Sir! Don't close the net!

Something big is coming.

Driven by the jailers, even the prisoners who were working put down their tools and gathered by the roadside of Theresa. Augusit also changed his habit of standing on the high platform and stood in the middle of the rushing Theresa Road. The invisible sense of oppression made the gathered prisoners subconsciously lower their bodies.

“Auguste…” Li Yili leaned against the wall of the wooden house, standing in the shadows, wary of Auguste standing on Teresa Road.

Rebecca crouched on the ground, scratching the ground restlessly with her paws.

Once the prisoners had gathered, Augusert put his hands behind his back and looked as calm as a lake, giving everyone a strange feeling of being looked down upon.

“Everyone, I know what you’re thinking. You want to leave Theresa Prison, right?”

Jeff was stunned, looking at Augusite with disbelief, and subconsciously took a step forward, but was stopped by Walter standing to the side.

Augusert's voice resonated with the prisoners. The higher-ranking prisoners, who felt they didn't deserve to be imprisoned in Teresa Prison forever, began to stir, while the lower-ranking prisoners, unable to bear being institutionalized and losing their unbridled freedom, began to murmur.

"But now, even if you leave Teresa Prison, you will not be able to integrate into society or find redemption; you will only be in another hell."

"Therefore, I have come to bring you salvation."

"I will turn you back into human form."

Augusit spread his arms to the sides.

Clang—

Li Yili was startled and quickly pushed open the door of the wooden house. The wooden basin full of water fell to the ground, while Chris Doff remained holding the basin, staring blankly out the window at Auguste standing in the middle of Teresa Road.

Chapter 44 Countdown to 2012

Christopher was not a perfect saint. For nearly thirty years, he tirelessly carried people seeking redemption in Teresa Prison back and forth along the turbulent and long Teresa Road. In the process, he could also smuggle things from the outside world that were forbidden by the prison into Teresa Road.

Li Yili wasn't very willing to see through Chris Dorf's obsession with Teresa's path, but he was certain of one thing: Chris Dorf was a good person.

This man in his fifties seemed to have taken everything in stride.

But this was the first time Li Yili had ever seen Chrisdorf so agitated, so... unwilling, so full of personal emotion.

"Saint... your sacrifice saved many people..."

Chris Dorf covered his face and knelt down with a thud.

Li Yili glanced sideways and gently closed the wooden door. Turning her head, her dark eyes reflected a scene as if an apocalyptic army had attacked.

Along the banks of the Path of Teresa, grotesque prisoners wildly waved their limbs, while August, surrounded by them, stood in the center of the Path of Teresa, bathed in starlight, like a savior god, just like the painting called "The One Lord" that Auguste hung in his office. Only, it was people who worshipped the Path of Redemption, while the one being worshipped was an inscrutable and indescribable Lord.

In the eyes of these prisoners, August, who claimed he could turn them back into human beings and leave Theresa's prison, was an omnipotent being.

If a painter were to capture this scene... it would most likely be a truly astonishing work, but only a mad painter would attempt to preserve this absurd scene.

Li Yili raised her hand and tapped it on the wall, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Without the jailers needing to drive him away, August's single movement was enough to subdue what looked like a doomsday legion.

The prisoners dispersed, just like everyone else.

It's impossible for all prisoners to fall for this, but the atmosphere and environment are there, and now that Teresa Prison has been institutionalized and turned into a real prison, the idea of ​​turning back into a human and leaving Teresa Prison is just too tempting.

Most prisoners in prison only think about one thing: how to get out of prison.

------

"Are you kidding me?!"

Before Augusart returned, Jeff pulled Walter aside and anxiously checked.

"These prisoners... these prisoners are no different from pollutants. What you are doing now is no different from turning pollutants back into heritage!"

"Why turn pollutants back into heritage?" Walter raised an eyebrow, then suddenly realized, "I see. It seems Dr. Jeff's research hasn't broken through the bottleneck yet. But don't worry, Dr. Jeff, we've confirmed your abilities and will do our best to help you improve your research. Dr. Jeff, you're very lucky; your research progress has accelerated by at least thirty years."

Jeff's eyes widened.

Why turn pollutants back into heritage?

and many more?

Jeff raised his hand to his forehead, his pupils contracting slightly.

Research progress has accelerated by thirty years...

It's been thirty years again?

What exactly did these guys do thirty years ago?

Jeff looked up and saw Augus's figure reflected in his trembling pupils, but what appeared before him was Li Yili wearing a tattered yellow raincoat.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s amazing…” Jeff’s cheeks twitched, and his mouth slowly stretched into a grin. “I think I’m starting to understand everything, but understanding is one thing, I don’t think it’s possible. Those prisoners’ bodies have been mutated to that state.”

"Dr. Jeff... what happens if a Chosen One goes out of control?"

Walter smiled meaningfully and turned to walk towards the tower. Jeff's eyes flashed, and he quickly followed. "Death."

“No, no, no, I’m not talking about the result, but their appearance,” Walter said, raising his fingers and waving them from side to side.

“It’s something that shouldn’t exist in this world. What’s even more unacceptable is that it’s a living thing. It lived for a while and then died from exhaustion,” Jeff said, glancing at August out of the corner of his eye.

The warden, who claimed to bring salvation to the prisoners here, did not appear disheveled because his clothes were soaked from the Path of Teresa; on the contrary, he had a strange sense of holiness, a holiness that made him feel nauseous.

To avoid vomiting in front of Augus and Walter, Jeff quickly looked away.

“Don’t you think that situation is exactly the same as those prisoners’, except… the chosen ones died in that absurd way, while these prisoners lived on in that absurd way.”

Jeff paused for a moment, and everything in his field of vision was pulled away by an inexplicable force. Walter, who was less than a meter away from him, shrank instantly and disappeared completely. The blank space left his mind blank.

It wasn't that he gave up thinking, but rather that his brain processed too much information in an instant.

"Speaking of which... Dr. Jeff, do you remember why the Chosen Ones would go out of control?"

Walter's voice brought Jeff back to reality.

Jeff instinctively replied, "The knowledge of the unknown world from the legacy conflicts with existing knowledge, causing the chosen one's spirit to collapse..."

Jeff's eyes widened.

Thirty years ago, the prisoners of Theresa Prison were born and raised in a way that was suddenly changed in a way that was incomprehensible and even terrifying.

"if--"

Walter stopped and put his hands behind his back.

"What if, from the very beginning, a certain person or a certain group of people had some perceptions that differed from those of normal society?"

"What if we continue to ingest strictly controlled trace elements on this basis?"

Jeff took a deep breath. "It will transform into an alternative, lowest-ranking Chosen One."

If you think about it carefully, you'll realize that, setting aside the ridiculous reason of being the offspring of an evil god, physical mutations might bring about powerful physical abilities like Rebecca's, but it's absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to possess some miraculous special abilities. There are many prisoners in Theresa's prison who have similar abilities to those favored by the gods.

"Alternative? Forget it, Dr. Jeff. You'll find out about these things sooner or later, but the sooner you know, the better, isn't it?"

Jeff's eyes flashed.

He did indeed deduce that someone was conducting experiments, but he lacked the ability to verify it. Now, Walter has directly admitted to it, and even in front of Bishop Augustus of Azawi.

It is clear that Bishop Azavet and the Cult of Steam and Steel have joined forces.

"Why do this? Why rush to move on to the next stage now?"

“This is, of course, to…save the world,” Walter let out a long sigh, turning to Jeff, “[2012] is coming. If we can’t get the numbers on the [Prophecy Algorithm] to the standard value through experiments…”

Walter paused, his tone extremely solemn.

"An indescribable outer god will lead the fallen stars to restart the countdown to 2012."

Chapter 45 The Foreign God

Jeff was stunned. Although he was an ordinary person, he was a psychiatrist who had sold treatments for mental illnesses.

He had access to drugs, had come into contact with near-out-of-control individuals favored by God, and had even written papers on the subject and received investment, so he was not completely ignorant; in fact, he knew quite a lot.

[2012], although it is called a legacy, is a phenomenon. The most powerful force of the gods has come to an end, and the end led by the carnival is still the beginning of everything.

Although I don't know why it has to be 2012, the end of the world will come in 2012.

The "prophecy algorithm" that Walter mentioned is a Sigma-level legacy held by the Cult of Steam and Steel, representing revelry. It is rumored that this legacy has only one function: a countdown.

Although Jeff had never seen the estate, he had heard that the numbers on it changed every moment, sometimes decreasing, sometimes increasing, unpredictable, just like the unfathomable nature of fate.

According to Walter's words, the Cult of Steam and Steel seems to have grasped the changing patterns of the numbers in the [Prophecy Algorithm] and is trying to modify these numbers to avoid [2012].

Jeff felt a tightness in his chest. He seemed to have figured out the pattern of the number's changes, and he was just one step away from it. But more than the changes in the number, he was concerned about Walter's words: "The indescribable Outer God will lead the fallen stars to restart the countdown to 2012."

"What are the indescribable Outer Gods...?"

“As expected of Dr. Jeff, he always focuses on the important things,” Walter smiled, raised his chin, and looked incredibly deep. “It means exactly what it says: unseen, incomprehensible, completely unknown alien deities that we cannot comprehend at all.”

"The only thing that can be confirmed is..."

“Every two thousand and twelve years, the Outer Gods will bring a completely unknown civilization to reset everything on the ground, leaving only those temples to prove what once existed on this land.”

“So, they…they are our enemies,” Jeff thought, his head spinning.

Walter shrugged.

"At least that's what Galar Horn thinks, so they keep collecting the legacy of the ancient gods in preparation for a great war with those Outer Gods in 2012. Based on past results, it's not wrong to call them enemies."

"However, they may have already begun to erode our world, bringing knowledge that does not belong to our world, building the foundation for their full power to descend, and then bringing us a grand apocalypse in 2012."

It brings knowledge that doesn't belong to our world...

Jeff covered his face, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts, but in reality, his face beneath his hand revealed an expression of utter horror.

Steel stars.

It can easily wipe out metal blocks from an entire city.

A giant ship sailing through the starry sky.

Virtual coins that can drive people crazy and make them jump off buildings.

And the people who set out to manufacture these...

Jeff exhaled, gently pulling down the hand covering his face to restore his expression. "At least... that means you don't consider the Outer Gods to be our enemies."

“Because we don’t believe we have the ability to defeat Outer Gods,” Walter nodded, gesturing for Jeff to follow. “Are ants qualified to be enemies of humanity? No. The purpose of the [Prophecy Algorithm] is to help us avoid this annihilation.”

"Outer Gods never care about our thoughts."

"Then... how can we avoid it?" Jeff's eyes flashed and he quickly followed Walter.