143: Chapter 143?

After arranging the destination for the prisoners, Lin Li was in no hurry to go to the basement.

He turned to Iron Man 73 beside him and instructed:

"Old Seven, pick a few of those armed defense boats and shuttles we just captured and take the good ones to the armory for analysis. List the rest of the junk directly on the game mall with sky-high credit prices. Let those The Fourth Calamity players buy them back to study and play with."

"Understood, Creator." 73's red eyes flickered as he turned to leave.

Lin Li found a chair, sat down, and waited quietly.

He had received a message from Coastal City yesterday.

A Bishop of the Ecclesiarchy stated that to thank the God-Emperor's Angel for descending, the church planned to send people over to establish a Missionary Branch at the Fire Seed Shelter.

Lin Li did not refuse this.

In the idealistic universe of Warhammer, pure faith indeed provided a very effective defense against the pollution of the Warp.

The Shelter now had a mix of various people; adding a layer of faith shielding would be beneficial and harmless.

Before long, the roar of shuttle engines echoed from the sky.

A small shuttle bearing the double-headed eagle livery of the Ecclesiarchy landed smoothly.

Lin Li stood up to greet them.

However, when the hatch opened, an old acquaintance stepped down.

It was none other than Sister Frannie, who had previously given him that pendant.

Frannie was still wearing her black-and-white nun's habit.

That habit was under a level of strain it shouldn't have to endure for its size, especially the fabric stretched tight across her chest; one couldn't help but worry the buttons might pop off at any moment.

Frannie walked down the ramp with two low-ranking clerical attendants.

The shuttle then took off to return.

"Long time no see."

Lin Li stepped forward and greeted her,

"I've already had a place arranged for your branch on the east side of the camp. Follow me."

Frannie shook her head and didn't move.

Her beautiful eyes gazed seriously at Lin Li, and she spoke in a grave tone:

"Before that, My Lord, I must first cleanse the aftereffects left by your bearing of the God-Emperor's power last time."

"Aftereffects?"

Lin Li looked confused.

Last time outside Coastal City, to drive away that demigod Vashtorr, he had indeed taken a 'high-interest loan' from Old Man Huang, and his body had suffered some damage from being unable to withstand that overbearing power.

But those minor injuries had long since been repaired in the cultivation pod in the basement.

"My body recovered long ago. I'm full of energy; where could there be any damage?" Lin Li countered.

Frannie still shook her head, her expression growing even more solemn:

"No, My Lord, it is not just physical damage. Manifesting the God-Emperor's miracle causes irreversible deep-seated effects on your body. It is equivalent to your soul being completely exposed to the gaze of the Warp without any protection."

Frannie lowered her voice, a hint of worry in her eyes:

"These past few days, you must have frequently heard those blasphemous whispers and demonic roars in your ears, right?"

Lin Li listened with a blank look and answered without hesitation:

"Not at all! I've been sleeping like a log, haven't even had a dream."

Hearing Lin Li's decisive denial,

Frannie didn't drop her suspicions; instead, she showed a look of compassionate understanding.

Because in the common knowledge of the Empire,

Anyone who actively admitted to hearing the whispers of the Warp would be immediately seized by the Inquisition and Adeptus Arbites the next second to be burned as firewood.

The vast majority of corrupted mortals would desperately hide this fact.

"Do not be afraid, child."

Frannie took a step forward, her voice becoming gentle yet firm,

"No one will do anything to you; you are the God-Emperor's messenger. It's okay if you don't admit it, but we must repair the Stigmata on your body as soon as possible. Otherwise, the next time a similar event occurs, a real demon will crawl directly out of your body!"

Hearing this, Lin Li was stunned.

To be honest, he was completely intimidated by Frannie's dead-serious threat.

"A demon crawling out of my body? Is it that terrifying?"

Lin Li swallowed hard. "Then... what should I do now?"

"I will use Holy Oil to mend the Stigmata for you," Frannie replied solemnly.

Lin Li didn't dare to be careless and quickly led Frannie and her group to the center of the surface camp, to the small rest cabin built specifically for him.

This room usually served as a surface resting place for Lin Li. The furnishings were simple: just a large bed, a few chairs, and a table.

"Have your attendants wait outside. Remove your shirt and lie face down on the bed," Frannie instructed as she closed the door.

Then, she began taking out white candles that emitted a strange fragrance from her bag, methodically arranging them around the bed and lighting them one by one.

Lin Li took off his shirt and had just hung it on the back of a chair.

Suddenly, a gasp came from Frannie behind him, even carrying a slight tremor of indrawn breath:

"Heavens... such a large Stigmata..."

Hearing this gasp, Lin Li's curiosity was completely piqued.

But he couldn't twist around far enough to see his own back.

He felt a bit uneasy:

"Could it be that old schemer again, pulling something on me while I was taking that loan?"

To verify if Frannie's words were true or false, Lin Li pushed open the half-closed door and ran out shirtless.

He looked around and happened to see a female player in a bulletproof vest by the road, sipping on a cup of milk tea.

"Hey, you there, come help me take a look. Is there something on my back?" Lin Li pointed to his back.

Gugu Eagle was drinking her milk tea when she suddenly saw the faction leader run out shirtless, and she was a bit dazed.

She subconsciously leaned in and looked at Lin Li's back.

"Whoa—" Gugu Eagle's eyes widened. "Administrator! There's a really long scar!"

"There really is? What does it look like?"

"A pure white scar, running diagonally from your left shoulder all the way down to your right buttock! But the color doesn't look like an ordinary scar!" Gugu Eagle described truthfully.

"It's really there!"

Lin Li believed it now.

He glanced at Frannie, who was standing at the door watching him.

Lin Li quickly ran back inside, locked the door, and lay down obediently on the large bed.

After a moment, Lin Li felt a soft palm covered in some slippery, warm liquid gently touch his back and begin to knead and smear along the so-called Stigmata.

"Wait a minute..."

Lying on the pillow, Lin Li's eyebrows twitched slightly,

"This slippery sensation, this kneading technique. Isn't this just a spa essential oil massage from Earth? I wonder if there's an option for extra time later?"

Lin Li complained heartlessly in his mind.

Standing by the bed, Frannie appeared very calm on the surface.

But in reality, as a pure nun who had grown up in a convent and had never even held a man's hand,

Touching the firm flesh of an adult male at such close range made her breathing noticeably rapid.

A faint blush rose to Frannie's cheeks.

But to carry out the sacred decree of exorcism, she had to concentrate.

She could only close her eyes tightly, her mouth rapidly chanting the Emperor's prayers, trying to suppress the strange throb in her heart.

"Phew..." Lin Li let out a comfortable sigh, preparing to close his eyes and enjoy this rare moment of relaxation.

Suddenly!

Without any warning.

Lin Li felt a sudden burst of tearing, horrific pain erupt from the scar that ran from his left shoulder to his right hip!

It wasn't the pain of flesh, but as if a red-hot sharp knife had pierced his spine and was frantically stirring deep into his marrow!

"Hiss—!"

Lin Li drew a sharp breath.

He suddenly pushed up his upper body, wanting to scramble up.

However, under this inhuman agony, his muscles instantly lost control, and he couldn't muster a shred of strength.

He fell heavily back onto the bed, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably, as large beads of cold sweat instantly soaked the sheets beneath him.

"Don't be afraid! It's the Stigmata absorbing the Holy Oil! It's repairing! Don't be afraid!"

Seeing this, Frannie quickly pressed down on Lin Li's shoulders, anxiously trying to soothe him.

However, the pain did not lessen but became even more intense.

Lin Li's eyes rolled back in pain, and he even began to convulse, his fingers digging hard into the wooden bed frame.

Seeing this man, who had sliced through the void like a god outside the city, now struggling in agony from the backlash of divine power,

Frannie's eyes instantly turned red.

A strong surge of pity, mixed with pious faith and female maternal instinct, rushed into her heart.

She no longer cared about the boundaries between men and women.

Frannie leaned down directly, opening her arms; her left hand firmly held Lin Li's head, which was twisting in pain, and she buried him tightly into her soft and warm embrace.

"The God-Emperor protects you... the pain will pass soon..."

Frannie wept, her chin resting on Lin Li's hair, her voice soft and trembling as she continued to comfort him.

Under Frannie's embrace and the evaporation of the Holy Oil, the convulsions in Lin Li's body finally began to weaken.

That soul-deep agony had exhausted all his physical strength.

As his tensed nerves relaxed, Lin Li fell into a deep sleep directly in Frannie's arms.

However,

This incredibly explosive and visually impactful scene inside the room

Naturally did not escape the eyes of the players outside.

Because the cabin window wasn't completely closed, leaving a gap.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"

[Dog Bro] was peeking through the window gap, so excited he cursed three times in a row,

"What's going on?! The Boss and the Nun NPC are a thing?!"

"This is way too heretical!"

"Move, move! Don't block the way! Let me see!"

The players behind who couldn't see the door crack were desperate, directly kicking Dog Brother off the windowsill.

"This is bad, this is bad!"

One player saw the scene inside clearly and whispered in shock,

"Our Administrator Boss has been 'subdued' by the nun! He's lying on the bed, unable to get up!"

Meanwhile, in the crowd,

The player [Nikon Da Niao], who was a veteran photography pro in real life, had squeezed to the front at some point.

As a pure game CG collector,

The old master was bold enough to gently pry the window gap open a bit more.

He picked up the high-precision camera in his hand and pointed the telephoto lens right through the gap.

"Perfect lighting! Excellent composition!"

The old master's eyes shone as his finger pressed the shutter, "Click-click-click-click," directly starting the silent continuous shooting mode at the highest frame rate!

...

Early the next morning.

When Lin Li woke up from his deep sleep, he found himself still lying on the large bed in the rest cabin.

The cold sweat on his body had dried, and the candles burning by the bed had turned into a pool of wax.

Sister Frannie was nowhere to be seen, having left at some point.

Lin Li subconsciously reached out to touch his back.

The skin was smooth and flat, without any abnormal sensation.

But the heart-wrenching pain from last night, as if his soul was being split in two, was still fresh in his memory.

As for what happened after he fainted from the pain, he had no memory at all.

"Hmm... that damn Stigmata should be dealt with now."

Lin Li stretched, his bones making a series of crisp popping sounds.

He got dressed, pushed open the wooden door of the cabin, and walked out.

Outside the camp, many early-rising players were wandering around the square.

"He's here, he's here!"

"Good morning, Administrator! Are you feeling okay?"

"Boss, remember to practice moderation!"

Seeing the suggestive, excited, and even slightly lewd looks from the surrounding players, Lin Li felt uneasy and completely baffled.

He nodded randomly in greeting and walked quickly to the elevator, heading down to the first basement level.

He opened the computer terminal in the main control room.

Lin Li found that Iron Man 73 had already worked through the night to package the star map of the Yuanwang Star System and the basic physical information of each planet he requested yesterday, placing them in a folder on the desktop.

"Hmm, Old Seven is still reliable at work."

Lin Li clicked on the file and browsed through it quickly.

This star map was very detailed, intended to be updated into all players' PV map systems to pave the way for them to go into space.

"73, I've seen the star map; it's fine. It can be launched to the players' terminals through the server now," Lin Li said in the channel.

"Command received, Creator. Synchronized update completed."

After handling this official business,

Lin Li habitually leaned back in his chair and opened the official game forum, planning his daily scroll through posts to see what outrageous new things the players scattered around the world were up to last night.

However,

Just as the page refreshed,

A hot thread at the very top of the forum homepage, with over a hundred thousand replies, instantly occupied Lin Li's entire field of vision!

The thread's title was extremely eye-catching:

[Shock! War Correspondent Risks Life to Take Secret Photos! The Forbidden Story the Administrator and the Nun Sister Must Tell!]

Poster: [Nikon Da Niao].

There was no extra text description in the post, only a single image that filled the entire screen.

Lin Li frowned and clicked on the image.

The moment he saw the content of the picture,

Lin Li's eyes almost popped out, and he nearly spat a mouthful of blood onto the screen!

It was a high-definition close-up shot with 8K clarity.

In the picture, Lin Li was lying shirtless on the bed.

His right hand was gripping the sheet beneath him tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand;

And his left hand was tightly clutching Sister Frannie's slender arm.

At the top of the frame, Sister Frannie was leaning over slightly.

On her delicate and pure face, a complex expression of pain, pity, and sanctity was interwoven.

Her hands were firmly holding Lin Li's head, embracing it tightly into her full bosom!

Under the old master's precise composition and the dim lighting of the candles in the room,

This photo somehow conveyed a tension of emotions mixed with violence, taboo, yet immense holiness!

It was practically like a top-tier oil painting from the Renaissance!

This post had completely gone viral.

The player replies below were layered one after another, seemingly endless.

"Holy crap! A major production! This CG texture is invincible!"

"So that's what the Boss was doing in the room yesterday! No wonder the screams were so tragic!"

"Let go of that nun! Let me bear that kind of pain!"

Sitting in the main control room, Lin Li looked at this photo, which even he felt was exploding with information, and his brain completely crashed.

"Huh???"