The armored vehicle bounced from time to time, making the scenery outside the window rise and fall as if being shaken.
The two children next to Leng Qiongling kept making noise.
Even though this was supposed to be a tense moment, they didn’t seem to feel it at all.
The little girl was tumbling around excitedly inside the car, prompting the soldier driving to yell at them occasionally.
If one looked carefully, they would see a leisurely dark shadow following closely behind the armored vehicle on the distant horizon.
Despite its graceful gait, the shadow was not slow; it could even walk ahead of the vehicle.
Watching that shadow, Leng Qiongling exhaled in relief.
This mission was her first solo operation, and she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
But looking at the two children beside her, she felt she had to pull herself together.
“We’re here.”
The slightly tense voice of the soldier in the front seat brought Leng Qiongling back to reality.
She took the siblings and got out of the car.
As soon as she stepped out, a blinding ray of sunlight hit her eyes, making her squint involuntarily.
Standing before her was the most beautiful sight she had seen in this desert.
The shadows of tall trees spread across the ground, forming patches of fragmented light.
Wild roses grew along both sides of the stone path, dotting the already vibrant oasis.
A clear spring surrounded the oasis, its gurgling sound a natural melody.
At the end of the stone path, several café chairs were arranged, with cups of coffee and desserts placed on a white round table, looking like a wealthy family hosting a tea party.
Sitting opposite was an elderly man who appeared to be nearly sixty.
His hair was gray and white, and the wrinkles on his face spread like ripples on water.
But his body, hidden beneath a white robe, still seemed robust.
“Ah, welcome, welcome, travelers from afar. Come, sit down. Now is the perfect time to rest and relax your body and mind.”
The old man in the white robe spoke slowly.
His voice echoed like the sound inside an ancient well, reverberating in Leng Qiongling’s mind.
Leng Qiongling looked left and right.
The soldiers of Bola City on both sides were visibly tense.
‘It seems it’s just me.’
She pulled out a chair, then pulled out the two adjacent chairs.
She sat in the middle, while the siblings sat on either side of her.
“These are delicious!”
As soon as she sat down, the little girl grabbed two handfuls of desserts and stuffed them into her mouth.
Seeing his sister eating so happily, the little boy couldn’t resist taking a piece nearby.
“You two! Don’t eat so eagerly!”
“Ahaha, children should eat more. Eating more is good—helps them grow.”
The old man in the white robe still appeared leisurely.
He poured himself a cup of tea and pushed a pre-brewed coffee cup in front of Leng Qiongling.
“Forgive me, but I can’t drink this kind of beverage. I prefer tea.”
He gestured with his cup and downed it in one gulp.
Out of politeness, Leng Qiongling also took a small sip of coffee.
Bitter.
She couldn’t feel anything else.
Perhaps it was because she didn’t like it to begin with, combined with the current atmosphere, making the bitterness in her mouth even stronger.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? That’s our oversight. There are some sugar cubes here—feel free to add some.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Leng Qiongling took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her mouth, beginning to ponder.
‘This man… my mission was originally to stall, but he seems even more intent on stalling than I am.’
‘Does he have some plan?’
She glanced upward.
The old man in the white robe was still just smiling, watching the siblings as they continued to devour the food.
“Um, may I ask…”
She stopped there, realizing she didn’t actually know the old man’s identity.
But since he came to negotiate, he was probably one of the “Saints” that Wu Yin had mentioned.
“Oh, oh, how negligent of me. I am Abraham, the First Saint, and leader of the Saint Assembly. It is a great honor to meet you today…”
The old man in the white robe, Abraham, paused.
His usually calm eyes looked at Leng Qiongling, but now they blazed with intensity.
“You, the one blessed by the True Lord. To have the honor of meeting you is the greatest glory of my life. Please allow me to express my highest respect to you, which also represents my loyalty to the True Lord.”
He stood up, his bones cracking audibly.
Then he walked to a spot a little farther from Leng Qiongling, closed his eyes, knelt on both knees, pressed his forehead to the ground, and spread his hands flat in front of him—a devout prayer posture.
“Ah, merciful True Lord, I am your faithful servant. Today, by your grace, I have met your messenger. This is the glory of my life. I will surely live up to your teachings and guide the world toward that distant Pure Land.”
He remained prostrate, unwilling to rise.
Leng Qiongling sat in her chair, looking down at Abraham.
Though she was now above him in every sense, she still felt a chilling cold creeping over her.
So she could only stare wide-eyed as Abraham finally got up, straightened his robes, and returned to his seat.
“Forgive my rudeness. We are unable to hold a more formal or grand welcoming ceremony for you now. Allow this old man, on behalf of all the Saint Assembly, to pay my respects.”
“No… it’s fine… Can we start now? We came here to…”
“Of course, of course.”
Abraham rubbed his branch-like hands.
Suddenly, the once-peaceful oasis began to tremble.
Soon, countless fountains erupted, and numerous black shadows fell from the sky to the ground, encircling the oasis.
“What’s going on?!”
Leng Qiongling instinctively pulled the two children into her arms.
Just then, several gunshots exploded in the air.
The heads of the soldiers standing behind her were drilled with bloody holes, and they fell to the ground with terrified eyes wide open.
Abraham stood up from his chair, his face still wearing a benevolent expression.
But his eyes no longer hid anything; they blatantly revealed his intentions.
“O one blessed by the True Lord, guide us toward that Pure Land! Guide the world toward rebirth!”
“What are you talking about! You’re… tearing up the agreement, aren’t you?”
“We have always been one. O Messenger of Allah, we forever walk behind the True Lord.”
“You… you’re insane!”
Leng Qiongling now understood—there was no reasoning with these people.
They had never intended to negotiate.
“The negotiation was a lie from the start… wasn’t it?”
“Negotiation?”
Abraham seemed a little puzzled, then as if recalling something.
“Oh, oh, you mean the negotiation that Xiongzu mentioned to you. Haha, why would we negotiate? Everything we do is by the True Lord’s command. How could we negotiate?”
“Wait… what did you say?!”
“Xiongzu has already been dealt with. We don’t need those who are not loyal to the True Lord, just like the previous one.”
“You!”
“Come, O Messenger of Allah.”
Abraham raised his hands high, staring directly at the dazzling sun without flinching.
“Lead the world toward rebirth!”