The tall city gates stood wide open as small convoys continuously drove out, fanning out across the surrounding wasteland like rays of light.
These squads were not large, usually consisting of a dozen or so people. Their means of transportation were quite varied.
Some rode horses, others drove cars or motorcycles; Ren Yi even spotted a dusty tour bus.
Ren Yi's sharp perception also noticed that members of almost every outgoing squad held a stack of papers in their hands. They huddled together, pointing and passing the sheets around for everyone to see.
"What are they doing? A large-scale search and rescue? Clearing mutant beasts from a specific area? Or did they find an important resource point?" Ren Yi speculated.
He walked down the hillside. On a dirt road not far to his side, a battered old jeep drove past, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The man in the passenger seat caught sight of Ren Yi walking alone.
The man was clearly stunned. He abruptly looked down, quickly checked the paper in his hand again, and then looked back up, staring intently at Ren Yi.
Immediately after, the shock on the man's face was replaced by sheer ecstasy.
He spun around, ignoring the jolting of the vehicle, and began shouting excitedly at the driver and the people in the back seat, pointing frantically in Ren Yi's direction.
The jeep made a sudden, sharp U-turn, its tires screeching against the dirt road. It accelerated to full power, racing madly toward Ren Yi's position.
...
Ren Yi stopped in his tracks, his lip twitching imperceptibly.
Well, case closed.
The target the Holy City had mobilized so many squads to find...
Was apparently him.
It seemed the attention the identity of "Mo Ming" had garnered during the livestream was much higher than he had anticipated.
The jeep screeched to a halt a short distance in front of Ren Yi. The man in the passenger seat leaped out and jogged over to him, calling out respectfully:
"Lord Son of God! My God above, we... we finally found you!"
Ren Yi was genuinely taken aback.
Son of God? What Son of God?
The persona he had prepared—that of a cold, powerful wasteland hunter—was instantly choked back by this enthusiastic cry of "Lord Son of God," leaving him feeling a bit awkward.
No, Ren Yi thought, his brow furrowing slightly.
With these faded camouflage clothes and this worn-out backpack, Mo Ming looked like nothing more than an ordinary survivor struggling to stay alive. Even that small sword pendant was just a cheap protective charm commonly worn by commoners; it could never be a symbol of some noble status.
His thoughts raced, and Ren Yi decided to stick to his initial judgment.
He knit his brows, intentionally letting a touch of appropriate confusion color his voice. "What are you shouting about? You must have the wrong person."
"No, no, Lord Son of God, we've finally found you." The man hastily held up the top sheet of paper for Ren Yi to see.
Ren Yi glanced at it. Although the artwork was somewhat abstract, it was unmistakably a portrait of Mo Ming.
Before Ren Yi could ask anything, the man began explaining at a rapid-fire pace, his words tumbling out in his excitement.
"Lord Mo Ming, you are the only Messenger in this Divine Trial who received a divine revelation and successfully cleared the path."
"The Pope received a revelation before the divine statue and has officially announced to the Three Cities that you are the Son of God of this generation! We are here under the Pope's decree to welcome your return to the Holy City!"
His voice grew more excited as he spoke, eventually cracking with emotion. "The Azure God protects us! Our squad was lucky enough to find you first!"
"Huh?" Ren Yi was stunned for a moment before the realization hit him.
This particular invasion was unique because it was a benefit round for Anomaly cubs. Because it had been opened prematurely, a group of "Anomaly parents" who weren't supposed to be there had entered with suppressed power levels.
This had caused the parents to go into full "smurfing" mode, causing the Instance difficulty and Anomaly concentration to skyrocket.
Even though Auntie Lu had ultimately followed the rules, her effortless demeanor suggested she likely had other methods to keep Participants there if she wanted.
And don't forget, Auntie Lu's small Instance was nested inside the larger Instance of Lu Zihan's father.
Thinking about it that way, it was perfectly logical that he, the "well-connected" one, would be the only survivor to clear the trial.
He just hadn't expected the religious factions of the Holy City to interpret this as a "divine revelation."
The man stared intently at Ren Yi, hesitating for a long time before finally asking a question:
"Lord Son of God! Having returned from the trial, you must... you must already know the 'Final Method' to save us and purify this filthy world, right?"
Ren Yi was speechless.
What "saving method"? What was this now? I'm clearly here to destroy the world...
The Alliance hadn't mentioned it, and Auntie Lu certainly hadn't explained it. How was he supposed to know any way to save the world?
However, he didn't let any panic show on his face. Instead, he slowly composed himself, adopting an air of supreme confidence.
"The divine will is profound and has indeed been revealed. However, this method is of grave importance and far from ordinary. I must see the Pope in person and report the details before the holy statue."
No matter what it was, he would claim it for now.
The moment the words left his mouth, he clearly sensed a massive surge of positive emotion radiating from the man in front of him.
"Yes, yes, that is only right! Only you and His Holiness the Pope can carry such a sacred mandate!"
The man's voice choked up as he hurriedly invited Ren Yi into the vehicle. "The Pope and the lords of the other two cities have been waiting for you."
Ren Yi's heart stirred. That sentence revealed a piece of crucial information.
Lords of the other two cities? It seemed that although the Three Cities were far apart, they were not entirely without contact.
The jeep sped back toward the city. Along the way, the others in the car leaned out the windows to boast and call out to other search squads they encountered.
What started as a single vehicle soon grew into a grand welcoming motorcade, its momentum building steadily.
The guards in clerical robes at the city gate quickly allowed the convoy through after seeing Ren Yi.
As the convoy entered the Holy City, the scenes along the way allowed Ren Yi to feel the city's religious atmosphere even more clearly.
The buildings on both sides of the street were covered in religious symbols. Many believers caught sight of Ren Yi in the convoy and stopped in their tracks, kneeling devoutly on the ground and whispering prayers.
Dense positive emotion enveloped him like the air itself. The closer they got to the city center, the more intense it became.
Based on this situation alone, entering the city with the identity of "Mo Ming" had been the right move.
While quietly converting these positive emotions into specks of light to store on the back of his hand, he also secretly consumed a significant amount of "ammunition" to plant illusion seeds within the people around him.
It never hurt to have a backup plan.
"Don't underestimate humans," Auntie Lu's warning still echoed in his ears.
If any accidents occurred later, these planted seeds would help him cause chaos and create an opportunity to escape.
Surrounded by the crowd and the fervent gazes of the believers along the way, Ren Yi passed through the layered streets of the Holy City and the heavily guarded inner gates, finally arriving at the magnificent palace situated beneath the holy statue at the mountain peak.
The long and solemn welcoming ceremony was intentionally simplified, and he was soon led to a grave and quiet hall.
Through subtle questioning along the way, Ren Yi had gained a rough understanding of the Holy City's social structure.
This was a city ruled entirely by religion. The supreme ruler was the Pope of the Divine Church, with several Bishops beneath him who controlled all the city's power.
The people of the Holy City believed implicitly in a deity named the "Azure God," considering Him the creator and guardian of their world, which they called the Azure World.
What Ren Yi found even more ironic was that, in their understanding, Anomaly Instances were "Divine Trials" set by the Azure God for humanity.
And he, having successfully cleared the "Final Stage," must possess the method to resist the coming apocalypse and save the world.
To this, Ren Yi thought: I don't have a method to save you, but I have a few ideas on how to deliver you all into the hands of the Calamity Rules... I wonder if you'd like to hear them?
Rate on N.U.
