Chapter 67 Cult Leader [VIP]

“Clatter.”

The door was closed, and her beloved husband still hasn't appeared at the door to this day.

The woman's eyes were red, and she tried her best to suppress her sobs, but could only sigh. Looking at the still steaming dishes on the table, she called her child to come out and eat.

"Mom, isn't Dad coming home for dinner today either?" The timid girl hugged her doll and cautiously tugged at her mother's apron, saying disappointedly, "What has Dad been busy with lately? He hasn't been with us in so long."

The woman didn't know how to explain this to her daughter.

"Xiao Qiang mocked me today, saying I don't have a father and just talk nonsense all the time," the girl said indignantly. "I got so angry that I fought with him, but he lost and went to find his father. What a coward."

"If my dad were here, even if he had three or four more dads, he still couldn't beat us!"

Seeing her daughter's indignant expression, the woman could no longer hold back and covered her face, bursting into tears.

The daughter is still young and doesn't know the truth, but the woman who has already taken on the responsibility of the whole family is already on the verge of collapse.

One day, the husband suddenly shouted "divine punishment," saying that "divine punishment" would come to everyone, and that his husband would save them. He said that as long as he followed his husband to kill the "protagonist," he could avoid the "divine punishment."

Then, her husband abandoned her and their daughter, and followed that man, disappearing completely from their sight.

As time went on, other residents in the neighborhood started saying that she didn't have a husband at all, and that her daughter was an illegitimate child born out of wedlock.

She didn't understand her husband's talk of "divine punishment" and "protagonist." All she knew was that the man had deceived her husband and abandoned their family.

"Mom, please don't cry... I... I won't talk about Dad anymore, okay?"

Seeing her mother crying, the little girl panicked and quickly ran to her mother's side.

"It's not your fault, Xiaobao, Mommy doesn't blame you..." The woman bent down and picked up her daughter, her eyes, though full of tears and exhaustion, still filled with love as she looked at her daughter.

"Knock knock".

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The woman's eyes lit up suddenly, hope rekindled, and she quickly took her daughter's hand and opened the door.

The people standing outside the door were not her beloved husband, but two good-looking men who appeared to be in their early twenties.

The young man, whose appearance was the most refined and gentle, glanced at her wrist, then shifted his gaze to her face and said, "Hello, madam, we are police officers here to investigate the cause of your husband's death."

The woman, upon hearing what the young man said, froze, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

*

“Madam, we know you are very reluctant to believe this right now.” The young man introduced himself as Ziyu, a trainee police officer.

"As far as we know, before your husband left you, did he keep using words like 'divine punishment,' 'protagonist,' or 'NPC'?"

The woman nodded repeatedly, and the daughter in her arms, remembering her father's madness during that time, shrank into her mother's arms in fear.

Ziyu nodded and continued, "Then, at the end, did he also mention someone addressed as 'Sir'?"

“Yes, yes!” the woman affirmed. “It’s him. My husband said he was leaving with him, and then he never came back. I’ve been looking for him every day, but everyone says my husband doesn’t exist…”

The woman started crying again as she spoke.

Ziyu exchanged a glance with the person next to her, then closed her notebook and stood up: "Okay, we understand. Please rest assured, Madam, we have a suspect in your husband's death and will contact you when the murderer is apprehended."

The woman quickly asked, "Is the murderer that gentleman? You must not let him get away with this!"

Ziyu nodded: "Please rest assured."

As the two stepped out of the room, Ziyu, who had been on edge the whole time, slowly let out a breath.

"It is certain that after these people are taken away by 'divine punishment,' they will forget everyone except their closest relatives."

Ziyu looked at the woman still crying and the girl comforting her in the camera lens, sighed softly, and then looked at Lin Keyi beside him.

He never expected that in the end, it would be Lin Keyi who saved him and Qin Yuzhen.

By a stroke of luck, Lin Keyi arrived just in time, and the medical personnel he brought with him were highly professional, saving Qin Yuzhen's life when he was on the verge of death.

Because Lin Keyi's timing was so perfect, even Lin Keyi himself couldn't explain why he led the search and rescue team to that place. He only said that it seemed as if a voice from the depths of his being guided him there.

Ziyu tested him for a while, and only gave up when he saw that Lin Keyi really looked confused. He thought about what Lin Keyi had done in the previous two playthroughs and had a strange feeling.

Lin Keyi is like another person who keeps the plot moving, intervening whenever the plot might go astray, which makes him seem crazy and incomprehensible to others in the end.

Once Ziyu understood, the game world he once thought was real became a truly virtual world.

As for Tang Zuo.

He seemed to realize that his plan had failed, and these days he returned to his busy chairman persona, because there was no concrete evidence to point to the other party as the cause of the explosion and collapse, so they had not been able to actually arrest them.

Conversely, another charge could lead to Tang Zuo's arrest.

Although some NPCs have realized the error of this world, it is incomprehensible to the vast majority of people. Therefore, Tang Zuo, who spreads the so-called "divine punishment," can be identified as a cult leader.

"This is the last one." Ziyu prepared the collected evidence one by one.

“He used the name of gods to spread cults, instigated believers to cause death and injury, and even encouraged dangerous methods such as suicide. He’s in big trouble.”

“But apart from my closest relatives, no one else remembers having ever been there,” Lin Keyi said, puzzled.

Strangely, everything became strange after he woke up that day. It seemed as if an electronic voice kept urging him to take people to a certain place.

The electronic voice seemed to know that he was extremely obsessed with screenwriting, to the point that strange plots kept flashing through his mind while he was forced to witness distorted storylines.

Unable to bear the alteration of his favorite storyline, he could only follow the eerie voice and run to that place, where he finally met Ziyu.

He took an instant liking to the owner of those eyes. Even though Lin Keyi didn't understand what the man was rambling on about every day, he still followed him out of curiosity to search for the evidence.

"But the information registration on the police's records is still there." Ziyu waved the content on his phone, which Officer Sui had activated for him at great risk. "This is more effective for us, isn't it?"

When someone goes missing, is it suicide or homicide? Who can say for sure?

Looking at the evidence that was enough to sentence Tang Zuo to more than ten years in prison, Ziyu sneered.

Although he still doesn't know exactly what the rules of "divine punishment" are, he will never let Tang Zuo go.

*

After saying goodbye to Lin Keyi, Ziyu returned to Qinyu Town.

It's still a hospital.

What a terrible story.

He was either in the hospital every few days, or he was in the hospital in Qinyu Town.

The hospital has become like a second home.

Ziyu sat on the edge of the bed in Qinyu Town and began to process the task. Since he had decided to go back, he was sure he would be able to.

There must be a pattern to "divine punishment," and Tang Zuo may have even told the NPCs who wanted to kill him about this pattern.

Unfortunately, to this day he has still not been able to extract any clues about the patterns from those NPCs.

Of course, it's possible that only a small number of people know this pattern.

Qin Yuzhen was indeed rescued, but due to excessive blood loss and extreme emotional fluctuations, he is still recuperating, spending most of his time in a coma and few times fully conscious.

Ziyu opened the system panel, and the main system's contact button was already lit up. He sent the current situation to the other party again, not knowing when he would receive a reply.

As for other things, there's still no difference, and the system assistant is no longer online.

After compiling all the final evidence, Ziyu handed it all over to the police station in one go.

Now Ziyu's matter has become a major issue. The things that happened to him during this period have already made him famous online. In just a few days, various fatal events have befallen him. At first, people attacked him, saying that the victim is guilty, but after the explosion, there was no more such talk online.

Everyone was arguing about who Ziyu was and how he could escape so many fatal blows. Was he the protagonist?

...From another perspective, these netizens were actually right.

On the other hand, some people are questioning the police, asking why they haven't handled the situation properly after so many incidents. Are the police simply incompetent and ineffective?

Similarly, when the Qin family learned that their son had almost died, Qin's mother, who loved her son dearly, was nearly scared to death. After regaining her senses, she frantically pressured the public security department, demanding an explanation.

And so, Ziyu became an important figure for the police in their efforts to clear his name of being a good-for-nothing, and Ziyu was not worried that his case would be ignored.

Once Tang Zuo is dealt with, he will surely be able to figure out a way to go back.

After Ziyu finished all this, his brain was exhausted, and the young man felt lazy. He squeezed onto Qin Yuzhen's hospital bed and carefully pressed himself against Qin Yuzhen's chest.

Ever since he mistakenly thought Qin Yuzhen was dead after the building collapsed, Ziyu has had a kind of aftereffect; he always wants to hear if Qin Yuzhen's heartbeat is still there.

Ziyu nestled quietly in Qinyuzhen's arms, waiting for the next day to arrive.

He knew that Tang Zuo would definitely not let this go.

But right now, all he wants is a good night's sleep.

The young man's sleeping face was serene, his pale red lips were pursed even in his sleep, and his body was curled up in his arms, his slender and straight legs crossed with his own.

This is the scene Qin Yuzhen saw when he woke up.

He thought he was going to die there, but he never expected to survive.

Qin Yuzhen gently kissed Ziyu's forehead, then pulled Ziyu closer into his arms.

A gentle breeze is blowing.

*

On the other side, Tang Zuo looked at the noisy crowd in front of him with an extremely gloomy expression, while his phone, which was specifically used to instigate those low-level NPCs to kill Ziyu, was constantly receiving new information.

The Qin family believed Ziyu's words and disregarded business matters, determined to tear a few pieces of flesh from the Tang Group.

Meanwhile, his brain was being torn apart by the electronic device called the "little helper," with sharp sounds pounding heavily into his temples.

"Stop arguing!"

Tang Zuo suddenly smashed the vase next to him!

The shattered fragments scattered everywhere, startling the people in front of them, whose expressions varied.

"Why! Why!"

Tang Zuo thought, why, why can Ziyu have such a strong protagonist aura, while he can only shrink into a bunch of pitiful and ugly code from beginning to end!

His plan was so perfect; there were dozens, if not hundreds, of people trying to assassinate Ziyu, so why did he manage to evade them every time?!

"Sir! We can't go on like this!" The man in front of them stepped forward first, his expression urgent. "The frequency of the 'divine punishment' is increasing! Our numbers are dwindling, and if we don't act now, we'll all die in the end!"

Tang Zuo slowly raised his eyes to look at the man. Even though the man tried his best to control his fear, he still trembled uncontrollably for a moment when he saw Tang Zuo's appearance.

The chairman, who always appeared gentle and cheerful, now had a gloomy and eerie expression. Although his features were still regular, he gave off a distorted and strange feeling, and there seemed to be a green light similar to "divine punishment" flashing deep in his dark eyes.

The man's voice became shrill with fear:

We must strike first!