Chapter 1103: Fuck

“Heavenly Godbearer!”

The syllables escaped Gao Yang’s lips as realization struck. Greed being the Heavenly Godbearer would explain many things!

First off, the two matched in their timelines, trajectories, and goals. And when I made a grab of Dr. Jia, the fact that Clear Mirror and Nico had set up an ambush for me confused me. How did they do it?

It would make sense that the Heavenly Godbearer, namely Surnamed Li, had glimpsed into Dr. Jia’s Fate Slides and learned the exact time I would be there, thus sending her subordinates to catch me by surprise.

But why didn’t Greed use Fate Slides against me in the beginning?

Gao Yang analyzed the question. Perhaps Greed's power had been suppressed by the Heavenly Way due to it being a hidden parasite at first, requiring time to recover. Using its power beforehand could alert Surnamed Li to its presence and force it to kill her, thus exposing itself. The same was true of Dust and Goldthread.

As the Malediction descended, the Heavenly Way's power quickly deteriorated until it couldn't suppress the death monsters—that was supported by the fact that Pride had become increasingly powerful even before its monsterhood awakened. As a result, Greed was able to gradually exert control over Surnamed Li without her noticing. It made her think that she had comprehended a new ability at level 7.5—Fate Slides.

So, Greed is the Heavenly Godbearer and started the Godbearer Cult a long time ago. It worked with a number of pride monsters to plan the White Disaster and discreetly invaded Surnamed Li. Playing the leader of the Hundred Rivers Union on the surface and the Heavenly Godbearer in the shadow, Greed pulled the strings to achieve its goal.

There were at least two things Greed wanted: kill the Divine Scion, me, and find the summoner prime to awaken the seven death monsters and thus kill all awakeners—which would be the calling of all death monsters.

Unfortunately for Greed, the summoner prime was my grandpa, who had made a promise to my granny and hidden himself until I found him. Thus, Greed wasn’t able to carry out its scheme.

Gao Yang let out a deep breath and spent a few minutes reviewing his speculations. Making sure that there was no major inconsistency or hole, he sent Nine Frost a 200-word message summarizing his theory.

Nine Frost’s response came quickly. First a simple: “Fuck.”

Then another after a few seconds: “Roger that.”

Gao Yang stared at his phone for a moment. This seemed to be his first time seeing Nine Frost swear. He could tell how greatly the revelation had hit the man.

Gao Yang understood the sentiment.

Who would’ve thought that the subject of revenge Nine Frost had been dreaming of killing was right there? Had the summoner prime not sounded the horn, perhaps Nine Frost would’ve never found the Heavenly Godbearer.

Fate worked in mysterious way. One of the greatest obstacles the awakeners faced turned out to be the archenemy he had to take out. The bad blood, old and new, would be keeping Nine Frost up tonight.

And Gao Yang was unlikely to sleep tonight, either. He didn’t feel like sleeping at all.

Erasing the traces he left, he walked out of the security room and took a taxi back to the Shanqing District. Dawn slowly broke during the drive. The clear morning sun gradually woke Li City.

Gao Yang looked out of the window at the rousing streets, hearing the rising bustle of the traffic and activities. Now, the seven death monsters had awakened, and the elite monsters had mostly died over the past year, yet the wanderers continued to lead their lives dutifully.

Ironically, the city seemed no different from before. It had become...more beautiful in a way, even.

The wanderers wouldn’t wonder if they were byproducts of the clash between the Heavenly Way and the Mist. They wouldn’t question if they really exist. They wouldn’t wonder if their words, actions, and thoughts stemmed from free will.

They were happy because they were genuinely happy. The pain they felt was real. They loved the present and didn’t wonder about the doomsday. They were the most unlucky but also the most fortunate.

These myriad thoughts haunted Gao Yang until the car stopped by a familiar road. He paid and got out, looking up to see the neighborhood where he had spent years growing up.

Just like before, he walked to the right building and took an elevator to his floor. When he stood at the door to his home, he reached into his pocket and suddenly realized that he no longer had the key.

He froze, feeling a prick in his chest. It was subtle, small, yet pierced right through his heart.

It took him some time to steady his breathing. Making sure there was no one around, he teleported inside.

In the entryway, he first checked the shoe rack and made sure his sister hadn’t come home. Then he kicked his shoes off and put on slippers like an everyday ritual.

He didn’t turn on the light. Instead, he parted the curtains and allowed a hazy stream of sunlight to dissipate the dimness in the living room.

The fabric sofa was quaint yet warm. Everyday items and unpackaged snacks cluttered the glass tea table. The TV cabinet took up space while providing little utility. The old-fashioned cupboard divided the living space from the dining area. Standing quietly in a corner was a potted emerald tree trimmed to bring in happiness. Hanging on the wall were a family photo, a painting, and a cross stitch.

His home was no different from how he remembered it, only with a layer of dust.

Gao Yang walked across the living room to the door of his sister’s bedroom. It was a small one. When their father first took the family to Li City, they bought a place with three rooms and one living room. Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin slept on bunk beds when they were little, while the other rooms went to their grandmother and their parents.

Once they grew up, Gao Xinxin had to share a room with their grandmother instead, but that proved a little inconvenient. After some discussion, their parents had their grandmother’s room divided into a bigger room and a smaller room, the latter becoming Gao Xinxin’s room.

Gao Yang felt bad for his sister and volunteered to swap with her, but Gao Xinxin turned him down. She said that she loved the small space. It made her feel safe.

Before the move, the siblings had loved hiding in small tight spaces like cupboards, the attic, and the small cave in the hill in the back, seeing those as their secret bases. They grew out of their obsession with secret bases, but Gao Xinxin still loved a small space.

Gao Yang looked up at the three hooks with pixel art on them. The one in the center held a small handcrafted plaque that said “Knock” on the front and “Do Not Disturb” on the back. Now, the one facing him was “Knock”.

So Gao Yang knocked. No one responded.

“I’m coming in,” he said to no one before gently opening the door.