Kabul, inside the highest temple.

Gani sat cross-legged on the carpet where the elder usually sat.

With the lights overhead, the surrounding area is extremely bright and there are absolutely no shadows.

The faint sounds of gunfire and commotion outside the city formed an extreme contrast with the silence inside the temple.

The high walls surrounding the temple have divided the inside and outside of the temple into two different worlds, one seems to be the world of God, and the other is the chaotic human world.

But can he really enter the world of Allah?

Gani looked at the small black box on his knee, and fell into an unprecedented panic and loneliness.

At every fork in the road, people can only make one choice, and pay for this choice with their own future.

The scriptures say that God has promised hypocrites, men and women, and disbelievers that they will enter Hell and abide there forever. Hell is enough to punish them.

So will he enter heaven to see God in the future, or will he enter hell and be punished forever?

"Why are you still hesitating?" That eerie voice suddenly sounded.

Ghani did not raise his head: "Saleh, are we taking the right path or the wrong path?"

"Only Allah knows whether we are taking the right path, but no matter what we do, the situation will never be worse than it is now."

Ghani remained silent.

The sinister voice said slowly: "Gani, you have to understand that any choice you make now is better than no choice at all."

"If your choice is the right path, you will definitely be able to see Allah in the future. If it is wrong, you will naturally go to Hell. But if you have no choice, what will be the consequences in the future?"

After a moment of silence, Ghani asked: "Is the city of Nuristan ready?"

The gloomy voice replied: "We have been preparing in Nuristan City for so long. General Samim has long been aware of it. So far, he has ignored it. This is his attitude... Now, Karzai has arrived in Nuri."

Stan City, our layout has been completed."

Ghani sighed deeply: "I am confused by my choice, and my future is dark... Every choice is a test from God, but how can my despicable heart guarantee that I will be on the right path?"

What? Allah, please forgive me for my humbleness and ignorance."

With trembling hands, he picked up the holy object on his knees.

Beside him, a wriggling shadow appeared.

Gani did not hesitate anymore and put the holy object into the shadow.

The holy object was immediately swallowed up by the shadows and disappeared.

……

"God has closed their hearts and ears, and there is a veil on their eyes; they will bear a severe punishment."

In the south of Nuristan, Karzai walked in the dark and dirty alleys.

The stains mixed with feces stained the hem of his clothes and the soles of his shoes, but he didn't care at all.

His expression was compassionate and pious, but when he passed through the alley, he left more than a dozen corpses behind him.

Looking back, Kazali said to the empty alley: "Some people say: 'We believe in God and the last day.' In fact, they are not believers."

In the quiet alley, there was a creaking sound, and an old man with his eyes gouged out touched the door frame and murmured in a low voice: "Mahdi..."

Another door opened, and another girl with numb eyes walked out: "Mahdi..."

Another door was pushed open, and a young man with a scarred face walked out of the door alone, his eyes shining with strange light: "Mahdi!"

……

Looking at the men and women walking out one after another, Karzai smiled on his face.

"Yes, the Mahdi is coming soon."

He turned to look at the tall woman who had been following him silently, and praised: "Gula, you have done a good job. There must be a place for you before God."

The woman lowered her head and said nothing.

Karzai's eyes showed pious anticipation: "Now that the arrangements have been made...let Mahdi come to this world!"

A black spot on the woman's hand quickly enlarged and turned into a large squirming shadow.

A wooden box with two fingers wide was spit out by the shadow,

fell into the hands of Karzai.

"Salih, your ability has given us a lot of convenience." Karzai looked at the wooden box in his hand piously, "Is this the sacred object that the elder has kept for so many years? We have not been able to get it for so many years.

, but this time it was so relaxed... so relaxed that it makes people doubt whether it is true or not."

A ghastly voice came from the creeping shadow: "It's all a gift from Allah... Everything has been destined! Karzai, be careful of that Easterner, don't let the chosen sacrifice escape."

"It was his luck to be chosen as a sacrifice, and it was also something that God had already determined." Karzai said with a smile, "He can't run away."

A crowd of people with enthusiastic expressions began to gather behind Karzai.

……

"Young man, have you ever considered a question? Suppose there is a button in your hand. After pressing it, the whole world will be destroyed..."

The elder walked barefoot on the dirt floor.

His feet were covered with mud, which made him look more like an old farmer, but also more approachable. Even with Lu Zhen's indifferent nature, it was difficult to control his affection for the elder.

"The whole world is too big, let's just say this earth. If you press it, you can control a world-destroying weapon and destroy the earth. Then will you press this button?"

After speaking, Alawi looked at Lu Zhen with kind eyes.

Although he was a little surprised as to why Alawi would ask such a strange question, Lu Zhen thought about it, shook his head and replied: "No."

He still doesn't know who Allawi is, but he can guess that Allawi is definitely one of the highest-status people in this land.

Although Lu Zhen does not have much hostility towards Avila, he is still constantly adjusting his state in order to maintain himself in the strongest state.

The dislocated left arm has been reattached.

Thanks to his strong recovery power, the pain in the internal organs has disappeared.

If there is no violent confrontation with others, this injury will not affect his actions.

"You won't, but many people will." Allawi looked at Nuristan not far away, "Poverty, hardship, hunger... Countless people are suffering. The world does not seem to be better than before. They

There is no tendency to see the world becoming a better place."

Thinking of what he had seen and heard along the way, Lu Zhen agreed: "If there is such a button in their hands, they will press it."

Alavi sighed, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened a lot: "For them, the world is suffering, and birth is sin. I have heard children complaining to their parents countless times, why should they be born... If there is such an opportunity

, countless people will press that button."

Sarah, who was following Alawi on his right, said: "This is like this here. What's the difference between the pagans in the West and us here? They are rich, but not materially poor."

"But who knows how many torn souls are hidden under the surface joy? If there is such a button as you said, then they will press it without hesitation."

"Why should there be pain? Even in extreme boredom, they will choose to destroy the world." Allawi looked up at the dark and lightless sky, "We look up at the sky and believe that human civilization is above the sky, but ignore it on the earth.

Humanity is struggling to survive."

"Over the past hundreds of years, human weapons have undergone tremendous changes, from spears to guns, and weapons that were previously unimaginable have become increasingly powerful."

"If in the future, the power controlled by a single individual is large enough to destroy the world, then everyone is a potential destroyer of civilization."

"You are too pessimistic." Lu Zhen said.

Even though Allawi still had a peaceful expression on his face when he spoke, Lu Zhen still felt the pessimism in Allawi's words and the fatigue that penetrated his bones.

Lu Zhen has always only cared about his own cultivation, and has never considered such a grand theme as the continuation of mankind and civilization.

In this sense, he is an extremely selfish person.

If he can find his own path to immortality in the foreseeable future, what does humanity and civilization have to do with him?

Therefore, it is difficult for him to resonate with Avila.

Alawi lowered his head: "Human beings are really the most fragile life. Even the strongest can be easily destroyed by endless pain... We can endure the pain, but we must see hope."

He looked at Lu Zhen: "We believe in Allah and rely on Allah. Allah is our hope."

"We believe that when the destined Day of Judgment arrives, God will judge everyone based on their beliefs and actions, and will enter Heaven to reward believers and those who do good deeds, and enter Hell to punish disbelievers and criminals."

"But, here, they can't wait any longer." He pointed to Eduard Stein. "Who among the people in pain doesn't long for the Day of Judgment to come immediately? We can see God judging the good and the evil right away, and let the good people be rewarded.

Blessings, letting evil people get evil rewards, what a blessing it is."

After listening to so many words, Lu Zhen felt that he was about to grasp the key point: "You mean, the judgment day of your belief will come immediately? Or, are they thinking of ways to make the judgment day come immediately?"

"Everything is destined by God, and no one can affect God's will." Allawi shook his head, "Suffering is God's way of testing his people. If you can endure the suffering and still maintain your faith in Allah, in the end... But

, they have endured it for too long...the never-ending suffering is too heavy for them."

"How many people can follow the righteous path of God when they see their loved ones dying or being humiliated, and when they see themselves in danger and about to starve to death?"

Lu Zhen listened silently.

After a pause, Avila continued: "In the west, there is a small minority who believe in the imams inherited from Ali."
To be continued...