death of hope

Chapter 1039 "Psionic Storm" (112) The Penitentiary Alliance

In the Ibaraki neighborhood, there is a dilapidated Gothic chapel.

The stained glass was covered with cobwebs, the stone was yellowed, and the cross had cracked.

The church hall was mostly empty, with only about thirty worshippers scattered around, mostly elderly men and women with white hair.

Due to the rise of various online celebrity cults in recent years, serious orthodox religions are becoming increasingly unpopular among young people.

There's a small wooden cabin between the Gothic columns, with a sign above the door that reads "Confessional."
The cabin was divided into two compartments by a dense mesh fence, with the penitent sitting on one side and the priest on the other.

·
“I am guilty…” the penitent sobbed, his voice trembling.

"Don't get agitated, child, speak slowly. I'm willing to listen to your confession," the elderly priest said in a gentle and kind voice.

·
"I work as a cleaner at a research institute. The pay isn't much, and I always have to work overtime... But now with the economic crisis, college graduates are all staying home. I'm grateful that I, an illiterate person, have a job to support my family. I work very hard, never slack off, and I mop every nook and cranny until it's spotless..."

·
“You did the right thing. The federal government encourages dedication to one’s work, and so does our church,” the pastor on the other side of the fence nodded slowly.
"Human labor in this world is a mission given by the Heavenly Father. Working diligently and responsibly can glorify the Lord, serve others, and face life with love and dedication."

This great love encompasses tolerance, understanding, and selfless giving towards others. Faced with difficulties and setbacks, we should, like our Lord, carry our cross and move forward, bearing the burden selflessly, without complaint or shirking responsibility.

·
The priest's words did not comfort the penitent; instead, his tone became even more uneasy.
"During my work, I discovered... the experimental subjects imprisoned by those scholars were not lab rats, but Terran humans, as well as other alien intelligent races. They were not death row inmates, but innocent people from good families."

There were elderly people, pregnant women, teenage girls, and even five- or six-year-old children brought in for autopsies. Most of them couldn't last more than a few days before being covered with white sheets and carried out... I don't know where they were disposed of..."

·
“Oh God… Lord, have mercy…” The pastor made the sign of the cross, his expression first one of sorrow, then of helplessness, as he patiently and cautiously explained:
"In ancient times, the Church attached great importance to the sanctity of corpses, and dissecting one's own kind was absolutely forbidden. The Pope believed that corpses should be kept intact, firstly to prevent the spread of the Black Death, and secondly to prepare for the resurrection at the end of the world."

However… thousands of years have passed, times have progressed, and modern medicine has defeated the Black Death and smallpox. The Vatican's view on this has also softened, supporting medical dissections within an ethical framework, especially emphasizing their contribution to medical progress and human health.

·
“No! It’s not like that!” The penitent shook his head from the other side of the fence.
"It's not a medical institution... it's researching... uh... some kind of mystical stuff. I don't think what those people in white coats are researching is of any benefit to people."

Instead, all I heard were the cries of the innocent, slaughtered like livestock, their corpses discarded like cattle bones in a slaughterhouse.

The scholars' behavior... was completely contrary to ethics and morality... I wanted to do something, but the company was too powerful. I, a mere cleaner, was like an ant, unable to change anything..."

·
“My child…the scene you described…sadens me…” The pastor crossed himself again.

"Our Church emphasizes that one's conscience is the voice of God within the soul, and that we have a responsibility to act according to our conscience when faced with injustice, illegality, or harm to others..."

·
"I feel dirty. My rags and mop are stained with blood. I've participated in the sin!"

The penitent exclaimed excitedly, "As a devout believer and a good citizen of the Federation, shouldn't I report those bad guys?!"

·
“Child…you are very kind…” the pastor paused, thought for a moment, and then said:
"But then again... the church does not encourage believers to report on their employers. We encourage forgiveness and repairing relationships. Reporting should be done through appropriate channels to avoid malicious slander or personal grudges..."

·
"Uh…"

The penitent frowned, unsure of what to say, and seemed somewhat confused.

·
The pastor smiled bitterly, thinking to himself: (Now that the Terra Federation is controlled by capital, your denunciation is meaningless. It will only make you lose your job and leave your family homeless, or worse, be silenced by corporate warriors...)
·
The penitent, recalling the evil he had witnessed while working, said indignantly:
"Should I continue to endure this, bury my head in the sand like an ostrich, and continue working for these demons while remaining indifferent to their plight?"

·
(That's obvious, what can a commoner like you do...) The pastor thought to himself, but he couldn't say it like that. He coughed twice and said, "Patience, as the core practice of the Psalms, is not a passive retreat, but a virtue of active choice, which stems from love, faith and obedience to the will of the Lord."

The Book of Galatians lists patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Our Lord silently endured insults during His suffering, forgave those who nailed Him to the cross, did not repay evil with evil, and patiently waited for sinners to repent.

As believers, we should also treat others with the same patience, remaining tolerant of offenses from family, colleagues, and even enemies, without blaming others or fate, entrusting our suffering to God in order to seek inner peace…

The pastor quoted scriptures and spouted a whole bunch of platitudes and theological nonsense, which can be summed up in two words: nothing more.
"Endure it"

·
Fifteen minutes later, the penitent walked out of the confessional looking completely bewildered. Instead of finding solace, he felt even more troubled.

A hooded man in black followed silently behind the penitent.
Watching him change back into his blue-collar cleaner uniform, I followed him out of the church and caught up with him at the corner of an alley.

"What...what are you going to do? Are you trying to rob me? I'm just a floor cleaner, I have no money, and I'm just a worthless life..."

“You’ve misunderstood,” the man in black said, removing his hood to reveal a young and handsome face.

"Psionic Security Supervisor... Mr. Leon Vilnius?"

Shh...keep your voice down...

"Why are you following me... Could it be... what I said in the confessional just now...?"

"Yes, I heard everything."

"Are you... going to complain to the director?"

“On the contrary,” Li Ang shook his head, “we have several other men of conscience like you in our unit.”

"Could it be... you..."

Li Ang's expression was stern: "Are you willing to listen to that pastor and continue to be a coward, or stand up and be an upright person?"

The cleaner gritted her teeth, her face flushed red; "I need this job. My brother needs tuition, and my father needs medicine..."

“Project Zero is about to end, and the contracts of many temporary workers are about to expire. Even if you don’t cause trouble, you will be laid off. And that unfair contract already states that there will be no severance pay.”

As he spoke, Li Ang took out a credit card and stuffed it into the other person's pocket;

"The password is six zeros."

"This is so...sudden..."

The cleaner stood there, stunned, unsure of what to say.

"I've gathered together all the colleagues who share your views."

Come on, let's go to Ebisu Craft Beer Bar and have a chat!