Chapter 36 - Theocracy
After sailing unimpeded in the sky for six hours, the airship finally landed in District 13.
Shen Yan won seven games and lost two.
When he went out, Adlai doubted his life and felt that he was not simple, like an undercover sent by the higher-ups.
After six hours of trapping, he did not get any useful information and decided to treat people with sincerity.
Adlai, who wanted to go with Shen Yan, was stopped by others.
Shen Yan was brought to the side of the ferocious leader. Adlai looked at Shen Yan’s back a little disappointed, secretly planning to find him after entering the enemy’s lair.
Under the dual temptation of money and spirit, the people who were hijacked on the ship reported their safety to their families after receiving the communication, so that they would not worry and call the police, so as not to waste the police force of the escort team.
Each newcomer was followed by three people. Shen Yan was a key observation object and was brought by the leader named Larkin.
Larkin was not as tall as Warren, but he was also a standout. He was stronger than average. The only mechanized traces were the human-machine interface and eyes behind his neck.
Shen Yan’s undisguised scrutiny made Larkin unable to ignore it. He glared back in dissatisfaction, “Watch your eyes.”
Shen Yan envied: “Brother, how do you train your muscles? I don’t want to stare at you so rudely, but you train so well, I really can’t help it.”
Shen Yan rolled up his sleeves and patted his biceps sadly, “It would be great if it could be this strong.”
Larkin: “… Humph.”
No one doesn’t like to be complimented.
In this society that suppresses and inhibits mechanization, even if there are more and more modified people and the level of mechanization is getting higher and higher, no one will respect modified people from the bottom of their hearts and think that they are really cool.
Citizens of level 3 and below have to make some modifications in order to work.
The more mechanical modifications, the more they are out of the scope of healthy natural persons, and the fewer jobs they can accept.
In the Colosseum, those who have undergone full-body transformation look very powerful and glorious, but in fact they are just toys of the upper class and will not live long.
It is the dominant trend in the first area.
Why is it so?
If they are simply afraid of them causing trouble, then the lethality of biologically transformed people will not be worse than them.
Biological experiments have been going on, and the neon lights of the building are everywhere promoting low prices, as if there are no side effects.
Drug testers are even more desperate. The last way out for healthy natural people.
Shen Yan seemed to have caught something vaguely, but before he had time to think about it, he was put on a mask, knocked unconscious, and sent to the car.
Larkin looked at him, who was supported by him, with a complicated expression, and helped him pull down and accidentally rubbed his clothes. Considering that he was a healthy natural person, he grabbed two handfuls of dirt from the ground and smeared it on his face.
I hope he will not be chosen as the Son of God.
This kid… is a good person.
“Don’t make any mistakes in the process of transporting the Son of God to the temple!”
“Yes! Bishop!”
Shen Yan just heard this sentence when he regained consciousness.
He thought about it, but didn’t open his eyes, pretending that he was still unconscious.
His head was numbing and painful. If he was confused again, he would become mentally retarded. Where would he go to complain?
It was obviously such a dangerous environment, but strangely, he didn’t feel nervous at all.
Ruan Zhixian really raised his threshold.
Before getting rid of him, Ruan Zhixian had nothing to do with any fear, it seemed like that.
Maybe he could become a horror game anchor in the future and make a living on the Internet.
He thought endlessly.
He should be placed in a coffin-like box now. When he breathed, he could feel the faint breath rebounding from the other side. The fabric under his body was soft and smooth. Wool? Satin? It should be satin.
Wool would be a little rougher than satin.
He was not wearing any clothes, at least not on the upper body, so his back could feel the touch so clearly.
The people outside were very obedient, or particularly pious. No one chatted along the way, and only footsteps and breathing could be heard.
There were five people, four of them carried him, and there was another one in the front. His footsteps were so light that they were almost inaudible, but there were extremely subtle mechanical sounds.
The pain in his head gradually dissipated, and Shen Yan’s breathing became steady. He wavered between “suddenly resurrecting to scare them” and “growing up to see what they are going to do”, and finally decided to stay alive.
He was a natural person who had not been transformed at all, and he didn’t even have a human-machine interface. It was not surprising that he was chosen as the Son of God.
According to the standards of the séance, anyone with a mechanization degree of less than 10% should be fine, and there was more than one Son of God.
The seven Sons of God in the original book corresponded to the seven deadly sins.
As containers of sin, they were sentenced to death by the leader in public with the punishment they deserved.
Then he announced that the noble Son of God had taken on the sins of all people, and that the followers could enjoy themselves without guilt. The Son of God would be resurrected on the day when the gods descended, become the person who spoke for God, and spread the gospel.
Old evil. He taught me.
Some of the Sons of God were deceived, and they devoted themselves sincerely, and they really wanted to exchange their own death for the happiness of others.
The rest were all forced.
First brainwash, and then deceive them.
If they were really determined and hard to be deceived, there are other ways.
Start with the family, count three generations up and down, brothers and sisters, parents, relatives and friends, there would always be a breakthrough.
If this unlucky guy had no one at home and couldn’t be controlled, then set up a plan, join forces with the gang, make people owe usury, be hunted down, and live a life worse than death.
At that time, they could only surrender obediently.
When the Sons of God died in the end.
Those who really believed in this were deceived and sacrificed their lives.
Do you really think that you can be resurrected with a new look and become the closest darling of God in the future when God descends?
Linking death with a better future.
The person was gone, what future was there to talk about?
Evil. Religion hurts people a lot.
The more Shen Yan thought about it, the more disgusted he felt. He felt that this disgust was even worse than Ruan Zhixian’s.
He couldn’t help but hold on to his hands that were peacefully placed on both sides of his body.
And then loosened.
He was placed somewhere steadily, and then the two sides greeted each other calmly after completing the handover.
The lid was opened.
The circle of people outside exclaimed.
“Oh my God, God’s creation! God’s creation!”
“A perfect human being without any transformation, as innocent as a baby.”
“Father, am I really worthy of dressing up for the Son of God?”
Shen Yan was shrouded in a coffin decorated with white silk, tuberose and white roses. Slim black shadows covered him, and pairs of searching eyes roamed over him. He could feel the terrifying and panic-stricken heat without opening his eyes.
Wearing black leather gloves, the hands were slightly cool, starting from his ankles, sliding all the way, passing through his calves, thighs, lower abdomen and ribs, and finally stopping at the fresh color on his red, swollen, and broken chest.
Pinch and twist.
He was almost unable to hold back, and he used all his life’s acting skills to keep his breathing steady and not expose himself immediately.
“The Son of God needs to be purified.” The cold and magnetic voice, just listening to it, can make people instantly flash through a dozen sadistic images in their minds, “You get out.”
Some people still wanted to fight for it, and said a few more words, but were dragged away by their accomplices next to them.
The leather, with a slightly astringent finger, fell on Shen Yan’s eyes.
“You can wake up.”
Shen Yan opened his eyes, and his eyes, which had been in darkness, were dazzled by the bright lights, and felt uncomfortable.
The hand moved over, blocking his light, and sighed, “The pure lamb is so fragile.”
Shen Yan took his hand away and sat up from the coffin, only then did he realize that he was naked.
The thin white gauze, half-covering his lower body, half-covered, and all the privacy was exposed with a slight movement.
Two soft pieces of fabric were wrapped around his arms, and the front was open, revealing a young and healthy body.
He hooked the straps on the upper body of the sexy underwear, thinking that if he was sent to be sacrificed to the evil god, he would be more likely to be fired than eaten with this outfit.
But there was no god in this world, so his assumption was not valid.
He turned his head and looked at the man next to him, “How to purify it, brother.”
The handsome man frowned slightly, very dissatisfied with his reckless words, pinched his chin and shook it, his eyes cold.
“I’m your father, you should call me father.”
Shen Yan smacked his lips, slapped the man’s hand impatiently, and sneered: “You’re so young, and you’re so senior? If you want to be a father, go give birth to one yourself, don’t just call anyone your son.”
“Reckless, vulgar.” The man shook his head with pity and sighed, “People are always like this without enlightenment.”
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll teach you.”
Shen Yan maintained his rebelliousness, and was not surprised.
Yes, that’s the taste.
He had a rich life experience and had been exposed to cults.
He had a little nephew who was studying abroad and had been preached to. He believed deeply in it. He believed in life and death. He donated nearly five million, but it was not enough, and he wanted to drag his family in with him.
Shen Yan learned about the situation and went abroad to go deep into the enemy’s rear to see if he could break it from the inside. After finding that everyone was not speaking human language, he deeply realized the ideological gap between China and the outside world. He didn’t delay any more and rescued his little nephew. It took him half a year to make him normal.
Instead of the mysterious riddle man.
He deliberately angered the man, mainly to see how brainwashed he was and whether he could be turned against him. When he saw his attitude, he gave up most of his thoughts.
He had been marinated.
He was probably the first batch of people to be infected.
He didn’t like Shen Yan’s attitude, his eyes were slightly cold, and he went to the bookshelf by the wall and took out a box.
The wooden box contained a whip.
Shen Yan was not an ungrateful masochist. It was unnecessary for him to laugh at the whip when it was already out.
The whip was wrapped with iron thorns, very new, and flashed a towering cold light under the bright light that could illuminate every corner of the room.
If he was whipped, his skin would definitely be torn.
He showed his fear at the right time. The knuckles of his fingers holding the coffin turned white. He said weakly: “Brother, I won’t talk nonsense. You can put that thing away.”
The whip was rolled into three circles and held in the man’s hand. He leaned over and gently rubbed Shen Yan’s face. “Call me father.”
Shen Yan hid back for a while, his Adam’s apple rolled, licked his brick-red mouth, and tremblingly uttered two words.
“…Father.”
The man looked down at him, and his eyes with scrutiny fell on his chest.
Shen Yan’s skin was white, and a little color was very conspicuous. Falson was not honest. He said he was just eating, but he actually sucked and licked in other places as if occupying territory, leaving many marks.
The marks on Shen Yan’s skin made people imagine all sorts of things.
“Unclean.” The cold whip swept over these marks one by one, and the iron thorns caused a slight sting when scraping. The man asked seriously: “Are you willing to repent for your uncleanness?”
The beating was unbearable.
Shen Yan pursed his lips, took the initiative to straighten his chest, and under the surprised eyes of the man, he pulled the whip to press his chest.
The thorns of the iron thorns were very sharp, piercing the skin and oozing out spots of blood.
His palm also hurt, but it was not enough.
He used a little more strength until the blood on his chest dyed the white gauze red, and then he carefully raised his eyes to look at the man.
“Father, I know I was wrong.” He spread his palms and let him see the wounds on his palms and chest, and said sincerely: “I was very wrong.”
The change was too natural.
Before he had time to preach, the man looked at him steadily.
“Lies are more sinful than lust. I ask again, Shen Yan, are you sincere in your repentance?”
Shen Yan also looked back bravely. The man dressed as a priest stood in front of him, dressed in solemn black, with black hair and black eyes. Every strand of hair seemed to be written with rules and etiquette. Pure white rosary beads were wrapped around his wrist, which was the only embellishment on him.
Black is black, white is white, the world is black and white, either black or white.
So compassionate, and so serious.
Oh, the spokesperson for the omnipotent God who saves all living beings.
Great priest.
Shen Yan added background music and voice-over to this man in his heart, trying to immerse himself in the play.
It’s counterproductive.
The cyberpunk worldview can still see such retro elements, which is tantamount to mixing shit with gold.
Gold is gold, shit is shit.
Shen Yan almost laughed out loud, pressing the corners of his mouth, and adjusting his expression with difficulty, showing an expression that was neither crying nor laughing, because there was a little reality, and nonsense came out of his mouth.
“I was born in sin, how can I be forgiven? My father.”
The priest was silent for a few seconds, raised the whip three times, and fell three times, but finally failed to do it.
He raised Shen Yan’s chin, stared deeply into his eyes, and asked again: “Are you willing to swear in the name of the holy Him, are you really wrong?”
Shen Yan, who had no idea who He was: “I am willing, I know I was wrong.”
The priest’s expression became lenient, his fingers pointed down, gently touched a touch of blood, spread it on his fingertips, and sniffed it at the tip of his nose.
“I don’t smell a lie.”
Shen Yan:…?
Man, you’re pretending too much.
Shen Yan began to wonder if he was a friendly soldier, but he was too into the role and couldn’t control himself.
The man’s subsequent behavior dispelled his doubts.
The platform was half a person high, and Shen Yan’s upper body, when he sat up, just reached his waist.
He held Shen Yan in his arms and gently stroked his hair on the back of his head, with a compassionate and gentle expression.
“God has seen your determination, and He will not punish you.”
There was a faint and quiet fragrance on him. Shen Yan closed his eyes, pretending to be a pardoned sinner, imitating Falson, choking: “Father, am I forgiven? Can I hug you? I’m so sad, woo woo woo.”
“Of course.” The man said happily, “My good child.”
Shen Yan’s hair passed through his fingertips, warm and cozy.
He closed his eyes in enjoyment, feeling the wholehearted worship and dependence of the ignorant lamb.
He was so excited that he could not restrain himself.
He stayed in the church for the two days. He was supervised when eating and sleeping, and his dining etiquette was corrected. He spoke and acted in a rigid manner. If there was anything wrong, the priest would whip him.
This guy seemed to want to beat him up.
But Shen Yan slid to his knees very quickly. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and said a set of silky little combos. He was coaxed into a good boy and hugged him.
He was only injured on the first day, and the priest carefully applied medicine to the wound.
Various medicines in this era were very advanced, and the wound scabbed that night. Shen Yan was itchy and wanted to scratch it. After being discovered by the priest, his hands were tied and he said that from now on your body belongs to God, and no one and nothing can hurt it except God.
Shen Yan felt that this god was suitable for selling insurance, which was guaranteed to make money.
He just endured it, and the priest applied some medicine to him. Finally, the scab fell off naturally, leaving no trace.
Shen Yan always felt that the priest seemed to be very regretful, as if he didn’t want him to get better so quickly.
In addition, Shen Yan almost had nails.
The priest said that in order to better serve their God, the Son of God needs to open up to God without reservation.
Shen Yan didn’t understand what this had to do with nails, until the priest found a thin and long gold chain from the pile of gorgeous and shining accessories and gestured to him.
“Very beautiful.” The priest praised: “God will be very, very satisfied.”
Shen Yan:…
It was obvious that he was very satisfied.
He looked like a decent person, and he kept saying that he is very abstinent for God and the believers.
In fact, it was just the opposite.
Later, under Shen Yan’s extremely fierce refusal, he was able to keep himself intact.
Shen Yan did not leave the idea, and followed the priest’s pace every day. He was not afraid that he would be trapped here for the rest of his life. Under the supervision of the priest day after day, he dedicated his life to God.
The long feeling of time was intentional by the priest. In fact, only seven days had passed.
In these seven days, Shen Yan wore slightly formal clothes for the first time.
The formality was only compared with other clothes before. Now the fabric was still very small, revealing a large part of the chest and waist on both sides.
At least the pants were tight pants, nothing was exposed, and there was no air when walking.
Shen Yan was a little uncomfortable for a while.
“Don’t be nervous about the dinner tonight, just perform normally.” The priest was very confident in him, “You are the best son of God, no one can be better than you.”
Shen Yan said obediently: “Of course, father.”
After passing through the carved and exquisitely painted corridors and turning a few corners, he finally arrived at the destination.
Pushing open the heavy door, the priest nodded slightly to the people who looked over.
They were the last to arrive.
In the center of the solemn hall was a long table that could seat seven people, with three people on each side. The head of the left seat was Adlai, and the second seat was vacant, probably reserved for Shen Yan.
As soon as you enter the door, you can see the super luxurious throne that suddenly improves in B-level and is out of tune with the surrounding seats.
Everyone was followed by their priest.
The six people who had already sat down had different looks, some were afraid, some were curious, and some were numb.
Among them, Adlai’s eyes are the most complicated.
Shen Yan closed his eyes.
Damn it.
Looking at it, he was the only one wearing less.
He knew what he represented.
Shen Yan, male, 24 years old, mental and physical state not bad.
Diagnosed with lust. Desire.
No hope.