Chapter 309: Son of God – Cake

Inside the east-side channel of Eden Port.

Even though the space is spacious enough to allow side‑by‑side flight, the two Viking fighters remain one ahead of the other, with the escort Thunder positioned in the center of the formation.

When the pilots looked toward the front of their view, they saw a massive gate slowly opening to both sides, simultaneously casting bright light into the dim channel.

Seeing this, the pilots reduced speed, piloting the Viking and Thunder to gradually approach the gate.

The gate is numbered "4."

At this moment, various caliber cannons inside Eden Port point their barrels at Gate 4.

On the maintenance platform nearest Gate 4 stand ten ready APU units, as well as General Oukar and the Guard Company.

As elite troops of the resistance, the Guard Company soldiers wear light‑gray training uniforms, sport relatively fine armor and helmets, and wield standard‑issue stun guns or small‑caliber firearms.

They wait for a moment.

Oukar's party then sees the flight formation pass through the gate and enter the interior of the port.

Hover, descend, and prepare to dock at the platform.

However, just before the two Vikings touch down, amid the astonished gazes of the Eden people—and even Oukar—the aircraft transform into ground armor units.

Dong! Dong!

The two Vikings, several times larger than an APU, land on the platform and employ four rotating gauss cannons to deter the APU and Guard Company.

A transformable‑structure fighter…

Having witnessed the entire Viking transformation, Oukar directly perceives the technology mastered by Umbrella.

The Viking handles intimidation and standoff, while Thunder fully lands and steadies; as the pilots open the nose hatch, six gladiators step out first, forming an inverted "V" formation in front of the hatch.

These elite legionnaires neither raise the parallel‑bolt gun mounted on their left arm exterior nor activate the lock‑on function of their plasma shoulder cannon; they remain silent, looking down while pointing their barrels at the Guard Company.

Next, Angelong, Weike Duo, and Ma Ke exit the cabin in turn.

…

Oukar and the Guard Company soldiers tilt their heads increasingly upward, indicating Angelong's approach.

Awaiting angle stabilization…

Angelong has already come to within a short distance in front of Oukar, still smiling as if the prior clash never occurred, and speaks first:

"Umbrella's Eighth Legion commander, Angelong, I presume you are General Oukar of the Femi‑ni,"

"……" Oukar is a bit dazed, his expression also frozen.

The Guard Company soldiers are astonished, matching the reaction of Weike Duo, Ma Ke, and the others when they first saw Angelong.

However…

Putting Victor aside, Ma Ke and his group now look visibly unsettled, their gazes toward Angelong now tinged with fear.

Just now, the frontline base and two electromagnetic warships fell in an instant; the entire resistance was powerless, all due to Angelong's hand.

Ma Ke personally saw Angelong raise his right hand, his body emitting a faint glow, after which they arrived safely at Eden Port.

This exceeds what Ma Ke and his companions can comprehend.

Humans instinctively fear the unknown, especially powerful unknowns, regardless of whether they are friendly.

As for Angelong's ability to "raise his hand and emit light," it stems from employing Psychic Pressure; he also sensed the fear of Ma Ke's group, but he offers no explanation.

Because Angelong learned a crucial piece of intelligence from his father: this universe has no alternate dimension, and neither he nor the Astate's pure Spiritual Energy can affect this universe.

At this moment, Oukar, who has never witnessed Angelong release Spiritual Energy, quickly adjusts his mindset and nods, saying:

"Yes, that's right, I am Oukar."

"Very well." Angelong says bluntly, "I suppose all of Eden's senior officials have already learned of the rather unpleasant first negotiation just now.

To save both our time, and to liberate all humanity as soon as possible, please, General, convene all of Eden's senior officials for a second negotiation; this is also my final act of maintaining a peaceful stance."

"Of course." Oukar has no objection, and points left, saying, "In fact the Eden Council is ready, just awaiting Mr. Angelong's arrival; please follow me."

Speaking, Oukar looks again at Weike Duo, Ma Ke, and the others standing behind Angelong, his tone slightly deeper:

"Major Boli Yefu will accompany us to the council; the others are temporarily escorted to the detention center, awaiting further interrogation."

"Yes, General." Weike Duo steps forward

A few Guard Company soldiers also leave the formation to guard Ma Ke's group from all sides.

Next.

Angelong leaves two gladiators to cooperate with the two Vikings guarding Thunder, then four gladiators follow Oukar to the platform's lift.

They walk into a lift sized to hold ten APU units and many soldiers, so Angelong need not bend or lower his head.

The gate closes.

The lift activates.

Standing at the center, Angelong uses his height advantage to observe the outside through the safety net; soon the lift carries them out of the fortress‑like port, descending into a tunnel.

Watching the illumination lights sweep by one after another.

In less than a half‑minute, the tunnel scene abruptly ends, giving way to an extremely spacious underground city lined with "stone pillars," countless metal platforms and structures.

Angelong estimates those "stone pillars" are at least sixty to seventy meters wide and about two hundred meters tall; their overall appearance is not smooth or round, resembling load‑bearing columns of this underground space.

Moreover, the exterior of the "stone pillars" contains numerous excavated caves for the inhabitants to dwell in.

At this moment, Oukar, slightly melancholy, remarks to Angelong, "This is Eden, the sanctuary our military has fought to protect, and where millions of humans reside."

…

Angelong merely smiles faintly and nods, offering no reply.

In fact, this place is a sealed colony in the primary universe, where people, after long‑term mining of asteroid‑belt resources, hollowed out an asteroid over twenty kilometers in diameter to build it.

Thus, colonies often install large simulation devices at the top to mimic sunny skies, thunderstorms, or night starlight, providing psychological cues to residents and preventing prolonged oppression.

In contrast, Eden without simulation technology…

Even if the top has alternative lighting and the space is vast, the feeling of confinement—or even imprisonment—cannot be avoided.

In the main universe, people can travel freely, leaving the closed, oppressive asteroid colonies; but those living in Eden, once they go down to the surface, are only met with being hunted by machines.

Though it is a sanctuary, Angelong thinks Eden is more like a second "cage" prepared by the machines for humanity, merely transferring the first "cage"—the hard‑to‑control human prisoners in the virtual realm—into a second cage in reality.

Of course, the humans inside the scheme cannot see this, but as an outsider—and especially as an OriginalBody, Angelong can see through it at a glance.

That is why he did not respond to Oukar's sigh.

Arriving at the lowest level.

The gates open to both sides; they step out of the lift and board a rail train heading for the "Stone Pillar" at the very center of Eden.

Fortunately the rail train in Eden has no carriages, only a fenced "flatbed", allowing Angelong and the four gladiators to board smoothly.

As they leave the hall and enter the underground city, the residents in worn work clothes, busy with various tasks, have their attention drawn to the towering Angelong.

!!

Some residents are shocked, but more…

"The great priest is right! God truly sent his offspring to the mortal world to redeem us sinners!"

"It is the Son of God…! It is the Son of God!"

"The peace we have longed for will finally come! Wonderful!"

These are residents—perhaps believers—who are excited, shouting about "priest", "sinner", "redemption" and "Son of God".

Seeing this scene.

Angelong's expression remains unchanged, yet his eyes are filled with unabashed disgust.

In fact, from the intelligence Victor gave him, Angelong learned that Eden hosts a church called the "Church of the Son of God".

This church, based on numerous "records" in the Bible, makes Eden's people believe that someday God will again send a son to descend, leading these sinners to defeat the machines and return to the surface.

The church has existed for many years; according to Victor, it was formally established around year 085 of Eden's calendar, a little over half a century ago.

Angelong can understand that humanity in the apocalypse needs a faith, a hope of salvation.

However…

Religion is founded by people, and since people harbor selfish thoughts, this "Son of God" will inevitably become entangled with various interests and power disputes.

Spiritual Perception tells Angelong that Victor, Oukar, and some guard‑company soldiers beside him also feel disgust and contempt toward the believers, or rather toward the religion.

After all, whenever the army successfully defends Eden or makes progress against the machines, the church claims it as "God's blessing".

If a battle is lost, the church will say "The army did not pray to God; they are sinners!" and the like.

Moreover, in the desperate end‑times environment, the vast majority of Eden's people pin their hope on the so‑called "God" and "God's offspring", causing the church's size to grow ever larger and remain unwaning.

Now, the believers see Angelong and the gladiators, who look like deities, and naturally take them for the "Son of God" described by the church.

"…"

Seeing these phenomena, Angelong knows his arrival will jeopardize the comfortable "cake" enjoyed by a few "parasites" who have long been pampered.

About a half‑minute later.

The train passes through the underground city, enters the interior of the central stone pillar, and stops beside one of the platforms.

Leaving the train.

Angelong sees a group of soldiers far better equipped than the guard company, escorting a woman in a red robe and ornate headgear as she steps down from another train, facing them across two tracks.

This woman is the priest of the "Son of God", Lucis.

Seeing this, Victor sneers with contempt: "Ha, the charlatan has arrived."

"Oh? She's the charlatan the major mentioned? Hmm… judging by her attire, indeed." Angelong replies with interest.

"…"

Oukar says nothing, but a slight nod "betrays" the senior commander's true thoughts.

At this moment the three seem to stand on the same invisible front.

As for Lucis, whom they call a charlatan, although she is as astonished as everyone else upon first seeing an OriginalBody, she suppresses any exclamation to maintain a dignified, calm priestly image.

Afterwards, Lucis and her party walk into a nearby passage and disappear from sight.

Oukar also leads the group away from the platform, into a relatively low‑ceiling passage for Angelong, takes another lift, and heads straight to the topmost level of the stone pillar.

———————

…

Shortly thereafter.

Eden's core area, the Council Hall.

Its main body is fan‑shaped, with tiered seating that can accommodate over five hundred people to discuss Eden's important affairs.

At this time the hall is filled with delegates representing various strata, posts, or districts, as well as several senior military commanders led by Oukar, and of course Lucis representing the "Son of God".

Angelong sits in a specially prepared seat of appropriate size, arranged by staff, on the right‑hand side near the front.

The absence of the four gladiators indicates that these giants obey the OriginalBody's orders and are temporarily waiting outside.

Victor, however, stands at the very front of the hall, recounting to everyone present the details of their Abraham mission's reconnaissance, the discovery of the machine army preparing to attack Eden, and the warship crash rescued by Umbrella.

After hearing the report, everyone's expressions vary—some joyful, some skeptical, others solemn and worried.

"Major Poliev… you say the machine army has already been completely defeated by Umbrella?" a delegate asks.

"Yes." Victor glances at Angelong, who sits not far away, and continues:

"According to that Umbrella commander's account, that's correct, but I have no authority to verify the exact course and its true outcome."

"Thank you, Major Poliev, for your briefing." Oukar steers the conversation toward Umbrella and asks Angelong:

"Please, Mr. Angelong, help us clarify: where does Umbrella come from, what is its purpose, and how can we confirm the major's claim that you have already crushed the machine army?"

Hearing this.

Angelong rises from his seat under the assorted gazes and takes Victor's place at the very front of the hall.

By now the crowd has long passed the "height shock" stage and no longer reacts with excessive astonishment at Angelong.

Arrived at the front of the hall.

Angelong took a card-sized chip from his uniform pocket, placed it on the palm of his left hand spread flat, and then projected a large holographic screen for everyone present, showing the "Machine Corpse Sea" hovering over Eden.

He kept his usual kind smile and said, "This is the surface view; if you don't believe it, you can send someone to scout. As for where we come from…"

Saying.

Angelong switched the holographic screen's content and continued, "It's hard to explain clearly to all of you, but our purpose in coming here is to completely liberate humanity.

Negotiating with you also follows my father's intention, to prepare everyone present, and even all of Eden, for the reconstruction of human civilization."

The "Hacker Empire" chapter is nearing its end, and soon a new chapter will open; please give monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and subscriptions~!

Thank you all for your support~!

(End of chapter)