Chapter 196

Chapter 196

While the Savior's Assembly was in session, the city was far from calm. Despite the silent night, the citizens, no longer content with being ignorant lambs, employed various tactics to break free from the Church's constraints.

Bishops were summoned from their beds by the Pope for the meeting, but priests, deacons, and common believers had been tirelessly running around since the incident occurred.

It was hard to imagine what tricks these idle, long-imprisoned people could devise to escape. Scaling walls or sneaking through dog holes were already mild attempts; some even impersonated clerics or mercenaries to slip away, a ploy that actually succeeded a few times. However, they were swiftly caught by the Church as they made a beeline for the city outskirts.

Others were more cunning. They found ways to connect with the outside world without leaving their homes.

Take, for instance, the engineer who openly constructed a radio transmitter within his neighborhood. His previous display was not an act; he had genuinely aimed to expose the Church's true nature to his fellow residents. In reality, upon discovering the photographs hidden within the small yellow book, the engineer sensed something amiss about the Church. He used a dusty telegraph machine in his basement to send out a message.

Not only did he possess a transmitter, but also a receiver, a joint creation with a school friend from long ago. Naturally, the unauthorized use of such devices was illegal, so after a couple of curious trials during their school days, they kept it stored in the basement.

However, it had been a while since he contacted his friends outside, and he wondered if they had received his telegraph.

As he pondered, static crackled through his headphones.

His smile had just illuminated his face when it abruptly froze.

A similar scene unfolded elsewhere. A corporate manager, having managed to escape his compound, found an open space where his satellite phone finally caught a weak signal.

Yet, when he dialed the number, no voice came through on the other end.

"Hello? Hello?" The man called out in disbelief.

The other side of the line seemed like an endless abyss, devouring all sounds, occasionally interrupted by faint static.

"How was it? Did you get through?" a friend beside him asked anxiously.

The man remained silent, a deep fear flickering in his eyes. Almost instinctively, he hung up the call.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Didn't you get through?" his friend queried, perplexed.

"I...I don't know," the man replied, lost. "It's just that I felt as if something terrible would happen if I didn't disconnect."

The group exchanged uneasy glances.

The same phenomenon unfolded across the city, affecting radio transmissions, telephones, satellite phones, and fax machines alike – any device capable of connecting to the outside world malfunctioned. Some even claimed to have heard the eerie cries of abyssal demons.

Nonetheless, the situation was perplexing. No one within the city could communicate beyond its borders, as if they had been suddenly isolated.

Only Lane knew that this was no accident or illusion. From his perspective, a vague barrier rose from the city's edges, and he recognized that Judas was behind it.

He attributed this to Judas rather than another malevolent deity due to the cult's Christian origins, which facilitated Judas's control. Moreover, there was an indescribable sense of recognition Lane felt, similar to when he first encountered Jesus and instinctively discerned that the deity beneath the facade was not a malevolent god but an Old One.

It was akin to sensing a kindred spirit.

Lane wondered if Judas had detected him. If so, the fact that Judas hadn't directly confronted him thus far was intriguing. Was it because the time wasn't ripe, or did Judas believe he couldn't defeat Lane?

If true, could it be deduced that although Judas had managed to infiltrate this dream, His power was limited? Like the other malevolent gods, He might be seizing Anchors to gain more authority over dreams?

Knowledge about the enemy was crucial to Lane's plans. Understanding the relationship between the malevolent gods and Judas – whether they would assist Him for free and how much power Judas could exert here – was essential if Lane intended to turn the tables on Judas.

Lane gazed down at the city below, aglow with flickering lights, for all answers lay in the impending actions of the Church and the malevolent deity.

...

Ever since numerous residents discovered their inability to communicate electronically with the outside world, panic had set in, just as God on Earth had anticipated. Many banded together, rising up against the Church's constraints.

To the players' surprise, however, the Church didn't resist as expected. There were no debates, no struggles for public support. It seemed they were aware that their plot had been exposed, for they swiftly abandoned any attempt at explanation and withdrew their personnel from the communities, no longer restricting residents' movements.

When some hesitantly ventured out of their neighborhoods, no mercenaries pointed guns at their heads, nor did priests intimidate them with harsh words. Instead, smiles gradually graced their faces.

The Church's retreat was seen by the rebelling residents as a sign of guilt. Though unsure why they left so abruptly, they felt victorious in this conflict!

...Or were they?

In the resistance organization's war room, God on Earth observed the continuous flow of intel on the forum, detailing the lifting of restrictions across the city and the Church's withdrawal. A frown creased their brow.

Something was amiss.

From a player forum post:

Milk Tea Dog: A triumph for Little Yellow Book! Today, it's our bookish hero who brings us this victory. Quick, let's all bow down to the master! @Pink Bunny.

Crazy No More: Kneel before the master of the books.

Matcha Milk Green: Kneel before the essence master.

Druid: Kneel before the book master.

Strongest Man: +1

Pink Bunny: Oh my, your praise makes me blush. It was just a basic move! I haven't even used 1% of my skill in drawing those Lane books.

Beauty is Justice: Master! Tell us more about these Lane books!

Nightly: I have a friend.

Baba: I suppose your friend isn't referring to us, right?

Uncle Hao: Haha, that's hilarious! I could laugh about the cult losing to a book for a year. Shouldn't the game consider a list of cunning maneuvers? This one would definitely make the top three!

Soliciting Even Numbers: Wouldn't that just encourage your unruly folk even more? That won't do, hahaha.

Blood Disciple: But I truly didn't expect the Messiah to be so cool, to actually abandon their plans because of those comics. Seriously? They'll go down in infamy! Future generations will know that they failed because of those lewd books!

Tax Collector: Hilarious! Never would've thought that this would be the reason for the Messiah's downfall.

God Among Men: ...

Tax Collector: The big shots have arrived. What do they think?

God Among Men: I'm observing with my eyes, and it seems odd. The Messiah gave up too decisively.

Black Cat: Indeed, I share the same thoughts. Although we ingeniously used those comics to disseminate information to every household, the Church, whether due to poor management or something else, made a foolish move by forbidding residents from contacting the outside world. This has only fueled the citizens' doubts. But hasn't it not yet escalated to a full-scale uprising within the city?

God Among Men: No, and that's what puzzles me. There are still quite a number who support the Church. Based on my estimation, even if the Church were to yield due to this incident, it should take a few more days at least. And during that time, the Church should attempt some sort of counterattack. Yet, they retreated too swiftly. Think about it, the Messiah set up such a scheme with the aim of exploiting the plague to expand the Church and convert the entire city into believers. What did they invest in achieving this?

God Among Men: To execute such a plan, they must have smoothed out connections at all levels, stationed numerous personnel across regions, and had priests give daily blood sacrifices and brainwash the people. All those costs—would they abandon it just because of a minor setback? Something feels off to me.

Milk Tea Dog: What other choice do they have? The Church's attempt to prevent residents from contacting the outside was already a wrong move. While communication with the outside is difficult, inter-regional connections aren't. Once they exchange information, they'll learn the dire state of the plague under the Church's control...

Upon seeing the message typed by Milk Tea Dog, God Among Men's eyes suddenly widened.

God Among Men: This is it!

Milk Tea Dog: ?

Pink Bunny: ?

Nightly: ?

God Among Men: The Church's trump card isn't some influential connections from above or imprisoning the residents. It's the plague! Regardless of their motives, their basic quarantine strategy is correct. Moreover, their so-called holy medicine might genuinely cure the plague. But what if they stop?

God Among Men: If they cease enforcing mandatory isolation and tighten control, only distributing the blood vials to their own people, what will happen to the rest of the residents?

Black Cat: Hiss...

The players weren't fools. Upon God Among Men's revelation, they immediately grasped the church's intentions. God Among Men didn't linger on the forums but decided to contact Doctor Fors and Anthony right away. Just as he was about to leave, Fors and Anthony entered with serious expressions.

"Doctor Fors, Mr. Anthony, I was just about to come find you."

Anthony: "Is that so? Did you receive the news as well?"

Divine Being on Earth was taken aback. "What news?"

"It's the third-level quarantine zone," Fors furrowed her brows, her expression grave. "It's the area with the worst plague under the Church's control… They had the strictest patrol and management there, not allowing patients to leave a designated area without permission. But now, those mercenaries have withdrawn."

"The plague-infected patients are wandering around the city unchecked."

Divine Being on Earth's head buzzed. Players from the era of advanced technology could already anticipate the consequences. His voice was raspy. "Then… Have you informed the other residents? Told them to stay at home and not go anywhere else?"

"It's too late." Anthony sighed, massaging his temples. "We can't contact the outside world. With the plague spreading within the city and the Church suddenly lifting the quarantine, the outer districts have descended into chaos. Many residents refuse to believe it and are trying to leave the city in their cars."

Divine Being on Earth said dryly, "But the military won't allow it."