People can be foolish.
At the same time, people want nothing more than to live in peace and earn their bread.
Arrogant though he was, Zhu Tiedan truly had the skills. The first edicts he issued lifted labor drafts and abolished certain taxes.
A change of dynasty has, since ancient times, marched hand in hand with blades and soldiery. Yet the ten great generals had already been subdued by Zhu Tiedan, the inner palace had fallen into his hands, and on top of that he carried the blood of the imperial house. Succession to the throne, therefore—of course—followed as a matter of course.
As for the common folk: no corvée, no taxes—only a fool would oppose such an emperor.
Inside the capital there were many temples. With government proclamations and an imperial order, becoming a believer had never been simpler.
The most shocking decree was this: if you wished to take the imperial examinations, you had to be a believer, devout in faith and loyal to doctrine.
The faith was being spread on a colossal scale. No one had expected it.
A caravan entering the capital one day paused at the foot of a broad set of temple steps. Watching the stream of worshippers, some merchants frowned. One of them stopped a man in plain homespun who had just finished burning incense.
"Are you going to make offerings?" the merchant asked.
"What if I am?" the man replied coolly. "We're all followers of the Eternal Church. Naturally we're going to worship God."
"Oh."
"Seeing you're an outsider, I'll tell you straight," the believer added. "There are new regulations in the city. Any merchant, no matter where he's from—if he's a believer, his taxes are cut in half. If he's not a believer, his taxes go up ten percent."
"What? Ten percent more?" the merchant blurted, loud enough to earn a dozen withering looks from people nearby. He shrank his neck at once.
Good grief—they're forcing people to join the Church, he thought.
He coughed. "Then… dare I ask, what are the obligations of joining? Will we have to make offerings constantly? Are there restrictions?"
To him, religion meant something like the great monastic orders: join and you'd be bound by endless rules.
The farmer in common clothes snorted. "You're too greedy by half. If all you can think about is your purse, then get out—God doesn't need believers like you."
"Hold your tongue," the merchant's bodyguard snapped, stepping forward. "What is our master's status? How dare a mud-grubbing peasant wag his tongue at him?"
He hadn't even lifted his hand when the "peasant" vanished from in front of him.
Thud.
There was a muffled crash. The bodyguard sailed ten-odd meters and hit the street like a sack.
The merchant yelped. But the people around them reacted with nothing more than faint interest. Scenes like this happened every day.
The man in homespun sneered. "You bully the weak; I can see what kind of person you are. See for yourself—this is God's strength. Try to put your boot on my neck and—huh!"
Not only the merchant, but the other guards as well, paled. Who would have thought an ordinary-looking citizen had such terrifying power? He had no whiff of a martial artist, no visible technique. Thinking back, there had been no trick at all—only pure speed.
The capital truly was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
…
In the palace, Zhu Tiedan did not don a dragon robe. Instead, he wore a black divine robe, the golden character for "Eternal" emblazoned across his back.
Since he was a chief priest, he would set the example.
Only one thing gnawed at him: for all his high skill, he knew nothing of medicine and had no idea how to save Su Xin.
It seemed he would have to wait.
…
In the Ten Thousand Realms Chat Group
Tie the Courage: "Seeking advice—can I offer only goddesses for sacrifice? There truly isn't anything else in my world!"
The World Will Aid Its Lord: "That's normal. I offered Mingyue…"
Tanjiro: "Right. My world offered goddesses too. As long as the faith is devout, it's fine."
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Little brother, you haven't grasped the essence of being a priest. Faith in God isn't lip-service; it requires a sincere heart. The so-called 'sincerity gives rise to spirit'—that's what the God Himself said."
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Exactly. Prepare whatever you can. The main thing is your intent."
Young Master Murong: "I don't know which dynasty you're in, but my world had nothing either. To show my heart, I even offered my cousin. Now my world's been promoted."
Tie the Courage: "Understood. I've usurped the throne and taken the crown. I'm governing with great fanfare and will soon be able to spread the Church widely."
Ninja Scientist: "So you're a restless sort too."
For Peace: "Boldness suits a chief priest, but a friendly reminder: winning the masses is good, but don't neglect to teach the doctrine."
Put simply: it wasn't enough for everyone to call themselves believers—they had to believe in God from the heart. That was the essential thing.
Zhu Tiedan understood. The more he conversed with the group, the fewer pitfalls he would stumble into.
Alice: "It seems time really is fractured for us. After a day of reorganizing, Raccoon City is stable—for the moment."
Second Li: "No zombies?"
Alice: "No… the zombies are spreading. I discussed it with the AI—if we suppress everything, then once people return to normal they'll refuse any governance."
Without that external pressure, humans in her world would never accept her leadership. That much was obvious.
Tie the Courage: "Some will die. There's an old saying here in the East: if a law becomes twisted, it brings disaster. To save many, harsh remedies sometimes come first."
Fallen White-Robe Wizard: "Heh heh… I sense a kindred spirit. @Tie the Courage, I'm Saruman."
Junior Brother of Dazhufeng: "Oh look—two schemers, one stench!"
Ninja Scientist: "Hey… I really do want to study human anatomy with Brother Saruman, but I fear it'll offend God's eyes."
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "You dare say that here? Want to get yourself smote?"
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Hahahaha…"
Tie the Courage: "Saruman, you likely don't understand. I was forced by the imperial clan. As a concubine's son, if I wasn't ruthless I'd be dead."
As a concubine's child, he had no right to inherit, no faction behind him. If not for stepping into the martial path with the ancient manuals, he would have been cast aside long ago.
Second Li: "Which dynasty are you from, Zhu Tiedan?"
Tie the Courage: "Ming."
Chu Dashan: "No wonder—the Ming had its traditions. Don't blame Zhu for this. Without iron in your spine, you wouldn't survive."
Xun'er: "Life isn't easy—sigh."
Ji-Shi Witch: "Question: what's this 'old tradition'? I don't get it. Curious.jpg"
Sadly Reminding Old Gao: "The Ming was a dynasty in China. From Zhu Yuanzhang onward, the descendants tore at each other. Peaceful succession was rare—very bloody."
Vampire Queen: "Frightening. Being born royal sounds miserable."
Tie the Courage: "What's miserable? The emperor forbid me a woman—so once I gained strength, I took the throne."
Junior Brother of Dazhufeng: "Ugh, I've had a knot in my chest since I met Brother Zhu."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "A man should be like this. Even if you'd erred, once that little emperor grew up, he wouldn't have spared you."
General Yuwen: "Heh. Dynastic succession is cruel everywhere. Yours is bloodier than most. It's fine—I approve of your approach."
Judicial God: "If sacrifices can bring true peace, I agree with that. Consider this: without God, the deaths and injuries would be far worse."
…
Alice: "After hearing you, I feel much better. Thank you, Yang Jian."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "Yang Jian's a passionate man. He defied Heaven for his mother, then stopped for the people. On that note, I ought to write a verse for Fahai!"
Tie the Courage: "Bravo—worthy of Erlang Shen."
Judicial God: "Don't put me on a pedestal. If I could change my name, I would—I've long wanted to be just Yang Jian. Carrying 'God' before the True God—do you know the pressure?"
Xun'er: "Pfft. Who told you to posture early on? Now you're scared—hehe."
Tosaka University: "I had foresight—hmph… Second Brother, your world's quite grand. Are you in Wuzhuang Temple now? I still want to see the ginseng fruit."
Judicial God: "No, I ran into something—got delayed."
Alice: "Everyone, please—Lord Goddesses—if I have questions, I'll reach out at once."
Tosaka University: "Go, go…"
…
Resident Evil World
Inside Raccoon City Hospital, Alice watched the monitors—streets awash with the dead—and began issuing orders to her people.
"Second-tier zombies spotted in District E. Eliminate them."
"District F is stable, for now. Be alert for high-tier variants."
"Animal zombies in District X; priority elimination."
…
One command after another. Raccoon City was becoming more manageable by the hour.
The army still refused to open the exits, but it was protecting civilians, and that alone allowed people to breathe easier—temporarily.
In just three days, life had become a nightmare. Yet what truly chilled hearts was the news that came once the satellite network flickered back to life: devastation at home and abroad.
In the Federation's capital, large zombie outbreaks began to appear—diffuse, everywhere at once.
Alice turned to the Red Queen. "Didn't the Umbrella Corporation open only the Dongying base? Why is the main capital infected?"
The Red Queen lifted her shoulders, feigning helplessness, and sighed. "The virus has jumped to mice… and to flies and mosquitoes. You know what that means."
The bottom dropped out of Alice's stomach. Of course she knew. Vermin and insects—perfect vectors. Once that door was open, spread wasn't a chain—it was an explosion.
She steadied her voice. "How far?"
"Too early for a global map," the Red Queen said, eyes unfocusing as she sifted through feeds. "But multiple cities are reporting emergent cases. Some governments are suppressing data."
Alice's jaw clenched. "Of course they are."
"On the other hand," the Red Queen added, "your measures here are working. The meditation technique is allowing believers to metabolize trace exposures. They're not only resisting—they're strengthening."
"Good," Alice said. "Keep distributing the teachings. Prioritize medical staff, sanitation, and logistics. Then police and fire."
"Already doing so."
Reports streamed in:
"District B—noise in the sewers. Possible crawler types."
"District C—rooftop movement, likely avians."
"District H—panic at the checkpoint. Civilians demanding exit."
Alice moved like a metronome. "Sewers: seal and gas. Rooftops: drone sweep, sonic burst. Checkpoint: open a corridor into the stadium, then raise a dome. Anyone trying to force their way out gets redirected, not shot."
"Understood," the Red Queen said.
"For the stadium," Alice continued, "project the doctrine loop—short form. Food, water, bedding. Tell them the Eternal Church is organizing a rescue and research. We need calm."
"Broadcasting now."
The screen split to show the stadium. People surged, then slowed as light poured down, forming a pale dome. A voice—calm, warm, precise—unfurled in the air, telling them how to breathe, how to sit, how to quiet their thoughts. Within minutes, the chaos began to soften.
"Next," Alice said. "Create a perimeter of believers—blue bands on the arm. Pair each with three civilians. Teach them the basics—breath, focus, conversion. The sooner we push the curve down, the better."
"Already pairing," the Red Queen replied. "By the way: Umbrella's mainline comms are ghosting me. They've switched to line-of-sight lasers and hardwired hops."
"So they're moving," Alice said. "How many bases?"
"In addition to Dongying, two more. One confirmed; one dark."
"Locations."
"Dongying: coastal, deep substructure. Confirmed," the Red Queen said. "The new one: under a pharmaceutical complex in a northern port city. The dark one is masked."
Alice exhaled. "Of course it is."
She looked back to the city. The curve was still bending the wrong way. "Issue a general notice: no fires indoors; boil water at volunteer stations only. Mosquito nets, fly traps, rodent sweeps."
"Already pushing to all terminals."
"And get me a list of every lab in a thousand-kilometer radius with Level-3 containment or better. Anyone with a grant from Umbrella or its shell companies gets a visit."
"Compiling. Thirty-seven hits in range."
"Make it thirty-seven arrests," Alice said coldly. "Humane if they cooperate. If they don't, take their servers and drag them in by their heels."
The Red Queen's eyes flickered. "Acknowledged."
Outside, the night shuddered with sirens. A flare rose and burst over District E; a heartbeat later, a second sun bloomed—Alice's teams had found and neutralized a high-tier variant.
"Good shooting," she murmured, then squared her shoulders. The doomsday had arrived, and it was not going to stop. But neither would she.
"Red," she said, "prepare two contingencies. If Umbrella moves to detonate, we intercept. If they try to evacuate, we tail and map the network."
"And if they try both?" the Red Queen asked.
"We beat them at both."
The AI smiled, something almost human. "As you wish, beautiful chief priest."
Alice didn't smile back. There was nothing to smile about—yet. But Raccoon City was holding. And as long as it held, there was a future to fight for.