Haze Rengatsu realized that she was different from others when she was only two years old.
She could remember things she had seen months ago and easily understood profound and obscure knowledge.
While she quickly observed and learned about the world, her peers were still slow to grasp their surroundings. Some children even lacked rational and logical thinking.
At the age of three, Rengatsu effortlessly completed various tasks assigned by her preschool teacher. She mastered Japanese and had a mathematics level comparable to that of a high school student. She also exhibited extraordinary talents in both science and literature. Her preschool teacher exclaimed that she had encountered a child prodigy.
At the age of four, Rengatsu mastered over 8,000 English words and achieved a score of 8.8 on the IELTS test, approaching the level of an English expert.
Building on her foundation in mathematics, she expanded her study plan to include more subjects.
At the age of five, Rengatsu won first prize in the Neon Teenager Intelligence Competition, becoming the youngest champion in history.
With her brilliant mind, lovely appearance, and privileged background, it was difficult for such a person not to become famous.
Driven by the media, Rengatsu became a Xiao Ming star. Her father, Haze Ki, seemed to benefit from her halo as well and surpassed his competitors in the election, rising from mayor to governor, doubling his annual income.
Haze Ki was a shrewd politician who saw in his daughter what he wanted to see.
At the age of six, Haze Ki accompanied Rengatsu on a city-wide lecture tour, praising the achievements of their family and career. They received unanimous acclaim from the public, as everyone wanted a child as outstanding as the daughter of the governor, and they were sincerely impressed by their family's educational methods.
On the night of Rengatsu's seventh birthday, she received a gift - a Steinway piano worth three million dollars, equivalent to 320 million yen, imported by her father from overseas.
"Thank you, Father." Rengatsu held the panda plush toy her mother gave her and looked up at her father, sweetly smiling. "But I'm not very interested in music. I would prefer it if you could arrange my enrollment. The country requires all six-year-old children to receive elementary education, and I'm already one year behind other children."
"Rengatsu, staying with ordinary people will only waste your talent. Stop self-studying those random things. I have arranged a new study plan for you, including vocal music, dance, and etiquette. This year, you will go to the prestigious Tokyo Noble School to study art. With your learning talents, you will become the most outstanding woman in the world."
"Academics are art. School is the fastest path to academics. I plan to complete elementary, junior high, and high school within five years, go to Kyoto University at the age of twelve, graduate with a doctorate before the coming-of-age ceremony, and then travel the world."
Haze Ki paused for a moment. "What are you talking about? Who can guarantee that you will always be intelligent? Do you know that many people were smart in their childhood but became foolish when they grew up? Not seizing fame and fortune now will only lead to future losses."
"Learning those foolish etiquettes will only make me blend in with the masses. Father, I can accommodate anything you want, except for my own life." Rengatsu spoke to her father in a calm tone that was not fitting for her age.
"Rengatsu, you have read many books. You should know how deeply our country's class system is entrenched. Dad's goal is to become a member of parliament, but the closer I get to this goal, the more I realize that social class is like capital, pervasive everywhere. Some positions are not something you can simply achieve by wishing, but you can help me. One day, you will be in a high position just like me. I am paving the way for your future."
"I have no interest in the future you are talking about. You just want to mold me into a tool that is perfect and impeccable in all aspects, marrying into a noble family in exchange for the success of your career. I won't agree to that."
After so many years in politics, Haze Ki was accustomed to hypocrisy and criticism, but he found it difficult to bear the questioning from his daughter's soul. This feeling of being exposed, of being seen through by his daughter, made him unusually angry. He harshly slapped Rengatsu and said coldly,
"Rengatsu, you are outstanding. But don't forget who showed you this world and provided you with so many resources!"
Rubbing her swollen cheek, Rengatsu did not cry or make a scene. She looked directly at Haze Ki, and in the depths of that man's eyes, she saw only greed and the ugliness of human nature.She sighed, as if surrendering to authority, and said, "I will do as you say, Father, thank you for your kindness."
...
Heizhe Qi died in a car accident.
The death of her father seemed to have had a great impact on Rengatsu. She stopped going to school and locked herself at home.
Afterwards, Rengatsu was no longer as active as before, and her desire for performance was not as strong. The biggest change was that she was no longer dazzling.
The genius halo gradually faded from her, and Rengatsu's IQ tests and memory were now as average as ordinary people's. The media gradually lost interest in her and stopped reporting on her, and the netizens with a memory of only three days naturally forgot about her and turned their attention to more interesting things. Rengatsu faded from the public eye and returned to an ordinary life.
Rengatsu attended her father's funeral and smiled unnoticed as she bowed at the farewell ceremony.
The death of Heizhe Qi was her plan from beginning to end.
Rengatsu knew that her father was used to driving himself, and she knew that he liked to take a secluded road to work, preferring to take a detour rather than queue up in the traffic, even though the detour did not save time.
So she tampered with the car's fuel tank, causing the oil to leak at the right time, and it ignited when the circuit short-circuited, causing the car to burn. The flammable material placed in the trunk in advance caused a second fire.
Rengatsu altered the seatbelt, making it difficult to unfasten after being buckled in, and there was no one on that secluded road to rescue Heizhe Qi. In the end, the man burned to death in the car in just a few minutes, and the intense fire destroyed all the traces of the crime.
That year, eight-year-old Rengatsu realized one thing more clearly: she was a natural refined egoist and she could do anything for her own benefit.
Rengatsu was not a murderer; she would not harm her mother or her younger sister who had just started kindergarten. As long as they did not hinder her life, she would play the role of a filial child and a reliable sister, making her family happy and worry-free.
After Heizhe Qi's death, Rengatsu lived the life she desired.
She mastered fifteen languages, became proficient in computer technology, got admitted to Kyoto University, and achieved academic success. She made money from stock trading that was beyond spending. She traveled the world and visited many countries.
Rengatsu used the money she earned for investments, indirectly causing many people to go bankrupt. She engaged in academic fraud using multiple identities, causing many unscrupulous professors to lose their jobs. She had once pretended to be a hacker from the Hua country to invade the USA's air defense system in order to observe the changes in the international situation...
Rengatsu had done many crazy things, but in the real world, she was just a low-key, graceful and elegant young girl. She had a few innocent girlfriends around her and some boys who pursued her but were out of their league.
No one understood the real Rengatsu, including her family.
Rengatsu always felt that she was lacking something, not money, not a partner, not a spiritual support, but something else.
She felt that this world was lonely and boring.
It wasn't until Horror Novel Web and the Association approached her that she finally realized what she truly wanted.
...
The main story begins.
On October 28th, Rengatsu became an author, and on the 29th, the Association's representatives found her.
Rengatsu was certain that she hadn't revealed any information on Horror Novel Web, nor did she tell anyone about it.
So why was she discovered?
With her were six newcomers from different countries.
The Association's goal was clear: to help the newcomers get through the dangerous period and create a harmonious world. Kana provided valuable information and advice to the newcomers.
Rengatsu accepted the various settings of Horror Novel Web and tried to explain its existence through science.
She failed.
Horror Novel Web was too metaphysical, and she couldn't understand it despite searching through all the literature. Her hacking skills were useless in front of the novel website.Perhaps quantum mechanics can have something to do with it...
Well, putting Horror Novel Web aside for now, Rengatsu needs to figure out how to survive. She is not easily fooled like those newcomers who believe whatever others say.
The loopholes in the association's arguments ultimately boil down to the issue of interests - why doesn't the association kill newcomers but instead helps them? What do they want to gain from newcomers? What is their motive?
For love and peace? Haha, how ridiculous.
If the association really comes from a "utopia," Rengatsu doesn't mind showing them the cruelty of society.
On the 30th day, Rengatsu used the deep web to investigate everyone in the QQ group, including the group leader Kana. Everyone had complete information. Rengatsu also investigated the origin of this QQ group and confirmed that it had no relation to Horror Novel Web.
During the investigation, Rengatsu noticed that a Korean named Cai Yanzhen was seeking help from passers-by in KKT.
Cai Yanzhen didn't dare to mention the words "Horror Novel Web" directly, but only vaguely hinted at the existence of this website and asked if anyone knew about it.
Clearly, Cai Yanzhen felt uneasy about Horror Novel Web, and Kana's arguments worsened his negative feelings, making him both suspicious and afraid. In a panic, he made various mistakes.
As a result, Cai Yanzhen became the sacrificial lamb for Rengatsu to test the rules of the novel website.
Rengatsu registered an account with a fake identity and used a secret code to communicate with Cai Yanzhen. She is well-versed in psychology and knows how to gain others' trust in a short period of time.
Under Rengatsu's manipulation, Cai Yanzhen developed the following misconceptions about Horror Novel Web:
1. Although Horror Novel Web involves supernatural phenomena, there is no danger.
2. The authors form a small circle, and the elders like to bully newcomers and make them work for them.
3. Bizarre events are similar to games and can earn rewards with low risk. The elders are worried about being surpassed by newcomers, so they deceive newcomers by claiming that bizarre events are extremely dangerous.
It can be imagined what happened next - Cai Yanzhen deliberately entered a bizarre event and died. To Rengatsu's surprise, she actually gained his memories, points... and lifespan.
Does even this count as killing another author?
Not only does she gain the deceased's points, but also their memories and lifespan? Why didn't the association mention such an important matter?
Kana did hold back as expected!
Rengatsu becomes even more suspicious of the association's true intentions.
Normal people might feel tempted to retreat and escape at this point. But Rengatsu has no intention of doing so. She plans to completely overturn the association as her "newbie mission" in the world of authors.
The strong are not necessarily the hunters, and the weak are not necessarily the prey. Who will be hunted is still uncertain.
