The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 570 The Great Dream
Sensing that Wu Chang and Niels had entered the laboratory, Eugene disconnected from the biological network and opened his eyes to look at the two.

When Eugene saw Nelson return alive, his eyes were filled with joy, like an empty-nest elderly person seeing their children come home for the New Year.

"I'm sorry, my plan wasn't thorough enough, which led to your danger."

Professor Eugene apologized to Niels first, and then asked what had happened during that time.

Niels briefly recounted how he controlled the Sky Tower to resist the explorers, and how Wu Chang broke into the Sky Tower and brought him out.

Niels downplayed the eight days he spent alone on the research institute grounds, but he emphasized Wu Chang's identity as a divine messenger and described in detail the power Wu Chang possessed, as well as the spatial magic that allowed him to transfer the research equipment on the tenth floor.

When Eugene first heard Nils speak so earnestly about the divine messenger, he frowned slightly, thinking that the other man had lost his mind when he connected to the Sky Tower.

He only started to take it seriously when he heard Nils's serious tone and the increasingly outrageous things he said.

Eugene looked at Wu Chang and extended his hand, saying:
“Mr. Peace, I am Eugene, the inventor of the bio-net and one of the culprits who caused this disaster.”

Wu Chang grasped Eugene's hand and said:
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Professor Eugene. My Lord told me in revelation that you have the ability to resolve the current predicament.”

Eugene was a believer and he also believed in Niels. However, he still felt a sense of shame when he mentioned the words "messenger of God," just like when he found himself looking at health supplement advertisements while browsing the news and seriously considering whether they could really replace medicine.

He questioned Wu Changcheng's suspicious attitude, asking:
"Did your god mention what we should do to get out of our current predicament as soon as possible?"

Wu Chang said in a very serious tone:

“I believe that the most urgent task at present is to build a church for our Lord.”

Eugene: ...

His gaze slowly shifted to Niels. If it weren't for the fact that this wasn't a time for entertainment, he would have suspected that Niels had paid someone to play a joke on him.

He rubbed his temples. The factory where the Jacques City Self-Help Group was located didn't have the same facilities as Jacques University. Even with the makeshift sky tower he had built, he had been trying to minimize his sleep these days in order to avoid turning into a flesh and blood monster.

Working long hours and staying up all night is already a challenge for someone his age, and Wu Chang's words instantly put immense pressure on his fragile cardiovascular system.

Even with his good temper, he couldn't help but say:
"Should we recite scriptures and pray?"

Wu Chang seemed oblivious to Eugene's sarcasm and said:
"No need for that. Just give me a piece of land, and I can quickly set up a church. Then you only need to have faith in your hearts to receive the protection of my Lord, and you don't need to be afraid of turning into monsters in your dreams."

Eugene sighed, finding it difficult to communicate with this divine messenger. Fortunately, the messenger's request wasn't excessive and wouldn't affect his research, so he said:
"Alright, Nils, could you please take this Mr. Peace to find a suitable place to serve as a church?"

Wu Chang said:

“Professor Eugene, I hope you can witness this moment with me.”

Eugene looked at Nils, gesturing for him to take Wu Chang away, but Nils said:
"Professor Eugene, Peace hopes you will come along; it won't take up much of your time."

Eugene was completely at a loss. He had never felt so helpless when his bio-network technology was rejected and he had to change the plan according to the demands of the Civil Rights Foundation in order to secure enough sponsorship.

Since things had come to this point, he couldn't refuse and could only follow Peace and Nils to witness the birth of the church.

Niels called over Brick, who had been there earlier, and asked him to find an open area.

Brick led the three to a large warehouse that had once been stockpiled with a large amount of weaponry. The warehouse was emptied during the attack on the Central Research Institute.

Upon entering the warehouse, Wu Chang took out the Tree of Miracles from his personal space and placed it on the cement floor.

To everyone's astonishment, the palm-sized Tree of Miracles pierced the ground with its roots and then grew wildly at an astonishing speed, reaching a height of five meters in the blink of an eye, its canopy touching the ceiling of the warehouse.

Wu Chang looked at Nils, whose eyes were wide open, and said:
“This is a sacred object of my Lord, called the Tree of Miracles, which needs to be watered with faith to grow strong.”

"As long as you believe in my Lord, you will be protected by the divine tree and will not have to worry about being affected by the power of Jacques City."

Niels touched the Tree of Miracles, feeling the solidity of its trunk and the vibrant life force it contained, and was deeply moved.

He hesitated for a moment, then wrote a line of words on the tree trunk.

"Those who see these words will feel awe and develop at least a minimum level of faith in His Majesty the Eternal Light."

After finishing writing, Niels took the lead in trying it out. He let go of his will and allowed his abilities to influence him.

Although he didn't know what the Light of Eternity was, and hadn't even seen the cover of the Eternal Light Cult's scriptures, the moment he looked at the Tree of Miracles, he felt as if he were bathed in a pale golden light.

Warmth enveloped his entire body, relieving his fatigue. As drowsiness washed over him, he yawned and drifted off to sleep peacefully in the light.

Wu Chang said to Professor Eugene:
"Don't worry, with the protection of my Lord, he will be fine."

Eugene's intuition told him that what Wu Chang said was true, but he still stayed where he was and watched Niels's changes.

Niels slept for a full four hours. When he opened his eyes, they were bright and clear, and all his previous fatigue had vanished.

Only then did Eugene truly believe in Wu Chang's extraordinary abilities. Even without a god behind him, his methods alone were enough to create a sect out of thin air.

Having personally experienced the wonders of the Tree of Miracles, the perfunctory faith that Nils had generated under the manipulation of his abilities had now become exceptionally solid.

In his sleep, he truly felt the presence of the eternal light.

He immediately summoned the rest of the organization and asked them to join the Eternal Light Cult. All the members of the organization had experienced the same ordeal as Niels, and their faith became exceptionally firm after they regained their senses.

The Tree of Miracles not only relieved their fatigue but also gave them a tranquility that even calming agents could not match.

In the end, even Professor Eugene couldn't resist the temptation and joined the Eternal Light Cult.

Driven by the faith of the people, the Tree of Miracles continued to grow taller. Its body became a combination of reality and illusion, penetrating the tall factory buildings and growing all the way outside the factory. Its canopy spread out like an umbrella, enveloping the entire factory.

All those who possess divinity or are believers in the Eternal Light Cult can see this enormous golden tree.

The unusual behavior of the Yaques City self-rescue group naturally attracted the attention of Sword Star, Cold Mountain, and Booker. However, the three of them did not show much surprise at the fact that Peace was preaching the Light of Eternity.

Driven by peace, the Eternal Light Cult has become the most popular cult on Earth, and it's perfectly normal for them to spread their teachings in dungeons.

As members of the Arcane Knights, they had long since joined the Eternal Light Cult, a very formal cult that was completely different from the Tranquility Cult and the Bliss Cult, so normal that it didn't seem like a cult formed by the gods within the Abyss.

However, compared to whether the Church of Eternal Light is dangerous, they are more concerned about how much the rapid increase in peace is related to the Light of Eternal Purity.

If the Light of Eternal Purity were truly so powerful, with official assistance, then they too could be devout, they too could become fanatical believers.

Unfortunately, despite their long prayers, they never received a response from the Light of Eternity, as if the other party had only staked on peace and did not need any other subordinates.

As the sun rose, the members of the Jacques City self-rescue team all woke up. They hadn't slept so soundly since they were diagnosed with bioreactivity.

Without Wu Chang's prompting, they had already sat around the Tree of Miracles and spontaneously began to comprehend the ideals of the Eternal Light Sect.

As for Professor Eugene, having personally experienced the effects of the Tree of Miracles, he began to believe that there truly exists a higher-dimensional consciousness in the world that can communicate with mortals.

Facing Wu Chang again, Professor Eugene's face showed no more doubt, and he asked proactively:

"Mr. Peace, did His Holiness the Light of Eternity mention what our second step should be?"

Wu Chang shook his head slightly and said:
“Professor Eugene, God will only give us direction and necessary protection; He is not our babysitter. If we want to save ourselves, we still need our own strength.”

“I came to Jacques to help you out of your predicament. Now please tell me what exactly happened in Jacques.”

"Why did the activation of Project Lullaby by Niels unleash a white light that caused the modders to go out of control and turn into fleshy monsters?" Professor Eugene felt guilty upon hearing Wu Chang's answer. He realized that giving up one's own efforts and placing all one's hopes on the gods was not the way he should have done it.

He briefly adjusted his mindset, cleared his mind of distractions, and said:
"The real purpose of the lullaby, as you've already heard from Niels, is that the Civil Rights Party and the Conservative Party want me to create a special program to destroy the consciousness of patients with bioreticulosis, turning them into mindless flesh and blood machines."

Wu Chang nodded in agreement:
“Niels told me about the Neural Annihilation Protocol. The news was absolutely shocking. I simply cannot imagine what kind of cold-blooded monster would devise such a plan.”

Professor Eugene looked at Wu Chang with a deep gaze and said:

"In fact, the nerve annihilation protocol was a proposal that I proactively submitted to the Civil Rights Party."

Wu Chang's eyes twitched slightly, and his expression was somewhat stiff.

Why didn't you tell me this sooner? It's such a crucial piece of news.

He smiled somewhat awkwardly and asked:

"Professor Eugene, were you misled into formulating this plan, or were you coerced by the Civil Rights Party into doing it?"

Eugene denied it:
"No, from the very beginning I knew what I was doing. It's just that only this method can alleviate the suffering of these patients."

Eugene sighed, his voice lingering on memories, and said:

"Bionet dissolution syndrome appeared very early. Before this technology was applied to the civilian sector, military modifiers had already frequently experienced this problem. At least 5% of the modifiers had experienced this symptom to varying degrees."

"Bioreceptor decomposition not only affects the abilities of modified individuals, but also causes them to lose control of their emotions, exhibiting self-destructive and retaliatory tendencies. Uncontrolled modified individuals have caused more than twenty serious assault incidents."

"The emergence of such a large number of patients indicates that this technology has significant hidden dangers and should be stopped in time, and should only be used again after the crisis is resolved."

"But the tycoons who support the Civil Rights Party did the math and realized that the value created by these reformers and the money saved far exceeded their own pensions."

"Even if 80% of the modified individuals suffer from bio-network dissolution and pose a risk of harming others, executing all 80% of the modified individuals and giving their families triple compensation would still generate huge economic benefits."

"In the face of this report, the 5% incidence of bioreactivity is practically non-existent."

As Eugene spoke, his tone became dejected, and Wu Changneng could sense that Eugene's mental barrier was faltering.

Once human life becomes a price tag, it ceases to be a life.

Professor Eugene, the inventor of this technology, did not have this as his original intention.

After a brief period of dejection, Eugene continued:

"At the time, the military's method for dealing with patients with bioreticulosis was social disposal."

"They developed a set of biometric health standards. All targets that failed the tests or were deemed unhealthy were sent to remote, underdeveloped states, given a sinecure, paid a sum of money to support them, and left to fend for themselves."

"This designated wasteland is Calais, which is why many people in the biological community refer to Calais as a garbage dump."

Upon hearing this, Wu Chang's eyes lit up with realization. No wonder the senior management of the Neural Fusion Application Center had such contempt for Calais in Sean's memory, calling it a garbage dump.

It turns out that those people already knew what was happening here, only newcomers like Sean were completely unaware.

Eugene continued:

"At that time, the cyborgs placed in Calais had only two fates: either they would die in a gunfight with the police because of an assault, or they would end their own lives because they could not endure the bio-receptor necrosis."

"Their actions not only caused suffering to themselves, but also to ordinary people who were affected. This situation once plunged Calais into chaos, with several protests against the reformers breaking out."

"After the promotion of biometrics technology, the Civil Rights Party intends to continue to use this method. They have even drafted a bill to isolate Calais from the outside world."

"When I saw the situation in Calais getting worse and worse, with more and more students bringing me rumors of bioreticulosis and asking me if it was true, I began to be unable to ignore it all and knew that I had to do something."

Wu Chang asked, somewhat puzzled:
"So you devised the neural annihilation protocol? To be honest, I don't think it's a good solution."

Eugene did not deny this, saying:
"I think so too, but I had no choice at the time."

“Patients with bioreactivity disorder who are socially abandoned will suffer for a long time before they die. In order to alleviate their condition and give them peace before they die, I have no choice but to do this.”

"Without the Sky Tower and Tranquilizing Essence, their remaining lifespan would be far shorter than the time it would take to be anesthetized. This plan both prolongs their lives and reduces their suffering; it is the only option when there is no other way."

Wu Chang frowned. His intuition told him that he shouldn't do this, but according to Eugene's logic, there was indeed no problem.

After all, this is the federal government, and the federal government has no responsibility to provide relief to the underprivileged. As senior Conservative Party officials have said, a responsible federal citizen should be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Spending huge sums of money to support a bunch of incompetent good-for-nothings with tranquilizers and the Sky Tower without generating any revenue is not the way the Federation should operate.

His brow slowly relaxed, and he asked:

"What made you change your mind and decide not to continue with the Lullaby Project?"

"Is it because of Nils and Mary?"

Eugene's face showed panic, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He asked nervously:

"Is this also a revelation given to you by His Holiness the Eternal Light?"

Wu Chang shook his head and said:
"No, I guessed it."

“There’s something Niels didn’t tell you, or rather, he himself couldn’t confirm whether it happened. That is, through Niels’s ability, I saw what happened on the day of the anomaly.”

“Niels was originally affected by the mutation and had turned into a flesh monster, but a howl brought him back to his senses and he turned back into a human.”

"When I disguised myself as a military member and infiltrated the city of Jacques, I heard that one of the missions issued by the military was to hunt down a huge monster called the Howler. Its howl can drive people crazy and turn them into flesh monsters, but it can also briefly restore the consciousness of flesh monsters."

Upon hearing of the Howler's presence, Eugene's face paled, and a look of pity appeared on his face, clearly indicating that he knew the Howler's identity.

Wu Chang did not stop, and continued:
"Based on my observation, the abilities of cyborgs after they become flesh-and-blood monsters are related to their talents when they were still cyborgs."

“The military is so interested in the cyborg, and his abilities are so powerful, he must have been no ordinary person when he was still a cyborg. So I asked an acquaintance in the Civil Rights Party to check their database.”

"In the database, there are two exceptionally talented modifiers. They managed to overload the bio-network in just three years, resulting in bio-network dissolution syndrome. One of them is named Nils, and the other is named Mary."

“I have already experienced the power of Niels’ words. The only one who can save him is Miss Mary, who is neither in the Civil Rights Party nor in the Self-Help Group, and who did not show up on the night of the incident.”

Watching Wu Chang analyze things slowly and methodically, Eugene had an idea: he must not become this guy's enemy.

He did not deny it, and admitted it:
“You’re right. The wailer you’re talking about is the other person who changed my mind, Mary.”

"Just as you can hear divine revelation, when I met Nelson and Mary, I also felt the will of God. I saw a possibility in them."

“Mary’s paintings possess a peculiar power that can completely immerse viewers in them, making them believe that the scenes in the paintings truly exist. Their mistaken perceptions can influence reality to a certain extent, transforming this perception into reality.”

“Nilson’s writing has the power to move people; it can amplify people’s will and resonate with their thoughts.”

"If Mary's painting, combined with Nelson's writing, and amplified by the Sky Tower and Tranquilizing Essence, their abilities resonate with all the modifiers, enveloping the entire state of Calais."

"By then, perhaps we can use this method to hypnotize them, putting them in a semi-conscious state, creating a perfect state that can both keep them conscious and help them get rid of pain, allowing their bodies to enter a stable state."

"We named this project 'The Great Dream'."

(End of this chapter)