CDJMM – Volume 5 -Chapter 11 Civilization Rescue Team (11)

Nat lost the war, but he survived.

All of them were brought back alive to the Louis Empire.

The prisons of the Louis Empire simply couldn’t hold this many captured soldiers, so Nat and many others were driven to a wide open field outside.

There were no guards watching over them there, but no one tried to escape.

Because they were fed here! Only a fool would run away!

Each person received two whole pieces of bread every day, plus delicious roasted potatoes with pickled vegetables! God above, that was even white bread! Fragrant, soft, fluffy like clouds—white bread that only kings could eat!

Nat hadn’t tasted hot, fragrant food in a long time.

Back in the dungeon, as a death-row prisoner, he wasn’t given any food. He survived by gnawing moss and drinking filthy water. Later, on the battlefield, each person only received a moldy, palm-sized piece of black bread each day—eating it was no different from not eating. His stomach had long grown numb from hunger.

He never imagined the Louis Empire would treat prisoners so generously! Even at home he wasn’t fed this well!

Truly, the Louis Empire deserved to be called the Nation of God!

The king of the Tulip Empire claimed that the god worshiped by the Louis Empire was an evil demon, yet in Nat’s eyes, it was clearly his own country’s king and nobles who resembled demons more. They worked themselves to the bone, but only grew poorer. Meanwhile the king and nobles did nothing and lived in luxury.

The God of Light and the angels were the true culprits behind the great catastrophe. The only one willing to save the people now was the Demon King from Hell. If so, then the Demon King was the only true god humanity should worship. The so-called God of Light was nothing more than a false deity!

Nat couldn’t help praying that the Louis Empire’s army would conquer his homeland soon, so the common people could bask in divine grace and finally live good lives!

The next day, several officials arrived to register Nat and the others. Once the registration was complete, they would become free citizens of the Louis Empire!

Nat’s heart thumped wildly at the words “free citizen.”

And then he suddenly remembered who he was—an heretic, a lunatic. Once they learned what he had done in the past, they would undoubtedly execute him.

Nat closed his eyes with a bitter smile. If he could eat white bread before he died, he had no regrets left.

“By order of His Majesty the Demon King, anyone who answers the questions truthfully will receive a piece of bread!”

The loud proclamation rang in everyone’s ears. The word “bread” instantly ignited the prisoners’ emotions like a torch.

Everyone pushed and shoved to be registered, and so the officials spent an entire day teaching them how to line up.

There were too many people, so it wasn’t until the third day that Nat’s turn finally came.

The one registering him was a nun from the Holy Court. Under her deep, all-seeing gaze, Nat didn’t dare hide anything. He confessed all his crimes truthfully, then closed his eyes, waiting for the execution order he thought would surely follow.

---

Jones raised an eyebrow. “You’re telling me there’s a man who likes dissecting corpses to study the internal structure of human organs?”

The nun reporting the matter trembled violently, her face deathly pale. “H–He must be killed! He has to be killed! He’s a demon!”

Jones: “…Did you forget? The god you now believe in is His Majesty the Demon King.”

The nun froze—then suddenly understood.

As the saying goes, the chair you sit on determines the thoughts in your head. She immediately switched perspectives, gasping, leaning back in shock. “Could it be… he… he is the legendary Demon Child!?”

Jones: …No, he’s just a surgeon born in the wrong era.

---

Nat wondered if he was dreaming.

Otherwise, how could he not only avoid execution but actually be appointed as a medical officer?

Lord Jones told him that His Majesty the Demon King admired his talents, would support his research, and hoped he would use his findings for the benefit of humanity.

Nat burst into tears. From that moment on, he became a devout believer of the Demon King, dedicating the rest of his life to carrying out His Majesty’s will.

There were many heretics like Nat who converted. These ahead-of-their-time geniuses had once been sent to the gallows for “disrespecting the gods,” yet now they willingly worshiped the Demon King, determined to act as the executors of the Demon King’s will upon the world.

---

Le Jing had no idea he had gained countless more followers. He had left the capital of the Louis Empire and arrived at the seaside.

Standing on a massive reef, the ocean wind howled, carrying a foul stench. His clothes snapped wildly.

Le Jing brushed away the hair blown across his eyes, his gaze dark as he watched the boundless sea.

The seawater was almost ink-black. Waves rose and fell, leaving behind piles of dead fish and shrimp along the filthy shoreline. A few bony seagulls landed, pecking greedily at the rotting carcasses.

Environmental restoration was a long process.

And ocean pollution was even harder to fix than land pollution. Even in the technologically advanced 21st century, marine pollution was a global headache—developed nations poured billions into it with little success.

Back on Earth, environmental governance followed one principle: “Whoever pollutes, cleans it up.” Mankind caused the damage, so mankind should fix it.

But this world was different.

The disasters here were caused by gods high above.

The gods tossed the mess aside and abandoned this useless world, leaving the natives to swallow the bitter fruit and struggle to survive in a hostile environment.

If even the 21st century couldn’t fully resolve environmental crises, then in this primitive world, no race had any solutions.

Magic could not undo divine curses.

Le Jing used technological methods to ease soil pollution around Louis, but true recovery would take decades. As for cleaning the ocean—this would take even longer.

“You’re doing well.”

Le Jing turned and saw Xingxiu standing behind him with a gentle smile, his hands clasped behind his back. His overalls were torn in several places, making him look a bit worn and weary.

His appearance could only mean one thing—

“It’s been resolved?” Le Jing lowered his eyes, hiding the disappointment there. It seemed he wouldn’t be seeing the evil god for now.

Xingxiu stood beside him, staring at the foul sea. His young face carried traces of exhaustion. “Only temporarily. The evil god cannot be killed, and it will forever watch humans like a predator.”

Le Jing glanced sideways at the seriousness on his small face. Suddenly he asked, “So our enemy… is the evil god?”

Xingxiu paused. He lifted his gaze, eyes shimmering with a strange, soul-grabbing allure. Amid the roaring winds, his solemn voice echoed across heaven and earth:

“No. Our enemy, in the broadest sense… are the gods.”

Le Jing tilted his head, meeting the boy’s brilliant eyes. His expression was calm, unsurprised—only his eyes burned like fireworks in a summer night.

Xingxiu chuckled softly and asked knowingly, “So? Are you afraid?”

In response came a low, nearly arrogant laugh from Le Jing’s throat. His messy hair whipped wildly in the wind; his eyes were sharp, proud like a lion. He said slowly, “On the contrary—I’m more excited than ever.”

Xingxiu wasn’t surprised. This was exactly why he chose Le Jing—because of that unyielding, youthful spine that never bent.

Across four worlds, no matter the dangers or hardships, no matter the position he stood in—Le Jing charged forward without hesitation, using his small body to serve as humanity’s shield.

Only such a person could join the Civilization Rescue Team.

Xingxiu extended his hand. “Congratulations. You’ve officially passed. From today onward, you’re one of us.”

Le Jing froze, then everything clicked. He narrowed his eyes. “So there was never any urgent mission. No dimensional invasion crisis. Everything was just a test for me?”

Xingxiu pulled back his hand, not embarrassed at all. He smiled casually. “Not entirely. If you couldn’t solve this world’s environmental crisis, its people really would have invaded another world to survive.”

Le Jing continued calmly, “You just didn’t tell me it was a test. There was no mission ranking, no proximity principle—just a personal trial for me.”

“You made me think protecting biologist Joseph was my first mission. But in truth, my real first mission was to resolve this world’s crisis alone.”

Xingxiu nodded straightforwardly, admiration clear in his gaze. “And you proved yourself. You’re calmer and more capable than I expected.”

“…Your standards for passing are shockingly low,” Le Jing said, arms crossed, a faint smile on his lips. “All I did was ease a tiny bit of land pollution.”

“That’s already enough.” Xingxiu’s expression turned nearly cold. “Never underestimate humanity’s vitality. In fact, you passed because you didn’t overdo it. Our purpose is to preserve the spark of civilization—not to alter its natural course.”

He raised his brows, smiling proudly, his gaze as arrogant as Le Jing’s own. “Since the age when the gods ruled humanity, we have walked in the dark, opposing the gods, guarding civilization’s eternal flame.”

“We are Prometheus. We are Kuafu. We are Vishnu. We are Ramesses II. We are Homer. We are Dante. We are Confucius and Mencius. We are all the sages throughout history.

We are the spear and blade that guard human civilization— and the final spark of humanity.”

Le Jing lifted his gaze to the pitch-black sky, but his eyes glittered like a pool of starlight.

“How romantic,” he murmured. A childlike, pure smile curved on his lips. “As long as we’re here, humanity will never see its end.”

Xingxiu also looked up. His gaze seemed to pierce the clouds and reach the stars of the universe.

“Le Jing, welcome to humanity’s starry sky.”