I write obituaries for the gods

Qingtian emerged from the elevator with a hunched back. When he straightened up, the bodyguards in the front row instinctively took two steps back.

Seeing the bodyguards' reaction, Qingtian was clearly getting impatient.

Ms. J took the initiative to greet him, smiling and opening her arms wide:

"Baby, Mommy's here."

"Mother."

Qingtian walked to Ms. J's side, bent down, and gently hugged her.

As I held him, he started to move around restlessly:

I'm hungry...

“Not now, sweetheart,” Ms. J patted Qingtian’s neck, “You have to behave well today, okay?”

Qingtian immediately broke free from her embrace, half of his face contorted in pain.

"Performance, performance, performance... I'll show my ass! I haven't had enough to drink yet! Do I have to handle this trivial matter?!"

“Sweetie, don’t be angry, don’t be angry,” Ms. J smiled ingratiatingly. “Mom has made arrangements for you. We’ll go on the yacht tonight.”

"Why should I cooperate with you!" Qingtian roared. "The bridge isn't my problem! I'll just save a few fewer people!"

"Keep your voice down, sweetie," Ms. J said, standing on tiptoe and rubbing Qingtian's face. "There are plenty of strong men on the yacht tonight."

Upon hearing this, Qingtian's expression finally softened somewhat.

"What am I supposed to do?" He turned to look around. "Who's in charge?"

"I...I am!"

The host walked up shakily, holding a tablet computer, and cleared his throat:

"Um... that's about it. Today's main routine is very simple. You just need to go up on stage, stand for a while, and then interact with the audience..."

"Interact with what?!" Qingtian roared.

"There will be...we'll have people we've planted beforehand to guide the audience's questions," the host's voice trailed off as he was yelled at. "And then, a few people will be randomly selected to ask you questions...they'll mostly revolve around topics like 'heroic responsibility' and 'duty,' so just answer those questions..."

"I can't remember!" Qingtian roared again.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, sweetie. Mommy will read the response to you through the earphone, just like that day on the bridge,” Ms. J quickly comforted her. “Just control your emotions, okay? Don’t get angry… okay?”

"That's more like it!"

Qingtian glared fiercely at the host, whose legs immediately trembled like a leaf, even though he couldn't even see Qingtian's eyes.

"I want to drink!" Qingtian roared. "Take me to drink!"

"Take him there, take him there."

Ms. J waved her hand, and two waiters smiled, bowed to Qingtian, and led him to the hotel restaurant.

Only after Qingtian had walked far away did a secretary cautiously approach and whisper:

"Minister, is his emotional state... alright?"

“A little drink will do the trick; he’s still a good kid at heart,” Ms. J sighed softly. “How’s the public opinion going?”

“They’ve been targeting all the low-risk individuals. Apart from a few bridge survivors and the reporters who were there that day, the rest are just spreading rumors and discussing conspiracy theories. They won’t explode anytime soon.”

"Once the commendation ceremony is over, clean it up immediately, leave no trace." Ms. J's voice turned cold.

"Rest assured, we have hired the best urban executioners this time." The secretary bowed.

"Urban executioners? Outsourcing again?" Ms. J narrowed her eyes.

"There's nothing we can do; most of the staff in the Public Opinion Execution Department have been transferred to handle that big case..."

The secretary sighed and shook her head:

"But it's not a big problem. I've looked at the files of those low-risk public opinion factors, and there aren't many tough ones."

"You'll be responsible if anything goes wrong."

Ms. J tossed her long hair lightly and turned to walk towards the restaurant.

"Oh, by the way, it's raining quite hard outside, please prepare an umbrella for me," she instructed.

......

By the time Lin Chen finally finished building the campfire on the shallow beach, it was already 15:15 PM.

As the rain intensified, fewer and fewer people remained on the shallows.

"It's almost time."

Lin Chen turned around, took an oil can from the truck bed, unscrewed the cap, and poured it onto the campfire.

"Splash!"

After pouring the oil, Lin Chen took out his phone, opened social media, and quickly found the live broadcast room.

Lin Chen opened the live broadcast room, and what came into view was the Iron Horn Square, which was packed with people.

At this point, there were still fifteen minutes left before the start of the game.

Lin Chen put down his phone and took a lighter from the back of the electric scooter.

"Snapped."

After lighting it, he threw the lighter directly into the campfire.

"Buzz!"

The lighter ignited the gasoline, and it burned fiercely. Amid the hazy rain and mist, the flames were surrounded by white steam.

The music drifted from afar, and Lin Chen looked up at the sky: beams of light rose from the ground, converging in the sky and projecting a giant symbol.

It looked like a pair of hands covering a half-open triangular eye.

That's the foundation's symbol.

"ha..."

Lin Chen exhaled a breath of white air, checked his equipment one last time, and then pulled his raincoat up and tightened the hood.

He got on his electric bike and rode into the gray-white rain and mist.

......

Chapter 11 The Noon of the Assassin God

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the live broadcast of the Optimus Prime Awards Ceremony! I am your host, Jason!"

"It's 15:28 PM now, and as you can see, the scene is packed with people. But the weather isn't cooperating. They said it would just drizzle and then clear up, but why is it still raining?"

"However, no amount of rain could dampen the enthusiasm of the fans! Let's turn the camera over here—"

"..."

Lin Chen parked his electric scooter on the outskirts of the square and then began to walk through the crowd.

The entire Iron Corner Plaza was packed with people, with fans holding up large banners and light boards with various messages of support for the team.

"Qing Xiaotian is mighty and domineering! Qing Xiaotian is cool and arrogant!"

"Look at my abs! Look at my abs!"

"Supporting the collapsing edifice and turning the tide, this is the spirit of Qingtian!"

"..."

Lin Chen walked through the frenzied atmosphere, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

The music was very loud, and the trailer for Qingtian's new movie "Turning the Tide" was playing on the main stage.

"Ha, they all say my fists aren't hard enough... but justice will always prevail over evil!"

As Lin Chen strolled through the white mist, he felt the surrounding sounds gradually fade away.

He recalled his carefree student days, when he and his roommates would watch the movies starring the demigods, following their efforts to solve one sudden and unusual disaster after another and maintain world peace.

On the nights Lin Chen helped Huihui with her homework, the little girl recommended a whole bunch of entertainment works about Qingtian.

There are movies, games, and even novels.

These works portray a resilient and powerful superhero who can go anywhere, and is righteous and awe-inspiring.

Lin Chen has passed the age of idolizing heroes, but in his subconscious, demigods are beings who bear heavy responsibilities and are the embodiment of order, shaped from childhood.

Qingtian is merely a microcosm of a demigod.

If he is so hypocritical, what about the other demigods?

As Lin Chen walked among the crowd, he felt his hands trembling slightly.

He suddenly realized that killing Qingtian might not solve the problem; the rain in Yudu was too heavy, and even the brief clearing couldn't take away the dampness.

But Lin Chen knew he had to do something.

From a personal perspective, he must eliminate Optimus Prime in order to disrupt the Foundation's operations.

From a broader perspective, someone always has to step forward and unveil the false gods.

There will always be successors...

For some reason, Lin Chen thought of Jiang Zhengge and Li Zhanyi.

The people from the Bureau of Investigation seem to be trying to deal with the demigods as well; perhaps they will be able to complete the subsequent tasks.

As for Lin Chen...

He only holds one card in his hand that can rival the foundation: "Mirage City".

That city gave Lin Chen the means to resist the demigods.

"But to be honest, I don't even know what the purpose of the 'Mirage City' is."

Lin Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly: For a nobody like him, even the hope of resistance was given by an unknown entity.

The hopes placed upon it are just like the name of the "City of Mirages".

It's like a mirage, ethereal and unreal.

"..."

As Lin Chen walked, he suddenly realized that everything around him was blurry. The outline of the city was soaked by the rain, and the colors dissolved and eventually turned into a thick white liquid that flowed down.

And within that pure white expanse, only one thing is clear:

That was a god descending from the sky—

"boom!"

As Qingtian landed in the very center of the main stage, the entire Iron Point Plaza greeted him with a grand cheer the moment he raised his head.

"Sky-Supporting! Sky-Supporting! Sky-Supporting!"

Amidst the overwhelming cheers, Qingtian spread his arms wide, revealing a wild and arrogant smile on the lower half of his face.

He waved in all directions, his strong and imposing body circling the stage, each step exuding an earth-shaking momentum.

"Optimus Prime! A Gamma-level demigod from the Foundation! His personal film box office is 45 billion! He has played a major role in many major anti-anomaly operations!"

"During the Iron Horn Bridge disaster, Optimus Prime stepped forward, not only saving a large number of civilians who were about to fall into the sea, but also using his body as a load-bearing pillar to temporarily stabilize the bridge structure, giving the rescue team a break to repair the bridge and prevent further collapse!"

"Therefore, the Yudu City Government has decided to award Qingtian the 'Disaster Hero Medal'!"

"Let's cheer for Skyward!"

"..."

In a high-floor room of the hotel, Li Zhanyi watched the awards ceremony below, gently rubbing his temples.

Jiang Zhengge noticed her unusual behavior and frowned:

"Zhanyi, did you see anything?"

“Something’s not right… I can’t see clearly.” Li Zhanyi shook his head slightly.

"Can't see clearly?" Louis frowned. "I don't recall ever seeing this before. Your 'predictions' are always very accurate."

"Logically, that's how it should be..."

Li Zhanyi rubbed her temples again. In her eyes, the square below was filled with chaotic lines that intersected but could never be unified.