True Apocalypse Game

On the island ahead of the Hope-class Wind Sail Battleship, a Baroque-style spire shot up from the ground. It was hundreds of meters tall, piercing the clouds, surrounded by flying white doves and encircled by a rainbow.

This structure could be called a miracle and a masterpiece in the history of human architecture. The various colored gemstones encrusted on its exterior alone must have been of immeasurable value.

As far as the eye could see, the entire building radiated a rainbow-like glow, looking like something that could only appear in a dream.

The main entrance was a towering golden gate, a full hundred meters high. It looked like the legendary gates of Heaven, and even a single glance seemed to conjure the faint sound of horns in one's ears.

On the island before them, there was not only the massive, Heaven-like complex of buildings, but also lush green grass, fields of flowers, and even many beautiful birds and beasts long thought to be extinct, wandering among the grass and blossoms.

In the sea surrounding the island, a pod of humpback whales and dolphins occasionally leaped from the water, playing.

Compared to the world outside, where the sea had submerged everything, this island was truly paradise.

"This... this is the dwelling place of a god... This is the Heaven that God promised... Heaven is real... Oh my god..."

Cherry stood on the bow, dumbfounded by the sight before him, and mumbled to himself, hot tears streaming from his eyes.

He stretched out his hands, about to step off the deck and into the water to walk toward the Paradise Island before him.

Shen Feng snorted, grabbed Cherry by the neck, and yanked him back. Squinting at the Paradise Island, he asked Cherry:

"This is the church location you mentioned? You've never been here before?"

Cherry wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said:

"I have, but back then it was just an ordinary island. Now... now it has completely transformed into Heaven! A miracle! This must be a miracle! It's true! As long as we continue to purify the mortals of this world, we will eventually enter Heaven! I want to enter Heaven, I want to enter the gates of Heaven!"

As he spoke, he struggled violently, trying to break free from Shen Feng's grasp and rush toward the Paradise Island.

Shen Feng, expressionless, tossed Cherry behind him and gestured for his men to tie up the nearly mad Purifier. He then turned his gaze back to the "Paradise Island."

'Something's strange about this island.'

Though it looked exquisite, like a place from a dream, its very perfection and the soft glow it seemed to emit only made it more suspicious.

'It really is like a dream.'

And yet, everything here seemed solid and real, not some kind of virtual or augmented reality illusion.

Shen Feng's Silicon-Based Brain wasn't detecting any electromagnetic fluctuations either.

'Could the people of the Purification Church really have built something like a cathedral here?'

'But how to explain the plants and animals on this little island?'

Thoughts raced through Shen Feng's mind.

'Judging by its appearance, the island must be man-made. After all, those World Beasts would never build something like this.'

'But who built it?'

From what Cherry said, these things hadn't existed when he left. This place had been just an ordinary, habitable island.

In just a few days, it had become a place like Heaven, complete with all these animals.

'Could it really be a miracle?'

Shen Feng shook his head.

He didn't know much about the current Purification Church, but he knew the scum from the Purification Society all too well.

They were just a pathetic bunch of degenerates who wanted to obtain eternity from the Whisperers. If there were really any miracles, they would have left this world long ago.

'No other choice. I have to go up and see for myself...'

The small island was a few square kilometers in area. With a wave of his hand, Shen Feng signaled for the Sail Warship to dock in a small natural harbor. He then ordered Old Bill and the others to man the cannons on the warship and be ready to fire on his command.

The pirates, dazed by the scene on the island, quickly nodded in agreement.

Although the place looked exactly like the Heaven of legend and made them want to go ashore and see, they were also deeply unsettled.

Now that their captain said he would go scout things out first, they couldn't be happier.

Still feeling uneasy, Shen Feng used Shallow Hypnosis on the group of pirates on the spot to prevent them from running off.

After making these arrangements, Shen Feng slung his Quantum Backpack over his shoulder, climbed down the rope ladder from the Sail Warship, and landed on the island's soft meadow. Holding an automatic rifle, he began to walk forward.

Just then, he heard the sound of light feet landing behind him. Witch Tower, her bow and arrows on her back, had also come down from the ship and was following him.

"Aren't you afraid of dying? These Purification Church folks are no saints," Shen Feng said without turning his head.

Witch Tower replied, devoid of any emotion:

"Hunting these blasphemers of humanity is the duty of every Minstrel and the mission of the Salvation Army. Even if I were alone, I would go. But you, why are you being so reckless? None of this had anything to do with you. This island looks beautiful, but it gives me a very uncomfortable feeling... as if I'm being watched by a giant beast..."

Shen Feng nodded slightly, his expression turning grave.

Witch Tower's senses were sharp. Shen Feng also had the same feeling of being watched by something.

He had felt this sensation many times before: when he was targeted by Arthur during the Gray Tide apocalypse, when he was targeted by himself in the Biohazard Apocalypse, and when he was targeted by the Master of the Void in Tokyo. The feeling now was almost identical...

Of course, the feeling was much weaker now, but it still made him deeply uncomfortable.

Seeing that Shen Feng didn't answer, Witch Tower didn't ask again.

One holding a gun, the other a bow, the two formed a combat formation and moved quickly across the soft meadow toward the Heaven-like structure.

The farther he walked, the more puzzled Shen Feng became.

The meadow underfoot was soft, and the fragrance of grass and wood was in the air. It was definitely real.

The same was true for the flowers. It would be no exaggeration to say they were a riot of color, with petals scattered everywhere.

Roses, peonies, chrysanthemums—all sorts of flowers grew directly from the ground, sprouting from the grass. There were hardly any shrubs. It completely defied common sense.

It defied common sense, yet it was real.

The animals running about in the distance—rabbits, squirrels, swans, and so on—also looked somewhat strange.

Although they were fluffy and very cute, these animals were different from the ones Shen Feng knew. They seemed to be cast from the same mold, and they even looked a bit cartoonish.

Shen Feng even saw horses and cows the size of cats and dogs ambling past him.

He reached out to touch one, and the fluffy texture felt absolutely real.

Witch Tower, on the other hand, had no concept of these animals and couldn't help but let out a few low gasps of surprise. She even reached out to pat the head of a miniature horse, her pair of jade-green eyes filled with delight.

She had never seen these animals that had previously existed only in epic poems.

Soon, the two of them arrived before the golden gate.

Looking up, they saw the gate was a full hundred meters high. A person standing before it seemed infinitesimally small, as if it truly were the passage to Heaven.

Just as Shen Feng was about to knock, the golden gate before them swung open with a CREAK, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.