My dream connects to three thousand years later.

Chapter 95 Talismans Without Extraordinary Power

When Chu Zhu opened his eyes again, his face was expressionless. His head throbbed with pain, and his body twitched involuntarily twice.

He reset it again!

Normally, he wouldn't perform such an extreme reset because he would feel too uncomfortable afterward. But now, with the number of resets increased to seven, coupled with his previous death, Chu Zhu was truly feeling frustrated. So, resetting again wasn't something Chu Zhu absolutely couldn't accept at the moment.

"...What's wrong with you?" Sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, Zhang Hai, who was pretending to be an expert, suddenly became serious and asked with some concern after noticing the strangeness in Chu Zhu.

"Are you about to lose control?" Chu Zhu asked bluntly.

Zhang Hai: "? Wait, wait a minute! No... I didn't do anything to you. The cultivation technique you wanted, I stayed up all night last night to apply for it, and it's been approved. It's right here with me now, why are you cursing me for no reason?"

Zhang Hai was truly wronged.

"Are you alright?" Chu Zhu frowned even more deeply. After thinking for a while, she asked again, "Then, could it be because you stayed up too late and developed some mental problems, causing symptoms that are close to losing control? Like going berserk, losing your mind, or smashing up the entire church!"

"Do you think that's possible?" Zhang Hai laughed angrily.

Chu Zhu closed her eyes, her mind churning with a thousand thoughts. Something was wrong, nothing was right, and the previous situation seemed very strange.

and many more!

"Assassin." Chu Zhu uttered the two words, then abruptly stood up, threw on his coat, and without even bothering to wash up, said, "Take me to see that assassin from before!"

Undoubtedly, the assassin who attempted to kill him was still the Shadow Assassin.

It's possible that after Zhang Hai smashed up the church, the assassin found an opportunity to escape, happened to see Chu Zhu, remembered the orders he received from someone, and killed Chu Zhu on the spur of the moment.

However, considering Zhang Hai's inexplicable loss of control, Chu Zhu suspected that it might be the assassin, or more accurately, someone or some force behind the assassin, who had done something.

……

“I told you! It’s fine.” Zhang Hai poked the assassin, who was still tightly bound, with his finger, then turned to look at Chu Zhu with a helpless expression. His tone was relaxed. “Yeah, don’t worry… Alright, don’t look at me like that. Let me explain in more detail…”

Zhang Hai cleared his throat and said, "The church I'm in is actually a ceremony venue."

"Generally speaking, as long as the church doesn't collapse, there's unlikely to be any major problems inside. And it's not just my church that's like this; basically, all churches in big cities are like this... So, if you run into trouble in the future, hiding inside a church won't solve all your problems, but it can certainly help you avoid a lot of trouble!"

Chu Zhu: "..."

Is this the root cause of the church's collapse? Is it necessary to destroy the area opposite the church before proceeding to the next step?
No, but no matter how he looked at it before, he felt that the church was smashed by Zhang Hai! Chu Zhu's gaze became increasingly strange.

Zhang Hai continued speaking confidently, "Of course, small cities aren't a big problem. Even if the church you're hiding in doesn't have a ritual structure to protect you, those who attack you will still be wary of the power of the God Worshipping Society! Don't underestimate us, the God Worshipping Society..."

"Are you tempted? Do you want to join? The cultivation technique is right here... What are you waiting for..."

“That thing is completely unimportant now!” Chu Zhu forcefully interrupted Zhang Hai, her tone resolute. “You’re being watched!”

"...Because of the assassin?" Zhang Hai raised an eyebrow, his expression calm and unhurried. "When I helped you with this job, I was fully prepared! It's nothing serious..."

"Where did you get this information? Well, that's not important! If you're sure, and if you're scared, why not leave now?" Zhang Hai wasn't being sarcastic; he genuinely respected Chu Zhu's opinion. "However, I really don't think there's anywhere in Jinghai City safer than the church right now!"

After pacing around in place a few times, Chu Zhu made up her mind. "Today, I'll stay here for the whole day! Don't bother me with anything about cultivation techniques or anything like that... We'll talk about this in a couple of days!"

Chu Zhu had always known that the matter of her assassination attempt hadn't been resolved. The assassin had been captured, but what did that prove?
The mastermind behind the scenes has not yet been caught, and even now, Chu Zhu cannot be sure whether the culprit is that Eleventh Lord.

To put it bluntly, even if we kill the assassin now, can we guarantee that there won't be another killer or another assassin making a move tonight?
Eradicate the root cause! That's what Chu Zhu should do.

Even though finding the real culprit seems far off, Chu Zhu is at least thinking that he can dig out some information with his life... whatever he can get is a piece of cake.

Time passes bit by bit.

Today, Chu Zhu was just like any ordinary God-worshipping believer, following behind Zhang Hai.

Zhang Hai didn't press Chu Zhu to join the church any further; he simply showed him a day in the life of a member of the God Worshipping Society.
He accepts the prayers of the people and even leaves the church to help those around him who plead for his help.
Together with Zhang Xu, they helped the elderly and infirm build houses.

Take out some talismans, tear them into pieces, soak them, and give them to some patients who have been ill for a long time but have no money for treatment.

……

3pm.

Chu Zhu, Zhang Hai, and Zhang Xu embarked on their journey back to the church.

Chu Zhu suddenly asked, "I haven't asked yet, what kind of supernatural power do you have? Is it a healing supernatural power? Or is it drawing talismans? I'm quite shocked that you dare to do this, using extraordinary power to heal others in front of them! This is definitely a violation of the law, isn't it?"

"Hey, don't slander me!" Zhang Hai's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly denied it, "That talisman has no extraordinary power."

"?"

"The water used to draw the talisman is actually antibiotics from the hospital," Zhang Hai sighed softly. "Moreover, the main ingredient in the talisman-infused water is a very thick porridge!"

After a brief pause, Zhang Hai looked at Chu Zhu deeply. "Mr. Zhu, I know you've always thought that the people in the shantytown redevelopment area are living a very difficult life, but this city has never treated the poor kindly."

"The residents of the shantytown redevelopment areas don't even have houses. Most of them just build frames out of tree branches and put up tarpaulins as their homes. That's why they're called shantytown redevelopment areas! But what good is a dilapidated house to the poorest people in the city?"

Zhang Hai spoke as if explaining, yet also as mocking, "They too will get sick, and when they get sick they won't earn money. Without money, they won't even be able to afford food, and ultimately, they too will die..."

Chu Zhu fell into deep thought.

Zhang Hai shook his head. "They actually know! They know why I'm so weak, and they know I didn't use any magic."

"Isn't it obvious? I just fed them and then used antibiotics to see if I could treat any diseases they might have."

"They only believe in God for spiritual comfort! Supernatural? Is faith obtained through supernatural means true faith?"

Zhang Hai said quietly, "So you see, from beginning to end, the treatment was all so normal and scientific... How could this possibly touch upon the taboos of the Commandery?" Chu Zhu opened her mouth several times, but in the end remained silent.

……

Inside the church.

Chu Zhu watched quietly as Zhang Hai knelt before the statue of the god and prayed.

To be honest, if you replaced the statue of God with a statue of Buddha in this scene, Chu Zhu felt it would look perfectly natural.

No, is kneeling on the ground the proper way for Western Catholics to pray? Chu Zhu felt there were so many things to complain about.

Suddenly, the door opened and a group of people rushed in.

"...Everyone, what's going on here? Don't panic! Don't rush! If there's something wrong, just say it one by one..." Zhang Hai sensed something and immediately turned around, revealing a bright smile.

These people suddenly knelt down on the ground, their faces filled with piety.

"I only wish to believe in God!"

"?" Zhang Hai looked confused, but still replied, "I only wish to believe in God!"

Hmm? Chu Zhu felt that something was not quite right. Then he suddenly realized that with his experience and the inspiration he had gained from countless resets, he knew that something was wrong. His subconscious must have detected something unusual. After realizing this, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Be careful……"

Zhang Hai turned his head, his eyes still filled with confusion.

The next instant, terrifying sparks burst from the chests of the five or six kneeling supplicants.

A grenade? Or a bomb?
Countless thoughts flashed through Chu Zhu's mind, but he noticed something amiss. The flames quickly transformed into light—pure white light!

This was definitely not a normal explosion.

Chu Zhu turned her head in astonishment, and what she finally saw was Zhang Hai's face gradually turning cold and numb.

A veil of light gradually spread, and from his back, pure white wings slowly unfurled...

This was Chu Zhu's last impression.

Because the light veil that expanded from Zhang Hai landed on him the instant it did, just like in the previous timeline of the ruins—Chu Zhu completely lost consciousness.

……

The first rays of morning sunlight shone through the curtains into the room.

Chu Zhu propped herself up and stood there in a daze for a long time.

"I only wish to believe in God... Is He all-powerful? What kind of tactic is this...?"

Chu Zhu's mind was in a mess. Were those people all-powerful members? But upon closer thought, Chu Zhu realized she didn't recognize any of them...

Because of the previous reset, he had met with the omnipotent followers of several regions... Given that he had no recollection of these people at all, the chances that they were believers were extremely low.

"Or, it might have been transferred from another city... No, that doesn't matter! What matters is the light from that explosion."

Chu Zhu stood up, went to the table, took out his notebook, and began writing with a serious expression. He was drawing:
First came sparks, then endless light; then came Zhang Hai, with pure white wings and an expressionless face.

"The light from the explosion is very similar to the light veil released by Zhang Hai, and they may even be the same thing in essence! This is very interesting."

"So, that kind of light was just guidance? Guiding Zhang Hai out of control?"

"So, further deduction... is this some kind of thing that can affect all members of the God Worshipping Cult, or is it specifically targeted at Zhang Hai? Could it be that Zhang Hai has some kind of time bomb planted inside him, ready to explode at any moment?"

One idea after another flashed through Chu Zhu's mind, but he had to admit that the problem was much more serious than he had imagined.

He initially thought Zhang Hai was implicated because he had captured the assassin. But now, Chu Zhu felt that the mastermind might have been targeting Zhang Hai and the God Worshipping Cult for some time.

If the mastermind's plan goes smoothly, and Chu Zhu is killed after the union leaders are eliminated... then the next step might be Zhang Hai...

"Imagine if something happens to Zhang Hai, and he causes a huge disaster before he dies, resulting in heavy casualties. The God Worshipping Cult will definitely be completely expelled from Jinghai City... and it will even cause waves in the Jiangnan region! They won't have an easy time in Tianjing, the God Worshipping Cult's stronghold."

"The labor union, the shantytown redevelopment area, the God Worshipping Society, Jinghai City... So, the mastermind's goal is to disrupt the order of Jinghai City? Is it to gain some benefit from the chaos? Or..."

Chu Zhu pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"There's too little evidence. For now, we need to figure out what that light from the explosion actually was... If all the members of the God Worshipping Cult who cultivate the Great Grade Bright Light Technique will be affected, and might even end up like Zhang Hai..."

Chu Zhu shuddered at the thought. That would truly be the end for them!

“No, if it’s that serious, then that’s impossible… In other words, it’s deduced that it must be a problem with Zhang Hai personally? Or, even if this method can be used against other members of the God Worshipping Cult besides Zhang Hai, there must be some other fatal limitation that prevents it from being widely adopted.”

What is the scale of the God Worshipping Society?
That's the number one religion in the dream world!

If something goes wrong, to put it bluntly, it could shake the very foundation of the nation!

This is far more serious than union protests and disturbances...it will shake the entire nation in no time.

Chu Zhu simply couldn't imagine that if the mastermind behind this really had such methods specifically targeting the God Worshipping Society, they would use them in Jinghai City!
Jinghai City is indeed the financial and industrial center of the east, but this kind of targeted bombing against the God Worshipping Cult... shouldn't the first place to use it be Tianjing, the God Worshipping Cult's stronghold?

Moreover, even if you have to use it in Jinghai City, wouldn't it be far more effective against the cardinal of the First District than against Zhang Hai?

Whether it's the commotion it caused, the damage it inflicted on the God Worshipping Society, or the potential pressure it might face in the future... it's all the same!
So it's not useful; it's simply not useful for the cardinal!
(End of this chapter)