Chapter 116: Becoming a God for You

A warm sensation spread through every limb and bone. Xie Liu gradually awakened, feeling as if he were lying in a cozy place. "Where am I?" he whispered before opening his eyes.

“You’re resting your head on Angela’s lap,” came Wendy’s slightly exasperated voice from a daze. Xie Liu’s heart stirred at the sound, muttering softly, “No, this can’t be a dream of that tomboy.”

“Heh heh!” Wendy’s voice rang out again. “Big sis, don’t stop me—I want to strangle him and knock him out for good.”

Xie Liu chuckled quietly. Of course, he knew he was alive. After Franney and Nobunaga Oda had made their agreement, he understood he was safe for the time being. But just as he relaxed, a wave of dizziness surged through him, stealing his consciousness before he could think further. Yet, hearing Wendy’s voice first upon waking confirmed to Xie Liu that Franney had brought him here.

His head still dizzy, but that didn’t stop him from thinking again. He opened his eyes and froze.

Before him was Angela’s face, softly smiling. Seeing him awake, her expression brightened with surprise. “Where am I?” Xie Liu was confused, though a gentle fragrance wafted to his nose. Then he noticed something—his head was resting on...

Angela’s thigh!

No wonder Wendy sounded so annoyed, no wonder she wanted to strangle him, and no wonder he felt so warm.

But this warmth was something he dared not enjoy. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Had he unintentionally used Angela as a pillow, or did she offer it willingly?

The possibility that Angela did so on purpose was slim. After thinking it over, Xie Liu concluded he must have clumsily reached out to her while fainting.

“I’m finished,” he sentenced himself, closing his eyes, preparing for the worst.

“Xie Liu, since you’re awake, don’t be shameless and take advantage of our Angela anymore,” Franney’s half-teasing voice came through. “Get up, it’s fine. You didn’t grope Angela. If you had, you wouldn’t have woken up at all.”

Xie Liu sat up, but dizziness hit him again, nearly causing him to collapse. Angela’s quick reflexes caught him from behind.

“Thank you, I’m fine,” he signaled, and Angela hesitated before releasing him. “How long was I unconscious?”

“Not long, at most ten minutes. I brought you here, and Angela treated your many wounds. You’re almost fully recovered,” Franney said, sitting across from him on a broken stone, her gaze curious. “But your mental state is quite poor. You need rest.”

“I think I’m fine,” Xie Liu stood and stretched his stiff arms. “By the way, aren’t we using external bodies? How can fatigue even be an issue?”

Franney explained, “You are using an external body, yes, but your consciousness is still connected to your original body outside. All your actions and thoughts come from your original self; the external body merely provides feedback.”

“Similarly, everything the external body senses feeds back to your original body. But since your physical form isn’t harmed, your nerves bear double the stress,” Franney shook her head. “This is the biggest problem with external bodies—the psychological pressure can be overwhelming. Without relief, it can damage your original self.”

“You’ve done too much—intense battles and constant strategizing. Your mind is at its limit. If this continues, your original body will suffer,” Franney warned with concern. Xie Liu was indifferent. “It’s okay; I’m a cockroach—I can’t die,” he joked weakly.

At that moment, Lin Yang arrived with Ye Ling. The three exchanged heavy looks. Franney informed them about the planned decisive battle, and Lin Yang’s face grew solemn.

“This time, Silver Flash won’t participate,” Franney nodded. “After your fight starts, we’ll withdraw.” She pointed to Wendy, who was foolishly grinning while holding a massive rocket launcher. “Unless you die on the battlefield, all equipment found can be taken out—consider it a small perk of this competition.”

“Since we’re here, we might as well grab some rare gear,” Franney continued. Then, Tsukizuki Sayo stepped forward and tossed a small brooch to Xie Liu. “This is for you. I combined parts here to make an interference device that blocks some wind energy. Hopefully, it helps, but with Nobunaga Oda as your opponent, I can’t guarantee its effectiveness.”

Xie Liu accepted it gratefully. Sayo and the others waved, pulling Wendy along to stand together. Franney spoke softly, “You all go back first. I’ll accompany them a bit longer.” The girls nodded, and Angela quietly whispered “Good luck,” her voice soft and unconvincing.

Bathed in golden light, the Silver Flash team disappeared, leaving only Xie Liu, Lin Yang, Ye Ling, and Franney amidst the ruins.

“You should rest,” Franney said to them, but Xie Liu shook his head, then told Lin Yang and Ye Ling, “You two rest first. Save your strength for the upcoming battle.”

Lin Yang sighed deeply, agreed silently, and walked toward a stone mill to find a place to rest. Ye Ling hesitated, glanced between Lin Yang and Xie Liu, then followed Lin Yang.

With his teammates gone, Xie Liu exhaled sharply and sat on a fallen column, silent. Franney approached slowly, walking beside him. “Won’t you rest?”

“There’s not much time left,” Xie Liu said, pinching his chin, lowering his head in thought. A pained look crossed his face as he rubbed his forehead. Franney’s expression turned serious. “You have a headache? Rest—you’re exhausted.”

“No, that’s not it,” Xie Liu interrupted, still lost in thought. He didn’t notice Franney’s gaze shift behind him. She gently pinched the air, seemingly crushing something invisible.

One of the dozens of virtual screens outside the battlefield went black. Disappointed shouts rose from the audience—Franney had just destroyed a camera.

Afterward, Franney’s eyes held a new meaning: urgency, regret, and something hard to define. “You really need to rest,” she insisted, but Xie Liu ignored her words, muttering to himself.

“Nobunaga Oda is a level ten powerhouse. Ordinary weapons can’t hurt him. To break his wind shield, I need an especially powerful attack weapon. I only have level seven End of Days bullets…” He trailed off, then paused abruptly. “Damn it, how do I get close to attack him? I…”

He clutched his forehead in frustration. Franney urged, “Stop thinking. This is enough.”

“No, I don’t have time. At dawn, we face Nobunaga Oda. I must devise a strategy before then. There’s no time. I’ll think harder—what is Nobunaga’s weakness? No, it should be...” Xie Liu babbled on, but Franney firmly turned his face to meet her gaze.

Before him was a youthful, doll-like face—not handsome, but delicate and captivating, with no sharp features yet endlessly appealing. This seemingly seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy held half a hunting team in the palm of his hand, playing with them casually.

Yet exhaustion was etched deeply across this “child’s” face. Franney sensed his despair; he seemed to realize he couldn’t win.

She held his gaze. “Calm down. You can’t find a solution like this.”

“But...” Xie Liu hesitated. Rationally, he knew Franney was right—any thoughts now were futile. But what choice did he have? Could he even forfeit? “We’re already at the table. We can’t turn back.”

“Don’t you still have that hidden power?” Franney asked after a moment. Xie Liu shook his head. “Not to mention I can’t use it now, but with this external body, I can’t access that power. I...”

Tears welled up. “I really have no options left.”

“I’ve run out of ideas, but my teammates still trust me. I can’t fail them—I must find a way...” He began again, but Franney gripped him firmly, commanding, “Look at me.”

Xie Liu stared into Franney’s silver eyes, full of confusion. At that moment, Franney saw him as a lost child, not the indomitable warrior he appeared to be.

“I have a way to help you think clearly,” Franney smiled. “Relax. Close your eyes.”

Trusting her, Xie Liu slowly shut his eyes. Franney smiled softly, pressing her ring finger gently to his temple.

“Good. Relax. Sleep.”

Xie Liu shuddered, as if losing strength, then collapsed, limp. Franney gently cradled him as he nestled against her chest, breathing evenly, his mind silent.

She smiled wryly, softly holding his head. “Sleep, and when you wake, everything will be better. It will all pass.”

...

Lin Yang found what he thought was a comfortable spot and lay down, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with a huge hole. He tore a blade of grass and absentmindedly chewed it, legs crossed, bored.

Ye Ling approached quietly, stepping on crunching stones. Seeing Lin Yang lying down, she settled nearby, sitting down slowly. They sat in silence, side by side—he reclining, she sitting.

“There are no stars here,” Ye Ling said, looking up at the pitch-black sky. Lin Yang nodded. “Yeah, none.”

“Then I can’t say, ‘Tonight’s night is beautiful,’” Ye Ling stuck out her pink tongue playfully. Lin Yang didn’t catch her implied meaning, just nodded and replied softly, “No, you can’t.”

Their conversation ended there, the atmosphere chilling.

Lin Yang ignored Ye Ling’s expressions, staring blankly at the hole overhead. Finally, he couldn’t hold back. “At dawn, we face Nobunaga Oda. Do you think we can win?”

He blinked, then answered after a few seconds. “No. I don’t think Xie Liu can either.”

Ye Ling gazed helplessly at Lin Yang’s profile. She knew they couldn’t win this war. Nobunaga Oda stood at the pinnacle of the world, while they were insignificant extras.

This war was just a mess stirred up for that foolish guy who only caused trouble.

“Actually, even if we concede now, we still secure third place. We won’t be kicked out of the direct team,” Ye Ling said cautiously after much thought, watching Lin Yang’s reaction—and was disappointed by his blank expression.

“We’ve come this far. We don’t need to fight desperately anymore. Look, you got so much good equipment. If we quit now, we get to keep it all. Isn’t that what you wanted? You’re always whining about being poor. Now’s the chance. With this gear, we won’t be poor anymore, we can take more jobs, complete harder missions, earn more rewards, live better lives, we...” Her voice broke as tears streamed down her face.

“We’ll still be together, fighting, teasing, sabotaging...” Ye Ling wiped her tears but couldn’t clear them away. Lin Yang remained silent until she finally stopped crying.

“We’re still together, aren’t we? Isn’t that enough?” Ye Ling forced a smile. “We’ve shown outsiders we aren’t the worst, and let the Godslayer team know we’re not pushovers. Isn’t that enough?”

But then Lin Yang spoke.

“But the Godslayer team hasn’t apologized to you yet.”

Ye Ling’s words caught in her throat.

So, the reason they fought so fiercely wasn’t for fame or money—they only wanted an apology.

Her freshly wiped tears returned, this time without emotion. She whispered, “But your enemy is Nobunaga Oda, a level ten powerhouse.”

“I know.”

“We can’t win. If we did, we’d be gods.”

Lin Yang slowly turned his head toward the crying girl beside him. He gently wiped her tears away. “If that’s the case, then we’ll become gods for you.”

No other words were needed. Lin Yang’s simple sentence conveyed their hearts. At that moment, Ye Ling’s inner dam seemed to break, overwhelming her.

It was a feeling hard to describe—an accidental meeting, a bumpy journey together, culminating in an unexpected flutter of the heart.

Between them, words were unnecessary. Ye Ling knew that long before she realized, these unreliable boys had already accepted her as a true teammate.

And she, somehow, had become one of them—laughing, angry, troubled, and fighting together.

To become gods for you might seem a joke to others, but Ye Ling believed it without doubt.

With tears in her eyes, she forced a smile, gently wiping her cheeks. The tears mingled with her smile—both relief and gratitude.

“Alright!” she answered softly, without hesitation.