Reversing Falsehood and Preserving Truth: All Gods and Gods Are in My Hands

The cold, slippery sensation of the tentacles spreading along his skin made Lu Yu clearly feel his strength being rapidly drained away. His consciousness, as if immersed in cold water, gradually became blurred. Zhang Hao's tentacles had already wrapped around his neck, and the stench of blood assaulted his nostrils. The suffocating feeling made his vision go black, and the ancient coin in his palm was as cold as a piece of dead jade, devoid of any light.

"It's over..."

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suddenly heard a muffled "Duang" sound, and a brick the size of a fist flew through the air with a whooshing sound, hitting Zhang Hao's tentacle precisely.

The brick didn't hit hard enough to even scratch his skin; it was like it had just tickled him. Zhang Hao paused, his empty eyes turning towards the direction from which the brick had come, and the grip on his neck loosened slightly.

Immediately afterwards, a scream, choked with sobs, pierced the night sky—

"Let him go!"

Lu Yu snapped back to his senses and, taking advantage of the brief moment, forcefully pried off the tentacles wrapped around his neck. He staggered back a few steps, leaned against the wall, and coughed violently, his throat filled with a metallic, sweet taste.

He looked up and saw Su Wan standing at the alley entrance diagonally behind him, her hair disheveled and plastered to her sweaty cheeks, with stray hairs at her temples covered in dust, making her look pitifully disheveled.

Even though she was trembling with fear and her knees were shaking, she still stubbornly bent down to pick up another half of a brick from the roadside.

"Su Wan?" Lu Yu was stunned. He didn't expect this quiet, almost transparent girl to rush out in such a clumsy way.

"I live nearby, and I saw you right from my window!" Su Wan's voice was trembling with sobs, and she didn't take a single step back. The arm holding the brick was shaking slightly.

Just then, with a loud "bang," a rusty wrench flew in with a sharp whooshing sound, like a silver lightning bolt, and slammed into Zhang Hao's other extended tentacle.

The moment the wrench touched the texture, it emitted a faint golden light. Zhang Hao's tentacles seemed to be corroded by strong acid, instantly curling up and breaking off. Strange juices sprayed onto the ground, sizzling and emitting pungent white smoke that smelled even more irritating than burnt plastic.

Old Zhou, the repairman, was hurrying over from the alley entrance, wearing oil-stained work clothes with his trousers rolled up to his knees, revealing his muscular calves, which were also covered in engine oil. His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, completely unlike the gentle and kind image of him repairing bicycles that I had in my childhood memories.

Old Zhou, the mechanic, grinned, revealing two yellowed teeth. His voice was hoarse but carried a cheerful energy: "Little Yu, you're pretty capable, aren't you? Staying up all night playing tug-of-war with this thing?"

"Uncle Zhou...?" Lu Yu was both surprised and delighted, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"What are you standing there for? Waiting to be eaten as midnight snacks by these things?" Old Zhou didn't stop moving. He picked up a wrench and swung it with a swift motion that didn't seem like that of an old man. The target was the old man who sold midnight snacks earlier. Now he was already covered in strange textures, and several thick tentacles were dancing wildly.

Old Zhou's wrench struck precisely at the joints of the muscles with each strike, a faint golden light flickering with each movement. The monster let out a low roar, white smoke billowing from where its tentacles were severed, and its movements grew increasingly sluggish.

"At your age, you're still fighting like a young man... Hurry up and run with me!" Old Zhou shouted without turning his head, glancing at Su Wan out of the corner of his eye. His eyes darkened instantly, but he didn't stop moving.

Lu Yu quickly took a step forward, grabbed Su Wan's wrist, and ran towards Old Zhou. Su Wan's hand was icy cold and still trembling slightly, but she obediently followed him, clutching the half-brick in her hand tightly. Even though she was out of breath, she couldn't bear to throw it away.

"Young lady, something's off about you." Old Zhou suddenly spoke up, slightly raising the wrench in his hand, a faint golden light flickering in and out, pointing directly at Su Wan.

Su Wan was stunned, her face still pale with fright: "What's that smell? I..."

"It's a bit bland, but it won't fool me." Old Zhou grinned, revealing two yellowed teeth, but he didn't let his guard down. "But let's hide first. If they try anything funny, this wrench can tighten their necks smoother than screwing in a bolt!"

His words were half true and half false. He deliberately stayed between the two of them, never letting Su Wan get too close to Lu Yu, his wariness hidden in his open-minded tone.

"Are you all slacking off in PE class? How come young people these days have such poor physical fitness?" Old Zhou occasionally pushed aside some roadside clutter with one hand, not forgetting to complain.

The three stumbled into the repair shop. Old Zhou slammed the heavy iron door shut behind him and pushed a metal cabinet full of parts against it. A violent crashing sound erupted from outside—the thud of tentacles lashing the door and the roar of a monster mingled together, making the door vibrate and even the metal cabinet sway slightly, as if it would be breached at any moment.

"Lu Yu, that was terrifying! I saw you being entangled from my window." Su Wan gripped her clothes tightly, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. "What are those things? Why did they turn out like that?"

"These spirits have been alerted, and now no one can stop them," Old Zhou said, leaning against the door and catching his breath.

"Ethereal spirits?" Lu Yu's heart skipped a beat as he grasped at those two words. "You knew about these things all along?"

"Nonsense, I've lived this long, what haven't I seen!" Old Zhou wiped the sweat from his brow. "They're called Void Spirits. They usually hide very well, but they turn into these things when there's any disturbance. All they know is to steal food!"

Old Zhou's gaze fell on the ancient coin in Lu Yu's palm. His eyes lit up, and he reached out to touch it but then withdrew his hand. "Your grandma gave you this, right? Good heavens, holding a gold nugget and not knowing how to use it is a complete waste!"

"I really don't know how to use it!" Lu Yu was sweating profusely. "It suddenly went out just now, and Zhang Hao almost..."

"It's not that it's not bright, it's that you haven't found the right method." Old Zhou picked up the wrench, the patterns on its surface gleaming faintly in the dim light, subtly echoing the patterns on ancient coins. "This thing is the root of 'reality,' and ethereal spirits fear it the most. My wrench is able to hurt those monsters because it benefits from its light. But it recognizes its master, so I can't teach you how to use it; you'll have to figure it out yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud crash resounded as a thick tentacle smashed a fist-sized hole in the door. Zhang Hao's head popped out, his empty eyes fixed on Lu Yu, and a low growl came from his throat. Several tentacles frantically burrowed into the hole.

"Get away!" Old Zhou shoved the two aside, grabbed a wrench, and charged forward, a faint golden light flashing within. He slammed it down hard on the tentacle that had crawled in. "I've spent my whole life fixing bicycles, and I can't even handle your damn claws?"

Zhang Hao roared in pain, his tentacles flailing wildly as he entangled Lao Zhou and pulled him away. Lao Zhou stumbled as he was pulled, his toes leaving two marks on the ground, and the veins on his arms bulged.

He exerted force, and the wrench glowed even brighter as he tried to break the tentacles. But more tentacles crawled in through the hole, wrapping around his waist and legs, like countless ropes dragging him toward the door.

Old Zhou's laughter stopped abruptly, his expression instantly turning serious, but he still shouted at Lu Yu and Su Wan, "You two hide in the inner room! I..."