Chapter 1
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Chapter 1: The Baptism
“In the name of the Celestial Master, the Son of God, and the beings of the Tri-Planetary System, be immersed!”
“Splash!”
“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle……”
“……Observe the double-slit interference, conduct deep de Broglie actions, and witness the uncertainty…… particles are waves, waves are particles, particles are just waves, waves are just particles……”
“Gurgle, gurgle……”
“……Thus, power, grace, and glory are yours, forever!”
“Gurgle……”
After finishing the last line of the chaotic prayer, Lin Qingliu, who felt like he was almost drowning the baptized person, managed to insert the half-ethereal golden cross USB drive into the back of the person’s neck, while selecting “Yes” on the pop-up in his vision that asked if he wished to bestow a blessing.
The baptized person instantly stopped resisting, as if falling into a deep, deep sleep.
A blood-red mark rapidly appeared around the area where the USB was inserted, only to quickly vanish on the wet skin.
As Lin Qingliu pulled out the USB drive, the individual instantly resumed struggling. He then effortlessly lifted him out of the water.
This was a young, chubby man with deep brown hair, his long bangs clinging to his face. He shook his wet hair like a muddy dog swimming to the shore and asked:
“Doctor, is this done?”
“It’s done. I told you the ceremony is not complicated.”
“And now, you should call me ‘Father.’”
Lin Qingliu raised his chin slightly, signaling the man to put the promised donation into the donation box labeled “Charity.”
Though he appeared calm, Lin Qingliu secretly thought to himself that this “blessing” didn’t seem to have any effect…… Was it because it was his first time and he lacked experience……
The deep brown-haired chubby man didn’t respond, seemingly disappointed by the perfunctory ceremony. After hesitating for a few seconds, he took out his slightly damaged wallet and counted out the promised two thousand information coins to place into the wooden box.
He glanced at the inside of the box under the dim light, and it seemed like there hadn’t been a single coin in there before……
So he was the first big fool?
But it didn’t matter, as today was the last day of his life, Wang Xiao thought to himself.
His life was meaningless, no money, no health, no family…… he had nothing. Receiving a bit of bad luck before dying was not something he couldn’t accept.
Such people were not uncommon in Hope City, but despair was still despair, and the suffering of others couldn’t make Wang Xiao feel happy.
He didn’t look at the donation box again, feeling a bit dazed from the strange ceremony he just experienced.
He walked out of the obviously unprofessional mental health clinic, recalling the images he had seen in a daze while making his way home, stepping carefully along the way.
If that cold house could still be called a home.
On the other side, just as Wang Xiao left the strangely styled mental health clinic, Lin Qingliu hurriedly pried open the donation box and took out the twenty special plastic two-thousand information coins, fanning them in his hands with a “swish, swish” sound.
He looked up at the holes that pierced through the second-floor ceiling and roof, calculating whether buying cement to repair it himself would cost less.
—
Lin Qingliu’s journey to this world happened two days ago. He was in his twenties and became a text planner for an upcoming game, responsible for constructing the world view and other related tasks. He also occasionally recycled drafts at work to use for extra writing income.
After finishing the project, a celebration banquet was held as scheduled. After the banquet, Lin Qingliu chose to take a taxi home, only to find that the driver had drunk even more than he had and insisted on warmly inviting him to check if the headlights of a reversing truck were broken.
Lin Qingliu found himself unable to decline and reluctantly accepted the invitation. Consequently, while the semi-truck’s headlights were functioning properly, the brakes were somewhat faulty.
In the blink of an eye, Mr. Lin was transported into this new world.
Honestly, given the environment of his original world, the concept of crossing over wasn’t particularly hard to accept. However, Lin Qingliu found himself puzzled when trying to categorize the nature of his crossing.
If he considered it a physical transfer, it appeared that another Lin Qingliu already existed in this world. The two seamlessly merged into one, without any discord, and he even seemed a few years younger, "inheriting" this modest property.
If he thought of it as a soul transfer, his golden cross USB drive, filled with numerous discarded game drafts and settings, suddenly appeared around his neck, establishing an inexplicable connection with him.
Simultaneously, the system in his mind, which matched the style of the USB drive, continuously made its presence known—
【Divine Cultivation System】
Lin Qingliu dubbed it the "Kamei Cultivation System."
The purpose of this system was clear, and its operation was straightforward, featuring only one core function—【Bestow a Blessing】—with the rest being supplementary features.
Those who received the blessing would automatically become Lin Qingliu’s followers and could awaken special abilities.
Lin Qingliu not only gained feedback when they awakened but also acquired even greater power as their abilities evolved.
Even if a follower betrayed him, the system could quickly detect it, remotely revoke their abilities, and erase related memories.
It could grow, it could harvest, it could control.
Ah, the scent of leeks!
Just as he was beginning to accept this setup, the memories from this world revealed that things were not so simple—
It was now the fifty-second year of the new era. Fifty-two years ago, a small asteroid broke through numerous barriers and crashed directly into an island nation in the Sea.
The asteroid seemed to carry a peculiar radiation capable of mutating the planet’s original life forms.
While humanity was preoccupied with the tsunami, other calamities triggered by the impact and countless anomalous monsters began to ravage the world.
The majority of life perished in agony, becoming part of an endless beast tide, while the fortunate few built the world’s last city—Hope City—on the opposite side of the Earth.
After a decade of upheaval, a dynamic equilibrium was reached between humans, monsters, and extraordinary beasts, with humans periodically culling the beast tides and the beasts regularly assaulting Hope City.
Simultaneously, awakened superpowered individuals emerged among the new humans. These individuals, with their diverse abilities, became the beacon of hope for humanity, giving real meaning to the name Hope City.
Decades later, the first generation of superpowered individuals had become the pillars of Hope City, steadfastly upholding this final bastion of humanity.
The Lin Qingliu of this world had a straightforward identity, with a life story that barely filled an A4 sheet.
Born after the new era, he had not awakened any powers and was merely one among the masses.
His parents had passed away early, leaving him this inexpensive house in the eastern outer city, which was at risk of being engulfed by the beast tide.
Lin Qingliu had finally achieved his dream—owning a house in the capital, a two-story villa with a basement.
Though the journey had been somewhat convoluted……
The residents of Hope City were perpetually under immense mental burdens, creating a substantial demand for psychological counseling.
After a struggle to obtain his psychological counselor qualification, Lin Qingliu invested heavily in renovating his old, small house, transforming the first floor into a mental health clinic accessible to those in the outer city.
Just as things were looking up, two days ago, a surge of extraordinary beasts against the city walls sent sharp debris hurtling into Lin Qingliu’s home, one piece striking him squarely on the head.
Thus, the Lin Qingliu of this world met an untimely end, leaving behind a ramshackle house and a clientless mental health clinic to the Lin Qingliu of another world.
After a full day of integrating memories, Lin Qingliu accepted his new reality and resolved to leverage his extraordinary abilities to make a significant impact in this faithless world.
And so, the unfortunate Wang Xiao was swindled out of two thousand coins, becoming the first follower of this self-proclaimed deity after Lin Qingliu performed a so-called "The Baptism" using a bathtub.
Naturally, Wang Xiao remained entirely oblivious to all of this.
