Evil God 25

Shibaliwu Gorge 1

“Another day off?”

Zhao Youyu frowned as he sized Chen Yu up.

“Something came up at home.”

The young man stood before the desk with his head slightly bowed, his posture humble and deferential.

Zhao Youyu snorted and tapped his pen against the desktop with a sarcastic air. “You know, Xiao Chen, I’m well aware that you’re a favorite of Mr. Quan’s these days. I heard his driver personally drove you home yesterday…tsk, tsk. That car… I could work a lifetime and still not afford even a single wheel.”

Chen Yu frowned, he hadn’t expected the gossip to spread so fast; it had only happened last night, yet the news had already reached Baldy Zhao’s ears by today.

“You used to be such a well-behaved kid.” Zhao Youyu leaned back in his chair, his words delivered with a theatrical, sing-song cadence. The rising inflection at the end of his sentences visit our site dripped with resentment. “You never left early when working overtime; you did exactly what you were told. But look at you now…asking for leave every other day. I guess latching onto a powerful backer really changes things; you’ve certainly got a lot more confidence now.”

“Brother Zhao, I really do have a family matter to attend to. I hope you can cut me some slack just this once.” Chen Yu kept his head down.

But Zhao Youyu had no intention of letting him off the hook so easily.

“Cut you some slack?” He rolled the words around in his mouth. “Who am I to cut you any slack?” He emphasized the “you.” “Mr. Quan himself told me I absolutely mustn’t give you a hard time. So, it seems I have no choice but to approve this leave, whether I want to or not.”

Zhao Youyu finished speaking with a face full of mockery. Seeing that Chen Yu remained silent, he clacked away at his keyboard and approved the leave request. That’s right. The situation had reached this point because the initial request had been rejected, forcing Chen Yu to come and plead his case in person.

“Have a pleasant holiday.” Despite his words, there wasn’t a trace of a smile on Zhao Youyu’s face.

Chen Yu pretended not to notice the sarcasm; instead, he bowed gratefully to that bald head. “Thanks, Brother Zhao!”

After saying this, he turned and headed downstairs.

Two days later, Chen Yu appeared at Nanyun Mountain Airport with the little evil god in his arms.

The airport looked exactly as it had before. Following the previous plane crash, Nanyun Mountain Airport had undergone a comprehensive overhaul and was now fully reopened. The terminal’s glass curtain wall reflected the dazzling afternoon sunlight; travelers with suitcases bustled back and forth, and boarding announcements played on a loop over the loudspeakers.

Yet, standing at the terminal entrance, Chen Yu couldn’t help but pause for a moment, lost in thought. He still remembered the last time he had stormed onto a plane, his mind consumed by anger and grievance. Back then, he hadn’t known what lay ahead, believing that moment to be the saddest of his life, completely unaware that he would eventually give birth to a child.

At this thought, Chen Yu looked down at Xiao Huntun, who was sitting atop his suitcase. After leaving the museum, the entity had spent three days and three nights sleeping; upon waking, he looked almost exactly like an ordinary three-month-old infant. However, when Chen Yu gazed into those eyes, he sensed something indefinable within them. He even had the fleeting illusion that the evil god could actually understand what he was saying.

So, Chen Yu decided to test it out.

“I’m going to the Shibaliwu Gorge over the next few days. Do you want to come along?”

No sooner had the words left his lips than the little evil god began to babble. The sounds were a string of meaningless syllables, yet those eyes remained fixed on Chen Yu.

Then, the infant quickly climbed up onto Chen Yu’s shoulder– though, given his weight, he couldn’t cling on, so he settled for sitting on his shoulder instead. His movements were agile; for a three-month-old baby, the speed was absurdly fast.

No matter how much he resembled an ordinary infant on the outside, visit our siteXiao Huntun was still an evil god. Yet, this strange behavior actually made Chen Yu feel a sense of relief. In short, that was how he ended up bringing the little evil god along to the airport.

Chen Yu soon found Captain Duan at the agreed-upon spot. Captain Duan was standing by a charging station. Chen Yu was slightly surprised to see two familiar faces– whom he hadn’t seen in ages –standing behind him: Xiao Sheng, the young man in black-rimmed glasses, and the slender Xiao Zhuo.

Xiao Zhuo was leaning lazily against a nearby pillar, idly playing with her hair, while Xiao Sheng sat close by with an open book in his hands. Their clothes hung loosely on their frames; they both seemed to have lost a noticeable amount of weight since the last time they met.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Chen Yu felt as though he could discern traces of bruising on both Xiao Sheng’s and Xiao Zhuo’s heads, marks that looked remarkably similar to the one on Captain Duan’s forehead.

He wheeled the little evil god over, and all three of them looked at Xiao Huntun almost simultaneously, their expressions wary. For a moment, no one spoke. Finally, Captain Duan frowned and broke the silence: “Has he finished absorbing the fragments?”

Chen Yu nodded.

At the same time, he glanced at Xiao Sheng and Xiao Zhuo: “You two saved me back in the Twilight Ruins. How come I haven’t seen you lately?”

Xiao Zhuo replied offhandedly, “What do you mean? We see each other every day.”

This answer left Chen Yu feeling confused. “See each other every day”?

What did that mean?

Xiao Sheng adjusted his glasses and glared at Xiao Zhuo, who glared back in annoyance. Then, Captain Duan frowned and replied: “It’s nothing; they went to handle other matters.”

This response only made Chen Yu more confused. By then, Xiao Zhuo had fallen silent. Xiao Sheng exchanged a glance with him; the eyes behind his lenses were calm– like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of any emotion –before he quickly lowered his gaze and began tidying up his book. It seemed no one wanted to pursue the topic further, so Chen Yu pursed his lips and let the matter drop.

After regrouping, the four of them boarded the plane and settled into business class. Quan Shigu had arranged the tickets, so the seats were naturally excellent, spacious and comfortable, capable of reclining fully into a bed. Beside the armrests lay exquisite menus and drink lists.

Chen Yu sat on his seat, while the little evil god slid down from his shoulder to lie down beside him. Their destination was the Yiji[fcnt content=’Ruins.’Continent, one of the Six Great Continents.

After takeoff, the cabin lights were dimmed. A holographic projection screen descended in front of them, beginning a looped promotional video about the Yiji Continent.

“The Yiji Continent is the smallest of the six continents in terms of both land area and population; since the Great War two hundred and fifty years ago, it has been reduced to a wasteland of ruins. Scattered across these ruins are remnants of the pre-war era– collapsed churches, rusted factories, and old apartment buildings overgrown with vines and moss –making the entire continent feel like a vast museum of history. Beyond its poignant historical sites, the continent boasts magnificent peaks and stunning natural scenery. Most famous among these is the ‘Shibaliwu Gorge’ one of only two 5S-rated scenic areas on the continent, which attracts a multitude of tourists every year.”

Chen Yu reclined in his seat while occasionally sipping wine and eating.

Xiao Huntun lay beside him. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the evil god, and his gaze met those chaotic eyes. In the dim cabin light, that color appeared particularly deep, like a chaotic nebula slowly rotating.

For some reason, they felt familiar. He seemed to suddenly fall into a dream, returning to more than half a year ago.

At that time, the company was doing well, so they organized a team-building event, a five-day trip including the weekend, to the Shibaliwu Gorge. That was Chen Yu’s first trip.

The scenery of the Shibaliwu Gorge was breathtaking, almost too beautiful for the human eye to bear. He was excited, walking along the boardwalk, taking photos everywhere with his phone, chatting and laughing with his colleagues, occasionally stopping to look at the distant waterfall, feeling that his life had been worthwhile.

Then, he accidentally fell into the water. He didn’t remember how it happened. He only remembered that icy water rushed in from all directions, filling his ears, nose, and mouth, and all he could see were churning bubbles and murky green. When he was rescued, he learned that a landslide had occurred.

In a half-awake state, Chen Yu felt as though he had returned to that plank walkway over the Shibaliwu Gorge. The wooden planks creaked beneath his feet, and the distant sea of fog churned with white-capped waves; everything was exactly as he remembered. He stood on the walkway, lost in thought, or perhaps simply waiting for something destined to happen.

Just then, the plane jolted. It felt as though a giant hand had lifted the aircraft from below before abruptly letting go.

Chen Yu was startled awake. Almost reflexively, he glanced at the overhead luggage compartment, a movement born of deep-seated vigilance, an instinct etched into his very bones by past trauma.

The compartment was closed. No rats crawled out; there was nothing amiss.

Chen Yu stared at the lid of the overhead compartment for a few seconds before slowly collecting his wits.

Xiao Huntun was lying next to him; upon seeing the look of shock on Chen Yu’s face, he let out a series of creaking giggles. It sounded almost like he was mocking him.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but frown.

Captain Duan was sitting in the adjacent seat. A moment later, his calm voice drifted over the thin partition: “It’s nothing; the plane likely hit an air current. Just a bit of turbulence.”

Chen Yu nodded but said nothing. He glanced at the lavish dining menu and the comfortable bed before him– red wine, steak, dessert, full-leather seating, and a berth that could lie completely flat. These were luxuries he hadn’t even dared to imagine when he first flew; now, they were laid out right in front of him. Yet, all sleepiness had vanished.