Chapter 46: The Four Eliminators

Although the night was dark, the huge and striking mushroom cloud was witnessed by many people in the surrounding cities.

For a time, the internet was flooded with photos of the mushroom cloud taken by various passersby, with people exclaiming that a nuclear bomb had exploded, while many others screamed that the end of the world was coming.

In just a few short minutes, topics containing keywords such as nuclear bomb, mushroom cloud, and war climbed to the bottom of the trending search lists on major social platforms. Moreover, their popularity was rising rapidly.

Yet, it was precisely at this moment that all trending searches related to the nuclear explosion were thoroughly scrubbed from top to bottom, and numerous related posts and keywords were blocked.

Those who had posted these messages were even gifted a complimentary package of account silencing and banishment.

Shortly after, a flood of new trending topics suddenly appeared:

[A certain well-known actor fainted from crying too hard during a scene], [A certain well-known actress gained weight], [Happened to bump into a certain celebrity], [Selfie of a certain celebrity's full face], [A certain internet celebrity wearing a dress], [A certain celebrity livestreaming while eating pizza], [A certain celebrity eating seafood...]

Trending searches of various celebrities and influencers burst forth, instantly crowding the trending rankings. Countless netizens tapped their screens to like and comment until their hands cramped, unable to stop.

Celebrity trending topics combined with deletions, mutes, and bans successfully pushed the information regarding the nuclear blast instantly into a corner, leaving it completely ignored.

Meanwhile, the surroundings of Nedako City, which had suffered the nuclear strike, welcomed a large army within a short span of time, executing a strict blockade that strictly prohibited anyone from approaching.

Those who had previously posted photos of the mushroom cloud online cursed certain capitalists for lacking humanity and prepared to transmit the photos through chat software, only to hear the friendly voices of Water and Electricity Bureau staff members ringing outside their doors.

All of these measures originated from the Church of the Heavenly Gods. Only a group like them could manage to suppress such a grave matter.

Although they could have completely staged a self-directed play, shifting the blame for the launch of these nuclear bombs onto some hostile nation, and then guiding public opinion to direct everyone's attention toward condemning that adversary.

Yet, doing so would place the reality of the nuclear explosion squarely before everyone's eyes. Consequently, many people would inevitably raise questions regarding various issues surrounding this nuclear blast.

For instance, why the interception system failed to function; why five nuclear bombs landed in the very same city; or questions concerning the rescue operations for the survivors.

And the one thing the members of the Church of the Heavenly Gods least wanted outsiders to know about was precisely the rescue operations for the survivors.

Because there would be no rescue at all.

The tens of millions of people who died in this city, along with the hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of survivors, were all part of the blood sacrifice ritual currently underway.

This was the very reason why they preferred to expend greater effort and employ more complicated means to cover it up.

Naturally, such a method treated the symptoms rather than the root cause and could only conceal the truth for a few days at most.

However, this was already sufficient.

"Two days. As long as two days, the ritual will be complete."

Beside the antique iron box, Bridges focused his gaze on the sky above the city ahead, reciting silently in his heart.

Beneath the dim night sky, the dark clouds dissipated, leaving a blood-red moon suspended in the air.

This blood-red moon could only be seen from this city and a certain surrounding distance.

Because it was not a moon orbiting outside this planet, but rather a ritual "relay station" hanging high above this city, obscuring the position that originally belonged to the moon.

In the city below, wisps of invisible energy slowly rose, drifting into the blood moon.

These formless, intangible energies were precisely the life force of the people who perished in the nuclear blast.

Although many of those individuals had their very bodies dissolved, their life energy would not dissipate in a short time; only if it remained unabsorbed or unused would this energy scatter within a few days.

"Three days from now, I shall become a god!"

A rich smile hung on Bridges' face; he was exceedingly joyful.

Thirty years ago, he was merely a retired, frustrated, and aging politician whose body was so frail he had only a few months left to live.

It was not until he encountered a special heart housed within an iron box, followed by various unfathomable items of knowledge welling up in his mind, that he ushered in a rebirth.

From that knowledge, Bridges learned the method to prolong his life, numerous ritual incantations with special effects, and that the special heart belonged to a fallen deity, possessing boundless and mighty power.

From then on, he founded the Church of the Heavenly Gods in the capacity of an apostle of God, absorbing individuals who wielded massive power yet had only a few years left to live into the fold.

Ever since then, apart from absorbing new members every few years, he had continuously made preparations for today's ritual.

The Awakening of God!

This was the name of the blood sacrifice ritual currently in progress.

As long as the lives of over a million people were offered, the divine consciousness hidden within the special heart could be reawakened, thereby causing the true god to resurrect.

As the leader of the Church of the Heavenly Gods, Bridges already stood at the very pinnacle of human power and wealth—second to none.

Having reached his position, ordinary money and power could no longer satisfy his desires. Compared to resurrecting a deity whose temperament, likes, and dislikes were unknown, he desired even more to... become a god himself!

That's right. Bridges had no intention of resurrecting the deity.

He merely intended to use this divine heart to replace his own heart, thereby allowing himself to ascend to divinity!

However, this required numerous preparations, as well as a blood sacrifice far greater than a normal divine awakening ritual, which was why it had been dragged out until now.

Whoosh!

At this moment, a pitch-black, ink-like figure drilled out from the ground.

The dark shadow possessed a human form, its head and clothes concealed within the darkness, allowing it to be discerned only vaguely as male.

The surrounding elders glanced at him before withdrawing their gaze, continuing to look toward the blood moon in the sky. They could clearly feel that as the ritual progressed, their aging bodies were gradually regaining vitality.

Upon emerging, the dark shadow went directly to Bridges' side and spoke respectfully, "Leader, there are a few people outside who wish to see you."

Bridges looked at him and said, "Didn't I say that no one is allowed to enter?"

Within his calm tone, a trace of chill was mixed.

The dark shadow had once been a top-tier Purifier who accidentally fused with a dangerous species. After being recruited by the Church of the Heavenly Gods, he became the church's strongest defensive force.

The dark shadow shivered involuntarily, then lowered his head: "Meatball, Sunglasses, Black Robe, and Elementary School Student are all outside. With our capabilities, we can at most hold off two of them."

Bridges narrowed his eyes: "Bring them here."

"I'm going right now."

The dark shadow nodded, his body melting into the ground and disappearing from sight.

Dozens of elderly people nearby had also heard what the dark shadow said. They looked at each other nervously, but seeing that Bridges remained quite calm, they stayed silent.

Meatball, Sunglasses, Black Robe, and Elementary School Student were the respective nicknames of four top-tier Purifiers. Each of them possessed bizarre abilities far exceeding ordinary dangerous species due to various reasons, and all of them had rejected the recruitment offers of the Church of the Heavenly Gods.

In certain aspects, their danger level was several times higher than that of Jiang, who fought purely with physical prowess. After all, no matter how strong physical might was, there were many ways to counter it. But those bizarre abilities were exceedingly difficult to defend against.

"I recall they all have their own teams; how did they manage to gather together?"

Bridges found it somewhat difficult to understand. After all, as top-tier Purifiers, these four individuals all had a massive number of clearance missions to complete; it was almost impossible for them to walk together.

As to why these four wished to come over, that wasn't hard to guess.

Firstly, the tremendous shock and mushroom cloud following the nuclear blast; secondly, the divine awakening ritual would manifest numerous paranormal phenomena. While ordinary people might find it hard to perceive them, to Purifiers, they were as conspicuous as a bright beacon in the dark, impossible to miss.

As long as they were within a certain distance, they were bound to discover it.

As for the army's blockade, although it could stop ordinary people and the majority of Purifiers, it had no effect whatsoever on these four.

And the reason they had the dark shadow come notify him was likely out of a dread of the entire Church of the Heavenly Gods, since the power wielded by the church still possessed considerable threat.

Before long, the visitors were led over by the dark shadow.

They were four individuals who looked entirely mismatched:

A middle-aged fatty with a bulging belly and flesh that trembled with every step he took—"Meatball"; a tall oddity whose entire body was concealed within black robes—"Black Robe"; a backpack-wearing individual sucking on a lollipop—"Elementary School Student"; and a young man wearing sunglasses, shorts, and flip-flops—"Sunglasses."

Judging by their outward appearances, aside from the one in the black robe, the other three looked completely ordinary.

Had one not witnessed it with their own eyes, no one would ever have imagined that they were top-tier Purifiers possessing bizarre and formidable abilities, having completed at least a hundred clearance missions or more.

Compared to Jiang Jun, who had debuted in recent years and rapidly climbed to the top, they had established their fame much earlier and held greater influence within the sparsely populated Purifier profession.

"Welcome. I heard several of you wished to see me. I wonder what business you might have?"

Bridges spread his arms, striking a hospitable pose.

Black Robe looked at him and emitted a deep voice: "Leader Bridges, you should know why we are here looking for you."

The other three did not speak, seemingly defaulting to Black Robe as their spokesperson.

Bridges chuckled twice without denying it, then said, "So, what is it you intend to do?"

"Stop this ritual and give us an explanation."

Black Robe glanced at the scarred, devastated city nearby, then shifted his gaze back to Bridges. From the dark hood, two bluish flames flickered where his eyes should be.

Sunglasses suddenly spoke up: "And the matter regarding Jiang must also be made clear."

So that was it.

Bridges glanced at the flip-flops. Although the divine awakening ritual was conspicuous, unless these four happened to be stationed in the neighboring city, it was impossible for them to have seen it, let alone arrive together.

However, if they had hurried over upon receiving the news that Jiang was being besieged and suppressed by the military, that also explained why they had arrived so promptly.

"Since you wish to hear my explanation, I will give you one—an absolutely reasonable explanation!"

A somewhat exaggerated smile hung on Bridges' face as his lips moved rapidly, yet they emitted not the slightest sound.

"Mr. Bridges, you are making things very difficult for us."

Elementary School Student took the lollipop out of his mouth, shaking his head and sighing.

He only looked like an elementary school student on the outside, but in reality, he was a middle-aged man with a childlike innocence; naturally, it was impossible for him not to discern the hidden meaning behind Bridges' words.

"Now, you won't feel difficult anymore."

Bridges ceased his silent recitation and spoke with a smile.

Elementary School Student wanted to say more, but Meatball seemed to realize something. As his massive physique leaped sideways, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Run!"

Yet, the moment his voice rang out, a formless force manifested in the surroundings, directly enveloping the entire area.

Before the four of them could even react, they felt an extreme pulling sensation from their physical bodies down to their souls. The abilities they had employed countless times seemed to slow down considerably at this very moment.

In the blink of an eye, the four of them, along with the ground beneath their feet, were shifted by over a thousand meters, entering the edge of the adjacent city.