Holy Infant

May 15th, light rain.

Haneda International Airport.

"President, welcome back."

"Mm."

"President, shall we return to headquarters first or—"

"My residence."

"Understood."

Sitting in the backseat of the sedan, Nakai Hayato watched the scenery recede, his eyes filled with deep contemplation.

He was exactly fifty years old. At thirty, he had seized an opportunity, using his mild-mannered appearance and certain tactics to establish Grace Corporation. From the very beginning, his target demographic was clearly defined: housewives with empty spirits and those suffering from illnesses or caring for family members with severe conditions. In the name of the company, he sold false hope.

Following further development and assessment, Grace Corporation was rebranded as the Holy Infant Society. The company's mission stated that the Holy Infant would descend into this mortal world in the flesh on behalf of the Holy Venerable. At that time, all members of the Society would receive divine healing, allowing the terminally ill to recover without medicine and children to become brilliant and clever.

At the same time, divine punishment would be meted out upon the world's sins and injustices. Only members of the Society could protect themselves and their families from this punishment, and they might even gain the opportunity to share in a newly redistributed wealth of the human world.

Compared to others, his Society did not emphasize the afterlife or heaven; it focused more on the present life and material benefits.

After twenty years of effort, the Holy Infant Society had achieved some success. Because he never organized any of the suspicious sacrifices that sounded wrong, and at most had members gather to hold candlesticks and chant in circles as a team-building activity, it had not attracted any attention.

He also arranged for a few plants to perform "medical miracles" from time to time to give the members hope.

However, this year, he could no longer suppress his ambition and made the firm decision to spend a large sum of money to go to South Korea for "advanced studies."

During those three months, he witnessed too many bizarre and eerie events, gaining a deeper understanding of human nature and its inevitable weaknesses.

It was no wonder that bloody sacrifices were a staple for certain groups; it was the quickest way to drag everyone into the mud, draw out the deep-seated violent factors within, and unite people while ostracizing "heretics" who did not follow the rules.

But the problem now was, he had learned a lot, but should he actually apply it?

On the way back, Nakai Hayato had been pondering this question incessantly.

Perhaps he could start with animals.

The stopping of the sedan interrupted his thoughts. He took another look at the scenery outside the window and realized he had arrived at the parking lot of the apartment building where he lived.

"Come pick me up at eight tomorrow."

After giving the order, he walked straight toward the elevator.

Nearby, a security guard was also walking toward the elevator. Nakai Hayato paid no mind, still preoccupied with how to plan a brand-new ritual.

The plain-looking security guard stood behind Nakai Hayato, not pressing any floor button, and simply followed him up to the seventeenth floor.

By now, Nakai Hayato was starting to notice the guard, and a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

The elevator doors opened. The guard glanced at Nakai Hayato, saw that he wasn't getting out, nodded at him, and walked straight out. He went to the fire cabinet, picked up the patrol log, and seemed to be writing something.

Nakai Hayato shook his head, feeling that he had stayed in South Korea too long and his nerves had become taut and sensitive. He stepped out of the elevator and went to his door, pressing his finger against the fingerprint lock.

Beep.

Before Nakai Hayato could push the door open, a massive force struck him from behind, slamming him and the door open with a loud bang!

"You—" Nakai Hayato was pinned to the floor, turning his head to demand an explanation.

But the moment he opened his mouth, something was shoved inside. He reflexively tried to spit it out, but his mouth was clamped shut, his throat was stimulated, and with a gulp, he swallowed it.

"Cough, cough—cough—ugh—who, who are you!? What the hell did you feed me!?" The guard released his hold. Nakai Hayato scrambled away, terrified, half-crawling and kneeling on the floor, frantically clawing at his throat in an attempt to vomit up what he had just swallowed.

The guard's expression was cold, the very definition of emotionless.

"The Holy Infant says you have disappointed Him."

Even with the composure and facial control Nakai Hayato had cultivated over decades, he could not withstand the shock of this single sentence.

What the hell?!

The Holy Infant?

Wasn't that just an entity he had fabricated to fool those idiots?

His mind raced, and numerous guesses flooded his brain.

Was this some obsessed member? Someone who felt they had received a revelation from the Holy Infant?

Or was it a killer sent by that nudist group because of the incident last time?

"No, that's impossible. I am the President; I haven't received any feedback from the Holy Infant—" Nakai Hayato tried to stall for time, one hand already reaching into his pocket.

"Masaki Hospital, locker 305 in the morgue. The Holy Infant will descend. You have one day to bring out the Holy Infant's vessel. If you fail—" The guard picked up a long metal rod. Nakai Hayato raised his hands in fear, and then, to his astonishment, the guard effortlessly twisted the rod into a pretzel and tossed it at Nakai Hayato's feet.

"What you just ingested is the Holy Son Pill. It grants you strength and health. But if you disappoint the Holy Infant, the worst consequence you can imagine won't even be one ten-thousandth of the true outcome." The guard left after saying this.

Only Nakai Hayato remained, stunned in place.

It was then that he began to feel his aging body surging with power—power that far exceeded what he had possessed in his youth.

He hesitantly placed his hand on the corner of the wall and squeezed hard.

The wall was crushed as if it were made of cheap, crumbling concrete.

The corners of Nakai Hayato's mouth curled up uncontrollably. He stumbled into the bathroom and looked into the mirror, seeing a man who looked no older than forty, both nervous and jubilant.

"Hahaha. Hahahaha—" Ignoring the dust on his hands, he kept kneading his face, a chilling laughter bubbling up from his throat.

"It's real, it's actually real! Could it be that I once received a revelation?! The Holy Infant exists in this world!" His mania persisted for quite a while before he gradually calmed down.

Right, right! Room 305, Ma, Masaki Hospital?

He hurriedly pulled out his phone and dialed the number.

Six or seven minutes later, at the spot where he had gotten out of the car earlier, his subordinate looked on in astonishment at Nakai Hayato, who appeared to have shed ten years from his face.

Nakai Hayato flashed a brilliant smile and patted his subordinate on the shoulder. "Let's go."

"Yes."

May 17th.

Nakai Hayato issued a summons to all core members of the Holy Infant Society, ordering them to attend a core circle gathering on May 20th, regardless of any other commitments, where they would witness a miracle.

May 20th.

Seven core members, plus Nakai Hayato and his two assistants—ten people in total—gathered in a warehouse.

"I am very pleased that everyone could attend this meeting on time; this is a grace bestowed upon us by the Holy Infant." Nakai Hayato appeared before the crowd, his face glowing with health.

His sudden rejuvenation left everyone lost in wild speculation.

"I know everyone is curious about the purpose of this meeting. I won't beat around the bush; I will tell you directly: it is for our ultimate goal—the descent of the Holy Infant!" Nakai Hayato spread his arms and shouted with great vigor.

These core believers were at least ninety percent committed to the Holy Infant Society; otherwise, they wouldn't have become core members for Nakai Hayato to exploit. Thus, when they heard his declaration, no one questioned it. They all knelt on the spot, expressing their loyalty and faith with the utmost piety.

Among them, one couple were wealthy merchants, two elderly people possessed considerable family assets but suffered from cancer, one man was a corporate executive, and two plump ladies were wives of wealthy men.

Except for the two housewives, the initial motives for the others joining were much the same.

The couple had an only son who had been tormented by illness for years; the two elderly people had cancer; the executive had a paralyzed mother.

Nakai Hayato nodded, satisfied with their reaction, and gestured to his two assistants. The pair immediately pushed forward a morgue cabinet that was still connected to a power source.

"The Holy Infant was unwilling to seize a body that already possessed a human soul, so He found the remains of a child imbued with spirituality to descend into," Nakai Hayato explained to the crowd.

"The Holy Infant is merciful!" someone shouted, and the others followed suit.

An assistant pulled open the cabinet, and a blast of cold air hit them, making the crowd believe even more firmly.

The two assistants carefully lifted the remains from inside. It was a young boy of no more than seven or eight, with no visible cause of death.

The two assistants' hearts were pounding with nervousness. Although they had witnessed this beforehand, they still felt it was complete nonsense! No, wait—perhaps this Holy Infant really was a ghost.

Nakai Hayato cried out, "Welcome the descent of the Holy Infant!"

The crowd followed, shouting, "Welcome the descent of the Holy Infant!"

In a silence filled only by breathing and the swallowing of saliva, the boy's corpse slowly opened its eyes.

Even Nakai Hayato, who had witnessed this scene once before and was mentally prepared, couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

Not to mention the others.

At that moment, it felt as if even breathing had come to a standstill.

"Are these the only ones?" the Holy Infant asked calmly.

Nakai Hayato hurriedly kowtowed. "I have failed in my duties and am unworthy of the Holy Infant's trust. I deserve death!"

The others didn't dare to speak at all.

After a long while, just as Nakai Hayato's body began to tremble uncontrollably, the Holy Infant said, "It is of no consequence."

"Many thanks to the Holy Infant for Your mercy!" Nakai Hayato finally let out half a breath of relief.

The Holy Infant cast His gaze toward the seven people kneeling, sweeping over them. They, too, were subjected to the same pressure Nakai Hayato had just endured.

"I have felt your faith," the Holy Infant nodded faintly, then casually produced two sizable, flesh-colored "pills." "These are two Holy Son Pills; let Nakai Hayato arrange their distribution."

"I shall strictly obey the Holy Will!" Nakai Hayato scrambled to the Holy Infant's feet, holding his hands up to receive the two Holy Son Pills.

Human nature is such that if the Holy Infant had given out pills for everyone at once, some might have been suspicious, wanting to see what happened to others first. But with only two, the gazes fixed upon the pills became incredibly fervent; they had already guessed the effect of these pills from the president's transformation.

"It is very good that you can persist in your faith," the Holy Infant said slowly. "On June 5th, summon everyone to hold a Spirit Gathering Ritual. I will gather more Holy Son Pills so that the sincere may no longer suffer from illness."

"The Holy Infant is merciful! Your grace is like a rebirth!" Nakai Hayato shouted with practiced skill, and the others, no longer as tense, followed suit.

The Holy Infant did not reply. Nakai Hayato carefully looked up, only to find that the Holy Infant had closed His eyes at some point.

Meanwhile, far away at home, Shiraishi Wataru opened his eyes.

"Little stones, go and scout the path for me."