prevent these scumbags, who preyed on young girls, from causing trouble again in the future.’
A playful smile touched my lips, vanishing just as quickly before the young man could notice.
“I, I don’t have any money… on me,” I stammered, feigning distress. “How about I go back and get some right away?”
I turned, pretending to make an escape.
As expected, the young man seized my shoulder. Naturally, I offered no resistance, allowing myself to be pulled back compliantly.
“Ow, ow…” I moaned, my face contorted in pain, even resting my hand on his as if struggling vehemently.
It was merely a ‘rest,’ however, for if I exerted even the slightest pressure, his hand would likely turn to pulp.
The young man continued to grip my shoulder, then clamped a filthy hand over my mouth, pulling me backward.
Though it didn’t hurt, being muffled by his disgusting hand was truly nauseating.
Approximately half an hour later, the young man led me into a courtyard house before finally releasing me.
Once freed, I began to glance around, taking in my surroundings. ‘This must be their hideout, then,’ I thought.
The leader, now visibly relieved, addressed me. “Little sister, what’s your name? And your parents’ phone number?”
I merely offered a mischievous smile, which sent shivers down the thugs’ spines. ‘Now that I’m at their den, it’s time to round them all up,’ I mused.
However, the little devil in my heart seemed to be growing, urging me to play with them a little longer.
“Ngh, big brothers, what do you want to do?” I asked, my voice soft and sweet.
I hadn’t even realized how alluring my tone was, perfectly embodying that saying about three years of… something.
The leader took two steps back, swallowing hard as he tried to suppress his unease. “We just want your dad to pick you up and take you home, haha.”
He was terrified by a little girl, and though he hated to admit it, he was utterly cowering.
I advanced two steps; he retreated two. “Big brother, am I really that scary?”
The young man felt as though a demon was steadily approaching him, despite its appearance as a cute little girl.
“Uh, you, don’t come any closer,” he stammered. He couldn’t explain his terror.
The girl before him wasn’t frightful so much as adorable, yet a chilling dread gripped his heart.
Then, a thought struck him, and he summoned his courage. ‘What is there to be afraid of? She’s just a little girl!’
He stepped forward decisively.
“Hey, the number! Otherwise, your dad won’t be able to pick you up!” he declared forcefully, his bravado clearly a facade.
“I can go home by myself,” I stated, drawing closer with each word. “I don’t need big brother’s help.” I continued my advance.
“Teach this, this brat a lesson!” the leader roared. A swarm of thugs responded, rushing forward to pounce.
*Pong!*
In less than five seconds, the ground was littered with ‘dolls’ lying haphazardly.
The young man turned to flee, but I snatched him back. “Big brother, wasn’t it fun grabbing me earlier?”
He had dared to manhandle me, and now it was time for proper retribution.
With a wicked grin, I approached the young man, who was still sprawled helplessly on the ground where I had thrown him.
Minutes later, a new addition lay on the ground: a humanoid creature with a swollen, pig-like face.
I nodded in satisfaction, turned to leave, and casually dialed 110.
“Hello, Police Uncle? There were kidnappers here just now, and they were beaten down by a handsome, dashing, 1.8-meter-tall super stud!”
“Uh-huh, the address is… Uh-huh, alright, thank you, Police Uncle!” I was quite pleased with my self-description. Indeed, I was precisely that kind of man.
When the police arrived ten minutes later, they frowned at the sight of the numerous ‘humanoid creatures’ scattered across the ground.
They looked around, puzzled. Where was the little girl who had called them?
Spotting the man who seemed to have taken the worst beating, yet was the only one conscious, an officer approached him. “Are you kidnappers? Where is the little girl you abducted?”
The young man was, of course, the same one I had transformed into a pig-headed mess. At the officer’s question, he seemed to recall something terrifying, bursting into tears and lunging at the police.
The officer sidestepped effortlessly, dodging the young man’s lunge. “What on earth happened? Explain yourself properly. And you are a kidnapper, aren’t you?”
The young man nodded, then, as if suddenly realizing something, shook his head vehemently.
The officer snorted. “The full story. Out with it.”
With snot and tears streaming down his face, the young man recounted their entire ordeal, from meeting me to the present moment, embellishing every detail.
The officer’s expression shifted, not in surprise, but to one of profound oddity as he stared at the man. ‘Is this a joke? Such a lie might fool a three-year-old, but me?’
“So, what you’re saying is, you intended to kidnap her, but then discovered the little girl was faking it?” the officer began.
“And in less than five seconds, she took down everyone over there, then came back and severely beat you?”
As if he had found a kindred spirit, the young man nodded vigorously. “Exactly! That’s precisely what happened! Waaah!” He even started to cry, quite shamelessly.
The officer regarded the young man with deep pity. ‘With an intellect like that, attempting robbery must be a true struggle for him.’
Regardless of his intelligence, the immediate priority was to take him to the station. Further details could be investigated once the girl was found.
With that, the officer pulled out his phone and dialed the number he had just been given.
“Doot— doot—”
[Sorry, the number you dialed cannot be connected because it is too handsome.]
?! ‘What the hell? Is this even possible?’ The officer tried again. [Sorry, the number you dialed has been disconnected…]
‘Could the number I was given be wrong?’ The officer scratched his head. Nonetheless, he called headquarters. “There are approximately… here.”
****
Meanwhile, after leaving the courtyard house, I made a small alteration to the phone number. Then, I picked up my terminal and activated the human location display. Traveling slowly would take too long.
Spotting an empty location, I invoked [Divine Art: Shuttle]. I instantly appeared in a small alley behind an internet cafe.
I sauntered out of the alley and arrived at the main entrance of the internet cafe. Gazing at the large characters spelling “Twilight of the Gods Super Internet Cafe,” I clicked my tongue.
‘That name isn’t very auspicious, and it’s a bit… unmentionable,’ I mused. ‘But never mind, none of that matters. I’ve heard this place is the biggest, most luxurious, most popular, and… well, that’s it. Basically, it’s the boss of all internet cafes in the city.’
Stepping inside, I presented my ID card to the young woman behind the counter. She paused, glanced at the ID, then offered an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t use a computer without your own ID. And you must be at least eighteen to enter an internet cafe.”
“I, I’m eighteen this year!” I protested, growing anxious. “And this, this is my ID card!”
‘This can’t be happening! I wanted to experience an internet cafe. So many people playing games together—it sounds incredibly fun, definitely more exciting than playing alone at home.’
“Little sister, those are the rules. I’m truly sorry,” she reiterated, clearly not believing me.
She judged the ‘little sister’ before her to be no older than fourteen, possibly even under twelve. As for the ID, it was impossible; the child in the photo, though cute, was unmistakably a boy.
It felt as though all color had drained from me. ‘So, I ran all this way, went through all that trouble, just for nothing?’
‘No, no! I want to go to the internet cafe! I’m clearly eighteen, I refuse to accept this…’
Dejected, I walked out of the Twilight of the Gods Super Internet Cafe. ‘Was this ‘Twilight of the Gods’ mocking me? How infuriating!’
There was nothing to be done. I hadn’t considered that my current appearance was completely different from before. My ID card was absolutely useless.
I could, of course, alter my appearance slightly, but the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind, nor was I aware of any divine arts that could achieve such a transformation.
****
Returning to Liu Han’s office building, I entered the reception room. Inside, a harmonious scene unfolded: Liu Han, Lavishly Karafar, and the others were chatting and laughing.
Seeing my return, Lavishly Karafar clapped her hands and smiled at Liu Han. “Alright then, we should prepare to depart for the Divine Realm.”
Liu Han chuckled softly. “I’m quite looking forward to it. What exactly is the Divine Realm like?”
‘I’m sorry, but please don’t hold such high expectations. The greater your hope, the more profound your sense of collapse will be when you witness the truth.’