Chapter 58: The Telepathic Warning and the Cult of Evolved Beasts

“Then I’ll head into the gym. Xiaoluo, just wait for me here; don’t go wandering off.”

“Okay.”

Liu Xingluo watched Liu Ruyan disappear into the gym, then settled onto a bench near the entrance. She pulled out her phone, grateful for the free Wi-Fi that allowed her to browse without a second thought about data usage, indulging freely.

[You, it’s still not too late to abandon this path. If you forgo the battle against the other Princesses now, you still have an opportunity to reclaim a life of normalcy.]

“Hm? Did you just speak?”

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, Liu Xingluo lifted her gaze, questioning the attendant behind the front desk. With only the two of them present near the entrance, it seemed logical that the peculiar sound had originated from her.

“No, I didn’t utter a word just now. It seems you might be experiencing a delusion, esteemed guest.”

The attendant, too, regarded her with a bewildered expression.

Evidently, the voice hadn’t come from the attendant; moreover, the attendant’s tone bore no resemblance to what she had just heard. Could it have been someone else? Yet, no third person was discernible in their immediate vicinity.

Could the voice have been directly transmitted into her mind? She recalled hearing that certain Superhumans possessed similar abilities, perhaps akin to telepathy. If this truly were a telepathic exchange, then she, too, should be capable of conveying her thoughts back to the sender.

[Who are you? Why are you telling me this?]

As she attempted to project her thoughts to the unseen speaker, Liu Xingluo simultaneously scanned her surroundings. Typically, for telepathy to function, the distance between individuals could not be too vast. Therefore, the person who had just communicated with her had to be close by; with a careful search, she might discern them—the one whose actions diverged from the norm.

[I am your mother. It is precisely because I wish to spare you from an irreversible conflict that I have taken the liberty of informing you of this. It is still not too late to relinquish this path; you can yet continue to live the life of an ordinary human being.]

With her now-enhanced vision, Liu Xingluo finally pinpointed the individual who had been telepathically communicating with her.

It was a woman with pale green hair, standing directly across the street, her gaze fixed upon Liu Xingluo. Her presence was so striking that Liu Xingluo immediately noticed her.

[Mother? Don’t be absurd. My mother passed away thirteen years ago, and your countenance bears no resemblance to the woman I remember. What exactly do you mean by these words? What knowledge do you possess?]

[It is precisely as I stated; abandon this pursuit while you still have the chance. Furthermore, I implore your forgiveness, for a portion of the responsibility for your current predicament rests with me.]

“What? Hey!”

The moment she learned that her current state was, in part, orchestrated by this woman, Liu Xingluo’s composure shattered. She surged to her feet, striding outside, intent on confronting the woman face-to-face and demanding an explanation.

Yet, before Liu Xingluo could even cross the street, the woman’s figure utterly vanished amidst the ceaseless flow of pedestrians. She hadn’t merely blended into the throng; rather, the instant a passerby momentarily obscured her, she was gone, as though dissolving into thin air.

“Vanished? What in the world just happened? Could she be a phantom?”

Perplexed by the woman’s instantaneous disappearance, Liu Xingluo could do little but scan her surroundings once more, desperately attempting to locate her vanished form.

Alas, despite how intently she employed her enhanced vision, the woman remained elusive. Liu Xingluo could only conclude that this individual was, herself, an extraordinary entity of some kind.

Indeed, the woman had referred to herself as ‘Mother.’ And the Princesses, on their part, spoke of a ‘Father.’ Could there be some intricate connection between these two figures?

Furthermore, she had urged Liu Xingluo to abandon any conflict with the other Princesses, warning that engaging in such a battle would lead her down an irreversible path, forever precluding a return to a normal existence.

Still, even without her warning, Liu Xingluo had already harbored this very intention. While she remained uncertain of her own capacity to vanquish the Princesses, Lain had unequivocally stated that they were beings capable of effortlessly obliterating humanity, rendering them undoubtedly formidable adversaries. Liu Xingluo, ever averse to complications, preferred to delegate any confrontation with the Princesses to others. Her own focus would be on dispatching foes that could be handled with minimal effort.

“Ah… my apologies, I’ve bumped into you… Eh? Le… Leader?! What brings you here? Could you perhaps be here to inspect my devotion to our esteemed Leader?”

“Huh? Leader? You must be mistaken.”

Liu Xingluo, an staunch atheist, had never dabbled in religious matters, much less entertained the notion of becoming a cult leader. She firmly believed she lacked the aptitude for such a role.

“Ah… it appears I have indeed made an error.”

Liu Xingluo’s face bore an uncanny resemblance to their esteemed Leader, as if they had been cast from the very same mold. The sole distinguishing feature lay in their eye color: their Leader possessed verdant green eyes, whereas Liu Xingluo’s were a striking violet. Without careful observation and discernment, mistaking one for the other would be remarkably easy.

Nevertheless, encountering a girl so remarkably similar to their revered Leader here suggested a profound connection between her and the Leader. This, he mused, might present an opportune moment to recruit her into their faith.

“Be more attentive next time; try not to mistake people so readily.”

Bypassing the man, Liu Xingluo intended to return to the gym, resuming her wait for her sister to finish her workout. Yet, her interlocutor was not inclined to let her depart so easily.

“Excuse me, might you be interested in learning about our faith? I assure you, you will not regret it once you have been enlightened.”

“No, thank you. I harbor no interest in religious matters, being, as I am, an atheist. Perhaps you should seek out those who are predisposed to belief for your proselytizing.”

“I earnestly implore you, a mere glance would suffice. Who knows, perhaps after perusing it, you might find yourself intrigued by our cause.”

“Oh, fine. I suppose I’ll take a leaflet and give it a look.”

Unable to withstand the man’s relentless enthusiasm, and disinclined to cause a scene in public, Liu Xingluo, seeking to placate him, accepted the proffered leaflet and retreated into the gym.

Initially, Liu Xingluo had no intention of perusing the leaflet. However, with nothing else to occupy her time, and her earlier encounter with the mysterious woman having robbed her of any desire to play games, she resignedly picked it up. After all, it was merely a leaflet—a quick read to understand its contents could hardly pose a significant issue…

“This isn’t ‘no big problem’ at all! This is clearly an enormous problem!”

Upon scanning the contents of the leaflet, Liu Xingluo’s face immediately blanched in shock. While she herself was not religious, she possessed a rudimentary understanding of faiths, such as the widely practiced Christianity and Buddhism.

However, the deity revered by this particular faith, as described on the leaflet, was neither God nor Buddha, but rather, a damned Evolved Beast!

Had the world gone mad? There were actual religions dedicated to worshipping Evolved Beasts! This was nothing short of a cult among cults! What manner of individual would ever pledge their faith to such monstrosities?