The Ascension to Godhood Begins with the Blacklight Virus

Chapter 15 Sunday Afternoon

At noon, the alarm clock rang like a death knell.

Cheng Song suddenly opened his eyes, a hangover-like heaviness instantly engulfing his entire body. It wasn't the aftereffects of alcohol, but a strange state of exhaustion and bloating, as if "a huge stomach was living inside him, suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning."

He lay on the bed for about ten seconds before struggling to sit up. The first thing he did was try to activate the Black Light Virus within his body.

No response.

"Still asleep?" Cheng Song pursed his lips. The virus seemed to have completely shut down, only transmitting a faint, almost imperceptible thought, like the lingering echo of a burp.

"Fine, you're something else. You eat your fill and then sleep, just like a pig," Cheng Song complained helplessly.

He raised his hand and tried to make a fist. The strength of the muscle fibers, the density of the bones, and the feeling that every inch of his body contained strength far beyond that of ordinary people were still clear. He looked at the iron lamp post on the bedside table, reached out and grasped it, giving it a gentle squeeze—

"Crunch."

The metal rod groaned under the strain, and several clear finger dents were left from his grip.

His strength is roughly equivalent to a level 8 strength-based player, but more importantly, the precision of his control seems to have decreased. Previously, with the aid of the virus, he could precisely control every bit of power output, but now he relies more on muscle instinct, resulting in a rough feel of relying on brute force to achieve miracles.

"Lv5 basic physical attributes, plus the body passively enhanced by the virus..." Cheng Song stretched his neck, making a slight "crack" sound. "I'll have to be careful lately."

With a thought, the dial of the unremarkable black sports watch on his wrist suddenly rippled like water, and the metal strap adjusted its fit as if it were alive. A barely perceptible hum, like the activation of a precision instrument, emanated from within.

This is one of Chiyo's disguise forms. He tried various transformations and finally found that the watch was the least conspicuous form, yet could be quickly transformed into a weapon when needed.

He then examined the genetic anchor within his body. It lay quietly deep within the origin of life, radiating a warm, silvery glow, like a stabilizing anchor, keeping his consciousness and emotions in a strangely stable state. Even with the virus dormant and his greatest support gone, he felt little panic, only a calm composure to face any challenge.

"Knock, knock, knock!" A knock sounded on the door, accompanied by Liu Xiuying's booming voice: "Xiaosong! Are you up yet? It's already noon! We're meeting at two in the afternoon, you need to get ready beforehand! I've ironed your clothes and hung them by the door!"

"Coming, coming!" Cheng Song responded, quickly washing his face. Stepping out of the bathroom, he saw the "blue plaid battle robe" hanging on the coat rack by the door—a shirt his mother had bought for him. Her aesthetic sense was stuck twenty years ago, but it was starched crisply and exuded the smell of sunshine and an iron.

Lunch was already laid out on the table. His father, Cheng Jianguo, ate silently. When he saw him come out, he looked up at him, said nothing, and simply pushed a bowl of rice piled up like a small mountain in front of him.

"Eat up! Change your clothes after you finish, and look more energetic!" Liu Xiuying said, putting food on his plate while playing a song on repeat. "Talk to that girl properly, don't look so sullen, smile more! Ask her if her work is hard, what she likes, and stop talking about your own patrol chores! Got it?"

"I heard you, I heard you." Cheng Song buried his head in his rice.

After finishing his meal, he changed into his blue plaid shirt. The man in the mirror was still a little pale, but after tidying himself up, he could be considered to have regular features. However, the lingering weariness and a certain indescribable sharpness in the depths of his eyes seemed somewhat out of place with his "well-behaved" attire.

His father, Cheng Jianguo, came over and stuffed a red envelope into his shirt pocket: "Don't be stingy since it's our first meeting."

Cheng Song held the thin red envelope, feeling it was even hotter than holding the warhammer that Qianxing had transformed into.

"Dad, I don't need it..."

"Here you go." Cheng Jianguo interrupted him, patting him on the shoulder. "Be careful."

Cheng Song was taken aback. His father's gaze was deep, and his words seemed to have a double meaning. But he didn't think much of it and nodded.

Before leaving, he did a final check of his equipment:

On the wrist: a "Thousand Shapes" watch in standby mode.

In his pocket: a cell phone, keys, a red envelope given by his father, and a special extraction lens in a velvet bag.

"Alright," Cheng Song said, flashing a standard blind date smile in front of the mirror, "Let's go, let's conquer the blind date dungeon."

1:50 PM, Starbucks downtown.

Cheng Song arrived ten minutes early and chose a window seat that wasn't too conspicuous. This was a habit he'd developed over the years—observing the entrance, with his back against a solid wall, offering a wide view.

At exactly two o'clock, a girl wearing a light blue dress and with long, flowing hair walked in. She looked around and her gaze quickly locked onto Cheng Song.

She bore a striking resemblance to the cartoon girl holding a cat in her WeChat profile picture, but in person she was more gentle and serene. She walked to the table and offered a polite smile: "Mr. Cheng?"

"Teacher Li, please sit down." Cheng Song stood up and pulled out a chair for her.

"Thank you." Li Wan sat down and placed her bag beside her. Cheng Song noticed faint chalk dust on her knuckles, and a curled-edge lesson plan tucked into the side of her bag, with "Third Grade Chinese" written on it in neat handwriting.

"What would you like to drink?" Cheng Song asked.

"Just a hot Americano, please."

Cheng Song went to the counter to order, and while doing so, he quickly scanned the entire coffee shop out of the corner of his eye. There were about a dozen customers, mostly white-collar workers and students, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However, his Lv5 hearing had automatically picked up on various background noises: the steam from the coffee machine, the hushed conversations at the next table, the noise of cars outside the window... and snippets of conversation between two young men at a table in the corner.

"...Tonight...the usual place...the 'offering' is ready..."

"...The 'bait' worked well last time, but something seems to have happened at the 'hatchery'..."

"...Who cares, let's just cast the net...I heard there's some troublesome guy around here lately..."

Cheng Song's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't hesitate to order. He returned to his seat with two cups of coffee, his expression unchanged.

"Mr. Cheng, you must be very busy with work?" Li Wan took the coffee and smiled. "I heard from Auntie that you often have unexpected assignments."

"It's alright, just patrolling and handling some trivial matters," Cheng Song replied with a standard answer, while simultaneously listening to the sounds coming from the table in the corner. The two people lowered their voices even further, but he could still catch the key words: "...Starbucks...testing...the appeal of the new 'bait'..."

Testing? New bait?

Cheng Song's gaze inadvertently swept over the table. The two men, dressed in ordinary hoodies and jeans, looked to be in their early twenties, with a gloomy demeanor and dark circles under their eyes. One of them had what appeared to be a faint, distorted symbol tattoo on the back of his left hand, but it was mostly covered by his sleeve.

He pretended to bend down and stir his coffee, then quickly pulled out a "special extraction lens" from his pocket and aimed it at the two men.

A flash of light appeared on the lens, and the information emerged:

[Target A: Human (mildly corrupted). Status: Stable carrier. Threat level: Low.]

[Target B: Humans (High level of mental pollution). Status: Superficial erosion. Threat level: Low/Medium.]

[Related Item: 1 Low-Level Contamination Guide Symbol Detected (Inactive).]

There was definitely a problem! And it originated from the same source as the contamination at the hatchery! Are these two chicks? What do they mean by "testing" and "new bait"? Could it be...?

Alarm bells rang in Cheng Song's mind. He immediately used his lens to quickly scan the entire interior of the coffee shop, focusing on the entrances, ventilation openings, and areas where people congregated.

No obvious source of pollution or abnormal energy accumulation was found.

Could their "test" target be... the outside world?

Just then—

"Bang!"

The glass door of the coffee shop was suddenly flung open! A man wearing a courier company uniform, but with unfocused eyes and a pale face, stumbled in! He was clutching a palm-sized black package that was constantly oozing dark green viscous fluid, and he was making strange "hoarse...hoarse..." sounds in his throat.

"Sir! You..." The shop assistant at the door tried to stop him.

The deliveryman swung his hand violently, with surprising force, shoving the shop assistant backward! He rushed straight towards the center of the cafe, the most crowded area, shouting in a hoarse voice as he ran: "...Package...whose package...sign for...sign quickly..."

"ah--!"

"He's mentally ill?!"

"Get out of the way!"

Screams erupted, and the crowd retreated in panic!

Cheng Song's pupils suddenly contracted; the lens had already given feedback:

[Target: Humans (acute putrefactive infection). Source of infection: Exposure to high concentrations of contaminants. Status: On the verge of spiraling out of control, contamination is spreading. Threat level: Low.]

[WARNING: The target material is a "reactive contaminant polymer," and its rupture could lead to a small-scale contamination outbreak.]

Injection infection! Active contaminant! This is a man-made biological attack!

Moreover, the timing and direction of this "deliveryman's" intrusion were incredibly precise! It happened right in the most crowded part of the cafe, the spot most likely to cause panic and chaos! This was definitely not an accident!

Cheng Song suddenly looked towards the corner—the two men at that table were gone! Only a napkin with a distorted symbol on it and a half-finished cup of coffee remained on the table.

"A diversionary tactic? No, it's a 'test the waters'!" Cheng Song instantly understood. These two bastards were using this contaminated deliveryman as a test! Testing the attractiveness of this "bait," testing public reactions, and perhaps... testing whether this troublesome guy would make a move!

In the blink of an eye, the deliveryman had rushed to within five or six meters of Cheng Song and Li Wan! He seemed to be provoked by the screams of the surrounding crowd, and his movements became even more violent. He raised the package, which was dripping with sticky fluid, and was about to smash it at the nearest couple!

There was no time to think!

"Stay here and don't move!" Cheng Song shouted at Li Wan, his body already leaping out like a cheetah!

Without the claws enhanced by the virus, and without ghostly speed, the explosive power of his Lv5 body still far surpassed that of ordinary people! He crossed the middle distance in two steps, and at the moment when the "deliveryman's" arm swung to its highest point, he delivered a clean and neat chop to the ulnar nerve of the other's wrist!

"Ouch!" the deliveryman cried out in pain as his wrist went numb and the package flew out of his hand!

With lightning speed, Cheng Song used his toe to flick the dangerous object into the air before it hit the ground, sending it hurtling towards an empty trash can in the corner of the coffee shop! At the same time, his other hand grabbed the deliveryman's other wrist, and he slid into the man's center, slamming his shoulder into his chest!

"Bang!" A dull thud. The deliveryman staggered backward from the impact, but his corrupted and enhanced body prevented him from collapsing immediately. Instead, he roared and opened his mouth to bite at Cheng Song's neck! A foul-smelling green odor emanated from his mouth!

Cheng Song didn't even flinch. He'd lost the virus, but his fighting instincts and skills remained. He turned his head to avoid the bite, then suddenly tightened his grip on the opponent's wrist with a standard joint lock, combined with a tripping throw—

"Thump!"

The deliveryman was thrown to the ground! Cheng Song pressed down on his lower back with one knee, and his other hand shot out with lightning speed, his thumb precisely pressing down on a specific spot on the back of the deliveryman's neck!

"Hah..." The deliveryman's body stiffened suddenly, then he collapsed completely as if his bones had been removed, with only meaningless "haha" sounds coming from his throat.

Cheng Song's press of the button employed a suppression technique he had learned from the player forums of the Spirit Realm game, specifically targeting the nerve nodes of contaminated creatures. This technique temporarily blocked the transmission of contaminated energy, rendering the target incapable of movement. The entire process, from the moment he made the move to subduing the target, took no more than five seconds.

The café was deathly silent. Everyone stared in disbelief as the man in the blue plaid shirt, who looked like an ordinary office worker, swiftly and violently subdued an attacker suspected of having a mental illness, with a fluidity reminiscent of a movie special effect.

Cheng Song released his grip and slowly stood up. He patted non-existent dust off his hands and immediately looked in Li Wan's direction.

Li Wan remained standing there, one hand covering her mouth, her face pale, but her eyes were calm, even... flashing with a hint of scrutiny. Her gaze lingered on Cheng Song's actions in subduing the deliveryman, then shifted to the blow he had delivered to the back of the man's neck, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Cheng Song's heart skipped a beat.

"Call the police! Call the police now!" The store manager's scream broke the silence.

Cheng Song had already walked to the black package that had been kicked into the corner. Slippery substance was still seeping out, corroding the metal casing of the trash can. He crouched down, not touching it directly, but instead taking out a tissue and carefully lifting a corner of the package through it.

Inside was a wriggling, seemingly alive, dark green tumor, its surface covered with tiny blood vessels and constantly opening and closing holes. In the center of the tumor was a small, empty glass syringe.

Lens Information Update: [Active Pollutant Aggregate (Low-Level). Functions: Contact infection, mental interference, attracting low-intelligence, decaying organisms. Manufacturing Process: Crude. Safe to dispose of.]

Cheng Song's eyes were icy. It was indeed a man-made source of contamination! And they used syringes to directly inject it into living people, creating infected individuals!

This method is more insidious and targeted than the spread methods used in hatcheries!

"Everyone back off! Don't go near this package, it contains chemical weapons!" Cheng Song stood up and shouted at the terrified crowd. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, and the chaotic crowd instinctively obeyed.

Soon, the sound of sirens grew louder as they approached. Police officers from the local station arrived, led by Cheng Song's colleague, Lao Wang. Seeing Cheng Song present, Lao Wang was visibly taken aback: "Cheng Song? What are you doing here? This…you subdued him?"

Cheng Song briefly explained the situation, omitting the details of the contamination, and focused on the needle mark on the courier's neck and the package. Old Wang's expression turned grave; he immediately ordered the scene to be sealed off and called for an ambulance and the chemical defense department.

The blind date was clearly not going to continue.

While waiting for the police's initial investigation, Cheng Song and Li Wan were seated in a relatively intact corner. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

"I'm sorry," Cheng Song said first, his voice a little hoarse, "We had a perfectly good blind date, and it turned out like this."

Li Wan shook her head. She seemed to have regained her composure and even picked up the now-cold Americano and took a small sip.

"It's alright," she said, her gaze falling on Cheng Song's face. "Mr. Cheng is very skilled. Even more so than the demonstrations I saw by the instructors when I visited the police academy...cleaner and more efficient."

Cheng Song's heart skipped a beat. A visit to a police academy? Would an elementary school teacher visit a police academy for no reason?

"Especially the technique used to press down on the back of that person's neck at the end," Li Wan continued, her tone calm, as if discussing classroom knowledge, "that's pressing a special acupoint between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae. With the right force and angle, it can instantly block nerve signal transmission. It's often used in first aid to prevent self-harm, or for quick subjugation in certain special situations. It seems that ordinary police training in grappling doesn't include such refined acupoint striking techniques?"

Cheng Song: "..." Aren't elementary school Chinese teachers these days a little too knowledgeable?

"I... as a hobby, I like to read books about medicine and martial arts," Cheng Song explained, forcing himself to believe it, though he felt the excuse was so weak that even he didn't believe it.

Li Wan smiled and didn't press the matter further. Her gaze seemed to casually sweep over Cheng Song's wrist before shifting away to look at the busy police officers and flashing police lights outside the window.

"Mr. Cheng," she suddenly said softly, "do you often encounter these kinds of 'unexpected situations' in your work?"

Cheng Song was silent for a few seconds. "Occasionally."

"Then your job must be more complicated than I imagined." Li Wan turned her head and looked at him, her eyes clear, yet seemingly able to see through many appearances. "Auntie only said you were an auxiliary police officer, but the way you handled things just now, and that kind of... on-the-spot reaction, doesn't seem like that of an ordinary auxiliary police officer."

Cheng Song didn't know how to answer. He could sense that Li Wan was very intelligent, had extremely strong observation skills, and seemed to have a keen intuition for "abnormalities." But she didn't have any aura of pollution or abnormal energy on her; the "lens" indicated that she was just an ordinary person.

An ordinary person who is overly perceptive.

"It's just a job," was all Cheng Song could say in the end.

The initial on-site handling was completed. Cheng Song and Li Wan walked to the entrance of the coffee shop; the afternoon sun was a bit dazzling.

"I'm so sorry about today," Cheng Song apologized again. He had completely ruined the blind date and dragged the woman into this dangerous situation.

Li Wan shook her head, took out her phone from her bag, and tapped the screen a few times.

"Cheng Song," she called him by his name for the first time, instead of "Mr. Cheng," "Although the process was rather unusual, I think you are someone I can rely on in crucial moments."

Cheng Song was taken aback.

Li Wan waved her phone, the screen displaying their WeChat chat: "Next time... when you're free, let's meet at a more normal place? Like... the library?"

Cheng Song looked into her eyes, and there was no politeness, no perfunctoriness, only a calm seriousness. She genuinely felt that "it's worth getting to know him again," even though he had just acted like a hidden violent criminal.

"...Okay." Cheng Song nodded. "I'll ask you out next time."

"Then I'll wait for your news." Li Wan smiled, waved goodbye, and walked to the roadside to hail a taxi.

Cheng Song watched her get into the car and leave, his expression gradually calming down. He reached into his pocket, where the napkin with distorted symbols drawn on it, which he had "borrowed" from the corner table, was still there.

He opened his friends list and found Rong Shou:

"At the Starbucks downtown, someone is testing a new 'bait' on live people. I might have been exposed. Is there any way to track them down?"

After a moment, Rong Shou replied: "Live human testing? So arrogant? It seems there are radicals among these corrupt cultists. Tracking them will be a bit troublesome; they definitely have countermeasures. However, I have a reasonable deduction: they like to test in places with 'strong emotional energy' and high foot traffic, such as... the children's play area of ​​a large shopping mall, or... the university town bar street after 9 pm."

Cheng Song's eyes turned cold. A children's playground? A bar street? These beasts!

"Is there a way to quickly and quietly dispose of reactive pollutant polymers? In the real world, we can't make a big fuss," Cheng Song asked.

"What's wrong? The human incinerator can't take it all in?"

"The hatchery is overcrowded and can't be cleared out in the short term."

"Yes, I have some purifying dust. It's a new product I just got. It's especially effective against low-level pollution. It's smokeless, lightless, and pollution-free. Just sprinkle it on. It costs 1000 spirit crystals for a small bottle, enough for three uses."

"The transaction will take place at the usual spot on Ling Street tonight."

"Thank you for your patronage, boss!"

Cheng Song put down his phone and looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, and the city was still bustling and noisy.

But he knew that the poisonous insects in the shadows had begun to tentatively crawl in the sunlight.

The virus is still dormant, and our biggest asset is temporarily offline. But this cleaner has no intention of taking a break.

He touched the Thousand-Shaped Watch on his wrist, and the deep blue light beneath the dial flickered slightly, as if in response.

"Want to play?" Cheng Song muttered to himself, then turned and merged into the crowd.

"Then I'll play with you guys."