Hand Of God

Chapter 78 He knows it’s me

Before she could respond, Adam suddenly gave her a sly, knowing grin and leaned in slightly.

“You say ‘I have a friend’… but that ‘friend’ isn’t you, is it?”

Diana: !!!!

He knows it’s me?!

But he never said anything?!

Her brain short-circuited. Instantly, every word she’d ever typed as “Icecream” flashed through her mind like a high-speed replay. Which message gave me away? Was it the tone? The phrasing?

Mortification crashed over her like a tidal wave. Her face burned crimson. All she wanted to do was vanish on the spot.

Then Adam burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha! Don’t take it seriously—I was just messing with you!”

Oh.

Just a joke.

Diana exhaled sharply, relief flooding through her—but her heart was still hammering like a drum.

Unintentionally, Adam had nearly exposed the truth.

That was way too close.

He went on, casual as ever: “Anyway, about your ‘friend’ acting different online versus in real life—that’s totally normal. Most people drop their guard behind a screen. It’s just human nature.”

“It only becomes a problem if their ‘true self’ is toxic—like, if someone’s meek in person but a raging troll online, yeah, that’s kinda messed up.”

“But otherwise? Totally fine.”

He tilted his head. “So… did your ‘friend’ accidentally reveal something embarrassing?”

Diana didn’t answer aloud. Instead, she ran a quick internal audit.

Hmm… I don’t really trash-talk in-game. Rarely even use voice chat. So… probably nothing too incriminating?

“Hey?” Adam waved a hand when she stayed frozen. “You okay?”

“Oh! Yeah, nothing,” she mumbled, brushing it off.

Then, with exaggerated nonchalance: “Earlier, you said your phone only had one contact. Have you thought about meeting her in person?”

Adam blinked. “It’s not just one anymore. I added Kenny the other day.”

Diana: …

For some reason, that stung. It felt like he’d lumped her and Kenny into the same category—just names in his contacts list. Disposable. Interchangeable.

But… if he was open to meeting online friends in real life, then maybe… there was still a path forward.

She’d let “Icecream” handle the rest.

Having gotten her answer, Diana didn’t linger another second. She made a quick excuse and bolted.

“Gotta go—BEA’s swamped. I’m needed back.”

Adam watched her retreating silhouette, bemused.

You literally said you were the least busy Super Elite five minutes ago.

He sighed. Feels like I’m just a tool. Ask a question, get an answer, peace out—no small talk, no goodbye.

And what even were those questions?

From that point on, life at Orienta University settled into routine.

Mornings were theory—lectures on foundational superhuman concepts. Afternoons were physical conditioning.

But when the students returned to the field after lunch on day two, most of them froze mid-step.

Because standing there, arms crossed and scowling, was the last person they wanted to see.

Levin.

“Uh… Professor Levin?” Edward ventured nervously, forcing a weak smile. “I thought today’s session was just physical training…?”

“Can’t I multitask?” Levin bared his teeth in a grin that looked more like a predator baring fangs. Then his eyes snapped wide. “Class One! Fall in—now!”

The students instantly snapped to rigid attention. The psychological scars from yesterday were still fresh.

And then Levin dropped the bomb:

“I handle a lot of things here—combat drills, physical conditioning, stealth, psychological resilience… basically anything that’ll keep you alive on the battlefield. All of it falls under me.”

Most students felt their blood run cold.

Adam, though, wasn’t bothered. He actually respected Levin. Sure, the man looked like he’d lost a fight with a bear and lost—but he was thorough, precise, and genuinely invested. Yesterday’s session had been intense, but every correction had been delivered with clear intent.

Just then, Adam spotted a group approaching from across the field.

Diana. Kenny. Sapphire—the girl he’d rescued during the Acolyte attack on enrollment night. And a few others he didn’t recognize.

They walked straight toward Levin.

“Super Elite,” Levin said, raising an eyebrow. “What brings you here?”

“No need for titles,” Diana said politely with a small nod.

Before she could continue, Kenny darted out from behind her like an overeager puppy.

“Hehe! We’re here for Adam!”

“The university’s got a mission—needs him out in the field for a day or two. Won’t interfere with classes.”

Levin grunted, shot Kenny a skeptical glare, then jerked his chin toward Adam. “Go ahead.”

Then, turning to the rest of the class, he bellowed:

“Your top dog’s off gallivanting! Use these two days wisely—while he’s slacking, that’s your chance to catch up!”

Adam winced internally.

Yeah, that was definitely aimed at me.

As he walked over, he asked Diana, “What’s this about? Why assign a mission specifically to me?”

“It’s a PR operation,” she explained. “About the civilians who were brainwashed during the Acolyte incident near campus. The university wants a few of the involved students to help with public reassurance—calm the panic, rebuild trust.”

Adam nodded. Made sense.

Then he turned to Kenny. “And you? You didn’t even show up that night.”

“Me?” Kenny puffed out his chest. “I’m Head of Public Relations! Of course I’m here. You rookies have zero media experience. This op needs me. You’ll be taking orders from me—got it?”

He paused, then added with a sly grin: “Well… except for Super Elite. Hehe.”

The group collectively rolled their eyes at his shameless self-promotion.

Ignoring him, Adam stepped forward and extended his hand to Sapphire.

“Hey. Long time no see—pleasure to finally meet you properly.”