After performing the chest-thumping salute, Earl Berni and his men snapped to their senses. They all stared, dumbfounded, at the young man on the deck of the Sail Warship, completely motionless, as if they had turned to stone.
They had seen the scene of the Savior's death in the hologram with their own eyes. Yet now, appearing before them, was unmistakably the Savior himself!
"How is this possible... This is... You are..." Earl Berni's eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. His body trembled as he mumbled, a torrent of emotions flashing in his eyes.
Witch Tower took a step forward and shouted:
"The Savior has returned! The glory of human civilization will shine once more! Wayward rebels, are you willing to cleanse yourselves of your sins!?"
As Witch Tower spoke, she gestured to Old Bill and the others, ordering them to prepare for battle at a moment's notice.
These men who had abandoned the beliefs of the Salvation Army to side with the Whisperers had no true faith to speak of. Seeing the Savior alive might not inspire them; on the contrary, it could drive them to even greater madness.
The five Minstrels, including Witch Tower and Chris, all took a silent step forward, subtly positioning themselves in front of Shen Feng. Should the situation turn, they would be the first line of defense against any bullets aimed at him.
What they didn't know was that Shen Feng, in turn, was increasing the power output of the Steel Glory, ready to use its massive arms to smash the aircraft carrier before them to pieces at a moment's notice.
A battle was imminent!
However, to their surprise, Earl Berni first scrutinized Shen Feng's face, then glanced at the Hope-class Wind Sail Battleship, and began to mutter:
"...Arriving on an Iron Ship... Arriving on an Iron Ship..."
He then turned to Shen Feng and asked eagerly:
"Are... are you truly the Commander? You're really the Commander... the Savior..."
As he spoke, his face flushed red. Seemingly having answered his own questions and overcome with emotion, he suddenly took a step back.
Just as Witch Tower and the others were bracing for his next move, a metallic CLANG echoed across the deck. Earl Berni had let his gun fall to the ground.
Then, he suddenly snapped to attention, his body ramrod straight, eyes fixed forward. With a loud voice, he shouted:
"Earl Berni of the Salvation Army's Third Brigade, reporting to the Commander!"
Two streams of hot tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes, betraying the powerful emotions surging within him.
Having seen the Savior's face in the hologram, and recalling the contents of the prophecy, he knew without a doubt that the young man before him was the one and only Savior!
The Savior wasn't dead!
The message in that hologram was a lie!
There was still hope for human civilization!
"Nathaniel Cordray of the Salvation Army's Fourth Brigade, reporting to the Commander!"
"Geraldine Terence of the Salvation Army's Fifth Brigade, reporting to the Commander!"
"Eddy Atkey of the Salvation Army Reserve, reporting to the Commander!"
"Salvation Army Third Brigade..."
On the deck of the aircraft carrier, the sailors, their faces once grim, were now smiling through tears. They stood ramrod straight, their expressions ecstatic, shouting out to their hope, lost and now found—to their Savior.
Seeing this, Witch Tower and the others, who had been bracing for a deadly fight, exchanged relieved smiles.
The faith of the Salvation Army had not perished.
As long as the Savior lived, so too did hope.
A look of gratification crossed Shen Feng's face as well. He had never imagined that the seed he planted so long ago would grow into a towering tree, becoming the very backbone of human civilization.
RUMBLE! SPLASH! With a series of deafening sounds, the surrounding sea churned as one of the Steel Glory's arms rose and settled between the aircraft carrier and the Sail Warship, forming an immense, sloping bridge.
Seeing the Steel Glory—the Holy Corpse that had lain dormant for countless years—move once more, Earl Berni and his men were first stunned, then ecstatic.
Only the legendary Savior could control these Super Giant War Armors. This served as further proof that the young man before them was truly him.
The genuine article.
Shen Feng gestured for Earl Berni and his men to come over, saying:
"Come. Tell me everything you know."
Earl Berni and a few of his men immediately scrambled across the Steel Glory's arm, leaping onto the deck of the Sail Warship and rushing before the Savior.
Unlike Witch Tower and her group, who had just discovered the Savior's return, Earl Berni and his men had first been plunged into absolute despair by the news of his death before now seeing him alive and in the flesh.
The emotional whiplash they experienced was therefore even more profound.
By now, Earl's earlier arrogance had completely vanished, replaced by a blubbering mess of tears and snot. He was like a child who had suffered a terrible injustice.
From the looks of it, if not for the Savior's solemn presence, he would have dropped to his knees, hugged the Savior's legs, and wailed his heart out.
The other sailors were also streaming with tears, trembling with emotion before Shen Feng. One of them, seemingly trying to confirm he wasn't dreaming, had pinched his own arm until it turned purple.
Shen Feng's Silicon-Based Brain instantly released a gentle Thought Field to soothe their raw emotions. He then asked:
"When and how did you receive news of my death?"
Earl immediately replied:
"Reporting to the Sav—Commander. Two months ago, someone claiming to be from the Eastern Council suddenly appeared and requested an audience with the Chairman of the Western Council in the Cordillera Islands. The Chairman met with him in private, and they talked for nearly a full day. Afterward, the Chairman announced... he announced your death!"
"None of us believed it at first. Many even thought the Chairman had betrayed the Salvation Army and wanted to kill him. But then the Chairman produced a projector and showed us... he showed us that footage..."
Shen Feng nodded slightly. He was beginning to understand the situation.
'That mysterious person who met with the Chairman of the Western Council was most likely from the Purification Church,' Shen Feng thought. 'Somehow, they obtained footage of this world's Shen Feng dying in the World Beast Star Realm—or they simply forged it.'
'Using this footage, they shattered the survivors' faith and gradually corrupted their minds.'
'Still, something didn't add up. According to the century-old beliefs of the Salvation Army, even if I, the Commander, had truly died in battle, the survivors should have become more resolute, not less.'
'Clearly, there had to be another reason.'
And sure enough, Earl continued:
"At first, we were all skeptical, but then that mysterious man performed a miracle in public. He created food out of thin air just by meditating, and even healed the injuries and illnesses of some of our people..."
The news of the Savior's death had sent everyone's spirits plummeting. Life in the Water World Apocalypse was already hard enough; the sudden loss of hope was an unbearable blow.
It was then that the mysterious man's miracle shook the hearts of many.
Combined with Douglas, the Chairman of the Western Council, publicly announcing the Savior's death, the coming of humanity's final days, and the promise of a so-called god who would save them, many people's resolve began to waver over time.
After all, in the depths of despair, anyone would clutch at straws—even if those straws were covered in thorns that would cause them immense pain.
For those struggling in desperation, the news of the Savior's death was a blade that pierced their very souls.
Once their spirits were crushed by this pain, many simply began to drift with the tide.
Shen Feng nodded slightly.
'That mysterious emissary was clearly from the Purification Church.'
'And he must have a Quantum Force Field Core in his possession as well.'