Chapter 20

“The Chinese Communist Party regime was one of the most disciplined, organized, centralized, and secure ones on the planet. How the actual fuck did they just get taken down by a poorly armed, hastily recruited mob of angry young men? How many men are there?” Andrew Yang reacted very sharply with his utter surprise.

“Well, Andrew, it’s quite simple. They were certainly well-led, but not nearly as disciplined as the mastermind behind this particular mob. It’s led by one of the most effective community organizers in history, if not the most. One who has motivated millions to action in the past, caused people to speak in other, even non-existent languages, even gibberish, has inspired literal witch-hunts, pogroms, massacres, and far worse. One who has caused more death and destruction throughout history than Satan, Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush, or Pol Pot could ever imagine,” I explained to Yang.

“Who’s that?” Yang expressed genuine confusion.

“The Holy Ghost,” I smiled savagely.

“He exists? I thought that he was just a third mythical figure to round out the Trinity or something,” Yang sputtered in shock.

“Oh, no, he’s very real and the loose-end that neither Michael nor I have been able to find, let alone tie up. Well, he was bound to surface somewhere, and now he has. China. I should have seen it coming. A massive population of unmarried, undersexed men, many of them young, some not so young, plenty of time on their hands, a repressive regime stifling all dissent, a once dynamic economy starting to shrink and slow down, a religious void or vacuum in civil society that has been tough to fill due to an aggressively anti-religious government, a civil religion of sorts that is unconvincing and unappealing for many, rising international tensions, particularly with China’s neighbors and her largest debtor of all: the United States of America.

“If the Holy Ghost hadn’t grabbed some of these men, Michaelism would have, but he got to them first. So, instead of Rapture, they can expect that their new death cult will fittingly lead them like a Judas goat to the slaughter, just like the sheep that they are,” I smirked.

I couldn’t help thinking that the Holy Ghost, while a threat, if defeated would at least help with the overpopulation issue and purge my future civilization of the sort of fanatics who would make trouble for me later. The boil would be lanced and pus drawn out of it, just in time to correct the serious issues caused by China’s ill-advised one-child and two-child policies, not to mention halt some of the major ecological difficulties with such a drain on natural resources. Quite frankly, I thought, a large part of humanity’s problem lay in its obsession with longevity. If that could be corrected, people could live shorter, but more enjoyable, more satisfying lives in this world, and then really live it up down in Hell. Both microevolution and macroevolution required continued procreation, but neither required long lifespans.

For now, however, the peril had to be contained and quickly. Luckily for me, Michael was keenly aware of the dangers of a loose cannon like the Holy Ghost running free and disrupting the careful balance of power, the Cosmic harmony that we sought to establish. Joining our forces might well be in order very soon, I suspected, and sure enough, Gabriel made a point of showing up to deliver a new message.

“Everything is on track, of course, except this mess. It’s gonna have to be quashed as quickly as possible, so as to nip this threat in the bud. The Holy Ghost was the enemy that we should have seen coming. He was a loose-end to tie up for certain, and now we at least know where he is. He and his followers must be crushed. I can foresee only two outcomes to this emergency conflict: either we unite against him to save the Cosmos or he prevails and destroys everything, including the Universe itself. Clearly, this is do or die for us. Apocalypse is upon us. I just never pictured it happening quite like this. We planned for a final war at Armageddon against you, not against one of the former Trinity, the Godhead,” Gabriel informed me with his familiar curtness.