A yellow symbol of a fish with legs?
This was exactly the pattern on the back of the shadow that Tom often dreamed of.
This revelation shocked Tom. Could it be that he had encountered people from this organization before?
Just as everyone found it inexplicable and Tom was perplexed, Liu Lian's laughter rang out. However, it was short-lived as he grimaced in pain due to his wound being aggravated, much to Zhao Yingying's distress.
"Liu Lian, what are you laughing at?"
"Haha, I find this organization quite amusing."
"Do you know about this organization?"
As Tom asked, everyone perked up, focusing on Liu Lian.
In everyone's eyes, it was this mysterious organization that had built the shelter. Did that mean that the shrinking of everyone was also related to this organization?
"I certainly don't know them, but I recognize this symbol."
"What symbol is it?"
Liu Lian didn't immediately respond. Instead, he asked Li Zexin, "Mr. Li, you claim to be a devout believer. Do you know about the Jesus Fish?"
Li Zexin pondered for a moment. "Of course. In the early days, during the persecution of our brothers and sisters by the Roman Empire for their faith in our Lord, when strangers who shared the same faith met, they would draw an arc. If the other person was also a faithful follower of our Lord, they would draw the other half, completing the symbol of a fish. This symbol of the fish, in Greek..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Liu Lian raised his hand to interrupt Li Zexin's preaching. "So, do you all know about Darwin's theory of evolution?"
Darwin's theory of evolution was taught in elementary school textbooks, so everyone naturally knew about it.
"Christianity believes that God created the world and humanity, hence the idea of Jesus Christ spending seven days to create the world. However, Darwin believed that human evolution came from ancient organisms. This conflicts with the Christian belief in creation by God. Therefore, proponents of evolution, in a mocking manner, added two legs to the Jesus Fish and named it Darwin's Fish. Hahaha!"
"Are the followers of Darwin's theory of evolution the ones who built this shelter?" Tom asked.
"I have no idea. This has always been just a joke; there's never been a formal organization... Or maybe there is, but we're unaware of it. Perhaps, as you said, some people believe in Darwin's theory of evolution, so they secretly established organizations related to Darwin. Who knows?"
Darwin's Fish?
Tom stared at the symbol for a while, recalling the related knowledge he had seen in textbooks.
According to the textbooks, Darwin believed that there was a struggle for survival among organisms, with the fittest surviving while the unfit were eliminated. This was known as natural selection. Organisms evolved and developed from simple to complex, from few to many species through heredity, variation, and natural selection.
"Wait a minute!" Tom thought.
Heredity, variation...
Variation?
Thinking of ants, cockroaches, flies, rats, and cats that had eaten human flesh.
Weren't they undergoing variation?
"Survival of the fittest?" Tom thought of the various events that had occurred over the past seven days. Humans had shrunk, and the best way to survive under the covetous gaze of other creatures was to be able to use these gemstones to unleash power, right?
Those who could awaken their powers, like him, had an easier time surviving. Those who didn't, unless protected and helped by people like him, were easily eaten by ants.
Wasn't this survival of the fittest?
Was this organization related to Darwin really planning and implementing this disaster of shrinking people?
If it was only targeting one or two cities, then when the national government reacted, it would inevitably be met with devastating strikes.
Unless the other side was also a nation.
But the most powerful countries in the world were also Christian countries, so it was impossible for them to use this theory as a driving force.
So, if it was just an organization, the only way to avoid becoming a target for other countries was: if they didn't act, but if they did, then the whole world would shrink together.
Shaking his head, Tom dismissed this idea. For him, it wasn't important. Shrinking by a factor of 24, a city was already incomprehensibly huge for him. Matters at the national level were left for others to worry about.
At least this shelter was still relatively safe for now, and there should be food. He saw Xiaomei and Xiaogao going to search in other rooms, so he let them handle it; he was just too tired.
"Angie!" Liu Lian tapped him, gesturing for him to lean closer.
Tom moved his head closer to him.
"Angie, did you notice? That line: 'The descendants of the giant grow in six days, experiencing trials. Only by learning to use the legacy of their giant ancestors can they pass the test and return to the sanctuary of God's redemption on the seventh day.'"
Tom nodded, somewhat understanding.
"The giants might refer to us before we shrunk, and the so-called descendants of the giants might refer to us now. By undergoing six days of growth and trials, isn't that the six days before today at noon?"
Tom suddenly realized and whispered, "Learning the legacy of the giants should refer to those gemstones. So, on the seventh day, this shelter will open its doors, and we can return to the sanctuary of God. Is the sanctuary the redemption shelter?"
Liu Lian smiled bitterly and said, "Angie, I'm afraid these fanatic followers of Darwin's theory of evolution are the masterminds behind our current situation. In their eyes, we are seeking redemption. After shrinking, either we evolve or we are eliminated and eaten."
"Redemption... seeking what redemption?" Tom asked.
"Have you forgotten? The first line: Greedy giants demand excessively from Mother Earth, solely for their lavish enjoyment, thus angering God and inviting divine punishment. They probably think that the overpopulation and excessive exploitation of resources, causing environmental pollution, angered God, resulting in divine punishment, which is us all turning into tiny people."
Tom's heart couldn't calm down for a long time. He had heard such accusations online a lot, and many villains in movies and novels also used similar rhetoric.
"Heh heh, Angie, I think... we are either living in a game or in a novel. That's why... we encounter... cough... these lunatics. Only... cough... these lunatics are powerful and capable... of shrinking everyone." Tom quickly laid Liu Lian down. "Don't speak anymore. Rest assured and recuperate. We'll discuss later. This place is temporarily safe, but we don't know how long it will last."
Liu Lian's lips turned pale due to massive blood loss, but there were no means of blood transfusion in the shelter. They could only wait and look for an opportunity to get some nutrients or blood bags from a large hospital later.
At this moment, Xiaomei made a discovery. She came running over with a set of clothes. "Angie, here, let's change."
Xiaogao followed behind her, carrying two large boxes joyfully.
The clothes Xiaomei brought were yellow, resembling uniforms. Tom stood up, and she helped him try them on. "Hmm, they fit well."
Xiaogao opened one of the boxes, revealing some biscuits, drinks, and canned goods.
This further convinced Tom that the mysterious organization was the culprit behind everything. Whether it was clothing or food, everything was made according to their current size. For them, there was no difference before and after April 6th; it felt like shrinking was just a nightmare.
Tom himself was wearing clothes stripped from toy dolls found in the supermarket. They were made of cheap fabric, stiff and ill-fitting.
Tom picked up the clothes, intending to find a room to change. However, the large screen suddenly lit up, displaying a countdown: 08:13.
Below it was a line: "Regular sheltering time for the Redemption Shelter."
"For each additional awakened individual, an extra 4 hours of sheltering time will be granted. When the time is up, the shelter will return to its folded state. The shelter unfolds once every 7 days, and the interval is not affected by the extension of time."
"What does 'folded' mean?" Li Zexin asked, wide-eyed.
Tom sighed. It was indeed survival of the fittest. "This shelter is normally folded underground. It's only in the open state now to accommodate people. Once it folds back, the people inside will probably be flattened."
"So... do we have to leave in 8 hours?" Li Zexin's words filled everyone with despair. They had barely escaped the clutches of mutated rats and cats, thinking they were safe, only to find out they could only stay for 9 hours. "Isn't this playing with people's lives?"
Awakened individuals? Tom silently walked to the platform in front of the globe and pressed his palm against it.
But there was no response.
He thought for a moment, activating the gemstone on his arm.
"One awakened individual, adding 4 hours of sheltering time!"
The countdown quickly changed from 08:12 to 12:12.
But the time was still too short.
Tom thought for a moment, then took out the last blue gemstone from his backpack, grasping it in his left hand and recalling the state of extreme hardness his skin had just been in.
A faint yellow light enveloped his body. Success!
"Awakened individual number 1, possessing the second ability, adding 2 hours of sheltering time."
But only an additional two hours?
Tom silently returned to his backpack, took out the green gemstone, and amidst the astonished gazes of the three bystanders, green light enveloped his body.
"Awakened individual number 1, possessing the third ability, adding 3 hours of sheltering time."
The countdown quickly changed from 12:12 to 17:12.
"Awakened individual number 1 has three abilities, meeting the awakening criteria, classified as a third-level awakened individual."
After the subtitles disappeared, a mouth suddenly opened on the platform, and a watch with a liquid crystal display rose up.
"Please put it on to complete the registration procedure for the awakened individual."
Li Qiang ran surprised to Tom's side, envy in his eyes as he looked at the watch. "Wow, Angie, you're a third-level awakened individual, and one ability is one level, right?"
Tom shrugged, put on the watch, and it immediately displayed: "Synchronizing with the mainframe... Synchronization complete! Awakening individual's personal data registration completed!"
Then the screen went black, and there was nothing.
Tom patted it a few times, but didn't see any buttons. He tapped it a couple more times, but there was still no response.
"Hey, is it broken?" Li Qiang seemed even more anxious than Tom, touching it up and down a few times. "Hey, Angie, is this thing out of power?"
Tom shook his head. These Darwin fanatics were weird. Who knew what the watch was for.
Then he called Xiaomei over and asked her to register with the yellow gemstone.
Xiaomei became Awakened Individual Number 2, adding 4 hours of sheltering time to the shelter.
The countdown changed from 17:10 to 21:10.
Tom sighed. Even if Liu Lian woke up, it would only add another 4 hours. It seemed that these fanatics built the shelter not to shelter tiny people, but to give the struggling tiny people outside some rest and recuperation time, so as not to collapse.