Reincarnated In a Cthulhu World And Everyone Is Obsessed With Me - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Chief – Sheikh is indeed beyond doubt.

After settling Chesapeak, returning home from Paradise, and scrubbing himself raw to remove the low-quality “Devil Tattoo,” Xia Mingyu finally lay down. It was already after 5:00 AM.

The Dove Academy opening ceremony—which doubled as Sheikh’s Chief Sentinel inauguration—was set for 9:00 AM. Factoring in the commute, he would get three hours of sleep at best. He caught a glimpse of Tang Yaopeng sleeping soundly with messy hair before collapsing into bed.

That night, Xia Mingyu fell into a vivid, almost delirious dream that felt strangely welcoming. He was back at the pyramidal altar, surrounded by damp walls and pungent green slime. A colossal statue hidden in the thick darkness seemed to pulse with life, emitting an ancient sound—a mental vibration rather than a voice, heavy, hollow, and alien.

In the dream, Xia Mingyu stared at the entity, and it returned his gaze with a sense of benevolence, forgiving his tiny, mortal observation. A swarm of glowing butterflies fluttered by, and one landed on the statue’s face, illuminating a single golden pupil within the black mist. The entity looked down upon all creation with a mix of indifference and mercy.

A surge of warmth flowed through Xia Mingyu’s limbs, like a burning, abundant power.

When he woke up at 7:00 AM, the artificial sky was just beginning to brighten. Despite the short sleep, the dream had washed away his mental exhaustion. He bit down on his colorful hair string and tied his hair into a clean, high ponytail with one hand.

Tang Yaopeng was already gone, leaving a note: “Senior, I went early to grab a front-row seat! Breakfast is on the table, don’t forget to eat!”

As expected of Sheikh—his charm was magnetic. Every Star-Net notification and radio broadcast was counting down to his inauguration. Xia Mingyu decided he would stand at the very edge of the crowd, far from the stage. He wanted to be invisible.

…

Walking out, the artificial sun was as bright as a real summer day. He passed a family of three; the parents looked like high-level Sentinels/Guides from the Nirvana Guild. Their young daughter was holding a small pot with a four-leaf clover. Though the soil was dead, the plant flourished under the maintenance of an ability.

“Mama, that big brother is so pretty,” the little girl whispered.

Xia Mingyu smiled and knelt. He pulled out a piece of candy he had bought at the market. With his gentle eyes and soft smile, he possessed an impeccable affinity for children. “Here is a candy. Take good care of the clover, okay?”

Leaving the family behind, Xia Mingyu felt a rare warmth. The apocalypse had its depravity, but it also had these deep emotional connections and the “white lies” parents told to keep a child’s world pure. To him, this was the ultimate romance—the reason humanity was worth saving.

…

Dove Academy was a sea of people. A yellow-and-black iron barricade separated the students from the spectators. While fans waved Shadow Guild banners like they were at a concert, Xia Mingyu stood in the furthest, most obscure corner possible.

He checked his messages, but Tang Yaopeng hadn’t replied. As the clock struck 9:00 AM, the crowd began a thunderous countdown. Xia Mingyu tried to back away further, accidentally stepping on someone. “Sorry…”

He looked up at a massive, muscular Sentinel in tight combat gear—a fitness fanatic.

“It’s fine,” the Sentinel replied, but his brow furrowed as he looked at Xia Mingyu. “Guide, have you rested lately? Your body is weak, but your mental energy is highly overactive.”

“Thank you for your concern. I’m fine,” Xia Mingyu replied politely.

“I’m Gong Ziliao. And you?”

“Xia Mingyu.”

Gong Ziliao nodded. He recognized this Guide. The last time he saw him, the man had been unconscious and gravely injured by Ruan Congyun. Looking at him now, the beauty of the mole beneath his eye and his thin smile was striking. Gong Ziliao knew that being both weak and beautiful was a dangerous combination—a “sin” that invited desecration.

Suddenly, a roar erupted from the crowd. Sheikh had appeared.

No one stepped up to crown him, for Sheikh already stood at the pinnacle of power. After Ao Nie’s death, no one was qualified to bestow honors upon him. Before he appeared, the crowd was like a raging fire; once he stepped onto the stage, that fire was smothered by a blanket of frost. Everyone fell silent, holding their breath.

Sheikh wore a military trench coat that reached his ankles, with ornate gold honors on his shoulders. His black boots clicked against the red carpet. A leather military cap was pulled low, partially obscuring his cold, handsome features, but his frost-like aura was undeniable. He possessed an absolute control over his presence that suggested a vast, contained universe.

Everyone felt the terrifying pressure of his spiritual power. Sheikh wasn’t just a powerful man; he was a god of war who harvested S-class domains single-handedly.

Gong Ziliao noticed Xia Mingyu tensing up. “What’s wrong?”

Xia Mingyu snapped out of his daze and shook his head. “Nothing…”

But inside, his mind screamed. Every time he saw Sheikh, he felt the phantom pain of the blade piercing his chest. He was looking at his executioner in the light of day.

Gong Ziliao was fascinated. This Guide had been wounded by Ruan Congyun, spared by the Leader, and personally sent for treatment by Yin Chengfeng. Now, he was looking at the Leader not with awe or fear, but with a cold, analytical gaze—like a surgeon’s scalpel.

Sheikh began to speak, his voice amplified across the base. It was calm and polished, like cold metal. Though he was only twenty, no one would ever call him “young” or “naive.” He was a blade out of its sheath.

“Dove Academy… everything for the supreme interest of humanity,” Sheikh said.

A man near Xia Mingyu spat on the ground. “Pretty words. People die in this base every day, and he never lifts a finger.”

Before a fan could argue, Xia Mingyu spoke up. “If it weren’t for Sheikh’s sacrifices, would Southern First Base even exist?”

The man sneered. “If one Sheikh dies, the world keeps spinning.”

Gong Ziliao watched, curious to see how the “fragile” Guide would respond.

Xia Mingyu smiled thinly and rattled off a list of S-class domains Sheikh had conquered. “The Domain of Tindalos, the Domain of Shub-Niggurath, the Domain of Nyarlathotep… If it weren’t for him, do you think you’d be standing here talking trash, or would you have been decapitated years ago?”

The man was left speechless. Xia Mingyu turned back to the stage, silent again, as if he hadn’t just defended the man who once killed him. His logic was simple: for the “small self,” Sheikh was a threat; for the “greater self,” Sheikh was beyond doubt.

The ceremony ended with Sheikh scanning the crowd. A faint, misty smile touched his lips as he added one final incentive: “Outstanding graduates can apply directly to join the Shadow Guild.”

The crowd exploded. Sheikh lowered his cap with a black-gloved hand to hide that smile.

In that split second, through the thousands of people, Xia Mingyu felt as if he and Sheikh had locked eyes.

…No, it must be an illusion.