True Apocalypse Game

In 1090 AD, Hassan ibn Sabah established a castle in Tunisia as his base, naming it the "Eagle’s Nest."

Hassan ibn Sabah was also the renowned "Elder in the Mountains."

The Assassin Sect he founded and led established its power through assassinations and raids. They forced a host of surrounding feudal lords and kings to submit and pay tribute.

At their peak, the power of the Assassin Sect shook the entire Middle East. Their reputation even spread to Western Europe and East Asia, and they were a formidable separatist power in the Persia region.

They even sent agents to assassinate the French king Philip Augustus during the Crusades, becoming a synonym for terror.

This lasted until the mid-13th century, when the Assassin Sect failed in an attempt to assassinate the Mongolian Great Khan. They were subsequently destroyed by a large army led by the Mongol Hulagu Khan. The entire Assassin Sect was slaughtered almost to the last man, vanishing into the river of history.

The story of the Assassin Sect was the inspiration for the famous game, *Assassin’s Creed*.

In Keanu Reeves’s *John Wick* series, the powerful High Table Organization was also inspired by the Assassin Sect.

The world believed the Assassin Sect to be extinct, but they had merely gone underground. Throughout the long years, they maintained an extremely strong subterranean influence, controlling a dark dynasty. They wielded immense power, especially in the Middle East Region, where they could practically command the wind and rain.

Kavan was the current leader of the Assassin Sect and the secret controller behind many of the so-called freedom fighters and militia organizations in the Middle East Region.

And at this moment, this man, who could be called the king of the Middle Eastern underworld, felt his heart suddenly race and his breath quicken.

Not since becoming a qualified assassin at the age of fifteen had he ever been so flustered.

The youth before him looked both Eastern and Western, yet was definitely not human.

Recalling some of the rumors about this figure, Kavan forced himself to lift his eyes and meet the other’s gaze, but it felt like staring into an abyss.

He was then stunned to realize he was still holding the AK in his hands.

Kavan immediately tossed the rifle aside, took a deep breath, and asked the boy made of metal:

"The Savior? The one who defeated the Petrification Disease and the Evil Spirit Virus plagues? The thorn in the side of the Purification Society, His Excellency the Commander of the Salvation Army? The Heroic King?"

The youth before him smiled faintly once more and said:

"That’s me."

Kavan no longer hesitated. He stepped forward and knelt on one knee, saying to the youth:

"Your Excellency, esteemed Savior, please accept my highest respect and praise!"

After speaking, he went down on both knees, placed his palms upward, and prostrated himself before the youth, not caring that his clothes were being soiled by the dust.

As Kavan lay prone on the ground, he heard the youth say in a slightly mechanical voice:

"Rise..."

Kavan immediately rose respectfully, his voice trembling as he spoke to the youth before him:

"Your Excellency, Savior, please allow me to offer you a humble gift. And please allow me to join your ranks and offer my humble life to fight the Demon from the Night of Deathly Silence."

Kavan wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he had the distinct feeling that the silver, metallic youth before him had just rolled his eyes. Then he heard him speak:

"You know about the Whisperers?"

The youth’s voice had also risen sharply.

Kavan hurriedly explained:

"In the oral history of the Assassin Sect, we once encountered a Demon from the Night of Deathly Silence. At the time, it drove our last leader to madness, causing him to recklessly assassinate the leaders of surrounding nations and territories, even the Great Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, which ultimately brought about our doom. Before his death, the last leader came to his senses and left behind legends of the Demon from the Night of Deathly Silence. Therefore, when I heard of your existence and your great achievements from a friend, I immediately understood that the Demon of the Night of Deathly Silence had appeared once again!"

「In a small courtyard in the Hua Country Tai City Suburbs」

Shen Feng, who was controlling the Ash Tide Incarnation with his eyes closed, couldn’t help but frown.

’I never expected to hear something like this from Kavan.’

’The Demon from the Night of Deathly Silence... that’s obviously referring to the Whisperer...’

’Could it be that the Whisperer appeared on Earth a long time ago?’

’But why have I never seen any records of it?’

’The Assassin Sect actually encountered a Whisperer. It seems one of their leaders was bewitched by it. This is really interesting...’

Kavan’s words also gave Shen Feng a new line of thought.

He had been trying to find traces left by the Whisperer, or even discover what the Whisperer’s true form was, but had come up empty.

’It seems now I might be able to find clues within the history of human civilization!’

Shen Feng continued to ask:

"What I face is an existence that wants to erase all trace of human civilization. It is unspeakable, indescribable. Before these terrifying beings, an individual human is no more than an ant, a speck of dust. Humanity as a whole is just a cluster of ants. After joining the Salvation Army, you will have to face death at every moment. Are you not afraid?"

Kavan’s eyes widened. He took a deep breath and said:

"Your Excellency, esteemed Savior, the Assassin Sect has endured to this day in pursuit of nothing but the Truth. Everything you do *is* the Truth we seek! This is the supreme glory! Death is but a spiritual rebirth! I beg you, Commander, have mercy and grant me this opportunity!"

Shen Feng controlled the Ash Tide Incarnation to look directly into Kavan’s eyes. He could see fanaticism, worship, and some fear, but deeper still was an unshakeable will.

He couldn’t help but nod in approval.

Humans were such complex creatures. Some were base, some noble; some were selfish, some altruistic.

The Kavan before him was clearly an extreme idealist.

It was precisely people like him who, over thousands of years of history, had become the leaders of human civilization.

The purpose of expanding the Salvation Army was to find such people.

He really couldn’t bear to make Kavan wait or be disappointed. He smiled slightly and said:

"Mr. Kavan, the moment you received the game invitation, you were already a member of the Salvation Army. Welcome to your death."

A flash of ecstasy appeared in Kavan’s eyes, and his whole body trembled. He then took a deep breath and, forcing his voice to remain calm, said:

"Death is my destination. A meaningless existence is what brings me pain! Thank you... Commander!"

’I’m a member of the Salvation Army!’

’A member of the group destined to be recorded in the annals of human civilization!’

’I will attain supreme glory!’

Then, Kavan continued:

"Commander, the fifty tactical nuclear warheads from Incirlik Base are just outside. This is my gift to you. Also, there is a person in charge of the Purification Society in the Middle East Region, named Ivanovic."

Shen Feng nodded but didn’t reply. Instead, he suddenly said:

"Give me a sample of Serum No. 0. There are still two days left; there’s still time. Since you’ve joined the Salvation Army, you can’t die for such a pointless reason."

Warmth spread through Kavan’s heart. He instantly understood that the Commander had been aware of everything he had done.

Including the fact that he had injected Serum No. 0 and might die from its side effects in two days!

Kavan immediately pulled the sample of Serum No. 0, which he had gotten from Hall, out of his pocket and presented it with both hands to Shen Feng’s Ash Tide Incarnation.

The moment the serum sample touched the Gray Tide, it was instantly and rapidly absorbed into it.

Meanwhile, far away in Hua Country, Shen Feng asked Jingwei:

"How long will it take to analyze the internal components of this serum and develop a cure?"

Jingwei, dressed in a white lab coat and black stockings, was standing next to a metal pod, adjusting various chemical reagents. Without looking up, she said:

"With the right equipment, it’ll take about a few dozen minutes. It’s not like this was made by some mysterious entity. It’s just a viral hybrid created by a bunch of ordinary people, and it’s been weakened countless times after hybridization. Have him inject some immunoglobulin for now. That should delay the onset of side effects by a few days, which is more than enough."

Hearing this, Shen Feng felt much more at ease. He then had his Ash Tide Incarnation say:

"Go and get an immunoglobulin injection first. Once I have a cure, I will find you."

Kavan was overjoyed and quickly said:

"Thank you, Commander!"

After all, even though he had resolved to sacrifice himself, if there was another way, no one wanted to die so simply.

Kavan then walked directly to the cave entrance, ordered his men to move all the nuclear warheads into the tunnel at the mouth of the cave, and then dragged Ivanovic inside.

Kavan was about to start moving the warheads in by himself, piece by piece, when he saw the floor of the cave tunnel ripple.

A silvery-gray metallic light flashed, and the fifty tactical nuclear warheads began to sink rapidly, as if submerged in water. In a short while, they had vanished without a trace!

With no time to marvel at the Commander’s immense power, Kavan had already dragged Ivanovic in front of the Ash Tide Incarnation.

"You... you’re the Antichrist!? You’re in Syria! No... you’re not here... This is your evil incarnation!" Recognizing the not-quite-human youth before him, Ivanovic immediately shouted in shock.

He had never imagined that he would see the Antichrist with his own eyes!

No wonder this mission failed so miserably. It turned out the Antichrist himself had taken action from behind the scenes!

"Human civilization is doomed to destruction! This world will ultimately be purified! Only purification is the final destination! Antichrist, your struggle is nothing but the wail of despair before the day of purification arrives!"

Kavan snorted coldly, bent down, and grabbed Ivanovic’s chin. With a light twist, he dislocated it, preventing him from shouting again.

’As soon as the Commander gives the order, I’ll bury this Purification Society bastard alive.’

"Commander, this is the head of the Purification Society in the Middle East, Ivanovic. According to my investigation, he has multiple identities. He is a senior advisor to the Russian advisory group in Turkey and a high-ranking commander in Eagle Country’s military intelligence organization. My men once overheard them using a reverse hypnosis method to awaken a certain sleeper agent."

As Kavan spoke, he took out a small recording device and pressed a button. A burst of fuzzy radio static immediately came from it, along with a series of rhythmic sounds from fingers tapping a receiver, the clicking of a tongue, and Ivanovic’s low, hoarse voice:

"Sermara Ilkhan... awaken... God needs you... Purifier... awaken... you will become a raging fire... you will become a mountain wind... purify this world... awaken..."

Shen Feng couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. ’This is a reverse hypnosis technique. To put it bluntly, it’s hypnotic awakening.’

’The person being awakened has actually been in a hypnotic state all along. They’re just being roused by using specific sounds, lights, environments, and so on.’

’It’s not a particularly advanced technique. It can’t even be mentioned in the same breath as the Whisperer’s hypnosis, which even I find terrifying to listen to.’

’But from the looks of it, these disciples and grand-disciples of the Whisperer in the Purification Society are cut from the same cloth as the Whisperer itself.’

’I just wonder if these bastards can be hypnotized by me?’

A strange idea suddenly occurred to Shen Feng—an idea that could break a blind spot in his own thinking.

’Hypnosis... I can do that too!’

’Maybe my hypnosis skills aren’t perfect and there might be some deviations, but that’s okay. I still have neurosurgery.’

’During the Evil Spirit Virus plague, I gained considerable experience studying the brain. It’s definitely worth a try.’

’From now on, I can’t bear to kill these Purifiers from the Purification Society. They’re treasures...’

’Imagine if I could reverse-hypnotize these guys. Maybe I could even turn Cthulhu into a figure like Gin...’

As he thought this, Shen Feng’s Ash Tide Incarnation smiled at Ivanovic. It bent down, raised a hand to touch the man’s thinning hair, and began gently tapping on his skull as if tapping a watermelon, observing carefully.

Ivanovic didn’t know what the Antichrist’s incarnation was planning to do. He only saw its inhuman, emotionless eyes and couldn’t help but tremble all over.

He only knew one thing: it definitely wasn’t anything good...