Chapter 14: Playing God

Skye shot Old Wang a glare:
I knew you were up to no good. After all this fuss, we’ve missed our original plans and spent hundreds more dollars—so it was all for the Book of Dark Divinity?

She picked up her phone and began recording.

Such an important conversation, such a pivotal moment, had to be documented.

I was here. I witnessed it. I recorded it.

I am a witness to history, a participant in great events!

...So what exactly is the “Book of Dark Divinity”?

Skye’s beautiful face flushed; her large eyes sparkled with excitement. She felt as if she were part of something momentous, and was proud to be involved.

Robbie, however, was far less pleased. Young as he was, his brow furrowed deeply: “So you don’t want money, you want the Book of Dark Divinity?”

The demon inside him grew increasingly restless, as if it, too, desired the book.

So what was this book, really? Did it have something to do with the demon?

“That’s just a bonus. The real reason I’m here is for you—you’re more important than any book.” Old Wang looked at Robbie as if beholding a priceless treasure. “My trip here is mainly to help you. You want revenge. The Fifth Street Gang is the real culprit behind what happened to you and your brother… Didn’t you capture Peter yesterday? Didn’t you get anything out of him?”

Robbie glanced at Old Wang’s neck. Wasn’t he here for the necklace?

Well, maybe not. That necklace didn’t seem especially remarkable.

At the mention of “Peter,” Robbie’s brow knitted even tighter. “He said someone hired the Fifth Street Gang to kill, but the target wasn’t me or my brother—it was my uncle. But I don’t believe him. I think he was just trying to mislead me, to get me to let him go… so I killed him.”

Young people shouldn’t be so hotheaded; the world is a beautiful place… Besides, Peter wasn’t a hunter—how could he mislead you? Even if he were, he couldn’t fool a boss at your level, you’re immune to that... Old Wang didn’t know what to say.

Of course, he understood it wasn’t Robbie’s fault.

The fury of vengeance has a way of dulling the mind; anger makes people irrational, and the Spirit of Vengeance is a problem all its own.

That thing is a true “rage-fiend,” full of destructive urges. If left unchecked, it’s terrifying. In that state, the Ghost Rider is at his strongest, worthy of challenging even the top-tier superheroes.

Most of the time, a Ghost Rider has to suppress the Spirit of Vengeance’s power, control it as much as possible.

Of course, that’s extremely difficult and mentally exhausting—a real “intelligence debuff.”

With practice and adaptation, control over the Spirit of Vengeance improves, and so does Ghost Rider’s strength.

The first Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, eventually became incredibly powerful—though that was another universe. This one might not be far behind.

As for Robbie?

He was still a novice among novices—average power, no experience, no technique, and, frankly, not too bright.

Of course, there were advantages to this.

Young, inexperienced, easy to manipulate, enormous potential, principled and loyal, and, crucially, still had fatal weaknesses and soft spots… The last point wasn’t important; Old Wang was a good man—he’d never threaten anyone.

Someone like this was perfect for training, though he was a little old, and, well, male.

Skye was better—female, pretty, vibrant, resilient. He’d been mentoring her since she was sixteen, and now their relationship was excellent, her affection rating well above ninety. She had high potential, was a student, and Old Wang was her teacher.

They even shared something in common: both orphans—

Wait, that wasn’t right. Old Wang wasn’t an orphan.

Soul aside, this body was created by Miss Azeroth, which made him practically born of heaven and earth—a kindred spirit to both Monkey King and Iron Pillar.

No, that wasn’t quite right either. Skye wasn’t an orphan; her parents were alive!

“This is a long and thrilling story—worthy of a TV series. But to keep it short…”

Old Wang didn’t want to waste words; besides, after talking so long, his mouth was dry. He wished he’d chosen to be a mage—at least then he could conjure water… But he was a Pandaren; being a Monk was the true path… He’d once considered apprenticing to Aegwynn, but she hadn’t thought much of him…

Old Wang was resigned.

Skye was busy recording, and Robbie was clearly not the tea-serving type. There wasn’t a water dispenser in sight, so Old Wang bore his thirst and resolved to finish the story quickly.

“The New Energy Laboratory was researching the forbidden domain of God. They came up with a grand term—‘Quantum State Permanent Energy Storage.’ I don’t really understand the specifics, but in essence, it’s about creating something from nothing,” Old Wang recalled.

“That’s impossible. How can you create something from nothing?”

“That’s as unscientific as a perpetual motion machine!” Skye and Robbie retorted in unison.

“Don’t interrupt! Didn’t your teachers ever tell you to wait until I’m done before asking questions?” Old Wang snorted, openly disdainful. “One didn’t get into college, the other dropped out of high school—what do you know?”

“Oh, like you’re so smart. You didn’t even finish middle school, elementary schooler…” Skye muttered.

“Even an elementary schooler knows the law of conservation of energy. And I didn’t fail to get into college—I just didn’t want to go. My grades were great…” Robbie grumbled inwardly.

Neither interrupted again, which pleased Old Wang.

“Creating something from nothing is impossible. No one’s broken the law of conservation of energy yet, but people still dream of it. Because if you could, you’d be as powerful as God—the temptation is just too great.”

Old Wang explained, “Joseph somehow learned of the Book of Dark Divinity, so he and Lucy searched for it, and they actually found it. Imagine—HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. never found it, but they did. Amusing, isn’t it?”

“Following the methods described in the book, Joseph built some devices that could seemingly create things out of thin air, or make things vanish—at least, that’s how it appeared.”

“But he had no idea that the Book of Dark Divinity came from another dimension—a dark, hellish one. What looked like creation was actually drawing energy from that dimension, and what looked like disappearance was actually sending things there.”

“Do you see? It’s not creation—it’s theft!”

“Your uncle Eli wanted that godlike power. He wanted to be God. He wanted that book.”

“Joseph, of course, refused.”

“To get the Book of Dark Divinity, Eli used Joseph’s inventions to turn the lab members one by one from something into nothing—making them into special beings, ghosts gradually falling into hell.”

“Joseph grew terrified. He hired the Fifth Street Gang to eliminate Eli.”

“But you and your brother just happened to steal your uncle’s car. The gang mistook you for him… and tragedy struck.”

“Your uncle found Joseph, interrogated him. Joseph hid the Book of Dark Divinity, refused to talk, and then fell into a coma, ending up in the hospital.”

“Your uncle was arrested.”

Old Wang shrugged. “That’s the story.”

Skye focused on her recording, searching for information online as she went.

Robbie sat in silence, his emotions tangled.

Old Wang’s words sounded incredible, but they were logical and fit with everything Robbie had learned. He couldn’t refute any of it.

Was his uncle truly the culprit?

Was his uncle really a murderer?

After over ten minutes, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse: “I still can’t believe my uncle would kill anyone. He might not be a good man, but he’s not a bad one. He’s never even killed a chicken!”

“I’m sorry, but that was before. The Book of Dark Divinity’s allure is beyond your imagination. It corrupts the heart, seduces people into depravity. No mortal can resist it—not even your uncle. Do you understand? That book is the real villain.”

Old Wang gazed at Robbie, but his eyes seemed to look past him, a hint of a smile on his face: “Am I wrong, Spirit of Vengeance?”