Chapter 25 – The Twenty-Fifth Ray of Light

New Year’s Day arrived as scheduled, and the atmosphere was just like in previous years. Even though things had been unsettled lately, nothing could stop the common folk from celebrating the small New Year with their usual enthusiasm.

Red curtains were hung, and beautiful paper cuttings were put up on the windows. Young men carried steaming steamers of food back home, and children walked by with skewers of candied hawthorns. The streets were as lively as ever, as if the giant rats that had cluttered the streets just the day before had become nothing more than a dream.

Early in the morning, Si Nuocheng received the news. There had been continuous major events lately, and to ensure peace during the small New Year celebration, the government requested that major companies cooperate by distributing welfare, encouraging people to stay home on New Year’s Eve.

In short, the content on Ji Si’s Weibo had caught the higher-ups’ attention.

With the government’s connections and their long-standing adherence to materialism, they would never rashly issue a notice prohibiting people from going out on New Year’s Eve. But after three incidents, they were still shaken, and Ji Si’s prophecies made them nervous.

The country was vast, and the government truly didn’t dare send out a message that might cause panic. After much discussion, they came up with one solution—distribute welfare on New Year’s Eve and have people stay home to grab it in front of the TV, hoping it would keep them from going outside.

With such a significant outflow of money, it was a roundabout way of warning people not to go out. They’d done their best.

Seeing this, Si Nuocheng naturally agreed to cooperate.

Spending money was not a problem; the real difficulty was getting on board with the big ship. As someone who never did a losing business, he was confident that the money he spent now would be returned a hundredfold, a thousandfold in the future. Thus, distributing welfare wasn’t charity—it was a mutually beneficial investment.

He had his secretary notify everyone, from food and electronics to service points and malls, both domestic and international, handing out all possible benefits and clearly marking them with large letters: “This offer is available only once. Don’t miss out!”

Afterward, whether he was standing, sitting, or lying down, countless money and opportunities flew toward him.

Perfect!

Ji Si turned his head, silently observing Si Nuocheng.

In an instant, he “saw” a vast surge of energy gathering from all directions toward Si Nuocheng, like a divine nectar pouring into him, unlocking his meridians and connecting his seven chakras. Heavenly light descended, and the earth’s spiritual energy met it, as if he had been ignited, radiating the dawn of spiritual energy from every inch of his body.

At that moment, even the sun and moon could not compete with his brilliance.

But soon, his radiance returned to its dazzling golden and jade glory, once again emitting the fragrance of money. However, as the energy poured in, his aura slowly expanded.

Vibrations caused vibrations, and force fields merged with force fields. Gradually, Ji Si noticed that Si Nuocheng’s radiance surrounded his protective aura, and his own energy was being subtly led astray.

Ji Si: …

He calmly opened his Weibo and entered his feed. DING! It was the crisp sound of money clinking.

A large red envelope appeared on the screen, and with a casual click, 888 yuan popped up as a major welfare prize: “Congratulations! You have won third prize in the New Year’s lottery! Your reward has been sent to your Weibo wallet. Please check it!”

Ji Si: …

Upon confirming, Young Master Si was a living, walking god of wealth. Even though most of his energy was blocked by the protective circle, his ability to manifest money still affected the surrounding energy.

So, he was a money power user?

Ji Si stared at the 888 yuan in his wallet and fell into a long silence.

Leeching off someone else’s energy for a red envelope… was this another trap? Why did it feel like this trap… was getting deeper?

Not long after, Si Nuocheng stood up, stretched his muscles, and said to Ji Si, “I’m not going out tonight. I’ve released red envelopes all over the internet, worth billions. Make sure to grab some. By the way, get yourself a WeChat account. I’ll add you to the Si Group employee welfare group. I’ll be sending more red envelopes soon.”

Ji Si: …

“What’s that look on your face?” Si Nuocheng noticed the rare blank expression on Ji Si’s face and felt like something had cracked within him.

“Don’t mind it, I’m always nice to my own people.”

Si Nuocheng added, “If you don’t want to grab it, it’s fine. It’s New Year’s Day, I’ll give you a personal welfare. No WeChat? Don’t worry, I’ll have Weibo send you money.”

Soon, DING! The sound of money knocking at the door.

Ji Si expressionlessly clicked on his Weibo, only to find the wallet balance jump from 888 to 10,888… The feeling of someone else digging a pit for him and pushing him into it was indescribable.

Fine, let’s just call it tuition fees.

Si Nuocheng, satisfied with the money distribution, was about to urge Ji Si to get a WeChat account when his friends’ messages came flooding in, one after another.

First, Yu Mingyang: “Boss Si, I know you’re handing out welfare today. Can you add me to your employee welfare group to grab some red envelopes?”

Si Nuocheng manually rejected him: “No chance.”

Then, Jiang Qining: “Brother Cheng, I saw something crazy in your recent moments! The brothers and I were talking about it, and it’s just too weird!”

Si Nuocheng replied simply: “Tell me.”

Jiang Qining said, “Brother Cheng, look—when you first arrived in Lingdong, there was a plane crash; when you arrived at Jingdu Port, a giant snake ate people; and when you went back to Lingdong, a demon appeared! Brother Cheng, tell me honestly, are you some kind of curse magnet? Also, we’re asking where you’re going next, but we absolutely won’t go there!”

Si Nuocheng: …

Plastic brothers, blacklisted.

…

On New Year’s Day, around 5 p.m., in the military dorm provided by the Qu Kang team, Jiang Ziying woke up in a cold sweat.

Her eyes were unfocused for a moment, and after a while, she regained her senses. She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her hair and felt an intense itch on her cheek, which made her instinctively reach for it.

She forced herself to suppress the impulse and decided to go to the washroom to splash some cold water on her face to calm down.

It was the second time. From last night until this afternoon, she had dreamed again of the child she met at the park. He was lying on his mother’s shoulder, his black-and-white eyes looking at her, his lips moving slightly, clearly uttering three words: “Go find him.”

Go find him…

Who exactly was she supposed to find?

“Ugh! I’m going crazy!” She shook her head, took off the bandage from her cheek, and was about to apply new medicine before heading to the hospital to switch shifts with Shen Yunting. But when the bandage fell, she froze, staring at herself in the mirror in disbelief.

Frozen in place, her face filled with shock.

Jiang Ziying hesitantly reached out, gently touching the skin of her cheek. The flesh that had been chewed off by the giant rats a day ago—two fingernail-sized pieces—was still there. The wound was hideous, and it seemed impossible to recover. But now, not long after, the wound was no longer red and raw. Instead, it had grown new, pink… flesh?

What… what was happening?

She knew her recovery rate—though stronger than ordinary people’s, it was still within the normal range. Large, bleeding wounds should heal more slowly.

A wound from the day before, half healed within 24 hours. Was she hallucinating? Was it the hospital’s medication, or was her body also mutating like the giant rats and snakes?

Suddenly, the landline in the dorm rang urgently.

Jiang Ziying picked up the phone, and she heard Shen Yunting’s excited voice: “Xiao Jiang, Old Zhou has been saved!”

“Huh?”

“Old Zhou has been saved!” The voice on the other end of the line, a man over 1.8 meters tall, was trembling with emotion, “He’s alive! They cut off three meters of intestines, a sixteen-hour surgery, and he pulled through! Old Zhou is alive!”

“Ah, I’ll be right there!” Jiang Ziying hung up the phone, quickly applied the medicine on her face, grabbed her coat, and rushed out.

Unexpectedly, her eyes fell on the painting propped up in the doorframe.

A white ghost holding a staff, snow falling in a silent mountain. The childish brushstrokes conveyed a sacred meaning, and it seemed as though the three words echoed in her ear again: Go find him.

Go find him…

A feeling occasionally appears, which can be called an “illusion.” But when the same feeling repeats, it can no longer be called “coincidence.”

Jiang Ziying stroked the painting, unsure of what she was thinking.

Fifteen minutes later, she posted the painting on her Weibo, with a slightly hopeless caption: “A child’s drawing, the theme is ‘Go find him.’ I’m just a rough person, can anyone explain what the painting means?”

Five minutes passed, but there was no reply.

BANG! The door slammed shut as Jiang Ziying had already run out toward the hospital.

…

In the hospital room, Old Zhou, who had just regained his life, wasn’t in good spirits, but he gripped Shen Yunting’s hand tightly. He spoke intermittently, and Shen Yunting couldn’t break free, so he had to persuade him: “Old Zhou, I need to go out, you need to rest.”

“Team Shen, I saw… white light rise.”

“It’s snow.” Shen Yunting sighed, “You’ve been seriously injured, and your consciousness is blurred. You probably saw it wrong. Stop stressing and rest.”

“White light rise…” Old Zhou wouldn’t let go, gasping for air, “A man, someone, in the light! He made the rain fall, it was warm…”

Shen Yunting froze: “Warm rain?” After the snow, the rain had indeed been warm.

But at that time, Old Zhou had one foot in the grave, unconscious. How did he know?

Shen Yunting listened intently.

“I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was white… I have to say it, Team Shen,” Old Zhou’s eyes gleamed, “I’m afraid if I don’t say it, I’ll forget when I wake up. Yes… I’ll forget, I’ll forget.”

“Old Zhou, you…”

“Warm rain, called Gongdelin.” Old Zhou’s breath grew heavier, his pupils dilating, as if sleep was creeping up on him, “It falls on people, on the dead flesh, the bones of the dead. Those with merit won’t die, those without will perish.”

“I survived, Team Shen.”

Even after a major surgery, Old Zhou’s spirit still hovered between life and death. His soul, freed from the shackles of his body, wandered between the realms, and in the midst of the myriad wonders of fate, he glimpsed a bit of divine power.

Even if it was just a single breath shared with the heavens and earth, the information gained exceeded all expectations. And when a person lives after facing death, they gradually forget the mysterious state and return to their mundane daily life.

Old Zhou experienced it, guessed it, and desperately wanted to speak before he forgot.

“Team Shen, go find him!”

His grip tightened suddenly, but his eyes closed, the words clear: “White, glowing man, go find him, find him.”

“He’s here, you must, must…” Hurry!

His voice turned into a long exhale, heartbeat and blood pressure stabilizing, and the room fell silent.

Old Zhou fell asleep.

Shen Yunting stood up quietly and left the room. Just as he stepped out the door, he saw Jiang Ziying arriving at the hospital: “Just fell asleep, recovering well.”

“How’s your face?” Shen Yunting asked, snapping out of it, “I know a senior dermatologist. If you need, I can contact her.”

Jiang Ziying touched her face and shook her head: “It’s fine, no rush. But what about your arm, Team Shen? I remember you…” had chunks of flesh bitten off by the giant rat.

“It’s fine.” Shen Yunting smiled, moving his arm up and down, “Haven’t changed the bandages recently, but it feels stronger than usual.”

They chatted for a while before heading to another ward to visit their comrades.

Finally, Jiang Ziying accompanied Shen Yunting to the department to change bandages. She was prepared to see the gruesome sight of a bloodied arm, but when the doctor removed Shen Yunting’s bandages, not only was she stunned, but even the doctor couldn’t believe it!

The arm that had been bitten by a giant rat just the day before now showed no sign of the injury. There was no raw flesh, no new flesh growing, just the faint outline of tooth marks left on the skin.

Jiang Ziying covered her mouth: “Oh my god.”

The doctor was shocked: “What’s going on? Did you use your own flesh to graft?”

Shen Yunting: “…No.”

He gently rubbed his skin. The agonizing pain from before had completely disappeared, and his condition was as if he had never been injured.

What was going on?

[Gongdelin… dead flesh and white bones…]

[Team Shen, find him!]

Shen Yunting suddenly stood up, his expression shocked.

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PS: Ji Si: Starting a new monster chapter next time, teammates, hurry up. If you don’t come, I’ll just fight by myself.

DING! Normal warrior “Shen Yunting” joined the team.

DING! Normal warrior “Jiang Ziying” joined the team.

DING! Living European god “Si Nuocheng” joined the team.

DING! Deadweight “Yu Mingyang” and African chief “Jiang Qining” and a group of “teammates” joined the team.

Ji Si: … Strange teammates keep adding up.