Enforcer Manual
Chapter 288: The Awakener’s Eternal Happiness_1

Chapter 288: Chapter 288: The Awakener’s Eternal Happiness_1

Early symptoms of the infected.

The events that had unfolded with Nashi were clear enough; Song Lan had accidentally witnessed the entire process of a normal person being transformed into an infected that very night.

Doctor Oleg and Medea took significant interest in the special patient Song Lan had brought in.

The medical team at the junkyard hadn’t slept all night, and it was only as dawn approached that Doctor Oleg found his way to the common rest area alone, collapsing onto the sofa with exhaustion. He took out his electronic cigarette, a familiar taste that helped him stabilize his emotions.

When he saw Nashi being brought in, he knew they had made the right decision to leave the dispatch department.

This was the first time they had seen a patient before the infection set in.

"The α-blocker was remarkably effective. Since he was brought in quite promptly, his consciousness has been able to return to normal,"

Oleg looked up at the ceiling and began, "However, after using the blocker, the patient’s old injuries recurred, and it took some time to resuscitate him."

Though his tone was steady, these words carried an incredibly profound implication.

They had completely cured an infected patient.

But now was not the time to relax. From their experience with the infected, "zombies" often came in droves. Every time they arrived at an infected town, there were almost no survivors left, only a group of infected who exhibited extreme aggression towards all outsiders.

"This matter concerns us; I’ve heard that the third country’s guild has issued a hefty bounty for our whereabouts."

But that was just the surface.

The deeper reason was undoubtedly Xinyue.

"It seems we’ve stolen quite an achievement from them."

"Not stolen."

Song Lan interrupted Oleg, "We recruited Xinyue through legitimate means in the talent market, which is normal industry competition."

"Yes, industry competition,"

Oleg stated, "But what do we do next? The α-blocker we’re currently developing can’t cover the entire city. Regardless of whether it’s a biological or a mental virus, it has extremely strong contagion capabilities."

If not for Song Lan’s timely arrival today, they might have faced an entire household, or even an entire residential building of infected individuals by tomorrow morning.

Those small towns couldn’t compare to District Seventeen in population. Should the infection break out in this city, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"We need to tackle the problem at its source."

Before his words had fully dissipated, Lu Xiang also arrived in the common resting room, equally exhausted from a whole night of busyness. Even after injecting two anti-fatigue shots, she could barely keep her eyelids open and simply flopped down next to Song Lan. Oblivious to Oleg’s presence, she laid her head directly on Song Lan’s leg.

The mental strain from Deep Dive was something that anti-fatigue drugs couldn’t resolve. To investigate the truth behind the website, she had to use the Deep Web chip’s technology multiple times.

"The situation with the website is somewhat special; it’s as if the entire website is infected."

When she approached the website’s data core during her Deep Dive, she was no longer dealing with data but rather a powerful cognitive will, which was also the reason they had repeatedly failed to approach the website’s data core.

For Dr. Bai Zhu, who mastered Deep Web technology, this was inconceivable.

After all, she had once used Deep Web technology to infiltrate the United Government’s database, managing to extract the United Government’s operational plans and information about Wild Bone.

Technologies related to Wild Bone were undoubtedly the highest level of secrecy within the United Government.

Therefore, this could only mean one thing: the network was merely the carrier for that kind of will. With the help of the infection, its entity had become akin to a sort of chaotic AI.

"But I found their location, the Log Church in North District."

The church had existed since the establishment of District 17, during a post-war era when the displaced masses desperately needed spiritual support. However, as time passed, the teachings of the church lost their allure, and the clergy who were originally there had all left, leaving the church a mere shell of its former self.

"Another thing I found out was that a day after we returned from the third country, they sent a team under the guise of diplomacy; Aureliano met with them and under their strong insistence, provided them with the use of the abandoned Yuying Church. Besides the diplomatic envoys, there was also a missionary in this team."

Missionary Bruno.

He seemed to hold a not insignificant status within the Lunar Eclipse Sect too.

"Give me ten minutes to rest, and then I’ll go with you to the Log Church."

"Go rest, I can go on my own."

Song Lan had never seen Lu Xiang so exhausted; it seemed that the mental strain brought on by the Deep Web chip was far more severe than he had imagined.

But as expected, her suggestion met with Lu Xiang’s objection, "No, this matter is too important."

"And that’s exactly why, as the leader of the Bug Swarm, you need better rest."

To put it more broadly, this wasn’t just an issue of an infection source; it was an external Bug Swarm establishing a sub-base on their turf and challenging them.

"But..."

"Moreover, it’s better for me to meet with them. Although you might not believe it, I actually have done some unrecognized study of theology."

"You’ve studied theology?"

"I have, but not from the same sect as theirs. The sect I’ve studied promotes one idea—’Awakeners eternally happy’."

Awakeners eternally happy?

Lu Xiang looked up at Song Lan, their eyes meeting; this indeed sounded like a term from religion.

But she remembered that her family had never bought any theological books, and Song Lan’s browsing history never contained anything related to religion.

Exactly when had this guy started to delve into theology?

"Simply put, the sect I studied revolves around one core idea—to break the shackles of reality and seek the path to Heaven."

Song Lan declared with conviction. He had indeed eagerly awaited anime updates in the past so that he could conduct deeper theological research.

This kind of dedication was probably not much different from that of a monk practicing asceticism.

"Although it’s not the same sect, theology has many commonalities. Perhaps I and the Lunar Eclipse Sect’s missionary will have some profound exchanges."

"...Okay."

Seeing Song Lan so confident, Lu Xiang nodded in agreement. She remained curious, though, as Song Lan didn’t seem like someone who would be interested in theology on the surface, "What conclusions have you gathered from your study of theology?"

It was important to remember that the Lunar Eclipse Sect they were facing in the year 2166 consisted of rare fanatics who would not hesitate to abandon their lives for their doctrine and faith.

In a world where religion had almost no market, only the Lunar Eclipse Sect had persisted to this day and had even become a force that could not be ignored in the third country.

"Methods to ascend to heaven."

Song Lan said, "Through my research of the doctrines, I’ve mastered many ways to send people to Heaven."

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