Chapter 179 Run!

The lecture lasted all day. In the middle of the day, there was a rain shower. The goatee-bearded chairman made a show of mystery on the stage, making the believers think that it was the result of his ability to control the wind and rain.

The obvious lie went unexposed, and everyone sat in the rain, devoutly sensing the cosmic energy summoned by the goatee-bearded chairman.

Chen Zhenzhu didn't get a sip of water. She danced and gesticulated wildly among the excited and strange crowd, trying her best to blend in. Her voice became hoarse from shouting.

After the lecture, the faithful believers took their seats to prepare for dinner. With the goatee-bearded chairman presiding, the brothers and sisters of the universe seemed much closer tonight.

Despite the grueling fourteen-hour lecture, the president, with his goatee, was radiant. He raised his glass and reiterated, “We must treat our family members’ affairs as our own, and solve their difficulties as if they were our own. Only in this way can we eliminate your karmic obstacles. Insufficient piety will harm our extended family. Don’t let lowly ants hold you back. The mysteries of the universe are endless, and so is its power. By following me and obeying me, you are following and obeying what is right. Our extended family will always protect its members, and I will always protect you.”

"Follow the president, obey the president!"

"Follow the president, obey the president!"

The devout believers sitting around the long table raised their glasses and stood up. Chen Zhenzhu, who was sitting at the very end, also stood up and shouted "Long live the president!" with them before drinking it all in one gulp.

Dishes kept being served, and Shen Zhenzhu was filling her stomach when she suddenly heard someone calling her from the front: "Hurry up, the president wants to meet the new family members."

Shen Zhenzhu put down her chopsticks and stepped forward, followed by a man and a woman. They knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. The goatee-bearded guild leader stroked their heads, offering his blessings.

Shen Zhenzhu saw them place the gold bars they had prepared in advance on a plate at the feet of the goatee-bearded chairman.

Shen Zhenzhu accepted the blessings without changing her expression, even though her hands were empty.

The goatee-bearded chairman placed his palm on the back of Shen Zhenzhu's head and suddenly said, "Although you are young, I can sense your ambition. Tell me, what is your purpose in coming here?"

Shen Zhenzhu said timidly, "I...I wish the Chairman a long life."

The goatee-bearded chairman laughed heartily and said in a good mood, "Anything else?"

Feeling the gaze upon her, Shen Zhenzhu hesitated before saying, "I want to earn lots of money."

The goatee-bearded chairman patted her head and said, "I can hear the desires in your heart. Money is just the first step in satisfying your desires. In fact, your wildness goes far beyond that. You want to climb higher, don't you?"

Shen Zhenzhu was taken aback, her eyes wide with astonishment: "President, you are truly a genius! I... I want to earn more money to buy a higher official position."

The goatee-bearded chairman laughed and said, "Did you buy your current position too?"

Shen Zhenzhu looked around at the crowd watching her and said vaguely, "I earned it through my own abilities."

"No matter what, what's in your hands is yours."

The goatee-bearded chairman let her off the hook, patted the back of her head, said a few words of blessing, and then personally pinned the black hole badge on her.

"I hereby announce that from today onwards, you are also members of this big family. Welcome to the 'High-Level Human Mutual Aid Association'."

The goatee-bearded chairman said kindly, “Look at the brothers and sisters here. They come from all walks of life, including banks, government, hospitals, and businessmen. No matter what troubles you encounter in society, tell me and I can help you solve them. We share power and money.”

A greedy glint appeared in Shen Zhenzhu's eyes.

The goatee-bearded chairman added, “Your family, relatives, friends, and even yourselves, can come to me if you have any health problems. I will use cosmic energy to dispel illness, cleanse sinful souls, and help you obtain pure and superior souls.”

After receiving personal confirmation from the Goatbeard Chairman, the family members present became much more enthusiastic about the newcomer. At least Chen Zhenzhu could feel a completely different feeling compared to when she first arrived yesterday.

Money and power are intertwined.

So this is how networks of relationships are woven. Once used, they're truly hard to escape. In the end, all that talk of "interoperability" will fall into the hands of the goatee-bearded chairman.

Chen Zhenzhu returned to her seat and shook hands with her family members who greeted her warmly. Picking up her chopsticks again, she pondered, "This old goat really has ambitions that are too high."

As for the "color" aspect, apart from what I saw yesterday, I didn't find anything else wrong.

Shen Zhenzhu secretly observed and tried her best to get along well with the family members who came to greet her.

The older woman who brought the golden pot was a wealthy businesswoman from another province who had come with her; some of her relatives were high-ranking officials. Seeing that people kept urging Chen Zhenzhu to drink, she came to Chen Zhenzhu's side, picked up her wine glass boldly, and said, "She said she's allergic to alcohol, why do you keep trying to persuade her? I'll drink with you."

The fat man who greeted Assistant Cui yesterday was the only family member with a difficult personality. He said sarcastically, "You protect every woman who comes along. We're not ordinary people, why stick to the rules?"

“What do you mean by sticking to the rules? We finally found a new family member to join us, what if you scare them away?” Teacher Fang appeared out of nowhere, her face still flushed from the aftermath of her mania. She affectionately put her arm around Chen Zhenzhu’s shoulder and told her, “If anyone harasses you, just report them. Don’t give them any face.”

"You can report this?" Shen Zhenzhu asked, raising her head.

Teacher Fang, who had been commended by the Goat Beard Association for finding Shen Zhenzhu, said in a good mood, "Of course you can report it. Look over there, those who work are all reported for not being devout, and in the end, they can only stay on this island as laborers forever. Everyone has the right to report. Since you're here, just focus on practicing your skills and have less contact with those people."

“I understand, Teacher Fang. I will definitely cherish the opportunity you have given me,” Shen Zhenzhu said earnestly.

Teacher Fang affectionately pinched her cheek and said, "Assistant Cui and I are both here. If you need anything, come find me at cabin number 7."

"good."

Teacher Fang's status here should be higher than that of the fat man. After she came to support him, the fat man stopped talking.

Shen Zhenzhu watched Teacher Fang leave shyly, seemingly oblivious to the verbal sparring between them.

After dinner, the goatee-bearded chairman distributed golden cosmic energy pills to everyone, which they eagerly swallowed. That evening, during their meditation time, they chose a spot to digest the cosmic energy they had absorbed that day.

The goatee-bearded chairman stood on the third-floor corridor demonstrating meditation, and almost everyone sat on the floor, following their revered chairman to communicate with the universe.

Chen Zhenzhu felt like she had nails stuck to the bottom of her seat after sitting for most of the day, and she couldn't sit still any longer. The thought of having to endure two more days was driving her crazy.

She sat in the shadows, secretly crushed the golden pills, buried them in the ground, and ate and drank her fill, dozing off until she passed the time.

During free time, the family members did not go back to rest. Instead, they sang and danced energetically in the open space, their expressions excited and tireless.

Shen Zhenzhu thought that besides veterinary medicine, the golden pills probably also contained chicken blood, otherwise why would one or two of them not be able to sleep?

After figuring out the structure and purpose of the "High Meeting," she also wanted to find the ledger of the huge donations from believers before returning home, so that she could put the old goat and his henchmen to death.

Shen Zhenzhu sat down next to Sister Huang Jin Guo, but Sister Huang Jin Guo pulled her up again: "What are you doing sitting here at such a young age instead of dancing? Come on, let's dance together, it'll be a good opportunity to get to know everyone."

Miss Zhuzhu was forced to go online and dance with several female comrades. At times, male comrades would invite Chen Zhenzhu to dance, but she would avoid it, using shyness as an excuse.

She was young and attractive, and her dimples when she smiled gave her the confidence to be shy. In an instant, the newcomer, Shen Zhenzhu, became the center of attention.

As the music ended, the goatee-bearded chairman stood in the middle of the crowd and applauded Chen Zhenzhu: "Birds of a feather flock together. Look how well you've adapted. Come, I'd like to invite you to dance with me."

After he finished speaking, countless envious glances fell upon Shen Zhenzhu.

Shen Zhenzhu did not refuse, and said shyly, "Thank you for the invitation, President."

After the song ended, it was time for a break.

Shen Zhenzhu followed the crowd back into the wooden house and found that there was an extra bed and a set of tables and chairs.

The woman in the gray apron who was making the bed brought Shen Zhenzhu a complete set of daily necessities and an electric fan at the command of the woman with braided hair.

The woman with the braided pigtails, having shed her harsh temper from yesterday, politely said to Chen Zhenzhu, "I've put some sweet fried dough twists and bread for you over there. Eat them if you're hungry. Someone also brings you two bottles of mineral water every day, so feel free to drink them. Do you have any questions?"

Her attitude changed completely, and Shen Zhenzhu said gratefully, "You were right yesterday, and I understand now. There are no problems now, thank you."

After the woman with the braided hair left, Chen Zhenzhu prayed before going to sleep, just like yesterday. She slept even more soundly than yesterday.

The person listening in next door heard her muttering "Long live the president" in her sleep, and then told the goatee-bearded president about it.

Two young women stood behind the goatee-bearded chairman, giving him a seductive back massage.

The man with the goatee said to the woman with braids, "That's enough. I'll give her some 'work' later. If she keeps good records, she won't be able to escape."

The woman with the braided pigtails said, "Yes."

"How much money did the believers contribute this time?"

The woman with braided pigtails stated an enormous sum: "One million one hundred thousand yuan, plus some gold."

The goatee-bearded chairman said with dissatisfaction, "They're trying to wipe us out everywhere. Don't these people know my difficulties?"

The woman with the braided pigtails said, "Things are different now, Chairman, please bear with it."

The goatee-bearded chairman stroked his beard and closed his eyes: "You can leave now."

......

The atmosphere was even more enthusiastic on the second day of the lecture.

Shen Zhenzhu saw many people staying up all night practicing their internal energy, their eyes bloodshot, but they didn't feel tired. They were chanting incantations along with the goatee-bearded guild leader who was emitting energy.

They were subjected to continuous, high-intensity brainwashing, becoming intoxicated by the goatee-bearded man's amazing special abilities.

"Someone used black magic to predict rocket fuel formulas, and it turns out to be really effective. Human special abilities exist as real as quantum mechanics, and relevant national departments even have unique 'human science' research institutes."

As the second day's lecture was about to end, the goatee-bearded chairman said, "Everything proves that there is a Creator in the universe, and I am the navigator sent by the Creator to guide you to the high-energy zone of the universe. Current science and technology cannot explain special abilities, so they call us pseudoscience and try to attack us. Family members, please hold fast to your faith at this moment, follow me, obey me, which is to follow the right and obey the right."

"Follow the president, obey the president!"

"Follow the president, obey the president!"

......

Shen Zhenzhu waved her fist and chanted excitedly, "Follow the guild leader, obey the guild leader. Follow the guild leader, obey..."

"In order to better receive cosmic signals, I need to gather energy. What you have given me is far from enough to continue—"

"I am willing to dedicate my entire fortune to the chairman!"

"I am also willing to donate all my gold and silver jewelry."

"I, along with my wife and daughter, am willing to dedicate them all to the chairman!"

"I also have a younger sister, she'll definitely be able to help the president absorb the energy properly!"

As Chen Zhenzhu listened in the crowd, her face grew increasingly grim.

The goatee-bearded chairman was still not satisfied. He nodded slightly and strode confidently to the dining table: "Let's have dinner first."

After wailing and howling for two days, his voice was still hoarse. Shen Zhenzhu thought he really did have a knack for fooling people.

The short-haired woman in the gray apron carried charcoal, which no other woman in a gray apron would bother to carry, and shoveled it into the charcoal stove bit by bit.

"Move aside." The woman with the braided hair shoved her, almost burning her with the charcoal fire. Shen Zhenzhu quickly reached out to help her up, giving her a grateful look as she wore a short haircut and a gray apron.

The woman with the braided pigtails gave everyone a golden dumpling, which was followed by a charcoal-grilled dinner.

The head of the goatee believed that the fresher the food, the more energy it contained, and the family members eating couldn't wait to bite and tear apart the bloody pork and beef.

Shen Zhenzhu carefully peeled and ate the shrimp, treating it as if it were the raw marinated shrimp her sixth sister had made. She swallowed two whole and didn't want to eat any more.

After the meal, there was another kneeling prayer. After the prayer, the braided pigtail brought a new program, asking the superpowered people present to perform their special abilities.

The performances of special abilities here felt much more real than those in Teacher Fang's classes. Much of what Teacher Fang did in class was just a farce, relying entirely on the support of his family. The performances here even gave Shen Zhenzhu the illusion that they might actually be real.

To let the new family members truly experience their special abilities, the uncle who performed telekinesis handed a glass bottle to Chen Zhenzhu and told her to put whatever she wanted in it.

Chen Zhenzhu chose a uniquely shaped stone, a hard tool that could not be squeezed out of the crack in the glass bottle.

The man who retrieved the item remotely placed the glass bottle in his palm, held the bottle opening with his left hand, and had a clear six-pointed star pattern tattooed on the back of his hand.

In the blink of an eye, the stone that Chen Zhenzhu had personally placed inside appeared in her right palm at the bottom of the bottle, eliciting cheers.

Chen Zhenzhu scratched her head in disbelief.

The man performing "Hearing the Wind" was fat with a big ear and a black mole on his ear. He listened to numbers written on a wooden board, which stretched to the far end of the mountain cliff.

When the people on the other side of the cliff returned, panting, the numbers on the two wooden planks were exactly the same.

What Shen Zhenzhu couldn't understand was that a light bulb that touched the skin of a woman nicknamed "Electric Leg" suddenly lit up.

Interested family members would come closer to watch, and when she took their hands, their hair would be sent flying into the air by electric current.

There were also performances where someone could bend their tongue into a silver spoon, and someone who could drink ten jin (5 kg) of baijiu (Chinese liquor) in one go without showing any signs of drunkenness...

Shen Zhenzhu felt that they had some martial arts skills, and she clapped and cheered along with the crowd.

"Before we followed the chairman, our superpowers weren't this strong. After the chairman helped us receive cosmic energy, we found ourselves getting stronger every day."

“I didn’t have any superpowers before. Last month, after listening to the chairman’s lecture on superpowers, I suddenly felt a surge of power in my body. Later, wherever I went, there was electricity. That’s when I realized that I was the lucky one chosen by the chairman.”

Brother Shunfeng Er touched the mole on his ear and said, "I used to have hearing problems, but the chairman treated me not long ago. After the treatment, I can hear sounds from any distance now."

One by one, the superpowered individuals expressed their feelings, and when they got emotional, they were so grateful to Chairman Goatee that they knelt down repeatedly.

The family members present were moved to tears and laughter, their minds clouded, making it impossible for them to make a judgment.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shen Zhenzhu grilled two large prawns for herself. While she was peeling the prawns, she was called upon by the goatee-bearded chairman: "One of the new family members also has special abilities. It is said that he can receive alien languages. Shen Zhenzhu's family, would you like to perform for us?"

Chen Zhenzhu: "......"

This is just making her try to teach someone a lesson she's not yet proficient in.

The man with the braided hair stood next to the president with the goatee and said, "There are quite a few people here who can receive alien language. After listening to two days of lectures on qigong, you can ask her what she thinks."

The goatee-bearded chairman nodded: "Okay."

The girl with the braided hair looked at Chen Zhenzhu and said, "Chen Zhenzhu, come here."

Shen Zhenzhu understood; this was a request for her to report on her studies and life over the past two days.

She spat out the shrimp head and, still with an excited and thrilled expression, approached the goatee-bearded chairman: "Hello, Chairman."

The goatee-bearded chairman asked, "How have you been feeling these past two days? Any differences?"

Shen Zhenzhu honestly said, "I also feel a surge of energy within my body."

The goatee-bearded chairman said, "I have a general idea of ​​what you were like before; you worked very hard. Now that you have energy, I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of energy it is and whether it will help your work."

The person with the braided hair said with a half-smile, "Could it be that you can read a few alien languages?"

This remark caused another burst of laughter.

Shen Zhenzhu shook her head and said, "The energy I'm talking about is power. A powerful force bursts out from my body. I feel like I've become a strongman, and my fists have become solid hammers."

As she spoke, she raised her slender arm and hooked it, the soft muscles of which drew snickers from the others.

The girl with the braided hair said with some skepticism, "Then show me? I'll have someone bring some bricks."

The goatee-bearded chairman offered Chen Zhenzhu a way out, saying, "It's normal to receive energy or not. Whether you have special abilities or not, you'll have them sooner or later with my help. Family members who haven't received cosmic energy yet don't need to worry. You can't get fat in one bite."

Shen Zhenzhu said earnestly, "President, I really can feel the cosmic energy you are transmitting being received by my body."

The girl with the braided hair took the red bricks handed to her by the girl in the gray apron, stacked them together on the stone, and said, "Give it a try? Don't be afraid of getting hurt. After taking the Cosmic Energy Pill, even the biggest injury can be healed."

Shen Zhenzhu clenched her fist and swung it twice: "Don't worry, I can't take any damage."

She stretched her shoulders, walked to the five red bricks, gathered her inner energy, and, under the watchful eyes of dozens of people, shouted: "Ha!"

She jumped up, grabbed her right wrist with her left hand, made a fist with her right hand, and slammed it down!

Five red bricks were broken in two from the middle.

The goatee-bearded chairman was surprised that the obedient Chen Zhenzhu had the strength to split the brick, and stood up and walked to the brick.

He picked up a brick and weighed it in his hand: "You can even split such a thick brick? Great! Our family has gained another superpowered individual who has successfully converted cosmic energy!"

"This... anyone with a little strength could do it, right?" The fat man stepped forward skeptically, clenching his fist, and said, "President, let me try?"

The man with the goatee said to the man with the braided hair, "Bring me five more dollars."

Five bricks were neatly stacked in the same spot. The fat man swallowed hard, carefully wrapped his fist in a towel, and slammed it down on the bricks in full view of everyone!

"Ah!! My hand, ouch!!" The fat man threw off the towel, clutching his hand and jumping up and down.

The five red bricks remained completely still.

The usually supportive family members were nowhere to be seen, and the scene was eerily silent. The fat man's face turned bright red; he wished he could disappear into the ground.

Shen Zhenzhu snorted coldly and said, "Watch me."

She clenched her fist again, the scraped knuckles stinging slightly. She steadied herself and shouted again, "Ha!"

After jumping up, he used his skillful strength to split all five red bricks in half again!

Even the girl with braided hair clapped enthusiastically: "Chen Zhenzhu is really something!"

"This little girl is quite capable!"

"I really envy her, I want superpowers too!"

The family members banged on the aluminum pot, creating a series of loud thumping sounds.

Shen Zhenzhu clenched her fist excitedly and shouted, "Family members, as long as we wholeheartedly follow the president's steps and absorb cosmic energy, I believe that one day everyone will gain special abilities! We are born superior to others, we are the chosen ones! We will definitely all have superpowers!"

"Shen Zhenzhu is right, we will all have superpowers."

"We are born superior, we are bound to have power!"

The goatee-bearded chairman clapped his hands with satisfaction: "This young lady is a natural talent for this line of work."

The evening was joyous, and the goatee-bearded leader, accustomed to the fervent adoration of his followers, finally relented after receiving substantial donations from several loyal believers, allowing him to return to his third-floor retreat for his spiritual practice.

With limited free time, Chen Zhenzhu counted the number of people on the island again in the open space. After several checks, she estimated that there were about 104 people on the island. Among them, there were 90 believers, and the rest were people with braided hair and 12 people in gray aprons.

"If only I could see the stars," Chen Zhenzhu muttered as she stood under the tree, so she could estimate the island's location by combining the time spent on the boat with the information.

However, considering that Wu Zhongguo, who was roasting sweet potatoes, had already noticed something amiss when she arrived, he should have promptly notified someone to follow her. The possibility of losing track of her was also there, after all, she hadn't expected "Gao Hui" to have their base on an island.

"You can familiarize yourself with the outside world with them. You'll also be able to participate in patrols next time you come." The woman with the braided hair called over the young men and women who had come to the island at the same time, and the four of them took a walk around the island.

The activity space for "Gao Hui" was cleared and developed in the forest, with a cliff to the north and forests on three sides. The activity area is 1,000 square meters, and you can see the whole thing at a glance.

After strolling around for a while, when it was time for the braided girl to practice her skills, she asked the young men and women to leave first and then called Chen Zhenzhu to her wooden house: "How do you absorb cosmic energy?"

Standing in the doorway, Chen Zhenzhu surveyed the room, which was the same size but had everything she needed, and obediently rambled on, "Circulate your energy in your dantian, sense the airflow around you with your skin, don't think about anything, just trust the chairman, listen to his prayers and circulate your energy..."

The girl with the braided hair nodded and said ambiguously, "About the same as me. Okay, show me your internal energy."

Chen Zhenzhu sat on the ground, pretending to mutter some incomprehensible nonsense, and clasped her hands together.

The girl with the braided hair was still observing carefully, and she was very envious of Shen Zhenzhu for having special abilities so soon after arriving.

Suddenly, they heard Chen Zhenzhu exclaim, "Oh, I know! It must be the golden pot!"

The girl with the braided pigtails asked, "What golden pot?"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "Sister Liu gave me her custom-made gold-bottomed information pot to use for two days. Gold itself has energy, so it must be that the gold pot helped me absorb cosmic energy better."

The woman with the braided hair felt a little less jealous and smiled, saying, "No wonder, I didn't expect the golden pot to work better than the aluminum pot. I'll try it next time. Okay, it's getting late, you should go home now."

As she spoke, she casually picked up an apple and handed it to Chen Zhenzhu: "Don't tell anyone that I asked you to practice my skills."

"Understood." Shen Zhenzhu took a bite of the crisp, sweet apple and left happily.

Those who were meditating and practicing outside returned to the wooden house and strictly followed the schedule.

Shen Zhenzhu slowly descended the stairs, brushing past the patrol team. After asking her where she came from, the patrol team let her go and continued on their way.

The wooden house had no lock, so before leaving, Chen Zhenzhu tied a strand of hair to the handle. This time, upon entering, she saw that the hair was broken, and Chen Zhenzhu became alert, clenching her fist.

"Ah...shh, don't talk." The short-haired woman in the gray apron hid behind the door and darted out as Shen Zhenzhu closed it.

Chen Zhenzhu pretended to be startled, gripping the door as if she was about to call for help, and asked, "What are you doing hiding here?"

The short-haired woman had tears welling up in her eyes. She pulled a crumpled roll of paper from her pocket and stuffed it into Chen Zhenzhu's hand, saying, "My husband brought me here. Please keep the account book safe and don't hand it over."

Shen Zhenzhu was asking, "What are you giving this to me for?"

Suddenly, a horn sounded outside, followed by hurried footsteps: "One of the gray aprons is missing, hurry and find it!"

"I saw her walk this way just now!"

"Go and look for them right away!"

"You helped me before, and I feel you're different from them." The short-haired woman trembled with fear and said urgently, "This isn't a good place. You need to find a way to run away quickly and never come back!"

-----------------------

Author's note: See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes waiting for you! [Let me see]

***

I need nutrient solution!