Back into the Tiger's Den

Half an hour later, the two met in front of the hotel where they had broken up last time.

"Did you need something from me?"

Upon meeting, Xiao Yu couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing, we just came out to have some fun. Come on, I'll take you to a fun place," Esmeralda smiled slightly, taking Xiao Yu's hand and walking in the other direction.

Xiao Yu rarely holds hands with anyone, but walking hand in hand with Esmeralda on the street gives off a rare couple vibe, which seems quite nice.

The two didn't get into the car, but walked slowly. Half an hour later, they stopped outside a building. Through the glass doors, they could see that it was quite lively inside.

Many people were walking around dressed in costumes from the game.

"Here it is?"

"The War of the Gods Game Club," Esmeralda said, pulling Xiao Yu inside.

As soon as you enter, a person dressed as a waiter approaches you. "Welcome to [House of the Gods], are you two players from the War of the Gods?"

"Of course," Esmeralda said.

The waiter took out a stack of cards, flipped through them, and picked one out, saying, "Then please answer my question: what is the relationship between the Sun God and the God of Light?"

"The Sun God is a subordinate god of the God of Light, and holds one-third of the God of Light's authority."

The waiter then looked at Xiao Yu, "Sir, please answer my question, what are Chosen?"

Xiao Yu thought to himself that he knew the answer to this question perfectly well.

"The Chosen are the gods' representatives on earth, those who can truly implement and practice the gods' doctrines and ideals."

"Very well," the waiter said, gesturing for them to come in.

"What just happened?" Xiao Yu asked curiously as they walked inside.

"Oh, this club is free for all players of War of the Gods, but you have to answer a question to get in. The person who opened this club is said to be a very wealthy man and a loyal player of War of the Gods. He likes to meet with players through offline gatherings, and this club is quite famous now."

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "So that's how it is."

Xiao Yu rarely attended offline game gatherings like this before. He always kept the game and reality very separate. However, after wandering around the lobby, he found it quite lively. In particular, a large group of people were walking around dressed in game costumes, which gave him a sense of time and space distortion, as if he were still in the game.

The club offers free food and drinks, as well as various entertainment facilities, most of which are related to the game "War of the Gods". Overall, it's quite fun.

However, Xiao Yu was not in the mood for fun at the moment. He wandered around aimlessly for a while, and just as he was getting bored, suddenly, someone walked onto the stage.

As this person walked onto the stage, the surrounding chatter gradually quieted down, and everyone looked towards the stage, seemingly waiting for something.

"Welcome to the House of the Gods! It's an honor to gather with so many like-minded friends. War of the Gods is a magical game, not only full of fun but also helping us understand the truth of this world. So, let's begin to pray to our gods."

Everyone seemed to have gotten used to it; one by one, they put their hands together and began to pray.

"Great God, please bestow your grace, manifest your existence, and grant us your mighty power. I will devoutly believe in you and venerate you..."

"What the hell is this?" Looking at the devout prayers around him, Xiao Yu was dumbfounded. He thought to himself, "Are these guys all crazy? Or is this some kind of cult?"

He didn't dare to expose himself too much, so he also started praying. As he prayed, Xiao Yu suddenly noticed something terrifying: his body was glowing.

A warm feeling was rising in his body, as if he were soaking in a hot spring. Faintly, he seemed to hear a voice echoing in his ears, but it was not clear and he could not make out what it was saying. However, he had a feeling that the voice was extremely sacred and sublime, which moved him from the bottom of his heart. It was as if all suffering disappeared in this voice, and he had an impulse to serve it to the death.

Finally, the prayer ended. Xiao Yu glanced around and saw that many people had devout expressions, and some even had tears streaming down their faces.

"Isn't it amazing?" Esmeralda asked.

"What on earth is going on?" he asked Esmeralda in shock.

"It's a bit unbelievable, but when the gathering started, the organizers suggested that we hold a prayer event to pray to God. According to the theory in the game, if God really exists, our faith can attract his attention, get his response, and even receive the power he bestows."

Anyway, everyone thought it was fun, so they prayed. The first few times it didn't seem to have any effect, but starting from the third time, the prayers actually worked, as if there really was a god in this world.

That guild leader, it's said, is already capable of casting divine spells. Maybe after we pray a certain number of times, he'll be able to cast spells like in the game.

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "This is ridiculous! How could such a thing be possible?"

Although the feeling he had just experienced was magical, he didn't believe in the existence of gods. Therefore, he guessed that the feeling was a kind of group suggestion or group hypnosis. He looked around, trying to find some kind of mechanism, but found nothing.

However, this did not diminish his inner certainty.

He sneered inwardly, thinking that the organizer was probably also Moha Religion, and that he must have used some kind of method, such as magic.

But this is good, it gives me a chance.

Walking to a secluded corner, Xiao Yu took out his phone.

"Hey, Old Li? I've discovered a stronghold of the Moha Religion. I suspect they're using magic to expand their followers." Xiao Yu briefly recounted what had just happened.

"What! I'm coming right away!"

Ten minutes later.

With a loud bang, the club's main door was slammed open.

Old Li led several plainclothes agents in and stormed in.

He rushed straight onto the stage.

The person leading the prayer was talking to several players and showed no surprise at the arrival of the agents.

"Did you gentlemen need something from me?"

"Sir, we are agents of the National Guard Bureau. We suspect you of endangering national security. Please come with us."

The surrounding players immediately became agitated upon hearing this.

"Oh, what if I say no?" the host asked with a smile.

"I'm afraid you won't have a chance to refuse today."

As Old Li spoke, he pulled out his gun.

Several agents nearby also drew their pistols.

Several players nearby wanted to step forward and offer their opinions, but the host waved his hand slightly, stopping them.

"Heh, alright, I'm willing to go with the officer, but before we leave, could you tell me exactly what law I've broken?"

"We suspect you of using magic to bewitch people and develop a cult," Old Li said coldly.

"Magic? Oh, no, no, I think you're mistaken. God truly exists; otherwise, He wouldn't have responded to us, let alone bestowed upon me such immense power."

"Keep bragging, keep bragging. You claim to have great strength? I'd like to see what other tricks you can pull. Are you going to perform a magic trick for me next?" Old Li said disdainfully.

"Hehe, since Officer Li has put it that way, then let me demonstrate for you."

Old Li nodded, observing with a detached and indifferent expression, as if to say, "Let's see what tricks you're up to."

The host, however, clasped his hands together, looking quite devout.

"Great God, please unleash your power and punish these fools who dare to question your existence!" -- Divine Punishment Spell!

The host pointed sharply at Officer Li and several agents, and suddenly, light emanated from their bodies.

The light shot out from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, as if a sun had been ignited inside their bodies. The men screamed in agony as they were instantly engulfed in flames and reduced to Ashes.

This really startled Xiao Yu. Good heavens, what on earth is going on? Could it be that the other party really knows magic?

The surrounding players, however, cheered enthusiastically, showing no fear whatsoever; on the contrary, they were all more excited than the last.

The host walked up to Xiao Yu with a slight smile, "It seems Mr. Xiao's plan has failed."

"Um, I don't know them," Xiao Yu said.

"You don't need to make excuses anymore. From the moment you entered this club, God had already revealed to us what was going to happen here. Mr. Xiao's every move was within our expectations. We even anticipated that Mr. Xiao was planning to turn around and run away from here. It's just a pity that Mr. Xiao's efforts are destined to be in vain."

Xiao Yu turned around in shock and anger, only to find himself surrounded by players with fanatical expressions.

"Grab him!"

"It's over, we're definitely going to die this time."

Looking at the fanatical and distorted expressions on everyone's faces, Xiao Yu thought in despair.

"I surrender!" he hurriedly raised his hands.

"Grab him!" A group of people immediately swarmed forward and grabbed Xiao Yu.