Ten minutes later, the woman in the white robe on stage finally stopped moving. She lifted the microphone and said slowly, "Today's practice is over. Please sit." The crowd obeyed at once. One by one, everyone sat down. Natalie studied the woman on stage. Was she the legendary Shepherd? The hall was huge, and Natalie was seated in the very last row. She couldn't see the woman's face clearly. A few seconds later, an idea struck her. Using her backpack as cover, Natalie quietly took out a pair of mini binoculars from her storage space. Angus froze. "Bonnie, you've got something like that, too?" Natalie ignored him. She raised the binoculars and looked ahead. The women on stage came into sharp focus. They looked just like the two women guarding the doors outside—full cheeks, rosy skin, all of them pretty. All except the one standing in the center with the microphone. She stood slightly forward, clearly the one in charge. Yet her face was the most ordinary of them all. Even in the apocalypse, her round cheeks and healthy color made her look better than most survivors in the city. But compared to the women behind her, the difference was obvious. Sharp, slanted eyes. A bulbous nose. Drooping mouth corners. Messy eyebrows. Before the apocalypse, she would have blended into any crowd. Not ugly, but nothing special either. Not even close to what you'd call a beauty. More like below average. She didn't match Martha's description of a saintess at all. Was she really the Shepherd?After looking for a moment, Natalie handed the binoculars to Cassian so he could see too. Angus, left out, scratched his head anxiously. What were they looking at? On stage, the woman spoke again, her voice steady. "When you return home, remember to practice every day. Be on time. Work hard so your spirit body can be fully purified as soon as possible. If you feel some discomfort in your body, do not stop. That is normal. It means the impurities are being expelled." Practice every day? Natalie twitched her lips. She was honestly afraid these people would cripple themselves. Some of the moves in this divine technique were twisted beyond reason. Bodies bent at strange angles, necks and waists strained to the limit. It looked like something that could easily injure your spine. Without blind faith, no normal person would ever hold those poses. But the believers didn't see it that way. The two people sitting in front of Natalie whispered happily to each other. "This technique is amazing. In less than two hours, my back was already sweating. If I had joined earlier, my body wouldn't have gotten so weak." "We're so lucky. In other places, so many survivors don't even qualify to join the faith, let alone practice!" "Blessed be! Thank you, Dawnmother! Thank you, Shepherd!" Behind them, Natalie pressed her lips together, barely holding back her laughter. Come on, you just said it yourself. Two hours of exercise and not a drop of sweat? That's just weird. Not having practiced yoga or Pilates was normal enough. But had these people really never seen a gentle fist before?You saw it everywhere, on TV shows, old men practicing in public parks, and even college elective classes. There were plenty of ways to know what gentle movement exercises looked like. Natalie couldn't help feeling curious. Logically speaking, it was impossible for everyone in this city to have never tried yoga or gentle fist. So what exactly had Dawnlight done to make people believe so deeply in such an obviously flawed technique? On the stage, the woman in white continued speaking in a soft, unhurried voice. "Next, let us welcome our Shepherd, who will guide us through today's sermon." Natalie raised an eyebrow. So the Shepherd was someone else? That was unexpected. She had assumed this woman was the Shepherd. As soon as her words fell, several thousand followers below moved as one. They crossed their arms over their chests and shouted in unison, "Blessed be! Blessed be!" Angus, who had never seen anything like this before, nearly jumped out of his skin. He instinctively tried to stand up and bolt. Natalie reacted fast and pressed him back down. "Sit still." Then she leaned in and explained quietly, "Don't panic. It's just their blessing phrase. It means the Dawnmother's favor comes from the west." Angus stared at her, stunned. The west? Gone west? What kind of blessing could come from there? Still, under Natalie's sharp stare, he obediently sat back down and didn't try to run again. Deep down, though, he felt more confused than ever. Why had this couple come here? Were they trying to learn about the enemy from the inside and then wipe out this cult in one move? All he knew was that this place made his skin crawl. At that moment, a man dressed entirely in black walked out from behind the stage. The seven women in white robes slowly stepped back and stood behind him. "Blessed be! My family," the man called out loudly. "We meet again." Natalie stared at him in surprise. This is the Shepherd? He's a nearly 450-pound man.