S211

Society Protocol Season 2 11

Encounter with an Angel 1

It was a dark night, but the youngest angel was in a hurry, so he had his secretary call the church in Nevada immediately.

Because the church received many prank and threatening calls,

they used to verify them using voice recordings.

However, since the recordings went on endlessly, they switched to a system where a person answered the phone directly.

Since there was about one in a hundred calls that were actually necessary, they couldn't just hang up.

“Yes, this is Lake Church.”

“Hello? Oh, Pastor Jackson?”

“No, Pastor Jackson is not here right now.”

“Please let me speak to Pastor Jackson.”

“Excuse me, but who is this?”

“I have something to tell Pastor Jackson.”

“If you speak to me, I will pass it on.”

“No, I need to tell Jackson directly.”

The believer found the old man's tone grating. He was addressing the pastor, who was like a god to him, as if he were a servant.

“If you insist, why don’t you come here yourself?”

“Oh, really? Is that okay? Sure, sure. But how do I get there?”

Judging it to be a prank call, the believer tried to hang up.

Just then, Pastor Jackson entered the room.

“It looks like Pastor Jackson has entered, so hand the phone to him.”

Startled, the believer covered the receiver with his hand and signaled Pastor Jackson with his face.

The youngest angel's ability to control his power was still lacking, so at first, he felt Jackson's energy as if it were right beside him. That was why he had asked to be transferred, but as he gradually controlled his power, Jackson's image became even more vivid.

“I have transferred the phone. This is Jackson.”

“Ah, Pastor Jackson? Nice to meet you. You must be working hard, right? I called to see if there was anything I could help you with.”

“Ah, thank you. It would be helpful if you could let me know who you are.”

“Me? I’m an angel. If you need anything, just tell me right away. I’ll help you.”

Pastor Jackson had received many prank calls, but this was the first time he had received one impersonating an angel.

So, feeling a bit mischievous himself, he jokingly asked for help, intending to make the caller reveal their true nature and curse at him before hanging up.

“Ah, so it’s the Angel. It’s good to meet you. Your voice sounds just like a human’s. If you really need my help, please give me a hint. God told me to clean up the world, but I have absolutely no idea how to do it. I would appreciate it if you could let me know.”

The Angel listened for a moment, then nodded as if something had just occurred to him.

“Oh, really? Alright. Wait a minute, hey, secretary. How long does it take to get to where they are?”

The secretary, who had been listening nearby, answered.

“It’s a distance of just under 3,000 miles, so it will take about 6 to 7 hours.”

“Jackson, did you hear that? It’s 10 o’clock now, so if it takes 6 hours, it’s 4 AM. Since there is a 3-hour time difference, that makes it 1 AM. Just wait, I’ll be there soon.”

“Oh, Angel, please take your time. I’ll be waiting.”

After hanging up the phone, Jackson smiled. The believer who had been watching asked.

“Who is it, Pastor?”

“They say it’s an angel. They say they’re coming over here right now. Hahaha.”

“Wow, there really are all sorts of people out there.”

Jackson didn’t doubt it for a single moment. That an angel had called and said they would be coming by plane.

It was 7 p.m. in Nevada, where Jackson was, and people were gathering for dinner.

The construction was almost finished, and the believers were adjusting to their new lives.

However, the problem was that they had absolutely no idea how to proceed.

The question he had asked the so-called angel just moments ago as a joke was actually the very question he would have wanted to ask if an angel existed.

They had not received any violent training, nor did they know anything about war or tactics.

They were simply people who lived according to God’s will, did their own work, and offered praise and thanksgiving to God for the food and drink they earned through that work.

Since such people were trying to do something directly, they simply could not even begin.

“Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving us this daily bread today.”

With Pastor Jackson’s prayer, the meal began in the dining hall. It was a modest yet fresh and abundant meal.

After finishing the meal, people went to pray individually, while the young people gathered in the chapel

and sang hymns while playing drums and guitars.

There were even instances where hymns were sung in a rock style here.

Several members of the leadership gathered for a meeting.

“We are not lacking anything right now, but I think our finances will be affected in about six months.”

A member of the leadership, a former accountant in charge of finances, began to speak to those sitting in the conference room.

“It won’t be six months; the timeframe will be shorter. Since we have to help not only ourselves but also our brothers in other countries, we should assume that we have less than three months of funds left.”

As the member responsible for communication with other overseas churches cut the timeline they could hold out in half, the people began to feel tense.

“It could be shorter than three months. We haven’t taken action yet, but once we do, we will need far more funds than we do now.”

As Pastor Jackson sat among the believers and voiced his opinion, their faces grew grim.

“What should we do, Pastor?”

The accountant asked, looking at Jackson.

“God will take care of it. Hahaha. First, we need to find people who can help and raise as much money as possible. We’ll see how it works out.”

The believers felt their spirits drained at Jackson's words.

It was because they had poured out their entire fortunes and abandoned all social connections to come here. However, seeing the pastor—who held the most important position—standing idly by, they lost all motivation.

“Then, how about we at least reduce the funds sent overseas?”

As the accountant spoke, the international affairs officer bowed his head. He wanted to argue, but he knew that if they collapsed, the overseas branches would not survive either.

Pastor Jackson raised his hand.

“I am against that. They may need help right now because it is just the beginning, but I am convinced that after a certain amount of time passes, they will actually be of help to us. The day may come when we receive their help. First, we must support them until they can stand on their own feet, even if it means tightening our own belts.”

The accountant was worried about their immediate livelihood, but he was in a position where he could not strongly object.

“Then, how about we try cutting down on food expenses while fasting and praying?”

“That is a good idea. After all, there are some overweight believers. I don't think it would be a bad idea to give it a try, excluding young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the sick.”

As Jackson agreed, the people began devising a strategy on how to entice the believers to fast.

However, it was also true that there were concerns about how the organization would be sustained in the future if they were deprived of the only remaining pleasure—eating—for people who spent their time in a desolate desert with nothing to do, nothing to watch, and at best, searching for Bible-related content on the internet.

“Please make inquiries, but do not force anyone. Let’s accurately inform people about our current situation and request voluntary participation. We must absolutely not deceive or mislead anyone. Since everyone has come here of their own accord, we have an obligation to convey accurate information.”

The congregation nodded at Pastor Jackson’s words.

However, no one knew how many of the ordinary believers would understand and participate.

On the contrary, the organization could collapse and end before it even began.

The meeting ended like that. For the time being, they had no choice but to adopt the method of reducing food expenses and electricity production. Jackson began organizing the prayers and sermon content to figure out how to ask the congregation to participate.

It was past midnight, and once the content of the sermon was somewhat organized, he began to read it again.

“You all know this. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. Isn’t the situation here strikingly similar? Where else could there be a place as desolate as this? When have you ever faced such a dark future with no end in sight as this? We are being tested right now. It is time for us to choose whether it is better to abandon God’s will to survive, or to overcome hardship and live according to God’s word.”

It was now past midnight as Jackson was reading his sermon. The howling of a coyote could be heard from afar.

It sounded as if it were searching for a mate.

At first, the congregation was afraid, but now it was just a sound they could hear normally, so some little children were even mimicking the howling.

“Although these times of hardship and choice may be difficult and painful for us, they are akin to taking on an opportunity to go to Heaven. What kind of athlete must you become to win a medal? You must become an athlete with the highest level of skill. How can you become an athlete with the highest level of skill? It is by enduring, diligently, and faithfully overcoming pain while moving forward. If you consider these hardships and trials as a great ordeal designed to make you a winner, and as a ticket to Heaven, I think you might find some peace of mind.”

As Jackson read the sermon, he began to worry inwardly about the fact that he, too, would not be able to eat in the future. It was because he felt as though he might feel the urge to go out and hunt a coyote to eat.

However, in a situation where he could not know what might happen, he had to minimize resource consumption to the bare minimum.

Reverend Jackson began reading it again from the beginning. There were bound to be parts that needed correction.

He did not want to appear too forceful.

This was because he knew better than anyone that reducing food intake and starving oneself was not something that could be done by the power of others.

“Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil.”

While Jackson was reading the sermon again from the beginning, the door opened.

There was no one around here who would just open his door and enter without knocking.

Jackson was startled for a moment and dropped the sermon.

Standing in front of the door were an old man and a man in a suit.

“Are you surprised? Why are you surprised? I told you I was coming, didn't I? You told me to come!”

For a moment, Jackson couldn't think of anything.

[Who did you tell to come? Did I tell you to come?]

Reverend Jackson couldn't think of anything.

“Who are you?”

The old man snorted.

“I mean, I wasn't late, I arrived right on time, and you didn't even think to come out to greet me, but you're asking who I am? Good heavens. You certainly have it easy, Mr. Reverend.”

The old man’s usual tone was being conveyed exactly as he always did.

“Don't tell me?”

“It’s me, the angel.”

Jackson couldn't believe it. He had thought that angels existed, but he didn't know how they would exist.

It was just like thinking that God existed, but not knowing in what state He existed.

“Let’s continue the conversation we were having earlier. So, you were talking about how to wipe out all of humanity, right?”

Jackson invited the old man to take a seat first.

He couldn’t be sure if the old man’s words were actually true, but the mere fact that he could enter this place without making a sound meant he was no ordinary person. Especially at this hour of the night.

“First, it seems there are various financial issues, so let’s resolve those practical life problems first. Secretary, please get out the trust deed.”

The secretary standing beside him took an envelope out of the briefcase and handed it to Reverend Jackson.

“I drafted this on the plane, so it’s not exactly neat, but I have a portable printer, so it shouldn’t be too bad. It’s a kind of donation deed transferring everything except a portion of the assets. However, since you have to pay taxes on a donation, we’re putting it into a trust so you can participate in its operation directly, while the funds will be managed directly by the Reverend.”

Reverend Jackson, having received the documents, could hardly believe it. It was an enormous sum, one he had never even imagined.

“Ah, I’m done with this, so I’ll be going now. Let’s keep in touch if needed. I might come back in a new form next time.”

Reverend Jackson shouted as he watched the old man’s retreating figure.

“Thank you, Angel.”

“It’s nothing. Oh, right, you said you wanted to know how to wipe out humans, didn’t you? Now, think about it. How do humans die the fastest? A way to die without blowing things up or stabbing them. They can live for days without eating. They can live for days without drinking water. So, what is it? That’s it. I’m leaving.”

Jackson nodded, having heard the angel’s hint.