Chapter 1789
Chapter 1789 - 1785: Responding
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Lu Ping’an originally thought that by coming to this war-torn region, he would move from one battlefield to the next.
Just like the previous Plane Wars, his body and soul would always teeter on the edge of extremes, endlessly confronted by powerful opponents waiting for him.
But unexpectedly, this time, his fist smashed into a soft bun...
"I’m in Southeast Asia now, but you never came. Where are your people?!"
This punch seemed to completely miss its mark.
The legions that survived the world war, albeit cloaked under a humanitarian rescue mission, remained highly armed elite squads. When facing these "deserter"-led warlords, they easily dealt a tempering-level blow.
Weapons dating back to World War II, astonishingly, were still the mainstay here. They were pitted against magical unmanned drones from the fourth war—against second-war tanks and armored vehicles. Even without a numerical advantage, it was like a parent beating their child.
In the past, armed helicopters were the natural enemies of ground armor units, but now, drone swarms equipped with armor-breaking gear made such engagements even smoother and more enjoyable.
Soldiers dressed in red-and-white uniforms patrolled the urban areas alongside drone swarms and mechanical dogs. They were not only warriors but also the bringers of death and the impartial Judges of justice.
The reckoning arrived faster than anyone anticipated. Cannibalistic, looting, and rapist figures were dragged out. The supernatural "contracts" easily shielded truth from lies. Along the perimeter of the "Land of Redemption," hung were one desiccated corpse after another.
𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
Besides complaints and notices to parents, the local warlords had no effective means to counter these overwhelming invaders.
And now, how many forces dared to "mind others’ business"?
The warlords’ long-standing credo of "survival of the fittest" turned them into victims of exploitation when faced with even more dominant outsiders.
Lu Ping’an and his group, however, kept waiting for the anticipated fierce resistance that never came.
Even so, their work remained overwhelmingly busy.
"How’s the construction of the hospital going? Are the medicines sufficient..."
"The medicines aren’t enough. We have enough Magic Potions, but they can’t use them. Quickly finish establishing the Land of Redemption."
Magic potions for extraordinary beings and medical techniques from healers both required the participants themselves to be extraordinary; otherwise, excessive "contamination" would lead to demonized deaths.
Even Lu Ping’an’s merchant group had no reason to carry too many ordinary medical supplies... In this area, the refugees were too numerous, and contagious diseases and severe illnesses were rampant. Medications were obviously insufficient.
Lu Ping’an and his subordinate Path professionals used postponed payment options for treatment... and then discovered the effects were overly subtle.
Disease could indeed be postponed, but after several days, it often rebounded with a vengeance. Considering the long term, the next outbreak could be catastrophic. The seemingly versatile "postponed payment" was proven inadequate for curing natural diseases.
"Implement large-scale parallel screenings. Allow qualified individuals into the courtyard and initiate extraordinary healing measures..."
Becoming an extraordinary being, even if only the weakest 0-tier battle-profession, substantially reduced the fatal impact of mortal illnesses.
At this point, Lu Ping’an’s group could only rely on extraordinary methods for evaluation, aiming to exclude potential criminals as much as possible.
Nonetheless, as rumors spread of patients receiving "redemption," there was an immediate surge in self-harm. These sufferers had already endured immense pain, to the point where daily inquiries were directed at soldiers asking when they would leave.
New campsites had been established, new factories roughly constructed, yet production remained stalled—neither machinery nor production lines were in place.
To be precise, with most shipments of goods and raw materials cut off, developing light or heavy industry through work-for-relief programs was impractical.
As for agriculture... there simply wasn’t enough time.
"Wait until the Land of Redemption is operational. Since it’s an extraordinary Land of Life, cultivating low-contamination extraordinary crops will be relatively quick."
The Life Protection Battle Group, possessing enough strength to thoroughly sweep this island, stopped its operations after conquering one island.
It issued announcements urging all regional forces to uphold basic human rights and to severely punish various heinous crimes.
Of course, these were largely ignored.
Thus, the battle group resorted to punitive measures.
But the results were underwhelming.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t eliminate these warlords; in fact, by the next morning, those "brutal warlords and their henchmen" were hung from flagpoles.
The issue lay in that while dismantling the original order was easy, a new order would not arise spontaneously.
On other islands, once the "lord" was removed, their "ministers" immediately began tearing each other apart, fighting over power, and creating even more chaos.
The battle group attempted to stabilize the situation, and indeed, they temporarily suppressed the turmoil.
However, this consumed substantial human resources. If they continued killing one warlord after another, the manpower of the newborn battle group would undoubtedly fall short.
Recognizing this problem, the battle group halted its advance.
This was a crisis previously faced on other worldlines as well—combat power was not absolute. Yes, you could storm someone’s turf and destroy their order, but what came afterward? Without changing the foundational structure of order and rules, a new high-level individual would simply take their place.
This was why immense resources were being dedicated to incubating the permanent "Land of Redemption."
Only through self-reliance—allowing even ordinary people to possess a degree of self-protective power—could stability arise rapidly.
Meanwhile, the God of Redemption continued spreading teachings on resistance and justice... New schools were nurturing new students, training battle power for the outsiders, and selecting potentially useful "agents."
To truly transform everything, it wouldn’t happen overnight.
And the most critical incubation process for the Land of Redemption began to reveal some fundamental issues.
"I... I seem to lack doctrine..."
At this moment, Lu Ping’an found himself somewhat bewildered.
He was already a Quasi-God-level Big Shot, with the rules of his "Ten Thousand Spirits" and "Life Trading" being exceedingly comprehensive.
Yet, he had never engaged in preaching... His derivative professions didn’t require followers to read any peculiar books, only to recognize Lu Ping’an’s "Life Trading" rules.
He reached straight to the essence, propagating his ideology—a method that in itself was correct, but its application now revealed gaps.
"Ordinary people simply cannot comprehend these things. You need to write something they can actually understand..."
The Church, perhaps, was meant exactly for this purpose.
At the very least, the creation and operation of a Secret Realm demanded a significant number of followers capable of understanding Lu Ping’an’s "rules." Currently, Lu Ping’an’s path remained incomplete.
It might have sufficed during his eighth-tier days, but at ninth-tier or Deity levels, Lu Ping’an’s "rules" were no longer comprehensive enough.
A philosophy summarized in just two sentences might be convenient, but its content was excessively lacking in depth. Even without these circumstances, Lu Ping’an needed to enrich it.
"Our Life Protection Battle Group is, in reality, a Religious War Group. Without a sound doctrine or clear operational guidance, even we struggle to stay coordinated..."
If redemption is the goal, why must one redeem? After redemption, what kind of new order should be established?
What do we fight for? How should we handle evildoers? How should we treat our allies?
These questions cannot be addressed by Lu Ping’an’s "rules" alone; Lu Ping’an must respond.
For a religious military force, Lu Ping’an needed to provide both spiritual and operational guidance—a complete "manual for duty," along with an ascending path toward self-improvement.
At this moment, to truly channel his divine power, Lu Ping’an might need to embrace his role as a Deity in spirit.
"How should I answer the calls of mortals? Why do my Executors fight..."
— End of Chapter 1789 —