Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 278 Charging Against the Catastrophe of Faith

Since the first batch of vaccines arrived in Hongdu, the archives of the Mysterious Machinery Workshop have become much quieter, with spies from various countries who used to gather there to chat shifting their focus elsewhere.

They went to the Good Mother Hospital, either voluntarily or under orders, to steal vaccines distributed by the Blessed Pharmaceutical Company.

These vaccines were shipped from Shita Town and put into production in major industrial cities, where new vaccines were continuously produced to meet the national demand.

The technical requirements for producing vaccines are not high. The virus vaccine is injected into fertilized eggs and can reproduce rapidly. The next step is simply purification. Medical professionals with theoretical knowledge can replicate the vaccine in a laboratory after only a few days of professional training.

Aside from foreign spies, no one stole these vaccines because they were worthless and were administered for free.

The spies' theft went very smoothly, without even needing to disguise their identities.

At first, there were also agile individuals who sneaked into the hospital's warehouse at night and secretly stole the ampoules storing vaccines; their intelligence work was carried out very professionally.

Later, spies from some countries discovered that they could easily obtain an extra vaccine by simply asking the staff at the hospital's free clinic window.

Then, the day after the Cult of Miracles visited Hongdu with the elixir, Blessed Pharmaceuticals directly contacted ambassadors of various countries and announced that it would donate the technical data and samples for vaccine production free of charge. This move made the spies feel even more absurd.

The company's head, Viscount Viren Pearl, is the director of the Imperial Defense Intelligence Agency and is considered the most incompetent intelligence chief in the espionage industry. Countless pieces of technological information have been leaked from him.

He, too, when announcing the provision of vaccines to countries around the world, appealed to the media that while vaccines are valuable, they are not as precious as life, and should never be used as a tool for personal gain, much less as a weapon to suppress dissent.

The viscount met with ambassadors from various countries, and his carriage visited all the diplomatic embassies in Hongdu, personally delivering every document and sample.

"Your Excellency Pearl, the people of the Republic of Anfeng will never forget your assistance. You will always be a good friend of our country. Welcome to visit Anfeng!"

"If I have the chance, I definitely will."

Under the flashing lights of the media, the ambassador smiled and shook hands with Viren Pearl before reluctantly parting ways.

Back in the embassy office, the secret agent who had been observing them for a long time couldn't help but exclaim to the ambassador, "Kenning's emperor and cabinet actually allowed Viren Perl to do this!"

The ambassador looked directly at his trusted deputy. “Of course they won’t allow it. Kening is an isolated country that has maintained a ‘balance’ policy for nearly a century. Instigating infighting among the continental countries is their specialty. I think that cold-blooded political machine of Kevin Evan would love for the pandemic to kill everyone in the world.”

"But why would he send Viren Pearl to extend goodwill to us?" The agent's gentle and honest face always wore a smile, but now he furrowed his brows and his eyes flickered slightly.

“He and the emperor were probably never on the same page. Why didn’t he give us the vaccine sooner? You know what major events have happened in Hongdu these past few days.” The ambassador carefully examined the documents and samples in his hands, his smile growing wider.

The spy suddenly realized and lowered his voice, "Velen is the mysterious man's subordinate."

“A believer. He is a believer.” The ambassador also lowered his voice, almost in a whisper, his eyes darting left and right, as if afraid of something. But when the topic came up, his tone rose, revealing an excitement he himself was unaware of.

The spy remained silent for a moment before finally speaking: "The mysterious person wants to save us."

"I'm afraid so. Even if our president and high priest don't acknowledge Him, how could He bear to abandon His believers? He must love us. The fact that our intelligence agents were able to steal so much technology from the Mysterious Mechanical Workshop is probably with the tacit approval of Viren Pearl, and must have been at His behest."

“Your Excellency Ambassador, I must remind you…” the spy’s tone turned stern, and his usually mild-mannered face turned fierce, “You are loyal to the country, not to your beliefs!”

“Of course, of course,” the ambassador waved his hand unhappily. “I have been loyal and the results have been remarkable. Look, aren’t these vaccine samples a diplomatic victory?”

“Our intelligence agents have already stolen the vaccine,” the agent retorted immediately.

The ambassador's smile faltered. "Sir, I must notice your resistance. Who exactly are you targeting?"

"Mysterious man! You've all been terrified by him. Shouldn't you feel disgusted to see so many ignorant people kneeling in the square? He treats us like livestock. I have reason to suspect that the plague is just a trick of his, otherwise, how could he produce an antidote so quickly?"

"Enough!" The ambassador slammed his hand on the table, his face suddenly covered in sweat, his eyes darting around as if he suspected that invisible eyes were watching him.

The spy composed himself and put on a simple, honest smile again. "I apologize, sir."

“As an important public servant of our country, there are some things you shouldn’t say. I respect your right to freely choose your beliefs, and I don’t want to know why you have such dangerous ideological tendencies, but you should do your job well.”

The secret agent responded in a deep voice.

"I will arrange for personnel to escort the vaccines and documents back to the country. Next, you need to find a way to get close to that crucible and obtain more medicine to safeguard the health of our President and all those in positions of power."

"Understood. I'll go prepare right away."

“This is a matter of great importance and requires your personal attention,” the ambassador said coldly.

The spy saluted and turned to leave.

He knew one thing perfectly well: the tourists from various countries who remained in Hongdu, and even the public officials, were mostly followers of the Five Gods, and they held an extraordinary level of approval and admiration for the Church of Miracles. This was a dangerous sign, representing a bloodless conquest.

There was one more thing he was acutely aware of. The spread of the belief in miracles was not something a single individual could stop; like a natural disaster, the only choice left for mortals was to accept it. This conquest was doomed from the start, and no one who witnessed the miracles would doubt that.

But this is not a reason to give up the fight. He insisted that the connection between humanity and the universe is noble enough, and the rational world cannot tolerate the existence of gods. Miracles would crush the fighting spirit of civilization, causing people to become complacent and lose the possibility of realizing their self-worth.

While it's not too late, rational people should end this catastrophe of faith.

The agent prepared himself, tucked his gun holster under his arm, and delivered a secret letter containing a will to an intelligence network outside his own country.

Today is the second day since the expedition team arrived in Hongdu.

The number of followers expanded again, with believers who came by boat from White Stone Island joining local pilgrims from Hongdu, allowing the spies to successfully integrate into the group.

He approached to observe the members escorting the crucible. The black-robed priests of Stone Tower Town were just ordinary people. Apart from the old priest, they lacked even basic professional skills. They never preached scriptures and were only responsible for maintaining order.

Those five hundred heavily armed soldiers are a cause for concern; they will prevent the followers from getting close to the expedition. The followers may only approach the cauldron when helping to distribute the medicine.

The most dangerous of all are the four cloaked figures. They are disciples of the Miracle Walker, regarded as saints by their followers, and do indeed possess extraordinary power, though they rarely display it; they never let the cauldron out of their sight.

Breaking through the numerous blockades by force to steal the elixir is impossible, but one can pretend to be a seeker from afar. As long as one speaks sincerely, one can often obtain the elixir. The spies have personally witnessed several foreign colleagues successfully obtaining the elixir by posing as foreigners.

His goal was not the elixir, but to destroy the cauldron and thereby damage the prestige of the Cult of Miracles; even the slightest stain would be enough.

Even if he is later condemned as a historical sinner, it doesn't matter, as long as human reason can break free from its shackles, one day in the distant future, the world will vindicate him.

On the second day of their journey in Hongdu, at noon, the expedition team delivered the crucible to the disease-ridden sewers. This bustling city's dark side, its unspoken fringes, was home to the most miserable people, the most insane criminals, and the most shameless gangs.

The spy realized almost immediately that this was a rare opportunity.

The old priest, holding a seagull, took the lead and stepped into the sewer outlet, entering the dark underground world.

Eight strong young men followed closely behind, carrying a huge, moon-white crucible. The magical metal emitted a warm, bright light, illuminating the sewers. In the sewage where corpses lay, swarms of rats scurried about, squeaking and scurrying away in the light.

The homeless people, huddled under cardboard boxes and sheet metal, were startled by the footsteps of the crowd. They opened their eyes, coughed, and scurried away from the large group to avoid being bullied or driven away.

But those people stopped in their tracks.

The seagull's white feathers shimmered in the light.

The old priest bent down to observe the foul-smelling, dying wanderers and opened his arms to them.

"Brothers and sisters, do not worry anymore. God has sent us to soothe the suffering of the world. Please come and drink the medicine."

The homeless were helped to take the medicine by arms, and the soothing and warming effects of the medicine spread from their stomachs, gradually restoring their strength to their exhausted bodies.

"It's alright. It's alright. Everything will be alright, won't it?" The old priest wiped away the tears from the faces of the homeless children. "Come with us, okay?"

They simply nodded, their sobs piercing the rushing sewage waves in the culvert.

The underground waterways of Hongdu spread outwards from the center, draining sewage and rainwater. The Miracle Cult's forces traveled upstream from the outer edge, collecting the silent corpses along the way and rescuing the living.

The dark area, a breeding ground for rats, germs, and death, was illuminated by the bright moonlight.

When they reached the deepest part of the cave, there was a city of shacks, the dark heart of which criminals, gangs, and black markets had been entrenched for nearly a century.

The thousands of criminals lurking there were even more excited than the rats. As the group entered the cave, a barrage of warning shots rang out between the shacks.

"Get out! You're not welcome here!" Sharp, panicked shouts echoed from all sides.

The four lighthouse apprentices exchanged glances, then stepped forward one after another and ingested the mushroom oil potion.

They chanted incantations over the sprawling lawless territory before them, creating a rain cloud. They then cast sleeping pills into the cloud, and a light drizzle fell on the shacks. Pale blue smoke drifted through the black city, and the creatures that inhabited the area fell into a deep sleep.

All the followers who witnessed this scene loudly praised the saints who performed the miracle.

The spy's heart pounded. He was playing the role of a volunteer distributing medicine, and he was only three steps away from the crucible.

He drew his gun with one hand and took out a small explosive tube with the other, then quietly walked to the crucible.

He saw a seagull standing on the edge of the pot, staring at him with its three eyes, its claws clinging to the boiling pot, seemingly without feeling any pain.

The spy had just taken out his weapon when he suddenly saw a white shadow flash by. A seagull's wing lashed out and struck his cheek with the force of a brown bear's paw, causing him to faint instantly.

"Oh no..." These were the spy's last thoughts before losing consciousness.

(End of this chapter)