Dawn of a New Era

Chapter 729 702: The Rematch (Part 1)

Chen Shouyi actually didn't like this.

Really didn't like it.

It made him feel very lonely.

But what could be done? It was all because he was too powerful.

This was the price of being the strongest.

Fortunately, he was used to it from a young age; aside from the few friends and family, there were pitifully few people he could communicate with.

The only difference was that before, he had no presence, now it was reverence.

He silently finished his breakfast, then stood up quietly and returned to his room; throughout, no one disturbed him, everything was silent.

...

In the pouring rain, the soldiers on the front lines began an emergency retreat. On the muddy dirt road, countless trucks loaded with soldiers flowed in an endless stream, their eyes blank and uneasy, clearly unaware of what had happened, perhaps faintly guessing.

An aircraft took off from a nearby airfield, piercing through the rain curtain, but just as it climbed into the air, it was struck by a sudden bolt of lightning and exploded mid-air, sending countless fragments soaring.

An invisible power enveloped the world.

This was not divine power, merely the domain of faith naturally reacting against hostile invaders.

Chen Shouyi stood by the window, watching the distant fireball gradually extinguish, his brow slightly furrowed.

He found himself a bit overconfident.

A Barbarian God within its own domain of faith and one outside of it were two completely different matters; within its domain, it was akin to fighting on home ground, not only would strength, stamina, and divine power all be amplified, but the enemy would also face comprehensive suppression.

If the battle were elsewhere, he was confident of a fifty percent chance of victory, but here he feared only…

Chen Shouyi thought carefully.

"Forget it, I'll know when the time comes." He didn't want to dwell on it.

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the spatial passage, took one out, and as he placed it on his lips, it automatically ignited. He took a deep drag and slowly exhaled a mouthful of dense smoke.

Sometimes people have no choice.

Just like in war, knowing that it leads to death, yet still enthusiastically enlisting, one following after another.

Is it because they're not afraid of death?

No.

It's simply because there's something in their heart more important than life itself.

The most crucial point was, he didn't want to just scrape by.

Half a year ago, he could face death with courage, bravely charging into battle, and now, even though his power had grown, he couldn't bear to flee before the fight, he would despise himself.

He finished his cigarette, extinguished the butt, opened the door, and called for an officer:

"I need the location of the spatial passage at Bujumbura or nearby."

"Yes, General Manager Chen!"

The officer saluted and jogged away.

...

Bujumbura.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, the sky flickered between light and dark.

The Holy God's hymns were being sung, filled with sanctity and beauty.

The air was thick with a bloody scent.

Amir Jael rasped through his prayers, utterly lost in the act, feeling neither hunger nor his physical body, his entire soul seemed to feel the gaze of the Lord, as if embraced by a mother, so gentle, so warm and happy, he couldn't help but cry.

His heart surged, for a moment he felt he could do anything for the Lord, including sacrificing his life.

This was his honor, and his happiness.

His hand reached towards his waist as if guided by an unseen force, where a dagger made of scrap steel was kept, extraordinarily sharp. He gripped it tightly, his hand's veins bulging from the force, then slowly drew it out, moving it towards his neck.

At that moment, a stream of warm liquid splattered all over his face.

He came out of his trance and glanced around, dumbfounded, unable to comprehend.

Bodies, bodies everywhere, the ground saturated with blood.

The air was filled with a pungent, nauseating stench of thick blood.

One corpse lay not far from him, twitching unnaturally, a satisfied smile on its face. He even saw the bodies of Olin Dan and the Priest, alongside many who were fervently praying, oblivious to all around them.

Mad, these people had all gone mad.

He looked at the dagger in his hand, his face turning ashen with fear; he hurriedly threw it to the ground and stumbled a few steps backward, crawling away in panic.

His heart dropped into an ice cellar, his entire body chilled; the earlier frenzy incited by the atmosphere was entirely replaced by intense fear and a longing for life.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die..." He muttered incessantly, terror-stricken.

He was still young, with a promising life ahead.

Life had just begun.

He had no desire to sacrifice his life.

He staggered to his feet, stumbling in the direction he came from, fortunately, everyone else was entranced in an unconscious fervor, paying him no heed.

Thunder continuously crashed beside his ears, as if giants were pounding drums at the horizon. He dared not stop, sprinting with all his might, several times tripping over corpses and scrambling back up to continue running.

He ran all the way to a mound, propping himself up with effort on his knees.

His lungs wheezed like a battered bellows, the intense breath burning with searing pain, and his legs felt leaden, his despairing gaze took in the endless sight of praying followers, or those now bodies. He plopped down on the ground, feeling as if he were in hell.

...

By the edge of a spatial passage.

The defensive installations inside had completely turned to ruins.

Not far on the open ground, Chen Shouyi and two little ones sat cross-legged.

In front of them was a game of aeroplane chess.

"Good giant, it's your turn!"

"Oh!" Chen Shouyi snapped back to reality, picked up the dice, and casually tossed it.

The dice rolled.

"One point."

"Good giant, so useless; not even one, one, one, one, one, one point." Shell Lady smiled broadly.

"Yeah, yeah." The Red Little One nodded in agreement like a shadow.

As the words fell,

The dice suddenly flipped, turning into six points.

"Bad giant, you're cheating!" Shell Lady, with sharp eyes, jumped up in anger.

The Red Little One looked bewildered.

"I didn't cheat," Chen Shouyi said, embarrassed and annoyed, "not playing anymore!"

"Alright, alright, Little One won't say that Good Giant cheated." The Shell Lady sighed in exasperation, "You fly, anyway we're going to win soon."

"You little ones play."

Hmph, this kind of boring game didn't need cheating; the dice rolls that were random to others were inevitable for him.

With his supremely fast thought processes, making the dice fall on any desired number was a certainty, allowing him to overpower effortlessly, without giving the little ones a chance to make a move.

He was just letting the little ones win.

In case they lost and started crying again.

"When the bad giant comes, you know what to do!"

"Run inside." Shell Lady pointed to the spatial passage beside them, "Run far away, then dig a hole."

"Good."

Suddenly he lifted his head; the clouds at the horizon churned and the sky was filled with auroras.