Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 114 I will only pray to this!

Not far from Lao Hu's camp, there was a sizable warehouse where a group of survivors were gathered around a radio. Most of them had dark skin, and many carried rifles.

The leader was the superhuman known as Old John. He was quite old, but his face was shiny with oil and he was full of energy. He was overweight and wore an ill-fitting suit. Sitting on the stool, he looked like a huge black bear squatting there.

At that moment, old John had an unlit cigar in his mouth, listening to the radio with a slightly confused expression.

"What are you saying in gibberish? I can't understand a word you say."

One of the people standing next to him spoke up: "Could this be something that Easterner named Hu and his group made?"

The person who asked the question was one of Old John's recently adopted sons, and Old John, who was usually quite irritable, was quite kind to this person.

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't think so. Haven't all the people who can speak such good Eastern languages ​​gone back?"

"Besides, although Hu and his group are indeed quite capable, they can't be that much better than us. They can produce their own broadcasting system? I don't believe it."

After waiting there for half a day, some people grew impatient and left on their own. Others suggested going to find Lao Hu and the others to ask what was going on. At that moment, the voice on the radio changed.

"Hey, listen, they're starting to use English!"

"He said he was the secretary-general from the East?"

Finally able to understand the broadcast, the group perked up again, occasionally exclaiming in surprise at the words being spoken.

"Did you hear that? He said he'd come to save us!"

The survivors gathered around discussed the matter animatedly. Some were equally delighted, while others were dismissive: "It's probably fake. I could say that too."

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone else retorted, "This was a promise made by the Secretary-General on behalf of the East. When have they ever failed to keep their word?"

This was followed by an even louder murmur of discussion.

"Now I know why that Hu always prays to his prophet. Did you hear that? Even this broadcast was done under the guidance of that prophet."

"So you're planning to go and pray to him too?"

"I'm not going!" the man laughed, patting his rifle on his shoulder. "I'll only pray to this!"

"Listen, they want to rebuild the order that existed before the Great Cataclysm!"

“I think life is much better now than before the cataclysm, isn’t it?” someone in the crowd said. “At least those swine on the street only bite people now, they don’t empty our magazines anymore.”

This remark drew a burst of laughter from the crowd, and someone whistled: "Go back? Do you think going back will make a white girl like Eileen stay in bed obediently?"

"Hey buddy, how was she last night?"

"That's fantastic! You'll have to try it tonight and see for yourself!"

Another person chuckled and said, "Now you can take whatever you want from those supermarkets outside. What's wrong with that? Before, we were worried about getting caught, but now? Now we only need to worry about getting caught by zombies."

"You're right, to hell with the old days, I love life now!"

Many people began to echo these opinions. Old John glanced at the excited group of men, patted his adopted son beside him, and the two left the area.

Outside the door, no one was around, and the commotion behind them continued, but the atmosphere between the two was slightly quieter. Old John took the cigar from his mouth, wiped it, and put it back in his pocket. Suddenly, he asked, "Son, what kind of person do you think that prophet was?"

The young man beside him was silent for a moment before replying, "I don't know. I only know that he is a very capable person."

Do you like this era?

"of course not."

The young man lowered his head: "In the past, I could go to school and play ball with my friends, but now all of that is gone."

“Yes, you’re different from those people inside; you see things more clearly.” Old John nodded and asked, “Then would you be willing to go find that Hu and join them?”

The young man was stunned. He looked up at old John and said, "Father, I don't understand..."

“There’s no future in continuing like this,” Old John sighed, looking at the place where the survivors lived in the distance. It seemed no different from the slums he remembered from the past, with the occasional screams of women coming from some of the dirty shacks.

“I adopted you all with the intention of having you find ways to help this community develop better, but as you’ve seen these days, we simply can’t change these people.”

"Now I have to consider leaving myself a way out, not only for you, but also for myself. I originally had other plans, but now it seems that joining the camp over there is a better option."

“Vincent and his gang of bastards look down on us. It wouldn’t be surprising if they shot our men on sight. But that Hu from the East is different. They will accept you.”

“Go ahead, I will take your brothers and sisters, as well as many others who are willing to leave here, with you. You are the smartest among them, so help them integrate into the camp and do more for them.”

“I know those Easterners. They like seniority and the earlier you join them, the higher your status can be.”

"Although we are ultimately outsiders to them, there is an Eastern saying that even if we have no merit, we have still put in the effort, right?"

"Perhaps, the prophet from the East will come to this land sooner or later, and that will be the day when we finally get through this difficult time."

The young man was deeply moved by these words and couldn't help but ask, "What about you? Why don't you go?"

Old John burst into laughter upon hearing this.

“I am the leader of this community. I am tied up here. Child, do you think I can just leave? No, no, no, they will not let me leave. They will cling to me, suck my blood, and eat my flesh. If I betray them, these people will definitely retaliate against me.”

"Unless I take these people with me, but look at the quality of the group behind them, who do you think would accept them?"

Seeing the young man's bewildered expression, Old John smiled and said, "But that's not the main reason. More importantly, only with our existence will people like Hu value you more. In the future, I will select some suitable people from here to continuously join your ranks."

"And I might not be completely without a chance to leave. If that day ever comes, I will come to find you."

Patting the young man on the shoulder, old John said, "I'll pave the way for you. This won't be easy, and how you walk it is up to you."

On this day, there were quite a few people who made the same decision as Old John. Nearby, there were many smaller groups and some lone travelers who, carrying supplies and guns, set off for Old Hu and his men's camp.

Of course, there are exceptions. In one church, a white man named Vincent flew into a rage and smashed a radio device on the spot.

"Anyone who listens to this stuff again is a heretic, and I'll make them taste the power of gods!"

The tyrannical lewdness raged through the church, and the many survivors gathered there quickly retreated, lowering their heads and daring not to make a sound.

(End of this chapter)