Chapter 30

The moment the announcement was issued, the entire game lobby seemed to hit a pause button.

All movement stopped.

Sound vanished.

Every gaze was now fixed intently on that obsidian-black mecha.

The top-ranked player, absent for three years, had just appeared?

After a brief, deathly silence, everyone finally reacted. The public chat scrolled at a furious pace, faster than Bai Ruonian’s own reaction time.

Bai Ruonian was still staring at Lu Mingjin’s sleek paint job, eyes sparkling with desire. He wanted it…

【Holy crap! It’s God L!】

【That ID, dormant for 1095 days, just lit up, guys!!】

【It’s not an ID thief, right, brothers?】

【Who would dare steal his ID? The last guy who tried, changing his name to L.M.J, got hunted from the Southern Sky to the Northern Sea, from Central Avenue to Commercial 14th Street. He’s never dared to log on since.】

【Why didn’t he just change his ID back?】

【I heard every time he logs on, he doesn’t even get a chance; he’s too busy getting beaten up and running away…】

【So, this newbie actually managed to summon God L himself?】

【No way…】

The excited chatter and wild speculation from the spectators outside were like a roaring background track, but within the eye of the storm, Venom Sting and his cronies were completely dumbstruck. Their last shred of hope was crushed to dust—this was no coincidence! This newbie had actually summoned that fiend!

Only they, trapped in the center of this frozen earth, could most viscerally feel the near-physical weight of that oppressive force.

The permafrost spread. The surrounding crowd retreated in fear. The obsidian mecha appeared before Venom Sting like a phantom, saying nothing, making no move. Yet, a tooth-grinding screech of tearing metal and a keening wail of structural collapse clearly reached Venom Sting’s cockpit.

Venom Sting watched in horror as his other leg was disintegrated. Amidst the sound of tearing metal, it transformed into a cloud of swirling icy dust.

In the blink of an eye, his once-glorious mecha was reduced to only its upper torso, standing like a solitary, shameful metal pillar impaled upon the frozen ground.

Terrifying.

A tangible manifestation of disassembly and environmental control.

If it was this bad in the downgraded game world, how terrifying must it be in reality?

The accomplice’s mecha that had been writhing on the ground in agony had already vanished—clearly, unable to withstand the mental shock, the System had forcibly kicked them offline to save their life.

The others sensed something was wrong, but they were frozen in place like human pillars, without even the chance to force a log-out.

Venom Sting’s heart was now overflowing with terror.

Fear gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake, but stronger than the fear was…

Resentment.

He stared at the white mecha before him, only three words in his mind.

Why?

Why did the person who could make the three-year-absent top player log back in need his Mental Stone??

“You don’t even fcking need this thing!!!”

And he hadn’t stolen it; he’d won it. He couldn’t comprehend the twisted, frantic scene before him. This person’s obsession… it was terrifying!

Bai Ruonian was stunned for a long moment.

“Um… if you really want it… do you want me to give it back? I just thought it was pretty.”

These words dealt ten thousand points of psychic damage to Venom Sting.

The thing he craved with all his heart was, in someone else’s eyes, merely a pretty trinket to decorate a mecha.

But he couldn’t let go.

Absolutely not.

Venom Sting had now completely equated his path to advancement with this gem, not stopping for a second to consider if the two were even related. His vision was filled with nothing but that stone, so close at hand.

Seeing that Bai Ruonian seemed genuinely ready to remove the gem, a twisted, manic joy surged within Venom Sting. He clawed frantically at the frozen earth with his remaining mechanical arm, recklessly squirming forward. His bloodshot virtual eyes were locked onto the gem, his trembling fingertips reaching out—just a little more! Just a little more and he could touch it!

However!

Just as his cold mechanical fingertips were about to brush the gem’s surface—

There was no earth-shattering sound, no dazzling light.

Like an object erased by an invisible rubber,

Venom Sting’s remaining half-torso mecha, along with all his madness and resentment, dissolved silently under the stunned gaze of everyone watching. It scattered into a sky full of metallic dust, finer than the smallest particles.

No one saw what had happened, not even Bai Ruonian, who was frozen. He only saw that twisted, crawling figure and the outstretched hand, and in the next frame of the picture, it had completely dissipated into the cold air. He stared blankly at the empty frozen ground, where only a shallow depression remained.

“Trash should know its place.” Lu Mingjin’s face was calm, his tone utterly flat.

The Imperial Academy and Military Command didn’t take in this kind of trash with an extreme mentality and inferior ability.

He glanced around at the guild members and deactivated the freeze.

“You have one second to log off.” The emotionless voice rang out again.

Before the words had even finished, the accomplices, scared out of their wits after witnessing Venom Sting’s utter annihilation, didn’t dare stay a single millisecond longer. Everyone logged off.

In an instant, only Bai Ruonian and Lu Mingjin remained.

Lu Mingjin looked down at the white mecha before him. It was flimsy, bare, beaten looking and pitiful, with cracks on its chest plate. He casually slotted a few gems onto it. “Bai Ruonian?”

He didn’t know if the omega was scared silly or something, but there was no response. Lu Mingjin had no choice but to type another line in the public chat. “Playing games without inviting me?”

Bai Ruonian stood still, staring at the green gem on his chest plate. It was the one Venom Sting had earlier. Compared to all the other items, it was on a completely different level.

The thing Venom Sting had gone berserk trying to get back was actually this dim little object.

He was lost in thought, completely ignoring Lu Mingjin’s voice. Meanwhile, the public chat had exploded.

【God L actually spoke in public chat!!!】

【Screenshot, screenshot, I need a picture with this】

【You guys scrolled right past what he said!! What did he say!】

【He said, “Playing games without inviting me?” Did he get stood up?】

【Who would dare stand him up? People beg him to come online… heaven knows how many posts Star Dome Bot has made begging him to log in.】

【It’s clearly directed at whoever got him to come back, how do you people not get that?】

Even the spectators who hadn’t understood before could now figure it out, seeing that the only two left at the storm’s center were these two.

【To make God L log on and complain so bitterly in public chat, it has to be his wifey…】

【Could it be that newbie who was getting beaten up just now?】

【No way, how could you have God L, moving at such high speed, entering the game… and still let someone corner and beat you up.】

【It looks like they were originally just diligently grinding away, climbing the ranks all by themselves, not even thinking of relying on their hubby…】

Whether Bai Ruonian was spacing out or had hearing problems, he didn’t catch what was said. Lu Mingjin had no choice but to keep typing in the public chat.

【Where’s My Tail?, add me as a friend.】

The public chat scrolled lightning-fast, pushing it up again.

【Holy crap… it really is that bullied newbie…】

【So those guys tried to pick on a soft target and ended up hitting solid steel.】

【That’s not hitting solid steel, they hit solid diamond…】

【@Where’s My Tail?, hurry up and add your hubby!】

【@Where’s My Tail?, baby, you were getting smacked around, hurry and hang onto your hubby’s thigh!】

【@Where’s My Tail?…..】

Where’s My Tail? himself, aka Bai Ruonian, amidst the torrent of messages and a screen full of mentions, finally caught the key point. He quickly tapped the System and let Lu Mingjin in.

Lu Mingjin soon sent a message. “Didn’t wait for me?”

It sounded quite resentful.

Bai Ruonian typed back quickly. “Thought you were busy… [Crying Little Cat Face.jpg]”

Lu Mingjin looked at the bouncing white cat emoji and paused for a moment.

He wasn’t busy.

Not at all.

=

Over in the public chat, people were relishing the drama, fanning the flames. The screen was full of mentions, and Bai Ruonian was a bit overwhelmed. It was Lu Mingjin who finally said in the public chat, 【Stop mentioning him, you’re scaring him.】 The crowd of onlookers finally stopped, but someone immediately took the news of the top-ranked Star Dome player’s return to the StarNet forums.

#Shocking, Ancient True God, Offline for Three Years, Logs On to Find His Wife

#Expose That Little White Rabbit Who Stood Up God L#

1L: Frontline report!! The #1 on the Star Dome Ranking, the overwhelmingly powerful [L.M.J], is online!! Sisters near Central Avenue, get online and start recording!!

2L: Sofa, is this real?? The #1 ranked player, dominating the Star Dome Ranking for three years, has logged in?? Is today April Fools’?? What day is it?

3L: No day in particular. It’s simply because his wife wanted to play a game…. He even shouted in the public chat, saying he didn’t invite him to play…

4L: Holy crap… say no more, I’m going to get a screenshot.

……

As expected of a game with universal appeal, within five minutes of the post, the number of logins surged, even causing graphical stuttering.

The entire Central Plaza was now packed with people. Many ranking-list big shots came to check out the commotion.

【Star Dome Ranking #6, Kill Ranking #4, Star-Seeking Ranking #31, Player [Beg You, Stop Feeding] is online!!】

【Star Dome Ranking #106, Kill Ranking #34, Star-Seeking Ranking #87, Player [My Mecha Is My Wife] is online!!】

…..

【Star Dome Ranking #55, Kill Ranking #77, Player [ImJustHereToSeeGodLAndHisWife] is online!!】

In short, the announcements never stopped. One flash of light followed another. It was a case of the big shots gathering to gawk at the supreme boss, and the entire lobby was thrown into utter chaos.

At the very same moment, there was another thunderclap. A flash of white light filled the screen, nebulae swirled, and a super flashy pair of giant wings appeared in everyone’s view, descending from the sky in an incredibly arrogant and flamboyant pose.

The System issued another announcement at that moment.

【Star Dome Ranking #2, Kill Ranking #2, Star-Seeking Ranking #1, Player [Call Me Emperor Shen] is online.】

This caused another sensation. People started discussing in the public chat, 【Why is Rank #2 here too??? I heard Emperor Shen has never gotten along with God L, now we’re in for a show…】

【Is the entire Central Plaza going to turn into complete chaos???】

Seeing that flashy golden-winged figure walking in Lu Mingjin’s direction, everyone was anticipating whether these two would start a fight. After all, Call Me Emperor Shen had been at odds with God L since the server opened, always chasing the rankings. Too bad the guy hadn’t logged on for three years, and he’d only reached Rank #2 overall. He was also a powder keg; no one was allowed to mention Rank #1 in front of him, or he’d blow up.

Everyone watched the scene before them, itching for action.

Fight, fight, fight.

However, no one expected [Call Me Emperor Shen] to walk straight towards that lone, flimsy mecha.

Bai Ruonian, finally coming back to his senses, stared at the huge golden wings, finding them somewhat familiar. He looked up, puzzled. “You’re…”

“[Call Me Majesty Highness].”