[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-becoming-a-god-through-horror":3,"chapter-becoming-a-god-through-horror-becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-58":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Becoming a God Through Horror",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2273601,4441,"Chapter 58: In the Name of Money","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-58",58,"\u003Cp>When this story was first told, it was said to have happened in Michigan, far from Florida—so how could it appear here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could think more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flood of footsteps sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Villagers from other directions gathered and rushed over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The delay was because the town had few people, and the group in this room was small, the house nearby, belonging to neighbors, while other villagers lived farther away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the house engulfed in roaring flames, the crowd was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my God!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They also noticed Louis standing by the roadside, but before they could ask, a shout rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Louis! Louis!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David ran over, panting—he couldn’t run well, never having exercised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Louis unharmed, David exhaled in relief, then turned to the other villagers, eyes wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his way here, he’d met Angela and a strange woman; after a brief explanation, he understood the situation—now, in his eyes, not a single one of these villagers could be trusted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already called the police—don’t you dare move a muscle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David warned loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey buddy, that’s our line to ask you, outsider—your kid was right at the scene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ask what? I just got here to find someone, and as for Louis—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s still a child—surely you’re not crazy enough to suspect him?” David’s remark about him being a child left everyone speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David didn’t mention Angela or the others—he knew saying anything might provoke them; right now, the priority was to keep them calm until the police arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone exchanged glances—he was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, since this gentleman has called the police, let’s first put out the fire and investigate once the officers arrive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group quickly moved to extinguish the flames; because the place was remote, they’d actually prepared some basic firefighting tools just in case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire extinguisher bombs exploded in the flames, streams of water gushed from small hoses…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the fire showed no sign of weakening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the fire spread at an unnaturally fast pace—given this scale, no one inside could possibly escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis, who had just finished his call, smiled at the scene—joking, flames summoned by the Fire Art were different: highly flammable, nearly impossible to extinguish—did they really think this little water could put it out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would that make all his cultivation worthless?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone nearby saw Louis smiling and grew angrier: “Hey kid, what are you laughing at? Do you think this is funny?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis glanced over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None of your business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man stepped forward to teach the arrogant brat a lesson, but saw David wiping his handgun—he frowned at him: “What? Why are you staring at me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the police arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire was nearly out; everyone stood frozen, staring at the charred, ruined house, the endless cries for help still echoing in their ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is truly a tragedy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief inspection, the sheriff, seeing no survivors and the horrific deaths inside, looked heartbroken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, Sheriff, this was just a ridiculous infighting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David stepped forward—he’d learned part of the truth from Louis—and immediately drew the villagers’ furious stares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Seems you have something to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, you’ll know soon enough—no need for me to explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, an officer rushed over to report finding the woman’s corpse and the golden arm—immediately, the sheriff sensed something off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Louis observed the villagers’ changing expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he suspected the golden arm’s appearance here might be tied to the locals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He noticed the mayor’s expression was unnatural; behind him, several men shifted their gaze, subtly stepping backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What followed was simple: after Louis made the call, a lawyer arrived quickly, and the sheriff had no grounds to detain anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite the many suspicious details, the fire that killed nearly twenty people was officially ruled an accident caused by infighting over stolen loot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the villagers grumbled, no one cared whether they accepted it—the case was closed: from report to investigation to conclusion, everything moved with unbelievable speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the Cano family had pulled strings behind the scenes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One must admit: in modern society, before one’s cultivation reaches a certain strength, power and money are far more effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In America, with the name of money, nothing is impossible—if something can’t be done, it only means you don’t have enough money!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Louis, don’t act rashly, especially regarding your own safety—you could’ve just called. No need to get your hands dirty; it only increases your risk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for those villagers, leave them to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His uncle Max said this over the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis didn’t mind—he told Max what he needed, and Max didn’t ask why, just agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hung up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis stared at Olivier, just pulled from the lake, wounds infected, uncertain if he’d survive, and Steve, found in the grave, now mentally broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their horrific states made the two women weep uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t understand—why had a simple outing turned into this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Civilization and savagery coexisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head, no longer paying attention—they had no healing arts, he could only rely on modern medicine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this was fate—at least they lived, unlike in the original movie where everyone died. That was already better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the two women accompanied their husbands to the ambulance, heading to the hospital, while David and Louis drove back to the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ride was silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David had many questions: the unnatural fire, the strange golden arm, the female corpse…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several attempts to speak, he chose silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trusted Louis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even if Louis had done it, it was for the sake of poor Angela’s revenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could he say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Louis, if I believed in the Kitchen God, would that protect me from these strange disturbances?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And with so many dead—won’t they become malevolent spirits?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis smiled—David hadn’t disappointed him: “Believing in others won’t help, but believing in the Kitchen God next door? That works—just remember to carry his amulet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for whether they become spirits… I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But even if they do, it’s not our problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s true!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We don’t live there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even if they come, we’re not afraid!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why worry?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1017,"2026-06-19T23:34:28.869Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9c3f4d00f7d75bec078b4fc7b2f5e819e21ab19d93a3e21cce74006cfcf5dec1","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-59","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-57",253,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecoming-a-god-through-horror-cover.jpg"]