Chapter 558.2: Battle of Faiths

To hell with the Torch Church!

To hell with the Apostle!

Their invincible gods stood behind them, having already hunted countless mutant jackals and hyenas who dared covet their home.

They had their own guardian spirits now! No way they would believe in those intangible, untouchable teachings!

Clad in a custom Deathclaw Hunter exoskeleton, Garbage stood by the third-floor window of the town hall, squinting at the people outside the town, calculating how to eliminate them with minimal casualties.

Unfortunately, Make Me’s rat brothers were terrible in direct combat and they were only good at ambushes. That new agility type player, Me Quiet, wasn’t entirely useless, but he wasn’t exactly strong either.

As for the survivors in the town, there was no need to elaborate. If even two of them died, morale would collapse. In the end, it would probably fall to him to carry the fight.

The problem was... There was more than 100 people outside!

Things were getting troublesome...

Standing beside Garbage, the silver-haired mayor swallowed nervously and reminded him in a low voice. "Sir... There’s too many of them. If we really fight, we might suffer heavy losses."

His name was Qin Baitian, the elected mayor of Dust Town and also the Gray Prophet of the Big Rat God Cult.

To be honest, he didn’t fully understand what the Big Rat God Cult or a Gray Prophet really meant, but talking rats and Deathclaws were something he had seen with his own eyes, so he believed without question.

His thinking was simple and humble. Whoever could protect the townsfolk, he and the people would recognize as their god.

At first, Qin Baitian was devoutly loyal to the Big Rat God. As it turned out, the surrounding settlements had all embraced the Torch Church.

Their outlier faith didn’t just alienate them from neighboring survivor communities. It had even drawn trouble to their doorstep.

It was a bit shameful to admit, but seeing the battle formation outside his town, he was having second thoughts.

If only the Great Stag God could share dominion of their land with the Apostle of the Torch Church, he wouldn’t mind lighting one more stick of incense at the temple.

But Garbage had no intention of backing down and didn’t notice the wavering in the mayor’s heart. Staring out the window, he cursed, "I’m not blind... Damn it! How the hell does Hope Town have that many people?!"

"It might not be just Hope Town... Some unfamiliar faces likely came from other settlements too." Casting a cautious glance at the giant lizard beside him, Qin Baitian carefully and tactfully continued, "Sir, going against all the survivors may not be wise. I also heard they’ve recruited some local Mutant Human tribes. Those green-skinned ones are terrifying. Maybe... Maybe we should try negotiating."

Hot damn!

They were even in cahoots with mutants now!

These people must not be allowed to live!

A flash of murderous intent crossed Garbage’s eyes. Almost at the same time, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air above the town.

Before anyone could react, an explosive burst of flame erupted atop the town’s windmill. Thick black smoke quickly rose, engulfing the windmill entirely.

Screams rang out on the street, mingled with the cries of infants. Nearby residents rushed with buckets to fight the fire. Behind the low wall, the militia’s morale began to waver.

Artillery!

These lunatics are using artillery now!

Though the sound of shells could be faintly heard, no one saw where they were launched from. That alone spread panic through everyone’s hearts.

"Time’s up." The preacher, rolling down his sleeves and glancing at his wristwatch, looked toward the now-chaotic town.

A trace of malice flickered in his calm eyes, and a cold sneer curled his lips. "You’ve chosen the path of death."

Dust Town was the last remaining settlement in the entire Brocade Lake Municipality not yet incorporated into their teachings. He would not allow such a blemish to remain on the map he planned to offer the Archbishop.

If these ignorant peasants refused to embrace glorious evolution... Then let them die!

Watching the windmill he helped build explode and lose its roof, Garbage flew into a rage. He roared out the window.

"Fuck this shit!"

"Fuck them up!"

He didn’t even need to give orders.

The religious lunatics outside the low wall had already launched their assault, using mounds and tree trunks as cover, firing at Dust Town.

The town’s survivors weren’t backing down either. Using the one meter low wall as cover, they rested rifles atop the parapets or fired through shooting holes.

Thanks to the previous mayor’s arms deal with the New Alliance, their weapon stockpile included not only LD-47 assault rifles but also two Maxim machine guns. Their firepower was on par with that of the cultists.

Their only disadvantage lay in the enemy’s support fire.

Occasional booms echoed from afar, followed by sharp whistles through the air, and bursts of flame erupted within the town.

Although inaccurate and largely ineffective against those behind the walls, the damage to morale was considerable.

The shells were destroying their homes, houses built brick by brick with their hands, and those houses might still shelter their families!

But at this point, they had no other choice but to fight.

Judging by the crazed looks in those cultists’ eyes, even if they surrendered, the enemy would show no mercy.

Gunfire erupted inside and outside the town, and the battle turned intense almost immediately.

Though poorly trained, the armed fanatics fought with surprising bravery and overwhelming morale.

Garbage instantly felt something was off.

The Torch Church had only expanded into the area in the past six months. How had these rookie monks been brainwashed so thoroughly?

As he pondered over it, he suddenly spotted something disturbing on the distant battlefield.

A Torch believer had his arm blown off by a machine gun round. Rather than rolling on the ground screaming in pain, his face twisted into a sickly flush of ecstasy.

It was as if the pain had been converted into something else.

Seeing this strange behavior, Garbage felt a chill run down his spine.

"Holy shit! These maniacs are drugged!"

Make Me’s voice rang through his communication channel. "Isn’t it obvious? It’s Na Fruit! They’ve clearly all taken it!"

Garbage was stunned. "Wait, Na Fruit has this effect?!"

Make Me replied, "No shit! Remember the Divine Trance? These cult freaks figured out how to stay lucid while going full psycho!"

There were real-world parallels, like

Nazi Germany

using methamphetamine as a battlefield stimulant during WWII.

However, those junkies had taken it even further, mixing drugs with religious fervor, reaching peak madness both physically and mentally.

Even with intestines spilling out, they fought on without fear, just like during the early days of the server.

Garbage felt the situation was becoming critical. At that rate, even if they held the town, the cost would be devastating.

Just then, his VM on his wrist blinked, and a familiar voice rang in his ears, "What’s going on over there? Why are you in a firefight?"

Old White!

Reinforcements had arrived!

A spark of hope flashed in Garbage’s amber eyes. Hearing the reliable voice through the Burning Corps’ public communication challen, he roared with excitement, "Brother... Save my ass!"

After some static, the channel cleared. "Don’t panic... Who the hell are you even fighting?"

Garbage replied bitterly, "How should I know?! They showed up yelling about glorious evolution or something. We said no and they started shooting!"

Old White voice rang in his ears again. "Are they all enemies?"

Garbage replied instantly, "Hell yeah! They shot at us first!"

If they were flagged as enemies, there was no need to hesitate.

The same moment Garbage confirmed the enemies had been marked, two rockets raced through the air, landing just outside the fence gates.

Flames erupted to the skies, instantly swallowing a dozen advancing cultists.

Overwhelming gunfire came from above. Orange-yellow tracers rained down like a storm, sweeping through the trees outside the fence.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The tide of battle flipped instantly!

Standing by the window, Garbage clenched his clawed fists in triumph.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA! Beautiful!"

Qin Baitian stared in awe at the fist-pumping lizard by the window, then at the sea of flames outside. The terror in his eyes slowly turned into reverence.

"The Big Rat God... No, the Great Stag God be praised..."

This being is truly a divine avatar!

He felt a twinge of guilt for his earlier crisis of faith and bowed his head in reverence.

He had been blind...

To atone for his blasphemy, he would devote his life to serving this lord!

Oblivious to the mayor’s shifting expression beside him, Garbage wasn’t done yet. Hooking both claws onto the windowsill, he let out a feral roar and leapt out.

His feet landed heavily on the brick-paved street, cracking the ground beneath him. Crouched low, he scraped the ground with his rear claws, bloodlust glinting in his amber eyes.

"It’s hunting time!"

Reaping the lives of the enemies was what he did best.

No way he would let the rest of the Burning Corps steal all of his glory!

Like a wild beast unleashed, Garbage seized his moment, tore through the town’s frontlines, smashed through the wooden gate, and charged into the smoke-filled battlefield with claws raised.

In a single breath, he shredded two cultists.

Catching sight of the howling claws and his demon-like visage, the preacher’s stunned expression twisted into sheer terror. "Devil! It’s the devil!"

He screamed while fleeing for his life.

Could the Great Stag God really exist?!

For just a moment, even his faith, clearer than crystal, began to crack.

But then again... Where were the antlers? Why didn’t he see any...?