[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-gods-foolish-game":3,"chapter-the-gods-foolish-game-the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-35":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Gods' Foolish Game",{"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},2361163,4617,"Chapter 35: Deception","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>【Deception】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi opened his eyes and found he wasn’t on the rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart skipped a beat; his first thought was: Had he guessed wrong? Was Xu Lu telling the truth?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he realized he was floating amid the stars, above the constellations, that thought was instantly dismissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had not been wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body had merely been relocated by some mysterious force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had heard other players mention this power during previous trials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that when the [Deity] favored one of His devotees, He would descend at the trial’s end in a form mortals could comprehend and summon them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy shit, this is real?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s mind went numb, buzzing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never imagined these bastards’ jokes were true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he held his breath, searching the brilliant starfield for his benefactor, a pair of enormous eyes—terrifying in scale—suddenly opened before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An indescribable pressure surged toward him, striking his soul and freezing him in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to those pupils, black holes of darkness, Cheng Shi’s body was but a speck of dust in infinite space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thump—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thump—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thump—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi stared, heart pounding wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt his heartbeat accelerate, syncing within a few breaths to the void’s rhythm beneath the stars, then gradually lost all sense of being “human.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had to describe the feeling, it was like his soul had left his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi looked down in shock and saw his physical form still lying where he had stood, expression vacant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His current self was transparent, drifting—like a spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the overwhelming, inexplicable pressure begin to fade, and Cheng Shi slowly regained control of his awareness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, from the eye before him—its sclera covered in spirals, its pupil scattered with starlight—came a voice, ancient and cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cheng, Shi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice differed from any sound he had ever known; hearing it felt like dissolving into nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought he should be trembling; he glanced down and confirmed it—his body was shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his spirit-form felt no fear, so he softly replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But immediately, he felt it wasn’t enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No mortal could remain calm before the [Deities].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if someone could, it certainly wasn’t someone like Cheng Shi at his level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he added, groveling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Praise the Void, praise my Benefactor; to be summoned by you is an honor beyond measure.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Survival isn’t shameful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the eye, which saw through all things, twitched slightly—and emitted a scoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Weak mortal, you don’t even recognize your own Benefactor, yet dare to speak of praise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not [Deception]!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s eyes flew wide with terror, then narrowed as his mind raced; he ventured a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“[Time]?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the divine name, the eye spun like a clock, its voice growing colder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uttering a god’s name falsely—condemned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the words ended, Cheng Shi’s spirit dissolved into nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if he had never existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body shattered into dust, scattered by the stellar winds into the infinite abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The colossal eye spun round and round until it sensed a shift in fate—and closed, “satisfied.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it had never appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time began to flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like a century, or just a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the chaos of time, after who knew how long, the eyes opened again in the same place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, however, the corners of the eyes curled slightly—clearly smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh dear, you’re not too late.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spiral-and-star-filled eye blinked, and with each blink, bright stardust appeared where Cheng Shi’s body had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stardust drew together, fused, and coalesced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When invisible forces reshaped them into a human form once more,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the clay figure born beneath the stars opened its eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh—huh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi gasped for air, sweat drenching his forehead and back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the eye before him, gritted his teeth, and forced out a single word:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyes paused, clearly startled—then laughed harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“According to my understanding of your human language, this word seems to express your desire to share the [Creation] authority with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eye spun twice, chuckling:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or perhaps you wish to drag me into the [Corruption] sea of desire, to do something unspeakable—no, something unseemly to [Gods]?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi listened, stunned, and swallowed back the torrent of profanity on his tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether in form or tone, this was clearly not the same entity as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind churned for a moment; he seemed to grasp something, his face darkening as he spoke lowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You watched your devotee be killed by another [Deity]. As my Benefactor, may I ask—where is your protection?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eye beneath the stars spun again, laughing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’ve guessed my identity. But you’re wrong about one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I did not see Him kill you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I came with my eyes closed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So his own shamelessness had a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: if the top is crooked, the bottom will be too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is that what I’m talking about right now???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi was speechless—but he now knew one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least this entity had responded, acknowledged itself as his Benefactor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Deception].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the so-called “meeting between Deity and devotee” was far from the solemn, heavy atmosphere he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first encounter didn’t count.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, could you tell your confused devotee what just happened? Who was that killer...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you get familiar with everyone this quickly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi regained some human instincts and retorted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m socially anxious. I’m bad with people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can understand your emotions. So what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it only because I saved you—and am your Benefactor—that you’re so...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let me think... the word should be:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Reckless?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi shook his head, rejecting [Deception]’s phrasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It has nothing to do with that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you’re not human.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter rang through the stars; the eye, painted with spirals and starlight, laughed so hard it could no longer control its blinks, twisting and warping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It regarded Cheng Shi with delight and abandon, as if admiring a priceless work of art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are the second work that has satisfied me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow, his expression calm, though the word \"work\" stirred unease within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who was the first lucky one?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A fascinating little girl named 'Zhen Xin'—in your slang, she is my [Divine Chosen].\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi’s pupils contracted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gods know the [Divine Chosen].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the Gods should know everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when a deity spoke to him directly, treating players like merchandise, Cheng Shi felt a strange unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? You seem to harbor anger over your identity as a player?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Shi stopped joking. He shrugged, replying with a smug grin:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it not allowed? Sorry, I can’t control it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"All anger is merely self-deception. The more fragile a life tries to hide its helplessness, the angrier it becomes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyeball scrutinized Cheng Shi’s thoughts and chuckled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you want to retaliate against Him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1142,"2026-06-21T06:05:06.137Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d6559b71fa7c8efcbfd7479b31cfc3daf4dee416dc79e7b0f5f37ed680f80a76","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-36","the-gods-foolish-game-chapter-34",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-gods-foolish-game-cover.jpg"]