Chapter 13: The Church of God Worship

The older man had a gentle yet resolute face, his gaze deep and calm. He spoke softly, his voice not loud but clear enough to reach everyone around, carrying far and wide.

“...Let us cling closely to the Lord and find eternal solace in His embrace!”

“Praise be to God!” many responded devoutly.

“Worship of the Lord’s Church.” Chu Zhu’s eyelids twitched several times. The dream world was one where religion flourished, and the Worship of the Lord’s Church was the foremost among its many faiths.

Chu Zhu had always thought this was because, at some point, he had read about the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and thus the idea of the Worship of the Lord’s Church naturally took root in his mind, leading it to appear in the dream world... but now, it seemed otherwise.

The younger man noticed Chu Zhu—or rather, Chu Zhu was simply too conspicuous. Around him, three to four out of every ten people had their hands clasped in prayer; even those who did not follow this church showed reverence.

Chu Zhu’s demeanor was neither respectful nor timid; it was as if he were appraising them, with an undertone that made the young man somewhat uncomfortable.

Before he could decide whether to approach and inquire, Chu Zhu quickly turned and slipped into an alleyway. The shantytown’s labyrinthine paths were all too familiar to him.

Soon, he found himself within the industrial district.

“Zhang Hai and Zhang Xu, master and apprentice—they’ve been a while since I last saw them... Oh no, in this current main timeline, I’m the only one who knows them; they don’t know me!” Chu Zhu’s expression was cold. There was no notable figure in this city he didn’t know.

Zhang Hai, the older man, was the pastor of the Worship of the Lord’s Church in Jinghai... yes, a pastor, not a bishop! Overall, although the church professed belief in God, it was a highly Easternized organization.

In fact, according to the information Chu Zhu had gathered before, the church was quite divided internally. Some believers worshipped the Western God, while others believed that the so-called God of the Worship of the Lord’s Church was actually the Eastern celestial deity, Haotian. So, on the surface, the organization remained united, avoiding a holy war over heresy, which, in Chu Zhu’s previous view, was... quite normal. Now, in his current eyes, it seemed almost unbelievable.

“If I’m not mistaken, these two should also possess extraordinary powers! Hmm...” Chu Zhu halted mid-step, pondering whether he should first visit Zhang Hai’s home to dig out their little yellow book and then say something like, “Pastor, surely you wouldn’t want to—”

“Next time I’ll have to try it! But for now...” Chu Zhu stood before a sprawling building complex, “Since I’m here, might as well!”

This place, with its pavilions and towers, bore an antique charm reminiscent of aristocratic residences, infused with the style of the classical Suzhou gardens. Yet the gate was wide open, with people coming and going.

Above the entrance, a plaque bore elaborate, non-simplified characters.

“Jinghai City District 3 Government Office”

This was the government office for the third district of Jinghai City.

---

No mistake—after much thought, Chu Zhu had decided not to rob a bank directly this time... Instead, he planned to gather some useful information from the military command office. If that failed, he would simply reset and try again!

Taking a deep breath, Chu Zhu entered the office but did not cross the stone bridge to the main government building. Instead, he abruptly turned and headed toward a modest concrete building in the western part of the district.

This was the District 3 Police Superintendent Bureau.

Adjusting his collar, Chu Zhu swaggered inside. “Hey, Sister Susan, you’re on duty today? By the way, is Uncle Li around? I’m looking for—”

Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared.

Chu Zhu: “!?!?”

What the hell?

Momentarily stunned, his mind raced. Were those thugs robbing a bank again? No, the timing didn’t match... Although the butterfly effect existed, what he had done couldn’t possibly have influenced them to rob a bank so quickly.

Susan, who had been smiling upon seeing Chu Zhu, froze. In an instant, she drew her pistol from her waist and aimed beyond Chu Zhu toward the main entrance. “...Is anyone there?”

“Who is it? Where are you?”

Sweat beaded on Susan’s brow as she scanned the windows and other rooms. The other officers in the hall tensed one by one, but despite their repeated checks, they saw nothing amiss.

“Such panic and disorder—what a disgrace!” a deep voice suddenly rang out. The inner door of the police station swung open, and a tall, muscular middle-aged man holding a device—no, a tablet—stepped out.

His muscles were like some chemical experiment gone wrong, swollen and grotesque as if about to burst like an overinflated balloon. The contours were bizarrely exaggerated; though incredibly strong, they lost the harmony a human body should have.

It was Li Kang!

Chu Zhu clicked his tongue in amazement. To be honest, he had known Li Kang since they were young. Even the grassroots governance of the shantytown redevelopment area had seen a bit of help from Li Kang and others...

Though he hardly seemed like a good man, Li Kang was indeed... hmm?!

“...Those muscles!” A lightning bolt flashed through Chu Zhu’s mind, stirring a storm within. Li Kang’s muscles looked exactly like the swollen, mutated form Chu Zhu had witnessed when exposed to intense radiation.

Could it be that you too...

---

The screen of Li Kang’s tablet glowed red. He stared intently at the device, watching a red dot that corresponded to his current location. Then he glanced at Chu Zhu standing before him, his expression stiff.

Chu Zhu: “...”

Li Kang: “...”

“...Huh?!” Only then did Susan realize the alarm had been triggered by Chu Zhu??? But... that can’t be right, no way, what’s going on...

Her mind in chaos, Susan instinctively aimed her weapon...

“Alright, it’s fine now!” Li Kang tapped the screen calmly. The shrill alarm instantly ceased!

“Come with me.” Li Kang showed no concern that Chu Zhu might harm him or flee and turned to lead the way.

Chu Zhu pondered for a moment, grinding his teeth. He had a small pill ready—if crushed and swallowed, it would render him beyond help in a second and cause death in three. Not aimed at Li Kang, but his usual precaution to ensure he could always restart.

After confirming his hands were steady, Chu Zhu followed.

After several twists and turns, they soon reached the end of a corridor. The doorplate was inscribed in elegant script: “Special Unit Captain’s Office.”

This was Li Kang’s office.

Chu Zhu was about to enter when Li Kang stopped him.

“You’re going the wrong way... it’s this way!”

Chu Zhu followed Li Kang’s pointing finger and saw the restroom. He fell into deep thought before looking at Li Kang in disbelief.

A restroom was one thing... but, heavens, the direction he pointed to was the women’s restroom?!