The God Envoy had lost his divine bloodline by now. Though his physical prowess still surpassed that of ordinary Players thanks to the Points he had spent on skills, without the protection of holy light, he had become significantly more vulnerable.
Moreover, the newcomer excelled in pure strength. Even at his peak, the God Envoy wouldn’t have dared to take his punches head-on, let alone now?
A single blow to the face shattered the God Envoy’s nose and knocked out a mouthful of teeth. His once-handsome face was now a bloody mess, tears and snot streaming down as blood and broken teeth flew everywhere.
The dark-skinned man seemed startled by the outcome. Seeing Lu Qingjia using the God Envoy as a human shield, he hesitated, too cautious to attack again.
Lu Qingjia chuckled. “Looks like your backer treats you well. Knowing you’re a fool, they even arranged protection for you during the mission.”
“W-why?” the God Envoy mumbled through his ruined mouth.
Lu Qingjia said, “You didn’t actually think you had some kind of invincible aura, did you? That with a single call, capital would compromise in the face of such massive profits?”
“I didn’t believe it, but you actually did.”
“Sure, the Heroes from the rival company aren’t your match. But just like the two fools who tried to deal with me, it’s all too easy to disqualify you outside of the competition, at the very least.”
“Even when talking to me, every word you say is full of holes. Where did you get the ability to persuade three major factions to unite? That’s the symbol of the industry leader, the number one Hero.”
“Unless you had someone constantly following you to clean up your mess, or you could actually manipulate people to some extent.”
“This is a superhero world. No matter how strong a Player is individually, they can’t withstand the targeting of the industry leader. Using violence to force them into submission is clearly unrealistic—”
Lu Qingjia paused, glancing at the God Envoy, and shook his head with some regret. “Your backer really went all out to remove every obstacle for you. The chips they gave you would allow three or four mid-level Players to walk all over the Game.”
“Too bad mud can’t be propped up into a wall. They ended up with someone like you.”
Seeing the dark-skinned man looking for an opportunity to strike, Lu Qingjia pressed a scalpel against the God Envoy’s neck. “Don’t move.”
“Given his identity, if he dies here, you’re done for too, right?”
The dark-skinned man frowned but didn’t dare act recklessly.
Lu Qingjia said to the God Envoy, “Now, release the mental control over the President, won’t you?”
But in reality, after Lu Qingjia had stripped the God Envoy of his Ability, the President’s expression had already shown signs of confusion.
Lu Qingjia probably knew why. The God Envoy was too incompetent. Even if he had been given the Ability, his effectiveness would have been limited.
However, the God Envoy’s bloodline likely had some ability to control minds. After all, when people think of gods, they instinctively think of worship and faith.
Sure enough, the God Envoy himself explained that it was another function of his divine bloodline, called ‘The Saint.’
Once activated, it would make people follow, worship, and even obey him. Even those with hostile intentions would find their animosity softened.
But for some reason, it didn’t work on Lu Qingjia.
Lu Qingjia knew why. First, he had two mental skills of his own, one of which—mental suggestion—was almost identical to the God Envoy’s Ability. Second, he had never harbored any strong feelings toward the God Envoy to begin with—no hatred, no resentment.
And after his uncle’s relic appeared, the deep-seated grudge he had carried for so many years couldn’t simply be erased by softening his emotions.
After releasing the mental control over the President and the executives of the rival company, Lu Qingjia tossed the God Envoy into the Sludge space.
Then he turned to the dark-skinned man. This person wasn’t unfamiliar—he was one of the Demon Lord Competitors, with the Hero name ‘Sweet Chocolate.’
The name was cute, but the contrast with his appearance was stark.
This Hero’s Ability allowed him to transform his body into chocolate, controlling its state—liquid, solid, soft, hard, dense, thin, and even its size. The Ability didn’t sound particularly impressive, but he had utilized it to its fullest potential.
In some ways, it was similar to Mudslide’s Ability, but even more powerful, since he could liquefy his entire body.
His offensive, defensive, and stealth techniques were all excellent. According to official records, he had even disguised himself as a chocolate cake multiple times to infiltrate target locations, catching people completely off guard.
The character’s Ability was undoubtedly something the Player possessed as well, and the Player’s performance could surpass the character’s.
Lu Qingjia smiled. “To take such a limited Ability and use it to its fullest extent, even earning the Game’s judgment that you qualify as one of the top five in this world—it shows your talent and combat intelligence far surpass that fool’s.”
“What a shame. A talent like you, wasted on cleaning up after an idiot.”
Sweet Chocolate remained unmoved. “I must ensure the God Envoy’s safety. Now that he’s in your control, I’ll stay close to you. If I sense his life is in danger, I’ll attack you even if it means mutual destruction.”
Lu Qingjia raised an eyebrow. “No problem. I’m short on hands anyway.”
Sweet Chocolate: “…”
By now, the President had regained clarity. He glanced at the wreckage in the reception room, recalling what had just happened.
The details were hazy, and even their conversation was forgotten. But he knew the God Envoy and Mudslide had just had a fierce fight, and the God Envoy—who had been absolutely confident of winning—had lost. Now he was under Mudslide’s control, whereabouts unknown.
The President looked shocked, then realized there had been something wrong with his previous decisions.
Why had he been so adamant about supporting the God Envoy as the Hero King?
The Hero Association, to maintain its authority and complete control over the industry, certainly had its own plans for who would become the official representative Hero.
While the God Envoy was powerful, his affiliated company had become increasingly domineering in recent years, repeatedly trying to challenge the Association’s authority.
They must have been out of their minds to choose the God Envoy over the previously favored Hero, who came from humble beginnings, was backed by the Hero Association, and was easier to control.
Before the President could fully process this, Mudslide cut to the chase: “The higher-ups of the Hero Association and the executives of the God Envoy’s rival company were all under mental control. The mastermind was the God Envoy and his affiliated management company.”
“I’m sure the President can figure it out.”
The President was stunned. “How is that possible? The places we frequent all have gene limiters.”
But as soon as he said it, he knew it didn’t hold water. Even if God himself came, they wouldn’t give up their interests.
They must have been influenced.
The President said, “I have some urgent matters to attend to. I look forward to your performance, Mudslide.”
With that, he turned and hurried away, likely to join forces with the other company to settle accounts with the God Envoy’s affiliated company.
As he left, Lu Qingjia deliberately asked, “So, my market manipulation is fine, right? After all, I was just defending myself. The God Envoy, after my persuasion, agreed with my argument.”
The President turned back, giving Mudslide a complicated look.
Yes, the God Envoy had been dealt with, and they were free from control. But an even more terrifying force loomed over them now.
If the God Envoy could control them without them noticing, then Mudslide, who had defeated the God Envoy, would be even more formidable.
Not knowing Mudslide’s full capabilities, the President didn’t dare to push back. He forced a stiff smile and said, “I agree. But due to the joint complaints from the two companies, we have to at least go through the motions.”
“I’ll deal with those who break the rules. Mudslide, just focus on the competition.”
“Thank you for your concern, President,” Lu Qingjia said with a smile, waving as he watched him leave.
He then prepared to return to his room, but as soon as he stepped out, he saw a cat standing not far from the door.
It seemed to have been attracted by the commotion. In fact, not just the cat—most of the Heroes had come up due to the noise.
But it was clear that two Heroes had been fighting. They had seen the God Envoy arrive and thought it best not to interfere.
They had expected Mudslide to suffer a crushing defeat this time. But when he emerged, apart from a bruise on his face, he seemed mostly unharmed.
The God Envoy, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen. One of the Heroes asked Lu Qingjia, “Did the God Envoy leave?”
Lu Qingjia picked up the cat. The black cat, concerned, gently touched the bruise on his face with its paw.
Hearing him hiss in pain, it quickly retracted its paw, looking at him with worry.
Lu Qingjia smiled at it. “It’s fine.”
Then he turned to the other Heroes and said, “He’s dead.”
“What?!” The Heroes were stunned. They hadn’t expected such a bold answer. Some instinctively wanted to say Mudslide was being too arrogant.
But many who had witnessed his capabilities and ruthless efficiency in the past few days couldn’t be sure if he was joking.
They turned to Sweet Chocolate and asked, “Is he joking?”
Sweet Chocolate, who was surprisingly straightforward, thought for a moment and said, “He’s pretty much dead.”
The room erupted in chaos, and the viewers watching through the camera feeds were equally shocked.
“Is he bluffing? The God Envoy might not have become the Hero King yet, but he’s still considered the strongest Hero.”
“Strongest my ass! Heroes aren’t just about innate abilities. The God Envoy’s combat awareness is clearly lacking.”
“Even with poor combat awareness, he still dominates other Heroes. Some people are just naturally gifted, no point in being jealous, haha.”
“Even if he’s not the strongest, he’s definitely in the top three. Mudslide’s really pushing it.”
“After getting proven wrong several times, I’ve learned not to jump to conclusions about this guy.”
“LOL, he’s gone off the deep end. Don’t compare him to our Saint.”
But it wasn’t long before the Hero Association released an announcement.
They stated that the God Envoy, due to health reasons, would be unable to participate in the Hero King competition and had regretfully withdrawn. The vacant Demon Lord Competitor position would be filled by Mudslide.
The announcement sent the internet into a frenzy—
“Did Mudslide really take down the God Envoy?”
“Mudslide’s insane. Did he swallow a whole ‘Chosen One’ script or something?”
“How is this fair? Heroes can just fight privately during the competition? Mudslide’s too underhanded. He should be disqualified too.”
“Shut up, cultist! Your idol’s true colors are showing. Who knows who started it?”
“It must be the God Envoy’s fault. Otherwise, his company wouldn’t just let the Hero Association handle it.”
“Damn, this is way more intense than I expected. I thought it would just be some petty drama, but in less than two days, we’ve had attempted murder, framed scandals, and now a disqualification and a brawl.”
“Totally. Comparing this to those idol competitions is a rookie move. This is on a whole other level.”
The internet was abuzz with opinions, but Lu Qingjia hadn’t expected the Hero Association to act so quickly.
Bullethead emerged from the crowd, excited. “You really took down the God Envoy? Damn, I’m actually starting to believe our company can win this.”
Lu Qingjia, however, wasn’t as thrilled. He simply said, “If you’re confident, let’s wrap up the Game soon.”
After all, he couldn’t wait to enter the Infinite Game.
