Gus had been possessed.
The flames spurting out of the honeycomb on his shoulder were savaging and swallowing the rugged paths on the rock stratums like the fire from the bottom level of hell.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under the bombardment of the ‘God’s Punishment VII’ mini rocket launcher, the rock stratum was riddled with craters.
Large rocks fell like an avalanche.
The pursuers all ran away like rats, but they were still screaming in pain.
He managed to summon enough spiritual gas to protect his body and begged for the Fist God’s blessing in his heart, but he still failed to stop himself from being smashed by the stones. He was even blown off a cliff by a giant rock three to five meters in diameter and smashed into pieces.
The smoke rose up like flames and covered everything within several square kilometers. Even the dense raindrops could not extinguish it.
Everyone, including Lei Lie, whose internal organs were writhing because of the blast and who was bleeding nonstop, could only hear the crazy laughter of the young man who looked like a devil from the depths of the smoke.
The destructive aura even made some of them feel that it was blasphemous. Even if the Fist God arrived, he wouldn’t be able to move forward at all in the face of the overwhelming destructive force.
After a long time, Gus finally stopped venting.
The world stopped shaking, and the rocks stopped falling. Everyone was still in shock as they looked at the gradually thinning smoke.
They saw that Gus had put the destructive weapon back on his back. He was hunched and insignificant again.
If it were not for the excruciating pain of the bleeding wounds on their bodies and the fact that they had lost more than half of their companions, they would have doubted whether or not it was an absurd nightmare just now. Gus was still the useless man who did not even have the strength to truss a chicken.
Unfortunately, no matter how they gritted their teeth and rubbed their eyes, the nightmare would not end.
Gus picked up Grey.
The young man hugged his sister tightly. It was the only temperature that he could feel in the world.
He glanced at his uncle and the surviving pursuers with half contempt and half hatred. Then, he took two steps back and jumped off the cliff without looking back.
“Gus—”
Lei Lie wanted to stop his nephew.
But he couldn’t even make a sound.
His throat was blocked by the blood.
Even his soul was frozen in shock and fear.
He craned his neck and looked at the abyss that was wreathed in clouds, only to discover that a black spot was gradually disappearing.
Lei Lie and the surviving pursuers looked at each other in bewilderment. All their faces were full of cracks that indicated that their beliefs had collapsed and their world view had been shattered.
At the same time, they fell to the ground, their iron-like fists lightly trembling. They were silent for a long time; no one was willing to speak.
However, deep inside everyone’s eyes was a cluster of rebellious confusion. The priests and the loyal believers of the Fist God could not help but secretly ask themselves:
“Are we wrong?”
…
At the bottom of the cliff, in the abyss.
Gus and Grey fell at a high speed, as if they had fallen into hell again.
The scenery around him was passing by quickly. The jagged rocks on the ground were getting larger and larger. They were about to touch each other.
Suddenly, Lu Qingchen blew at the ground.
The ground twisted like waves. The air that used to be thin and light suddenly turned thick and dense, as if fluffy feathers were covering the landing point of the siblings.
“Pu—”
The two siblings fell into an invisible feather. The enormous impact of falling thousands of meters was immediately gone. They bounced back several times and fell to the ground softly.
Looking at the peak of the mountain that was wreathed in clouds, he remembered that he had been a devil on the peak of the mountain a moment ago and was on a killing spree. It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Nice, right?”
Behind him, Lu Qingchen asked with a smile.
“Awesome!”
Although he knew that the devil was up to no good, the young man still nodded and said, “You are indeed omnipotent. You are even better than the Fist God!”
“I’m not omnipotent, but I have to be stronger than the boxing champion.
Lu Qingchen said, “However, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. The tampering of the data will trigger a chain reaction very soon, which will be discovered by the anti-virus system of the boxing champion and lead you to this place. In the future, more and more people will come after you, and they will be stronger and stronger. It will be a vicious cycle.
“Before the boxing champion discovers us, we must find the weakest place in the world. Only by choosing that place as the battlefield can we truly defeat the boxing champion.”
“I know.”
Gus nodded. “My sister said that more and more people in the base of the south’s army of steam saw through the Fist God’s lie and chose machines and the power of steam. That should be the most vulnerable place in the world.
“We can go to ‘Qianyuan City’, the largest city in the five hundred square kilometers nearby. From there, we can go down the river and reach the south!
“Very good.”
Lu Qingchen smiled. “It seems that you’ve finally been awakened. As expected of the young man that I thought highly of since the very beginning!”
Gus hesitated. “Really?”
Lu Qingchen nodded. “Of course. I chose you from the very beginning. As for your sister, she is just a complimentary gift.”
Gus frowned. “Weren’t you lying to me that you didn’t think I was… useless?”
Lu Qingchen opened his hands. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter whether you are a genius of this world or a piece of trash. In any case, I can modify the data. Compared to your initial data, I value your adjustability and confidentiality more. Aiya, you won’t understand even if I explain it to you now. I will explain it to you when I have the chance. Shall we go?”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Gus took a breath and hugged his sister again, ready to go.
Suddenly, he stopped. Hesitating for a moment, he summoned his courage and asked, “Can—can I believe in you?”
Lu Qingchen was dazed for a moment. “What?”
“I know that you are not a mechanical demon or a steam devil, but you are much stronger than them.
Gus gritted his teeth and said, “I’ve abandoned the path of iron fists, but I don’t want to believe in the power of steam like my father and sister. Compared to the storm bolters and bombardment cannons you gave me, the mechanical and steam-powered ‘chain crossbows and steam guns’ are as ridiculous as the toys of a three-year-old.
“After tasting the strength you gave me, I can’t go back anymore. I want to believe in your Dao. Whatever you are, whatever your Dao is, what price I have to pay, and what I will become!
Lu Qingchen raised his eyebrow and looked at the young man for a long time. Confirming that the young man was serious, he whistled in satisfaction and said, “Sorry, I can’t.”
Gus was anxious. “Why?”
“Listen, Little Brother Gus. Seeing that you have the potential and your words are quite pleasant, you can borrow my strength, you can follow me, and you can trust me, but you cannot believe in me.”
Lu Qingchen was smiling, but his eyes suddenly turned extremely deep.
It was deep enough to accommodate the entire universe and illuminate billions of stars.
All the frivolousness and evilness were gone. He said sincerely, “Because, even I don’t know what I should believe in, and I’m still pursuing… my path!