Zhang Wenwen knew that Xiao Guanghan's resolve was wavering.
Seizing the moment, she pressed on, "In our current situation, the most crucial thing is to unify hearts. Only when hearts are united can people from different countries and of different skin tones truly come together! The world you envisioned, Professor, would be difficult to achieve even in times of peace! Have you considered this: people from Neon, Longguo, Nile, Eagle Claw Country, Bear Country, France, Sheep Country, and so on—all with different cultures and customs—being forced together by a single system... just by a system and a pipe dream, asking them to abandon their prejudices, open their hearts, trust each other, and even fight side-by-side... It's simply a beautiful fairy tale! Moreover, they've developed all sorts of habits in the apocalypse: killing, betrayal, abandonment, greed... Your system can't solve any of these! You have no army, no resources, nothing for them to rely on. Why would they listen to your commands, why would they act according to your rules?"
Zhang Wenwen's barrage of questions left Xiao Guanghan stunned. These were indeed issues he had never considered. He had assumed that people in the apocalypse would focus on uniting to resist the invasion of mutated creatures. However, the reality was that during times of crisis, they fought as individual camps, indifferent to the plight of others, and even exploited their misfortunes. Sometimes, when their own camps faced life-or-death crises, internal strife and division would erupt within the camp. For survivors like these, forcing them to unite and work towards a common goal was utterly impossible.
"Then... what's your solution?" Xiao Guanghan asked, his spirit crushed and filled with despair.
"Professor Xiao, you actually know the fundamental solution, you just don't want to admit it! Look at the members of the True God Cult. Aren't they from different countries, different races, with different cultures and customs? Now look, they all obey the cult's commands uniformly, fighting, living, and producing under the guidance of God! This is the correct way for human civilization to restart! I know you don't believe in religion, nor in ghosts and spirits, but the facts are before us. This is the best initial form of society, isn't it?"
Xiao Guanghan looked at the True God Cult members gathered below. It was true, they were not participating in the looting and destruction, simply because of a word from Zhang Wenwen. Furthermore, people were not worshipping Zhang Wenwen, but the True God behind her! Merely faith was enough to integrate a group of strangers. Even if various branches of the True God Cult encountered each other, they could quickly merge into a powerful force. This force was far stronger than combining several camps. To use a vivid analogy, the True God Cult was like a ball of dough; no matter how many pieces there were, they could all be easily integrated. Other camps, however, were like oil and water; even if temporarily together, they remained distinctly separate in their hearts.
Xiao Guanghan was well aware of what Zhang Wenwen was saying. He had chosen to overlook the True God Cult not because they were ineffective, but because he was somewhat unwilling. The pride of an intellectual, that sense of aloofness, made him desire to regain an advantage in his competition with Zhang Chen. In terms of strength, Xiao Guanghan was certainly no match for Zhang Chen. However, in terms of knowledge and ability, Xiao Guanghan believed he still had some advantage. Therefore, when he saw the True God Cult rapidly growing under Zhang Chen, he felt the urge to compete. He wanted to prove his capability and usefulness, that he hadn't completely lost, by merging multiple camps and establishing a new human civilization. This was why Xiao Guanghan always addressed Zhang Chen by his name. In his heart, he didn't believe he would be defeated by Zhang Chen or be subservient to him.
However... reality proved him wrong. He had lost, and lost utterly.
"I admit it, I was wrong... Zhang Chen was right!" Xiao Guanghan nodded powerlessly, feeling much older. His sharp edge had been instantly blunted.
"Thank you for your recognition, Professor!" Zhang Wenwen smiled and nodded at Xiao Guanghan. She then turned her gaze to the survivors in the city who were frantically smashing things. The energy shields of some buildings had begun to fluctuate. This made them even more excited, like a horde of primitive people, brandishing weapons and smashing with fervor. Some even took the opportunity to drag isolated female survivors into nearby alleys. Under the cover of the survivors' loud shouts, they committed indecent acts.
"These people should be utterly annihilated, their energy used to nourish the True God Cult, and let us, the True God Cult, bear the future of humanity! The civilization established in this way will at least be orderly and unified! Moreover, I need your knowledge, Professor, to help us perfect various systems and guide the True God Cult towards a better future!"
As Zhang Wenwen spoke, she produced a dark red hooded robe in her palm and offered it to Xiao Guanghan. Without any hesitation, Xiao Guanghan took the hood and put it on. He knew this was his only opportunity to utilize his abilities and achieve his lifelong ambitions. Although his direct attempt to recruit Zhang Chen had failed, he had now managed to align himself with Zhang Chen in another way, which could be considered a victory.
"Excellent, then I'll trouble you, Professor, to take command here for the time being. I'll be right back!" Zhang Wenwen said, leaping lightly from the boulder. She had also reached the strength of a nascent metamorph!
"Those people have gone mad. What are you going to do now?" Xiao Guanghan asked worriedly.
"Even though they have gone mad, I cannot abandon my duty! I will try to convert as many as I can!"
With that, Zhang Wenwen's figure quickly darted into the street. Accompanied by a few newly promoted evangelists, she began persuading the surrounding survivors, hoping they would awaken and join the True God Cult. However, the people were on the verge of breaking through the energy shields, as if they could already see the abundant and delicious food in the dining hall. How could they give up at this moment? Furthermore, the leaders of other camps had issued strict prohibitions and guarded diligently to prevent the True God Cult from poaching their members. Thus, after a full half-hour, only about thirty isolated survivors agreed to join the True God Cult.
Zhang Wenwen jumped back onto the boulder, then looked at the crowd, her lips trembling rapidly as if counting. After a moment, she took out a small notebook and wrote, "Conversion failed: 5236th person."
"What do we do if conversion fails? These camps, though fighting independently, have a significantly greater number of strong individuals and overall population than us. If we were to engage in battle, we would have no chance of winning!" Xiao Guanghan said with a frown.
"It's alright, the True God will punish them!" Zhang Wenwen smiled slightly and put the notebook into her ring.
"True God?" Xiao Guanghan looked incredulous.
"Just you wait and see!" Zhang Wenwen said confidently.
At this moment, a survivor shouted excitedly, "We did it, I broke the energy shield!"
Concurrently, the disaster alert level on the vending machine had just reached 100%!
Automatic cleansing initiated!