True Apocalypse Game

In the painting forged from coagulated blood, a young man sat languidly atop a field made of corpses of every kind.

The beheaded, the shot, those cut in half at the waist, the charred, the strangled, the poisoned...

Countless bodies were stacked layer upon layer, as if they had covered the entire world.

The young man’s smile was sinister and excited, as if he had finally discovered the true meaning of life.

"I will destroy the world."

He said.

Shen Feng’s brow furrowed. He stared at the bizarre image, certain that the person in the painting was supposed to be him.

His current appearance had been altered by the Nanomechanical Cluster, and it was further obscured by a mask and hood. These Spiritual Children, abducted by the Purification Society, could not possibly know what he looked like.

Unless they had foreseen future events.

’I will destroy the world?’

Seeing the Antichrist frozen in place, as if lost in bewilderment and confusion, Cheney couldn’t help but roar with laughter:

"Antichrist, Savior, you must understand now. Destroying this world is your ultimate destiny. In your heart, you are a Purifier! Come, stop suppressing your true nature. Become one of us and embrace the fate the Whisperer has arranged for humanity..."

A wind rose, and the rustling of leaves echoed continuously, like a surging tide.

Clouds seemed to drift by outside, causing the light in the great hall to flicker between bright and dim.

Under the flickering light and shadows, the scene inside the hall resembled an oil painting.

Watching the Antichrist stand there dumbstruck and feeling the gentle breeze, Cheney smiled faintly and continued:

"The power you possess is truly admirable. Therefore, you should also understand that what these children saw are scenes from a future that is bound to happen. This is your destiny—irrefutable and unchangeable."

"Since you will one day slaughter the entire world and completely purify human civilization, why not choose to do it now? A futile struggle will only add to the pain. From beginning to end, you have been nothing more than a puppet of the Whisperer, a mere joke. The harder you struggle, the more the Whisperer delights."

"Come, embrace your destiny. Become a Purifier and accept the eternal gift bestowed upon us by the Whisperer. When you connect with the Whisperer, you will discover that compared to the boundless time of the vast Cosmos, Earth is but a speck of dust, and human civilization is merely bacteria upon that dust—utterly insignificant..."

"Come. If you’re ready to make your choice, you can start by purifying these three overconfident ants..."

As he spoke, Cheney pointed at Joey and the other two beside him.

His voice had just taken on a particular cadence, rising and falling with a strange, hypnotic rhythm that sounded exceptionally sinister.

At the same time, the patterns and light strips on the four walls of the hall, as well as the mural on the vaulted ceiling, seemed to ripple gently, like waves on water.

Joey and Aili exchanged a look and immediately shouted:

"Mr. Savior! Wake up! This is all a scam! It’s fake! This man is a charlatan! You’re the Savior, how could you possibly slaughter the whole world!?"

Thomas shouted as well:

""The Universal Key"! "The Universal Key"! Mr. Savior, think of that movie about Witchcraft! As long as you believe Witchcraft exists, it will have an effect on you! If you believe you’ll destroy the world in the future, you really will destroy the world! Don’t believe it! Don’t believe it!"

But their words seemed to have no effect. The Savior slowly turned his head to look at them, his eyes filled with pain and confusion.

"Will I really destroy the world? Then what’s the point of anything I’m doing now? If destruction is the destination for everything, if death is the inevitable end of life, then shouldn’t we embrace destruction from the very beginning?" the Savior murmured.

Cheney’s heart raced with excitement. He knew his efforts were working. He continued in his persuasive tone:

"We will achieve eternal life through destruction, generate negative entropy through destruction, and welcome the gift bestowed by the Whisperer... Kill them... Kill them, and you will find liberation for your soul. You will finally obtain the meaning of existence... Destruction..."

As the nominal second-in-command of the Purification Society, he had managed to secure the position of temporary Speaker of the Senate in Eagle Country. He had always held a high opinion of himself, even looking down on others with a condescending, superior gaze.

In his view, Cthulhu had merely been lucky enough to contact the Whisperer early on; his abilities were no match for Cheney’s. Besides, Cthulhu had been out of sight for a long time. He, Cheney, should be the Whisperer’s first Apostle.

If he could take down this so-called Antichrist, this Savior, then everything would change completely!

He would become a being second only to a god, standing above all others!

Cheney lightly pressed a controller in his hand. The surrounding lights began to flicker and shift again as he spoke:

"Kill them, and I will introduce you to the Whisperer. I will let you feel that unprecedented power that can control the entire Cosmos, that supreme and transcendent might... Now... go..."

Then, the young man in the hood and mask before him slowly walked toward the three officers.

Joey’s expression turned solemn as he said gravely:

"Mr. Savior, wake up! Don’t let the darkness in your heart control you!"

Aili and Thomas also shouted, trying to wake the young man.

By now, the young man had reached them, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger.

In her desperation, Aili had no choice but to raise her gun, aim it at the young man, and shout, "Don’t come any—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the three of them saw a flash of silver-gray light. The next instant, an icy chill pierced their chests. Several tentacles had shot out from behind the young man, impaling their hearts!

Gouts of blood gushed out, quickly forming a pool on the floor.

Disbelief and pained struggle flashed in the eyes of the three before they fell completely silent.

Seeing this, Cheney’s eyes went wide. He was ecstatic, wanting to jump up and shout in celebration of his victory. But he knew it wasn’t time to celebrate yet. He continued to soothe him in a low voice:

"Good, you did very well... Look at that crimson blood. It’s the Whisperer’s favorite color. It will be pleased with you... Soon, I will let you experience the Whisperer’s terrifying power. You just need to close your eyes and surrender everything, including control of the Gray Tide..."

Seeing the power of the Gray Tide’s mechanical tentacles, Cheney suddenly changed his mind.

As long as he could obtain supreme control over the Gray Tide, it didn’t matter whether this so-called Savior was willing to believe in the Whisperer or join the Purification Society.

At that point, he alone would be able to destroy the entire world.

The young man looked at the blood and the three bodies on the ground and asked with a bewildered expression:

"Is that all? Why do I feel a little... excited? Does destruction bring pleasure?"

He then looked up at Cheney and asked:

"Where is Cthulhu? Is he still alive?"

Cheney understood that this was the most critical moment for destroying and controlling the man’s will. Since he had already tipped toward the darkness, many things could be told truthfully. He said:

"Of course Cthulhu is still alive, but I haven’t seen him in decades... He’s always hidden among the masses, issuing commands in all sorts of strange and infuriating ways, as if he is the crowd itself... Don’t worry about him. He’s obsolete. The future belongs to you, to us! We are the Whisperer’s most loyal Disciples. Cthulhu is history..."

What he didn’t expect was that the hooded man before him continued to ask:

"Where might Cthulhu be? I want to see him. Is he with the Whisperer?"

Cheney said patiently:

"Nobody knows where he is. However, based on my deductions, Cthulhu is likely hiding somewhere in Central and South America. Information he sent out previously pointed to Mexico and Colombia... He couldn’t be with the Whisperer. The Whisperer is a being akin to a Divine Spirit. Before it, we are nothing but lowly humans..."

The location of Cthulhu had always been the most top-secret information within the entire Purification Society. Besides him, the vice-chairman, no more than two other people knew.

At this critical juncture of luring him in, he had to offer something real and maintain absolute sincerity to win him over completely.

Otherwise, the slightest mental ripple caused by a lie could arouse the other’s suspicion and lead to failure.

The "Savior" nodded and continued to ask:

"Has the Whisperer ever descended into this world in a physical form? What is it, exactly? A higher-dimensional being? A collective consciousness of humanity’s will for self-destruction? Or some entity that can travel through and interfere with spacetime? Or something else entirely?"

Cheney smiled faintly and replied:

"No one has ever truly seen the Whisperer’s form. But it’s not some higher-dimensional being; it’s something even more advanced. It is indescribable, ineffable. Perhaps only Cthulhu has ever seen it. We can only sense its presence through our will and our sixth sense. When you truly feel it, you will under... wait..."

Cheney’s eyes suddenly flew open. He stared at the man before him and said in a trembling voice:

"Wrong... This is wrong... You shouldn’t... You’ve been under Hypnosis... You shouldn’t be asking these questions... Where did it... Could it be you weren’t under Hypnosis? But you already killed them..."

As he spoke, he looked at the three bodies. Joey, Aili, and Thomas were still lying there, their eyes wide open, as if they had died with a great injustice unresolved.

But Cheney suddenly felt a splitting headache, because the three bodies were still bleeding!

An amount of blood far exceeding what three bodies could hold was gushing out, already covering the entire floor of the hall and still rising, as if turning it into a pool of blood.

"No... No... No... How can this be? I... I was the one under Hypnosis!? Since when... Since when!?"