Chapter Three: Proving the Existence of the Divine

Luzhou. A military district meeting was underway.

Elder Jin sat upright at the head of the table, listening to the reports from the uniformed middle-aged officers below. Suddenly, his gaze grew distant, his mind wandering inexplicably to the strange phone call earlier and the youngster who had claimed to be a deity.

“Elder Jin?” One of the men, in the midst of his report, noticed his distraction and spoke instinctively.

“Ah, apologies, apologies.” Elder Jin smiled awkwardly. “My mind drifted for a moment—just remembered something rather interesting.”

His smile softened the previously solemn atmosphere. A middle-aged officer chuckled. “It's a rare thing to see you distracted, Elder Jin. What could have caught your interest?”

“Heh, it's nothing. Before the meeting, a young fellow called me out of nowhere, claimed to be a god from the future, and predicted that in one hour, the Kameda Nation would be struck by a magnitude seven earthquake.” Elder Jin laughed at his own words, embarrassed.

“A god?” someone echoed, incredulity in his voice.

“Haha, must be reading too many novels. The youth these days—how could they possibly believe in gods?” The room, full of staunch materialists, broke into laughter.

“A god? I trust my rifle far more.” The young female officer beside Elder Jin’s deputy sneered. “Even if gods do exist, I doubt they could withstand a volley from me.”

“All right, let’s continue with the reports.” Elder Jin waved his hand, collecting himself and resuming his stern demeanor.

But at that moment, a middle-aged man who had glanced at his phone for the time suddenly blanched, disbelief flooding his eyes.

“Elder Jin…” His voice trembled as he extended his phone. “You… you should see this.”

Elder Jin took the phone, puzzled.

The next instant, his pupils contracted, the calm facade of the seasoned general replaced by utter shock.

“QQ Browser Breaking News: At 5:32 p.m., Kameda Nation was struck by a magnitude seven earthquake, resulting in fifteen deaths and twenty-three serious injuries.”

“General Jin? Dad?” The female officer beside him frowned, glanced at the screen, and gasped in disbelief.

“This…”

“I’ll go check if any institute predicted this earthquake in advance!” she said, rising to leave.

But—

“No.”

“No need to check.”

“This… isn’t something monitoring stations could have predicted.”

“Because in that youngster’s prophecy, he mentioned fifteen dead and twenty-three seriously injured…”

Even Elder Jin, seasoned as he was, found his voice quivering.

Silence fell. The entire office was deathly still.

Elder Jin pulled out his own phone, bringing up the recent call log.

“4:32 p.m.”

“One hour.”

“Exactly an hour. And the casualty numbers match…”

Everyone stared at Elder Jin in shock.

If someone had foreseen the quake an hour early, perhaps it could have been an advanced scientific detection.

But to predict the precise number of casualties—no science could account for that.

This was a true miracle. Genuine foresight.

Could anyone really predict the future?

Possessing such an ability, to call oneself a god would not be an exaggeration.

Gulping, the female officer’s icy expression wavered with uncertainty. “Could it be… there really are gods in this world?”

“Don’t ask me—I… I’m not sure anymore.” Elder Jin waved her off, but then slowly rose, confusion in his eyes giving way to resolute authority, befitting his post as Luzhou’s military district commander.

“Hong,” he addressed the female officer, his tone decisive, “First-class operational order—bring that youngster to me. I want to speak with him in person.”

“Yes, sir!” Hong snapped to attention, her posture sharp and commanding, delighted to accept the task. “I’ll locate him at once—”

“No, don’t search for him! If the boy’s words are true…” A complicated glint crossed Elder Jin’s eyes. “He likely already knows we’ll come for him. By calling me, he’s already demonstrated goodwill.”

“Therefore, we will meet him openly and respectfully. I’ll call and ask where he is myself.”

“And remember—we are not arresting him. We are inviting him. Hong, mind your attitude!”

All eyes widened in astonishment.

Who was Elder Jin? His past aside, he now bore five stars on his shoulders—the general of a nation.

When the leftist factions in Kameda Nation ran rampant, challenging China’s maritime authority, Elder Jin had lined up three hundred warships at their harbors, guns trained on their soil. If not for a personal call from the head of state, he would have shelled their capital.

This was a man who commanded entire military districts with overwhelming force. Yet for a single prophecy, he was personally calling a mere youngster? And reminding Colonel Hong to be respectful?

“Elder Jin, this…” a middle-aged officer murmured.

“No need to dissuade me,” Elder Jin replied gravely. “If what the boy says is true, what he has to tell us may exceed all our imaginations.”

“There’s more—besides the prophecy, he said one other thing.”

“‘In three months, the god descends.’”

“The god…”

The words hung in the air, and all fell silent.

Five minutes ago, had Elder Jin spoken of gods, everyone would have thought he was joking.

But now…

Elder Jin sighed and dialed his phone.

At that same moment:

“Mr. Lin, I really must say, Lin Fan’s behavior today is due to your lack of discipline.” The middle-aged teacher stood at the podium, casting a cold glance at Lin Fan’s mother at the door. “With only a year until the university entrance exam, this is a crucial time in his life!”

“You parents shouldn’t only care about your own affairs—your child is what matters. Lin Fan left school without permission this afternoon…”

“Yes, yes, you’re right.” Lin Fan’s mother, face flushed, nodded repeatedly, tugging at her son. “Quickly, apologize to the teacher!”

That evening, the teacher had summoned her after learning that Lin Fan had left school. She’d dragged Lin Fan back to the classroom, where evening study was still in session.

Lin Fan didn’t want to apologize, but seeing his mother’s apologetic stoop, he sighed. “Teacher, I’m sorr—”

The phone rang.

“Lin Fan, you even bring your phone to school?” the teacher scolded, walking over with a cold face.

“Teacher,” Lin Fan glanced at the caller ID, “let me answer this call. It’s important.”

“Important?” The teacher snorted. “Lin Fan, do you realize that with just a year until the exams, if you don’t take them, what will become of your future—”

“My future might not involve the entrance exam,” Lin Fan sighed, and answered.

“Hello. Yes, General Jin, it’s me.”

“I’m at school—yes, Class 3, Grade 11. Are you sending someone from the military district directly?”

He hung up.

The class erupted in laughter.

“What? General Jin?”

“The military district?”

“Lin Fan must be crazy. Does he think he’s some kind of big shot?”

Even the teacher laughed. “Well, Lin Fan, you must be someone important. Why don’t you and your mother stay here? I’d like to see who comes for you!”

Meanwhile, at Luzhou Military District—

Ten military jeeps roared out the gates.

In the lead vehicle, Hong gripped her radio. “Target confirmed: Lin Fan, Class 3, Grade 11, Jizhou No. 1 High School!”

“Floor it—this is a priority target. I want him found immediately, not a second wasted.”

“Requesting local authorities implement traffic control!”

“All personnel, arms ready in case of contingencies. And,” her tone grew slightly odd, “everyone, mind your manners—we’re here to invite him!”

All traffic lights in Jizhou went red. Traffic officers diverted all vehicles from certain roads, ensuring no obstructions.

Above, helicopters thundered.

All of this, for Lin Fan alone.

Some pedestrians, astonished by the speeding military jeeps, tried to film on their phones.

But they quickly realized their phones had lost all signal—Jizhou had become a communications blackout.

Even their recordings were automatically deleted.

“Is something big happening?” one bystander asked, lowering his phone as he watched the convoy disappear.

Only five minutes passed.

Screech—!

Ten military jeeps braked hard, stopping neatly at the school gate.

The doors swung open, and a squad of heavily armed operatives filed out, forming ranks.

“Move!” Hong led the way into the campus.

Thud, thud, thud!

Their boots struck the corridor floor in unison, the sound heavy and ominous, shaking the very building.

The classroom’s laughter abruptly ceased.

Lin Fan turned, smiling faintly at the door.

Bang!

The classroom door was flung open, and in strode a valiant, uniformed woman, cold as ice.

Behind her was a team of operatives in black gear, weapons at the ready.

“You…” The teacher’s face was stricken.

“Office of the Military District Commander. All unrelated personnel, step aside.” The woman’s presence was as sharp as a blade, her aura icy.

The students turned pale. Accustomed only to books, none had ever encountered such force before.

“Are you Lin Fan?” The woman scanned the room, approached, and forced a stiff smile onto her frosty face.

Lin Fan showed not a hint of panic—only nodded. “You’re here. Situ Hong, it’s been a while.”

A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

Not even adults could usually stay calm in such a situation. But this boy seemed to have known they’d come, carrying a composure far beyond his years.

There was even—faintly—a tranquil authority reminiscent of Elder Jin himself.

Hong instinctively sensed danger from this youth.

And how did he know her name? They’d never met—how could it have been “a while”?

A hint of confusion flashed across the operatives’ eyes as well.

“General Jin orders that you accompany us—he has matters to discuss with you in person.” Despite her puzzlement, Situ Hong’s tone, though stiff, was extremely polite.

“Very well, let’s go.” Lin Fan nodded, turning to his mother.

“Xiao Fan, what… what did you do?” His mother, always honest and simple, was terrified by the scene.

“Don’t worry, Ma. I’m off to do something good—to save the world.” He smiled, then bowed to the stunned teacher. “Teacher, I do enjoy learning, but now, there are things I must do.”

“I might not take the university entrance exam, but I’ll do my best to ensure all of you can.”

“From today, I’m taking a leave of absence. The duration…”

He didn’t finish, just exchanged a look with Hong and left.

The duration—a leave with no return.

From this moment, his ordinary high school life was over, replaced by a struggle to the death with the gods themselves.

As Lin Fan departed, silence fell over the classroom.

“He’s just gone like that?”

“Did I see that right?”

“With such a show of force, Lin Fan can’t be a wanted criminal, can he?”

“Are you joking? What kind of criminal gets this kind of treatment? That was the Military District Commander’s own honor guard… goodness…”

“And didn’t that officer say ‘invite’? They were inviting Lin Fan?”

The students exchanged bewildered looks.

Five minutes later, in the central office of the Luzhou Military District, Elder Jin lit a cigarette, his aged but clear eyes fixed on the youth before him, his tone heavy with mixed emotions.

“There is much I wish to ask you. But first—”

He paused, his words deliberate.

“Prove to me that gods exist.”