Traveler of the River of Time and Space

Chapter 634 8: Time Left for Humanity Is Running Out

Death Valley.

This place is named Death Valley because it used to be a place where powerful Death Claws roamed.

Death Valley is about fifty or sixty kilometers from the Southern Cross. Before the great catastrophe, it was a mining area, later abandoned, reopened several decades ago, and then abandoned again due to the active presence of Corpse Ghosts and some bizarre events.

Now, it serves as one of the underground bases for the activities of the Esoteric Cultists.

In the underground mines of Death Valley, a group of Esoteric Cultists dressed in vintage black robes are currently worshiping at a bizarre altar overhead. (Note: The background of the radiation itself includes elements of the Old Gods.)

At the center of the altar lies a mass of black substance, writhing like a living creature, with some tendrils extending from its corners, resembling a massive black flesh mass. Everyone beneath the altar views it with a fanatical devotion and reliance, chanting strange words of prayer, resembling a fusion of various languages that imposes spiritual oppression, yet offers some form of release and liberation within that oppression.

This writhing black mass is slow to react to any external stimuli, seemingly not a host body but some underdeveloped man-made creation.

At the forefront of the altar stands the statue of the Divine Spirit worshiped by the Esoteric Cultists.

Mother of all Old Gods.

The progenitor of Old Gods, the Mother Goddess with authority over powerful reproductive powers, the Dark Fertility Goddess, the Supreme Mother Goddess, the Black Goat bearing thousands of offspring.

The statue has the outline of a humanoid-like black goat, but this is not the true form of the Divine Spirit, rather a spectral image created by Esoteric Cultists based on their observations and certain imaginations.

The entire underground cave is filled with faint glows, indubitably shrouded in severe radiation pollution.

However, these Esoteric Cultists seem indifferent, appearing like ordinary humans amidst the high radiation, without any signs of mutation.

At some unknown time, the eerie sacrificial ceremony concluded.

Suddenly, the enormous black flesh mass on the altar squirmed, and the tendrils on its surface swayed gently, emitting sounds inaudible to ordinary humans.

Yet, the Esoteric Cultists below became suddenly agitated.

Subsequently, a Priestess emerged from the crowd. She addressed the gathered Esoteric Cultists in a sharp, excited voice: "A new Divine Favored will soon be born."

"Please heed the Gospel."

"Accept the blessing of the Divine Spirit."

At once, all Esoteric Cultists prostrated themselves on the ground.

Following this, the black flesh mass on the altar extended slender tendrils that slowly moved through the crowd, each encountered cultist trembling with fear and excitement, frozen in place.

Suddenly, all the tendrils surged toward a man among the crowd. As his eyes filled with excitement, fear, and elation, they entered his mouth, stretching it open until it seemed like his face might tear apart.

The man convulsed momentarily, then fell silent.

A few minutes later.

The man's skin began to writhe like worms, and shortly thereafter tendrils extended from his mouth, resembling human facial hair, slowly emerging, gently falling, and swaying in motion.

"Retrieve the Gospel Book."

By now, the man's vocal cords were completely distorted, his voice seemingly originating from the black tendrils extending from his mouth. With an icy expression, he stood upright, rising from lying down to standing straight as if his knees had never bent, and slowly stated: "Capture those blasphemers!"

"Sacrifice them."

"Let them find redemption in the embrace of the Supreme Mother Goddess."

With each step the man took, his skin peeled, and hair fell away. Within a mere dozen steps, his body's surface transformed into a keratinous layer akin to that of a Mutant.

By the time he reached the mine's entrance, his arms had become three thick black tendrils.

Such was the appearance that, had Su Ziyu been present, he would undoubtedly be shocked. When he first saw his mutated form through Spiritual Vision, it bore a likeness six or seven-tenths similar to the transformation of the man now before him, only back then, Su Ziyu's Spiritual Vision mutation did not involve black tendrils extending from the mouth.

All this occurred shortly after the LN ship launched the nuclear missile.

Almost minutes after the nuclear missile launched by the LN ship sent the group of Esoteric Cultists after Su Ying skyward, the ceremony to choose a new Divine Favored began here.

As though some hidden existence had been orchestrating everything all along.

In the wilderness.

"Run."

"Don't stop."

Su Ying dashed across the desolate lands, without glancing back at the mushroom cloud rising behind her, nor spending any mind on whether the nuclear explosion would affect her own, she only knew she must exert all her effort to run, at any cost, to deliver the Golden Disc to a place of safety.

For at the first touch of the Gospel Book, she realized that time was running out for humanity.

Insanity didn't just appear recently.

It had existed long ago, merely erupted entirely until now.

For the Old God had completed its ritual, and the eerie whisper enveloped the entire Earth. She didn't even dare to look up to the heavens now, fearing that at that moment, she would see that vast shadow, extending countless tendrils, engulfing the entire sky of the Earth.

The Old God's final ritual has been set in motion.

And insanity is the herald of its commencement, the sudden outbreaks of madness across the world indicate that the 'whisper of the Old God' has covered every corner of the Earth.

She did not know when the ritual would be fully accomplished.

But she knew that not much time remained for humanity, as the Incarnation of the Divine Spirit could momentarily manifest into reality.

——"Whispers of the Old Gods: A profane whisper created by the Old Gods through human voices, capable of continuously eroding human reason, stripping it away, letting madness surge forth. The more sensitive the mind, the easier it is to hear the whispers of the Old Gods. All humans affected by the whispers must undergo a will immunity check every 8 hours, failing which their sanity will be further eroded by madness."

Thanks to the mind barriers Su Ziyu left behind, Su Ying was temporarily immune to the effects of the Gospel Book in her hands.

She didn't know how long she had been running until she heard other people's calls near her ears and the sound of helicopter blades above her. Only then did she stop, panting.

"It's okay now."

"You're safe now."

A woman with frameless gold-rimmed glasses jumped down from the helicopter, easily landing from a height of nearly twenty meters. After raising her hands to indicate she was harmless, she said to Su Ying, "I am the head of the Academy."

"You are safe now."

"Give me what you are holding, and I will have someone escort you to a safe place."

Seeing the outstretched hand, Su Ying decisively stepped back, raised her gun, and said, "No. It's dangerous."

"You can't touch it."

"I can only hand it over to the Brotherhood or the Beidou people."

Su Ying's actions immediately made the surrounding cyborgs raise their guns, aiming at her, waiting for the woman's command.

Due to her childhood experiences, Su Ying had never trusted people from the Academy or any outsiders. She could trust the Brotherhood due to their relationship with her father and their assistance to her. She could trust Beidou because they proved their faith with their lives.

But she didn't trust the Academy and was even afraid of this item falling into the hands of the Academy.

The woman frowned immediately due to Su Ying's actions. She stared intently at Su Ying, her expression gradually becoming cold, with her raised hand ready to drop at any moment.

Beep.

But at this moment, a gentle male voice sounded near the woman's ear.

"Doctor A." The woman's expression immediately became respectful.

The person addressed as Doctor A clearly knew everything happening here. He said softly, "Take her to the LN Ship."

"This item doesn't have to be handed over to us."

"But it also cannot be given to the Brotherhood."

"Escort her to the LN Ship. The Beidou people will know how to handle it."

"Be careful."

"Gaia has detected multiple forces converging on your location via satellite."

"Mother Yisodel has also appeared."

The news of the Gospel Book has leaked.

It's unclear which faction revealed it, but all forces suddenly knew of the existence of the Gospel Book and were convinced of its mysterious power.

"Get on the helicopter."

"We will escort you to the LN Ship." The woman turned off the communication.

Su Ying nodded at the words, sealed the black bag in her hands securely, and said solemnly, "Okay. But don't get too close to me."

"I'm worried it will contaminate you."

The woman couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the words, carefully examining Su Ying's bag, and checked her wristwatch, saying, "That item has a certain amount of radiation pollution."

"I suggest using something more sealed for its storage."

"I've brought warriors with the strongest will. You can rest assured."

The helicopter quickly took off.

Su Ying sat in the back cabin, holding the Gospel Book cautiously, not allowing anyone to get too close to her.

A team escorted her to the location of the LN Ship. After achieving temporary safety, Su Ying couldn't help but exhale and relaxed her mind a little.

But at some unknown moment,

the helicopter's pilot in the front suddenly made a strange gesture, tilting his head as if listening intently.

He felt as if he heard something, yet it seemed like he didn't hear anything at all.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself in a barely audible voice, and then continued to fly the helicopter seriously. However, at some unknown moment, the corners of his mouth began to subtly curl up, the curve becoming more evident until it eventually formed a clear smile.

He grinned, smiling and smiling, and suddenly looked up at his reflection on the windshield.

It was a strange smile tinged with fanaticism.

"Listen to the Gospel of the Gods!"

He murmured softly, in a voice so weak it was almost entirely inaudible.

Su Ying underestimated the willpower of the Beidou warriors, while the woman overestimated the willpower of her own subordinates.

......