Shrouded Seascape

Wang Sheng was stunned. He was caught off guard by Anna's question, but a second later, he understood what Anna was trying to say.

"You want to absorb him into the church? I'm afraid that's impossible. He's a stubborn old-timer. Once he's made up his mind about something, even nine oxen can't pull him away from his decision."

Anna truly had that idea. Wang Jianshe clearly cared a lot about Wang Sheng, so why not take a big gamble? Once Wang Jianshe was absorbed into the church, the church would no longer have any financial issues.

However, it was clear that Wang Jianshe didn't want anything to do with her, so Anna had to ponder over how she'd handle the former.

"You shouldn't antagonize your father. When you have time, call him and maintain your relationship with him. Make him understand that we're not kidnappers. Do as I say, and I'll definitely give you what you need."

Since Wang Sheng's father truly cared about him, then Anna could exploit that by making the former maintain a great relationship with his father.

Just then, the office lady who had been silently observing from the sidelines raised her hand and looked at her watch. "High Priestess, today's ritual is about to begin."

Anna nodded and walked toward the door. "Come on, nothing is more important than the ritual."

Anna led them to the interior of the church. The long benches had all been moved to the side, revealing a large clearing. The believers were eagerly awaiting the opportunity to connect with their god.

This ritual was different from the previous ones. The inscriptions and the shapes on the array had changed drastically. Moreover, the material used to draw the array was no longer fresh blood but gasoline.

Anna didn't bother explaining anything to them and simply ordered them to proceed with the ritual. As the High Priestess, Anna knew that she just had to maintain a mysterious, inscrutable persona, and these believers would fill in the missing details for her.

Anna blew hard on the silver whistle, and the mass officially started. Her strange-sounding voice reverberated throughout the church, and the temperature inside the church climbed up slowly.

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Everyone present became more and more agitated as time went on, and they all looked as if there was a fire burning in their hearts. Their frenzied state lasted for a long time, and just as Anna's voice became hoarse, there was finally a change.

The gasoline on the ground was set ablaze; the flame and the pitch-black smoke churned before taking on a green hue. It wasn't an ordinary green hue; it was a green that one would find inside rotten, pus-filled pustules.

To make matters worse, a nauseating stench had permeated the air.

Anna revealed a hopeful look at the sight, and her voice became louder and louder. As time ticked by, the green flames grew larger and larger until they almost engulfed the array.

The green flames reflected on the faces of everyone present made them look incomparably eerie, and their delighted but exaggerated smiles only added to the terrifying scene.

If a third party were here, they'd think they were in hell.

Swoosh!

Just then, the green flame's tongue swayed violently, and it suddenly made a beeline for a thin man. The lick of flame moved as if it were a living creature, and it drilled into the thin man's ajar mouth before incinerating him from the inside.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Before the others could react, the thin man had already been reduced to a pile of ashes on the ground that seemed to be flickering in a dim green light.

It was just the beginning, but it was the end as well. Upon devouring the thin man, the green flames dissipated, and the temperature in the church went down in an instant.

The panting Anna stared at the pile of ashes, looking dumbfounded.

"Is this a success?" Anna asked herself. She looked down at herself but couldn't feel nor see any reaction.

Returning to her residence, Anna carefully examined her own body. She knew that sacrificing two million people was enough for her to become a demigod, but she had no idea whether sacrificing just one person was enough for her to obtain a god's blessing or not.

Regardless, it was a good start. She wasn't in a hurry, and she had a clear sight of her goal, so she could take it slowly but surely.

"High Priestess, I've written down the names of our church's personnel on the computer," the office lady from earlier said respectfully.

Anna clicked the mouse, and a neat file appeared in front of her. Detailed information about the people of their church was on the file, including but not limited to their aliases, occupations, relationships, and personalities.

"Well done, Assistant Priest Li. I'm very satisfied with your work," Anna said, nodding at Assistant Priest Li.

"Well, it's my job," Li Lu replied, revealing a polite smile. Then, she seemed to have thought of something as a hint of hesitation appeared on her face.

"Any questions? Ask away."

With that, Li Lu hesitantly asked, "Why was it different from before, High Priestess? What is the meaning of those mysterious flames?"

In the face of Li Lu's specific question, Anna recited the ambiguous words that she had prepared beforehand. "Green represents anger. The one who was consumed by the divine fire was not loyal to God at all. He deceived God in his heart, so God took him away."

"Oh, I see…" Li Lu nodded repeatedly with a solemn face. She seemed to be carving Anna's words in her heart.

"Don't worry about it," Anna said, "God is merciful. Persist, and He will cure your brain tumor."

Anna had taken a liking to Li Lu, as she was meticulous at her work, and she could do many things. In other words, she was the perfect tool.

Li Lu smiled wryly. She reached out and took off the curly wig on her head, revealing a bald head with a hideous suture line.

"The doctor said that I can live for six months at most. I don't know if I can wait until that day," Li Lu replied.

Anna still had other things to do, so she couldn't be bothered to create a specific reply for Li Lu and simply deceived her using boilerplate phrases in the name of God.

Li Lu smiled upon hearing Anna's boilerplate phrases, and she seemed to have found hope to live on from the latter's words.

"I'm busy, so you can go out now," Anna said while staring at the computer screen.

"Okay!" Li Lu put her wig back on and turned around to leave. She had just taken a few steps when she suddenly frowned and held her stomach with her hand. She picked up her pace and rushed to her room.

The room was just a few square meters in size, and Li Lu made a beeline for the bathroom. As soon as Li Lu walked into the tiny room, the look of discomfort and anxiety on her face vanished instantly.

Li Lu sat down on the toilet and twisted a tiny button on her watch before shoving it inside her ear. "I request the Field Service Department to expedite the capture of the target. The target's recent ritual has caused the death of an individual.

"I'm afraid that the situation will go out of control on the next ritual, resulting in more casualties!"

"8, this is out of your scope." A clear voice sounded in her ear. "The decision to make that move is up to the other departments. Your mission is to monitor the target's every move and report everything that happens to the Intelligence Analysis Team."

Li Lu became anxious upon hearing the reply, but she went silent and began her detailed recount of the recent ritual.

"I managed to capture the entire array. A car will go out to procure supplies for the church tomorrow. I'll throw the memory card into the fuel tank, so just find a way to retrieve it."

"You're doing great, 8. This target of ours is special, and she's not just a simple cult leader. We suspect that she has accomplices. If we act rashly, we'll end up scaring them away. By then, we'll find it difficult to capture her in the future."

"I understand."

"Go, and be careful out there. Remember to tell us the next time they plan to recruit more people, and I'll send other people to assist you in your work."