I Believe in Light

Seeing Ella return to the inner room with a flushed face, the man's taut nerves seemed to relax for an instant before quickly tightening again.

Seeing this, Bai Zhu struck while the iron was hot, taking his acting up another notch.

His whole body began trembling exaggeratedly as he rubbed his hands, red from the cold. The white vapor from his breath condensed into a cloud in the frigid air.

"Big brother, look... I'm really not a bad guy. The snow outside is fucking brutal. I just want somewhere to warm up, have a drink of hot water, and then I'll get lost. I definitely won't cause you any trouble!"

Pige Aaron's hostile eyes swept over him. "The town is to the east. We don't put up outsiders here."

"I came from town, but this damn weather is like someone dumped a basin of flour everywhere. I couldn't see a thing and got completely lost!" Bai Zhu pulled a miserable face, just short of squeezing out two tears. "Big brother, please, just one cup of hot water. I promise I'll leave as soon as I've had it!"

As he spoke, he did not forget to glance toward the inner room, where warm light shone through. His eyes conveyed just the right amount of desperate longing for warmth.

Pige Aaron caught every detail.

Yet he still blocked the doorway without politeness, saying in a muffled voice, "Don't even think about going in. Stay in the outer room. The wind and snow can't reach you here. I'll get you some hot water." With that, Pige Aaron headed toward the inner room.

As he spoke, Pige Aaron turned and headed into the inner room.

After entering, he seemed to whisper something to his wife in a lowered voice, but Bai Zhu could not make it out clearly. Soon, a weak female voice came from within:

"Aaron, let him come in. It's too cold outside."

Apparently unable to withstand his wife's plea, Pige Aaron reluctantly came out of the inner room again and warned him with a dark expression, "My wife is kind-hearted, so she'll let you in. But you'd better not try anything. She's pregnant and can't take a scare."

Bai Zhu was delighted inside, knowing the first step of his plan had succeeded.

He hurriedly nodded and bowed, following Pige Aaron into the inner room. A mixed scent of firewood and medicinal herbs washed over him.

The room was very simple. By the stove, Ella was wrapped in a thick blanket, her complexion even more haggard than when he had seen her at the church.

Bai Zhu gave her a grateful smile and politely thanked her, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over her swollen belly.

Meanwhile, inside the car, Pige Aaron's attention was entirely focused on Bai Zhu because of his arrival. No longer affected by Pige Aaron's Nen, Milluki's mechanical spider had successfully slipped through the crack beneath the door and was transmitting the scene inside in real time.

Watching Bai Zhu nod and bow on the screen, looking scared shitless, Milluki curled his lip and muttered, "Tch, he really does make it look convincing."

Inside the house.

Pige Aaron poured Bai Zhu a cup of scalding hot water but did not leave. Instead, he sat directly beside Bai Zhu, his burly frame radiating immense pressure.

"Brother, where are you from? How did you end up at our little farm?"

Bai Zhu held the cup in both hands, putting on an appearance of greedily soaking up the steam. His body had stopped shaking, and his acting was flawless.

"Um, brother, I came from Sankara Town. I was originally going to visit a relative in neighboring Percy Town, but my car broke down halfway there. I figured it wasn't too far, so I'd just walk, but this damn weather kept getting worse. The snow got heavier and heavier, I couldn't even see the road, and I got all turned around."

"Oh, you're from Sankara."

Pige Aaron abruptly changed the subject, his words brimming with fanaticism.

"Then do you know about that church in Sankara?"

Here it came!

Bai Zhu's heart stirred as he knew the real show had begun. He set down his cup and revealed a perfectly timed look of delighted surprise, as though he had found his people.

"I do. I've attended service there a few times. Actually, I went there today."

At Bai Zhu's words, the fanaticism in Pige Aaron's eyes could no longer be concealed.

"Oh, you attended service today too? Then why didn't I see you?"

Still fishing for information.

Bai Zhu understood perfectly, but his face remained calm. "Maybe because I didn't take part in the baptism. I sat in the front row. After the hymns ended, I saw a long line forming in the back, so I left from the other side."

That was naturally the truth. Once he had identified the couple as targets, Bai Zhu had slipped away early and never came into contact with the crowd waiting in line.

Pige Aaron frowned and thought for a moment.

He remembered it now. When the line had formed for baptism, several people in the front row had indeed left early. But all his attention at the time had been captured by a stunning young married woman in the crowd, with a voluptuous figure and an aloof temperament. He had not noticed who else was around him at all.

Thinking it over, the logic checked out.

His suspicion toward Bai Zhu immediately vanished.

However, just as Bai Zhu said, "I went there this afternoon too," his peripheral vision sharply caught—

Ella by the stove had stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"Then do you also believe in the Creation Society?"

Bai Zhu showed a trace of hesitation at just the right moment, as though struggling through a major ideological conflict. After a long while, he finally said with a serious expression:

"Belief... not yet, at least. Personally, I believe in light."

He paused, then leaned closer with the air of sharing a secret.

"I mean Tiga. Brother, you know Tiga, right? Ultraman! The M78 Nebula! He's the embodiment of light!"

"Tiga? Ultraman?"

Pige Aaron's brows instantly twisted into a knot as he unconsciously repeated the unfamiliar words.

What were those?

A new god?

But why would a heretic come to a Creation Society church? Could it be... that he had been moved by the greatness of the Creation God and was preparing to convert?

With that thought, Pige Aaron's tense expression eased considerably. The way he looked at Bai Zhu now carried a hint of, "This kid has potential."

"You're... planning to change your faith?"

"Yeah, I'm still thinking about it." Bai Zhu sighed at just the right time, looking deeply conflicted. "Brother Ahong from the church has talked to me several times, but changing one's faith is a major matter. I have to be careful."

Meanwhile, inside the car outside the farm.

Milluki watched the live feed on the screen while stuffing himself with handful after handful of chips.

But when he heard Bai Zhu mention "Tiga," the same confusion appeared on his plump face as on Pige Aaron's. He turned toward Illumi, who had already changed back to his original appearance, his face full of curiosity.

"Big brother, which mythology is Tiga from? M78 Nebula sounds like a place name! But why can't I find it in my database? Is it something new?"

Illumi could not even be bothered to glance at his younger brother. His hollow catlike eyes remained fixed on Bai Zhu's bullshit-spewing face on the screen, and he suddenly wondered why his brother had become so stupid.

His voice was cool.

"Couldn't you tell he was just making things up?"

"Huh? Th-this..."

Milluki's face instantly flushed red. He could only grab a fresh large bag of chips, tear it open, and shove his entire head inside.