True Apocalypse Game

"BOOM!"

A deafening blast rocked the entire Spider Nest City.

A 155mm heavy artillery shell slammed directly into the massive Sacrificial Stone, detonating with a roar. A huge fireball immediately erupted, engulfing the entire altar!

Countless fragments and a violent shockwave radiated in all directions. The precision instrument mounted on the Sacrificial Stone was obliterated, and the nearly one hundred Purifiers on the altar were instantly dismembered by the shrapnel, reduced to nothing but shredded flesh and gore!

The shrapnel and shockwave continued to spread like a metal storm. Purifiers further away were hit by the fragments and immediately torn to pieces.

Even further out, others were knocked to the ground by the blast wave, blood streaming from their ears and noses.

Only the Purifiers patrolling several dozen meters from the altar escaped serious injury, but even they were left dizzy and dazed by the concussive force.

That single shell had nearly wiped out the several hundred Purifiers around the altar!

A third of them died instantly. Most of the survivors were wounded, and even the uninjured were left stunned and terrified, their minds reeling from the shock.

Watching the scene unfold, Shen Feng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

'Flesh and blood are so fragile, utterly defenseless against the heavy weapons of modern warfare.'

'But the power of this large-caliber self-propelled howitzer is truly immense. It's meant for indirect fire, but at this close range, I'm using it for direct fire. It's even more insane.'

"Ah— AHHH— My guts! My guts!"

"My leg... Help, save me!"

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Return fire!"

The screams and shouts of the surviving Purifiers filled the air. An uninjured Purifier guard suddenly pulled the trigger, firing a bullet in the direction of the howitzer.

"PING..." The bullet struck the howitzer's armor with a sharp ring.

Shen Feng's eyes widened. With a "tsk," he pressed the button again, and another shell blasted out.

The scene was even more brutal this time. Many of the bodies, already torn to pieces, were vaporized into a red mist by the second blast.

The number of living Purifiers was instantly halved again. While a few had been uninjured before, now every single one of them was wounded.

Shen Feng glanced over. About a hundred or so were still alive.

'Still too many.'

"BOOM!" The third shell roared out.

After this shot, the cries and screams vanished. Aside from the sound of dirt and sand trickling from above, a terrifying silence fell over the ruins of Spider Nest City.

The few dozen survivors no longer dared to scream. Even the wounded desperately stifled their groans, refusing to make a sound.

They were now certain in their hearts: the person hiding in the shadows was a Demon!

At the same time, the tremors in Spider Nest City grew more violent. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ceiling dome, and sand rained down, causing the surviving Purifiers' faces to twist in even greater terror.

'That madman!'

'Firing a cannon in an underground space, and three shots in a row at that.'

'This place is going to collapse!'

'We're going to be buried alive, along with that lunatic!'

"Shen Feng, the explosions have compromised the structure. It will collapse in a few minutes," Jingwei's voice reported.

Shen Feng nodded and said,

"Perfect. We'll bury the scum. Keep the survivors alive. Gray Tide, go."

Behind the self-propelled howitzer, the Gray Tide surged forward like a silver wave. It split into smaller streams, forming metallic cocoons that enveloped the surviving Purifiers.

Shen Feng's howitzer was enveloped as well.

"CRUNCH... BANG..."

"CRUMBLE... CRASH..."

The dome shattered rapidly. Boulders and earth began to fall, burying the ruins of Spider Nest City.

The remains of the Purifiers, who had been blasted to pulp by the 155mm shells, were buried deep beneath the rubble, along with the shattered altar, the Sacrificial Stone, and the strange instrument.

This area was located on the outskirts of Mexico City. Above it was an abandoned factory, and a massive amount of building debris and discarded machine parts rained down, completely burying the site.

Fortunately, thanks to the Consciousness Field Shen Feng had released earlier, the area was deserted, so there was no collateral damage.

A few hurried passersby and a couple of factory guards could only stare blankly at the massive crater of rubble.

The ground collapse had now completely stopped, and this section of Spider Nest City was fully buried.

Just then, the sand and gravel on the surface began to stir, and one by one, silver-gray metal cocoons pushed their way out.

The cocoons slowly opened, revealing several dozen terrified but still living Purifiers inside.

After the largest cocoon writhed open, it revealed a massive self-propelled howitzer!

Under the terrified gazes of the Purifiers and the bewildered stares of the passersby, a hooded young man wearing a face mask opened the howitzer's cockpit, climbed out, and dropped to the ground.

It had been so long since he'd felt the power of the Gray Tide; Shen Feng was so moved he could have cried.

'This stuff is just the best!'

'If I'd had the Gray Tide in the Biohazard Apocalypse, I wouldn't have had to flee from the Destroyer's pursuit. I could have just let the Gray Tide devour everything—its Transfer Tower, all the zombies, all of it.'

He hadn't thought much of it before. You really don't know what you've got till it's gone.

Having lost it and gotten it back, he treasured it all the more.

Shen Feng strode over to a middle-aged man in a white lab coat, mask, and glasses. He smiled slightly and said,

"Take off your mask. Where is Cthulhu?"

All the Purifiers he had spared were dressed in white lab coats, looking like scholars. Furthermore, their positions earlier had clearly been at the control console for the altar's machine.

Clearly, these people were the core of the Purification Society's operation.

The man was startled at first. Then he looked around, touched the metallic cocoon formed by the Gray Tide, and said with a hint of envy,

"This is a Nanomechanical Cluster, isn't it? I can't believe someone actually built it... It's magnificent... If only I had something like this..."

As he spoke, he reached up and took off his mask.

His face was revealed—puffy from debauchery but still handsome, with a rebellious confidence in his eyes.

Seeing that face, Shen Feng froze.

'It's him!?'

Shen Feng had seen the face of this young-looking, blond, middle-aged man on television many times.

It was the Silicon Valley tech mogul known as the modern-day Tesla, Elon Musk!

He never would have expected that Musk was also a member of the Purification Society.

"The Antichrist?" Musk asked calmly, his expression untroubled. Then, a look of curiosity crossed his face. "Who are you really? I'm dying to see what you look like..."

Shen Feng countered with his own question:

"And why did you join the Purification Society? What could Cthulhu and the Whisperer offer you? Based on all the information I have on you, you aren't a so-called Purifier..."

Shen Feng himself was extremely surprised to see Musk here.

Based on his long history of technological innovations and public statements, Musk was someone who cared about human civilization and wanted to constantly push the frontiers of science.

A geek, you could say.

So why would a person like that join the Purification Society?

Wasn't it enough to dabble in all sorts of black tech—electric cars, reusable rockets, private manned spacecraft—and mess around with female celebrities and models in his spare time? What was wrong with that?

Musk's eyes shone with excitement as he said,

"Compared to the entirety of the Cosmos, human civilization is far too insignificant. I want to use the Whisperer's power to explore the Truth of this Cosmos, to experience all Truth. That is all... Compared to Truth, everything else is but a speck of dust."

Shen Feng watched his excited state and nodded slightly.

'Yep, that's the look of someone who's high. Definitely Musk.'

'It seems this guy was hypnotized by the Whisperer or Cthulhu. They must have infinitely amplified his inner desire to pursue so-called 'Truth,' making him a willing lapdog for the Purification Society.'

This sort of thing was rare in the atheistic, materialistic Hua Country, but it was all too common in the Western World.

A famous example was Tom Cruise, who joined Scientology many years ago and became a figurehead for the cult. The leader even allegedly organized a process to select a "wife" for him.

"Antichrist, compared to the vastness of the Cosmos, everything we do is petty, childish, and laughable. If you truly want to save the world, you should join us in pursuing the Truth of the Cosmos! Did you know, our cosmos is likely not the only one, but just one of countless Parallel Cosmoses! Before the vast sea of Truth, everything is but a joke..."

Musk rambled on, his eyes glowing, relentlessly trying to persuade Shen Feng. His face had taken on an unhealthy, sickly pallor.

Shen Feng sighed. He understood the guy had been thoroughly and deeply hypnotized. He raised a hand to Musk's forehead, gripping a fragment of the Sacrificial Stone in his other hand. His Silicon-Based Brain released a powerful electrical wave, blasting it directly into the other man's mind.

This was an unexpected gain from his trip to the Biohazard Apocalypse: the ability to use the Sacrificial Stone's unique magnetic field to amplify his own brainwaves, allowing him to hypnotize or influence a target.

At the same time, the Gray Tide enveloping Musk closed in again, forming a metal cocoon. Its smooth, mirrored interior began to flash with white light as white noise filled the air.

The magnetic field of the Sacrificial Stone pulsed violently, merging with Shen Feng's Consciousness Field as it poured information about countless Parallel Cosmoses into Musk's brain!

This was information Shen Feng had obtained from the Transfer Tower in the Biohazard Apocalypse—the truth about the countless Parallel Cosmoses!

The Truth of the Cosmos!

Just a few minutes later, the metal cocoon opened again, revealing an expressionless Shen Feng and a dazed, sweat-drenched Musk.

The sickly pallor was gone from Musk's face, and the fanatical glow in his eyes had vanished. He looked completely drained.

Shen Feng had broken his deep hypnosis.

Now, his eyes were filled with shock and gratitude. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he stammered,

"Th... Thank you... You... you showed me the Truth of the Cosmos... Human civilization is not alone, but death is never far away... All of this is just..."

Shen Feng waved his hand, cutting him off. "Where is Cthulhu?"

"Medellin, Colombia."