“What’s going on?” Shen Ge asked, slightly puzzled, when he noticed Fang Mingyue staring blankly at the signal flare in the sky.
Fang Mingyue hesitated for a moment, but still told Shen Ge what the signal flare meant. After hearing her out, Shen Ge thought for a second, then turned his gaze toward the two combat vehicles in the distance being chased by the “four-no-similar” aberration.
“Are they from the New God Cult?” Shen Ge asked.
Fang Mingyue replied, “Judging by their attire, yes—especially the driver of the left vehicle. The cloaks of the New God Cult all bear different symbols representing different ranks. Take that Priest Lu from before, for example—his cloak had an embroidered sun hidden in golden clouds. Or at least, that’s what they claim. But no matter how I look at it, that pattern doesn’t resemble a sun at all—it looks more like an octopus lurking in the clouds.”
“Didn’t you say before that no one has ever seen the true form of a Tier-7 aberration? If the New God Cult worships a Tier-7 aberration, how can they be so sure it’s a giant octopus?” Shen Ge asked curiously.
Shen Ge’s question was actually one that had been raised not long after the New God Cult first rose to prominence. The Cult’s high priest answered by claiming that he had received a revelation from the “New God” in a dream and was fortunate enough to behold its true form.
The “sun” on the Cult’s emblem supposedly represented the New God bringing light to the survivors, while the eight tentacles were the “channels” leading toward that light.
After hearing Fang Mingyue’s explanation, Shen Ge was at a loss for words. All he could think was: Well, I guess that’s what you’d expect from a cult—they sure know how to spin a yarn. A giant octopus, and they manage to sell it as a “New God.”
Still… regardless of whether the people down there were from the New God Cult or not, Shen Ge felt an urge to give them a hand.
If they weren’t from the Cult, then Deng Yuqi must have had her reasons for ordering her people to save them, and Shen Ge trusted her judgment.
If they were from the Cult, then this was the perfect opportunity for Shen Ge to show off his power—using these people as test subjects for his replacement plan.
And what he needed to do was “very simple”—just display the might of a “god.” Once these brainwashed followers realized that their New God had truly arrived, the high priest and his officials would naturally find themselves out of a job.
“You retreat according to the original plan and rendezvous with the vice-captain. As for these people… I’ll go save them,” Shen Ge said to Fang Mingyue.
“Huh? You’re going?” Fang Mingyue was taken aback. She clearly hadn’t expected Shen Ge to take on such a dangerous task.
Shen Ge nodded.
“I’ll go with y—… Alright, I’ll go find the vice-captain. Take this flare gun. If you run into danger, fire it, and the nearest team members will come to support you.” Fang Mingyue had initially wanted to go together, but she was injured—she’d only made it out of the Penguin Building alive thanks to Shen Ge—and tagging along would only hold him back.
Even if he didn’t end up using it, Shen Ge didn’t refuse Fang Mingyue’s kindness and tucked the flare gun away.
After heading downstairs with Fang Mingyue, he escorted her to a shop across the street. With her abilities, there was no need to worry about her getting trapped by the surrounding parasitized.
Then, Shen Ge made his way back to the block where the “four-no-similar” was.
…
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The streets echoed with the roar of artillery fire, but the rockets were nothing more than tickles to the “four-no-similar”—they couldn’t slow it down in the slightest.
Of the original five-vehicle convoy, only two remained. Among them was the former Aberration-Hunting Corps squad leader whom Deng Yuqi had recognized.
“Dammit, boss—it’s getting closer and closer! What do we do?” the team member in the back seat, who was helping load rockets, grumbled.
The squad leader didn’t have time to answer. If he so much as lost focus for a second, the “four-no-similar” would squash them flat like a tin can.
“Hey—are you guys from the New God Cult?”
Suddenly, a stranger’s voice rang out inside the vehicle. Startled, they turned around—and there, sitting casually on the rear seat rack, was a man wearing the Exploration Corps combat uniform, smiling at them.
Shen Ge had timed his move perfectly, using the “bullet time” of his Immovable Aberrant Domain to get aboard, and under the cover of “Invisibility,” neither the aberration nor the warriors on the vehicle had noticed him.
Although the New God Cult was part of the sanctuary system, and these people were technically sanctuary members too, Shen Ge had only joined the day before. Meanwhile, these guys had been holed up in a secret Cult base guarding the transferred resources, so they had no idea who he was—they just took him for an ordinary Exploration Corps member.
But what shocked them even more than his identity was his sheer skill—and how he’d managed to get on the vehicle without anyone noticing.
“Wh-wh-who are you?! How did you get on board?!” The young man called “Luo Zi” stammered, thoroughly spooked by Shen Ge’s sudden appearance.
Shen Ge smiled faintly. “How I got here isn’t important. What matters is… I’m here to save you.”
“Save us? How? Who sent you?” Luo Zi asked nervously.
According to Fang Mingyue, the New God Cult was very good at brainwashing, and its fanatical followers would sacrifice their lives without hesitation for the Cult.
Shen Ge had assumed these people were the same way. But from Luo Zi’s reaction, it seemed things weren’t so simple.
First of all, when someone is heavily brainwashed, you can usually tell from a conversation. Second, if they really were as Fang Mingyue described, then their behavior would be akin to “expendable soldiers”—and in that case, they wouldn’t be asking “Who sent you?”
Moreover, the shock and surprise in Luo Zi’s eyes couldn’t be faked. Even from his tone and expression, Shen Ge could tell that his appearance had actually sparked a glimmer of hope in the young man.
That kind of hope for survival wasn’t something you’d expect from a deeply brainwashed follower who had resigned himself to martyrdom.
In that instant, several possibilities about these men’s backgrounds flashed through Shen Ge’s mind—mercenaries who worked for money, people being blackmailed by the Cult, and so on.
But this also left Shen Ge somewhat “disappointed,” because he’d been hoping they were fervent believers. That way, he could have pulled off his “May Mother Earth guide you” and “May the Holy Light guide you” routine to greater effect.
Sigh.
Shen Ge let out an inward sigh. It looked like his original plan of “May the Earth-Mother guide you” and “May the Holy Light guide you” would have to be put on hold for now.
Just then, the squad leader at the wheel spoke up: “Friend, since you’re wearing Exploration Corps gear, I’m guessing you’re not with the New God Cult—those bastards couldn’t possibly have someone with your skills. But we don’t need you to save us. Since you’re capable enough to get on board, I suggest you find a way off while you can. Don’t throw your life away for nothing.”
“Heh, you’re a decent guy, aren’t you? Worrying about someone else’s safety at a time like this,” Shen Ge said with a hint of teasing in his voice.
The squad leader continued, “With your abilities, you might save a lot more people if you stay alive. There’s no point dying here.”
“Qian Weiguo, watch your mouth. If I live to see the divine miracle, I’ll definitely report your blasphemous slander to the high priest!” At that moment, a scrawny man huddled in the corner of the vehicle sneered coldly.
Luo Zi quickly chimed in, “Bro, ease up. It’s not like we’re definitely gonna die. If we make it back… and let those—uh, cough—people find out you’ve been badmouthing them, they’ll definitely…”
There were four people in the vehicle: the driver and squad leader, the former elite warrior and captain of the Aberration-Hunting Corps; the gunner in charge of firing rockets to draw the “four-no-similar’s” attention; Luo Zi, who was loading ammunition; and the scrawny guy cowering in the corner with no apparent role.
From just these few exchanges and everyone’s reactions, Shen Ge quickly got a read on the situation.
Clearly, the driver, the gunner, and Luo Zi were on the same side. The scrawny guy, on the other hand, seemed to be a “supervisor” sent by the New God Cult.
That gave Shen Ge a clear picture of the driver’s group: they were the kind of people who were being blackmailed—”with leverage held over them by the Cult”—and had no choice but to follow orders, even if it cost them their lives.
In this post-apocalyptic world, survivors’ main concerns were resources and family. Shen Ge guessed that their families were probably being held hostage by the New God Cult, forcing them to obey, no matter how suicidal the mission.
“Tsk, looks like Plan B still has room to work,” Shen Ge thought, quickly making a decision. He raised his hand, and in the scrawny man’s horrified gaze, grabbed him by the neck, tossed him off the vehicle with a flick of his wrist, and sent him tumbling into a swarm of aberrations by the roadside, where he was devoured on the spot.
“Alright, now that the nuisance is gone, tell me about your situation…” Before Shen Ge could even finish his sentence, a shadow loomed over the speeding vehicle—the “four-no-similar’s” elephant trunk was swinging right at them.
Just as it seemed about to crash into the vehicle, Shen Ge raised his hand lightly. Then, everyone heard a crisp sound, like glass shattering—crack—as if the very air had broken.
What was even more astonishing was that the trunk swinging toward them seemed to be stopped midair by an invisible giant hand.
“Th-this… how is this possible?!”
“How can that be?!”
“It’s like there’s an invisible wall in the air.”
Luo Zi and the gunner “A-Pao” were completely stunned. A-Pao had been about to fire another rocket and hope for the best, but the trunk had simply been blocked.
“Did you… do that?” the squad leader asked, spinning the wheel for a sharp turn before glancing back at Shen Ge.
Shen Ge raised an eyebrow. From the squad leader’s perceptiveness alone, it was clear he was different from the typical New God Cult followers Fang Mingyue had described. Smiling, he replied, “Just a minor trick—nothing worth mentioning. It’s just average, really. I mean, it’s no big deal to squash a Tier-3 or Tier-5 aberration.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
If Shen Ge hadn’t been speaking Chinese, the three men on the vehicle would have thought they were hallucinating…
“Squash a Tier-3 or Tier-5 aberration with no difficulty”?
Listen to that—was that even human language?
Keep in mind that even the sanctuaries that had managed to survive for years in this apocalypse still had a “zero-win” record against Tier-4 and above aberrations. And now, this guy who came out of nowhere claimed he could casually squash a Tier-3 or even Tier-5 aberration?
“You’re full of it. I’ll admit you’ve got serious skills—getting on board without anyone noticing in this situation is no joke—but you’re telling me one person can take down a Tier-3 or Tier-5 aberration? No, even just a Tier-3?” Luo Zi challenged.
Shen Ge smiled faintly. “Looks like you haven’t heard the legend of yours truly yet. But that’s not important—what matters is that I really am here to help. You’re wearing New God Cult gear, but you’re not really with them, are you? Is it that they’ve got leverage on you? Or are they holding your families hostage?”
Luo Zi was stunned. “How did you know?!”
“Luo Zi!” Squad Leader Qian Weiguo barked, clearly not wanting him to spill their story to this mysterious man.
“I’m saying I can help you. Do you believe me?” Shen Ge asked.
Luo Zi hesitated. A-Pao opened his mouth but said nothing. Qian Weiguo, either focused on navigating the obstacles ahead or lost in thought, didn’t respond right away.
Shen Ge wasn’t in a rush. After a pause, he continued, “I don’t know what promises the New God Cult made you to make you willing to risk your lives luring away this Tier-4 aberration. If it’s for your families, then I respect that—you’ve got guts. But if you die, how can you be sure the Cult will keep its word? And how do you know your families won’t end up in an even worse hell?”
“I figure it’s safer to stay alive,” Shen Ge said with a smile.
Those words struck a chord with Qian Weiguo. If it weren’t for his circumstances, he wouldn’t want to die either. But the people most important to him were in the Cult’s hands, so he had no choice but to gamble with his life.
“Don’t worry—I’m not the kind of boss who just dangles empty promises. In fact, I’m more like a ‘god’ who’s here to save you than the New God Cult will ever be.”
“You don’t have to answer me right away. I’ll show you my strength first, so you can clearly see that cooperating with me is a viable option—and then you can decide.”
“But for now, I need to confirm one thing with you. The people in the vehicle behind us—are they the same setup as you?”
As soon as Shen Ge finished speaking, the “four-no-similar’s” trunk came swinging again. But he just waved his hand impatiently, like he was shooing away a pesky fly.
Then came a dull thump—the trunk had apparently slammed into an even thicker, larger, and stronger transparent barrier, and was once again blocked.
Luo Zi was utterly gobsmacked. It was clear now that Shen Ge had been the one who stopped that attack earlier too. Such terrifying power—whether before or after the apocalypse—was something he’d only ever “had the privilege” of seeing in Superman movies.
Do we have supermen in real life too?
Luo Zi thought instinctively. And he was completely won over by Shen Ge’s display of power. Qian Weiguo was still hesitating, but Luo Zi had already spoken up: “There are five people in that vehicle, all from the New God Cult. There’s a priest among them—I’ve heard he’s pretty strong. He’s the commander of this operation.”
“All five are from the New God Cult?” Shen Ge asked.
Luo Zi hesitated, then nodded. “As far as I know, yes. But at my level, I don’t really know the details…”
Before Luo Zi could finish, Qian Weiguo cut in: “That vehicle has Priest Jiang, his assistants, and three believers. Priest Jiang has an aberrant-energy device that can deflect aberrant-energy attacks. That’s probably how they’ve avoided getting hit by that giant aberration.”
“I see.” Shen Ge nodded.
After a moment of thought, Shen Ge reached over and patted Qian Weiguo on the shoulder, saying with a smile, “In that case, I’ll go have a word with them. Keep driving carefully. I don’t know what grudge you have against the New God Cult, but if you survive this, I promise you’ll get what you want.”
That vague assurance allowed Qian Weiguo to “imagine” whatever outcome he hoped for—which was exactly the effect Shen Ge was going for.
Just as Qian Weiguo was about to say something, he heard Luo Zi let out a startled cry from behind.
“Ah?! Boss! B-boss! He’s… he’s gone!”
