Chapter 1, Midnight Tribute, The Gate of the Holy Prison

The middle-aged man shouted hoarsely for half a day, exposing his own misdeeds of secretly amassing wealth under the guise of the church, even deceiving the congregation, and using his "noble" status to molest underage male and female believers. He was mentally prepared to be beaten and tortured, but as long as he could incite the anger of these believers and prevent them from being further influenced by his nephew's fanaticism, that would suffice. He now only wanted to survive; in his secret bank account abroad lay an astonishing fortune accumulated over the years. As long as he did not die this time, a beautiful life awaited him in the future

Now, he has completely given up, even boldly revealing the church's true secrets in front of numerous followers, all in an attempt to muddy the waters and undermine his nephew's authority among the believers, hoping to secure a glimmer of hope for himself

Now, he is bound to a stake by his own nephew, and given his understanding of his nephew, it is impossible to say that he is not afraid

The middle-aged man, after all, is someone who has accomplished significant deeds. Given the circumstances, he is capable of both taking up and letting go, deciding to abandon everything and secretly escape abroad. However, he did not anticipate that despite having made all the necessary preparations, he would be kidnapped by the sudden intrusion of his nephew's subordinates just as he was about to head to the airport, forcing him to participate in this final "midnight tribute"

The young man standing before him, however, wore a calm smile, showing no signs of being affected in the slightest

Moreover, his most significant characteristic is the complete lack of "opinions"

He shouted for so long, yet the followers around him, who were clearly neither deaf nor mute, had not been coerced in any way, nor had they consumed any hallucinogenic substances. However, each of them seemed completely indifferent to the shocking revelations he had exposed, still bowing their heads and devoutly reciting the scriptures.

"A-Ling, you cannot treat me this way. I, I am your dear uncle... Have you forgotten? After your parents went missing, it was I who raised you single-handedly... You, you cannot hypnotize me..."

Uncle, it is a pity that among the six hundred and sixty-six believers here, what they have believed in and followed, from the very beginning to the final conclusion, has always been me, only me... and not you, nor this false church, and certainly not anything else... As for what you just said, they actually knew it long ago; they simply do not care at all... As for what you just said, they actually knew it long ago; they simply do not care at all...

Midnight ... ...

Throughout a person's life, one will inevitably face numerous choices, such as choices regarding education, employment, and partners. Whenever this nephew encounters a situation that requires a decision, he often resorts to the trivial method of "flipping a coin" to make his choice. Whether it is a small decision like choosing between rice or noodles for dinner, or a significant one regarding the direction of his life, for him, it can all be determined by a one-yuan coin. However, once he makes a decision, regardless of how erroneous or absurd that decision may be, as long as he has made it, he will not stop until the very end.

Smooth light gray marble floor, a large and intricately structured European vintage crystal chandelier, pure white smooth satin, and tables and chairs made of high-quality solid wood

Their prayers echoed in the vast space

This middle-aged man is none other than the "Second Bishop" Li Yanshan, who holds a position of authority in this emerging religion, ranking just below one and above ten thousand. Although he is merely the Second Bishop, it is well understood by those with insight that all significant powers related to the church's finances, personnel, and other critical matters are actually in the hands of this middle-aged man, Li Yanshan. This situation is akin to that in countries like Japan and the United Kingdom, where the nominal rulers are the Emperor and the Queen, yet the real power is held by the Prime Minister.

No!

This middle-aged man is indeed extraordinary; he is quite a well-known figure in LZ City

Uncle, why do you feel so uneasy? Have you forgotten? It was you who told me in person that I am the divine messenger, the eighteenth apostle of the Most High, and also the last apostle... Lilin. Under my blessing, all who sleep will enter another world, a beautiful realm of God where there is no conflict or suffering... And now, I have blessed you and every believer here; those who are here will, after sleeping, go to the holy prison of the Kingdom of God, to that eternally joyful realm, so you have no reason to be afraid. Under my blessing, all who sleep will enter another world, a beautiful realm of God where there is no conflict or suffering... And now, I have blessed you and every believer here; those who are here will, after sleeping, go to the holy prison of the Kingdom of God, to that eternally joyful realm, so you have no reason to be afraid. Although this may bring some pain, such pain will only be temporary, while happiness is eternal... Although this may bring some pain, such pain will only be temporary, while happiness is eternal...

The only element that seemed somewhat discordant with the solemn and dignified atmosphere was a middle-aged man bound to a cross-shaped wooden pillar in the center of the hall. He was dressed in an exceptionally luxurious black robe, and coupled with his well-maintained, rosy complexion, it indicated that he possessed an extraordinary status

Heavenly Dynasty

In LZ City, a once powerful and influential figure, now appeared utterly pitiable, with tears and snot having completely marred his previously dignified and benevolent visage. Although his clothing was of an exquisite style, it was now filthy and bore several areas of damage.

A group of individuals clad in long robes, their heads completely concealed by pure white cloaks, are arranged in a neat formation, devoutly kneeling on the ground. Each person holds a thick, hardcover scripture in their hands, and they are all reciting softly.

It is a pity that, even so, he still underestimates his nephew, underestimating these most devout apostles selected from tens of thousands of believers

The nominal highest leader of the church, who is also the supreme "idol" truly worshipped by the believers, is the middle-aged man Li Yanshan's direct blood relative, the highest archbishop of the church. At this moment, Li Lin is standing in front of his uncle with a smile on his face

A shiny one-yuan coin glimmers on the fingers of the young man Lin, rolling back and forth between his fingers

In recent years, in LZ City and its surrounding areas, and even radiating nationwide, there has been a rapid spread of emerging religious organizations in many provinces and cities. Among them, the "Gate of the Holy Prison" has developed into a colossal entity with tens of thousands of devout followers in just a few years, its scale nearly rivaling that of the cult organization Falun Gong, which wreaked havoc in the Celestial Empire several years ago

It was as if the man, bound to a large wooden post with his feet resting on a pile of dry firewood soaked in gasoline, had nothing to do with himself

Li Yanshan was struggling wildly, crying and shouting. He had always felt both love and fear towards his nephew. The love stemmed from the fact that this nephew was undoubtedly a true genius, a bug-level freak that the world could hardly tolerate, a super cheat code for making money. Without his help, the middle-aged man would have had no chance whatsoever to establish a church of such a large scale in a short period, one so large that it even attracted the attention of the Celestial Empire government. Previously, no matter what difficulties he encountered, as long as he consulted this nephew and the nephew was willing to help, the problems would surely be resolved effortlessly. However, it was precisely due to his ever-expanding ambition and insatiable greed that he recklessly expanded the influence of the church, even provoking the Celestial Empire government at one point to prove his own appeal, which ultimately led to the current situation.

Although luxurious, it exudes a solemn and dignified atmosphere everywhere, much like the ancient European cathedrals with the longest history

Li Lin possesses no desires or views typical of a normal human being regarding any matter. For instance, in his understanding, there is essentially no distinction between two extremely unrelated actions such as killing and drinking water.

A psychiatric patient with a congenital special cognitive bias, akin to Dr. Hannibal in "The Silence of the Lambs," resembling the dark priest Kiritsugu Emiya from the Type-Moon world, a BT character...

Uncle, you could be said to be the person who understands me the most in the world... Have you forgotten? As long as I decide to do something, no matter what it is, I will do my utmost to see it through to the end and to do it well... At that time, since I had already made the decision to help you establish the 'Gate of Sanctum' church, I will certainly carry that decision through to the very last moment, and the 'Gate of Sanctum' church will undoubtedly leave a significant mark in history... Yet now, you suddenly want to give up, want to leave, want to escape. At that time, since I had already made the decision to help you establish the 'Gate of Sanctum' church, I will certainly carry that decision through to the very last moment, and the 'Gate of Sanctum' church will undoubtedly leave a significant mark in history... Yet now, you suddenly want to give up, want to leave, want to escape... How can this be?

At this thought, a scene suddenly appeared in the middle-aged man's mind: the day he proposed to his nephew the idea of helping him establish a new religion. The nephew, smiling, tossed a coin high into the air, ... and then pressed it down onto the back of his hand ...

An abandoned machine processing factory located in the outskirts of the urban area, within its vast and dilapidated large factory building, there exists an extraordinarily luxurious decor that is strikingly different in style.

From that moment on, his fate had already been determined

provincial capital cities, LZ

Dear Uncle, please rest assured that you will not feel lonely, as we will all be with you

A Lin, you madman! With your intelligence, I can't believe you would actually believe the nonsense I made up. Others may not know you, but do you think I, who raised you, wouldn't understand you? What apostles of God, what kingdom of God, what journey to the world of joy—there has never been anything that you truly cared about... Alright, I will go all out. I will let all the believers here know that the reason you are willing to help me establish this damned church is merely a whim of yours, treating the creation of a church as a game, just willing to play along with me. What apostles of God, what kingdom of God, what journey to the world of joy—there has never been anything that you truly cared about... Alright, I will go all out. I will let all the believers here know that the reason you are willing to help me establish this damned church is merely a whim of yours, treating the creation of a church as a game, just willing to play along with me... Alright, I will go all out. I will let all the believers here know that the reason you are willing to help me establish this damned church is merely a whim of yours, treating the creation of a church as a game, just willing to play along with me. But now, the government has decided to thoroughly crack down on the 'Gate of Holy Prison' church. If we don't flee abroad to seek asylum, we will eventually be completely finished. I have received reliable information that the government may dispatch large-scale military and police forces at any time to completely eradicate us, perhaps even today, at this very moment. But now, how can you still be addicted to playing the game of the leader? You have tied me here and even threatened to burn me alive. What exactly do you want to do? Do you really think of yourself as some kind of god's messenger?

The smile on the young man's face was very warm, and there was not the slightest hint of malice or intimidation in his gaze or tone, as if what he was saying were merely casual, everyday remarks. However, the middle-aged man was already drenched in cold sweat. It was only at this moment that he recalled that his nephew, although extraordinarily gifted, could accomplish things that were extremely difficult, even impossible, for ordinary people. For instance, memorizing an entire English-Chinese dictionary or defeating a black belt in karate just three days after learning free fighting—such exaggerated feats were as effortless for him as breathing. Yet, fundamentally, his nephew was... a veritable patient...