Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

"What's your name? Who do you serve? What are you here for?"

"My name is Org. I am a superhuman from the Anvil Gang... no, to be precise, the Steel Skull Order. I was ordered by the Order to come here and try to take this building back from those Ascended Continent bastards. For the past two months, I was responsible for all the deaths in this building."

Faced with Org's answer, Mian frowned; it was yet another bunch of unfamiliar terms. But fortunately, there was still plenty of time before dawn, allowing him to slowly figure everything out.

The first thing to figure out is the job itself.

"Tell me first, why did you and your cult acquire this building, and why did you do it in such a roundabout way?"

Olger swallowed hard and replied:

"The reason our Steel Skull Cult is targeting the Kim Fook Building is because this place originally belonged to us. We've been operating here for a long time, but due to attacks from rival cults and the economic crisis, it fell into the hands of the Shengzhou gang. This operation is simply to reclaim what rightfully belongs to us. As for why we're being so secretive..."

As Orge finished speaking, he glanced at Mian, whose face, though devoid of mask, clearly revealed a strange expression.

He murmured:

"In the last century, in order to prepare for the impending world war, President Morden promulgated the Anti-Secession Law and established the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (BIS). The BIS gathered the most powerful superhumans in Oceania at the time, and they formulated the rules of Oceania's hidden world—that is, to prevent any knowledge related to the supernatural or ascension from being exposed to the public eye."

"If we could, killing the Shengzhou guy who owns this building would be easy, but if we did it too obviously, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of the Secret Service. So we can only exert pressure in this roundabout way, hoping to force him to sell the building to us through legal means and the free market—this is not unique to the cult, but no ordinary person can do it as discreetly as we do."

At this point, Olger paused, then said cautiously:

"In the hidden world, this is common sense. You don't mean... ah—"

Mian drove a nail into Org's shoulder.

"Remember? I ask, you answer."

Mian said expressionlessly. He simply couldn't be bothered to care about the human rights and dignity of these heinous criminals who had killed countless people and remained outside the law.

However, what this villain said was quite useful.

Mian pondered to himself.

If such a hidden world truly exists, it would explain why the eerie fog dared not pursue it into the streets, and why this world, despite possessing these strange powers, appears to be almost identical to Earth on the surface.

But why was this hidden world created?

As a teacher who believed in materialism, Mian's first thought was about the potential uses of these extraordinary powers to boost productivity. Even if such beings were few in number, assigning them to specific tasks would undoubtedly greatly contribute to the progress of civilization.

Mian is still unclear about the difficulty of becoming a superhuman, but there is no doubt that secrecy is clearly less conducive to increasing their numbers than openness.

In fact, before the enactment of anti-esoteric laws in the last century, esoteric Buddhism and the supernatural had always existed in a semi-public state. In the original owner's memories, his hometown across the ocean seemed to be in the same situation. Until the arrival of that world war.

Mian frowned, wondering why the original owner knew so little about the details of that war that should have had a profound impact.

Before coming to Oceania, the textbooks in my hometown clearly covered the social structures and military strength of various countries, but they rarely mentioned the specific details of war.

Mian tried to ask Org questions on this topic, but the guy seemed to know very little about it as well.

It seems I should find some time to investigate this topic at the library or university.

Mian made up her mind and then continued the interrogation.

"What is your superhuman system like? How do ordinary people become superhumans?"

Upon hearing this, Olger's pupils contracted slightly.

As expected, he knew absolutely nothing about the real world or anything related to secrets!

So ignorant of reality, yet possessing such immense power. Who is he? Is he a demon awakened from antiquity, or a formidable being from another world?

Olger sighed.

It's no use thinking about these things now; all he can do is answer honestly.

"I'm not entirely clear on the overall nature of the extraordinary system. After all, each cult has its own unique cultivation system, and I've only been on this path for a little over ten years. I can only give you a vague overview."

"In the Steel Skull Cult, we call this world we stand in now the mortal realm, where ordinary mortals and common beasts are born, and the laws of physics dominate. But the Cult has verified that the world is never limited to the mortal realm. Above the mortal realm, there is another space that shrouds it like a veil."

"That space has many names—the spirit world, the subspace, the highest heaven, the inner world... Personally, I prefer to call it the 'outer wall'."

Mian raised an eyebrow, realizing that the different names implied completely different understandings of that mysterious space.

"Outer wall? Interesting, continue."

Org nodded and continued:

"The space outside this building just now belongs to the [Outer Wall]. It is the abode of the gods, filled with all kinds of violent and chaotic forces, and is also the origin of all extraordinary powers in the Tantric understanding. We can briefly visit that place through rituals to seek power and embark on the path to ascension."

"The path to ascension? It seems you really want to stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods."

Mian recalled what he had seen in the Guardian Daily and said jokingly. But to his surprise, the person in front of him was completely different, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

"Apart from those castrated Catholics, anyone who has set foot on the outer wall and witnessed the form of the gods would not want to be that kind of being. That is absolute power, that is true freedom."

Org's eyes were filled with fervent longing, but in an instant, that longing dimmed.

"However, I've never heard of anyone successfully ascending to godhood. Perhaps it's simply impossible for humans to become gods. But even so, the power gained on the path to godhood is still very real. So neither the Ocean Federation, nor the Ribbon Union or the Holy Republic on the other side, can ever eradicate Tantric Buddhism. Because Tantric Buddhism isn't a disease; it's something that lurks within the heart of every ordinary mortal—"

"The only truth."