Chapter 661: The Astonishing Sky-City (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

The storm, coupled with the dim setting, made Chen Xu feel a little creepy, even with the cartoon art style.

After all, the atmosphere was too grim.

Grumbled inwardly, Zhang Yi controlled Booker to knock on the door, but received no response. He then pushed the door open.

The room was empty. Directly opposite was only a poster, a basin of water, a spread-out towel, and a lit candle.

The poster read: "I desire to wash away thy sins."

These appeared to be items needed for a religious baptismal ceremony.

After exploring and finding nothing, Zhang Yi slowly made his way up to the second floor of the lighthouse. There, he saw a marked map and a timetable.

But that wasn't the key. What truly chilled Zhang Yi to the bone were the bloodied handprints on the wall leading to the third floor.

And the scene he witnessed upon reaching the third floor made his heart tremble.

On the floor before him was a pool of fresh red blood. In the corner, a person was tied to a chair, hands bound behind their back, their head covered by a sack stained crimson with blood.

Hanging on their chest was a sign that read: "Do not disappoint us."

Combined with the torrential rain and thunder outside, this instantly made Zhang Yi, who wasn't particularly brave to begin with, start shaking.

“Is this really not a horror game?” Zhang Yi felt immense pressure.

Approaching cautiously, Zhang Yi was terrified that the corpse on the chair would suddenly leap up as he walked past.

However, it was clearly just too much internal drama on her part. After a brief observation up close, there was nothing unusual.

Moreover, the hood couldn't be removed, preventing him from seeing what the corpse actually looked like.

Continuing towards the top of the lighthouse, Zhang Yi grew a little curious.

Where could this lighthouse lead?

Didn't he say he was looking for Elizabeth?

How did he end up at this lighthouse in the middle of the sea?

Driven by curiosity, Zhang Yi controlled Booker to reach the very top of the lighthouse.

Before him was a large door, and he had already acquired the method to open it back on the boat.

Following the instructions, he opened it, revealing a chair in the center of the lighthouse. Guided by the system, Zhang Yi controlled Booker to sit down.

Immediately, his body was constrained, and a mechanical female voice provided a prompt:

“Pilgrim ready. These measures are for your safety.”

Countless metal plates appeared, forming a space capsule-like enclosure that enveloped Booker.

“What the heck? What’s going on?”

Zhang Yi panicked a little, controlling the in-game camera to look around.

Beneath the lighthouse seat, flames were burning like rocket boosters.

“Ascending… Ascending. Countdown initiated… Five… Four… Three… Two… One…”

As the countdown ended, Zhang Yi’s perspective switched to first-person, and the screen shook continuously. Clearly, he was rapidly ascending, with the AI voice continuously broadcasting:

“Five thousand feet… Ten thousand feet… Fifteen thousand feet…”

Upon reaching fifty thousand feet, the screen shaking stopped. After piercing through thick clouds, a blinding light suddenly appeared. Zhang Yi involuntarily closed his eyes.

“Hallelujah!”

Opening his eyes, he looked at the heavenly city before him, and like Booker in the game, Zhang Yi was stunned.

“It’s so beautiful!” Looking at the sky-city of Columbia through the flight pod’s glass, Zhang Yi was utterly amazed.

It wasn't that Zhang Yi had never seen magnificent sights. There was Stormwind City in World of Warcraft, Florence in Assassin’s Creed, and the Pirate Utopia in Uncharted.

But the sky-city of Columbia before his eyes still shocked him.

Looking into the distance from high above, floating islands were scattered artfully amidst the white clouds.

In the distance, a gigantic angel sculpture, wings spread wide, appeared incredibly majestic. From inside the flight pod, he could faintly discern the city’s colorful buildings.

Bathed in sunlight, the entire sky-city of Columbia was so enchanting.

It was as beautiful as heaven, like a city that only existed in fairy tales. Especially considering that just moments before, he had been in a gloomy and dark lighthouse at sea. The drastic contrast was truly indescribable.

However, the flight pod’s glass window still didn’t allow Zhang Yi to fully appreciate this heavenly city.

Eventually, the flight pod descended and landed in a cathedral.

Riding the flight pod elevator downwards, a solemn hymn echoed in Zhang Yi's ears.

“May the cycle not be broken.

Lord, in the near future,

We shall surely reunite,

Between heaven and earth.”

Listening to the hymn, Zhang Yi was a little lost in thought. “Is this a Christian hymn?”

Silently, he switched out to his browser and searched, feeling a slight perplexity.

From previous promotional videos, it was already evident that BioShock was a game with religious elements. The AI's earlier shout of “Hallelujah!” also reeked of religion.

But what made Zhang Yi even more curious was whether this religious element was one of the core contents of the game or merely a backdrop. After all, for most games, religion was often just a backdrop. Was BioShock the same?

“The Prophet shall guide the people to a new Eden.

The Prophet’s offspring shall sit upon the throne, revered by all.

The Prophet’s offspring is gestating within my womb.

The Lamb, the future of our city.

The Path of Absolution is the only way to Columbia.”

Exploring the cathedral, Zhang Yi quickly sensed a very strong atmosphere of religious theocracy, yet it was extremely eerie.

Because in this sky-city, they worshipped an entity called 'The Prophet.' Through the clergymen in the cathedral and some Bible-like books, Zhang Yi roughly understood the basic situation.

The city's ruler was Comstock, mentioned in the earlier trailer. People referred to Comstock as 'The Prophet' and 'Heavenly Father.' His child was called the Lamb of Columbia.

Zhang Yi didn't know much about religion. After all, he wasn't a believer, but many games had similar plotlines, and most developers invariably turned the Church hierarchy into the antagonist.

For example, Assassin's Creed, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and so on. One of the appellations for Jesus was the Lamb of God. This also meant that Comstock was almost a god-like existence in this city.

“If they won’t let me out without a baptism, then I’ll get baptized.”

Controlling Booker, he walked around, but upon reaching the main entrance, Zhang Yi was stopped by several NPCs who said they needed to perform a baptism for him. So, Zhang Yi had no choice.

Led by the Church clergyman, Zhang Yi controlled Booker to receive baptism. The next moment, Zhang Yi, immersed in the game, saw the clergyman forcefully press Booker's head down and immerse him in water.

“What the heck! Is this how baptisms are done!?”

In the first-person VR immersive experience, with his head forced underwater, Zhang Yi was completely bewildered.

(End of Chapter) <>