109: Chapter 109 Wasteland Citizens Kneel on the Ground: Welcoming the Primordial Ancient God!

Leaving the parade square, the clamorous sound of war drums gradually faded into the distance.

Jiang Chen refused to ride the "divine chariot" converted from a hover tank, insisting on measuring this land with his own two feet.

Jiang Wanqiu linked her arm with his; although she was somewhat reluctant (wanting to return to the bedchamber earlier), she obediently leaned on him, acting as his guide and personal bodyguard.

The streets of Dawn City were much cleaner than Jiang Chen had imagined.

Although broken walls and ruins still stood on both sides, and the air was still filled with a faint smell of rust, the deathly aura that had once shrouded the city was completely gone.

Replacing it was something called "vitality."

The streetlights had been relit using the high-energy batteries Jiang Chen had sent.

The broken display windows were polished until they gleamed, no longer empty, but now displaying "divine items" that were considered infinitely precious by the people of the Wasteland, though they made Jiang Chen want to laugh and cry at the same time.

For example, an empty "Lao Gan Ma" glass jar was enshrined in the most conspicuous position, with a red silk cloth placed underneath it.

For example, several colorful plastic lighters were treated as sacred artifacts for passing on the flame.

"Father God, ahead is the civilian district."

Jiang Wanqiu pointed ahead, her tone carrying a hint of pride as a ruler, yet also a touch of caution, as if she were showing an exam paper to a parent:

"Previously, this was the place with the most skeletons of those who starved to death. Every morning, the corpse collection team had to drag away hundreds of bodies from here."

"But now…"

She turned her head to look at Jiang Chen, her eyes shimmering:

"Thanks to you, now there are only fat people here who can't sleep because they're too full."

Jiang Chen smiled and was just about to make a teasing remark.

But he soon couldn't smile anymore.

The moment he stepped into the civilian district, the originally noisy street was pressed with a mute button by an invisible hand.

Countless survivors who had been busy in the streets and alleys—whether it was the old woman mending clothes, the children chasing and playing, or the strong men moving supplies—all stopped what they were doing.

They turned their heads stiffly, staring blankly at the young man wearing a strange trench coat, who was being linked by the Empress.

That face.

That face that appeared on the city's large screens every day, that appeared in every shrine portrait.

No introduction was needed.

No proof was required.

That trembling from the depths of the soul instantly shattered everyone's psychological defenses.

"Is… is it Father God?"

An old man leaning on a cane, his face covered in radiation scars, took a trembling step forward. He had tears welling up in his cloudy eyes, and his lips were quivering, as if he had seen a miracle he never dared to hope for in his entire life.

He reached out with hands that were as thin as firewood and as rough as tree bark, wanting to touch the corner of Jiang Chen's coat, but then retracted them like he had been electrocuted, as if afraid of blaspheming the deity.

"It really is… the living Father God…"

The old man fell to his knees on the dusty ground with a "thump."

This kneeling was like knocking over the first domino.

"Boom—" On the crowded street, regardless of age or gender, no matter where they were, everyone knelt down.

Like a gust of wind blowing through a wheat field, the crowd lowered layer by layer, extending to the end of the horizon.

There were no cheers, no screams.

There was only a sound of sobbing that was suppressed to the extreme, yet pious to the extreme.

Jiang Chen stood in the center of the crowd, watching this scene, feeling his scalp tingle, his heart feeling as if it had been hit hard by something.

What did he see?

The little girl kneeling in the very front was wearing a t-shirt that was obviously several sizes too big, with the words "Pinduoduo 9.9 free shipping" printed on it.

This cheap piece of clothing, which would be looked down upon on Earth, was now washed spotlessly clean and worn on her body like a princess dress.

That strong man was clutching a bag of opened Northeast rice tightly to his chest, his eyes full of a protective gaze as if he were facing death, as if that were his life.

And that old woman, holding half a blister pack of expired Amoxicillin in her hand, was kowtowing frantically towards Jiang Chen, her forehead already bleeding from the kowtowing.

What they revered was not Jiang Chen the person.

It was the—life—he brought.

In the Wasteland, a mouthful of hot rice is a favor, a warm piece of clothing is a virtue, and a pill is like a second parent.

And Jiang Chen gave them all of this.

"Everyone, please get up."

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, his voice somewhat hoarse. He was not used to this kind of scene, and even felt he couldn't bear such heavy kowtowing.

But no one got up.

They remained kneeling on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the cold floor, as if only in this way could they express the gratitude in their hearts, which was like a volcanic eruption.

"Welcome the Primordial Ancient God!!!"

It was unknown who led the shout.

This roar instantly ignited the pent-up emotions.

"Welcome the Primordial Ancient God!!!"

"Thank you, Father God, for the gift of life!"

"May the divine light shine forever upon Dawn City! May Father God live for ten thousand years!"

The waves of sound were like a tide, one higher than the other, shaking the surrounding ruins until they hummed. The shouts of tens of thousands of people converged, forming a visible wave of sound and air that shot straight into the sky, as if to completely tear apart this gray sky that had been repressed for a thousand years.

Jiang Chen stood in the center of the sound waves, feeling his soul trembling.

This was different from being called "daddy" by netizens on Earth.

That was just a meme, a joke.

But here, it was faith.

It was that kind of fanatical faith where, if Jiang Chen told them to die right now, they would slit their throats without hesitation.

"Buzz—" The phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate violently, burning hot.

Jiang Chen instinctively took it out to look.

On the screen, the golden progress bar representing the system energy tank was soaring crazily at a terrifying speed.

[Warning! Massive amounts of high-purity faith energy detected!]

[Energy converting...]

[+1000!]

[+5000!]

[+10000!]

The numbers were jumping so fast they were almost unreadable. The balance, which had been cleared due to opening the teleportation channel, was now visibly recovering by a small fraction.

"This works too?" Jiang Chen was stunned.

He looked at the survivors kneeling on the ground, looking at the golden light points rising above their heads that only he could see. Those light points danced like fireflies, eventually converging into a golden river, continuously pouring into his body.

An unprecedented sense of power filled his limbs and bones.

That was not just system energy.

It was a kind of authority—to control everything and dominate life and death.

On Earth, he was a tech upstart sought after by capital, a national treasure protected by the country, and a fisherman mocked by netizens.

Although he had money and power, he always felt something was missing.

Until this moment.

Standing in this devastated yet hopeful Wasteland world, listening to the tsunami-like shouts of "Long live," and looking at those pairs of eyes that viewed him as heaven, Jiang Chen finally understood.

Here.

He was not a businessman, not a scientist, nor any consultant.

He was God.

The one, absolute, unquestionable truth.

This feeling…

It was just so intoxicating.

"Huu…" Jiang Chen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his facial expression gradually becoming solemn, even carrying a trace of divine majesty.

He no longer dodged, no longer felt awkward.

He straightened his back, calmly accepting the worship of these tens of thousands of people.

"Father God…" Jiang Wanqiu, standing beside him, looked at Jiang Chen at this moment, her eyes completely glazed over.

She felt that the Father God at this moment was taller and more charming than ever before. The kingly aura radiating from his every gesture made her legs go weak, and she just wanted to kneel at his feet and kiss his boots.

"Alright." Jiang Chen raised his hand, pressing it down into the air with his palm facing down.

Just one gesture.

The originally clamorous sound waves stopped instantly.

Tens of thousands of people shut their mouths at the same time, and one could hear a pin drop.

This ability to control, where orders are followed immediately, made the feeling of "floating" in Jiang Chen's heart even stronger.

"I have seen your piety." Jiang Chen's voice was not loud, but with the system's enhancement, it clearly spread to every corner:

"As long as you follow in my footsteps."

"There will be bread, there will be milk, and there will also be… a blue sky without radiation."

"I promise you."

"One day, I will lead you out of this Wasteland, to that land flowing with milk and honey—"

"The sea of stars!"

Boom—!

The crowd boiled over again, the cheers almost flipping the ground.

Jiang Chen, amidst Jiang Wanqiu's adoring gaze, turned around, a trace of unconcealable smugness curling at the corners of his mouth.

This job of being a charlatan…

It tastes so good.

However, acting cool is acting cool, but business cannot be forgotten.

"Wanqiu." Jiang Chen leaned into the ear of the Empress who was still swooning, his voice low and magnetic:

"Since everyone has met, and the process is complete."

"Now…"

"Shouldn't we find a place with no one around to discuss in depth… the feasibility report for that 'Divine Child'?"