The sky is turning ominous. Warlock of the Sarkic Cults. Saarn's enthronement ceremony was about to begin. Martial law was imposed as the city of Arcadia weakened its defenses. All of the flesh and blood monsters that were stationed at the city's perimeter have returned under Nadox's leadership.
He was determined to prevent any mishaps from happening before the deity ascension rite was over. The local Christians had been fervently praying in the city's central square since the afternoon. This evening, their faith would complete the ritual and become the new deity who would guard them.
Nadox observed these believers while perched atop a tall pagoda. He sensed that his power was progressively growing, indicating that Lord Saarn's power had peaked. Lord Saarn's would surpass the ceiling and reach a higher level as long as these believers kept giving of their faith and spirit.
Additionally, the two saints Orok, who was buried in Russian territory, and Lovataar, who was buried beneath the Balkan Peninsula, both reactivated and assaulted the GOC and SCP Foundation personnel nearby, intersecting with one another.
A huge vehicle with an odd shape was slowly moving in all directions outside of Arcadia at the same time, 100 kilometers to the southeast and northwest. Robert Bumaro was standing behind Old Smith on a specific island on the dividing line between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as he gazed upward with his hands in the air.
Numerous people are currently looking at their watches and making arrangements while they do so. There are several forces at work, indicating that the night will go smoothly.
...
Foundation Area-11.
On a platter of tomatoes and scrambled eggs, Zhang Jue was indulging. He spooned some soup into a bowl and scoffed, "Tsk, the chef here is no good, aside from the absence of sugar, there's also so much salt. There's two of him, they could create a salt farm in my tomatoes and eggs."
He spoke while crawling with a mouth full of rice, performing what is referred to as being "very fragrant."
Yang Xue saw his activities while fuming. "If you're not hungry, don't eat it." As she was going to remove the plate, she spoke.
"Eh eh eh eh, don't be mad, I didn't say you—," hastened Zhang Jue as he rushed to shield the plate with his arm.
Only after giving him a hard waist pinch while grunting did Yang Xue stop. After feeling the discomfort, Zhang Jue laughed haughtily. As the escort, Smith couldn't help but smile as he saw this scene.
Only Advisor Zhang may likely be thus unhurried at this kind of crucial time when it is unknown how many people lack basic eating skills. Angelo really removed everyone from the Area-114 where there was even a single chef, much less one who could make Chinese food.
Everyone froze when Zhang Jue brought out the tomatoes, eggs, and even the iron pan.
Only Yang Xue frowned and said, "I'll find someone to make it for you."
Everyone could see that she intended to prepare it herself. Yang Xue was an excellent experimenter, but she was a terrible cook. She added two additional spoonfuls of salt because, after tasting it after the first application, she thought it was still light.
Tasted it again.
Done.
From that moment on, she knew that she would be ridiculed by the dead man. The reality was just as she expected, Zhang Jue took one bite and sighed long and hard while eating, hating her teeth. Most importantly, no one had ever told her to put sugar in scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Zhang Jue laughed once again as Yang Xue walked away with a grunt after failing to defeat him. Zhang Jue laughed and swept up the rest of the dinner, not caring that it was a little salty.
He wiped his mouth and asked Smith, who was standing behind him, "What time is it?" a little while later.
"Twenty-one forty." Smith noted after checking his watch.
"About time." Zhang Jue nodded, "Get everyone together, let's have a pre-battle rally."
Twenty minutes later, everyone was gathered in the spacious meeting room at Area-114. Over 160 people were present at the scene, including the three MTF teams—Black Pearl, Yellow Warbler, and Viper—as well as the last few remaining staff members and patients. They all met at Zhang Jue's invitation.
They remained seated as they observed the orientalist make his way slowly up to the podium. Advisor Zhang Jue appeared serious in front of so many of his coworkers, as if the cynical man from before was not him at all.
He said in a soft, quiet voice, "Everyone."
"You are presumably already aware of our next challenge."
"You must be willing to make sacrifices, I suppose."
"But I'll warn you against doing that."
"You guys think that's heroic? That it's great? No, no, no, in my opinion, it's just being a fool." he said.
There was a commotion after Zhang Jue stated these few words. The Yellow Warbler and Viper teams, as well as the civilian staff within the station, all gazed at him in amazement, aside from the Black Pearl squad and the three captains who were in charge of the vigilance.
They didn't anticipate these obviously good-natured Advisor Zhang saying such things. A Foundation employee's highest ethical standard was to lay down their life for the sake of others. One may argue that they had always believed this since the moment they joined the Foundation.
Those civilian personnel in particular could have left with Angelo a long time ago if they had wanted to. However, they refrained from doing it because they believed that in situations like this, action needed to be taken.
Zhang Jue brushed everything off. After surveying the audience, Zhang Jue continued speaking. "A blind sacrifice is termed seeking death, a meaningful sacrifice is considered a sacrifice; call it idiocy!"
His voice became steadily more somber. "You must understand in your hearts that you don't actually need to do anything at all; it's simply an excuse for your fear. If you guys are intent on having your own way and have to battle to the death with the Sarkic Cults, I won't stop you."
"A real warrior must survive! They can only make bigger contributions to humanity by continuing to live!" Zhang Jue finally stated the main theme of this speech after some fluff.
"You must live, not perish pointlessly." he added. "There are moments when life challenges one's courage more than dying."
"I won't stop you from doing the assignment, but I hope that once you do, you can complete your unfinished business. In two hours, in that city across the street, a wicked deity will be descending."
"Therefore, I'm hoping you'll live."
"For yourself and for humanity as a whole."
Zhang Jue then took a moment to let everyone reflect and respond. He had truly touched the hearts of the gathering with these words. Everyone present truly wanted to die after learning that the head of the Sarkic Cults would become God.
Zhang Jue's objective was to bring back their hope of life. People wouldn't express their gratitude or even protest if he went to the difficulty of saving a bunch of people who planned to commit suicide.
His words are deafening and awaken many people. But the problem now is, even if they want to live, it is not that simple. They were too close to Arcadia City. The two squads of Yellow Warbler and Viper would stay here until at least midnight.
By the time they retreat, I'm sure saran will have already completed the god ascension ceremony. The evil god descended, and they would be the first lambs to be sacrificed. However, they did not know that this was actually the easiest thing for Zhang Jue to do.
Zhang Jue looked at the crowd and smiled faintly, "As long as you yourselves want to stay alive, everything else, just leave it to me."
...
At precisely 23 o'clock. The middle of the sky was where the moon was. The ground was bathed in silvery white cold moonlight.
Inside the city of Arcadia. Many worshippers were kneeling beneath the pagoda and chanting the name of the new deity. Their ardent features were reflected in the bonfire. Every prayer they prayed would be the new god's instruction. Their entire amount of faith would be converted into the strength of the new God.
As usual, Nadox, the leader of the Four Saints of the Sarkic Cult, was seated atop the pagoda. He gently opened his eyes as if he detected something. An enormous apparition that seemed enigmatic and odd suddenly materialized above the square's sky in the light of the campfire.
The Great Warlock Saarn's finally made his first appearance in front of his followers as the founder and head of the Sarkic Cults. The faithful rushed to kneel before him. For many years, he had been preparing for this moment. Before success, there was just one more hour to go.
The official start of Saarn's enthronement ceremony came with the sound of numerous praying believers.
Please give this novel 5 stars review and power stone ;)
Read a few chapters ahead on readfanfic.com
Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.
https://w ww.p atreon.c om/nahyesq
Our community on discord: discord. gg /t66agbE
A red haze developed after Saarn came close to Arcadia. A 10-mile radius around the city, both inside and outside, with visibility of less than 100 meters. The distance that could be perceived with the unaided eye would have been significantly shorter given the time of day.
Arcadia is completely engulfed in this red haze when viewed from above, and nobody is aware of the true state of affairs inside. Everyone who was paying attention to this topic, however, also realized that Yarn's rite of ascending to the gods had already started when this peculiar celestial phenomena appeared.
It was 11:30 in the evening. Area-114 was illuminated. The workers and patients at the site were packing their bags. The other facilities on the property were unimportant at this point, therefore all three MTF teams were contracted to stand watch in close proximity to the main facility.
The three captains were receiving the final details from Zhang Jue. "Smith, your squad will leave ten minutes later and be responsible for breaking up the rear, and when twelve o'clock has gone, Kenneth and Strang, your two squads are responsible for escorting those civilians and patients all the way south and out of this hellhole."
With his hands on the table and a solemn expression, Zhang Jue explained that he ordered the two squads leave in different directions out of concern that they would get trapped in a net. Even though he had lived two lives, Zhang Jue had never experienced something like ascend to God before. This arrangement allowed for the maximum amount of accident prevention.
There may be a buffer period when supporting one another, regardless of which end something occurred, so that they wouldn't all be swept away at once. After accepting their orders and nodding in agreement, the two Smiths turned to face Zhang Jue.
"What is the issue? What are you looking at me for, do I have rice on my face?" Zhang Jue asked in an odd manner.
Smith, who was closest to him, expressed concern and asked, "What about you, Advisor Zhang, aren't you retreating with us?"
Zhang Jue gave a good nod and said, "Of course, I'll retreat; I haven't been around that long." However, he added, "I'll be a little later; I'll go when I've made sure you've reached a safe place."
Three MTF squads were more than enough to handle common foes, but Zhang Jue had to stay behind because of his promise to ensure everyone's safety after Saarn's ascension.
Advisor Zhang was strong, therefore there was no need to be concerned about his security. Smith was certain of it, and the trio took the initiative to lead a last mobilization of their own team members.
Zhang Jue was the only person left in the sizable conference room as they left. He slowly closed his eyes while crossing his arms across his chest. A few minutes later, the door to the conference room opened and the sound of high heels rang out.
Zhang Jue recognized the sound of approaching feet without having to look. Yang Xue approached him and took a seat next to him.
I learned from Captain Smith that you wouldn't be departing with us. She softly enquired.
"Right." said Zhang Jue as he opened his eyes. "If we all go together, the target is too great and it would easily catch the notice of the Lust for Flesh sect. Breaking up into pieces and scattering to break out is the appropriate option, and when you are all secure, I may leave anytime I want."
Without saying anything, Yang Xue simply stared at him. Zhang Jue grinned ferociously. They remained silent for a long while in apparent agreement.
Finally, Yang Xue grumbled, "Will you truly escape from here quickly after establishing that we are safe?"
It had to be acknowledged that, after spending so much time together, Yang Xue already knew Zhang Jue extremely well and could even pick out each and every expression the latter used.
Even Jue Zhang was unable to change certain habits, such as pulling at the corners of the lips, shrugging the shoulders, or lifting the eyebrows, which had become deeply ingrained. Words could be deceitful, but emotions and movements were harder to hide.
Yang Xue was most familiar with Zhang Jue's standard method of deceiving people: he would tell the truth while only withholding a portion of the information, which would cause what you thought and what he said to differ.
Smith and Zhang Jue have stated that it is still possible for him to go if everyone is secure. In fact, he implied that he wouldn't necessarily leave even if everyone was safe.
Yang Xue said, looking him straight in the eye. "Saarn is about to rise to God, once successful, and we are no longer a dimensional creature, It's not that the Foundation hasn't contained such a creature, but the cost is heavy."
Yang Xue is very worried, because with her understanding of Zhang Jue, even if the other party is a god, Zhang Jue will not easily retreat.
She bit her lip, her eyes slightly red, "What exactly do you... want to do...?"
Although Zhang Jue hung back, Yang Xue's look indicated some agitation, and she was aware that he was never one to play around. She may have had her own reasons for wanting to stay here, but she couldn't help but worry.
You see, the opposing side had a god, and Yang Xue didn't believe Zhang Jue could defeat something of that stature, despite his might. She sought out Zhang Jue at this time, hoping he would abandon such a risky course of action, because she was unable to control her emotions.
Zhang Jue took her hand, the corners of his mouth tugging up an arc as he realized Yang Xue was genuinely concerned for his safety.
"Dr. Yang, you mentioned that even if Saarn succeeded in attaining godhood, gods and demons are terrified of evil people. What would I, the most evil person in the world, be afraid of him? If I actually lose to him, it only indicates that I'm not evil enough and I need to work harder."
Yang Xue stared at Zhang Jue for a time, frozen, unsure of what to reply because his tone was soft and extremely different from his typical tone.
"Can you... promise me one thing after this, if we return safely?" Zhang Jue asked as she gently stroked her fair and slim fingers.
Yang Xue's heart was in full disarray as she felt Zhang Jue's rough fingers rubbing over her palm.
"What do you want me to promise you?" she asked Zhang Jue as she regarded him with bewildered eyes.
"Promise me…."
After gazing into Yang Xue's eyes with what appeared to be a million deep, tender emotions, Zhang Jue uttered the words that Yang Xue would find it difficult to forget for the rest of her life.
"Don't add as much salt the next time you prepare scrambled eggs with tomatoes, please."
After finally turning to face Zhang Jue, Yang Xue placed his hand on the conference room door handle and muttered something. "I'll be here when you get back."
...
Zhang Jue slumped on the conference room table after Yang Xue had departed, mentally preparing himself for what was going to occur. Because he was not a god and could not account for every circumstance, he had to focus on making the plan run as smoothly as possible.
The most significant query was present among these. It was the proper way for him to deal with Saarn, who had already attained God. Yang Xue was right to worry that trying to take on a team of gods head-on with his current strength would be a fool's errand.
However, he was unconcerned about this situation because he had long since left a backup plan. He was required to remain here for a cause that no one could comprehend.
He recognized the fog from his own world when it began to appear in the city right before Saarn's ascension ceremony had started.
Please give this novel 5 stars review and power stone ;)
Read a few chapters ahead on readfanfic.com
Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.
https://w ww.p atreon.c om/nahyesq
Our community on discord: discord. gg /t66agbE
Vous aimerez peut-être aussi
Commentaire de paragraphe
La fonction de commentaire de paragraphe est maintenant disponible sur le Web ! Déplacez la souris sur n’importe quel paragraphe et cliquez sur l’icône pour ajouter votre commentaire.
De plus, vous pouvez toujours l’activer/désactiver dans les paramètres.
OK