Weird, my gaming life

Tianhai Building, Jiangcheng City.

This once-landmark building now stands like a giant tombstone, shrouded in a gray mist.

Wang Hao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his fingertips gently touching the cold glass.

Outside the window, a thick layer of dark clouds, like rotting cotton, weighed heavily on the city, blocking out even a sliver of light. The traffic on the street formed a stagnant ribbon of light, and pedestrians pulled their collars tighter, their expressions hurried, as if something unseen was chasing them.

"President, everyone has arrived."

Sun Miao pushed the door open and locked it behind him. He took off his glasses, took out a soft cloth from his pocket, and carefully wiped the fog off the lenses, his movements slow and mechanical.

"The situation is worse than we expected." Sun Miao put his glasses back on, his eyes behind the lenses revealing an undisguised weariness. "The 'Black Gold Guild' from the North District didn't come. Their guild leader died suddenly at home last night. The cause of death was... myocardial infarction."

Wang Hao turned around, his brows furrowing slightly: "Myocardial infarction?"

"That's how the official report is."

Sitting at one side of the conference table, Chen Feng sneered and slammed a long, thin object wrapped in newspaper onto the table. "Bullshit myocardial infarction. I went to the scene. That guy had all the blood drained from his body, and his heart was like a shriveled date pit. This was the work of the 'Blood Corpse Ghost,' done by the Ghost Master."

The conference room was deathly silent.

A dozen or so people sat around the long table. Apart from Wang Hao and his group, the rest were all presidents of top martial arts guilds in Jiangcheng City and even the surrounding provinces. At this moment, these big shots who wielded immense power in the game all had increasingly grim expressions.

"Is the government not going to do anything?" a middle-aged man with a buzz cut asked in a hoarse voice. He was the president of the "Iron Fist Society," and he was twirling two walnuts in his hands with such force that he was almost crushing them.

"Manage? How?"

Sun Miao pulled out a chair and sat down, taking a stack of photos from his briefcase and slamming them on the table. "These are screenshots from surveillance footage at a private hospital in the southern suburbs three days ago. Take a look for yourselves."

The photo is blurry, but you can vaguely make out several people in black uniforms directing doctors to load bodies covered with white sheets onto unmarked trucks. On the cuffs of those uniformed men is an embroidered dark red, distorted eye.

"The Supernatural Masters Association, or rather, the 'Special Operations Bureau' now," Sun Miao's voice was as cold as ice. "They have officially taken over the city's law enforcement. Any cases involving 'supernatural forces' are no longer under the jurisdiction of the police; they are all handed over to them for handling."

"In other words, they killed us and not only won't go to jail, they won't even have a criminal record." Chen Feng gritted his teeth, his knuckles cracking.

"Bang!"

The man with the buzz cut slammed his hand on the table, instantly turning the pair of glossy walnuts he had been playing with into dust. "This is outrageous! Do they really think we martial arts practitioners are made of clay? We can beat them in the game, and we can do it in real life too!"

"In reality, we are the passive party."

Wang Hao walked to the head seat and sat down, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "We are in the open, they are in the shadows. Moreover, they have official backing. Once a conflict breaks out, we will become 'rioters,' criminals 'endangering public safety.'"

"So what? Are we just going to wait to die?" The man with the buzz cut glared at him.

"Of course not."

Wang Hao's eyes sharpened at that moment, and the innate true energy within his body subtly circulated, making the surrounding air seem thicker. "I've called everyone here today to establish some rules. Since the authorities aren't taking responsibility, we'll take care of it ourselves. From today onwards, we establish the 'Martial Suppression Alliance,' and all martial artists unite. Anyone who dares to touch our people, whether they're a Master of Deception or some kind of 'Special Bureau,' will pay the price."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the conference room door suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang.

boom!

The heavy solid wood door, frame and all, was violently kicked open from the outside, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

A chilling wind, carrying a nauseating stench of blood, instantly filled the entire room.

"Such arrogance, Zhenwu Alliance?"

A soft, feminine voice came from the doorway.

Three or four young men in black trench coats swaggered in. The one in the lead was a young man with dyed gray hair, his face as pale as if it were covered in putty, but his lips were as red as if he had just drunk blood.

He toyed with a scalpel in his hand, his gaze sweeping unabashedly over everyone in the conference room, finally settling on Wang Hao's face, a contemptuous smile curving his lips.

"Illegal assembly, spreading rumors, and attempting to confront law enforcement."

The gray-haired youth picked at his fingernails with the tip of his knife. "Tsk tsk, this is no small crime. Gentlemen, shall we come with you?"

"Who are you people?" Chen Feng suddenly stood up, his hand already reaching for the rolled-up newspaper on the table.

"Special Operations Bureau, Third Detachment."

The gray-haired youth pulled a black ID from his pocket and casually tossed it on the table. "Never heard of it? No problem, we'll explain it to you slowly once we get to the interrogation room."

As he spoke, the men in black behind him dispersed, subtly surrounding the conference room.

These people emanated no trace of life, and behind each of them, a twisted black shadow vaguely appeared. These were the strange creatures they controlled, greedily watching the martial artists brimming with vitality throughout the room.

"What if we don't go?" Wang Hao remained seated, simply glancing indifferently at the gray-haired youth.

"Not going?"

The gray-haired youth laughed exaggeratedly, bending over as if he'd heard a joke. "Oh, I love guys like you tough guys. Fine, don't go. Not going means resisting arrest. If you resist arrest... we have the right to shoot you on the spot."

Before he could finish speaking, the scalpel in his hand suddenly disappeared.

The next second, a cold light shot straight toward Wang Hao's throat.

Quick, accurate, ruthless.

This is not negotiation; this is a blatant attack.

"court death!"

Chen Feng roared, and the rolled-up newspaper in his hand suddenly shook, revealing a gleaming longsword.

But before he could draw his sword, a hand had already firmly gripped the scalpel.

Wang Hao.

He didn't even get up; he simply extended two fingers, as if pinching a fallen leaf, and casually caught the blade that was sharp enough to cut through steel.

"Shot dead on the spot?"

Wang Hao looked at the gray-haired youth so close to him, a cold glint in his eyes. "With this pedicure knife you've got?"

The gray-haired youth's smile froze on his face.

He desperately tried to pull the scalpel back, but the two fingers were as if cast in iron, completely immovable. What terrified him even more was that a scorching heat was emanating from the blade, like boiling magma, frantically burning away the strange power attached to it.

"Let go!"

The gray-haired youth let out a fierce shout, and the shadow behind him suddenly expanded, transforming into a giant mouth full of fangs, which bit down hard on Wang Hao's head.

"roll."

Wang Hao uttered a single word.

With a slight exertion of force, the fingers...

collapse!

The stainless steel scalpel snapped in two instantly.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Hao slapped him across the face.

The slap, though seemingly slow, produced a muffled sonic boom. Innate true energy condensed in the palm, transforming into a tangible golden wave of energy.

Snapped!

The crisp sound of a slap echoed throughout the conference room.

The gray-haired youth didn't even have time to scream before he was sent flying sideways as if hit by a speeding truck. He spun several times in the air before crashing heavily into the wall, creating a human-shaped dent and sending rubble raining down.

The strange black shadow that had just taken shape was shattered by the slap, turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating into the air.

"Cough...cough cough..."

The gray-haired youth slid to the ground, half of his face completely caved in, his teeth spitting out blood and gore. He stared at Wang Hao in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How...how could you possibly...hurt the ghost..."

"Who told you that martial artists can't harm ghosts?"

Wang Hao stood up, straightened the slightly disheveled hem of his suit, and walked step by step toward the few black-clad men at the door who were already terrified.

"If you can kill in the game, you can kill in real life too."

The remaining men in black exchanged glances, their initial ferocity replaced by fear. They instinctively wanted to retreat, but the eerie presence behind them relentlessly urged them to attack.

"Attack him together! Kill him!"

One of the men in black roared and plunged his hands into his chest, tearing open his flesh. Countless black tentacles burst forth from the wound, coiling towards Wang Hao like venomous snakes.

The others followed suit, and in an instant, a chilling wind swept through the conference room, accompanied by howls and wailing.

"A trivial skill."

Wang Hao snorted coldly and stomped his foot hard.

Boom!

The entire floor slab shook violently.

A surge of powerful energy erupted from his body; it was the pure Yang energy of an innate martial artist, fiery and domineering, like a blazing sun rising in the dark room.

The tentacles that were shot at it withered and broke off as soon as they came into contact with this aura, just like snowflakes hitting boiling oil.

Wang Hao flashed into the crowd like a ghost.

There are no fancy moves, only the simplest and most direct violence.

One punch.

It hit the black-clad man whose chest had been torn open.

The force of the punch penetrated his body, shattering the strange core within him. The man in black's eyes bulged, his body arched like a shrimp, and then he collapsed limply.

One kick.

Sweep through the enemy ranks.

He kicked the other two sneak attackers, breaking their spines. They slid down the wall, their fates unknown.

In less than three seconds.

This so-called "arrest" turned into a one-sided crushing defeat.

The guild leaders in the conference room were all stunned.

They knew Wang Hao was strong, but that was in the game. No one expected that the real Wang Hao had become so inhumanly strong.

This is... the innate?

Wang Hao withdrew his fist, his imposing aura gradually receding. He walked up to the gray-haired youth, looking down at him.

"Go back and tell your bureau chief."

Wang Hao's voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"The sky over Jiangcheng hasn't fallen yet. As long as our 'Zhenwu Alliance' is still around, this city won't be allowed to be run wild by a bunch of inhuman freaks."

The gray-haired youth trembled, covering his sunken face, not daring to utter a sound.

"roll."

Wang Hao uttered a single word.

The gray-haired youth felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet and helped up his half-dead companions, then fled in a sorry state, not even bothering to grab the documents on the table.

The tense atmosphere in the conference room only eased slightly after the footsteps completely disappeared.

"That feels great! That's fucking great!"

The short-haired chairman was so excited his face turned red. "Chairman Wang, that slap just now was satisfying! I, Old Liu, will go back and gather my men right now. From now on, the Iron Fist Society will follow Chairman Wang's lead!"

Other presidents also expressed their support, and the gloom in their eyes vanished.

Only Sun Miao remained solemn. He walked to Wang Hao's side and said in a low voice, "President, it felt good to take action, but it also means... we've completely broken ties with the authorities."

"It's only a matter of time."

Wang Hao walked to the window and looked at the increasingly gloomy sky outside.

"The fact that they dare to come to our door so openly shows that the situation at the top is completely rotten. If we don't resist, we're just meat on the chopping block."

He paused, his gaze piercing through the thick fog, as if looking at that distant, unknown existence.

"Moreover, I have a premonition."

"This is just the beginning. The real trouble... is yet to come."

Sun Miao followed his gaze.

Deep within the thick, dark clouds, a strange purple light could be seen slowly flowing, like a giant eye coldly watching these ant-like mortals.

"Pass the word down and tell the brothers to get ready."

Wang Hao turned around, his back to the darkness outside the window.

"Tonight might not be peaceful."

However, in a dimension beyond Wang Hao's sight, an extremely ugly monster had one hand completely inserted into a giant sphere, and countless black tentacles were spreading densely across the entire sphere.

Meanwhile, in the real world, in a dark conference room, sat twelve figures whose faces were indistinct.

The figure at the head of the group glanced at the approaching crowd.

Do you know where they're having their party?

"Chief, according to intelligence from our Special Operations Bureau, that group of heretics is forming some kind of 'Martial Arts Alliance' at the Tianhai Building!"

The first man from the bottom, dressed in black robes, answered.

"Oh, so they've finally teamed up!"

"Yes, Director! Although we are at a disadvantage in the game world, the real world is still the domain of us Ghost Masters. After all, the only place where we can learn martial arts is the super city of Dongji Kingdom."

"However, martial artists are not without retaliation in reality. They are actively opening martial arts schools and spreading their martial arts, which is causing great trouble for our encroachment on this world! Without eliminating them, it will be very difficult for us to build this world into the master's backyard!"

"Heh, it's nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Now that Han Yuguo is under our control, let's see if they have the power to be saviors!"

After saying that, the leading figure in black suddenly stood up.

"I hereby declare that Operation 912 is now underway. We must eliminate them all within the Tianhai Building."

"yes!"

All the men in black present stood up, and then one by one their figures mysteriously disappeared.