The words slipped out of him before he could think and Xia Jienan let out a breath of relief. He walked toward Ye Yuzhi. “Thank goodness. I almost thought something happened to you. Did you run into my companions?”
Ye Yuzhi seemed to freeze for a second. He lowered his gun and gave a slow, somewhat dull nod. “I did. I sent them away.”
“Sent them away?” Xia Jienan asked in confusion.
“This place is too dangerous.” Ye Yuzhi holstered his gun, then suddenly reached out and tugged on the hem of Xia Jienan’s robe. “Come with me.”
Xia Jienan could clearly sense something was wrong with Ye Yuzhi, though he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly felt off. He didn’t move immediately and glanced back toward the house behind him. “Can you let me save the people inside first? Like you said, it really is dangerous here.”
Ye Yuzhi shook his head. “That’s a radio. I put it there.”
Xia Jienan frowned. “Why would you do that?”
Ye Yuzhi looked back at him. “Because I’m hunting.”
Even though the man’s thought process jumped unpredictably, Xia Jienan understood almost instantly what he meant.
He was using the sound from the radio to lure people here, to hunt them. If Xia Jienan’s guess was right, then the corpse he found in the previous house was also Ye Yuzhi’s doing.
Xia Jienan had a good impression of Sean but that didn’t mean he would completely drop his guard around him.
On the contrary, precisely because he understood how twisted this world was, he worried even more about what might happen to Sean.
He knew Sean’s past, knew how much danger this thin, quiet yet stubbornly resilient young man had endured. He didn’t want Sean to end up descending into madness, down a path from which there was no return.
Allowing Ye Yuzhi to pull him along for a while, Xia Jienan followed him as they turned into a small building.
Ye Yuzhi stopped at the door, knocked three times, paused and then knocked once more.
The door opened from inside, revealing a young girl with dust smudged cheeks and bright, alert eyes. She immediately broke into a smile the moment she saw Ye Yuzhi but when her gaze shifted to Xia Jienan standing behind him, her face drained of color.
“Brother Sean…” the girl whispered timidly.
But Ye Yuzhi didn’t seem to notice her fear at all. He stepped aside slightly, gesturing for Xia Jienan to enter.
Xia Jienan couldn’t help laughing wryly. He took off the black robe he wore and tossed it aside before crouching in front of the girl. “I’m not a bad person. This is just a disguise, like a detective sneaking into the enemy’s base.”
The little girl stared at him blankly. She was still frightened but she seemed willing to trust Ye Yuzhi and because of that, she slowly moved aside and opened the door wider.
This looked to be a storage room, the inside dimly lit. Xia Jienan could roughly make out seven or eight people crowded together, several of them carrying injuries.
He said to Ye Yuzhi, “This place still isn’t very safe. How about we bring them to the church?”
At the mention of the word “church,” the emptiness in Ye Yuzhi’s eyes suddenly trembled, a hint of pain flickering through them. “…I don’t want to go back.”
Xia Jienan had his guesses. He acted as if he hadn’t heard Ye Yuzhi’s refusal and went on, “Sister Alide is there. She might be able to help treat some of their injuries.”
Ye Yuzhi froze slightly, his gaze regaining a trace of clarity. “Alide?”
“Mm. The nun.” Xia Jienan nodded. “She looks fairly old. You might have met her when you were young.”
“I’ve met her…” Ye Yuzhi murmured and suddenly he turned to run straight toward the church.
Xia Jienan reacted quickly, grabbing him before he could bolt off. Amused and helpless, he said, “Don’t rush. Wait for me. We still need to bring these people with us.”
At his words, Ye Yuzhi stood there uncertainly, looking at him with a kind of anxious, desperate reliance, like he had found a lifeline.
Xia Jienan couldn’t help sighing inwardly at that expression. He hurried to gather the rest of the people and told them to follow him to the church.
Perhaps because all these people were believers, the moment they heard they were going to the church, not a single one protested.
Supporting each other, they walked as a group. Xia Jienan held onto Ye Yuzhi with one hand, preventing him from rushing ahead and getting into danger, while keeping watch for any enemy who might attack them along the way.
Fortunately, Ye Yuzhi behaved himself for most of the journey and they were lucky enough not to run into anyone else.
Once they reached the entrance to the church’s cellar, Ye Yuzhi immediately pulled away from Xia Jienan and jumped straight down. Xia Jienan saw him stumble slightly but suffer no injury and the young man ran straight inside.
It seemed that whatever he had witnessed earlier inside the church had truly caused some misunderstanding and Xia Jienan wasn’t sure whether Sean’s abnormal behavior was because of that.
After sending the others down into the cellar, he put the black robe back on and went out again to search the town for anyone still alive.
He had already known that Guerrero was a small town and not many people lived here to begin with. Excluding the ones who shared Anthony’s faith, very few remained and now that he was searching alone and some people refused to leave their homes, those who ultimately made it to the church were pitifully few.
When he saw that the sky was nearly dark, Xia Jienan made one last sweep before returning to the church.
He entered the cellar and when he found Alide, Ye Yuzhi was lying on a straw mat beside her, fast asleep.
Noticing that Xia Jienan’s gaze kept drifting toward Ye Yuzhi, Alide smiled softly and whispered, “The child is exhausted.”
She repeated in a low sigh, “He shouldn’t have come back.”
He truly shouldn’t have but this was likely something he couldn’t control.
Thinking this, Xia Jienan gently asked, “May I ask… Do you know what happened here?”
Alide fell silent for a moment before letting out a long breath. “Perhaps I angered Anthony.”
She glanced over at Ye Yuzhi and continued, “But this child told me that he already killed Anthony. So there should be no need to remain so tense. Once the snow stops, leave as soon as you can. I’ll speak to the police station myself.”
But Xia Jienan didn’t share her optimism. When he rechecked the area, the corpses he had previously seen had seemingly been removed by someone. The people he’d knocked unconscious earlier that morning were also missing. The only fortunate thing was that the ones above their heads still remained.
The best choice, honestly, would have been to strike first and take everyone out but Xia Jienan didn’t want to lose the sanity points tied to his current identity just yet. He still needed to use it several more times; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered bringing people along to farm experience in the first place.
After a moment of thought, he briefly explained the matter of the missing bodies, then added, “I don’t think this is the time to relax. Anthony was alone, yes but there’s still an organization behind him. Until we confirm the ritual has been destroyed, we can’t let down our guard.”
Alide froze for a second, then sighed. “It seems I’ve been too idealistic.”
Perhaps their conversation disturbed Ye Yuzhi, because the young man groggily opened his eyes. Sitting up, he looked toward them and asked, “Samuel is back?”
Xia Jienan stepped over and crouched beside him. “How do you feel? Any better?”
Ye Yuzhi hesitated for a moment before nodding. Truthfully, when he realized Alide was still alive, he had indeed felt something akin to redemption.
Perhaps it was the influence of his identity and background, he thought vaguely, failing to notice anything amiss.
Even though that morning he had been unable to accept what happened with Anthony, by afternoon he had already taken for granted the act of “hunting” others.
His sanity so low, he didn’t realize he had completely begun seeing himself as Sean.
“How is it outside?” Ye Yuzhi asked.
“It’s not looking good right now,” Xia Jienan replied. “I want to get you out of Guerrero. Can you leave the same way you sent the other two out earlier?”
Ye Yuzhi shook his head. Standing up, he said, “I can’t leave yet.”
Xia Jienan rose with him. “What do you want to do? Tell me, I might be able to help.”
For a brief moment, Ye Yuzhi wanted to confess. It wasn’t something unspeakable, he simply wanted to summon his god but when the words reached his tongue, he swallowed them back.
He shook his head. “You can’t help and besides, it’s dangerous here. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
What could he possibly not tell him? Xia Jienan felt equal parts exasperated, amused and heartache toward this “NPC” who refused to properly issue a quest.
What had Sean gone through after leaving this place as a child? He retained kindness yet never lost his sharpness. Even now, at a time like this, he still wouldn’t ask for help, still insisted on bearing everything alone.
With misunderstandings about Ye Yuzhi growing deeper, Xia Jienan looked at him quietly for a moment before asking, “Do you want to sit upstairs for a while? We can keep watch in case something happens.”
Ye Yuzhi wavered, then nodded.
The two of them went up into the church. After closing all the passages, they sat on a pew and looked out at the blurred snowfall through the stained glass windows.
Suddenly, Xia Jienan spoke. “Even though we haven’t known each other long, I already consider us friends.”
Ye Yuzhi blinked, glanced at him, then lowered his head. “…Friends are good.”
“Do you think of me as a friend too?”
“…Mm.” They were supposed to be teammates anyway, weren’t they?
“I believe that friends should help each other. What about you?”
“I think so too.”
Xia Jienan leaned back, bracing a hand behind him and turned his head toward Ye Yuzhi. “I’d like to ask you for a favor.”
“Please go ahead.” Ye Yuzhi immediately straightened, taking the request very seriously.
“I want to destroy Anthony’s manor,” Xia Jienan said. “It’s very important to me and I’m willing to help you with anything in return and because destroying the manor itself is dangerous, you can tell me if you have something dangerous you need to do too. It goes both ways.”
Ye Yuzhi opened his mouth, wanting to say something but Xia Jienan cut him off. “If you plan to help me unconditionally, then don’t. I don’t want to owe you.”
Ye Yuzhi remained silent for a long time. Finally, just as Xia Jienan was about to fall asleep, he whispered, “Sorry.”
His voice was very soft. Xia Jienan heard it but pretended he hadn’t.
Outside, the wind seemed fierce, though the falling snow landed silently on the ground. Xia Jienan sighed inwardly, after a day of constant tension, exhaustion washed over him all at once. He stopped thinking and leaned to the side, drifting into sleep.
When he woke the next day, the snow had already stopped. The cold air drifting in from the stained glass window jolted him fully awake.
Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was Ye Yuzhi standing beside the open stained glass window.
He stood there quietly, motionless, like a figure painted onto a canvas.
Xia Jienan instinctively wanted to get up and walk over to him but the moment he moved, he realized something was wrong.
His hands and feet were all tied. He hadn’t noticed it while sleeping but the moment he tried to move, the restraint tightened sharply.
Xia Jienan frowned slightly and tried to struggle free. The “person in the painting” seemed to hear the sound and turned to look at him.
Ye Yuzhi smiled faintly yet the smile Xia Jienan had once praised now carried an unsettling strangeness. “I’m sorry. I can’t let you take that risk.”
“So… I did something. I hope you won’t mind.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Nycreth
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The coffee spirits are watching. 👁️☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Guerrero’s Lair (1)Chapter 2 · Guerrero’s Lair (2)Chapter 3 · Guerrero’s Lair (3)Chapter 4 · Guerrero’s Lair (4)Chapter 5 · Guerrero’s Lair (5)Chapter 6 · Guerrero’s Lair (6)Chapter 7 · Guerrero’s Lair (7)Chapter 8 · Guerrero’s Lair (8)Chapter 9 · Guerrero’s Lair (9)Chapter 10 · Guerrero’s Lair (10)Chapter 11 · Guerrero’s Lair (11)Chapter 12 · Guerrero’s Lair (12)Chapter 13 · Guerrero’s Lair (13)Chapter 14 · Guerrero’s Lair (14)Chapter 15 · Guerrero’s Lair (15)Chapter 16 · Guerrero’s Lair (16)Chapter 17 · Guerrero’s Lair (17)Chapter 18 · Guerrero’s Lair (18)Chapter 19 · Guerrero’s Lair (19)Chapter 20 · Guerrero’s Lair (20)Chapter 21 · Guerrero’s Lair (21)Chapter 22 · Guerrero’s Lair (22)Chapter 23 · Interlude (1)Chapter 24 · The interlude (2)Chapter 25 · The interlude (3)Chapter 26 Part 1 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 26 Part 2 · Calling in the Wind (1)Chapter 27 · Calling in the Wind (2)Chapter 28 · Calling in the Wind (3)Chapter 29 · Calling in the Wind (4)Chapter 30 · Calling in the Wind (5)Chapter 31 · Calling in the Wind (6)Chapter 32 · Calling in the Wind (7)Chapter 33 · Calling in the Wind (8)Chapter 34 · Calling in the Wind (9)Chapter 35 · Calling in the Wind (10)Chapter 36 · Interlude (4)Chapter 37 · Interlude (5)Chapter 38 · Interlude (6)Chapter 39 · Interlude (7)Chapter 40 · Interlude (8)Chapter 41 · Interlude (9)Chapter 42 · Welcome to Doville (1)Chapter 43 · Welcome to Doville (2)Chapter 44 · Welcome to Doville (3)Chapter 45 · Welcome to Doville (4)Chapter 46 · Welcome to Doville (5)Chapter 47 · Welcome to Doville (6)Chapter 48 · Welcome to Doville (7)Chapter 49 · Welcome to Doville (8)Chapter 50 · Welcome to Doville (9)Chapter 51 · Welcome to Doville (10)Chapter 52 · Welcome to Doville (11)Chapter 53 · Welcome to Doville (12)Chapter 54 · Interlude (10)Chapter 55 · Interlude (11)Chapter 56 · Interlude (12)Chapter 57 · Interlude (13)Chapter 58 · Interlude (14)Chapter 59 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (1)Chapter 60 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (2)Chapter 61 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (3)Chapter 62 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (4)Chapter 63 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (5)Chapter 64 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (6)Chapter 65 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (7)Chapter 66 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (8)Chapter 67 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (9)Chapter 68 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (10)Chapter 69 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (11)Chapter 70 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (12)Chapter 71 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (13)Chapter 72 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (14)Chapter 73 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (15)Chapter 74 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (16)Chapter 75 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (17)Chapter 76 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (18)Chapter 77 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (19)Chapter 78 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (20)Chapter 79 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (21)Chapter 80 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (22)Chapter 81 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (23)Chapter 82 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (24)Chapter 83 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (25)Chapter 84 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (26)Chapter 85 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (27)Chapter 86 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (28)Chapter 87 · The Tunnel in the Dark Night (29)Chapter 88 · Tunnel in the Dark Night (30)Chapter 89 · Interlude (15)Chapter 90 · Interlude (16)Chapter 91 · Interlude (17)Chapter 92 · The Promise of Hamelin (1)Chapter 93 · The Promise of Hamelin (2)Chapter 94 · The Promise of Hamelin (3)Chapter 95 · The Promise of Hamelin (4)Chapter 96 · The Promise of Hamelin (5)Chapter 97 · The Promise of Hamelin (6)Chapter 98 · The Promise of Hamelin (7)Chapter 99 · The Promise of Hamelin (8)Chapter 100 · The Promise of Hamelin (9)Chapter 101 · The Promise of Hamelin (10)Chapter 102 · The Promise of Hamelin (11)Chapter 103 · The Promise of Hamelin (12)Chapter 104 · The Promise of Hamelin (13)Chapter 105 · The Promise of Hamelin (14)Chapter 106 · The Promise of Hamelin (15)Chapter 107 · The Promise of Hamelin (16)Chapter 109 · The Promise of Hamelin (18)Chapter 110 · The Promise of Hamelin (19)