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Chapter 639 - 636: "He will definitely win.

Chapter 639: Chapter 636: "He will definitely win.

[Beacon Shelter evolves into a Level 4 Domain.]

[Daily recruitment of members: 80 people/day (can be increased through warfare, population plunder, church expansion, and other means)]

[Daily resource collection capacity: Water resources 100 units (current reserve location: underground river), food resources: none (lacking fixed farmland), transportation fuel: 20 units (trade partners: Zone Thirteen gathering place, Zone Eighteen gathering place), firearms: none (must be produced by members)]

...

Tretiya pushed open an iron door—this building flew a small blood-red flag, marking the "Command Post."

By the long table, Su Ming’an was flipping through Xike documents in his hands, formulating the optimum plan for weapon modification.

He had also received an unexpected gift—a personal terminal resembling a laptop. The terminal contained Beacon’s work logs, communication records of various units, three-dimensional maps, risk response plans, and other modules. He posted the preliminary firearms modification plans, instructing Beacon’s lead technicians to study them.

If given time, with three to five years, he was confident he could lead this group of people to regain humanity’s dominant position, but he had only ten days left...

The gap between Beacon and the Deity factions was large enough to induce despair.

"Teacher, night has fallen," Tretiya said, removing her felt hat, her hair laced with silver-white snow.

"Hmm," Su Ming’an tapped at the keyboard.

"I’ve brewed you a cup of tea," Tretiya said.

She set a pot of hot tea on the table; the tea poured into the cup, swirling with snow-like circles, silver and translucent.

Looking at the beautiful cup of tea, Su Ming’an thought of Lv Shu, whose tea artistry was the most useless skill he possessed.

"What tea is this?" he asked.

"It doesn’t have a name yet, it’s my new research," Tretiya smiled, "You name it."

"..." Su Ming’an glanced at it, the floating tea leaves were snow-white, like flurries of falling snow: "Let’s call it Snowflake Tea."

"Alright, it’ll be called that..." Tretiya stood happily in place for a moment: "Aren’t you going to drink it?"

"You go ahead first," Su Ming’an said.

He couldn’t possibly drink anything handed to him by anyone, not even Tretiya.

He stared at the personal terminal.

That day, news of the "Lord’s special fondness for speeches" had already spread, and while people didn’t understand what "Emotion Value" was, they simply thought Luwis really enjoyed talking, and they loved listening.

Due to the influence of the Missionary Halo, Su Ming’an had successfully brainwashed these two thousand people into members of the Lighthouse Church, not by his intention, but because everyone looked up to him as a new deity. He had "no choice" but to establish the Lighthouse Church.

In a world filled with too much despair, the church was a good path for leading the will of all people.

Moreover, it was also because of one of his Passive Skills.

...

[(Passive Skill) Faith: At the beginning of civilization’s reconstruction, Deity represents a cultural aspect of societal relationships on some level. It is rooted in the human psyche and is hard to break free from, solidifying into a form of faith. Perhaps, in prolonged "contemplation," you might accomplish things beyond human reach.]

...

This was a skill he had acquired in the Eighth World Dome, taught to him by Xiber. Because the skill description was too enigmatic, he was still unclear about its specific purpose. But it seemed to have combined with his "Missionary Halo."

Changing from the "Bai Shen" occupation to "Bai Shen" was not just a change in noun, he seemed increasingly adept with "speech" related skills. Faith, deities, followers... Anything related to "Bai Shen" was amplified with him. Now, establishing a Lighthouse Church seemed effortless, and he was able to gather the devout faith of the people.

In just one day, the Church had taken a firm hold in the minds of people—he seemed to have found a new avenue to expand the influence of his domain.

Tretiya noticed Su Ming’an preparing to stand up. "Teacher, where are you going?"

"To find Noah." Su Ming’an unfastened his cape from his shoulder.

Tretiya was baffled, even thinking she had misheard. "You’re going to see who?"

"Noah," Su Ming’an said, heading toward the door.

"The leader of Zone Eleven... that Noah?" Tretiya asked.

Su Ming’an looked at her with an inscrutable expression, as if to say, "Who else?"

Tretiya was even more confused—first Lin Guang, now Noah. What was with this Beacon Lord, going to the camps of deities during wartime?

"Are you going to negotiate with the deity camp, or do you want to establish some internal alliance with Zone Eleven? If so, I should call Guan Na and the others. They have diplomatic experience..." Tretiya thought of this.

"No need, just going to have a chat," Su Ming’an said, leaving behind his words. The next moment, his wheelchair shot up towards the sky, leaving Tretiya petrified.

Tretiya never expected her teacher to become so unconventional.

She remembered how, thirty years before Acto disappeared, he could spend over two hours in his speeches, subtly mocking others without fear of assassinations. He dared to delve into the most dangerous biochemistry research, indeed the craziest of geniuses.

Despite having no memories of the Century Catastrophe period, she still remembered her experiences with the teacher before the catastrophe. He was always reckless, walking the line between rationality and madness.

Despite him...

She pushed the door open, but heard crying nearby.

"What good is he, can he save us, so that we no longer suffer from hunger? Can he make it so that none of us are in want, away from the pain of illness? Can he guarantee victory in war, so that we don’t die in its flames?"

Tretiya moved closer to the crying. Under the heavy shadows of the buildings, Lu Sa was comforting a member of Beacon. That Beacon member was full of complaints.

"I just want to live a good life with my sister. As bad as the old days were, we could still survive. It was his arrival that turned Beacon into this mess! We are going to die, we were forced to evacuate Zone Eleven, we’re going to die tomorrow!"

The Beacon member shouted loudly, tears falling. Surrounding him were several others with similar sentiments.

"You need to believe in Lewis... He will definitely win," Lu Sa said softly.

"Yes, you all say he’s the embodiment of the world’s will, say he’s the new god, say he will definitely win the war—but so what if he wins the war!" The young man’s eyes were bloodshot:

"Success is built on the bones of many—yet I don’t want to be among those bones! He wins the war, his name spreads far and wide, remembered by future generations, but what about us? Our names inscribed on tombstones, our bodies turned into Source and gone, we are left with nothing! We don’t want to start a war, we just want to live!"

Tretiya listened, her brow furrowed.

The full evacuation of Beacon from Zone Eleven meant they would face assaults from the waves of Exotic Beasts and cold waves; the lives of two thousand people hung by a thread.

Although Su Ming’an’s speech today was a success, inspiring those with hot blood, when facing reality, many would realize—they had almost no chance of winning.

Beacon’s decision to go to war was cutting off their last route of retreat. The disparity in military strength was suffocating.

She had already heard quite a few whispers today that it "would be great if they could just hand over Lewis."

Not everyone was like Sen and Xia Sheng, some people just wanted to linger in Beacon, dragging out a sorry existence, devoid of the impassioned blood and courage for revolution. They believed that they were "dragged down" by Lewis’s arrival.

One man’s success built on the bones of the many—yet they were unwilling to become one of the ’many bones’.

When Lu heard the commotion, he walked out with a coat draped over him, "What’s the matter?"

Luna didn’t respond, but an old man said softly, "There are no wars without deaths, especially fighting against Lin Guang. With a single missile, a blast from a cannon... even pieces of the body can’t be found anymore."

"Some say that giving up Lewis could at least buy us some time," another old man said. "You don’t want to do it, thinking he is the will of the world, thinking he is God—I thought the same, having never seen someone so powerful."

He shifted his gaze, coughing once:

"Let’s give the Deity faction 400 people then, trading them for him, also worth it. None of you want to be that sinner, so let me do it. I’ll select 400 people to go out, including those dragging Beacon down with age and weakness... myself included!"

"If it comes to war, then far more than 400 will die," the previous old man said. "Seeing the preparations for today’s battle made everything clear to me... when the fighting starts tomorrow, won’t far more than 400 die? Let me go, I don’t have much longer to live anyway. We must preserve some hope for humanity. Lewis being alive is more important than my life."

The elderly were much calmer than the young.

There were not a few elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in Beacon, which caused a shortage of resources. Sending these people out would also allow more people to live.

"..."

Tretiya was leaning against the wall, her whole body felt cold.

That’s how war is...

Since the end of the Century Catastrophe, after Acto disappeared, she and the other seven tried to protect humanity, calling on people to resist the Deity, to not accept the era-transcending technology bestowed by the Deity. However, they tried everything they could... to no avail.

She and the other seven were very powerful, each could fight a hundred, they could save many lives, but they could not save people’s hearts. The number of humans dwindled, wars grew more severe, and though they executed one person as a warning to others, there were countless others willing to fight among themselves for the technology of the Deity.

Later, Lin Guang and Noah among them chose to switch sides to the Deity faction, betraying them. Another among them named Beili Sier disappeared as well, and two more died in the war. Ultimately, with her hopes dashed, she only brought Rong Yuan and Xi to Beacon. She wanted nothing to do with the affairs outside...

——And then came the situation where everyone was ruled by the Deity faction.

It wasn’t easy to see the spark of hope on the plains—Acto returned, but he had forgotten everything, even going to find Noah late at night... Would Noah let him off out of old affection? Or would he just attack and offer him to the Deity?

Tretiya gazed into the night sky as the temperature dropped further, her body colder than ever.

"Prepare a list of 400 people," an old man with white hair said at the entrance of the alley. He was the retired former deputy leader of Beacon: "If we truly cannot match their strength tomorrow, we have no choice but to take this step."

...

[Zone Eleven·Lord’s Building]

In the night that was like a curtain, the sanguine command lights twinkled.

Inside the floor, dozens of surveillance screens hung on the walls, the sound of keyboard taps was like torrential rain, numerous uniformed personnel bustled about, and phones and speakers beeped incessantly, the organization running with orderly precision.

Su Ming’an, shrouded in Spatial Concealment, made his way forward, leaving no footprints, invisible to infrared and temperature detection.

He moved past the hall toward the elevator area; there were no stairs here.

"Heard that Alier got sent to the Holy Tribunal? Because he allowed Beacon to withdraw."

Outside the corridor, two uniformed staffers were chatting.

"It’s just the higher-ups wanting a scapegoat, letting Beacon withdraw was Lord Lin Guang’s will, they’re just pinning a charge on Alier to give the Deity an explanation."

"What exactly does Lord Lin Guang mean? Beacon has such gall, and he lets them off? And who’s this Lewis mentioned in the citywide broadcast?"

"How could we possibly guess Lin Guang’s intentions? Anyway, Lord Noah says that we in Zone Eleven, being closest to Beacon, will act as the vanguard tomorrow and annihilate them, just a bunch of strays..."

Su Ming’an casually walked through the floor, following a clerk swiftly into the elevator. As soon as the clerk left, he pressed the button for the top floor, 33F.

Noah, as the leader of Zone Eleven, ought to be on the top floor.

Su Ming’an had considered entering from the 33rd floor windows via Spatial Displacement, but the high-rise was completely sealed off like an iron drum, with nary an open area; he would only teleport into a metal wall and suffocate to death.

"Ding—" The elevator door opened and he stepped out soundlessly, facing a long corridor of icy white, with empty glass-doored rooms on either side, only two doors existed at the very end.

He stood outside one door, which then opened synchronously.

The blond Noah waited at the entrance in sleepwear, staring at the spot where he was concealed by Spatial Concealment.

"Acto, are you going to fight against the Deity?" Noah asked coldly.

Su Ming’an lifted the Spatial Concealment, "Yes."

The moment he had pressed the button for 33F, Noah knew he was there.

"Don’t you know how strong the Deity faction’s rule is today? Many of the resources supplied to those Sanctuaries come from leaks within the Deity faction," Noah sneered. "If any treachery arises, the first thing those Sanctuary members will deal with is you. No one wants to starve to death."

"Aren’t you going to invite me in for a seat?" Su Ming’an already saw the tea set placed inside the room.

Noah stepped aside to let him in.

But as Su Ming’an entered the room, he saw a familiar face.

——It was Lv Shu.

Lv Shu had not made contact since entering Caius Tower, even as Yamada Machiichi had established a Sanctuary, Su Ming’an thought Lv Shu had gone off adventuring.

Yet now, within the Deity faction, he encountered Lv Shu.

...Why hadn’t Lv Shu contacted him?

Lv Shu stood in the room making tea, expression numb, the sanguine tea flowing down the white porcelain spout like a pool of blood spilling into the cup.

He was dressed in the Deity faction’s uniform, a base of ominous black with bloody red patterns, and a butterfly-like insignia traced on the chest.

"Lv Shu?" Su Ming’an called out.

"..."

With stiff movements, Lv Shu looked up, his dull eyes fixing on Su Ming’an.

The flickering white light of the room infiltrated his pupils, accentuating the blood-red stillness within them.