True Apocalypse Game

"Commander!" Of the three men present, the two veteran players, Li Tongchen and Andrei, were already unfazed. Unlike Abdullah, they immediately understood that the stone statue was the Commander’s avatar.

Shen Feng’s expression was grave. He pulled a chair over, sat down opposite Andrei, and asked:

"Why am I in danger?"

Andrei quickly replied:

"For some reason, information about the True Apocalypse Game and the Salvation Army is spreading across the globe. Reports worldwide are now describing you as a god, or simply calling you one. The two recent great plagues have been cast as trials from a Demon, and you are being hailed as the Savior who stopped it all—a god, an emissary from the heavens. This will inevitably attract the Whisperers’ attention, and your existence could easily be exposed because of it!"

Shen Feng had previously told them that the Whisperers were apparently unaware of the Commander’s existence.

One of the Salvation Army’s greatest advantages was that they operated in the shadows.

If one of those powerful Whisperers decided to move against the Commander, the situation would become incredibly complicated!

He dared not take that risk!

"Exposure is only part of it. What I’m worried about is something else..." Abdullah said in a low voice. He looked at the stone avatar, his eyes a mixture of curiosity, awe, worship, and confusion, as if debating whether he should speak his mind.

Shen Feng snapped his fingers, and the scene around them changed again. This time, they were under a Bodhi Tree. The grass was a lush green, sunlight dappled through the leaves, and a gentle breeze blew.

"Speak freely," Shen Feng said with a small smile.

Abdullah nodded and spoke quickly:

"Commander, the greatest threat you face—or rather, the greatest threat human civilization faces—is your deification! Even if you truly are a god, you cannot constantly reveal your divinity to mortals! What follows deification is..."

"...a demon," Shen Feng finished for him, a smile on his face.

"Exactly!" A flash of surprise and reverence crossed Abdullah’s eyes. He continued, "Once deification reaches a certain point, demonization is inevitable! The masses are nothing but a herd, easily swayed. They are the ones who worship a Divine Spirit, and they are also the ones who tear down its Temple. The enemy you’re facing is still in the shadows. If they seize control of public opinion, the Salvation Army and you will be completely paralyzed!"

Deification and demonization had always been the two ways the masses treat great figures, and the two often run parallel.

Given the current wave of propagandized deification, the Commander’s eventual demonization seemed all but inevitable. It was a certainty.

Furthermore, this deification was detrimental to the Salvation Army’s operations, as many of their activities could not be done out in the open.

Li Tongchen spoke up as well:

"Yes, Commander. This global propaganda campaign could not have been started by the Salvation Army. I suspect the Purification Society is behind it, trying to ’kill you with praise’! Throughout history, countless great figures have been deified only to be cast down into the dust as demons. It often takes ages for them to receive a fair judgment, but the Salvation Army doesn’t have that time. Human civilization doesn’t have that time!"

In his own lifetime, Li Tongchen had personally witnessed this cycle of deification and demonization several times. The most archetypal example was that of a certain founding father of his nation.

He could already foresee it: once the praise for the Salvation Army and the Commander reached its zenith, a new crisis would inevitably emerge.

And during that crisis, the slightest misstep would be all the opening those despicable people hiding in the shadows needed. They would slander and defame the Commander, drag him down from his pedestal, and trample him into the ground.

In fact, it might not even require a crisis. All it would take is to question why so many people died during the Evil Spirit Virus pandemic.

This world is full of shadowy figures who thrive on conspiracy theories. That alone would be enough to paralyze the Salvation Army.

What’s worse, they might even pin the blame for the two world-ending plagues on the True Apocalypse Game and the Commander himself.

The relationship between man and god has been this way since time immemorial.

That would be the absolute worst-case scenario.

Shen Feng saw the urgent expressions on the three men’s faces and gave them a look of approval.

"You’re all correct. This is the Purification Society’s attempt to kill us with praise. However, if they think this will be enough to make me lose my composure, they are gravely mistaken. What does the world’s praise or scorn have to do with me? Whether I choose to destroy the world or save it—what does that have to do with them?"

Hearing Shen Feng’s words, the three men were stunned for a moment before letting out a collective sigh of relief.

Clearly, the Commander had already seen through to the heart of the matter. They had been worrying for nothing.

"However, we can’t just let this play out on its own. Since the Purification Society wants to mold me into a Divine Spirit only to smash me to the ground, let’s give them a helping hand," Shen Feng said with a laugh. "They want to grant me ’divinity,’ don’t they? Fine, I’ll indulge them. Andrei, I’ll need your help with this. Come up with a few hundred different backstories for me. Use the tabloids. The more outlandish, the better."

Andrei’s eyes lit up. He said at once:

"Of course, Commander! That’s a brilliant play!"

Make it so fantastical that no one believes it’s real.

If they created hundreds of different versions of the story of the True Apocalypse Game, the Salvation Army, and the Commander—each one as fantastical as *Harry Potter*—and mixed them in with the truth, the whole thing would turn into fiction.

Anyone who tried to believe any of it would be dismissed as a fool.

Abdullah and Li Tongchen also nodded slightly, smiling as they marveled at the brilliance of the Commander’s stratagem.

Shen Feng continued:

"Actually, what the Purification Society is doing is, in a way, a good thing. Even if the legends about us are just novels and movies—complete works of fiction—they can still plant a seed of fire in the hearts of the people. I once experienced a world where my counterpart had already died, but the Salvation Army lived on, fighting an endless battle..."

Then, Shen Feng’s expression turned solemn. He slowly stood up, looked at the people before him, and said:

"Everyone. I hope the same will be true in this world. I am only a mortal. Even if one day I die, I ask that you all continue the fight. May the flame of hope burn eternal."

The rustle of hundreds, thousands, of people rising to their feet filled the air. Their unified response shook the leaves of the Bodhi Tree:

"Yes!"

Only then did Abdullah, Li Tongchen, and Andrei realize that at some point, a thousand more figures had appeared behind them.

These people had apparently also noticed the strange turn in global public opinion and had come to warn the Commander.

Shen Feng stretched and said:

"Alright, it’s settled then. Everyone, go back and start making up stories."

Hearing this, everyone was reassured. They began to log off, their figures vanishing one by one.

Abdullah looked at Shen Feng, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Shen Feng said with a laugh:

"As long as I am here and the Salvation Army endures, there will be no major wars in the Gulf Region, even if its oil runs dry."

Having received Shen Feng’s promise, Abdullah hurriedly bowed once more before logging off and disappearing.

Everyone left one after another, and now only Li Tongchen remained.

The old man looked at the figure standing under the Bodhi Tree and was struck by a sudden thought. ’That powerful being who commands the winds and summons the rain, who leads the Salvation Army to save the world, that wise sage who fills me with such awe... could he be... just an ordinary young man?’

’Must he truly bear this heavy burden all by himself?’

Li Tongchen looked at the youth, whose true features were indiscernible, and hesitated, unsure if he should say what was on his mind.

After all, his words were the kind of bitter truths that are hard to swallow. They might wound the Commander.

But if he didn’t offer a warning, no one could bear the terrible consequences...

Just as Li Tongchen was wrestling with his thoughts, Shen Feng chuckled, straightened his posture, and looked Li Tongchen directly in the eyes.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Li," he said slowly. "I was born under the red flag and grew up in the spring breeze. No matter what, I will not become a Whisperer."

Li Tongchen trembled from head to toe, scarcely able to believe his own ears.

"Are you saying... Are you..."