Ch 25 (Part 2): Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

There is no shortcut to take; it entirely relies on technical ability.

As Fang Ziyang’s new pseudonym gradually climbed the forum rankings and rapidly rose, just as he expected, the entire Midnight Union forum exploded!

Indeed, it was an explosion.

Everyone online in Midnight Union rushed over to witness Fang Ziyang’s new account. Among them were top ten powerhouses, and all of them widened their eyes at the incredibly eye-catching nickname.

Oh my god.

Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf!

Is this for real? Did this newcomer unintentionally choose this name without paying attention to the forum rules, or is he intentionally provoking trouble? Or perhaps he really is from Heavenly Scourge’s family… something like that?

As the number one guru in the Midnight Union forum, the influence of Heavenly Scourge was beyond doubt.

Bluntly speaking, among the ten members of the forum, eight of them were admirers and fans of Heavenly Scourge, while the remaining two were filled with envy and jealousy. Every time the Heavenly Scourge appeared, there would be a flood of confessions of love and adoration, along with a stack of sarcastic comments.

There was once a confident female guru who didn’t hesitate to risk exposing her identity by posting pictures of herself confessing her love on the forum, shocking everyone.

That female guru was indeed outstanding, whether in terms of appearance, technical expertise in common topics, or her real-life status — everything about her was top-notch.

However, unfortunately, Heavenly Scourge had no intention of taking pity on others.

The departure of the beautiful goddess left some people lamenting while others were relieved.

From then on, Heavenly Scourge not only acquired the title of “Lone Wolf,” but also became an unattainable ice flower.

However, now…

Someone had appeared using the name of Heavenly Scourge, and the meaning behind the nickname was full of imagination…

In any case, Fang Ziyang had successfully ridden on the wave of attention and caught everyone’s eye.

With his rising rank on the forum’s leaderboard, the discussions among forum spectators became more intense. Even the lurking veterans couldn’t resist joining in the conversation.

[Ah, what? Is this “Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf!” really that of Heavenly Scourge… that thing? Has my ice cold flower been plucked away like this?]

[No, no! Heavenly Scourge should be sitting on the throne, overlooking the world. No one should be able to take him away!]

[Where did this monster come from? I refuse to accept it! I don’t believe it! Our master would never be interested in anyone else. Heavenly Scourge, please show up and speak!]

[Please, please, please!]

[Wait a minute, everyone calm down. This little prodigy is extraordinary! Look how quickly his rank is rising. In less than four hours since creating this account, he has already reached the top ten. This speed is making me dizzy…]

[Ahhh, he’s already at eighth place, bro. Wasn’t it at this speed when Heavenly Scourge first joined the rankings? Are we about to welcome another prominent figure who will dominate the leaderboard? If it’s this level of skill, I accept him being from Heavenly Scourge!]

[Seventh…]

[Sixth…]

[Fifth… Fourth… Third…]

[Second… It stopped, finally stopped! Second place, right behind Heavenly Scourge!]

Within the Midnight Union forum, there was an uproar and frantic cheering.

In just five hours, he had climbed to the second position on the leaderboard with his new account. What kind of technical prowess was this? Heavenly Scourge had achieved a similar speed when they first climbed the rankings.

Midnight Union was, after all, a forum for technical exchanges. Although there were fangirls and fanboys, it wasn’t filled with mindless hype like some other places on the internet. The attention quickly shifted from the eye-catching nickname to the technical aspects.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Undoubtedly, they had gained another fierce expert in their forum!

And then, Fang Ziyang began to receive a flood of private messages, most of them saying, “Hi, friend xx” and “Great master, please take me as your apprentice.”

There were also excited greetings and requests like, “Great master, are you really from Heavenly Scourge’s family?” “Did you come here because of Heavenly Scourge… blah blah blah.”

Every time a prominent figure appeared on the forum, this kind of frenzy always occurred.

People in every circle revered and were enthusiastic about top-notch experts.

In his previous life, when his skills were average, Fang Ziyang would occasionally create anonymous accounts to flirt and be cute with various experts.

Fang Ziyang couldn’t help but reminisce.

But even amidst the adoration, he didn’t forget his main objective. He scrolled through the private messages in the lower right corner of the screen, and when he saw a nickname that said “Tang Tang, I Adore You,” a smile finally appeared on his calm face.

[Tang Tang, I Adore You]: Ahhh, great master, you’re so amazing! Please take me as your apprentice~~

It was a very ordinary message.

However, this was the beginning of the “talent trafficking” operation conducted by the “kidnapping prodigy.”

In his previous life, when the stories of Tang Tang, I Adore You “kidnapping” people were exposed, some idle and bored fellow members compiled all the visible posts and comments made by Tang Tang, as well as the revelations from those who were “kidnapped.”

In the end, they summarized the ultimate tactics used by this person to “kidnap” others:

First, they pretended to be a newbie and successfully established a connection. Then, they probed further, testing if the person being targeted had the ability to be poached. After that, they bombarded them with money.

Although the money part seemed a bit cliché, money was an everlasting temptation.

Following that, they slowly cultivated a relationship…

To the point where this “kidnapping prodigy” managed to gather half of the talented individuals on the Midnight Union forum. It wasn’t an impossible feat.

Fang Ziyang curled the corners of his lips.

Without wasting time with idle talk, he immediately replied to the message.

[Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf]: It’s just so-so, world rank three. How do you want to get close to me?

A somewhat arrogant tone.

Hmm, it fits the name “Little Elf” quite well.

He wondered what kind of expression and mood the person on the other end of the computer would have when they saw his reply. They probably didn’t expect him to respond, or perhaps they were shocked by his unabashed and non-humble answer.

In any case, after sending out the message, it took a while before he received two consecutive replies.

[Tang Tang, I Adore You]: Ahhh, great master, you actually replied to my message! Oh my God, how can I be so lucky! Great master, I’ve thoroughly observed your journey up the leaderboard, and your rank has already proven your skills. If you don’t mind, can I be your cute and spoiled apprentice?!

[Tang Tang, I Adore You]: If I can’t be an apprentice, can I at least be your loyal and obedient subordinate? I beg the great master to take me in!

Their excitement was akin to that of a screeching chicken, seizing the opportunity to seek guidance from the master. It perfectly aligned with the “kidnapping prodigy’s” usual approach to winning people over.

This tone…

It seemed that the other person held him in high regard.

But it wasn’t surprising. Someone who could climb into the top ten of the forum’s leaderboard within a day didn’t need to prove their abilities further; their value was already apparent. Their enthusiastic and proactive approach made sense.

With the “kidnapping prodigy” having successfully won over only a few talented individuals in the early stages, encountering such a “bigshot” who actually responded meant they had to seize the opportunity.

He had intentionally baited the conversation, and the other party had intentionally tried to get close. This connection was established easily.

Fang Ziyang pondered for a moment and didn’t waste time on small talk. He continued the conversation directly.

[Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf]: You want to become my apprentice? That might be difficult. I won’t be staying in Midnight for long; I just came here today to make a post.

Can’t stay for long? Making a post?

Just one sentence immediately caught the other person’s attention. This time, there was no delay in their response, and they quickly replied.

[Tang Tang, I Adore You]: Ah? Great master, why won’t you stay for long? Midnight Union is great! With your excellent skills, if you could stay and exchange knowledge, the computer proficiency of all the forum members would definitely improve! Great master, take a look, the entire forum is your fan club~

[Tang Tang, I Adore You]: Making a post? What kind of post are you going to make? Can you give me a little spoiler? (Cute smile)

Two consecutive messages indicated that the other person was eager and excited.

However, he couldn’t tell their actual expression or emotions through the screen.

But Fang Ziyang didn’t intend to engage with this “kidnapping prodigy” for the long term. The person was too cunning. Those who had spent some time being close to them eventually ended up being fooled into working for them.

He didn’t want to fall into that trap. He was only interested in the shiny money behind this person!

With a smirk on his lips, Fang Ziyang leaned back against the chair and casually continued typing on the keyboard.

[Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf]: Oh, there’s nothing I can’t say. I heard that there are many corporate bigwigs lurking in Midnight Union. Personal creations can fetch a good price here. I’m a bit short on money recently, so I made a software and came over. I wonder if I can find buyers who can afford the price.

The “kidnapping prodigy” was not only known for poaching talents on the forum but also for acquiring software.

As soon as they heard this, they seemed even more interested, and their response came quickly.

[Tang Tang, I Adore You]: Really? Great master, you have a new creation? Could you give some details? I’ve been around Midnight for a long time and know several wealthy big shots. I can discreetly inquire for you! If the deal goes well, I hope you’ll recognize my abilities and keep me here!

Ding, ding, ding… They knew how to play their part, always acting like a newbie.

Fang Ziyang smiled and replied promptly.

[Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf]: Ah, are you that capable? Alright, help me inquire first. If you manage to pull it off, I’ll consider keeping you.

[Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf]: Well, it’s a small thing for now, and the details are confidential. The fixed price is 2.3 billion. But my master, Heavenly Scourge, says that it’s worth at least that much. Do you know any wealthy individuals who have such financial power?

My master, Heavenly Scourge, says…

My master, Heavenly Scourge, says…

Such an affectionate tone!

In a certain villa.

The blond-haired, blue-eyed man sitting in front of the computer suddenly had a strange expression. He turned to look at the tall man next to him, who was solemnly watching, and then cautiously replied.

“Um… great master, do you have a close relationship with Heavenly Scourge?”

Fang Ziyang shamelessly raised the flag.

“Yeah, didn’t you see my nickname? He’s my top, my dominant partner. If you don’t believe me, go ask him. He’s the one who gave me this name, saying that when people hear it, they’ll know I’m his. (Blushing smile)”

Pfft!

Rick spewed out his coffee in a burst of laughter. “Oh my God, Xie, when did you get married? Why didn’t I know? And you even gave your wife the nickname ‘Heavenly Scourge’s Little Elf’ to make everyone aware?”

Xie Zheng:…

Xie Zheng pushed him away and tremblingly logged into Heavenly Scourge account.

And then…

And then he couldn’t log in!


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9 Comments

  1. Sakuya-hime says:

    Oh god… I wanna die from second-hand embarrassment 🫠

    Thanks for the chapter ~🌸

  2. FireFoxWinterWolf says:

    Thanks for the update~

    1. MakanCheese says:

      I feel like now I’m certain that Xie Zheng is the ML and I think that Tang Xun could be his real brother which is why he is so protective of MC.

  3. Elli says:

    Pwahahaha I wonder if Ziyang actually knows who heavenly scourge is 😂😂 and maybe he’s doing it on purpose 🤔😂

  4. Morian says:

    Ugh, that Xie Zheng is really the ML ig. *Sigh* really, I want it to be anyone but him. I should’ve expected it after seeing ‘the protagonist’s first kiss should always be his husband’ flag.

  5. M&M's says:

    Based on the username and responses of the poacher, I had a feeling it was Rick, since the name and speech don’t seem like things that Tang Xun and Xie Zheng would say, lol. I’m surprised that “Heavenly Scourge” is Xie Zheng, though, since I thought for certain that it would be Tang Xun, but it’s a nice development. I can’t wait to see his response to someone claiming to be his wife, lol.

    Thanks for the chapter! 😀

  6. Aiyo says:

    Augh I wanted it to be Tang Xun 😔 but ig it’s Xie Zheng then…

    1. RubyBegonia says:

      I also had thought it will be his older brother because of the notion of family.. but “family” is also family, how could I forget this lol. Had thought the Lu family genetic run harder on Tang Xun making him #1.. turned out the ML’s OPness armor is thicker 😅.

  7. Jeanne says:

    *sigh* I guess this kinda confirms Xie Zheng as the ML and Tang Xun as the probable older brother😔 I was really hoping it to be Tang Xun or someone apart from the men who witnessed MC’s downfall.
    I should’ve known, after that first kiss thing. But if he really is the ML then I’m gonna need a lot more satisfying info regarding his actions in the previous life!

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