Chapter 1492: and translation of chapter title

Fanatics.. 」

「Faith... 」

Inside the warm tin house, Lin An silently lowered his head to think, like a statue, motionless.

Cheerful voices filled his ears.

After slightly shaking his head and refusing the dry bread timidly offered by a little girl, he let out a quiet sigh in his heart.

Anduyin and the others were very happy; a group of little ones looked at the food he brought back and almost jumped up excitedly.

But for Lin An, the trouble had just begun.

「Food.. is still far too lacking... 」

「Not only does my food consumption increase as my strength slowly recovers... 」

「The day after tomorrow, the gang's people will come looking. 」

「So, I still need food to hire an Awakened Ones. 」

Constantly calculating how much food he needed and how to get through this month-plus, Lin An felt heavy-hearted, completely unlike the children who looked forward to tomorrow with hope.

One Awakened Ones, even if cheapest, also needs an ordinary person's month of food to hire them for two days.

If there is combat risk, the price will be even higher.

Although there are candidates, Anduyin can find an Awakened Ones who is at least a "good person".

But with a simple calculation, Lin An figured he needed at least twenty Pu Te professors, or forty scavengers to "support".

If you include the cost to sustain a month's consumption, that number would be even higher.

Approximately..

About one hundred fifty to two hundred.

And that is already the scale of a small church.

There's no way; those scavengers are only a bit stronger than the lowest ordinary people, but not much.

The food they can offer is essentially scraped from between their teeth.

「Attracting over a hundred believers will undoubtedly draw attention... 」

「Although I could let some believers become Awakened Ones first, then earn food through them... 」

「But similarly... as soon as any of them become Awakened Ones, it will surely cause a huge stir! 」

「Unless I can ensure that everyone will strictly keep the secret... 」

He needed food but could not expose himself.

For Lin An, he felt his situation was nothing short of a dilemma.

He could imagine that Faction: Long An was surely looking for him, and the Annihilators too.

Moreover, the Annihilators would surely contact the fugitives, using every means to trace his whereabouts.

Once discovered, even a random First Level could kill him...

「So, in the end, we still need fanatics. 」

「I only need one fanatic to become an Awakened Ones, then everything after that becomes simple... 」

「And I can also try to absorb Faith Power? 」

Lin An lowered his gaze at his slightly trembling hands.

To be frank, if his mind weren't strong enough, he could not bear himself as he is now.

From near-divine, he had become an ordinary person; even if it took at most a month, he could return to his peak.

But this sense of powerlessness, almost suppressed to the depths of the soul, still made it hard to breathe.

「In front of Old Pu Te and his group, although they showed intense emotional swings, I still haven't absorbed even a bit of power. 」

「Either the Savior System 'shut down' something, turning off all my abilities along with it, or else I must have genuine faith. 」

Not quite sure.

In the Amoeba Worm World, he also tried to artificially create Faith Power, to make fanatics.

Although it was exactly the same as his current path, Lin An clearly knew he lacked the crucial power.

Or rather, his inability to absorb Faith Power largely stems from the fact that Old Pu Te and the others, even if they have faith, direct it toward the illusory Ling An, not him.

But in the Amoeba Worm World, it's different.

He is the one displaying power, and people regard him as a god; that naturally grants him special power.

「Let's test it... 」

「If it succeeds, it might be an inspiration. 」

His eyes flickered.

Lin An recalled the moment the system punished him; a chill rose in his heart.

His power could actually vanish at any moment! His power, coming from the system's provision for resisting the Apocalypse, is essentially a joke!

Previously he had grown accustomed to the system being merely a tool, subconsciously not taking this issue seriously.

But after actually experiencing this, Lin An suddenly realized that losing his power this time might not be a bad thing; at least it gave him a warning!

This time it was an accident.

「What about next time then!? 」

「The Savior System had once helped him clear his name, but who knows if it won't happen again someday!? 」

Faith Power is the only thing he knows at this stage that isn't provided by the system! Of course, perhaps physical strength is also his own, like self‑strengthening, self‑forging.

However, for Lin An, in terms of physical strengthening, he essentially relies on point exchanges.

Entirely relying on electromagnetic stimulation of cells, he doesn't even know how long it will take to strengthen to above Fourth Stage!

「Faith Power... what exactly is it? 」

"Is the bond between perfect beings and civilization actually achievable through faith and religion?"

Thinking over and over again.

Lin An always felt that this path might be correct.

He had witnessed the power of faith.

That thing is enough for him to rush up to the Fifth Stage!

Moreover, in his view, religion is also a powerful tool for uniting human strength! To make the whole civilization cohere, to make all humanity strive toward a common goal, without internal conflict, without self-consumption.

Then there is no doubt, it must rely on faith.

"Whether it's democracy or republic, whether it's high-pressure military rule or dictatorship..."

"On the surface it can forcibly unite humanity, but privately there will surely still be division and 'chaos'."

"People simply cannot control themselves."

"Even if I later unite humanity, forcibly enact a series of harsh laws. Strive to let everyone become Awakened Ones, advance fairly. Contribute one's strength to the whole civilization..."

"But... it's simply not realistic."

"Being human means having selfishness; being human means having greed. I can guarantee myself, but how can I guarantee others?"

"Just..."

Like reaching the end of a maze.

A hint of confusion flashed in Lin An's eyes.

He still couldn't figure out some things.

Relying on Faith Power to reach the Fifth Stage, then driving the whole civilization. By rights, this path is not wrong.

But why don't the Alien Species do that?

Or rather, why didn't the former Alien Species Emperor do that?

Moreover, if this path is feasible and looks so wonderful, what about those fugitives?

According to the information he possesses, there are also Fifth Stage beings among the fugitives.

The Fifth Stage achieved through Faith Power obviously falls outside the system's control... So why are they still fleeing?

The problem...

Where exactly does the problem lie?