Dawn of a New Era-Chapter 428 - 403: Human Face

Chen Shouyi was awoken by the sound of knocking.

He grabbed the sword hilt abruptly, and only after a moment did he slowly open his eyes. Seeing Father Chen about to get up, he quickly said, "Dad, you continue to sleep. I think they’re looking for me. I’ll go take a look."

He looked at the time and found it was already past six o’clock. He quickly dressed and went to open the door.

Several officers stood at the door, among them someone Chen Shouyi recognized, the major in charge of the villa district’s garrison, Yang Songkun.

"Good morning, Chief Advisor. I’m really sorry to disturb you so early!" Yang Songkun said politely.

"I should be getting up anyway. What can I do for you?" Chen Shouyi asked.

"I came to ask you about the situation outside," Yang Songkun inquired.

"Let’s talk outside," Chen Shouyi said, closing the door.

The group quickly moved to the corridor.

Chen Shouyi recounted what he had learned.

Everyone’s expressions darkened at his words.

"Chief Advisor, what should we do now?" After a long silence, Yang Songkun asked.

Chen Shouyi asked, "Why are you asking me, is there no communication now?"

"I don’t know about other places, but communications and power here have been cut off. The electricity in the bunker is being generated by backup generators," Yang Songkun sighed and continued, "We just went outside and found that many citizens have already come out of the civil defense works, so I wanted to ask you, is it safe now?"

Not every civil defense work is as high-standard as this bunker. While some have certain supplies stored and can generate power, most are only meant for air defense, just like underground parking and subway stations.

Staying inside without food and water wouldn’t last even a day.

"What about the provincial and municipal leaders, haven’t you tried to contact them?"

Yang Songkun looked gloomy and shook his head, "We haven’t been able to reach them yet!"

"You’re asking me, but I don’t know either." Chen Shouyi hesitated, then said: "I’ve been to many occupied areas. Actually, as long as they’re civilians, they should basically be safe!"

For ordinary people, submitting to the Barbarian God might be the only choice.

...

Chen Shouyi returned to his room.

He found his parents and sister already up.

"Shou Yi, what’s going on?" Mrs. Chen asked.

"They wanted to ask me about the situation outside," Chen Shouyi explained.

Soon, two soldiers brought breakfast.

The breakfast was simple, consisting of buns with preserved mustard greens and rice porridge with pickles.

As a food reserve for the bunker, everything must be easy to store. Whether it’s preserved mustard greens, pickles, flour, or rice, they all fit the criteria.

But the portions were generous, obviously considering the appetite of a martial artist.

Chen Shouyi, having exhausted himself the previous day, was famished and had a huge appetite. He ate over a hundred buns with preserved mustard greens before he felt full. He finished the porridge in one gulp and put down the bowl:

"Mom, Dad, I’m going to head outside for a bit."

"Be careful, stay safe," Chen Dawei said.

"Got it!" Chen Shouyi replied.

"I want to go with brother!" Chen Xingyue immediately said.

"What are you going for? You’re always so rash, don’t make trouble for your brother!" Mrs. Chen scolded upon hearing her daughter.

Chen Xingyue pouted, feeling frustrated.

What do you mean by making trouble? She’s a dignified martial artist too, especially after consuming the Demigod Divine Blood her brother brought back. She felt she had already reached the level of a grand martial artist, her strength almost on par with her brother’s, definitely not an ordinary person.

"You better stay here. It’s not quite safe yet," Chen Shouyi told Chen Xingyue.

With that, he grabbed his sword and walked out the door. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The long tunnel inside the bunker was crowded with people lining up for breakfast.

Chen Shouyi glanced at them and then looked away.

The iron door at the entrance opened, and he stepped outside the bunker.

The snow had stopped, leaving a half-foot thick layer, and the sky was covered with leaden clouds.

In the streets, people were already organizing to clear rigid corpses, and many, sensitive to the situation, were planning to leave Hedong, dragging their families with big bags on bicycles.

The entire Safe Zone had completely lost its former prosperity. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but devastation and unease.

Chen Shouyi walked aimlessly down the street, passing by one soldier’s corpse after another. Their haphazard deaths made him feel suppressed, as most had died not from direct attacks but from sheer fright.

True God!

Chen Shouyi had faced a True God.

But that was in the Virtual Memory World, not on Earth.

Even now, he couldn’t approach within twenty or thirty meters of a True God.

On Earth, Divine Power couldn’t possibly be so terrifying, yet it was still unbearable for the average person.

As he walked, Chen Shouyi suddenly sensed something unusual above.

He abruptly looked up at the sky.

The clouds were violently churning and surging!

The all-encompassing clouds slowly gathered towards the center, soon darkening like ink.

"Hey, look, what’s that?"

"Oh my God!"

Someone in the crowd finally noticed this and started to panic. Countless people glanced up at the sky.

Soon, a vague human face slowly emerged, covering most of the sky, its expression indifferent, overlooking all living beings.

Countless lightning bolts swirled within the human face.

Chen Shouyi watched this seemingly omnipotent scene, startled, instinctively wanting to hide.

But then he realized that avoiding deliberately would only attract more attention, so he forced himself to stay calm.

"Foolish infidels, humanity’s ridiculous and feeble resistance cannot stop my advance. Failure and death are your final destinies..." Its voice resonated with the world, producing a buzzing roar.

"This world will welcome an eternal and sole True God, and that is I, the great God of Hunting. Kneel and pray to me with devotion, and you shall receive eternal life."

As the face spoke, its pace noticeably quickened, and before it had finished, the cloud-formed face began to slowly dissipate. It gave Chen Shouyi the impression that it could barely be maintained.

In a world like Earth, where Original Force was scarce, such a celestial phenomenon obviously required a huge cost, consuming a lot of Divine Power.

Chen Shouyi came to his senses, noticing that many passersby were already kneeling on the icy snow, faces devout.

"Mom, this is a cult, get up!" a boy tugged at his mother’s arm, trying to pull her up.

"Children say the darnedest things, with the wind carrying it away, the child means no harm, you who are immensely merciful..." the mother quickly clasped her hands and softly muttered a prayer several times. After prayer, she looked sternly at the boy and scolded, "You believe the propaganda on the newspaper, calling it some cult. This is the True God, didn’t you see it just now? Kneel quickly and beg the deity’s forgiveness!"

Chen Shouyi watched this scene in silence.