Chapter 32: The Holy Religion of Muri

“Uncle Zhao Wu! Are we sure we’re not lost? We’ve been going for days and still haven’t reached the camping base!”
In the midst of a dilapidated village, a young man complained to Zhao Wu. After leaving the survivors’ camp, they had traveled for two days, using up their last reserves of fuel, yet the supposed camping base was nowhere to be found.

When their vehicle ran out of gas, they abandoned it and continued on foot. Now, with nearly thirty people—young and old alike—exhausted from the journey, the group had staggered into this place.

Zhao Wu clutched a tattered, makeshift map, frowning deeply as he studied it. How could so many people be hopelessly directionless?

“No, we should be close by, according to this direction,” he insisted.

Liu Shanye, hearing this, complained helplessly, “Uncle Zhao Wu, could you please pay more attention? Look at my blisters—if we keep going for two more days, my feet will be ruined.”

“I’d like to, but the map is crudely drawn, and we’re unfamiliar with the terrain. Let’s try one more day. I think we’re almost there,” Zhao Wu replied.

At his words, everyone stood up with a weary sigh—especially the elderly and children, who made up nearly half the group, their faces etched with suffering.

Uncle Zhao Wu couldn’t help but regret his hasty decision to leave the safety of the camp for these perilous wilds. Oppressed by doubt, he could only hope they would soon reach the camping base or at least encounter a hunting party from there.

But disappointment awaited him. Wang Ji had already led the elite armed members of the camping base north, to the oil storage facility of City F. Aside from Houzi’s men, who dared to hunt at such a distance, no one else from the base had the courage to venture so far.

With faint hope, the group followed Uncle Zhao Wu out of the village and carefully entered the wilds, where vegetation grew ever denser.

At the northern oil storage station, hundreds of people knelt upon the ground, chanting strange scriptures and at times bowing low, their faces pressed to the earth in fervent prayer.

“Mankind has fallen! God’s grace descends once again to cleanse the world! Repent, pitiful people! Only with pure souls can you escape this filthy world and enter paradise!”

Before the kneeling congregation stood a middle-aged man with a kind countenance and noble features, declaiming his creed in a sonorous voice.

This man was Ye Rongsheng, the leader of the Muli Sect. With a set of twisted doctrines, he had bewitched a group of ignorant men and managed to establish a foothold here, turning this place into a modestly sized base of power.

He wore a mismatched ceremonial robe and held a cross in his hand. Combined with his benign appearance and compassionate expression, no one would suspect that he was, in truth, the cruel and ruthless head of a sinister cult.

“…Therefore, strive to cleanse your sins! Muli!” he declared.

All the kneeling followers echoed the word “Muli” in unison, their fear of Ye Rongsheng as pronounced as their longing to draw closer and receive more of his divine favor.

When the morning prayers ended, a man approached Ye Rongsheng and whispered, “Master, were you satisfied with the one from last night?” A sly, knowing smile played across his face.

Ye Rongsheng’s aged face broke into a smile as he replied with righteous composure, “Indeed, she was very cooperative. God especially favors those with pure souls.”

Then, lowering his gaze, he added, “She has attained eternal life. May she find happiness in paradise.”

The man’s expression grew conspiratorial. “That’s good, Master. You’ve grown tired of the ones in the base. Shall I go out again today and bring some more back for you?”

Ye Rongsheng, pleased, traced a cross over the man’s head, as if bestowing a blessing. “Go, my child. God will protect you. Muli!”

The man, as if electrified by this blessing, shouted “Muli!” with shining eyes and hastily left the oil storage base.

Ye Rongsheng remained, murmuring scriptures with an inscrutable air as he strolled slowly through the base, accepting the reverence of his followers.

Ten miles away, at an abandoned farm, the independent company and armed members of the base, after a day’s forced march, spent the night resting.

Wang Ji sat inside an earthen house, listening to Li Chengming report on the intelligence gathered by the scouting soldiers.

“Captain, that’s the situation. If we take out the sentries at the north and south entrances, we can drive straight into the oil storage facility. Their vigilance is poor—we managed to sneak inside twice without being detected.” Li Chengming marked several red dots on a hand-drawn map.

Wang Ji had created this tactical map from memory, using his formidable mental acuity, and its accuracy was nearly ninety percent.

“What about their armament?” Wang Ji asked, already formulating an assault plan in his mind.

Li Chengming smiled. “Fewer than ten rifles, maybe twenty pistols at most, and not much ammunition. I have no idea how they’ve survived this long.”

“Never underestimate them. Anyone who survives in this post-apocalyptic chaos must have some remarkable skill,” Wang Ji replied, marking key points on the map.

“Understood, Captain. That’s what we know for now. What worries me is how we’ll handle the thousand-plus civilians inside after the battle,” Li Chengming considered the aftermath.

“We’ll deal with that then. If they’re willing to come, we’ll escort them back to the camping base.” Wang Ji reviewed the tactical plan in his mind, then smiled confidently. “Go notify everyone. Meeting in here. We’re preparing for action.”

“Yes, Captain!” A guard hurried off to summon the squad leaders and the leaders of the base’s armed factions.

Soon after, Wang Ji hung the map on the wall and addressed the dozen core members.

“Before we begin, synchronize your watches. Our communications aren’t established yet, so I want everyone at their positions on time, ready for your assigned tasks. Understood?”

“Understood!” The squad leaders responded with excitement—this was their first real strategic operation.

Wang Ji glanced at them. “Set your watches. It’s now 10:05.”

“Recon platoon! Lieutenant Li, your task is to move covertly to the enemy sentries and launch your attack at 11:30, eliminating their eyes.”

“Arrange your men as you see fit. After the sentries are dealt with, move to these points and these,” he indicated on the map, “seize the high ground, and cover the infantry platoon’s advance. Understood?”

“Understood!” Li Chengming stood and saluted.

“Lieutenant Yan Song!” Wang Ji called.

“Here!”

“Your task is to attack head-on. Once the recon platoon takes out the sentries, advance quickly and open the base gates within five minutes. You’re authorized to use rockets if necessary. Then split your men—some to capture the defensive towers and warehouses, the rest to engage in close-quarters combat and control the armed personnel inside. Understood?”

Wang Ji drew arrows and circled strategic points on the map. The vice platoon leader and squad leaders studied them, then rose to salute in agreement.

“Finally, Boss Cui, Boss Lin, and you—three teams. Move out now, bypass their patrols, loop around to these rear entrances and here. Hold them. Not even a fly escapes unless I say so!”

“Understood, Captain Wang. Don’t worry, we’ll get it done,” Cui Dazhou replied solemnly.

Lin Xue looked over, her tone indifferent. “We’ll follow your orders as well, Captain.”

“Good. The rest, follow me as the support unit. That’s the plan. We’re the main assault, but that doesn’t mean the rest of you are off the hook. Remember—military orders are absolute. Anyone who treats this lightly will answer to me and military law!”

“Yes, Captain!” Li Chengming leapt up with the squad leaders, shouting in unison. The other leaders rose to declare their resolve as well.

“Very well. Begin the operation.”

“Yes!”

In the apocalypse, tragedy unfolded every moment. After Ye Rongsheng consolidated the oil storage base with his cult, a gang of thugs took advantage, throwing their weight around.

The gang leader, Zhang Haojie, had worked as a bartender in City F and knew many of the local underworld. After the apocalypse, he swiftly made a name for himself.

Arriving at the oil storage base, he immediately recognized its potential. Pretending to be moved by Ye Rongsheng’s creed, the two quickly formed an alliance, becoming figures of unassailable authority among the ordinary survivors.

Zhang Haojie knew perfectly well that Ye Rongsheng was a psychopathic sadist who delighted in abusing women. He would often select attractive women in the base, violate them himself, then hand them over to Ye Rongsheng in exchange for oil, which he traded for weapons, ammunition, or food at other bases.

Once he’d exhausted the supply of women in the base, he took the lead in raiding nearby areas, his dozen or so thugs growing ever more bloodthirsty and depraved.

“Ha ha ha, boss! Look at this girl—she’s such a delicate little thing, seems like a virgin too!” one of the thugs crowed, as if he’d discovered a new world.

The house reeked of blood. On the floor lay two or three corpses, and the room was in chaos.

Lin Xuezhu, cornered, stared at the thugs with utter despair, screaming and lashing out with fists and feet. But how could a young woman resist several grown men?

In moments, they had her pinned, her hands tied behind her back, and thrown onto the bed, her clothes reduced to tatters.

Zhang Haojie strode in, kicking aside one of his men and cursing, “Damn you, I haven’t had my turn yet!”

He looked at Lin Xuezhu’s delicate face and shapely figure, made even more alluring by her tattered clothing, and immediately lunged at her.

Lin Xuezhu glared at him with hopeless fury. “Even if I become a ghost, I’ll haunt you forever!”

With that, she bit down on her tongue, but one of the thugs, practiced in cruelty, grabbed her jaw and swiftly stuffed a towel into her mouth.

He patted her cheek with a leering grin. “Not so fast, little beauty. You can’t die just yet—I’m not done with you.”

Tears of despair streamed down Lin Xuezhu’s face as she stared blankly at the ceiling, her spirit shattered. The thugs burst out laughing at her misery.

Suddenly, a lackey rushed upstairs, shouting, “Boss! Boss, someone’s coming!”