Jiangcheng, mid-summer.
The air was muggy, without a hint of breeze.
Under the Panlong Overpass, the air was filled with a mixture of exhaust fumes and dust, with occasional vehicles roaring past, stirring up waves of heat.
Beneath the bridge, a malfunctioning streetlamp flickered futilely against a pier, illuminating dancing mosquitoes and dust.
In the shadow of the pier, several figures currently surrounded Zheng Wei, led by a burly man with a Scarface, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his eyes fierce.
Zheng Wei's rough hands were clenched tightly, sweat trickling down his cheeks and dripping onto the scorching concrete.
"Brother Wei, don't be ungrateful," a frivolous voice rang out.
The Scarface, who was leading, slapped the usury contract onto Zheng Wei's face.
"Look, it's written clearly in black and white."
"When your daughter was sick, you borrowed fifty thousand from Brother Qiang, and now it's time to pay it back."
"The fifty thousand principal, with compound interest, has now reached three hundred thousand, not a single cent less."
The Scarface spat out his cigarette butt, ground it with the tip of his shoe, and said with a mocking expression, "Brother Wei, three hundred thousand for your daughter's life, that's not a bad deal, is it?"
Zheng Wei trembled as he pulled out a wad of crumpled banknotes from his pocket. "Brother Piao, this is this month's salary, three thousand yuan. Please take it first..."
The Scarface snatched the banknotes, weighed them in his hand, and sneered, "Three thousand? Are you trying to fob off a beggar?"
Zheng Wei's body began to tremble. He raised his bloodshot eyes and pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Brother Bao, my daughter is still in the hospital. Please, can you give me a few more days... just a few more days..."
...The payment from the construction site will be released soon. I promise to pay you back as soon as it comes in!"
"A few days? Can the hospital wait a few days?"
"Your daughter's illness can't be delayed, can it?"
"If Brother Qiang hadn't lent you money back then, you'd probably be kneeling at your daughter's grave burning incense right now, wouldn't you?!"
"Brother Wei, you can't be heartless!"
The Scarface laughed, and the thugs behind him joined in the jeering laughter.
"Brother Bao is right, if Brother Qiang hadn't been kind-hearted, your daughter would have died long ago!"
"Brother Wei, I think your daughter is quite pretty. How about letting her 'work' for us to pay off the debt?"
"..."
The thugs' vulgar insults rained down on the kneeling father.
Zheng Wei's chest heaved violently, the pleading in his eyes gradually replaced by despair, and deep within that despair, a tremendous rage was about to erupt.
"It seems Brother Wei doesn't intend to pay the three hundred thousand today, so don't blame us brothers for being impolite," the Scarface said, losing patience and gesturing to Zheng Wei.
Two thugs behind the Scarface immediately stepped forward and pressed Zheng Wei firmly against the pier wall.
Then, the Scarface turned and picked up a rusty iron rod from the corner, weighing it in his palm, producing a dull thud.
"Since you can't pay, then it's the old rule: first, break one of your legs to teach you a lesson."
"Let you know that Brother Qiang's money isn't so easy to default on." The Scarface on his face looked particularly sinister in the dim light.
"Please, Brother Bao..." Zheng Wei's voice was pleading.
However, the iron rod in the Scarface's hand was already raised high, whistling through the air, and smashing down fiercely towards Zheng Wei's left knee.
Zheng Wei closed his eyes in pain.
He felt as if he could already hear the sound of his bones shattering.
His daughter's pale little face flashed through his mind.
No!
Why!
I've worked my heart out, I just want to save my daughter, why should I end up in this situation!
Extreme despair and anger, at this moment, erupted like a volcano in Zheng Wei's heart!
Just as the iron rod was about to touch Zheng Wei's knee.
A cold, majestic voice, devoid of any emotion, like an absolute truth, suddenly resonated deep within Zheng Wei's soul!
"Welcome to 'Gods Game'"
"Matching identity and faction for the player"
"Identity matching complete"
"Faction matching complete"
"Player: Zheng Wei"
"Identity: Popeye"
"Faction: Radiance"
"Your anger will transform into power, your limits far exceed the imagination of mortals"
...For Zheng Wei under the Panlong Overpass at this moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely the instant this voice appeared.
At the same time, an unprecedented power surged from his body.
Zheng Wei's mind went blank, but his body moved instinctively, driven by this power.
Zheng Wei instinctively swung his arm, and the two thugs holding him immediately flew backward like kites with broken strings, crashing heavily against a distant pier.
Then Zheng Wei reached out and precisely caught the falling iron rod.
"Bang!!!" A dull, loud thud.
The sound of bones shattering, which the Scarface had anticipated, did not come. Instead, an irresistible, terrifying force came from the other end of the iron rod, numbing his tiger's mouth and making it almost impossible for him to hold the iron rod.
How could this be?!
The Scarface's eyes widened in horror, his mind instantly crashing.
And the smiles on the faces of the thugs behind him, who had been laughing, also froze.
"You..."
The Scarface subconsciously tried to pull the iron rod back, but found it wouldn't budge.
"Creak... squeak... ah..."
Suddenly, a chilling sound of metal twisting rang out.
Under the horrified gaze of the Scarface and the others, the iron rod, made of solid rebar, was... crushed in Zheng Wei's hand!
All the debt-collecting thugs present, including Brother Bao, froze in place, their faces filled with extreme astonishment and disbelief.
Bent an iron rod with his bare hands...?!
Is this a damn movie?!
They looked at the twisted, deformed iron rod, then at Zheng Wei, who exuded a dangerous aura, as if they had witnessed the most incredible sight in the world.
At this moment, Zheng Wei slowly raised his head.
His eyes had completely changed; the original pleading and despair had vanished without a trace, replaced by a bewildered fury.
Zheng Wei could feel this powerful force gushing from every cell of his body, surging wildly through his limbs!
He looked at the thugs in front of him, who had just been wantonly humiliating him, his eyes like he was looking at a pile of dead things.
"You... what the hell are you doing?!" Brother Bao was the first to snap out of his shock. He instinctively took half a step back, then roared, feigning toughness.
Then, Brother Bao pulled a gleaming switchblade from his lower back, and with a "click," the blade sprang open and lunged at Zheng Wei. "I don't care what tricks you're playing, debts must be paid, it's only right and proper!"
Zheng Wei watched the incoming blade and actively swung his fist to meet it.
The moment his fist collided with the blade, the switchblade shattered, and a crisp bone-breaking sound came from the Scarface's wrist.
"Monster!"
A timid thug let out a shrill scream and turned to run. Seeing this, the remaining thugs also scattered instantly.
"Bro... brother... no, Big Brother!" The flesh on Brother Bao's face twitched wildly, his previous arrogance completely gone, replaced only by boundless fear.
He wailed, clutching his broken wrist: "Misunderstanding... it's all a misunderstanding! The money... we don't want it! We don't want it, really, we don't!"
Zheng Wei did not respond, but merely glanced at him, and the Scarface immediately scrambled backward.
Zheng Wei watched indifferently as the group of scoundrels scurried away, not pursuing them. Soon, the thugs disappeared into the shadows, leaving only a strong stench in the air.
The evening breeze suddenly blew, bringing a touch of coolness.
Zheng Wei lowered his head, looking at his slightly trembling hands, unable to believe everything that had just happened.
Was he dreaming?
"Gods Game... Popeye..."
Zheng Wei muttered to himself, beginning to carefully examine the rules information that had appeared in his mind.
Factions, identities, abilities, battles, obliteration... all of this seemed like a fantasy, yet it was truly happening to him.
The laws and order of the mortal world are now null and void for you.
Your only restraint is other players.
The words in the rules echoed in his heart.
Perhaps... this sudden extraordinary power, this so-called "game," is not entirely a disaster.
But an opportunity, an opportunity for him to break through his current predicament, and even to seize more opportunities!
Daughter!
Zheng Wei thought of his daughter, who was still in the hospital. He no longer cared to ponder "Gods Game" and quickly headed in the direction of Jiangcheng First People's Hospital.
And this night, many people in Jiangcheng were destined for sleeplessness... In an unremarkable residential building's top-floor apartment in Jiangcheng.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows were the dazzling lights of the entire city.
A young man in comfortable loungewear was intently watching a huge light screen in front of him. The screen was divided into twelve frames, displaying twelve different scenes in real-time.
One of the screens showed the scene under the Panlong Overpass, from Zheng Wei being pushed to the brink of despair to his eruption of supernatural power, scaring away the thugs.
The man picked up his freshly brewed coffee, took a small sip, letting the rich aroma fill his mouth.
He looked at Zheng Wei's face on the screen, a mix of bewilderment, fear, and a hint of wild joy, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a playful smile.
"The pebble has been thrown into the pond,"
He murmured softly, yet with a rhythm that suggested he controlled everything, "I hope it stirs up some... interesting ripples."