Chapter 59
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Chapter 59: 【The Followers】
The emblem, tinged with a deep golden yellow, made the halo appear to truly glow.
Looking at it, the group felt an indescribable sense of awe.
They knew it must have been left behind by that man and his accomplices, but what was the purpose?
A demonstration?
A threat?
Or perhaps—a proclamation?
The young Captain furrowed his brow, sensing that things were not as simple as they seemed.
He surveyed the surroundings of the long-abandoned underground laboratory, taking in the unidentifiable black residue on the ground, the strange group of individuals in deep slumber, the various torn clothes, and… the opponents who bore no killing intent.
Today might not be just a simple superpowers case.
“Let the investigation team in,” the team leader said, somewhat dejected.
“Don’t forget to hand in today’s review when we get back.”
“Why is this thing golden yellow?” the red-haired man suddenly asked.
The somewhat socially anxious stealthy individual pointed to the corner of the laboratory:
“It was probably drawn with that bottle of iodine disinfectant…”
—
“Ha, ha, ha…”
The sound of labored breathing echoed in the dark secret passage.
Wang Xiao and Zhuang Mian, having undergone professional physical training, were naturally unfazed by the exertion.
However, El, who had suffered from malnutrition for a while, and Ji Yongxing, whose expertise lay elsewhere, struggled to keep up with the intense activity.
Having already been chased around by the flesh blob during the earlier confrontation, they now felt as though their lungs might burst, desperate for a cool respite.
The straight-line distance between the laboratory’s underground passage and Fourth Commercial Street in the inner city was nearly two kilometers.
Of course, the secret passage did not extend that far; after just a few hundred meters, the four of them emerged from a patch of weeds.
The exit was near a halted construction site. Though located in the prized inner city, the area was sparsely populated.
As they stepped out of the secret passage, they pretended nothing had happened and briskly walked toward the commercial street, resembling a group of unfortunate souls rushing to avoid being late for work.
A few minutes later, the four finally stood beneath the street sign of Fourth Commercial Street.
“Is there really going to be someone waiting for us?” El asked, his eyes taking in the unfamiliar sights of the inner city.
Before anyone could respond, a car pulled up in front of them.
The car window rolled down, revealing a kindly smiling face.
“Yo, you all are here! Hurry up and get in the car!”
Seeing that the newcomer was the familiar Dr. Lin, the group let out a sigh of relief, closed the car door, and the vehicle headed towards the eastern part of the outer city.
Even though Lin Qingliu could now fully control all his muscles, he still appeared somewhat inexperienced while driving.
Ji Yongxing, sitting in the passenger seat, noticed all of this.
As for why Young Genius was sitting in the passenger seat? It was because he knew the inner city roads the best.
“Dr. Lin, do you have a driver’s license?”
“Yes.”
Lin Qingliu confidently pulled out a small booklet from his pocket and handed it to Ji Yongxing in the passenger seat.
The boy took it, opened it, and read aloud:
“Pi El, male, forty years old… this, this, this…”
He looked at Lin Qingliu, who was focused on driving:
“Doctor, this isn’t your driver’s license.”
“Just tell me whether it’s valid or not.”
“…Is this car yours?”
“What do you think?”
“May I ask, this Pi El…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden dull thud and a cry from a human came from the car’s trunk.
Ji Yongxing swallowed the unfinished question “Is he still alive?” and marveled at the decisiveness of the psychologist.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pay.”
Lin Qingliu paid it no mind, as he was attempting to overtake the car in front, feeling his excitement with his first time driving.
After driving for an hour and a half, the car finally stopped at an intersection in the eastern part of the outer city.
Once they got out of the car, Lin Qingliu settled the rental fee for the unfortunate Pi El and then led everyone towards his mental health clinic.
Besides Lin Qingliu and El, the others had visited this place no more than three times.
Recalling their newfound powerful abilities and their lack of visits, the group felt a wave of shame wash over them.
Taking out his keys, Lin Qingliu opened the door while chatting casually as he walked inside.
Just as he turned on the lights, a crisp and pleasant snap echoed. The group turned toward the sound to see the powerful and enigmatic white-haired man sitting in Lin Qingliu’s office chair.
He lightly clapped his hands and, with a somewhat satisfied tone, said:
“Not bad, you’re not too late.”
Lin Qingliu scratched his head and looked at the man:
“I remember I didn’t give you the key to this place.”
The white-haired man pointed to the window behind him:
“The quality isn’t good; it’s time to replace it.”
Observing the window that bore signs of damage, the group couldn’t help but notice that Lin Qingliu’s expression bore a striking resemblance to Pi El’s from ten minutes prior.
“Let’s not dwell on these minor details. After all, this marks our first official meeting. I believe it’s essential to clarify a few matters.”
With a wave of his hand, the man animated the chairs in the examination room, causing them to swiftly gather around the space.
The group, not daring to be remiss, seated themselves obediently, akin to children in a kindergarten, and began to heed the words of the “Paster.”
“Dr. Lin is undoubtedly familiar to you all. He is the preacher, the Eye of God, a witness to divine enlightenment, tasked with disseminating the Lord’s gospel.
“As for me, you need only know that I am the Paster, the Hand of God, responsible for cleansing and concealing that which is impure.
“And you, as devout followers of the divine, as His faithful disciples, have a straightforward mission: to harness the powers bestowed upon you by Him and strive to save this world to the best of your abilities.”
The white-haired man surveyed the room and continued,
“This experience should have enlightened you to the fact that even for the blessed, an individual’s strength is limited. To rescue the world, unity among you, and indeed among us all, is imperative.”
At this juncture, he traced the golden symbol in the air, allowing each person to observe every intricate detail of the emblem.
“This symbol stands as the representation of our organization. As for its name, do any of you have suggestions?”
Lin Qingliu, who had remained silent until now, raised his hand and proposed,
“How about we name it ‘The Followers’? What are everyone’s thoughts?”
The others, already fatigued from the discourse, found themselves without strong objections under the prevailing pressure, thus easily conceding the final decision to Lin Qingliu, who was not particularly adept at naming.
“I find that acceptable.”
The white-haired man nodded in agreement and stated,
“With that settled, there remains one final matter: the location for our organization’s gatherings.”
He glanced around at the group and offhandedly suggested,
“How about right here?”
“What? My place?”
Lin Qingliu was the first to respond, gesturing towards the surrounding mental health clinic, feeling somewhat like an unfortunate soul whose land had been commandeered.
Objectively speaking, the proposal was indeed the most practical choice, and thus it was unanimously approved.
Seeing no further issues at hand, the white-haired man raised his hands, and the desk before him morphed into a dining table ample enough to accommodate six. He extended his arms to either side, signaling for everyone to follow suit.
Once all had joined hands to form a circle, the Paster initiated a solemn prayer.
With the conclusion of the proceedings, he expressed his contentment:
“May each of you exert your utmost efforts to guide humanity out of its plight at the earliest.
“Additionally, each of you may consider adopting a code name, much like Dr. Lin’s ‘preacher’ and my own ‘Paster.’”
—
Meanwhile, beyond the realm of dreams.
Lin Qingliu, the legal representative of Kammy Company, was in the process of lifting each individual onto the Examination Table one by one.
