69 Cultists

Tong Li Supermarket

Too crowded...

Recreational Stat Training

Too expensive...

Delia's Executive Creations

What the hell even was that...

Lu Fengyi scratched his head as he walked down one of the many hallways he had seen in the intersection just outside the coffee store. In the beginning, many of the stores were of common nature and mainly consisted of food stops, supermarkets and normal services, however the deeper he ventured, the more unknown and unspecified stalls there were, each boasting grandeur that would easily best even the most flashy of stores back on Earth.

While Lu Fengyi understood that discovering on his own would be the most effective method to learn everything about the Fictional Transcension System by heart, it was simply too confusing. As a matter of fact, he did not even know where the hell he was going. All he had done was chosen a road by random, hoping that it would lead him somewhere he needed to go.

Still wondering where to visit first, a cheerful, happy go lucky voice appeared before him.

"Hey mister! We would like to conduct a test on you for a survey that we are currently doing. It's a quick test that will only take fifteen minutes of your time!"

A cute girl with a floppy dress and sunglasses that matched her vivid personality smiled at Lu Fengyi with bright eyes, holding a pen and paper in each hand. Although surprised at the sudden appearance and enthusiasm from the girl, Lu Fengyi could not see anything wrong with taking fifteen minutes to help another out. 'I might even learn something from this experience...' Lu Fengyi thought to himself.

The girl's eyes glowed with excitement, "Really? Thank you!"

Lu Fengyi waved aside the thanks, "It's fine."

Still with that same smile, the girl continued excitedly, "If you may, we will conduct the survey inside this building. Just follow me in."

Having already agreed to the request, Lu Fengyi did not have any objections to the instructions, however as he approached the well lit building, he was reminded of a modernised religious hostel that he had once seen on the streets of Sydney. From what he could remember from the reviews of the place, the staff were nice and having chats with them was not unpleasant, however they would pester you with endless letters if you were even slightly off guard and gave away your address.

Shaking his head, Lu Fengyi reminded himself that what he was visiting was not the one of his previous world before entering, following the female guide in front of him. The interior was surprisingly modern and the aura of a formal, high-class hotel seemed to radiate from every feature of the building.

"Come this way. We'll conduct the test in this room!" the girl instructed Lu Fengyi before calling out, "We have a capti... willing transcender who wants to take a survey!"

Instantly, a small group of beautiful women and handsome men swept around the corner before escorting Lu Fengyi to a seat inside one of the rooms that were on the side.

"Tea? Or would you like coffee."

"Make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you for deciding to take our survey."

Lu Fengyi's mouth twitched in surprise. Were they this deprived of people to survey? Even if he was the only person in a long time to take the test, was there really a need to treat him like the prince of a country? Not only that, but they only offered tea and coffee. Where the hell was the fine wine... No, even more important than that... Where the hell was the fruit juice! That soothing, delectable orange juice!

Just as Lu Fengyi finished his internal complaint, a short man that looked to be in his forties stepped into the room before ushering the others out and closing the door behind him with a click. The man had thick rimmed glasses and a ridiculously extravagant lab coat that was obviously too big for him alongside a peculiar pendant that swung around his neck with every move.

The man dragged a stool in front of the sitting Lu Fengyi before standing upon it and putting out his hand, "Nice to meet you. I heard that you wish to take the survey."

The man's voice was surprisingly deep, however it was soothing and felt like the preaches of a church priest, imparting the teachings god.

"Um, so how does this survey work? Do I just answer questions or something?" Lu Fengyi noticed a small stack of paper in the corner or the room, each with subtitles and lines underneath each subtitle, supposedly for him to fill out.

"Ah, yes. But before that, would you care to place all of your personal details on this sheet of paper before signing the bottom?" the man hopped off the stool before grabbing one of the many sheets from the stack before passing it to Lu Fengyi, along with an ink pen.

Glancing curiously through the contents, Lu Fengyi's expression became more and more unsightly by the line.

Name, date of transcension, age before transcension. The questions did not seem so weird at first, however as his eyes scanned halfway through the paper, obnoxious titles began to appear. Bank details, passwords to bank account, devotion status...

A cold sweatdrop dripped down Lu Fengyi's back as he read the final line of the form.

-- Consent to join the Exis Cult --

Signature : _______________________

'What the hell is this? Am I being subtlety forced into joining a cult? What even is the Exis Cult? What am I getting myself into...' Lu Fengyi felt his hand shaking with fear. From the multitude of slice of life novels that he had read during his highschool days, Lu Fengyi knew that cults were nothing good for one to involve themselves into. Once signed and ratified, getting out of the cult would be as hard as breaking out of a national grade prison cell. With all your personal details and contacts, it would be but a piece of cake to locate you, and once that happened, there was only a single fate that awaited. Being dragged straight back in!

Turning one eye towards the door, Lu Fengyi realised that the door was not only closed, but it was locked in multiple spots, dispelling all hopes of escaping through that door.

Laughing as casually as possible, Lu Fengyi began to fill in the less important areas of the form that did not give away as much information while glancing rapidly around the room for a possible escape. Cultists were crazy. They would lock you in a room until you decided to join and keep extreme tabs on you for the first few months to make sure that you were truly devoted. If one did not escape in the first hour they entered the building, it would be another year before they would even gain the opportunity to try and escape.

'Shit, shit, shit! What do I do...'

No matter what, he had to escape!