The Gods' Group Chat

Duag! The impact echoed solidly through the school corridor, leaving behind a painful reverberation in the hallway that was usually filled with noise and laughter. Shuwan felt as if the air had been knocked straight out of his lungs. The brutal kick to his stomach sent him flying backward, his body crashing into a row of metal lockers with a deafening bang before collapsing onto the cold concrete floor. At the same time, something slipped out of his uniform pocket. It hit the ground at the wrong angle. Crack. The phone screen that had already been covered in fractures finally shattered completely, scattering broken pieces before Shuwan’s blurry eyes. “Hahaha! Look at this loser! One hit and he’s already dying!” Laughter erupted around him. Dozens of students surrounded the corridor, yet none of them tried to help. Instead, they watched as though they were enjoying some kind of circus performance. Bo, the large-built student responsible for Shuwan’s suffering, stepped forward with a satisfied grin on his face. “Hey, Shuwan! Stop pretending and get up already!” Bo shouted as he slammed his foot into Shuwan’s curled-up body. “Get up! Don’t act weak in front of everyone!” One stomp. Two stomps. Then a third one so hard that Shuwan’s body barely reacted anymore. His consciousness slowly sank into darkness. His head fell to the side, right beside his lifeless phone. “Bo… he’s not moving,” one of Bo’s friends whispered nervously. “Tch, he’s probably just faking it!” Bo snapped back, but the confidence in his expression began to fade when Shuwan showed no response at all. “This is bad! What if he’s dead?” another student muttered as he slowly backed away. “Damn… we’re screwed! Are Bo and all of us going to jail? I don’t want to get involved!” The atmosphere that had once been filled with laughter instantly turned suffocating with panic. Fear slowly crept into everyone’s hearts—until a sharp voice suddenly cut through the crowd. “What’s going on here?! Why are all of you gathered here?!” A woman wearing glasses and formal attire hurried into the middle of the circle. It was Miss Li Na, their homeroom teacher, known for being intelligent yet extremely strict. “M-Miss Li Na… it’s… Shuwan…” a female student stammered while pointing shakily toward the motionless boy on the floor. Miss Li Na’s eyes widened behind her glasses. She stared at Shuwan’s pale, bruised face in horror. “Oh my God! Why are you all just standing there?! Hurry up and carry him to the Medical Room! Now!” --- The sharp scent of antiseptic was the first thing Shuwan noticed as he slowly opened his eyes. The dull white ceiling above him spun for a moment before finally coming into focus. He tried to move, but a sharp pain immediately shot through his stomach in protest. “Shuwan, you really are such a troublesome child. Didn’t Mom tell you not to get into fights?” Shuwan turned his head slightly. Sitting beside him was his mother, staring at him not with sympathy, but with disappointment and restrained anger. “I didn’t fight, Mom…” Shuwan whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible. “They attacked me… all because of some girl I don’t even know.” “Stop lying! Your classmates said you started the fight first. They said you challenged Bo!” his mother scolded loudly, her voice echoing throughout the quiet medical room. Shuwan froze. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the crushing ache tightening around his chest. “So you… believe them more than your own son? Amazing…” Slap! A harsh slap landed on Shuwan’s already bruised cheek. He fell silent, staring blankly at his mother. “You useless child! I’m tired of constantly being called to your school because of you! If you get involved in another fight, I won’t even let you come home anymore! Handle your own problems yourself!” Without another word, the woman grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room, leaving Shuwan alone in the cold silence. At that moment, his life felt like a cruel joke. Bullied at school. Treated like trash by his classmates. And now, betrayed by his own mother. Slowly, he reached toward the bedside table. His shattered phone lay there. He pressed the power button repeatedly, but the screen remained pitch black. That phone had been his only escape from reality. And now, even that had abandoned him. “What’s the point of staying alive?” he whispered into the silence. --- Strong winds swept across the fourth floor of the school building. The area was usually deserted since it was only used for storage. Shuwan stood at the edge of the low concrete barrier, staring down below. The dozens of meters beneath him looked strangely tempting, promising an end to all the pain he had endured. He wasn’t popular. He wasn’t talented. To the world, Shuwan was nothing more than worthless dust. He slowly spread his arms, clutching his broken phone in his right hand. Fear gripped his heart, but his desire to stop hurting was even stronger. Goodbye, world that never wanted me, he thought bitterly. Shuwan shut his eyes tightly, ready to let his body fall forward. But at that exact moment— Bzzzt! A vibration suddenly pulsed through his palm. The phone that had been completely dead suddenly lit up brightly. The light was so blinding that Shuwan instinctively stepped back from the edge in shock. He stared at the screen in disbelief. Even though the cracks were still there, the operating system logo appeared with an oddly clear glow. “It turned on? It can still turn on?!” In an instant, the surge of excitement overwhelmed his despair. He let out a small cheer, completely forgetting his intention to jump. That phone was his lifeline. He quickly left the fourth floor and rushed home. --- “Don’t forget to wash your school uniform before you shower! If you leave the stains for too long, they’ll be hard to clean!” his mother shouted from the kitchen the moment Shuwan stepped into the house. Shuwan said nothing. He washed his uniform, took a shower, and immediately locked himself inside his room. Exhausted and sore, he collapsed onto his bed. He turned his phone back on again. However, he frowned. It seemed the system damage had reset the device back to factory settings. Using the little mobile data he had left, he began downloading a messaging app. The moment the installation finished and he registered his number again, a notification suddenly appeared at the top of the screen. Cai Shen Ye has added you to the group “Gods & Fortune Chat Group.” Shuwan blinked in confusion. “Cai Shen Ye? The God of Wealth?” he muttered. He opened the group chat, only to freeze in shock when he saw the member list. There were no names like Dao Ming or Bo. Instead, the group was filled with names straight out of ancient legends. Cai Shen Ye (Admin) Kitchen God Chang’e Nezha Erlang Shen “What kind of group is this? A roleplay chat? Or did I just get added into a group full of lunatics?” Shuwan muttered to himself as his fingers slowly moved toward the keyboard, completely unaware that his destiny had just begun to change forever.