Chapter 141: The Mentally Deranged Apostate

The eight of them looked around neurotically, yet discovered nothing out of the ordinary.

It felt as though all eight of them were plagued by simultaneous paranoia.

"Gentlemen, is something the matter? The ordering area is over there; you can leave a few people to place your order."

The waitress had been startled when all eight turned their heads left and right in search of something. Hearing no noises nor witnessing any other strange occurrences, she had no idea what was wrong with these youths who looked like students.

"Oh, it's nothing. We'll head to our private dining room first and come back down to order in a moment."

Wang Shenyu immediately snapped out of it and replied to the waitress.

"Very well, this way please."

Led by the waitress, the group headed upstairs.

Wu You raised his head and smiled at the waitress who had been helping him with his order.

"This should be plenty. Let's go with this for now, and please serve the food as soon as possible. I'll head up first."

The waitress froze for a moment.

What does "should be plenty" mean? she thought to herself, wondering how much of it he would end up wasting.

"Certainly, sir."

While speaking with the waitress, Wu You's perception remained locked onto those students.

It was quite an interesting experience to encounter the "believers" of the biological entities under his command in a place like this.

Especially when he discovered that the psychic and physical abilities of this group of "cultists" had grown quite noticeably.

This growth, of course, did not refer to their original physical bodies, but rather to the significant progress they had made after already being endowed with power by the demon.

Initially, Wu You hadn't expected them to detect him, as he had reined in the psychic energy that, to ordinary people, could interfere with their thoughts and mental states.

Yet shortly after entering the restaurant, this group of students had all sensed something.

Wu You had also clearly perceived the shift in their emotions, which was why he had instantly concealed his aura.

This was rather intriguing. Strictly speaking, the amount of time this group had been "blessed" by the demon was not particularly long, yet their rate of growth was quite impressive.

Those big kids, varying in fatness and thinness, probably possessed strength now that rivaled seasoned muscular strongmen. Moreover, due to the unique nature of that power, their stamina would undoubtedly far surpass those bodybuilders who possessed explosive strength but lacked endurance.

To Wu You and his alchemical creations, this amounted to nothing, but to ordinary humans, the impact of such continuous spiritual and physical growth might just be enough to change a lifetime.

Not just the Primeval Demon, but all demons were keen on "running cults." Next time, he would have to ask them if all the "believers" they recruited experienced this sort of condition.

Seated in his corner table, he admired the evening glow lingering along the West Lake.

It was quite cozy.

Provided there weren't so many lovey-dovey couples lingering about.

...

Inside Private Room 302, named "Remnant Snow on the Broken Bridge," several of the students voiced their recent sensations.

"Shenyu, you felt it just now too, right? Everyone must have felt it?"

Wang Shenyu and the others nodded.

"That's right, I felt it too. It was like encountering something of utmost importance."

"Yes, I know it sounds a bit strange, but just now I genuinely thought I might have met God..."

Little You chimed in. His maternal grandmother was a Christian, so he frequently used catchphrases involving God and the like, though his own family's beliefs aligned with those of most citizens in the country.

"Uh, we accepted the power of a demon, yet here you are bringing up God..."

Waiting downstairs for his food, Wu You cracked a wide smile.

The feeling of being mistaken for God wasn't bad at all.

Normally, he wouldn't casually use his spiritual perception to pry into other people's privacy; this time had been purely for amusement, but after listening to that exchange, he tuned out.

His cold appetizers were served first, and he prepared to dig in.

While Wu You was eating, two people emerged from Private Room 302 to place their order before returning.

Just as Wu You was handing back several empty plates to the astonished food-delivery attendant, a rather melodramatic scene unfolded.

A man was cursing up a storm as he marched up to the third floor, closely followed by a male and a female restaurant staff member.

"I'm telling you, I booked Remnant Snow on the Broken Bridge last week! You can ask your Manager Zhang."

"Sir, we truly have no record of your reservation, and the private room is already occupied."

The man was the duty lobby manager, and he attempted to block the trench-coated man from heading upstairs.

"What does that have to do with me? That's your negligence, and I shouldn't be the one taking the blame!"

"Sir, our Manager Zhang is on his honeymoon; we really never received news of your reservation."

"Sir, could you please wait a moment? Our General Manager Zhao will be right down."

Shoving the two aside relentlessly, the man strode up to the third floor, cursing as he headed in the direction of Room 302.

There were still many couples and other patrons dining on the third floor, all of whom frowned upon hearing the commotion.

Yet no one stood up.

Wu You watched the man from his corner with amused interest.

From the emotional and mental ripples he perceived, it was blatantly obvious that the man was lying.

So, he was here specifically to pick a bone?

Did he hold a grudge against the restaurant, or against those students?

Ah, there was also a faint scent lingering on the man. Wu You figured he probably had a pretty good idea of whose trouble the fellow intended to stir up.

"Bang!"

The door to Private Room 302 was shoved open by the man.

Because the soundproofing was actually quite good, and the students inside had been engrossed in a heated chat, it was only at this moment that they realized what was happening.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for disturbing your meal, we couldn't stop this gentleman."

The waitress hastily apologized to Wang Shenyu and the others.

Just as the male lobby manager opened his mouth to speak, the trench-coated man burst out shouting directly at Wang Shenyu and his companions.

"Take me to see the demon! Take me to see the demon! I was wrong, I'll cherish it, I want another chance, take me to see the demon!"

The man's emotions suddenly turned volatile, his mental state reaching an extreme pitch of agitation.

"I can't find it, I looked everywhere and I can't find it, but I know you guys can find it! I'm begging you, take me to see the demon again!"

"I tried every method, I bled myself and drew formations, I ate crow eyes... I just want one more chance!"

With that, the man bared his left wrist, which was covered entirely in slash marks.

The male and female staff members standing nearby instinctively backed away from the man by a few paces.

A man who could change his expression in a single second like this was definitely mentally unstable.

Such individuals were often more dangerous than robbers or other thugs, because you could never predict what they might do, and after committing a crime, a psychiatric evaluation would let them walk away unpunished.

Patrons at several of the lobby tables close to the private room stood up one after another, moving far away from the doorway.

"Call the police..." the male manager murmured to the waitress beside him.

The expressions on the faces of the eight students in the room altered completely.

To the restaurant staff and onlookers, they might simply look frightened, but only they themselves understood what was truly going on.

Wu You had figured it out.

This person had once been a devotee of the demon—not necessarily of Sarras, however—and right now, he was a traitor to his faith.

Having received power, he had assumed he could possess it forever.

When he ceased to regard the demon with reverence in his heart, even though he continued to repeat certain symbolic rituals and actions, the power had vanished.

And trailing along with its departure was likely a portion of his sanity, leaving his mind somewhat fractured.

Well, one could also say his soul was somewhat fractured.