Upon reading the detailed description of the Priest-King John's fraudster ability, Luo Shu understood exactly why he had been able to persuade the old conman to turn back.
He had precisely struck the fraudster's weak spot!
Believers were the foundation of a fraudster's power. Priest-King John grew stronger through his followers.
If all his believers inside Anomalous Entity-3221-1 were wiped out, he would no longer be a Level 5 Reality Bender.
And the reason why Priest-King John repeatedly breached containment to return to Earth and recruit new followers? Undoubtedly, he sought to grow even stronger!
According to the Foundation, a Level 6 Reality Bender was essentially a true god.
So, Priest-King John was actively seeking apotheosis.
Now, if Luo Shu also used the fraudster ability to gather his own believers… could he ascend to godhood?
Given that the Anomalous Entity Catalog had never lied to him, the answer was likely yes.
But the real question was—should he actually do it?
Priest-King John treated his followers like batteries for his ascension, but given Luo Shu's moral compass, he couldn't bring himself to do the same.
Luo Shu was a materialist at heart, an atheist. Even in a world where gods undeniably existed, his core beliefs hadn't changed.
To him, faith should be a choice, not coercion.
The medieval Christian approach—persecuting heretics and unbelievers—was absolutely unacceptable!
In contrast, Daoism's philosophy of non-interference aligned much better with his values.
So how could he, in good conscience, brainwash people into becoming his mindless puppets just to ascend to godhood?
Forget it. Apotheosis can wait. Unless the target was someone who clearly harbored hostility toward him—like…
His gaze instinctively shifted toward Barbie, just in time to meet her eyes.
In that instant, both of them sensed the undisguised hostility in the other's stare.
Some things didn't need to be spoken aloud.
Some enmities could never be resolved.
Those who walk different paths cannot work together!
Barbie was clearly a die-hard loyalist of the Foundation, a hardline hawk dedicated to eliminating all threats.
Meanwhile, Luo Shu had never been able to cultivate true loyalty to the Foundation—not after all the disappointments he'd experienced over the past few months.
Thus, the two of them were natural adversaries, even if the conflict hadn't yet erupted into the open.
Just as the sparks of confrontation were about to ignite—
The Black Hawk helicopter finally arrived at Anomalous Entity-3221.
A Laughable Containment Situation
The site was a standalone facility, superficially appearing as a run-down border town, but beneath it lay an enormous mechanical construct.
It was a clockwork super-technology array, reinforced with Sarkic blood sigils, guarded by MTF Sigma-9 ("The Engineers") and further strengthened by thaumaturgists.
The whole situation was absurdly ironic.
Priest-King John, a Christian ruler who had established a Christian kingdom in the East, was branded a traitor by both the Sarkic Cults and the Church of the Broken God.
They joined forces to banish him into another dimension, imprisoning him there for a thousand years.
After enduring such prolonged torment, Priest-King John developed Stockholm Syndrome, falling in love with the very factions that had oppressed him—the Sarkics and the Broken Church.
He reforged his faith into a grotesque fusion of all three, becoming a monstrous hybrid.
Yet when he finally found a way back to Earth, neither the Sarkics nor the Broken Church cared anymore.
Instead, it was the Foundation—which leaned closer to Christianity—that took over Anomalous Entity-3221.
So now, the Foundation was using the containment systems left behind by the Sarkics and the Broken Church to guard this dimensional rift, continuing to suppress the "Hope of Christianity" that was Priest-King John.
This love triangle was convoluted enough to fuel a 1,000-episode soap opera.
At the heart of the underground facility stood an ancient gate—the passage to Anomalous Entity-3221.
On either side of the gate, like a pair of ominous couplets, were inscriptions left by the Sarkic Cults and the Church of the Broken God.
Now that the passage was sealed shut, there was no more sign of Anomalous Entity-3221-1 or Priest-King John.
As long as "God" didn't stir up trouble again, it would likely be years before another window event occurred.
After Barbie finished handing over control to the Sigma-9 commander and the lead thaumaturge responsible for maintaining the site, the containment operation was officially complete.
Now, it was time for everyone to go their separate ways.
Hammer Down MTF (led by Peter) would return to Kandahar, Afghanistan, then board a C-5 Galaxy back to Area-51.
Meanwhile, Barbie and her Achilles' Heel squad would head to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, then catch a flight to Europe, eventually returning to Mount Olympus, Greece.
But just as Luo Shu was about to board the Black Hawk—
Barbie called out to him.
"Luo Shu. You're coming with us."
A Forced Recruitment
Oh?
No more pretense?
Straight-up coercion now?
Before Luo Shu could even refuse, Peter immediately stepped forward in protest.
"Hey, woman! Know your limits!" he snapped. "The operation is over. You no longer have command authority over us. You're not taking Luo Shu anywhere!"
But Barbie wasn't one for pointless arguments.
Without a word, she tapped on her personal tactical terminal and sent over a document.
It was an O5-level transfer order.
"By decree, effective immediately, Containment Specialist D-20915 (Luo Shu) is temporarily reassigned to MTF Omega-12 ('Achilles' Heel'), under the jurisdiction of Omega-12-C-003 (Barbie)."
— O5-█
Peter's face froze in shock.
He dared to argue with a Level-4 superior, but he couldn't defy a direct order from an O5 Council member.
Refusing this would be tantamount to betraying the Foundation.
"H-how did you… get this?" Peter stammered.
That was exactly what Luo Shu wanted to know.
If Barbie had this authorization from the start, she wouldn't have needed to exploit the Anomalous Entity-3221 breach incident to get her hands on Luo Shu.
Clearly, this order had been issued very recently.
Most likely, when Priest-King John returned to Anomalous Entity-3221-1, Barbie had secretly contacted "God" to discuss next steps.
And "God" had promptly arranged for an O5 Councilor to issue this transfer order, throwing Luo Shu straight into Achilles' Heel's clutches.
This was a death sentence in disguise.
Not only was Barbie constantly traveling the world to capture powerful reality benders, but Area-13 itself was packed with Level-4 reality warpers.
Achilles' Heel operated in what was essentially a reality bender concentration camp, filled with boss-level anomalies.
If Barbie dragged Luo Shu into Area-13, it would be like throwing a young girl into San Quentin's male prison block.
He'd be lucky to survive a day.
If I follow Barbie now, I'll be dead before I know how it happened.
I really don't want to stay in this damn Foundation anymore…
But Barbie had chosen the perfect moment.
They were in the middle of nowhere on the Roof of the World!
The only people around were Foundation personnel.
Was Luo Shu supposed to openly defy orders here?
Even if he somehow escaped from three MTF squads and a group of thaumaturges, there was no way he could survive the wilderness alone.
If he didn't resist now, his only option was to go with Barbie first.
"Come on. What are you afraid of?" Barbie smirked, her tone dripping with mock warmth. "I don't bite."
(Oh, you absolutely do.)
Luo Shu's mind raced.
This Foundation… I really need to get out.
But for now—
He had no choice.
With a resigned sigh, he stepped toward Barbie's helicopter.
The real game was just beginning.