Chapter 27: The Truth

  At midnight, I and Deng Cao appeared on time at the 11th floor of the Hilton Hotel. The corridor was very quiet, except for the sound of our footsteps on the carpet, there was no other movement.

  "Boss, remember our room number!" Just as we were approaching room 1111, the door to room 1131 suddenly opened. Accompanied by a soft, flirtatious voice, two scantily-clad women emerged from inside. One of them was busily counting the cash in her hand, while the other gently closed the door behind her. As they passed by me and Dengcao, the two women even threw us a flirtatious glance.

  "What are they doing?" Lamp Grass turned his head to look at the back of the woman, then asked me in a low voice. In his opinion, it's easy for girls to encounter "bad people" if they don't go home so late. What he didn't know was that these two women actually hoped there were more "bad people", the more the better!

  "It was her, the one I called you about the night before last. They're just like that..." I chose a way of putting it that would be easy for him to understand and explained it to him.

  "Alright..." The grass lamp's face showed a hint of regret, and he nodded.

  "Don't be sorry, others also make a living by 'working'!" I rubbed my nose and teased the lamp grass.

  "Alright, one who does not work shall not eat." Denglao rubbed his bald head in agreement with me.

  At the same time, in room 1111, Han Bangzheng and that quiet girl Wenjing were warmly welcoming Su Meili who had arrived as scheduled.

  "Beautiful, I didn't think you'd actually come to this appointment. This makes me and Wenjing very happy, come on, sit down and have a drink." Han Bangzheng smiled as he brought over three cups of wine and placed them on the coffee table.

  "The president invited me, how could I not come? But what I don't understand is, does the president always choose midnight for dates with women?" Su Meili picked up the wine glass in front of her and swirled it around, saying coquettishly. It has to be said that her words were both ambiguous and not too excessive. She was a master at playing hard to get.

  "Ah, ah, you're one of the few beauties who can receive an invitation to visit at midnight. The door to Danqing Society is easy to enter, but my door, Han Bangzheng's door, isn't something that just anyone can enter!" Han Bangzheng laughed as he raised his cup in a gesture towards Su Meili. He was laughing very happily, like a child who had finally gotten the toy they had been wanting for a long time.

  "Can't you tell me, apart from me, who else has this honor? And what's the difference between the door of Danqing Society and your President Han's door?" Su Meili asked with a smile, her palm tightly grasping the protective charm I gave her. She wanted to know if there were any other people she deeply loved among them.

  "Hehe, I'll answer your second question first! The door of Danqing Society is unguarded and has no secrets. But my door, Han Bangzheng's door, has many secrets, that's the difference between them. Although in your eyes, Danqing Society and my door are the same door, there is no difference, nor anything strange." Han Bangzheng said this, picked up a few cups and took a light sip.

  "You're all wrong, only when you step into the door of Han Bangzheng will you feel what's different between them. Are you confused? You'll understand soon, just like those people before." Han Bangzheng downed the cup of red wine that looked like blood and said.

  "Look back and you will see a different world! And I am your guide." Han Bangzheng's voice became enchanting, he stood up and walked to Su Meili's front, raised his hand and pointed behind her, saying softly.

  Su Meili followed his fingers to look back, and suddenly felt that the decorations in the house had changed, even the light had dimmed. It was not just dim, but eerie. Because the whole house in Su Meili's eyes had completely disappeared without a trace, replaced by a palace with a crimson glow. The palace looked ancient, but gave people an evil feeling.

  On the dome of the palace, a monster with 8 heads and scales all over its body is depicted. Or, to put it more vividly, a giant lizard with 8 heads is coiled on top of a snow-capped mountain, gazing around with an air of evil. In contrast to its own ugliness and wickedness, the background of the painting is filled with beautiful cherry blossoms.

  In the center of the palace, there was a throne made of human bones. Although no one was sitting on it, it gave people a deep sense of oppression and fear. And Han Bangzheng, at this moment, was wearing a snow-white robe, standing not far from Su Meili, smiling at her. Beside Han Bangzheng stood Wen Jing.

  At this time, Wen Jing's appearance absolutely did not give people a quiet feeling. Because now, her entire body was completely exposed. Behind her back, a tail as tall as a person swayed back and forth, its silver-white fur growing at a speed visible to the naked eye. The delicate face no longer gave people a pitiful feeling. A sharp-mouthed, fox-like face replaced the previous one, appearing in front of Su Mei's eyes.

  "Look, this is my secret! Aren't you shocked? Even feel a little envious? As long as you offer your soul, you can get everything you've ever dreamed of. This deal is very cost-effective for you!" Han Bangzheng gently stroked Wen Jing, who had completely transformed into a white fox, and spoke to Su Meili in the same way one would pet an animal.

  "You can have unimaginable power and an extraordinary life. You can make those who once looked down on you crawl at your feet. You can make them tremble, and do with them as you please, play with them as you like. If you wish, you can even take their lives, everything they have! And all it takes to get all this is for you to pay a small price, offer up your soul to serve my great god Amaterasu." Han Bangzheng's eyes gleamed with an unsettling fervor as he stepped closer and closer to Su Meili.

  "Does Jiang Xiaodie know your secret too?" Su Meili asked Han Bangzheng, suppressing the fear that was almost overwhelming her. She had agreed to meet him in the dead of night for one reason - her dear friend Jiang Xiaodie, whom she loved deeply.

  "Hmm, it's not just Jiang Xiaodie, but also Li Jingxiang. And many others! Haven't you noticed that the number of people in Danqing Society is decreasing? That's because many people have discovered my secret, yet refused to offer their souls to serve the great Amaterasu." Han Bangzheng snapped his fingers and spread his arms apart, holding them level as he spoke. He was furious and resentful. He had elevated those people, wanting them to serve alongside him under the great Amaterasu, but these trash didn't even show gratitude?

  "What about them now?" Su Meili took a few steps back, her hands clasped tightly in front of her chest.

  "Some have already died, and some are about to die. If they do not want to serve the great god, then what value is there in their lives? What meaning is there? Sumire, don't you think I'm right? Only the great Amaterasu can guide us forward. Only the great Amaterasu can lead us to become masters of the world." Han Bangzheng's eyes grew even more fervent, as if being a servant of a monster was his greatest honor.

  "Jiang Xiaodie is dead? Didn't Xiaodie go abroad? How could she be dead?" Su Meili shouted frantically, shaking her head in disbelief.

  "For me, creating an illusion of going abroad is too easy. Do you know why I'm going to such great lengths to arrange one unexpected event after another for those ungrateful things? It's because I don't want to disturb the hidden old things in the country before the great God awakens. That would bring trouble to the great God. As a servant of the God, I cannot cause any trouble for the great God.

  For Han Bangzheng, Su Meili only had two choices: nodding her head in agreement or shaking her head in refusal. The results of these two choices were either life or death. So he wasn't afraid to reveal all the hidden secrets."

  Moreover, Han Bangzheng enjoyed the feeling of sharing secrets with others. That refreshing feeling could bring him a different kind of pleasure. He thought that the Chinese idiom "it's more fun to share with many than to enjoy alone" was very reasonable. Many times, he admired himself, admiring his own selflessness.

  "Tell me now, what is your answer! Are you willing to follow in God's footsteps and share in God's glory? Or are you willing to die a painful death like those people?! Han Bangzheng didn't want to waste too much time. This time, the shrine maiden had dispatched a total of 10 small groups nationwide to collect souls for the awakening of Amaterasu ōmikami. And his group was the one making the fastest progress. He didn't want to be surpassed by others, he wanted to maintain this first place."

  "I wonder if the Holy Maiden will smile at me by then? Or perhaps, God will reward me greatly after waking up." In Han Bangzheng's heart, he was filled with thoughts of that Holy Maiden who liked to wear white robes. And also, that lizard with 8 heads.

  "Xiao Die didn't respond to you, and I won't be able to either." Su Meili clenched the amulet she gave me tightly in her hand, ready to tear it open at any moment.

  "Ah, Wen Jing, we've wasted another evening! This woman, leave her to you." Han Bang straightened his shoulders and let out a long sigh as he spoke to the giant white fox beside him.

  "Squeak"

  "Boom!"

  "Where did you get this amulet?"

  Wen Jing transformed into a white fox, drooling as she pounced on Su Mei. Just as her claws were about to tear open Su Mei's throat, a golden light flashed. The giant fox was then repelled by the golden light and fell to the ground, convulsing. Looking at its front paws again, they had already turned into a charred black mess.

  "Ah, I knew it was suspicious! Tsk tsk tsk!" After the flash of golden light, all the illusions in the room disappeared without a trace. And I and Deng Cao stood facing each other with a smile, looking at the naked woman on the ground and the somewhat disheveled Han Bang.