Chapter 20: The Curtain Rises

(PS: This is a science fiction novel, science fiction novel, science fiction novel, important things must be said three times, so... I will now pull back a corner of this vast curtain; Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in entering this world.)

Lu Yuanming looked at the men and women before him, most of whom were bruised and swollen. The more severely injured had lost limbs; missing a nose or ears was considered minor, while a few were missing arms or legs.

On the return journey, some of the rescued people told of their encounters with the MXG thugs: beatings, abuse, rape, being used as bait during exploration, and, even more horrifying, being kept as emergency food reserves...

These accounts only confirmed Lu Yuanming's belief that he was right; the members of the MXG thugs were no longer so-called humans but monsters in human skin. There is no need for a reason to kill monsters!

These people were all injured, some very seriously. Although Lu Yuanming planned to use the Colorless Light Particles to heal them immediately, his reason ultimately stopped him from doing so.

This wasn't right.

Call it selfish, or call it a well-considered conclusion.

Lu Yuanming was now a member of the earthly paradise's post-life world team, even the highest core and leader of the organization.

Lu Yuanming lacked social experience, but precisely because of that, he held some of the most original and naive cognitions of the youth: that one must certainly receive as much as they give, that hard work can lead to wealth and happiness, that power and responsibility are equivalent... This series of seemingly right and wonderful notions didn't actually exist in the grown-up world, they were mere fairy tales.

However, at least for now, Lu Yuanming still believed in these notions. Thus, he felt that since he had become the leader of the organization, and having been assisted by it, killing many monsters, and gaining a safe haven, he had the obligation to dedicate his power to the organization and its members. This was the equivalence of power and responsibility.

His Colorless Light Particles were of many uses, and now only nineteen remained. The usage of any single one could not be wasted, and since these people before him were not yet members of the organization, he felt he had no right to use at least four or five Colorless Light Particles to heal them... unless they joined the organization and received the recognition and consent of the majority of its members.

So off Lu Yuanming and the others went with a group of refugees toward the bank. The majority of the refugees walked aimlessly, their eyes void of spirit, while a few observed Lu Yuanming and his group carefully, trying to assess this team with a surplus of weapons, even heavy artillery.

But let's not delve into that. It took Lu Yuanming and his group, who were escorting the refugees from the storage areas to the bank district, almost eight hours. It was really slow because the refugees were very weak, and besides their physical frailty, they also lacked any desire to continue, as who knew if they were going from the wolf's lair into the tiger's den?

As the group arrived on the main road outside the bank, cheering erupted from inside, and Father Edward ran ahead of them all, his agility putting many young people to shame. His disciples followed closely behind, then came the people who had already joined the organization.

And then it was all straightforward—aside from cheering for Lu Yuanming's victory, they also began helping the refugees. Once helped, the newcomers, who initially were frightened and uneasy, gradually settled down. At that moment, some began to wail loudly and cry out about their terrible fates.

Lu Yuanming then proceeded with the approach he had been considering. In front of all the disciples and organization members, he inquired whether they would permit these refugees to join the organization.

Almost everyone agreed, except for Charlie, his lackeys, and a few others who did not raise their hands. The rest readily raised both hands to accept these pitiful refugees into the organization.

The decision didn't surprise Lu Yuanming. After all, compassion is inherent in everyone, so allowing them to join the organization was the right thing to do.

The real test was actually the next issue...

"I want to use the Power of Faith to aid them."

Lu Yuanming still spoke to all the members of the organization: "I now have nineteen units of the Power of Faith. You should all know that the Power of Faith can be turned into bullets, food and fresh water, or be used to save lives. It's very precious."

The people within the organization all listened quietly, while the newly arrived civilians found it all bewildering. Moreover, hearing many addressing this Asian youth leader by his title, those who had just calmed down started to panic again, their minds conjuring up scenes of cultish rituals and living sacrifices.

Lu Yuanming continued to speak, "To heal them, a conservative estimate would be that it will cost five to six portions of the Power of Faith. It might even be seven or eight, or perhaps ten... So now, those of you who claim to be my disciples, who claim to be my believers and members of this organization, are you willing to let me use this Power of Faith to save them?"

Father Edward was the first to kneel down, and he praised loudly, "The Lord's glory and mercy shall spread across the universe, and all creatures shall bask in it. These people too are the Lord's lambs. Why would the Lord hesitate? Forgive my forwardness, but please, Lord, bless them."

The rest of the disciples immediately followed suit, kneeling down. Although they were not fanatics like Father Edward, as people who had been present at Lu Yuanming's first sermon, they had naturally taken on the identity of disciples and naturally followed the lead of Father Edward, who understood the Messiah best.

As for the other believers, most of them hesitated. Their thoughts were more complex and numerous. Having witnessed the miracle of Lu Yuanming's Power of Faith, they naturally desired to enjoy this miracle for themselves. If not solely for themselves, then at least within the organization. If they had to share it with those who had just joined the group and use so much at once, what if they encountered other emergencies that drained all of the Power of Faith? What if they themselves incurred fatal injuries right when it was depleted?

The number of people with such thoughts was not small, but naturally, they wouldn't reveal such selfish intentions. Moreover, since all the disciples had agreed, their words as newer believers barely carried any weight. So gradually, almost all the members of the organization knelt down.

Lu Yuanming nodded, then pinched off five Colorless Light Particles and walked toward the newly arrived civilians.

The newcomers immediately became agitated, not knowing what was happening or what would happen next, but the situation before them was completely beyond their imaginations. They were so nervous they almost wished they could flee immediately. At that moment, Lu Yuanming slapped his hand down in their direction and said, "Don't be afraid, it's okay."

Before the newcomers could react, a dazzling light burst from Lu Yuanming's hand, lasting for at least ten seconds. When the light finally dimmed, an uproar erupted among the new civilians.

Those with missing limbs found they had limbs once more, those with scars discovered their scars had vanished, and those who were bruised and swollen felt all their pain disappear. Suddenly, everyone began to doubt their own existence.

The person who reacted most intensely jumped up.

This was an inconspicuous white-haired man in his fifties. He looked at Lu Yuanming and said, "Impossible, this isn't scientific, what did you do? What was that just now? It's impossible, absolutely impossible!"

While speaking, the white-haired man even ran toward Lu Yuanming, but was immediately held back by the people around him. Charlie and his underlings even stepped in front of Lu Yuanming, unanimously raising their firearms.

As if the white-haired man couldn't see the firearms, he continued to yell while being held back, "What did you do? Tell me, what exactly did you do!? Why have our injuries healed? It's impossible, this isn't scientific!"

Father Edward looked perplexedly at the old man, then suddenly called out, "Is that Mr. Alfred?"

The white-haired man paused, quickly looked at Father Edward, and after recognizing him, he exclaimed, "Edward? Are you Father Edward? Quickly, tell me, who is he, what did he do? Why have my injuries healed? And what was that white light just now?"

Instead of immediately answering the white-haired man's questions, Father Edward hurried to Lu Yuanming's side and said, "Lord, his name is Alfred Austin, he is the current Secretary of Homeland Security of America, a gentleman of profound wisdom."

After speaking, Father Edward immediately said to Alfred, "Mr. Alfred, in the presence of our Lord, maintain your humility. This is our Lord, this is the Son of the Holy Trinity, this is the Messiah at the end of days, and what the Messiah just used was indeed the unique Power of Faith belonging to a Deity, in this world after death..."

"It's not the world after death!"

Alfred immediately shouted, his eyes red as he looked at Lu Yuanming and said, "This isn't the world after death, this is the Dark Matter World. Our world is falling from the material world into the Dark Matter World through dimensional downfall. Everything known to science and technology in the Dark Matter World will be rendered useless, we can't even stop this dimensional fall, not even slow it down. So sir, please tell me, what power is it that you are using!"