The storm, combined with the dark surroundings, made Zack feel a bit creeped out, even with the cartoon art style.
After all, the atmosphere felt really sinister.
Muttering to himself, Zack had Booker knock on the door, but getting no response, he pushed it open.
The room was empty, with only a poster, a basin of water, a towel, and a lit candle across from him.
The poster read: "I wish to cleanse your sins."
These seemed to be the tools needed for a religious baptism.
After searching but finding nothing else, Zack slowly made his way to the second floor of the lighthouse. There, he saw a marked map and a timetable.
But that wasn't the main thing. What truly made Zack's heart pound were the bloody handprints on the wall leading to the third floor.
Upon arriving at the third floor and seeing the scene, he flinched.
On the floor in front of him was a pool of fresh blood. In a chair in the corner, someone was tied with their hands behind their back, their head covered by a burlap sack stained red with blood.
Around their neck hung a sign that read: "Don't disappoint us."
Paired with the torrential rain and thunder outside, this immediately made Zack, who wasn't very brave to begin with, start trembling.
Is this really not a horror game? Zack felt immense pressure.
He cautiously approached, afraid the corpse on the chair might suddenly jump up as he walked closer.
But it was clearly his own imagination running wild. After getting closer and observing, there was nothing unusual.
Besides, the sack couldn't be removed, so he couldn't see what the corpse looked like.
He continued to move towards the top of the lighthouse, which made Zack a little curious.
Where could this lighthouse lead?
Didn't they say he was supposed to find Elizabeth?
How did he end up at this lighthouse in the sea?
Driven by curiosity, Zack piloted Booker to the very top of the lighthouse.
In front of him was a large door, and he had already obtained the method to open it while on the ship.
He opened it according to the instructions, and a chair appeared in the center of the lighthouse.
Following the system's guidance, Zack had Booker sit on it.
Instantly, his whole body was restrained, and a mechanical female voice gave a prompt.
"The pilgrim is ready. These items are for your safety."
Countless metal plates appeared, forming a space similar to a cockpit that encased Booker.
"What the heck? What's going on?"
Zack was a little panicked, looking around with the in-game camera perspective.
Below the seat of the lighthouse, he saw burning flames, like something akin to a rocket booster.
"Ascending... Ascending, commencing countdown... Five... Four... Three... Two... One..."
As the countdown ended, Zack's perspective switched to first-person, and the screen juddered violently.
He was clearly ascending rapidly, with the intelligent voice constantly announcing.
"Five thousand feet... Ten thousand feet... Fifteen thousand feet..."
When they reached an altitude of fifty thousand feet, the game screen's shaking stopped.
After passing through thick clouds, a blinding light suddenly appeared.
Zack involuntarily closed his eyes.
"Hallelujah!"
He opened his eyes and looked at the heaven-like city before him. Like Booker in the game, Zack was stunned.
"It's so beautiful!" Looking out through the glass of the flying cabin at the sky city Columbia, Zack was absolutely mesmerized.
He had seen incredibly spectacular scenery before.
Stormwind City in "World of Warcraft," Florence in "Assassin's Creed," and the pirate utopia in "Uncharted."
But the sky city, Columbia, still shocked him.
Looking into the distance from high above, he saw scattered floating islands amidst the white clouds.
In the distance, Zack spread his wings; the gigantic angel statues looked incredibly magnificent.
From inside the flying cabin, he could faintly see the colorful buildings in the city.
Bathed in sunlight, the entire sky city of Columbia looked so captivating.
It was as beautiful as heaven, like a city that only existed in fairy tales.
Especially considering that before this, he had been in the eerie, dark lighthouse at sea.
The shock from this drastic change was simply indescribable.
However, the glass window of the flying cabin didn't allow Zack to fully appreciate this heavenly city.
Finally, the flying cabin landed in a church.
As he descended by elevator in the flying cabin, a solemn song echoed in Zack's ears.
"May the cycle not be broken."
"Lord, in the near future."
"We shall finally be reunited."
"In heaven and earth."
Listening to the song, Zack was a little taken aback.
"Is this song a Christian hymn?"
He silently switched out and opened his browser to search, feeling a bit bewildered.
Indeed, from the previous promotional videos, it was already clear that "BioShock" was a game with religious elements.
And the "Hallelujah" shouted by the AI earlier was also full of religious fervor.
But what made Zack even more curious was whether these religious elements were a core part of the game or just a backdrop.
After all, for most games, religion is just a backdrop.
And is "BioShock" the same?
"The Prophet will guide the people to the New Eden."
"The Prophet's offspring shall sit on the throne and be supported by all peoples."
"The Prophet's offspring are conceived in my womb."
"The Lamb, the future of our city."
"The path of absolution is the only way to Columbia."
Exploring the church, Zack quickly felt a very strong atmosphere of religious theocracy, but it was also very strange.
Because in this city in the sky, they worshipped a being called the Prophet.
Also, with the instructors in the church and some books resembling the Bible, Zack understood the basic situation.
The ruler of this city was Comstock, who was mentioned in the trailer.
People called Comstock "Prophet" and "Father."
His child was called the Lamb of Columbia.
Zack didn't know much about religion.
After all, he wasn't religious himself, but many games featured similar plotlines, and most developers seemed to portray religious institutions as antagonists.
For example, a series of games like "Assassin's Creed," "Bloodborne," and "Dark Souls."
And one of the epithets for Jesus is the Lamb of God.
This meant that Comstock was almost like a god in this city.
"They won't let me leave without a baptism, so fine."
Controlling Booker in the game, Zack walked around, but when he reached the main entrance, he was stopped by a few NPCs who insisted on baptizing him.
So Zack had no choice.
Led by the church's clergy, Zack controlled Booker to accept baptism.
The next moment, Zack in the game saw the clergy member push his head down and submerge it in water.
"What the heck! Is this how baptism is done!?"
With the first-person VR immersive experience, having his head pushed into the water, Zack was completely stunned.
(End of chapter)
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