Chapter 1863: 700

Dead silence.

Perhaps the answer was too heavy, and no one dared to meet Lin An's gaze.

For a moment, even the most carefree and hot-tempered Zhang Tie turned deathly pale and could barely breathe.

He wanted to reply, 'Kill them all—those beasts deserve to die!'

The cultists brainwashed by the escapees cannot be saved! Even if we slaughter every escapee, the remaining people will secretly devise something else, spreading like cancer.

Just look at the world before the Apocalypse—people still invented religions and slaughtered each other, even without supernatural powers.

After all, wielding power in the name of a god is simply too wonderful.

"Lin Dui.."

"Actually, I think it's probably impossible for us to unify the world."

Summoning courage, Gao Tian took a deep breath and spoke with a bitter, hoarse voice.

He didn't want to oppose Lin An's decision, but in his heart, some things were doomed to be unsolvable, impossible to achieve.

"Just the cult forces within the Huaxia war zone number over a hundred million. I've dealt with those cultists; most of them are powerless or have extremely poor talent, ordinary people."

"Essentially, they choose to believe in an obviously flawed god and that group of escapees, largely because they have no way to gain power."

"Whether it's fear of death or talent limits, the escapees' lure of becoming powerful is simply too great!"

"Lin Dui! Even if you slaughter the gods before their eyes and kill every false Fourth Stage, they will only hate you for crushing their hope!"

Gao Tian swallowed dryly, then gave a bitter laugh after speaking.

During the time Lin An was away, he hadn't not considered using the method of eliminating the false Fourth Stage to 'awaken' the populace.

But the result left him chilled.

The more he killed, the more people hated him!

At that moment he suddenly realized these people were beyond saving! Pandora's Box had been opened by the escapees! Unless we slaughter this entire batch and 'manufacture' a new batch of humans, some things are rooted in people's bones like a virus.

Lin An gave a slight nod, showing no anger, merely listening calmly as Gao Tian finished.

He knew what Gao Tian dared not say.

The situation is hopeless; killing is necessary, but merely slaying those cult high‑levels is far from enough. The only option is to wipe out these hundreds of millions. Such a mad scheme makes Gao Tian fearful just to contemplate it.

"Lin An, I think perhaps we can take it slow."

"First, eliminate the main high‑levels, dispose of that batch of false Fourth Stage and escapees. After establishing unified rule, if we slowly guide the survivors, perhaps in ten or twenty years we could change everything."

"If one generation fails, try two; if two fail, try three. As long as the survivors realize that gaining power from the so‑called gods is utterly false, they will comprehend your good intentions."

Wen Ya spoke hesitantly, her gaze earnest, pleading as she looked at Lin An.

Fundamentally, most people are blind and 'foolish.' In Wen Ya's heart, she wishes Lin An would give everyone a chance, for many merely follow blindly, just wanting to survive, unable to control themselves.

Rebuild order, rebuild civilization, rebuild humanity. She believes—or rather hopes—that Lin An will become 'the Light'.

Seeing Lin An's still‑calm eyes, Wen Ya couldn't help but seize his hand, gripping it tightly.

"Lin An, it's not just the Huaxia war zone that has these problems. Across the globe, with so many nations, religions, races, beliefs, cultures, and skin colors… the differences are endless."

"If we really enforce unity by purging everyone, how many would remain in the end?"

"People won't understand you; they'll only see you as a tyrant, a demon! Even if they dare not rebel again, they will forever remember how many you slaughtered—and they will fear you."

As the words fell, Tai Er, sitting at the edge of the Meeting Room, trembled with both hands, unable to help staring anxiously at Lin An.

Wen Ya's words were also what he feared.

From the moment Lin An cleared the Japanese war zone and declared his intent to unify the world, his pressure had already grown beyond imagination!

He still hasn't dared to respond to any news from Soviet Russia!

The reason is simple.

Once Lin An truly resolves to purge all 'impurities,' the first in line will be Soviet Russia!

Soviet Russia's interior teems with escapees producing Fourth Stage beings—from military high‑levels down to ordinary civilians! To put it bluntly, Soviet Russia counts as having betrayed him, Lin An; its entire high‑level deserves death!

To be frank, he can't even imagine Lin An slaughtering large numbers of Soviet Union survivors—and how he would face Lin An afterward!

Would he hate him!? Would there be a rift!? Certainly!

No matter how much he could understand Lin An, knowing Lin An is right, he still couldn't bear to watch Soviet Russia vanish before his eyes!

Seeing Lin An remain silent, not responding to Wen Ya,

Tai Er forcibly suppressed his fear, couldn't help but tremble as he rose to his feet, unable to hold back the words he wanted to say.

"Lin An... I don't oppose your unification of the world."

"But I beg you, please, for the sake of our long acquaintance and our fighting side by side, give us one chance."

"I will personally deal with the chief traitors, but... but the others are innocent, they were also deceived...!"

"Plop"

In the astonished gazes of everyone, Tai Er seemed to have aged ten years overnight, his eyes blood‑red as he knelt before Lin An, tears streaming down his face.

"I will surely persuade them not to resist and join Faction: Long An."

"Lin An, I implore you to give us some time, to spare them...!"

His eyes flickered; Lin An silently gazed at the once‑vigorous Tai Er, who had been proud on the training ground, and for a moment he grew even more silent.

Unifying the world is something he must achieve.

But after returning, he did not immediately sweep the globe and begin cleansing; in essence, he also understood that things were far from simple.

Not only are the contradictions accumulated over thousands, even tens of thousands of years of human civilization involved, but also how his path of faith must coalesce.

Just...

"Time?"

"Take it slow?"

Lin An, somewhat weary, slowly closed his eyes.

He has no time.

What he lacks most is time.

Only 700 hours remain until the next mission.