“Hmph… a utopia?” Feng Bujue laughed. “Perhaps it is for you.” He stretched his neck a couple of times, looked up, and said lazily, “Their faith stems from deception, their obedience from ignorance, they have no discontent… only because they are filled with fear.

You keep these people like livestock, dictating where they live, what clothes they wear, and what they do. The most terrifying thing is that you control their thoughts, taking away their… freedom.” He looked at York Coben with cold eyes. “Don’t try to make your family’s actions sound like they are serving the villagers. No matter how you sugarcoat it… in the end, it’s all to maintain your family’s rule and ensure your eternal interests.”

The muscles on York’s face twitched a few times. “Even if everything you say is true, what would you do if you were in my position? Would you give up such a situation if it were presented to you?” He turned his face again, glaring at Hank with a distorted expression. “My offer still stands. Say whatever you want, but… can you really refuse? Is it possible to refuse?” He laughed twice, as if trying to reassure himself. “Stop pretending to be noble. As long as you nod, you can join my ranks. You don’t have to do any work, just enjoy yourselves. Think about it, absolute power! When you’re eighty years old, you can still play with eighteen-year-old women, and they’ll come to you willingly. You can decide the life and death of these lowly people with a single thought. You can do whatever you want in this village, and your descendants can inherit this life…”

“I can’t help but ask,” Kuang Zong Jian Ying sneered. “Those outsiders who allied with your ancestors must have agreed to these conditions, right?”

“Heh… of course, who would refuse such an offer?” York replied.

“Where are the descendants of those people now?” Kuang Zong Jian Ying asked.

“Uh…” York was momentarily speechless.

“How long did your ancestors let them live in the temple before they made their move? A month? Half a year? A year?” Kuang Zong Jian Ying laughed.

York gritted his teeth, unable to answer.

“Generally speaking, this kind of power, similar to imperial authority, is not shared with others. Even the infighting among family members is brutal, let alone with outsiders,” Kuang Zong Jian Ying said. “Besides, judging by your attitude towards your brother and son, only an idiot would believe your promises.”

“Then what do you want?” York seemed to be getting angry and spoke rashly. “What can you do? The only device that can communicate with the outside world has been destroyed by me. It won’t be repaired in a short time. If you kill me, the entire village will not let you go!”

“I need to correct two mistakes,” Feng Bujue raised his right hand, extending his index finger. “First, I am fully capable of contacting the outside world directly from this room. You don’t need to worry about that.” He extended his middle finger. “Secondly… hehe…” His smile conveyed an aura of death.

Feng Bujue stood up, revealing the control panel behind him. He had been sitting there not to study the damaged communication components that York had destroyed. That area could be temporarily restored with [Sloppy Repair] in a moment. Feng Bujue's real purpose was to block the area next to it. The light on that control area had been on for several minutes.

“As soon as I entered this room, I was looking for the broadcast communication location. I really have to thank the people who designed these devices. The interface is as simple and easy to understand as a point-and-shoot camera,” Feng Bujue said in a mocking tone. “Our conversation has all been broadcasted live. Therefore… the people the villagers won’t let go of will be you.”

York Coben’s eyes were bulging out of their sockets, his horror was written all over his face. When he saw the communication light indicating that the whole village was being informed, his blood ran cold.

“Our conversation is no longer a secret, and this village no longer has any secrets,” Feng Bujue came to the control panel and spoke directly into it. “Villagers of Shenyou Village (God-blessed Village), you have heard it all, haven’t you. The so-called Son of God and his family… for many years, they have distorted history, monopolized knowledge, and buried the truth, allowing fear and ignorance to shroud you, making you live like pigs, dogs, cows, and horses, and you must still be grateful to the rulers.

And the so-called outsiders are just humans who migrated to other planets hundreds of years ago. Coben describes them as heretics and devils in order to prevent you from learning the truth from the outside world. Even if you don’t believe what I’m saying now, you should have heard York Coben’s voice many times. Judge for yourselves.”

Feng Bujue paused for a few seconds and then continued, “I will contact humans from the outside world and tell them the coordinates of Shenyou Village. After that, I hope you can communicate with the outsiders rationally. The future is up to you, the villagers of Shenyou Village, to decide. There will no longer be anyone who enslaves you in the name of divine revelation. As for York Coben…” He turned to glance at the Son of God. “I’ll leave him to you to deal with. He’s here in the Temple of Divine Decree. You can come in and take a look.”

After saying this, Feng Bujue turned off the communication channel, turned around, spread his hands, and smiled at York, “Oh… seeing your expression now, I feel incredibly refreshed.”

“You… you actually… why! Why would you do this!” York Coben was on the verge of collapse. He roared, “Are you sick! You don’t want the wealth and glory that’s offered to you! You and your companion even had the opportunity to replace me, didn’t you? Why?”

“Sword Master, please explain this question,” Feng Bujue said with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, several sword lights flashed, and Kuang Zong Jian Ying instantly appeared next to York Coben. Almost at the same second, Coben’s mechanically modified limbs were all severed. His fat body fell vertically to the ground, and blood, machine oil, and nutrient solution flowed across the floor. Coben’s face was filled with astonishment.

“There’s a saying… a busybody will smooth an uneven road, and a capable person will manage an unfair matter,” Kuang Zong Jian Ying said as he stylishly sheathed his sword. His moves were much better than the few that Feng Bujue had used to kill Havel, because his weapon did not have the effect of restraining mechanical creations. Being able to dismember Coben so quickly and cleanly relied mostly on his own skills.

“If it were in the world I live in, facing such a choice, perhaps I would compromise…” Kuang Zong Jian Ying said. “But here, first, we won’t be staying for long, and second, you… how should I put it, hmph… deserve to die.”

York Coben, lying on the ground, was completely despairing. He had originally held a glimmer of hope that he could escape the village alive, but now, even that fantasy had been completely shattered.

Most of the adult males in the Coben family have undergone mechanical modification, and there is a reason for this. In addition to preventing assassination, demonstrating divine power, and extending lifespan, it also allows them to survive on Old Earth in case of emergencies. Enhanced cardiopulmonary function can cope with the terrible air, and the mechanical body can also help them hunt mutated creatures for food.

The ancestors of this family did indeed plan very thoroughly. They set many rules, such as body modification, mastery of history, and which parts of knowledge should be kept absolutely secret, etc. …It can be said that they had already thought about how to deal with all kinds of possible changes for their descendants. The Coben family has been able to rule smoothly for so many years also because successive heirs have strictly adhered to these iron rules.

If it weren’t for two players coming here today, perhaps only the village’s own genetic degradation could destroy Shenyou Village. Expecting the outside world to discover this place one day is probably a distant prospect.

“Oh, right, although the probability is very low, but in order to prevent you, in this state, from relying on the unshakable prestige that the family has established over the years, to spread rumors and stir up trouble, to turn the tide…” Feng Bujue took out a steel knife, squatted next to York, and smiled as he put the tip of the knife into the other’s mouth, using the blade to press against York’s cheek. “Just in case, you should smile…”

“Ah… ah!” York Coben roared in pain, watching helplessly as his cheeks were cut open by Feng Bujue, and his tongue was stirred by the tip of the knife. For some reason… his throat also felt a sense of paralysis.

…………

More than ten minutes later, at the entrance of the temple, Hank walked slowly out of the temple. A large number of civilians had gathered at the entrance, from the first to the third districts. The priests had all been arrested by the villagers. Although some of them were innocent, this group of people would definitely suffer a bit, and no one would believe their words again.

Among the crowd gathered at the entrance of the temple, there were also many guards who had previously met the “invaders.” As soon as they saw Hank, they shouted, “It’s him! He was with those two outsiders earlier!”

Hank walked to the front of the crowd, and everyone watched him. People were waiting, waiting for this man to say something. It was as if in the darkness before dawn, they were looking forward to the guidance of a ray of light.

Hank scanned the people in front of him. He saw Miss Molly in the crowd, his mother, and his friends. At this moment, Hank received the attention that he had never received in his past life.

After a moment of silence, Hank finally spoke.

“Those two outsiders… no, they should be called two travelers from the outside world, have already left. They said they won’t come back, and they don’t want to be remembered or talked about,” Hank tried to keep his tone steady and his words clear. “That Mr. Crazy… he repaired the communication equipment that Coben destroyed, and contacted a place outside called the ‘Solar System Research Station’. He told the other party the coordinates and signal frequency of Shenyou Village. Our village is no longer an isolated place. The outside world already knows of our existence.

Soon other humans will come to visit us, and they have the ability to take all of us away from here. We can go to a place called ‘Second Earth’, which is the current home of mankind. There is clean air and water, blue oceans, mountains, rivers, forests, and lakes, as well as real cities.

Diseases can be cured, without kneeling down to pray; the weather can be predicted, and it is not the capriciousness of the gods. Every child has the right and obligation to receive an education. No one stipulates or forces you to believe in anything, wear anything, or do anything… Women don’t have to be sent to other people’s mansions before they get married for their enjoyment, and men don’t have to risk their lives to do scavenging work.”

His voice unconsciously became louder, or perhaps it was because everyone had become quieter.

“I can understand how you feel right now. Like you, I feel confused and timid about the future, but at the same time, I have expectations. But what I can be sure of is…” In Hank’s eyes, there was a kind of relief and emotion. “…we are free.”