The Devil’s Wishing Stone

When I found Ling Chen and brought him to the rooftop, I discovered Fatty lying unconscious on the ground.

I quickly helped him up. He was still breathing, merely in a deep stupor.

“Ling Chen, what happened to Fatty?”

Ling Chen touched Fatty’s forehead. “Minor spiritual contamination.”

“Spiritual contamination?”

Ling Chen nodded. “You mentioned he still remembers you as male, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s clear.” Ling Chen’s tone held a hint of admiration. “He discovered a loophole in his memories, which a certain force then tried to forcibly delete. Though he managed to preserve his memories, he paid a price for it.”

This Fatty truly has a profound affection for me.

“He wanted to see the Stigmata on your back, perhaps because he was possessed by an entity from the Inner World. However, I discovered it in time, preventing that entity from succeeding.”

“Is there anything peculiar about my Stigmata? Why would an Inner World entity be interested?”

“There’s nothing peculiar about it, and it doesn’t matter if it’s seen. That entity probably just wanted to confirm your Apostle rank.”

I felt a bit speechless. “I’m just an apprentice Apostle. What difference does knowing my rank make?”

“Well…” Ling Chen chuckled. “If the person who wants to know your identity happens to be an antagonist, then you might be in mortal danger.”

“…”

“But don’t worry, didn’t I tell you? This city also has Keepers, people who are on the same side as you. Although you are still very weak, ordinary enemies won’t target you.”

“So, the one who targeted me was a very powerful enemy?”

Ling Chen remained noncommittal. “I don’t know, and I have no interest in knowing.”

“Will you protect me?”

“No, you need to resolve your own troubles.”

Hmph, utterly useless!

By now, I had become completely numb to all sorts of sudden developments. Even if I learned the world would end tomorrow, I wouldn’t struggle. Kill me or flay me, whatever. I was too weary to remain in such a dismal world.

“Will Fatty wake up? Will he suffer any lasting effects?”

“He’s fine. That entity only subjected him to brief mind control. He’ll forget everything that happened once he wakes up.”

Just then, Fatty smacked his lips and mumbled in his sleep, “Look at Ni Ge; he’s already drunk after a few drinks. What a lightweight… Ajiu, I have some good stuff in my room. Want to come over?”

I genuinely wanted to slice open that fat, thick face of his and see what exactly he pondered all day long.

He continued, “Ajiu, where’s your 155mm main cannon? Blown up? That’s hilarious! I’m telling you, you’ve become a beautiful girl, hahahaha… hic…”

The incredibly powerful 155mm single-mount cannon beside me quipped, “You two are a perfect match.”

I sighed. What terrible karma did I accumulate in my past life to encounter such a detrimental friend?

“Isn’t this quite good? Though he’s a shut-in, his ability to remember you shows he’s truly loyal.”

“Wouldn’t he be exposed to danger now that his protective barrier is gone?”

“So, you could tell him the truth. His mind is quite excellent; he might even become a Keeper.”

This is my fault. Now he won’t be able to live as a simple, happy shut-in.

“Simple happiness…” Ling Chen gazed at the endless steel forest in the distance, stretching languidly. “What a luxury that is…”

“Ajiu!”

Fatty suddenly awoke. I put down my phone and smiled at him.

“Oh, you’re awake. The surgery was a great success. You’re a woman now.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” He clutched his head, wincing. “Where am I?”

“The rooftop of the teaching building.”

Fatty exclaimed in surprise, “Wait, why am I resting on your lap?”

“That’s a perk. You’re the first person to enjoy my lap pillow. Consider yourself lucky.”

“Don’t be like that; I’m scared. How could you suddenly be so nice to me?”

Fatty quickly scrambled off me, touching his face and grimacing in pain. “I remember now! You slapped me… Eh, why did you slap me?”

“Because you publicly touched my chest.”

Fatty’s mouth opened wide, words failing him. “I… I…”

“But you didn’t actually touch it.”

“So what exactly happened? Why don’t I remember anything?”

“You said I used to be a man.”

“That’s right!” Fatty became agitated. “Who are you? Why are you impersonating my good buddy Ling Jiu!”

“I am Ling Jiu.”

While Fatty was asleep, I gazed at his plump face and, after much deliberation, finally made a decision.

“I’ll tell you the truth. Try not to be too shocked.”

After I thoroughly explained the entire situation, Fatty was utterly dumbfounded.

“You’re saying there’s a God in this world?”

“Yes.”

“There’s an Inner World?”

“Yes.”

“And mysterious Keepers?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re even an Apostle?”

“That’s right.”

Fatty closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let out a single word to express his feelings.

“F*ck!”

“I know it’s hard to believe, but everything I said is true. Just now, you were possessed by an Inner World entity, which is why you lost your memory.”

Fatty shook his head. “No, that’s not what I care about. You said your younger brother became a living person?”

“He just left. Should I take you to see him?”

Fatty walked around the rooftop, head bowed. “This is too preposterous.”

“You think so too, right? I’m even more bewildered.”

Suddenly, Fatty slapped his forehead, muttering, “So that’s it. I understand now. I understand everything.”

“What do you understand?”

Fatty pulled a stone from his pocket. It looked unremarkable, just a common pebble.

“This is?”

“A wishing stone.”

Fatty stated solemnly, “A fortune-teller by the roadside sold it to me, telling me it could make wishes come true.”

“How much did you spend?”

“A thousand.”

“You were scammed! Spending so much money on a worthless stone, are you an idiot?”

Fatty shook his head. “No, it’s real. I made a wish with it, and it actually came true.”

“What wish did you make?”

“I wished for my good buddy to get together with the Goddess.”

Why would you make that wish?

He looked embarrassed. “That fortune-teller said this wishing stone was particularly effective, so I decided to test it on you first. I figured it was impossible for you to get together with the Goddess, so if you succeeded, it would prove the wishing stone was truly effective.”

I was about to scoff at his gullibility, but then I suddenly realized that, however outlandish his explanation, his wish seemed to have come true—An An and I had become best friends.

“Let me see your wishing stone.”

Fatty handed me the pebble. It looked like any other. However, just as I prepared to mock him, the System abruptly interrupted.

Anomaly detected.
Anomaly confirmed.
The Devil’s Wishing Stone.
Effect: Fulfills wishes in the worst possible way.

My gaze toward Fatty instantly changed, and I gritted my teeth.

“Sun Xiaochuan!”

“Eh, what’s wrong?”

“So it was you, you scoundrel, who brought all this trouble upon me!”

I finally understood why I had dreamt of God. Fatty had obtained the Devil’s Wishing Stone and made a wish, which was why I became entangled with the Inner World, lost my protective barrier, and even turned into a girl.

I desperately wanted to beat Fatty black and blue, but my clenched fists eventually relaxed.

Hmph, there was absolutely no need to sympathize with him.

He whispered, “Wasn’t I doing it for your own good?”

“Do you know what this wishing stone of yours does?”

“No.”

“This is a tool the Devil uses to trick people! That fortune-teller was nothing but a disguised demon.”

“Devil…”

Fatty’s face went blank, and he murmured, “Holy crap, so my dream was real.”

“What did you dream about?”

Fatty recalled, “Someone claiming to be the Devil said he had a way for me to retain memories of when you were a man. He said he wanted to make a deal with me.”

“What kind of deal?”

“He said he occasionally needed to commission me to do things.”

“Why?”

“I’m not quite sure. He said after encountering a difficult enemy, he was left with a severely damaged soul and couldn’t work, so he had to find a way to recover through this method.”

Sometimes, one couldn’t help but marvel at the impartiality of fate. I became an Apostle, and Fatty was possessed by a demon. We were both in the same boat.

“It seems we’re in this together now. By the way, do you have something like a system?”

“You too? I have something called the ‘Hell Civil Servant Comprehensive Assessment System,’ but I can’t use it.”

I pushed up my glasses. “Did you go to my doorstep?”

“Uh, I don’t know about that.”

“Do you remember anything from last night?”

Fatty looked surprised. “I can’t recall!”

It seems the truth is out then.

The entity that had given me a harsh warning last night was the demon possessing Fatty. It appeared he already knew my identity and had possessed Fatty to get close to me.

“Can he hear what we’re saying right now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh?”

My tone turned cold as I stared into Fatty’s eyes. “Now that you know I’m an Apostle, you should also know I’m not to be trifled with. Though I don’t know your exact identity, I suspect you’re a demon working for Hell in the Surface World.”

“Since that’s the case, I’ll be frank with you—”

“What do you want?”

Fatty’s words were cut short as his head drooped like a puppet with cut strings.

“Hahahaha, as expected of an Apostle. I truly do need your help, Miss Ling Jiu…”

When Fatty lifted his head again, a faint, sinister smile played on his lips.

“Miss Ling Jiu, would you like a partner?”