Horror games? Whatever, I'll die.

“Don’t panic,” Chen Jinshan said with a smile, raising his palm and gently pressing it down to signal them to calm down. “Our Moyog baptism is different from other sects. Believers who join the sect need to hold their breath underwater for one minute. That’s easy to do, isn’t it?”

“When you are suffocating, time will seem to drag on. That’s normal because your soul is briefly freed from the confinement of your body and is closer to the god Talero.”

"Go ahead and do it. God is watching you from heaven, and He will bless all believers who have faith in Him."

After Chen Jinshan finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the six believers clearly divided the work and each took charge of one person.

Like sheep being herded, they circled the wooden tub, anxiously awaiting the start of the baptism.

It's only 60 seconds, there shouldn't be any problem.

Liang Zaibing redeemed a transparent straw in the mall, then yawned and stuffed the folded straw into her mouth.

Great, nobody noticed him.

He wasn't unable to hold his breath for even a minute, but rather he questioned the veracity of Chen Jinshan's words.

Liang Zaibing reached into his pants pocket again, unlocked the screen, and used a shortcut key to set a one-minute countdown.

The believers instructed them to press their hands on the rim of the bucket, then press the back of their heads to completely immerse their heads and faces in the water.

Despite his tongue cramping, Liang Zaibing managed to straighten the straw and pass it out of his mouth. He bit one end and stretched the other end diagonally upwards into the cavity between his neck and the water.

Because his body obscured his movements, the believers guarding him did not notice his subtle actions.

To minimize the noise, Liang Zaibing carefully swallowed the water from the straw and then began to breathe in small sips.

With the oxygen problem solved, Liang Zaibing had the leisure to observe the others who were also submerged in water.

Su Changqing, Ye Shu, and Jiang Qingjian's adoptive father all puffed out their cheeks and held their breath, quietly waiting for the minute to end.

Su Changxia's face was completely wrapped in bandages, so her reaction was not visible.

Jiang Qingjian...

Liang Zaibing turned his head to look in the direction diagonally opposite, only to see him winking at him as if nothing had happened, tiny bubbles floating up his eyelashes one by one.

Damn, still trying to act cool at a time like this?

He was just silently complaining in his heart when Jiang Qingjian's voice came to his mind.

“I’m the champion of the swimming events in the leagues of various departments every year. Holding my breath is no threat to me unless they want to drown us all here.”

Swimming champions are nothing special; I'm the sandcastle-building champion at the orphanage!

Liang Zaibing glared at him, but suddenly felt her phone vibrate against her thigh.

The minute was up, but they clearly had no intention of ending the "baptism".

Ye Shu couldn't hold it in any longer; bubbles were coming out of her mouth. She tried to climb up, supporting herself on the edge of the wooden tub, but she couldn't resist the immense force pressing down on the back of her head.

She then tried to pry her hands off, but to no avail. Her struggles became more and more intense, splashing water everywhere.

But it wasn't until her struggles were so weak they were almost imperceptible, and she was floating in the water like a dead fish, that the believers dragged her out of the water.

What kind of out-of-body experience is closer to God? It's like taking someone who's almost drowned to the brink of death for a brief visit to the gates of hell, isn't it?

Others also began to struggle one after another.

Liang Zaibing took a deep breath, put the transparent straw into her backpack, and imitated their actions as she splashed water to resist. When she saw that the situation was about right, she pretended to faint.

The believers then released their grip on them, and they were pulled out of the water.

As soon as he emerged from the water, Liang Zaibing glanced unintentionally into the water with his half-closed eyes.

He actually saw a blurry reflection on the water's surface that didn't belong to him.

The handsome Westerner's face contorted in pain as he tried to breathe deeply but only choked on the icy water.

He recognized that face.

Liang Zaibing secretly glanced at the towering statue before closing her eyes again.

What that damned priest said was actually true; this deadly baptismal method actually allows one to see Talero.

No, what shocked him was that this god actually existed.

But the way he looked in the water just now didn't seem to be detached from life and death.

-----

A sudden, immense pressure hit Liang Zaibing's chest, and he almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Damn, these believers are really well-trained. They're really good at CPR; they almost broke his ribs.

Feeling something warm getting closer and closer to her face, Liang Zaibing jumped up in fright, turned her head to cover her mouth, and pretended to cough loudly.

The burly believer, who was pouting and ready to give him artificial respiration, could only leave disappointed.

The others gradually woke up, their faces showing the terror and disorientation of surviving a disaster, but none of them objected to this life-threatening ordeal.

Su Changqing's eyes were somewhat glazed over, and he murmured in disbelief, "I really saw the god Talero."

Ye Shu's eyes widened, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes smoothed out from shock. "You saw it too! I saw it vaguely when I came out of the water, and I thought it was my imagination."

The other four nodded in unison.

However, due to the prolonged suffocation, they were not fully conscious and only saw a fleeting, blurry image.

After this baptism, the people who had only verbally believed in the god Talero for healing purposes were now shrouded in a hazy illusion.

Could it be... that God really exists?

“As you can see,” Chen Jinshan said, standing with his hands behind his back before the statue, looking up at the compassionate face of the god Talero, “this is a miracle.”

"The God of Talero will protect you," Chen Jinshan said devoutly with his eyes closed, as the closing words of the initiation ceremony.

-----

Chen Jinshan arranged for his followers to provide them with a place to rest for the night, in a passageway connected to the underground altar.

Ye Shu called the driver who was on standby, "We'll be resting at the Lamour Mansion tonight. You can go back first and wait for us near the mansion at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Ye Shu put down her phone and anxiously cupped Liang Zaibing's face, looking her over from left to right. "Baby, are you alright? Did you choke just now?"

Jiang Qingjian was being pushed by his father towards their room when he saw this scene and gave him a half-smile.

41st-century social etiquette! Didn't your mother tell you to pretend you don't see when someone is embarrassed?!

If the circumstances hadn't prevented it, Liang Zaibing would have really wanted to fight him.

I'm already annoyed, is this the kind of "mama's boy" he wants to be?

-----

"A twenty-year-old baby duck."

"Dad can't stand your nagging. Can't you act like a man?"

"You're mute, not deaf, blind, or mentally disabled. Please walk independently, okay? Okay."

"Stop this farce. I've developed a condition where the word 'baby' gives me goosebumps."