booktalesy Chapter 219 Rescue of Survivors
Chapter 219 Rescue of Survivors
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
Domingo, accompanied by five Templar Knights and two cardinals, set off from the east gate of the stronghold and ventured deep into the gray areas of Raccoon City.
Night Owl's squad led the way, clearing out any stray zombies along the way.
Domingo followed behind, clutching a hastily made booklet in his hand.
The Gospel of God.
It's called a gospel, but it's actually just a product of Lin Fan dictating for ten minutes last night and Domingo spending three hours polishing it.
The core message is just one sentence: "Believe in the true God, and you will have eternal life and food to eat."
Simple and straightforward.
But in this apocalyptic city, it works exceptionally well.
The team advanced westward along the main road for about two kilometers and arrived at the ruins of a commercial district.
This place was once the most bustling shopping center in Raccoon City, but now it's just a mess of broken glass.
"There are signs of life ahead." Night Owl raised his fist, signaling the team to stop.
Domingo glanced ahead.
On the second floor of the shopping mall, several windows were boarded up and sheet metal sealed off, but a faint light shone through the gaps.
"A survivor."
Night Owl made a gesture, signaling two team members to go around to the side to keep watch, and then led the rest of the team to the main entrance.
The main entrance was blocked by an overturned truck.
Just as they were about to look for another entrance, a window on the second floor suddenly opened a crack.
A gun barrel emerged from the gap.
"Don't come any closer!"
The voice belonged to a middle-aged man, his voice hoarse and filled with obvious fear and wariness.
"We have guns! Take one more step and we'll open fire!"
Night Owl raised his hand, signaling everyone not to make any rash moves.
Domingo stepped forward from the back of the group, raising his hands above his head to indicate that he was unarmed.
"Friends, we are not here to hurt you."
"Stop talking nonsense! Who are you? The army? Or those bastards who loot supplies?"
"Neither."
Domingo could keep his voice steady and gentle, a skill he honed over decades in the Vatican, using his voice to put people at ease.
"We come from the East Safe Zone, guided by the true God, to help you."
There was silence for a few seconds behind the window.
"True God? What true God? Are you from the Vatican?"
"No, no, no, we are not Vatican personnel, we are church members, we are here to deliver supplies."
As he spoke, Domingo pulled two cans of compressed biscuits and a bottle of water from his backpack, held them above his head, and asked, "How long has it been since you guys have eaten?"
Silence fell again behind the window.
This silence was even longer.
Then, the gun barrel retracted.
The wooden planks were removed from the inside, revealing the face of a haggard middle-aged man.
Behind him, there were seven or eight other people, men, women, young and old, all with the same tired and hungry expression on their faces.
"...Do you really have food?"
"have."
Domingo raised the fast food in his hand as a gesture.
The middle-aged man stared at the food in his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
He turned around and looked at the people behind him.
A little girl was hiding behind a woman; her face was so thin that only her two big eyes were visible.
"Throw the stuff up here."
Domingo didn't throw it. Instead, he went downstairs, put the things on the ground, and then took three steps back.
"The food is here. If you are willing to come with us, there is safe shelter, clean water and food, and people to protect you in the East District."
"And the price?" The middle-aged man's eyes were full of wariness. "I don't believe in free lunches."
"No price." Domingo shook his head and pointed eastward. "The true god doesn't charge."
The middle-aged man hesitated for a long time.
Ultimately, it was the little girl behind him who cried out, "Uncle, I'm hungry," that made him make his decision.
He came down the stairs and picked up the food from the ground.
He tore open the packaging of the compressed biscuits, broke off half and handed it to the little girl behind him, and then put a piece in his own mouth.
After chewing a couple of bites, the middle-aged man's eyes suddenly reddened.
"It's been seventeen days." His voice trembled. "We've been hiding here for seventeen days."
Seeing that the other party had lowered their guard, Domingo stepped forward to comfort them.
"Friends, the suffering is over. God will save you..."
……
When it comes to saving lives and spreading religious teachings, probably no one in the world is more suited to it than Domingo and his group.
With just a few words, Domingo calmed the group down.
The other party agreed to leave with them.
The Night Owl was inwardly shocked by the ability to fool people with just a few words.
Good guy!
No wonder he's a charlatan.
They really know how to fool people!
With a good start, the rest becomes much simpler.
After the men had eaten their fill, the group continued their journey.
Night Owl and his crew were responsible for clearing out the zombies, while Domingo and his crew were responsible for spreading the word about God's mercy.
Although there may not be many survivors left in Raccoon City, the original group grew by nearly forty more people a few hours later.
The oldest person in the group was a 72-year-old man, and the youngest was the little girl in the mall, who was only five years old.
When these forty-odd people were brought back to the East District base, they all cried upon seeing the incredibly safe environment before them.
Of course, what excited these people even more was the smell of hot white porridge.
Levi stood at the entrance of the canteen, directing several support staff to distribute food and bedding to the survivors.
Domingo and a group of Vatican officials took the initiative to arrange accommodation for these people.
Only then did someone ask Domingo a question.
"Who exactly are you people?"
Domingo smiled.
"Those who believe in the true God."
After saying that, Domingo began to explain the doctrines of the "True God Cult" to everyone.
Of course, he also remembered Lin Fan's instructions and did not force or pressure these people.
It's unclear whether it was Domingo's kind words that moved everyone, or whether these people, having experienced life and death, were simply seeking solace...
They simply felt that in this zombie-infested, government-abandoned dead city, someone was willing to risk their life to save them…
Even if they believe in a god they've never even heard of.
That would have been worth it.
Lin Fan stood in front of the third-floor window, looking down at the brightly lit streets below.
The cacophony of voices drifted through the glass, muffled but clearly the lively atmosphere of someone who had survived a disaster.
He looked down at the back of his hand.
The dark gold symbols glowed faintly in the night.
Deep within his consciousness, he could sense the group of tombstones in that void space.
The crack on the first tombstone had grown larger.
The faint light shining through the crack was brighter than it had been a few days ago.
In the depths of my mind, a vague fragment of information surfaced.
It's not words, not sound, it's more like an intuition.
It's like... the thing sealed inside that tombstone... is about to awaken.
Lin Fan withdrew his gaze and was about to turn around when Domingo ran up from downstairs.
"Mr. Lin Fan!"
"What's wrong?"
Domingo took a breath, his expression subtle—excitement mixed with a hint of uncertainty.
"Among the survivors rescued today, there's one person... who seems a bit off."
"Something's not right?"
"That middle-aged man, the first one we found," Domingo said in a low voice, "he can bend a steel pipe with his bare hands."
Lin Fan raised his eyebrows slightly.
Bending a steel pipe by hand?
Isn't this normal?
"Is he an Awakened One?"
"No, it's not..."
Domingo shook his head. "If it's an Awakened One, then I wouldn't be surprised."
"Moreover, according to his own account, this situation has only recently emerged."
Hearing this, Lin Fan remained silent for two seconds, already having a guess in his mind.
He was the one who released the spores in Raccoon City, so he naturally knew the energy concentration within them.
Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that some mutations occur in people.
"Take me to see it."
"good!"
After saying that, the two of them walked downstairs one after the other.
At the same time, Lin Fan began to wonder if he should deliberately take advantage of Raccoon City's characteristics to create a training ground as well.
Just like how the Papacy trained those Knights Templar...