Chapter 223: Protest and Sermon

When the article titled "Our Shared Wound: Do All Disasters Stem from the Arrival of the Same 'Non-Human Entity'?" began circulating online, it caused little impact; after all, there were already countless conspiracy theories about alien creatures and Yang Yi, and even more sensational ones existed.

Only Yang Yi's opponents felt they had found new evidence.

However, a subsequent paper originating from the scientific community pushed this article to the peak of public opinion.

On the international top-tier academic platform MBA Knowledge Base, a paper that underwent rigorous peer review was quietly published, its title cold: "On the Correlation Between Genetic Material Alienation in High-Energy Individuals and Regional Ecological Disasters: An Empirical Analysis Based on Multi-Source Data."

This paper never mentioned Yang Yi by name, yet every data anchor—time, location, energy signature, biological samples—pointed uniquely to her.

The core conclusion was clear: "The genome of Subject A constitutes a new taxonomic unit independent of known humans or interdimensional beings. Its genetic material shares 91.97% similarity with the gene of an alien creature cloned in a certain laboratory. It is therefore inferred that the disaster in a certain city and Subject A have an irrefutable statistical correlation."

This was no longer a conspiracy theory, but a scientific consensus.

Laboratories worldwide in relevant fields began repeating the verification, but every discussion of verification further disseminated the paper's conclusion.

Media outlets focused on this paper's conclusion, with countless news headlines beginning thus: "Scientists Confirm Yang Yi and Diego City Alien Creature Genes Share 91.97% Similarity!"

It was not just entertainment media; more serious media also intervened, completely draping a piece of online gossip in the cloak of authority.

Inside Xia Country, the decision-making layer and the scientific community were not much shaken; long before Yang Yi went to destroy the Ark Country military base, she had already confessed this matter.

A medical examination of Yang Yi before the Fog City disaster proved she was completely human beforehand; after the Fog City disaster, she ceased participating in medical examinations.

Some within Xia Country accused her of failing to report to the organization in time during the Fog City incident, acting on her own authority, and causing such severe consequences.

Some radicals believed Yang Yi was no longer fit to hold any position; she should be detained to prevent sudden mutation, allowed only to cooperate with the Interstellar Migration and Universal Awakening Plan, but granted no freedom or power.

Of course, this overly radical idea was rejected by the majority due to the difficulty of implementation.

The Xia Country official government was also placed on the fire; their dilemma was that they could absolutely not disclose Yang Yi's DNA data, which was top secret, as the consequences of disclosure would cause an uproar.

Facing global questioning and rising public opinion domestically, if Xia Country suppressed it forcefully, it would only confirm accusations of "guilt."

But if they ignored it, it would further damage their international leadership image and domestic credibility, especially at this critical moment when Xia Country needed to assume the role of global leader.

On the second day after the paper was published on MBA Knowledge Base, grand protest marches appeared on the streets of Diego City; many citizens held copies of the paper or newspapers with the headline "Scientists Confirm Yang Yi and Diego City Alien Creature Genes Share 91.97% Similarity!", converging on the streets from all directions.

They held signs reading "Reveal the Truth," "She is the Source of Pollution!," "Demon! False God!," "The Monster Who Killed Our Relatives!," "She Brought the Disaster!", chanting slogans as they marched through Diego City's Central Avenue to the government gates, demanding the government pressure Xia Country to reveal the truth.

Ark Country, whose military base had been destroyed, welcomed this protest march and could even be considered one of the masterminds behind it.

Meanwhile, in the Mudajiaotang of Vatican City, Father Dai Meien was broadcasting a sermon to believers worldwide via the internet, the sermon's theme being: "Identifying the False God: The Demon Creates Miracles for Our Flesh and Blood."

The Mudajiaotang was packed; in the silence, only suppressed breathing and occasional coughs could be heard.

Father Dai Meien stood before the altar, his face pale and solemn in the shadows.

The red indicator light of the global live broadcast flickered in the corner, like a dim fire that flared and faded.

"My children," his voice was not loud, yet it struck the stone walls like a hammer, echoing beneath the church arches.

"We once longed for miracles. We longed for a hand descending from the heavens to pull us from the mire and grant us hope and peace." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces below, illuminated by candlelight, filled with fear and anger.

"So, she came. Bringing the power to erase Gaoshan and fill the abyss, she gave safety, she gave hope! Like a shepherd feeding sheep, like a gardener pruning branches. We cheered, we knelt, we called her the 'God of the Earth'."

Father Dai Meien's voice began to tremble, not from fear, but from accumulated anger.

"But today, I ask you—and I ask myself: Is this hope descending from the heavens truly 'Manna,' or is it bait, laced with poison, thrown down by the demon to fatten us?"

A deathly silence fell over the church, broken only by the crackling of the candle flames.

"Look at our world! Wherever those miracles went, did pure flowers truly bloom? No! I see a road paved with the bones of our compatriots leading to her throne! Were those thirteen military bases erased weapons, or the last fingernails of human self-defense? Was what was bestowed grace, or poison smeared upon the communion wafer?"

He suddenly raised a stack of papers in his hand, copies of the MBA Knowledge Base paper and disaster photos.

"... The arrogant scientists have now bowed their heads. Using language we cannot understand, they have proven the fear our souls perceived long ago—that the 'hand' that gave us hope shares the same origin as the demons from the other world!"

In the air, the suppressed sobbing of the believers rose; some clutched the crosses on their chests tightly.

Father Dai Meien's voice finally turned into a hoarse accusation, pointing east, as if pointing toward an invisible shadow.

"She is not a savior, not a martyr willing to sacrifice for humanity; she is a liar, an imposter! She mimics the Father's majesty while secretly practicing the deeds of the devil! She mimics the Son's sacrifice while demanding we sacrifice our compatriots! She mimics the Holy Spirit's purity while destroying the weapons in our hands and planting seeds of fear and obedience in our hearts!"

"Open your eyes, my lost lambs! Do not look at the miracles she displays; look at what the demon seeks to take from us after the miracles!"

When this global sermon ended, there was no "Amen," only a heavy expanse of suffocating silence, and countless eyes burning with confusion, pain, and silent anger in the dimness.

The live broadcast signal was cut, the screen returned to darkness, but that silent anger had already begun to surge like a virus through the veins of the internet world.