Chapter 43 Moon God Chosen, The Last Barrier of Humanity

Chapter 43: Moon God Chosen – Humanity’s Last Bastion

The scene left everyone present stunned: a man was not only pregnant but giving birth in plain sight.

Fortunately, Bai Qinghe and his companions were seasoned individuals and quickly grasped the grim reality—this was the true manifestation of contamination. Blood-sucking infants and skeletal women attacking people were mere superficial symptoms. The true sign of severe contamination was pregnancy and childbirth, regardless of gender.

As the man’s screams grew increasingly agonizing, Bai Qinghe felt the contamination intensify.

He understood now: the contamination spread through witnessing childbirth. Anyone who observed the birth would become infected. As Yu Xing had mentioned earlier, the number of contaminated individuals in this amusement park was undoubtedly substantial.

Moreover, those killed by Yu Xing and her team were certainly not the first victims. There was no telling how many people in the park had already been infected.

As Bai Qinghe pondered this, he heard Su Wenmo whisper a warning, "Captain, look."

Shifting his gaze back to the screaming man on the ground, he saw large pools of dark, viscous blood beneath him. However, due to the biological differences between men and women, no matter how excruciating the pain, the man could not deliver the child naturally.

Everyone watched as the man’s exposed, swollen belly began to writhe violently, as if something inside was struggling to tear its way out.

Finally, after the man let out one last, piercing shriek, everyone heard a sound—

*Squelch.*

Something had ruptured. A small, pale hand emerged from a torn opening in the man’s belly.

The sight triggered intense nausea in Ke Yuan. His vision blurred, and his legs gave way, sending him to his knees.

Some of the onlookers—those who were not Divine Chosen and lacked military protective gear—even grinned excitedly, exclaiming, "It’s coming out!"

"The hand’s out!"

"Finally..."

Bai Qinghe frowned slightly. He pressed his palms together and murmured an incantation. Soon, a chilling, holy light emanated from his hands and descended upon the man.

The man, who had briefly stilled after the infant tore through his belly, let out an even more bloodcurdling scream upon contact with the Purifying Holy Light.

Not only the man, but even the infant inside his belly wailed miserably.

The sound was so eerie and horrifying that it made everyone's skin crawl. Yu Xing watched as a faint purple glow surfaced on the man’s skin under the Purifying Holy Light, then vanished. Once the purification was complete, only a rotted corpse remained on the ground.

Bai Qinghe withdrew his hand and shook his head slightly at the corpse. "He was already irreversibly contaminated."

"Irreversibly contaminated" meant that even if a Moon God Chosen had purified all the contamination from his body, it wouldn’t have saved him. Death was his only outcome.

The reason Moon God Chosen were so highly revered was that everyone—including other Divine Chosen—could become contaminated upon exposure to pollutants.

But only the Moon God Chosen could purify contamination, saving people before they completely lost control and transformed into mindless monsters.

Thus, every Divine Chosen team required at least one Moon God Chosen member to ensure the team’s safety during missions.

The instructor for that day’s lesson was an elderly Moon God Chosen. In his youth, he had served in the military beyond the walls. Only after his psychic energy diminished with age did he return to teach at the church inside the walls.

His eyes brimming with tears, he had said, "In truth, the number of Moon God Chosen awakening each year is no less than that of other Divine Chosen. And whether inside or outside the walls, Moon God Chosen are carefully protected. Yet… they remain the rarest of the Divine Chosen, because they are always on the front lines."

"Ahh!!"

"Ahhh!!!"

Just as Bai Qinghe announced the man’s death—before they could even examine the corpse—screams erupted across the amusement park. Cries of agony came from all directions, voices of both men and women.

The officer, having received updates through his communication device, turned to Bai Qinghe with a grim expression. "Eleven more contaminated individuals have appeared in the park—five women and six men. Their conditions are identical to his."

He gestured at the eviscerated corpse on the ground.

Bai Qinghe gravely ordered Su Wenmo and the other Divine Chosen, "Eliminate all contaminated individuals."

"Yes!" Without hesitation, Su Wenmo and the others fanned out, each leading a group of soldiers.

"Eliminate" was just a polite term for execution. But the officer remained unconvinced. He said to Bai Qinghe, "Eleven new contaminated appeared in just a few minutes. Who knows how many more will emerge in ten minutes, twenty, or an hour? What will this place become by then? You should reconsider my earlier suggestion."

His earlier suggestion had been to destroy the entire amusement park—including everyone inside.

At this, Miao Yuanjin bristled again, while Yu Xing thought of Yun Dai.

Back then, she, Yun Dai, and another injured classmate had been trapped on a bus where everyone else was contaminated. If she hadn’t managed to destroy the contamination source and escape on her own, would she and Yun Dai have been obliterated along with the entire bus, following this officer’s methods?

"That doesn’t seem right…" Yu Xing, still clinging to Earth's morality, couldn't stomach such measures. She said to Bai Qinghe, "There must still be uncontaminated people here."

No sooner had she spoken than more screams rang out nearby.

The officer’s cold, hooded eyes fixed on Yu Xing as he shot back, "Foolish mercy will only drag this world into hell."

Miao Yuanjin snapped, "Who are you calling foolish? Without the mercy of us Moon God Chosen, would you even be alive today?"

Bai Qinghe remained silent. Instead, he joined his hands once more, and a holy light descended upon a young man nearby—one who had earlier watched the man give birth and exclaimed, "Thank goodness!"

As the Purifying Holy Light enveloped him, the young man’s furrowed brow relaxed. A look of contentment crossed his face. A faint purple glow surfaced on his body before dissipating. This time, the man didn’t die. Instead, once the light faded, he exhaled deeply. "That felt so good… My head was hurting so badly earlier…"

Witnessing this, Bai Qinghe declared, "There’s no need to destroy the park. Even if contaminated, as long as they haven’t reached the childbirth stage, they can still be saved."

Though he didn’t look at the officer, everyone knew who he was addressing. "Moon God Chosen can distinguish between the contaminated and the uncontaminated. I’ll contact the church immediately. Until their arrival, the military will maintain order in the park, while the Divine Chosen handle the contaminated."

Then he turned to Miao Yuanjin.

Miao Yuanjin: "?"

Suddenly under scrutiny, the aristocratic girl tensed up.

"You’re also a Moon God Chosen," Bai Qinghe said to her. "You’ll come with me to separate the contaminated from the ordinary people."

"Huh?" Miao Yuanjin blinked, then nodded solemnly. "Oh! Understood!"

By now, the screams in the amusement park had multiplied, meaning more and more fully contaminated, unsalvageable individuals were emerging.

Yu Xing was also assigned a task—to neutralize the infected, accompanied by two fully armed soldiers.

She worked swiftly, needing only to toss an object at a contaminated individual to ensure their quick demise.

The two soldiers following her shared a wary look, subtly slowing their pace and putting more distance between themselves and her.

This was the largest amusement park in all of Seven Cities. Even during off-peak hours, the crowds were considerable. The park was divided into multiple zones and venues, making a thorough sweep an enormous task.

All the Divine Chosen, including Yu Xing, were soon overwhelmed. Before long, some began showing signs of depleted mental energy.

Yet, even before the others, Bai Qinghe and Miao Yuanjin had long since exhausted theirs.

For Miao Yuanjin, a newcomer who had just recently become a Divine Chosen, purifying this many contaminated people at once was far too overwhelming.

She could barely manage after purifying just five people, yet ahead of her stretched a seemingly endless crowd, their terrified eyes awaiting purification.

A child under ten, unable to endure the wait in line, collapsed as their stomach rapidly swelled, letting out screams of agony.

Two soldiers rushed forward without hesitation, engulfing the struggling child in flames.

Miao Yuanjin broke down crying. Just earlier today, on the bus ride to the amusement park with her friends, they had been filled with heroic resolve, convinced that as long as they were there, they could save humanity and the city, ensuring tragedies like the bus driver’s would never happen again.

Yet now, so many were dying before her eyes, and she was powerless to stop it.

After purifying another person, Miao Yuanjin felt a stabbing headache, as if needles were pricking her brain.

Noticing her pale face, Bai Qinghe said, "Go rest."

"No." Miao Yuanjin’s stubbornness flared. She lifted her chin and declared, "I can keep going!"

She clasped her hands together, but this time, no divine light appeared. Her nose tingled, and a drop of liquid trickled from her nostril, landing on the back of her hand.

Looking down, the crimson stain on her hand made her dizzy.

She felt terrible—never in her life had she suffered like this. Before, whenever she felt even slightly unwell or unhappy, she could always turn to her father or grandfather. But now...

Miao Yuanjin recalled her grandfather’s grim expression the day she became a Moon God Chosen. She would prove herself to him—she would become the finest Moon God Chosen!

Yu Xing encountered Ke Yuan in the roller coaster arena. Ke Yuan was slumped on the ground, completely spent. Not just from fatigue—after hearing too many screams and infant cries, witnessing too many contaminated births, his B-level mental fortitude was failing.

"Leave it to me," Yu Xing said, taking out a contaminated being in front of him. "You can rest now."

Ke Yuan looked up at Yu Xing. Her mental energy seemed inexhaustible. At this moment, he was alone—the two soldiers under his command had succumbed to severe contamination and been destroyed as contaminants.

Yet Yu Xing remained full of energy, as if she had no limits.

The two soldiers following her were also faltering, so Yu Xing ordered them to take Ke Yuan out.

As Ke Yuan, weak and barely able to move, was supported as they left, he turned back and saw Yu Xing charging deeper alone into the pavilion.

Instinctively, he shouted after her, "Captain!"

Yu Xing paused, turning back in confusion.

"It’s too dangerous alone!" Ke Yuan yelled. "Come back with me!"

Yu Xing shook her head with a wry smile. "I can’t! They all like me so much—I can’t just abandon them!"

With that, she turned and marched off. Ke Yuan didn’t understand what she meant, but the soldier beside him said, "Don’t worry. She’s really strong—we’ve seen it firsthand."

When Mei Hexuan woke up after the surgery, his entire body trembled—not from lingering injuries, but purely from pain.

Though all his wounds had been healed and he shouldn’t have felt any pain, the agony of the anesthesia-free surgery had etched itself into his psyche. The torment no longer resided in his body but had burrowed deep into his soul. His body was fine, but his soul still ached.

The operating room was empty and silent—no people, no sounds.

This amusement park was completely negligent. Not only did their Treatment Pods malfunction and lack anesthesia, but they didn’t even assign a caretaker to a patient who hadn’t yet woken up.

And of course, the most hateful one was Yu Xing—she was the one who had brought him to this wretched state!

Climbing out of the Treatment Pod with burning hatred, Mei Hexuan slowly pushed open the operating room door. Outside was a corridor leading to the amusement park’s rides area, yet strangely, it too was silent.

Though it was nighttime, the park shouldn’t have been this deserted. Why was there no sound at all?

Puzzled, he stepped out of the corridor. The park’s lighting lit up everything like daylight.

But the real question was—why was there no one outside either?

Not far from him stood a massive ride, yet he saw not a single person.

He wondered—had the park been shut down because of his accident? It wasn’t impossible.

But why had no one been by his side when he woke up? Had the park not notified the Mei family?

As he pondered, he suddenly noticed a figure lying on the ground ahead.

Mei Hexuan scowled in disgust. Probably someone from the C or D districts—so uncivilized, sleeping on the ground. Likely a commoner like Yu Xing.

But with the eerie silence everywhere, something felt wrong. After hesitating, Mei Hexuan cautiously approached the person, intending to ask what was happening.

The lights were bright, but not as clear as daylight. Only when he got very close did he finally make out the figure on the ground.

What he saw turned his blood to ice—it was the corpse of a man. Worse, the death was horrifying. The stomach was horribly bloated, veins webbing across the taut skin. Most terrifying of all, a gaping hole tore through the belly, half of a lifeless infant hanging from it.

It looked as though the baby had tried to crawl out of the ruptured stomach but died halfway, leaving this grotesque sight.

What was this?!

Why was this happening?!

How could a baby be crawling out of a man’s stomach?!

Looking closer, he recognized the lab coat—this was the doctor who had placed him in the Treatment Pod and treated him!

Panic gripped Mei Hexuan. Before he could even scream, a piercing scream erupted from his left.

Moments later, another scream came from the right.

Fortunately, he kept his cool. Thankfully, his device was still working. In this moment of panic, he remembered to contact his family.

When he reached his mother and told her he was at the amusement park, her voice changed instantly.

"What are you doing there?"

Mei Hexuan only said he had come to visit, gotten injured by accident, and was delayed by treatment.

"You don’t know yet?" His mother’s voice turned sharp. "The amusement park is under lockdown due to a contamination incident."

A contamination incident? Of course Mei Hexuan knew what that meant. His mind reeled.

But he managed to pull himself together enough to ask, "When can the family arrange to get me out?"

Silence answered him. After a pause, his mother’s voice came through, breaking with emotion. "There’s no way. This is a maximum-security lockdown—no one gets out. I can’t do anything..."

Hanging up, Mei Hexuan was completely panicked. Even the Mei family had no way to bypass a maximum-security lockdown.

Now, he had no idea what to do. He didn’t know the situation inside the park or what the pollutants were like. He suddenly wondered if he should return to the operating room—maybe it was safer there.

But then he remembered past cases of contamination incidents. Under maximum-security lockdowns, there was a high chance of a complete purge protocol—complete sterilization of the infected area.

If that's the case, then staying in the operating room would only mean certain death for him.

Mei Hexuan didn’t want to die. Gritting his teeth, he decided to leave this place even though chilling screams filled the air everywhere.

He headed toward the south gate of the amusement park, but after only a few steps, he encountered another gruesomely disfigured corpse—this time, a woman. The further he walked, the more corpses he came across, and soon, fear left him numb.

Just as he stood transfixed in front of a charred body, a sudden voice came from behind him.

Turning around, he saw a man in black sportswear darting out from a corner. The man collapsed less than ten meters away from Mei Hexuan, letting out a piercing shriek as his abdomen rapidly swelled.

Mei Hexuan was frozen in terror, even forgetting to run.

Then, thudding footsteps sounded behind him. Instinctively turning, he saw a group of soldiers in hazmat suits running toward him under the bright lights.

At the forefront of the soldiers was none other than Yu Xing.

By now, most people had been gathered at the central square. The majority of the Divine Chosen were exhausted, leaving only Yu Xing with enough energy to oversee the mop-up operation.

Leading Team One, she patrolled the amusement park, rushing to wherever screams were heard to neutralize the contaminants. Unexpectedly, she ran into Mei Hexuan.

"Xuan!" Yu Xing's tired eyes lit up at the sight of him.

She immediately ordered the soldiers to clear the nearby contaminant, and they obeyed without question.

Mei Hexuan had always despised Yu Xing the most, but now, seeing her, he actually felt… safe.

"Your injuries are all healed?" Yu Xing gave him a once-over with relief.

Mei Hexuan stared at her. She was also wearing a hazmat suit and carrying standard-issue military weapons. Her hair was disheveled, her face weary, but her eyes were bright.

"Ah… I…" Mei Hexuan's mind was a mess, his words coming out in a jumble.

Fortunately, Yu Xing was too tired to engage in conversation.

She said, "You were in close contact with the contaminant just now. You were likely contaminated."

Mei Hexuan's face instantly went ashen, his lips trembling in horror. "Then… then I must be…"

Before he could finish, Yu Xing cut in, "The church members should arrive soon. I’ll take you to the square. You’ll be fine."

The soldiers incinerated the contaminant, then escorted Yu Xing and Mei Hexuan toward the square.

By now, everyone in the amusement park had been gathered in the square, divided into two groups. One group consisted of those confirmed by Bai Qinghe and Miao Yuanjin to be uncontaminated—they were isolated from the others.

The other group was the infected. Most of them could still be saved, so they formed orderly queues to receive purification from Bai Qinghe, Miao Yuanjin, and another Moon God Chosen who had arrived later.

When Yu Xing brought Mei Hexuan over, Miao Yuanjin was drinking water while holding her nose shut. Zhao Lan and the others sat on the ground, completely spent.

"Are you okay?" Yu Xing asked Miao Yuanjin.

Miao Yuanjin looked at her, releasing her nose—only for two streams of blood to come pouring out.

She quickly pinched her nose again and weakly replied, "I'm dying here."

Da Ya, whose Divine Skill had no effect on contaminants, was responsible for providing water to everyone in the square—by making it rain.

After raining for so long, she was exhausted. Seeing Yu Xing arrive, she handed her a cup of water. Yu Xing raised the cup to her lips when she remembered Mei Hexuan—her boyfriend was still parched.

So she offered the cup to him. "Want some?"

Mei Hexuan reached out, but suddenly, he got a bad feeling—a sense of impending danger.

Glancing sideways, he saw Yu Xing’s friends all giving him death stares. Their eyes seemed to say, *Drink that and you're a dead man.*

His throat worked. He was actually very thirsty—he had lost a lot of blood earlier, and though his wounds had healed, he still felt parched. But under such stares…

"Thanks, I’m not thirsty," Mei Hexuan said.

"Oh." Yu Xing didn’t press further and drank the water herself.

Zhao Lan looked worriedly in Bai Qinghe’s direction. "Senior Bai must be hitting his limit too, right?"

Indeed, Yu Xing had already noticed—Bai Qinghe's nose was bleeding, a sign of severe mental exhaustion.

"We’re running out of time," Miao Yuanjin said, fighting back tears. "So many of them could still be saved."

Her words, and the mood, hung heavy in the air.

Mei Hexuan didn’t fully understand the situation, but seeing everyone so grim, he hovered awkwardly to the side, uncertain whether he would make it out of the amusement park alive.

Just then, cheers suddenly rang out.

Yu Xing turned and saw the amusement park gates swung open as a convoy of vehicles drove in.

"What’s happening?"

Everyone stood up to look.

The vehicles lined up inside the park, and their doors opened one by one. Cloaked in white robes, monks stepped out, hands pressed together in prayer as they walked toward the crowd.

A radiant, holy glow bloomed among the people.

Miao Yuanjin rose on her toes, still clutching her nose, her eyes shining with hope.

"Senior Bai said there aren’t many Moon God Chosen in each city," she said quietly. "The monks from the church are humanity’s final bastion of hope."