Chapter 186: The Disobedient Believer

The standardized faith-enhancement battle suit, infused with Jing Shang's ability, glowed with a crimson radiance like burning flame, mingling indistinguishably with the blood spurting from slashed throats.

Terrified screams, the crack of gunfire, and hysterical curses blended into chaos, yet Jing Shang felt boundless strength coursing through every part of his body.

The Goddess had plotted for him the route least vulnerable to counterattack, ensuring the security personnel's gun muzzles were always separated from him by at least one high-ranking traitor.

The thick stench of blood and the agony of torn muscles were marked in red by his brain, yet Jing Shang knew clearly that all of it was merely an illusion.

Because every injury he suffered at this moment was borne by Sato.

"Hold on a little longer!"

He advanced over toppled corpses; the once dignified elites now scurried like rabid dogs, while some still rational ones shielded others with their bodies and shouted something—

"Wait! Even if you kill me, the Giant He Xing will choose someone else to fill this seat. I can give the Anti-He Xing Front…" The elderly man in alien attire raised his hands, but Jing Shang knew clearly that such double-dealing traitors were the most dangerous parasites.

A few swift steps closed the distance; the blade's edge was only a foot from that old face. But his retina suddenly flooded with a blood-red warning box, and the little bell's directional arrow forcibly redirected him toward the right pillar.

In that instant, Jing Shang hesitated—he suddenly worried the Goddess didn't understand human deceit, that she had decided to spare the man, that missing this chance might plant a hidden threat for the organization, that the man might steal the fruits of victory as C-team's captain had warned before the battle…

And in that moment of hesitation, the blade flashed— a head, still frozen in shock and confusion, rolled free, but immediately after came an eerie heat.

Jing Shang, temporarily numb to pain, reacted half a beat late—he realized a scorch mark had appeared on his right hand; behind the pillar, the armed security officer had pulled the trigger again.

For a moment, Jing Shang seemed to hear Sato's cry of pain; before more guilt or self-reproach could form, his body instinctively followed the route projected on his retina to evade the attack.

"Ah, the single-person laser weapon's charge… never mind, just ignore him—take out the two on the left first!" Apparently due to prior distrust, the little bell now added voice prompts while marking targets; as Jing Shang swung his short knife with his left hand toward the enemies, it continued:

"I won't be misled by personal gain. I only guide you according to your wishes. So tell me—what is your wish?"

"Kill every last one of these traitors!" Jing Shang roared, his voice tearing at his vocal cords; the short knife, already chipped from use, jammed into the enemy's cervical vertebrae.

"Then do as I say!" The little bell's tone turned stern. "Drop the knife, then follow my directions—advance, flip, reach out…"

The little bell's voice carried a certain magic; Jing Shang didn't even need to think—he could keep pace with her rapid speech.

As he instinctively reached out, a familiar sensation surged through his hand.

"Good. You have a weapon again. Pull the trigger!"

"Bang!" A gunshot echoed as several men fell; the little bell's voice came again: "Hold the trigger, sweep upward. When you feel the recoil, drop it—I'll guide you to the next one!"

The unprecedented fluidity of combat filled Jing Shang with confidence. He discarded the gun, moving with the agility of a monkey.

In the blink of an eye, the conference room was littered with fallen bodies; only the fastest among the fleeing had just reached the exit.

At this moment, they bitterly regretted not installing more doors in this massive conference room, and even more so, regretting that they had habitually locked the door during the meeting.

What had been a simple door-opening motion had become impossibly complex in the crush; as they twisted the handle, their strength suddenly vanished.

They stared in terror at their own hands, still clinging to the door—the god of slaughter who had stormed into the room had already reached the threshold!

"Click!"

Jing Shang shattered the handle and lock outright. He stood before the door, his expression monstrous.

The flickering emergency lights illuminated his demon-like face, causing many to involuntarily void their bowels.

But at that moment, the once godlike Jing Shang suddenly staggered—intense pain and numbness surged into his mind; his brain nearly collapsed into unconsciousness, yet faith-power, rooted in belief, ultimately held back this momentary collapse.

And Jing Shang knew full well the cause of all this—

"Sato's link has been severed…"

"Sato's body has reached its limit. I severed your connection voluntarily. He is now in deep coma. At the current rate of life-force loss, if you resolve the battle within three minutes, he can still be saved."

The Goddess's announcement was chillingly calm. Jing Shang's gaze swept over the living in the room; his vision, fully engorged with blood, was blurred—but the Goddess's projections still marked enemy positions.

"Nine left." Jing Shang counted the red dots on his retina and pressed the device on his hip; a potent stimulant pumped into his body. His spine cracked like glacial ice splitting.

His flagging spirit surged back to frenzy; newly generated faith-power, amplified by the battle suit, enveloped his entire body. The overwhelming urge to brutalize nearly seized his neural center. Without any weapon, he simply used brute strength to rip the nearest councilor's head clean off, along with his spine.

The horrifying scene resembled a scroll from hell; the spine, now a whip, shattered another skull the next instant.

But just as he teetered on the edge of total madness, the little bell's gentle voice flowed like a clear spring into his muddled consciousness—

"Third target on the left carries an explosive device. Avoid it!"

Sudden clarity returned; he curbed his frenzy. His mangled body, spurred by faith, erupted once more.

…

Jing Shang, half his body twisted beyond recognition, limped toward the window. Behind him lay a carpet of flesh and blood.

"Pah!" He spat out an unknown official's larynx, then leaned half his body out the window, staring at Sato hanging outside, trying to pull him inside.

"Hehe, how long can Sato hold on?"

"Longer than you!" The little bell's voice carried a hint of anger. "I said solve it in three minutes—how are you supposed to run after fighting like this?"

"I never planned to survive." Jing Shang gripped Sato's body tightly, feeling the still-warm temperature, and finally exhaled in relief. He was nearly blind now; without the little bell's aid, he couldn't see anything beyond five meters.

"You're my precious believer—live! Fine, no need to drag him in. Just grab the rope and slide down together. D-team's situation isn't good either. Once you're down, I'll disable the signal jammer so the guards drawn to D-team can return quickly…"

"No need. Just disable it. Even if I wanted to run, I can't anymore!"

As he spoke, his bloodshot eyes glanced at Sato in his grasp, silently apologized, then leapt straight out the window. In the final moment before consciousness faded, his mind held only the Goddess's frantic scream—

"Aaaah! I already arranged a safe path for you!"

(End of Chapter)