The call to the Special Affairs Bureau was connected.
The female customer service assistant on the other end of the line said in a soft, gentle voice, “This is Yin City’s Red Star Organic Fertilizer Pte Ltd. How may I help you today?”
Li Ang hollered into the phone, “Huifeng Road, north of the city. Shantytown. Come quickly!”
The customer service assistant’s voice instantly became serious. “Please describe in detail what is happening so that we can send manpower based on the situation…”
“At least Level 7. Check the satellite map yourself.” Li Ang cut off the lady and hung up the call.
He was accustomed to using dialectical materialism as his default mode of thinking so he did not ponder Zou Zhengze’s way of thinking much. After all, he knew too little himself and could not come up with an objective conclusion.
Whether Zou Zhengze’s reincarnation theory was true or false, right or wrong, objective or biased was not important right now given the current situation.
Dark clouds had gathered above the shantytown, churning like a whirlpool. The howling wind blew ferociously, lifting the dirty water, pebbles, trash, concrete slabs, and rooftop slabs into the dark cloud whirlpool.
The children who extended their heads out of windows were no exception. Fortunately, their parents grabbed hold of their limbs, kicked against the wall, and forcibly pulled them back into their houses.
There was a crescendo of frightened shouts and cries. Zou Zhengze, who was standing right below the whirlpool, could not bear to watch. He waved his hand, creating a strong Demonic Qi wind. Even from a distance of a dozen meters, the ax Li Ang threw was broken into pieces.
He had only lived here for a few months but he had developed strong feelings for the honest people living there.
There was Old Zhang, a cementer who was bedridden after contracting pneumoconiosis and lived with his wife; Old Chen, who had lost his arm while working with machinery; Granny Luo, who suffered from leukemia, abandoned by her children and only able to collect rubbish to make a livelihood; Little Lin, who had lost his sight and could only rely on offering massage services to provide for his dysgnosic parents; the mischievous but kind children…
They were all part of the lowest level of the social food chain.
“The people living at the lowest level of society are so scary and disgusting. They are thinking of taking revenge on society every day.”
“They are poor because they are lazy.”
“Who asked them not to study hard when they were young? Serves them right.”
“They shouldn’t blame society for their circumstances.”
The successful members of the city rambled on, their words and tone filled with a sense of superiority.
Zou Zhengze scanned the tattered and desolate shantytown with his gaze and looked at the familiar faces with pity and love. The future of these people was bleak.
“Such a hard life…” He sighed and said, “People like them have no hope of changing their lives, are unable to preserve their souls, and cannot reincarnate.”
“Even ants would attempt to fight for survival, and so would humans. Since there is no more hope in life for any of you and you can’t bear to end your own life, let me lend you guys a hand. Become one with me and welcome the arrival of a new world when the Six Paths of Reincarnation open once more.”
Zou Zhengze opened his mouth and sucked in the sadness, grief, anger, loneliness, and negative emotions accumulated in the shantytown over the past few decades. His skinny body swiftly expanded to the point that his clothes started to burst at the seams.
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack…
All his bones lengthened, emitting crisp cracking sounds. A few bone spurs grew out and pierced the muscles and flesh until they were exposed to the air.
His muscles expanded and his copper-toned sturdy skin was covered with red-black sinister runes. Li Ang felt a dizzying rush after a glance and started to hear scripture being recited.
So strong…
Even the mandrill from Solitary Temple did not possess such a terrifying aura.
Li Ang hastily retreated and landed on a balcony a couple of buildings away. He could not help but shudder, and the black umbrella he was carrying on his back seemed frightened as it started quivering.
A ball of flesh on the spot between Zou Zhengze’s eyes pulsated. His skin ripped, splattering pus everywhere, and a red vertical eye appeared on his forehead, using its evil gaze to scrutinize the ignorant new world.
The Heavenly Demonic Power was undoubtedly a demonic manual based on consuming flesh, blood, and soul and nourishing the user’s body.
The Heavenly Demonic Power/Yin-Yang Diabolism could produce greedy, evil intentions.
As a veteran player, Zou Zhengze had only circulated the Yin-Yang Diabolism slightly yet he already felt immense discomfort. He was unable to maintain his human shape and had thus transformed into a three-meter-tall, three-eyed giant with bone spurs growing all over him.
The transformation process was extremely painful, but Zou Zhengze’s expression remained calm, peaceful, and gentle.
“My name is Ksitigarbha, and I come from the Evil World of the Five Turbidites. In the mortal world, heaven, and hell, I frequently transform to save people from disaster. I am here today just to save all of you.”
Zou Zhengze, who was a cross between a demon and Buddha, was holding a black lotus flower created from Demonic Qi and reciting, “The Three Realms are not peaceful, and the living lead hard, fearful lives. Who will go to hell if I don’t?”
Once again, he started to take deep breaths.
In the shantytown, the bedridden old man, the middle-aged couple struggling to raise their children, the rag-and-bone old woman abandoned by her children, and the bunny-toothed discarded newborn all felt a warm, gentle breeze.
Their bodies felt light and healthy, and they felt peaceful and happy. This happiness erased all the unpleasantness and hardships they had experienced in their lives.
Was this Sukhavati?
The spirits smiled and flew toward the demonic Buddha in the sky. There was a smile on his lips as the runes on Zou Zhengze’s skin slowly swirled and he took a stance of receiving and welcoming his guests.
“There is no room for you in this Sukhavati banquet.” Zou Zhengze looked at Li Ang, who stood some distance away, with a smile and said, “Leave. I don’t wish to kill you.”
He had been living in the shantytown for a very long time. The Yin Qi and Demonic Qi had rooted themselves deeply into the soil there, lying in wait for the opportunity to mature. Even without Li Ang’s intervention, he would still suck the souls of all citizens in the shantytown before the police investigating Wang Fangni’s case arrived tonight.
He was not worried about being captured by the Special Affairs Bureau, as he was confident he could rely on his equipment to escape.
Once he successfully escaped, he would go incognito again and search for sad and desperate people in the world. Then, he would provide them with relief and after-life hope.
That was right. Zou Zhengze believed that his actions were righteous and moral.
He was not frightened by the truth because everything was just imaginary.
He was unbound by morals and laws because anything was possible.
He offered light but was saturated by darkness. Despite transforming into a demon, he still wanted to become a kind Buddha that wanted to help the living escape their hellish mortal lives.
Li Ang clenched his jaws and looked outside the shantytown. It was nighttime so it was spookily silent.
Special Affairs Bureau, why is your dispatch speed so slow?
Li Ang grabbed the black umbrella that was on his back and commented with a bitter smile, “There’s no choice but to meet one round head-on.”
Chai Cuiqiao’s head extended from the black umbrella and stared at Li Ang with her dewy eyes. “Drag the time out, be it through being cowardly or fleeing. You promised to buy me a cell phone.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Li Ang sighed. He took a flying cannon out of his backpack and threw it toward Zou Zhengze.