Heavenly Pardon Enters the Fate

In the prison's dim corridor, Huang Wei walked briskly with a phone in hand, exhaustion written all over his face. "Based on Ren Ye's rank before the incident, how much would his full death benefit be?"

"Ren Ye agreed?" a man asked over the phone.

"Yes, he agreed."

"..." The man paused briefly. "His former unit's compensation standard is twenty times the previous year's per capita disposable income, plus forty months of salary at his rank. Personal honors qualify for additional payments. A rough estimate would put it at a little over a million."

"Prepare the paperwork now. I want exact figures. I'll submit the application tomorrow morning," Huang Wei ordered, leaving no room for argument. "That money needs to be approved before he goes in."

"Was that his condition?"

"No, he hasn't asked yet. I simply want to give it to him. Whether he succeeds or not." Huang Wei's reply was heartfelt.

"All right, I'll prepare it," the man readily agreed. "But boss, I'm really curious. How did you convince him to enter the gate?"

A smile tugged at Huang Wei's lips, but his tone remained casual. "Heh. Personal charm, that's all."

At noon the next day, Ren Ye had just finished working the sewing machine when prison staff escorted him out of the cell block and into an ordinary minivan. Throughout the process, he signed no documents whatsoever. They hadn't even processed his departure from prison.

Legally speaking, he was still serving his sentence in Qingfu Prison. Out in society, he didn't exist.

Apparently, Huang Wei and the department behind him really were damn powerful...

Apart from Old Huang, the minivan held a young female driver who looked about twenty. She had delicate features and lively eyes, and even sitting behind the wheel couldn't hide her long, supermodel-worthy legs.

She had to be around 1.72 meters tall at least. She wore business attire, her shirt collar slightly open, making the ample bust that could easily rest on a tabletop all the more striking.

The young woman rested her left hand naturally on the steering wheel, held her phone in her right, and played a voice message in a group chat.

"Niannian, I heard you guys found a promising prospect in prison. Someone called Ren Ye. Is that true?"

"Yeah, I heard that too. What's going on? You're recruiting from prisons now? You guys really have no standards."

"I heard that Ren Ye's a murderer. You can recruit someone like that? That's ridiculous!"

"Have you confirmed that guy's class yet?"

Listening to the barrage of messages, the long-legged woman deliberately cleared her throat and replied in a slightly affected, cutesy voice, "Nooo, those are just rumors. Totally unreliable. Stop tagging me. I'm preparing for training and waiting for the gate to open."

With that, she slipped her phone into her tight trouser pocket.

Having heard people mention him in the group chat, Ren Ye looked at Huang Wei in confusion.

"Just a bunch of small fry. Ignore them." Huang Wei brushed it off vaguely, then gave an instruction from the passenger seat. "Niannian, let's go."

That vague answer only made Ren Ye more puzzled. He hadn't even gotten out yet, so why were people outside already discussing him? They seemed to know something about him, too. And why had the long-legged woman lied?

Carrying those questions in his mind, Ren Ye watched the minivan leave the prison parking lot as the streets slipped past.

The weather was lovely, the sky clear for miles. Warm sunlight fell on his skin, making it look even paler, almost translucent.

It had been so long since he'd seen sunlight beyond those high walls. This was the taste of freedom.

Inside a two-story building at 88 Lotus Lake Road.

"You two talk. I'm off to work." After greeting them, the long-legged Niannian disappeared from the lobby.

Ren Ye surveyed his surroundings. There wasn't a soul in this so-called special department, not even a guard at the entrance. "It's pretty deserted here."

Huang Wei smiled mysteriously. "They've probably all gone to observe something extraordinary."

Ren Ye nodded and followed him.

They took the stairs from the lobby down to level B2. The decor and furnishings there were equally unremarkable, looking much like an ordinary government department, only even more dated.

A moment later, they reached an office. Ren Ye immediately noticed the plaque hanging on the wall, bearing the words "Red-Eyed Berserker."

Was that Huang Wei's nickname? So fucking edgy. Was it inspired by that guy who called the 996 work schedule a blessing?

Huang Wei swiped his card to enter, then turned to beckon Ren Ye. "Come in."

"Oh."

They entered one after the other and closed the door.

"Sit."

Huang Wei picked his nose out of habit, then lazily poured two glasses of water.

Ren Ye looked around the room, bent down to sit in the chair beside the desk, and said nothing.

"I have to be honest with you. Before this conversation begins, you still have a chance to back out. Leave this building, grab a taxi outside, and go back to prison. You can keep happily pedaling your sewing machine." Old Huang set a glass in front of Ren Ye and sat opposite him. "But once we start talking, there's no turning back."

Ren Ye smiled. "I hate leaders like you most. You're the one who called me here, and once I arrive, you're also the one nobly advising me against it. What's the point?"

"I hate it too." Huang Wei shrugged. "But it makes things look democratic."

"Heh."

Ren Ye scoffed, looking nothing like a conscientious anti-fraud operative.

"All right." Huang Wei grew serious and extended his hand toward Ren Ye. "Allow me to formally introduce myself again. Huang Wei, Star Gate player, second-tier Star Envoy. Stage title: Blood-Eyed Monk. Bearer of a warrior-lineage inheritance."

"What does that mean? Player? Star Envoy? Wait, what are you talking about...?"

Before Ren Ye could finish, Huang Wei, sitting across the desk with his right hand still extended, underwent a dramatic change as he stared into Ren Ye's eyes...

Whoosh!

In an instant, his eyes turned blood-red and emitted a faint glow, like a vengeful ghost shedding tears of blood.

More importantly, the contours of Huang Wei's face sharpened at that moment, and an inexplicable killing aura radiated from him. That terrifying pressure made Ren Ye instinctively recoil, pressing his entire back hard against his chair.

His... what the hell was wrong with his eyes? Fuck, had he just seen the guy next door sneak into his bedroom?

Although Ren Ye had mentally prepared himself before coming, knowing the people or organization he was about to encounter might overturn his entire worldview, and that the events he was about to get involved in might be terrifying and bizarre... when the moment actually arrived, he was still stunned. His body shuddered twice, beyond his control.

"I told you. From the moment you agreed, the gears of fate would begin to turn. You have a chance to embrace an unimaginably dazzling life." Huang Wei still held out his hand.

Sweat beaded on Ren Ye's forehead as he gave Huang Wei a perfunctory handshake. "...What... what did all that mean?"

Huang Wei was pleased with Ren Ye's reaction and felt his abrupt show of power had been justified. This kid was no ordinary person. His mental fortitude was exceptional. To shatter his existing mindset in an instant, Huang Wei needed to shock his senses.

After giving Ren Ye a little time to collect himself, Old Huang spoke in a rich, resonant voice. "There are Star Gates in this world. All who enter become gods."

"That's a saying among Star Gate players, and it's easy enough to understand. Simply put, in the world we know-no, in the entire universe-there are countless fragments of space, scattered like stars, invisible to ordinary people. Inside some Startrace Gates lie boundless expanses whose edges cannot be found. Others are tiny, perhaps no larger than a tomb. But all of them contain supernatural inheritances left behind by countless races and civilizations."

"People randomly invited to enter Startrace Gates are what we call players. After entering a Star Gate, they must complete all manner of bizarre missions. If they clear them successfully, they receive inheritance abilities comparable to those of gods, supernatural items, and so on."

At that point, Huang Wei patiently asked, "Can you follow what I'm saying?"

Ren Ye stared, dumbfounded. After forcing himself to calm down, he tried to summarize. "A multiverse? Instance worlds like in infinite-flow novels?"

"I don't read webnovels. They're vulgar." Huang Wei paused. "But I've heard those two terms. There are similarities, yes, but also fundamental differences."

"So you caught pink eye after entering one of these gates?"

"One correction: I don't have pink eye," Huang Wei emphasized. "I'm a handsome warrior."

"...!" Ren Ye examined the crust in the corners of Huang Wei's eyes and silently nodded.

"Simply put, those godlike inheritance abilities in the Star Gates fall into two broad categories. One is called ordered inheritance. It has a complete advancement path, much like having a personal master. The other is called unordered inheritance. Its advancement path is relatively chaotic, and every improvement depends on personal talent and insight. Comparatively speaking, unordered inheritors tend to display weaker individual abilities in the early stages." Here, Huang Wei deliberately slowed down. "In short, the more unusual an ordered inheritance is, the more valuable and rare it is. Beyond that, the greatest difference between them is... ordered inheritors receive recognition from the corresponding Startrace Gate and become permanently bound to it."

"What does being bound to it mean?" Ren Ye asked curiously.

"It means... once an ordered-inheritance Star Gate recognizes you, that gate becomes your personal property. You also receive your own exclusive Gate Spirit and the authority to open or close it at any time. As your tier increases, you can even alter the rules of the world inside and become its ruler," Huang Wei explained succinctly.

After a long, stunned silence, Ren Ye eagerly summed it up. "Hypothetically! I'm saying hypothetically-if a Star Gate were as big as Earth, then once it recognized me, that Earth would belong to me, right?! I could even invite a bunch of ladies who charge service fees inside and spend every day wearing out my kidneys, without breaking the law?"

"In theory, yes." Huang Wei nodded.

Ren Ye instantly pictured the scene. "That really is a colorful life..."

"Summarize what I just told you in one sentence." Huang Wei fixed him with an interrogator's stare.

Ren Ye frowned, carefully organized his thoughts, and said, "There are countless fragmented spaces in the universe. People who enter them gain supernatural inheritances after completing missions. There are two kinds of inheritance: ordered and unordered. The former is stronger, and the rarer it is, the stronger it is."

"Very good. Now let's discuss why we invited you here."

Huang Wei nodded in satisfaction, rose, and paced the room with his hands behind his back. "A month ago, one of our players finished a Star Gate mission, only to discover he'd gained entry to another Star Gate. He could also invite three additional players to enter with him."

"A chain mission?" Ren Ye asked uncertainly.

"Smart!" Huang Wei looked at him, eyes bright. "In other words, all the missions that player had experienced before were merely groundwork. The final special reward was actually entry to this Star Gate. An independent Star Gate laying the groundwork for another Star Gate's mission is exceedingly rare. So we deduced that the gate requiring this entry qualification was of a very high order, and the inheritance system within might be ex-treme-ly rare!"

Huang Wei heavily emphasized that last phrase, clearly reminding Ren Ye how important the entry qualification was.

"For a region, for a nation, any rare resource must be fought for." Huang Wei was a patriotic supporter with upright values and a strong sense of duty. "So I helped him select three elite players to enter this Startrace Gate with him."

"Did those three selected people receive compensation?" Ren Ye asked pragmatically.

"Of course." Huang Wei nodded solemnly. "But...!"

"But what?" Ren Ye pressed.

"After those four entered the Star Gate, we lost contact with them completely." Huang Wei looked at him with his hands behind his back. "There was no word for over twenty days...!"

Hearing this, Ren Ye grew nervous for no apparent reason.

Huang Wei stopped pacing and looked at Ren Ye, unable to hide the sorrow in his eyes. "It wasn't until three days ago that one player returned with an item. And that item turned out to be the token for opening the final Star Gate."

"The chain mission still wasn't over? Th-then what? What about the other three?" Ren Ye pressed.

"The one who came out... didn't say." Huang Wei lowered his head, his eyes red.

"Didn't say? What do you mean?!"

Huang Wei sighed, his face full of anguish. "The man who came out was rotting all over. His eyes were lifeless, and he collapsed right in front of the Star Gate. We gave him medical treatment immediately, but the doctor determined... he'd already been dead for three days."

"What?!" Ren Ye stood in disbelief. "You... you mean a corpse that had been dead for three days came out carrying an item?"

"Yes." Huang Wei nodded. "We suspect the other three died too, inside the Star Gate. That's why... we came to you."

"C-came to me?" Ren Ye stammered. "Why? Why would a chain mission that killed four people lead you to me? Is it because I'm particularly good at working a sewing machine?"

Huang Wei forced his sorrow aside. When he looked up at Ren Ye, his expression was equally puzzled.

His stare made Ren Ye uneasy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Prepare yourself. What you're about to see may be rather disturbing." Huang Wei offered a kindly warning.

Ren Ye hadn't felt much before, but hearing that instantly sent a chill down his spine.

"Password, 7933-2," Huang Wei suddenly called out.

"Verification successful~"

An electronic voice rang out.

Clatter!

A concealed panel in the middle of the bookcase slowly rose, revealing a safe whose door was opening.

Ren Ye frowned and looked over. In the center of the safe sat a brush stand, with an ancient-looking writing brush laid across it. Its material seemed exceedingly rare.

"This brush is the item our last comrade brought back. Go over and pick it up," Huang Wei instructed, hands behind his back.

Ren Ye considered it carefully, but still followed the instructions. He walked to the bookcase and slowly picked up the brush.

It felt cold and smooth in his hand. The shaft reflected a faint sheen. One glance told him this was no ordinary object. At the very least, it was an antique.

"There's writing on the shaft. Can you see it?" Huang Wei retreated several steps until he was standing in the doorway, switching off the lights as he went.

Ren Ye examined the shaft carefully and found two lines of tiny golden characters glowing faintly. "I can."

"Stand behind the desk, trace those two lines in the air where there's open space, and recite them softly."

"Just recite them, just like that? No background music or anything? These two lines are kind of embarrassing." Ren Ye deliberately kept his tone light to ease his nerves. "It feels pretty awkward...!"

Huang Wei watched him without answering.

"Whew~!"

Ren Ye let out a long breath, worked to steady his nerves, and stepped into the center of the office. He raised his arm, holding the brush.

He truly had no idea what would happen next. His entire arm was trembling.

I'm already here. Screw it.

Looking straight ahead, Ren Ye began moving his arm to trace the words, the brush tip passing slowly through the air.

"I raise my brush to forge a legacy through the ages; I take the stage to paint the mountains and rivers!"

His words ended. The brush stopped.

Pop~!

Suddenly, the air rippled. A brilliant speck of starlight appeared and spread vertically through the room like ink splashed across white paper.

Within seconds, a warped, irregular "black hole" appeared. It resembled a doorway, oval-shaped and slightly taller than a person, with dazzling, multicolored starlight flickering around its edges.

Ren Ye stared openmouthed at the "black hole" passage that had appeared out of nowhere, his scalp prickling. His right hand unconsciously tightened around the brush shaft. He didn't dare move.

His eyes were wide as though he were staring into an abyss... He had no idea what he would see if he walked inside.

"This is a Startrace Gate. One step inside will change your life," Huang Wei reminded him softly from the dark doorway.

"But why...?" Ren Ye abruptly looked toward him, wanting to ask more.

At that very moment, a haunting summons drifted from the abyss-like passage.

"Year of guisi!"

"Month of renxu!"

"Day of wushen!"

"Hour of renxu!"

"Heavenly pardon enters the fate-Ren Ye!"

"Please enter the gate!!!"

Huh? What did that mean?! Listening to the summons, Ren Ye suddenly found it familiar. After thinking it through, his scalp instantly prickled.

Th-this was fucking... my birth date, my Eight Characters of birth, wasn't it? Who was calling me?

As Ren Ye listened to that ethereal call, his mind boomed and his whole body went rigid, as though struck by electricity.

"No one knows why it's calling you. But that's why we invited you here."

Huang Wei's voice rang out.