Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
There wasn’t anyone now among the Office of Strategic Deception’s core members who didn’t know Wang Ling’s identity (i.e. a hidden boss masquerading as a sixteen-year-old high school student). Not only Wang Ling, but everyone in the Wang family’s small villa were all big shots – this was thanks to Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal, who spread the word. Reality proved that there were times when having a friend with a fanciful imagination could actually save having to explain things.
After all, they were all core members and Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal’s confidants who could be trusted to keep their lips sealed. Wang Ling knew that his label as a “low-profile big shot” was indelibly branded in the minds of these people. Even though they knew that he was still studying in high school, they just thought it was an Almighty’s peculiar taste.
To many people, the reason an Almighty could become one was that they were more or less eccentric. Cultivating smoothly and steadily was a good thing; the reality of a steady and serious character would never change. On the other hand, eccentric people often had strong personalities.
And in the cultivation world, it was usually the people with ego and independent styles who got things done more easily.
It sounded absurd, but it was actually true.
This included Wang Ling himself, who also felt that he did have some peculiarities, such as his fondness for staring at the screen, his obsession with crispy noodle snacks, and his love of study… The last one was due to how Father Wang and Mother Wang had brought him up since young to believe that studying was always good.
When all was said and done, he was only sixteen; his experiences could hardly compare with those of the old seniors who had gone through thousands of years of history and borne witness to the nation’s gradual rise in prosperity.
Although Wang Ling loved studying, there were times when he liked to goof off.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have enchanted the monster pen and goblin eraser to do his homework for him.
In order to keep his exam scores down, Wang Ling usually had to do some studying beforehand. He could finish the homework himself, but sometimes he simply wasn’t in the mood.
Of course, Wang Ling did his homework more often than not, not because of his mood, but purely for the limited edition flavors of crispy noodle snacks.
His homework couldn’t be sold for money. Sometimes, as soon as he got to school, Super Chen and Hero Guo would come running over and start to wholesale copy his homework using the Flow of Multi-Pens godly technique.
The word was that during the busy study period in Grade Three, the Grade Three seniors (all top students) would begin saving for their college tuition by doing other people’s homework for a fee; they could even copy a person’s handwriting to a tee, and this had already become a lucrative business.
In Wang Ling’s opinion, copying homework was very bad behavior and didn’t do a person any good at all. Doing someone else’s homework for them in exchange for money was even worse. This wasn’t helping them, but causing them harm.
Wang Ling had never felt that his homework was worth much, but the inescapable fact was that it sold well on the Heavenly Dao’s side…
In all the years he had done an equivalent exchange with Heavenly Dao, nothing had been more valuable than his homework.
…
Wang Ling noticed that the staff members from the various departments had been paying close attention to him from the moment he entered the Office of Strategic Deception. Su Xing had been stealing furtive looks at him the whole time after they entered the Internet cafe.
Hm… actually, Wang Ling didn’t mind so much. Too many things had happened in half a semester after he entered high school, which conversely caused Wang Ling to become a lot more blasé than before, when even a little bit of attention would make him uneasy.
Let them look – they’re staring because you look good.
Thinking of it this way, Wang Ling felt a lot better.
Besides, he had used the “Great Face Molding Spell” to adjust his features slightly and deliberately make himself unattractive – actually, he couldn’t be considered that good-looking to begin with.
When Wang Ling looked in the mirror, even he himself felt he had average looks.
He was nothing like those soft and fair idol faces on TV with their high nose bridges, straight eyebrows and oval faces.
Wang Ling felt that he didn’t even have one- or two-tenths of Immortal Toya’s looks.
He was just a high school student who was nice to look at.
But Wang Ling never expected Fang Xing to actually be a little unhappy at how Su Xing kept looking at him. In the Office of Strategic Deception, Fang Xing was Su Xing’s immediate superior.
Thus, when Su Xing stole looks at Wang Ling out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if an upright cobra was staring at him, and cold sweat immediately poured down his head.
Before his arrival, Su Xing had already heard that this Ling Zhenren was the Office of Strategic Deception’s group favorite whom everyone treasured. But this was a little too much! He had only looked at Wang Ling a few times!
As a newbie, Su Xing naturally didn’t dare offend his superior. Laughing dumbly, he looked away, and then showed the group to a small room.
This was the reception room of the game group’s Internet cafe, and Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal had set up the machines inside beforehand: it was five virtual pod game machines.
The three fellows from No. 60 High were instantly surprised. “This…”
Fang Xing laughed. “You’re underaged and can’t use the Internet in the Internet cafe, but this is the reception room. The chief of the Office of Strategic Deception, Grenade-Throwing Senior Immortal, specially prepared the machines and invited us to experience them for ourselves. He gave me the experience card; I didn’t tell you before this because it was a surprise.”
Actually, this was giving them special treatment.
Super Chen and Dopey Guo were ecstatic; they had never used such a high-end game pod, and it was also unrealistic for them to buy one. It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford to; it was just that high school was an awkward phase, and bringing such a large machine into the house would definitely piss their parents off.
When all was said and done, they had yet to take the college entrance exam, and it wasn’t proper for them to indulge in this sort of extreme recreational activity.
One by one, they sat inside the virtual game pods. The soft cushion and snug padding made them feel like they were in a sweet dream! It was too comfortable! Everything felt like cotton! Lying down felt like being immersed in water and their bodies felt as light as feathers! Even if they weren’t playing games, sleeping in here would be so comfortable!
“Wow! I’m definitely buying one! As soon as I get into college! Even if I have to spend all my money!” Super Chen was excited.
“If you quit the games you’re playing now, I reckon that you’ll have enough money to buy one by the time you enter college.” Dopey Guo chuckled.
The truth was that it wasn’t impossible, if they saved on the money for weapon upgrades… A top-of-the-range virtual pod wasn’t expensive: it only cost 1.6 million!
Little Peanut’s family was Buddhist, and as he lay inside the virtual pod, he put his hands together as if he was praying. “My parents said that life would be easier in college.”
Lying inside the pod, Little Peanut still felt a little guilty, and at that moment felt like the honest kid who had been led astray.
As the honest kid in his family and the class commissary in charge of studies, Little Peanut didn’t even have a smartphone model, let alone play games at home. Even for this outing this time, his parents had only allowed him to go after they saw Odd Zhuo’s invitation and assumed that this was a study assignment.
Seeing that everyone was lying down in the game pods, Su Xing smiled. “Everyone, get ready, and get as comfortable as possible. I’ll start up the machines for you.”
He had an admin remote in his hand.
After he pressed the button, the pod doors of the five virtual pods folded shut.
It was just a simple experience, but little did Su Xing, Fang Xing and Wang Ling expect the trouble that came knocking.
