Chapter 36: Where Is Divine Grace

“In the name of the Holy Spirit…”
“…in calamity, protect us…”
“Listen to our prayers…”
“God is everywhere. Let His enemies flee without a fight, let those who loathe Him hide their faces and run…”

Ye Rongsheng stood before his followers, eyes half-closed, praying in a low voice. His disheveled appearance contrasted sharply with his look of compassionate sorrow.

Wang Ji watched as the believers, calmed by Ye Rongsheng’s prayers, gradually regained their composure. Some even started to murmur the scriptures in prayer.

“Captain!” Li Chengming solemnly moved closer, intending to intervene.

Wang Ji shook his head, indicating he had his own plan and would observe.

Ye Rongsheng continued praying as if alone, finally raising his hands toward the heavens.

“God loves the world… He even gave us His only Son…”

“…so that whoever believes shall not perish, but have eternal life. In the name of our God, save us!”

Once his words finished, all the followers bowed to the ground, praying silently for a divine response.

Suddenly, Ye Rongsheng abandoned his solemn expression and burst out laughing.

“I say… ha ha ha… I say, you bunch of fools, dumb as donkeys! Do you really believe all this nonsense?!”

Everyone present stared at Ye Rongsheng in shock.

He laughed briefly, then immediately broke into tears, cursing the sky.

“Oooh! I hate you! If you heard me, you should have come to save me already! I hate you! You fools, even if there is a God, He has long since abandoned us!”

“How… how could it be?”

“No way! Oooh… I still want to go to heaven!”

Some believers, unable to accept this outcome, began ranting wildly on the ground, clutching their heads in distress.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of a gunshot silenced the scene.

Ye Rongsheng screamed and fell, yet seemed unhurt, continuing to curse with bitter laughter.

Wang Ji, holding his pistol, walked slowly to Ye Rongsheng. All eyes were on him, waiting to see how he would deal with the false prophet.

Without hesitation, Wang Ji fired another shot at Ye Rongsheng’s other knee, breaking his leg.

Ye Rongsheng screamed, glaring fiercely at Wang Ji, shouting, “Kill me! Ha ha ha, I’ve lived enough anyway!”

Wang Ji frowned, said nothing, and fired two more shots, shattering Ye Rongsheng’s arms.

Ye Rongsheng writhed on the ground, howling defiantly.

Finally, Wang Ji squatted down, pressed the gun to Ye Rongsheng’s chin, and said quietly, “Scum like you, I could never be as cruel as you are. But justice will never be late!”

Bang!

The bullet pierced Ye Rongsheng’s jaw, entered his brain, and ended the life of the depraved old man.

Seeing Ye Rongsheng’s death, Li Chengming exhaled slightly and glanced at the soulless believers and their henchmen.

“Captain, how do you want to deal with them?”

Wang Ji put away his pistol, rubbed his hands in disgust, and declared decisively, “The main culprit is dead. But anyone who actively harmed others will be executed! Those who helped indirectly will be sent back to the base for labor reform in the factory!” He paused and then looked at the ordinary believers, battered by the apocalypse.

“They… let them fend for themselves. Whoever wants to return with us, be ready. Tomorrow, you’ll depart in batches with the fuel transport vehicles back to the base!”

Li Chengming saluted, “Yes, sir!”

He led his men to escort the henchmen whose crimes were confirmed outside, ignoring their wailing and dragging them out.

Soon, gunfire rang out from outside.

A wave of suppressed crying swept through the crowd—some of the oppressed, seeing their enemies executed, knelt and wept in agony; others, overwhelmed with joy, hugged their friends.

At least, for the foreseeable future, these soldiers seemed safer than Ye Rongsheng’s men. Hundreds of innocent people quietly complied with Li Chengming’s arrangements.

In a hall of the fuel storage station, some tables and chairs were set up as a banquet hall for Wang Ji to host the leaders of other factions.

Wang Ji sat at the head of the table. When everyone had eaten their fill, he raised his glass.

“This operation has come to a temporary end. I thank you all—without your cooperation, we couldn’t have accomplished this so quickly.”

Cui Dazhou stood, smiling with his glass, “It’s all thanks to you and your men, Captain Wang. We just benefitted from your efforts.”

“Yes, yes! We’ve finally seen your unit’s formidable combat strength!” A leader from a minor faction got up, grinning.

“Ha ha, since that’s so, let’s drink. Then, I’ll give you your share of the spoils!” Wang Ji downed his glass.

Everyone cheered and drank, their eyes shining as they looked at Wang Ji.

“This time, we harvested a total of 834 tons of stored oil, nearly 10 tons of food, and various other supplies,” Wang Ji said, glancing at his notes. “According to our previous agreement, you may take 84 tons of fuel!”

At this, Lin Xue, Cui Dazhou, and the others all smiled with delight.

“Everyone contributed equally, so I’ll divide it evenly. Take my written orders, and you can claim your oil!”

Li Chengming distributed the signed orders to the leaders.

With orders in hand, they showered Wang Ji with praise.

“Enough flattery. Where there’s reward, there’s punishment!” Wang Ji’s face darkened as he looked at the pleased leaders.

Lin Xue’s heart sank, knowing she couldn’t escape punishment. She forced a smile.

“Captain Wang, I already handed over the crystal nuclei I seized, and I caught that so-called cult leader too—shouldn’t my merits offset my faults?”

“Don’t play games! That’s not what I’m talking about!” Wang Ji slammed his chopsticks on the table, glaring at Lin Xue.

The nearby soldiers, alerted by the noise, flipped off the safeties on their rifles and aimed at the leaders.

“Captain Wang… what’s the meaning of this?” Cui Dazhou asked sternly, worried Wang Ji would turn on them for the valuable fuel.

“Hmph! Because Lin Xue openly disobeyed orders during the operation, exposed our location, and forced us to attack prematurely, we lost one soldier, three were severely wounded, and countless others lightly injured! Tell me, how should you be punished?”

Lin Xue sprang up, snarling, “Wang Ji! Are you targeting me? We all marched the same route—how can you say I leaked the position?”

“Still stubborn? Bring in the witness!” Wang Ji waved, and the soldiers brought in a bloodied man—the minor leader who had been attacked by Lin Xue earlier.

Wang Ji grabbed the man’s hair and made him look at Lin Xue. “Tell us, did he attack you this morning, so you returned to report?”

The man glanced weakly at Lin Xue, then nodded after a moment. “Yes… it was him. I recognize his floral shirt and build…”

“Damn it, don’t talk nonsense! I’ll kill you!” Lin Xue grabbed a carving knife from the table, threatening him.

The soldiers immediately stepped forward, pressing their gun muzzles to Lin Xue’s chest. “Put down the knife! Behave!”

Lin Xue stood his ground, sneering, “Fine! I’m under Captain Cao’s protection. Wang Ji, you frame me like this—when I return to base, you’ll be in trouble too!”

Seeing the tense standoff, leaders close to Lin Xue stood up to defend him.

Wang Ji sighed and pointed at the anxious He Guangsheng, the leader who had accompanied Lin Xue.

“He Guangsheng, tell us—did I frame Lin Xue? Were you there this morning?”

Lin Xue’s face changed, glaring fiercely at He Guangsheng.

He Guangsheng, intimidated by Wang Ji and the soldiers, and worried about Cao Muhua’s influence, fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair.

“Speak! Or I’ll treat you as an accomplice!” Li Chengming slapped his shoulder.

Startled, He Guangsheng blurted, “I’ll say! I’ll say! It was Lin Xue—he wouldn’t listen! Insisted on taking the main road, picked a fight! It’s not my fault, Captain Wang!”

“Hmph! Lin Xue, what else do you have to say?” Wang Ji asked sternly.

Lin Xue looked around in anger, then burst out laughing.

“Wang Ji! So what if I did it? I know you dare not touch me—with so many watching, if you kill me, you’ll have to answer to Captain Cao!”

Wang Ji shook his head and stood. “Rules make order. Lin Xue, since you admit it, you must bear the consequences.”

“Disarm Lin Xue and his men! Detain them until Captain Cao tells me how to proceed! All their spoils will be confiscated and given as rewards to our soldiers and compensation to the families of the fallen.”

“Yes, Captain!” Li Chengming eagerly approached Lin Xue. Two soldiers rushed forward, silencing Lin Xue with a punch and dragging him away.

Seeing Wang Ji swiftly detain Cao’s men and confiscate the spoils, the other leaders exchanged glances, afraid to speak.

“It’s not your concern. As long as you do your job, I’m easy to deal with. As your reward for cooperation, each of you may collect 500 rounds from logistics.”

Wang Ji offered both carrot and stick, immediately lifting the mood. The leaders thanked him profusely.

“All right, disperse! Get back to your duties!”

The leaders got up to leave, but Cui Dazhou and He Guangsheng lingered, hesitating.

“What is it? Do you have something else?” Wang Ji asked.

He Guangsheng suddenly knelt, holding his order in both hands, crying, “Captain Wang! I, He Guangsheng, was blind before and offended you. Now I’ve angered Lin Xue and Captain Cao—after returning to base, I’ll have no place there. Please take me under your command; I swear loyalty!”

Wang Ji paused, looking at He Guangsheng—a man in his thirties or forties, weeping on his knees. He was about to speak when Cui Dazhou also knelt, saying, “Captain Wang! I, Cui Dazhou, am of the same mind. Please accept the request of my 247 men!” He held a petition signed by all their names.