Chapter 180, Advanced, Truly Advanced
The short-haired woman shoved the ledger into Chen Zhenzhu's hands, then turned and ran outside, afraid of implicating Chen Zhenzhu.
Chen Zhenzhu grabbed her arm: "What's your name?"
The short-haired woman said through tears, "My name doesn't matter anymore, I will stay here forever."
"Hide the things well, and whatever you do, don't come out!" She shook off Chen Zhenzhu's hand and ran along the wall towards the woods. She hadn't gone far when she was discovered by a patrol searching for her.
Through the crack in the window, Shen Zhenzhu saw her being dragged by her hair toward the third floor.
No one came out of the other cabins.
Shen Zhenzhu quickly glanced at the ledger; it contained the names of believers and the amounts of their donations, the sums of which were outrageously large. Furthermore, it was confirmed that over 20 believers had indeed given their wives, daughters, and sisters to the goatee-bearded chairman.
Shen Zhenzhu thought to herself, "Perhaps they are all locked up on the third floor."
She hid the ledger, and after more than ten minutes, she heard people with braided hair going door to door asking questions.
When they arrived at Shen Zhenzhu's wooden house, she pushed open the door and asked, "Who were you in contact with just now?"
Shen Zhenzhu shook her head, maintaining her seated posture, and said, "Huh? I was just practicing my skills."
The woman with the braided hair glanced at Shen Zhenzhu, then at the few items in the wooden house, and said to the person next to her, "Let's go and interrogate her again, where did she come from?"
If the goatee-bearded chairman is a wicked demon, then the braided man is a bloodsucking accomplice at his feet.
Shen Zhenzhu slept very restlessly at night, and heard crying and wailing in the middle of the night.
She tossed and turned in bed, then opened the window and saw people wandering aimlessly in the night.
The patrol noticed she had opened the window and came over to ask, "What's wrong?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I heard a sound."
The patrol team consisted of family members who practiced martial arts together during the day, including Sister Huangjin Guo. She said blankly, "There's no sound at all. You must have misheard. Either sleep or practice. You're not allowed to go out."
Shen Zhenzhu nodded and was about to close the window when Sister Golden Pot said, "Remember, going out without a reason will be punished. Don't upset the chairman."
"I understand." Shen Zhenzhu closed the window and sat by the bed all night.
Those who wander around in a daze must have eaten the golden pills.
Besides veterinary drugs and hormones, the golden pills should contain more psychotropic drugs than the chocolate-colored pills, making it easier for the goatee-bearded chairman to manipulate people's minds.
She worried about the short-haired older sister and the women who were worshipped by the goatee-bearded guild leader. The ledger was quite old; what had become of them?
With worries lingering in her mind, Chen Zhenzhu drifted off to sleep.
On the morning of the third day, the bugle sounded, its blast particularly loud on the sparsely populated island.
Seabirds soar freely in the air outside the window, and the air smells damp and fishy.
There was no breakfast either, but luckily Chen Zhenzhu ate the apple she had left over from the night before before leaving the house.
"Little Pearl, could you please give me back my pot?" The Golden Pot Sister arrived at the door of the Pearl Shop ahead of time and said politely, "I heard it works well, and it's working today."
Shen Zhenzhu handed her the golden pot, smiling as she said, "Thank you, sister, this pot has a really good signal."
The woman with the golden pot, who had been cold last night, smiled and said, "I'll make ten or eight later and give you one."
"That's wonderful!" Shen Zhenzhu clapped her hands and said.
After Sister Golden Pot left, Chen Zhenzhu looked at the information pots that the people outside were carrying and was puzzled.
"You're in luck! Today, the president is going to give a lecture on 'Kung Fu' at the crater of the restricted area." Someone announced, "Follow the people in front and don't fall behind. Hold onto your information pots; you'll be punished if you don't wear them."
Shen Zhenzhu walked into the woods again, swarms of mosquitoes following her head. Shen Zhenzhu and her family kept swatting at their exposed skin.
As she walked along empty-handed, she discovered that quite a few people had fallen behind.
After all, if you're only taking medicine and not eating, the euphoria has its time limit.
"Ouch, I've fallen into the mud! Anyone want to help me out?" the fat man shouted at the very back of the line. His heavy legs were stuck in the mud, and in his struggle, his upper body also fell in.
Shen Zhenzhu licked her lips as she saw the information pot lying beside her.
The fat man, unable to lift his head, only knew someone was approaching. He groaned, "Quick, I need it—wait—"
I'm sorry.
Shen Zhenzhu raised her foot and kicked him in the back of the head!
The moment the fat man's entire face sank into the mud, Chen Zhenzhu stole his information dish and ran away as fast as she could!
The fat man screamed like a pig being slaughtered, and his howls finally caught the attention of the man with the braided hair in front: "What's wrong? Go and find someone to take a look."
The entire procession stopped, and after waiting for more than ten minutes, they saw the fat man being helped out of the mud by two family members.
He trudged along, one foot sinking into the mud, cursing, "Who the hell stepped on my head!"
Seeing that he still had the energy to shout, the woman with the braided hair asked, "Where's your data dish?"
The fat man was dumbfounded. He spread his hands and looked at them, saying, "The pot? Where's my pot?"
Shen Zhenzhu, who had stolen the pot, stood in the crowd without changing her expression, staring at him blankly, her face devoid of any emotion.
"I've already told you to bring the information pot with you when you give a lecture. If you don't have a pot, see how the chairman punishes you!" the braided man said angrily. "All you ever do is play around with women. I'm not helping you this time either."
With her sharp eyes, Chen Zhenzhu noticed that the golden pot she had used for two days was the one the woman with the braided hair was holding.
Tsk tsk, even here you can't escape the ways of the world.
The fat man, his face flushed and covered in mud, was scolded. He suddenly looked down and examined each shoe: "Let me see who's messed with me."
Shen Zhenzhu secretly rubbed the soles of her shoes on the grass.
The fat man walked around but found nothing, muttering, "This is really a ghost story."
Everyone has a data cooker, and they're all pretty much the same aluminum pot. The fat man sees everyone as the culprit and every pot as his own.
He walked awkwardly to the back of the line, his face filled with fear.
As we approached the crater, the ground was covered in burnt, dark brown ash. There was also water accumulation in the craters.
Upon reaching the restricted area, everyone stood in an orderly fashion.
Standing on the edge of the crater, facing the solemn and fanatical believers, the goatee-bearded leader spoke in a deep voice that carried an unquestionable authority.
"My dear family members, brothers and sisters of the universe. Please close your eyes and feel the earth trembling. Open your arms like I do, and you can hear the sound of the decay of the material universe. The earth is crying out in sorrow."
Shen Zhenzhu and the believers present opened their arms and breathed heavily, creating a tense and mysterious atmosphere.
She squinted and counted; the number of believers was off, a few were missing. She wondered if they had fallen behind on the way here.
The goatee-bearded chairman slowly lowered his hand, his face contorted with pain. "Just last night, I felt the universe calling to me. It told me that the end was coming. Scientists call it the 'Big Rip,' and governments are silent about it. But we, the awakened ones, cannot continue to be deceived. This universe we live in is full of filth, pain, and deception. The lower-dimensional universe has imprisoned our souls. It is collapsing, and it is collapsing at an accelerating rate!"
His words caused panic among the believers, who whispered among themselves, filled with unease.
The goatee-bearded chairman continued, “Look at this world: war, plague, earthquakes, and twisted humanity and people who don’t understand us. The cosmic catastrophe is projected onto the material plane; the energy of the lower-dimensional universe has been exhausted. The consequence of remaining here is to perish into eternal darkness along with the corrupt lower-dimensional universe!”
"No—! President, please save us!"
"Please, President, don't leave us! Please let us continue to follow you!"
"President, you are our hope!"
The president with the goatee spread his arms again, his gaze firm and passionate, and said, “I am not telling you this today to pronounce your death sentence! You are my dear family, my brothers and sisters in the universe, and I will bring you the only way to live! The supreme cosmic energy has mercy on the believers chosen by Him. Before the endless nothingness arrives, He has opened a passage to the higher universe! There, there is only eternal joy, no disease or trouble, no pain or exploitation, and mutual love is the only rule. We will become the lucky ones of the universe!”
"Great! We're saved!"
"President, please allow us to follow you!"
......
The inflammatory words excited and reveled the believers whose souls had long been numb. The emotions of the universe's destruction were broken by the impassioned words, and they all begged the goatee-bearded chairman to open a higher cosmic passage to go to a better cosmic space.
Shen Zhenzhu recalled the five core methods that Director Liu had mentioned and guessed the purpose of Chairman Goatee.
She squeezed into the cheering crowd, sometimes clapping and shouting, sometimes begging for passage.
The goatee-bearded guild leader looked with satisfaction at the frenzied followers before him. He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “Crossing cosmic dimensions requires boarding a powerful ‘celestial ship.’ Only those with ‘celestial ship’ tickets are qualified to enter the cosmic passage. Your savings, your jewelry, your houses—all will vanish in the soon-to-disappear universe. Because of these possessions, your souls are bound, and your bodies are shackled. Do you want to fall into eternal darkness with these shackles that will inevitably turn to ashes?”
His words silenced the believers, and everyone fell into deep thought. Suddenly, someone shouted, "No, I don't want to enter the darkness, I want to go to the higher universe!"
The goatee-bearded guild leader wore a sinister smile, embracing himself as he shouted amidst the cries of his followers: "Dispersal is not loss, but liberation. It's not an offering to me, but an investment in your rebirth in a higher dimension! Every single bit will become fuel for the 'Heavenly Ship.' Every piece of jewelry will piece together the steps of the passage. The more you give, the higher your energy in the higher universe; the higher the energy, the higher your status! We are born to be superior; this is not a transaction, but the cause and effect of the higher-dimensional universe!"
Out with the old, in with the new! Those inferior beings, blinded by materialism, will hinder us, will mock us, but when we depart high above in our 'celestial ship,' they will only be left with their gold and silver treasures, reduced to ashes. Now I place the choice in your hands. I never force anyone; I want you to choose for yourselves: to crumble and vanish with the old universe, or to believe in me, follow me, entrust everything to me, and let me lead you into the new universe!
All the believers were shouting at the top of their lungs: "Follow the leader, follow what is right! Obey the leader, obey what is right!"
Looking at the eager and expectant eyes, the goatee-bearded chairman reached out and pressed down, saying, "'Sky Ship' has limited seats, so what are we waiting for? Let's quickly refuel 'Sky Ship'."
The woman with the braided hair lifted the white cloth curtain from the bamboo basket hanging on her wrist, revealing the large mobile phones belonging to the believers.
The believers lined up one by one to receive their mobile phones, eager to call their relatives, friends, or company.
"Hey, Accountant Wang, transfer the money to me right now. I'll give you an account number. Don't ask why, just transfer it immediately!"
"Honey, I'm not kidding you, this is a big deal. Quickly transfer all the money in the house to this account, don't leave a single penny!"
"Mom, I'm doing this for your own good! You're so old, I have to take you everywhere I go. Go to the bank and transfer the money quickly, don't keep any secret savings, the sooner the better!"
"This is life-saving money! Believe it or not, you have to transfer it today, or you'll face the consequences!"
......
Chen Zhenzhu stood in the long queue, mentally calculating who she should call so the IT department could locate her. When she reached the person with the braided hair, who was rummaging through a bamboo basket, she looked up and said, "Hey, where's your cell phone?"
Shen Zhenzhu was so anxious she was about to cry: "I still need to call my family and transfer money. What am I going to do? The president said there are limited tickets. What am I going to do if I can't buy a ticket and can't go to the advanced universe?"
"The tickets won't sell out anytime soon, don't get excited." The woman with the braided hair glanced around and saw everyone hurriedly making phone calls. She sighed and said, "Wait a little longer, and see if anyone can lend you their ticket when they call."
Shen Zhenzhu didn't know if her mobile phone was truly missing or if it had been hidden by the braided man. If it was the latter, the braided man was probably still doubting her loyalty.
Chen Zhenzhu waited for most of the day, asking everyone, but they all chased her aside; no one was willing to lend her their mobile phone.
The grinding of teeth by the pearly air, damn it, it's all plastic universe sentiment.
The goatee-bearded chairman danced with joy as his followers enthusiastically transferred money. The funds in the account snowballed, reaching an unimaginably large sum.
People with braided hair weaved through the crowd, constantly registering transfer information. They smiled warmly at family members who transferred large sums, but their expressions turned cold towards those who hadn't yet transferred.
Sister Golden Pot transferred money to her repeatedly, prompting the woman with braided hair to have someone bring her a stone to sit on, giving her a privilege that others didn't receive.
When Chen Zhenzhu came over with the braided hair, she called out to her, "Sister, please give me your mobile phone. I need to buy a boat ticket urgently. Please help me."
The man with the braided pigtails said feigned concern, "I really don't know who took your cell phone. Why didn't anyone lend it to you?"
Shen Zhenzhu bluntly cut to the chase, angrily patting the black hole badge on her chest and saying, "I'm already a member of the 'High Society,' you're deliberately making things difficult for me and preventing me from boarding the 'Sky Ship'!"
The man with the braided hair observed her expression and saw that her anxiety seemed genuine. He comforted Chen Zhenzhu, saying, "Don't worry, the president will give you one last test later. Once you pass the test, I will personally hand you the mobile phone."
Shen Zhenzhu didn't understand what other trials awaited her. Seeing the malicious smile on the braided face, she shut her mouth. The cult was incredibly cunning; she couldn't act rashly.
Chen Zhenzhu looked at Assistant Cui not far away. Today, Teacher Fang was being helped over by her, looking pale as if she had suddenly fallen ill.
Thinking about the "cosmic energy pills" they ate, they actually fell seriously ill on this small island, with no one to turn to for help.
The goatee-bearded chairman gave his family members ample time to transfer the money. Once the time was up, the braided man immediately ordered his men to take away everyone's cell phones.
"You guys start circulating your energy, let me see if there's enough fuel for the 'Sky Ship'." The goatee-bearded chairman flipped through the transfer list.
Following his command, the believers put on information pots, sat cross-legged, and chanted incantations.
A moment later, the goatee-bearded chairman began calling out names: "Ma Lei, Chen Chaodong, Wu Li. Aren't you planning to take the 'Sky Ship'?"
Chen Chaodong and Wu Li took off the information trays from their heads, crawled to the goatee-bearded chairman, and said scramblingly, "I've donated all the money in my family. I've asked my wife to borrow money from loan sharks. Please, you must save me a boat ticket."
"My family went to sell the house. It's an urgent sale at the lowest price. Just wait a little longer and the money will definitely arrive."
The goatee-bearded chairman hesitated for a moment and then said, "Then I'll give you one more day."
When Shen Zhenzhu heard the man with the braided hair call out "Ma Lei," she realized that Ma Lei was actually the fat man.
Without an information cooker, he awkwardly knelt down in front of the goatee-bearded chairman, bowed his head and said, "I have donated all my assets, chairman. You can read minds, so you can hear how loyal I am to you."
The man with the braided hair whispered a few words in the ear of the goatee-bearded chairman, who then looked at the humble and subservient Ma Lei with disdain.
From afar, Shen Zhenzhu saw the shape of the word "money" in the mouth of the man with the braided hair, and guessed that he was telling Chairman Ma Lei, the man with the goatee, the amount of the donation. Clearly, this did not satisfy Chairman Ma Lei.
"Chen Chaodong was willing to let his wife borrow money at high interest rates just to buy a boat ticket. If your family has no money, does that mean there's no money left in society?"
Ma Lei hurriedly said, "I... I'll contact my wife right away and have her borrow from loan sharks too, as much as she can afford. I'll make the call right now—"
"No rush," said the goatee-bearded chairman. "According to the regulations, you are required to wear information satellite dishes for every lecture. Where is your information satellite dish? Do you never take my words to heart?"
Ma Lei stammered, "My information dish was stolen."
The goatee-bearded chairman chuckled and said, "You're lying. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Last night you were discussing women with others, how could you forget today?"
Ma Lei was taken aback and flattered, "Chairman, you are omniscient and omnipotent; there's nothing in the world you don't know. But my pot really is—"
"Still arguing? Take him away and give him ten lashes." The goatee-bearded chairman waved his hand, and two men came up and carried Ma Lei away, one on each side.
A short while later, his screams echoed from the woods.
Shen Zhenzhu closed her eyes and licked her lips.
“Shen Zhenzhu, come forward,” the goatee-bearded guild leader called from the edge of the crater.
Shen Zhenzhu hurriedly ran over, lowered her head, and squatted down in front of him: "President."
The goatee-bearded guild leader stroked Chen Zhenzhu's hair and said, "Are you willing to make sacrifices for me?"
There was no right to deny this, and Shen Zhenzhu said excitedly, "President, I am willing to do anything for you. Please believe in my loyalty to you."
The goatee-bearded chairman moved his hand away, stroked his beard, and said amiably, "Did you understand what I just said about the cosmic passage?"
Shen Zhenzhu nodded eagerly and said, "I understand, but I can't buy a boat ticket."
The goatee-bearded chairman patiently guided him, saying, “Don’t rush. Now that you understand, you should know that when we enter the cosmic passage, our bodies will disappear along with this lower material world. Only pure and loyal souls with tickets can board the ‘celestial ship’.”
"I see."
The goatee-bearded chairman said, "Your loyalty shouldn't just be lip service; it needs to be demonstrated. You've just arrived on the island and aren't familiar with your family yet."
Shen Zhenzhu looked up in surprise, but when she saw the sharp glint in his eyes, she quickly lowered her head.
Seeing that she didn't answer, the goatee-bearded guild leader continued, "Bring the lottery bucket over. Although I'm very reluctant, I'll still follow the rules and let the Creator help you get matched and arrange your time tonight. Remember, as long as you trust me, you'll know that this body will disappear sooner or later. You won't suffer any loss, and eventually a new body will be waiting for you in a higher universe."
The woman with the braided hair brought out the lottery bucket, and the men among the believers were eager to participate, staring at Chen Zhenzhu with lustful eyes.
Shen Zhenzhu kept her head down, indicating a submissive attitude, while her fists clenched tightly at her feet.
The man with the braided hair placed the lottery bucket next to the man with the goatee. He casually rummaged through the bucket a few times and pulled out a wooden slip with a name written on it. He said unhappily, "Ma Lei, you'll take care of her tonight."
After Ma Lei had received ten lashes, he limped forward and knelt on the ground, trying to grab Chen Zhenzhu's hand, but Chen Zhenzhu moved her hand away.
The goatee-bearded chairman said with a smile, "Once you're reunited with your family by tomorrow, I'll let you call and buy a boat ticket."
Chen Zhenzhu ground her teeth and said softly, "Yes."
They went back downstairs and sat cross-legged. Ma Lei, sitting next to Chen Zhenzhu, couldn't contain his excitement: "What did I tell you? What's mine won't run away."
The third day of the lecture ended amidst the believers' money transfers and Shen Zhenzhu's anger.
Back at the base, after dinner, Ma Lei still lingered around Shen Zhenzhu.
Seeing that Shen Zhenzhu ignored him, he chased after her to her door and said, "If you don't stay with me, I'll tell the chairman that you are disloyal."
Shen Zhenzhu suddenly opened the door and walked straight towards the cliff.
Loyalty doesn't matter, just kill him first.
Ma Lei followed behind her: "Hey, you can't go over there."
Shen Zhenzhu turned to him and smiled, saying, "The moon is so beautiful tonight. Wouldn't it be better to climb up the mountain to do 'that' and absorb some of the essence of the sun and moon?"
"Wait a minute, we need to apply for this." Ma Lei, still captivated by her fake smile, hurriedly ran to the front of the wooden house with the braided hair to report.
The girl with the braided hair thought for a moment and said, "That side is fine, just be careful."
With permission from the girl with the braided hair, Ma Lei ran back to Shen Zhenzhu and said, "I didn't expect you to be so fun at such a young age."
"Let's go." Shen Zhenzhu's lips twitched, and she started climbing the mountain with the lecherous man late at night.
Ma Lei was injured and couldn't go far in the woods. He leaned against a tree and said, "Why don't we stay here?"
Under the moonlight, Chen Zhenzhu turned around and smiled sinisterly, saying, "There are too many mosquitoes here, I don't like it."
Ma Lei quickly said, "Okay, okay, whatever you say. If you don't like it, let's go somewhere else. Walk slowly, I can't breathe."
So what if you can't catch your breath? You'll be out of breath soon.
Shen Zhenzhu continued walking forward with her head down, marking out escape routes when Ma Lei wasn't looking.
It took more than forty minutes to reach the top of the cliff, where the entire island was laid out before us.
Ma Lei couldn't wait to take off his coat, revealing his white, fat belly, and waved to Shen Zhenzhu: "Come here quickly, don't go to the side, or you'll fall into the sea."
"They're here." Shen Zhenzhu stood on the edge of the cliff, listening to the roaring waves, then turned her head and clenched her fist. Today she'd finally get to taste the brains.
"...Ah—! Who?! Who hit me?" Ma Lei hunched over and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach as he looked towards the woods. Visibility was poor at night, and he couldn't see as clearly as Shen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu stopped and saw a figure hiding in the woods.
By the moonlight, she saw that the figure was none other than the short-haired eldest sister who had been punished!
The short-haired woman suddenly rushed to Ma Lei's side with a dagger in her hand and stabbed him hard in the heart!
"Aaaaaah!!" Ma Lei screamed in pain, his blood staining the ground red.
The short-haired woman drew her dagger, trembling with fear. She said to Shen Zhenzhu, "Quick, run that way! There's a boat! There's a boat!"
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes! [Let me see!]
I need nutrient solution!
***
The president's deceptive tactics were adapted from and modified from the rhetoric of online cults.
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