Evil God 15

The Starving God-Eroded 1

That night, Chen Yu lay on the messy bed in his bedroom.

He stared wide-eyed at the little evil god on the ceiling.

It clung to the corner of the wall like a lizard, all four limbs gripping the surface as it emitted a hissing sound.

It had remained in this state ever since they returned to the apartment. It neither slept nor ate. The tiny clothes and baby bottles Chen Yu offered were invariably thrown aside and scattered everywhere.

Chen Yu had considered whether the little evil god needed food or clothing like a human; however, the creature clearly failed to sense his goodwill through that invisible umbilical cord. Instead, it would throw away whatever the young man handed it, or simply tear the items to shreds.

The result was that no sooner had Chen Yu tidied up than the area would immediately become a mess again in the blink of an eye.

After repeating this process twice, Chen Yu simply gave up on cleaning and lay down on the bed.

Yet, tonight, the little evil god was somewhat different.

It still clung on the wall and hissed as usual, but was much quieter. Its eyes darted about. After avoiding Chen Yu’s gaze, they turned toward the window.

Chen Yu followed its gaze.

His blurred silhouette was reflected in the windowpane, but in the darkness beyond that reflection, something else seemed to be lurking.

Chen Yu stared in that direction. The building opposite loomed like a behemoth crouching in the darkness. Most of the windows were dark; only a scattering of them still showed light.

There was no sound of wind, and the insects had fallen silent; an unnatural hush blanketed everything.

Eventually, Chen Yu’s gaze fell on the window. An air-conditioning unit was humming there, and through a gap, a dim red light flickered like a pair of eyes.

“Being a bit of a rascal, are we?”

For some reason, Auntie Chen’s voice echoed in Chen Yu’s mind.

He walked over to the window and examined it closely. After confirming that nothing was amiss, he simply drew the curtains and shut out that prying red light.

That night, Chen Yu opened his work app and submitted a leave request for the following day.

Reason for leave: Broke a leg in a plane crash; need regular hospital check-ups for the injury.

*

Early the next morning, Chen Yu changed into his usual work clothes and, cradling the little evil god, prepared to knock on the door across the hall.

As soon as he stepped out of the entryway, he found the old woman already waiting at her door. Upon seeing Chen Yu, she immediately smiled.

“Xiao Yu, heading to work so early? You really work hard.”

“I’m counting on you today, Auntie.”

With that, Chen Yu handed the little evil god over to her.

The old woman hurriedly stepped forward; she grabbed the baby’s spindly, stick-like legs with one hand and held its head with the other.

“This baby looks so blessed. Fair-skinned and chubby; you can tell just by looking that he’s got a strong appetite!”

Chen Yu glanced at the scrawny infant and couldn’t help but frown.

When the little evil god was first born, it had been pitch-black and covered in wrinkles; after the fight with the vortex, it had shriveled down to the size of a palm. At first glance, it looked just like an oversized rat.

It wasn’t until the creature was brought to the White/Turbidity Asylum that its condition improved. Though Chen Yu often wondered what kind of life the little thing had actually endured in that “nursery” while he was in a coma.

However, that by the time he woke up, the creature had finally begun to look a bit more like a human [visit our site]baby. Even so, it was nowhere near being “fair-skinned and chubby.”

Chen Yu didn’t contradict the older woman’s ill-fitting praise; instead, he offered a modest smile.

“The baby is adorable. What’s his name?” the woman suddenly asked.

Chen Yu was rooted to the spot.

The little evil god. Just that.

Chen Yu certainly knew the creature had been cut from his own womb, and he had considered practical matters like whether it needed to eat or sleep. But before it was a “baby,” it was, first and foremost, an evil god.

Most of the time, Chen Yu viewed it as a monster: a lizard, a spider, or a giant rat… in short, anything but a human infant. Naturally, the thought of giving it a name had never even crossed his mind.

His expression changed several times, until a smile finally appeared on his face.

“Xiao Huntun…”¹

There was a hint of hesitation as he said the first syllable, but his voice grew certain immediately after. By the time the third syllable left his mouth, it felt as though the name had already been called countless times upon his tongue.

Chen Yu didn’t look at the old woman; instead, he fixed his gaze on the restless little evil god:

“From today on, your name is Xiao Huntun.”

“‘Xiao Hundun² is a great name. Nom – swallowed in a single bite. So cute~”

The old woman, seemingly oblivious to anything unusual in the exchange, smiled brightly. At that moment, her entire face seemed to come alive with movement. Those wrinkles writhed like living creatures. They squeezed together to form bottomless crevices, leaving only a pair of beady black pupils sunken deep within.

Chen Yu nodded with a smile. Then, he waved at the little evil god in the old woman’s arms and turned to leave for work.

Throughout the entire interaction, the only sound of dissent came from the little evil god, who hissed in protest.

*

After watching Chen Yu’s figure disappear behind the elevator doors, the old woman clamped the little evil god against her chest, and turned to open her own door.

It was a lifeless, dreary apartment. The empty living room held nothing but an old recliner, and the air was heavy with the smell of mildew. The bedroom beyond was silent; the old man she was always talking about seemed not to be home.

The old woman walked over and lay down in the recliner. Just outside the window behind her, schools of blue fish drifted slowly past.

She lay there all afternoon, doing nothing. The schools of fish outside swam back and forth, one group replacing another, until dusk finally fell; only then did she pick up the little evil god and sit up.

Her deep-set eyes scrutinized the ugly little creature inch by inch.

“So, this is the legendary Chaos Evil God.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… I wondered what kind of monster it would be.”

Her raspy voice echoed in the silent room like a saw cutting through wood. Yet, the little evil god seemed not to understand; visit our site it neither struggled nor hissed.

The old woman chuckled softly.

“Xiao Huntun. So cute. One bite, and it’s gone…”

She muttered to herself while carrying the little evil god toward the kitchen.

Soon, the rhythmic sound of a cleaver chopping filling rang out from the kitchen.

Chen Yu, who was crouching behind a building some distance away, witnessed it all, aided by the light from the schools of fish drifting outside the window.

Throughout the day, the old woman had shown no signs of anything amiss; she appeared exactly as she wanted to be seen, an ordinary, kind-hearted neighbor who loved foisting local specialties on others.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but frown.

When the time was right, he pretended to be returning from work. With a thank you gift, he knocked on the old woman’s door. The old woman was warm when she opened the door; she thrust a plate of dumplings into his hands without giving Read onhim a chance to refuse. “Xiao Yu, the dumplings I made today are delicious. I saved a whole plate just for you!”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“Xiao Yu, you have work tomorrow too, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then why not leave the little one with me again?”

As she spoke, she glanced toward the little evil god sitting inside the room. “We got along so well today. Look how well-behaved he is.”

Chen Yu: “…”

“Auntie Chen, I’ve already troubled you enough today; I…”

“It’s no trouble at all!” The old woman cut him off immediately. “I get so bored at home; it’s wonderful having the little guy for company. You wouldn’t Read on believe it, but my old man really likes him too!”

Chen Yu frowned slightly as he looked at the kindly smile on her face.

“Alright, then.”

That evening, Chen Yu opened his work app again and submitted a request to “Baldy Zhao,” stating that his leg hadn’t fully healed and he needed another day of leave.

Early the next morning.

Chen Yu hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet when a knock sounded at the door. He opened it to find the old woman standing outside.

She was wearing a new floral apron today, and her smile was even brighter than the day before; her eyes gleamed with a certain irrepressible light.

After handing the little evil god over to her, Chen Yu didn’t summon those useless fish; instead, he took the elevator down, then stealthily doubled back through the stairwell.

He intended to keep a personal watch on ​stolen content​this strange Auntie Chen. He slipped silently into his own apartment and sat in the living room.

At first, there was nothing. About two hours later, a series of thumping sounds drifted in from the apartment across the hall. It was a sound Chen Yu knew well. He heard the exact same noise whenever the little evil god was jumping around his apartment.

Yet, Chen Yu remained motionless.

Another hour passed, and the clattering, banging noises ceased.

At the same moment, a strange emotion surged along that invisible umbilical connection… a sensation laced with mockery, hunger, and excitement. Immediately following, a piercing screech tore through the walls, making the very air around Chen Yu tremble.

It was the little evil god’s voice.

Chen Yu rushed out instantly and kicked open the door across the hall.

Inside the previously empty living room, a circle had been drawn using a dark red liquid, and the little evil god was at its center.

The old woman squatted before the spawn, unauthorized copy with a pool of viscous saliva dripping onto the floor at her feet.

Her mouth opened. It opened wider than any normal human mouth could; her entire face split down the middle, revealing rows upon rows of needle-like teeth.

“Auntie Chen,” Chen Yu said, his voice calm. “Are you a God-Eroded too?”

The old woman’s split face slowly turned toward him; her beady black eyes gleamed with a light that was not human.

“Xiao Yu…” The voice was still that of the kindly old lady, yet within her gaping maw, those rings of needle-like teeth writhed and shifted. “You’re back way too early.”

“The wontons aren’t cooked yet.”