Chapter 123: The City God

This day was destined to be a memorable one. Following the anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia, Chinese hackers launched an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks. Indonesian government websites were repeatedly defaced.

Beyond official government sites, the attacks struck transportation systems, a vast number of corporate websites, entertainment platforms, and gaming server networks. As the Indonesian authorities struggled to suppress the riots, they were simultaneously forced to contend with the relentless onslaught from Chinese hackers. The authorities couldn't help but wonder if instigating this latest wave of anti-Chinese sentiment had been a wise decision. With the potential for a formal diplomatic note from the Chinese government looming, they groaned—who on earth had come up with such a terrible idea?

Having dealt with the Indonesian situation, Leng Bingyan put away her tools and returned to the chat room. No sooner had she entered than she saw a question from Shui Wuyue.

Shui: "Bingfeng, that was you who attacked the transportation system, right?"

Leng Bingyan replied with a "nodding" emoji. The chat room instantly erupted. Some users began typing, "Boss, teach me!" "Boss, I can only worship you..." "Great God, I need your help; I’ve only managed to breach two company servers." "Wow... I’m so embarrassed; I’ve only broken into one server in all this time." "I haven't even managed to breach one yet. Great God, I’m the one who needs help the most—I need one-on-one tutoring!!!"

Leng Bingyan was momentarily speechless. She watched quietly as the others boasted about their battle records or lamented their lack of skill.

Shui: "You really are something else—your strength is truly formidable! I went after that system too, but I was discovered. Luckily, I got out fast."

Bingfeng: "..."

Shui: "Bingfeng, tell me, how did you do it? Give me the secret!!!"

Bingfeng: "Big sister?"

Shui Wuyue replied with a cute, nodding emoji.

Leng Bingyan sweated a little and replied: "Attack the person with strategy, not with force!"

Shui: "Hmm? And what else?"

Bingfeng: "Those who are good at battle do not get angry; those who are good at winning do not resort to violence!"

Shui: "..."

Bingfeng: "In warfare, strike the strong with patience and exploit their flaws with divine precision!"

Shui: "..."

The chat room boiled over again. A group of hackers howled, "The Great God is too divine! You truly have the style of a grandmaster. I’m convinced! But... why can’t I understand a single word of that?"

Another added, "The Great God is a god. If you understood it, wouldn't you be a god too? I am lowly and unskilled, but I’ve grasped a percent or two. It is thought-provoking! The Great God’s words are indeed profound and cryptic; one must examine them closely to reveal the mysteries within! Let me tell you, that is the essence of a lifetime of learning! Anything from the Great God must be a masterpiece!"

Someone else chimed in: "Does that mean we’ll never understand it in our lifetime? A lifetime of learning? By the way... how old is the Great God?"

The previous user replied: "If not sixty, then fifty. Maybe even seventy!"

The inquirer countered: "But computers haven't even been around in China for that long!"

The previous user: "..."

Another appeared: "Wait, these words sound familiar. They seem to be from... ancient military treatises. Do military manuals have anything to do with computer technology?"

The crowd sweated: "..."

Leng Bingyan could not help but laugh. Were these really the top-tier hackers of China? They seemed more like kindergarteners, though they were certainly humorous and straightforward. After chatting with them for a while longer, Leng Bingyan left the chat room and shut down her computer.

Seeing that the time was right, she went downstairs and said to Long Mingqian, "Xian’er should be back soon. Let’s go have dinner together once she arrives."

Long Mingqian jumped up from her chair, startled. "Great! Sister Xian’er is almost here, and I’ve been hungry for a long time!" She ran upstairs to change. When she came back down, a figure appeared at the entrance of the clinic and walked in. She was beautifully dressed with the air of a professional woman, yet she exuded an alluring charm that somehow felt entirely pure—a truly contradictory combination. Who could it be but Long Xian’er?

As soon as Long Xian’er entered and saw Leng Bingyan, she smiled and said, "You’re here too, Miss. Our Mingqian has been missing you terribly."

Long Mingqian shot Long Xian’er an angry, shy glare, feeling that she had lost face in front of the Miss. "Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go eat!" Before Long Xian’er could even fully enter the clinic, Long Mingqian dragged her toward the restaurant outside.

Long Xian’er looked helplessly at Leng Bingyan, who followed behind with a chuckle. The three arrived at a restaurant a hundred meters away called the Ming Yuan Restaurant. It was decorated magnificently, with a rich, ancient atmosphere.

Like the Feng Lan Clinic, this restaurant was tucked away at the corner of the residential street where foot traffic was light. Could a restaurant survive here? Fortunately, its unique decor and layout, combined with the excellent quality of the food, ensured a steady stream of repeat customers, making it easy to earn a modest profit.

The three were regulars. As soon as they entered, a beautiful waitress walked over. "Bingyan, your room is ready. Shall we serve the usual?" The waitress, looking about twenty, wore a white-trimmed uniform with a special hat, full of youthful vitality.

Leng Bingyan nodded and was escorted into a private room. Before the food arrived, she asked, "Sister Ye Xue, are there any special assignments these days?"

The waitress, Li Yexue, appeared to be just a server, but in reality, she was Leng Bingyan’s manager. Each city had one "Executor," and each Executor was paired with a manager. The missions were transmitted through the manager, who acted as a partner.

This pairing was a standard rule of the Guild: one person received and submitted missions, while the other focused on execution—a division of labor that prevented interference and increased efficiency.

Li Yexue glanced around to ensure no one was listening and smiled. "I knew you wouldn't be able to stay idle. Here!" She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket. "This mission was released this morning. I thought it was quite simple—or rather, quite simple for you—so I accepted it. The reward is good, two million!"

"Is he already in Beijing?" Leng Bingyan looked at the note, which contained detailed information about the target, along with a photograph.

"Of course. You are the Executor for Beijing. If he weren't here, how could I have accepted it for you? You know the rules—Executors cannot operate outside their jurisdiction!" Li Yexue said, resting her head on her hand with a look of feigned grievance.

"Sigh... there you go again. Can you change your expression? I'm honestly defeated by you," Leng Bingyan said mercilessly. This act was Ziling’s specialty!

Seeing that her routine no longer worked, Li Yexue immediately switched to a pleased smile. "Well, well, not bad, you've improved. But Bingyan, can you stop dressing like a boy? Wouldn't it be better to wear women's clothes?"

"Let's talk about that later. Tell me about the person in this mission." Leng Bingyan, knowing Li Yexue was aware she was a girl, quickly shifted the topic.

Li Yexue nodded and introduced the target: "His name is Cen Yongtian, a Level 6 Power User. His specialty is fire. He’s from Tianjin and has a violent temper. Ten days ago, he committed a serious crime in Tianjin, leaving three dead and five injured, so the organization issued a kill order. Logically, he should have fled south, but he did the opposite and escaped to Beijing."

Leng Bingyan understood. A Level 6 Power User. Because the classification systems for cultivators, ancient martial artists, and supernatural beings varied, the Divine Court and the cultivation world had standardized them into nine levels for the "Executor" profession. Levels 1–3 corresponded to the early stages of martial arts and cultivation; 4–5 to the middle stages; and 6–7 to the advanced stages. Level 8 was the peak. Anything above that was classified as Level 9, though with the current seclusion of the cultivation sects, Level 9 powerhouses were extremely rare in the secular world.

A Level 6 fire-based user was a rare type of criminal. Most Executors were only around Level 6, so if Leng Bingyan hadn't taken this, it would have been a difficult mission for others.

"Alright, I understand. I will complete this mission. After all, it is two million," Leng Bingyan said as the food arrived. "Sister Ye Xue, do you want to eat with us?"

Li Yexue shook her head. "No, you all enjoy. I have work to do. It wasn't easy finding this job to better support your identity as an Executor." She left and closed the door behind her.

"Miss, what do you think of this mission?" Long Xian’er asked pointedly.

"Just finish it. I am the Executor for Beijing, after all," Leng Bingyan said, her mouth full. "By the way, bring Kong Shan in."

Long Xian’er nodded. A few minutes later, a middle-aged man walked in. He was fairly standard in appearance, if not for his rather large belly. This was Kong Shan, the owner of the restaurant. He bowed respectfully to Leng Bingyan.

Leng Bingyan waved a hand. "Kong Shan, no need for formalities. You are the City God of Beijing. Use your ghost soldiers to help me investigate the details of this man named Cen Yongtian, and find out exactly where he is."

The practice of assigning one Executor per city was modeled after the Spirit Ghost Realm’s method of stationing a City God in each city to manage souls. This Ming Yuan Restaurant was, in reality, the City God’s office in Beijing. It was hard to imagine that in this small neighborhood, within a hundred meters, two such extraordinary entities existed: an Executor and a City God.

Even Li Yexue did not know this. Despite working with Leng Bingyan for nearly two years and developing a close rapport, some things could not be revealed to ordinary people. The existence of the City God was a secret of the Spirit Ghost Realm, unknown even to the cultivation world. When the ghost soldiers acted, they used special talismans to mask their unique aura.