Chapter 101

For a young Yang Caisi, Jiang Liu’s radiant presence painted her childhood in a kaleidoscope of colors. As she grew older, that admiration and longing gradually transformed into a desire for possession and deep affection. She had once felt fortunate to have met Jiang Liu so early, believing she had a lifetime to spend with her. To that end, she had even suppressed her heavy emotions, maintaining the facade of sisterly affection in their daily lives.

But no one could have predicted that Jiang Liu would be the first to leave.

Yang Caisi gently closed her eyes, her mind replaying the accidental car crash. Her breathing inevitably quickened. Jiang Liu reached out and patted the back of her hand, a soothing gesture that slowly calmed Yang Caisi’s turbulent thoughts.

She didn’t mention her many thoughts, glossing over the experiences of those years and instead speaking of the end. “Later, I heard about the Lost Way Game through various channels and guessed you might have a connection to this place.”

A few simple sentences had summarized the better part of her life, and an inexplicable sadness welled up in Jiang Liu’s heart.

“Was what Qiao Ke said true?” she suddenly asked, recalling his excuse and the decision she had once made.

Yang Caisi shook her head. “He was lying to you.”

But as for the specific details of the situation and how they could leave the game, Yang Caisi remained silent, an attitude somewhat reminiscent of when they first met. Jiang Liu looked at her and quickly came to a conclusion.

She probably can’t say it out loud.

She couldn’t help but lower her gaze and stopped asking, changing the subject instead. “Are you hungry?”

Yang Caisi smiled faintly and shook her head. “I had some snacks in the afternoon, so I’m not that hungry yet.”

After speaking, as if remembering something, she hastily got up, intending to light a lamp. “I’ve prepared food in the kitchen. It should still be warm.”

Jiang Liu reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her from lighting the lamp. She half-embraced her and lay back down. “I’m still a bit sleepy. Can you stay with me a little longer?”

Yang Caisi couldn’t win against her and had no choice but to lie down again.

The room was pitch black, silent except for the sound of their intertwined breathing. A moment later, Jiang Liu got up from the bed and lit the wall lamp, looking down at Yang Caisi, who had already fallen into a deep sleep. A bit of powder remained in her palm—it was a special medicine Zhao Ziming had exchanged for from The System, capable of knocking someone unconscious with just a whiff.

Jiang Liu clapped her hands, clearing away the white powder, then took one last deep look at Yang Caisi before leaving the room.

The time was nine o’clock at night. Most of the town’s residents were already asleep, and not a single person could be seen on the streets. There was no need for lights outside; the moonlight reflected off the snow-covered ground, illuminating the nearby roads clearly. Jiang Liu walked in front with her hands in her pockets, full of energy after a good rest, her steps quick.

Zhao Ziming followed behind her silently, occasionally glancing up at Jiang Liu. He wanted to ask who the drug was ultimately used on, but thinking about Yang Caisi’s absence tonight, a bad feeling crept into his heart. He wanted to ask but didn’t dare, so he could only lower his head and walk behind.

Jiang Liu’s objective was clear—to grab two people and check out the situation at the church. Since the patients liked to run around when their symptoms flared up, she wanted to see where they were ultimately trying to go.

They split into two groups. Tang Rui and Jiang He went to the home of the young man named Joseph, while she and Zhao Ziming went to the clinic.

If their guess was correct, then perhaps every resident had a corresponding patient. Triggering a prayer required two people to be present, yet almost everyone who prayed went alone. Something they didn’t know must have happened to create a new person.

The clinic’s main door was always open, and the foul stench that hit them still made them pinch their noses. From here, they could see Qiya lying on the innermost bed, sleeping so soundly that she was completely unaware of Jiang Liu’s group’s presence.

“Sister, there are so many people here. Where can we find that Joseph?” Zhao Ziming leaned against a few beds and glanced around, realizing that apart from numbers, there were no names on them at all.

Jiang Liu walked at the very front, heading straight for the back without hesitation.

“Do you remember the Town Mayor’s Notes? Joseph was mentioned when he first started noticing something was wrong with the church.”

Her voice was low to avoid waking Qiya, but in the quiet night, it was heard clearly.

Zhao Ziming immediately nodded. “Oh, right. That means if Joseph exists, he must be one of the early patients.”

Jiang Liu grunted in agreement and picked up the list from the table, examining it carefully. The symptoms of the first ninety-odd people belonged to the same period, and the records for them were relatively detailed, including some special notes. Her gaze moved down the pages, finally stopping on a line of small text.

“Number forty-five. On the day of admission, his right hand was festering and weak, with a persistent high fever and delirious speech.”

The two exchanged a look and quickly found the bed marked with the number forty-five. Lying on it was a gaunt middle-aged man whose face looked like it was just skin stretched over bone, the contours of his skeleton clearly visible. Zhao Ziming was startled by the sight; seeing it so suddenly in the dark, he looked no different from a living skeleton. Someone with less courage would have fainted on the spot.

The patient’s skin was a pale, bluish-white, and his hair was just a short stubble with a few white strands mixed in. The connection between his right arm and wrist was like a broken machine, hanging limply by the bedside. From a distance, he looked like a corpse.

Jiang Liu reached out to check his temperature, then forcefully shook him awake before stepping aside. Qiya seemed to have given him a sedative injection in the evening, but its effect on the early patients was minimal. Jiang Liu woke him with very little effort.

The effects of the drug hadn’t completely worn off. ‘Joseph’ opened his eyes in a drunken daze, first looking around sluggishly. Then, as if he had just remembered his mission, he leaped off the bed like a monkey. His movements were too fast; from waking to getting off the bed took less than a minute, and he was already rushing out in a panic, heading straight for the main door.

From behind, his steps were wobbly, as if he couldn’t even walk in a straight line, yet his speed was incredibly fast. Jiang Liu pulled Zhao Ziming along, and the two of them chased after him.

The cold outside made Zhao Ziming shiver, but ‘Joseph’ seemed oblivious to the chill. He charged forward without a moment’s pause and quickly turned into a small alley. “Keep up,” Jiang Liu shouted to Zhao Ziming behind her, quickening her pace. She followed the patient through a series of twists and turns, crossing three streets before finally spotting the church.

The church door was ajar, and the faint light of candles flickered from within. Hearing their movements outside, Jiang He poked his head out to look, only to be scared into a shiver by ‘Joseph’ desperately squeezing his way in.

“Crap, what the hell is this thing?” he yelled, about to close the door. In his panic, he didn’t even recognize it was a patient and instinctively kicked the man away. With his obstruction, Jiang Liu successfully caught up, tying the man up securely with a rope from behind. Only then did she raise her hand and knock on the door. “It’s us.”

Her voice carried through the wooden door, startling Jiang He. He cautiously opened the door to see Jiang Liu standing there, holding a trussed-up figure, a hint of exasperation in her eyes.

Jiang He scratched his head sheepishly, trying to defend himself. “Even if he’s a patient, he can’t look like that, right?”

Seeing something like that pop out in the middle of the night, he had thought it was a zombie.

Jiang Liu was almost amused to the point of anger. She turned her head to see Zhao Ziming had also caught up and then asked, “Did you get the person?”

Jiang He patted his chest. “Of course, he’s right here.”

He led Jiang Liu forward. The young Joseph was stuffed in a burlap sack and thrown by the Holy Wall, with only his head exposed, clearly still unconscious. Tang Rui was sitting on the ground, panting heavily. It was clear that carrying a person for so long had been exhausting.

Jiang Liu reached out and pulled the sack off. She noticed that after getting close to the Holy Wall, the patient ‘Joseph’ suddenly stopped struggling. His skeleton-like head was staring intently at the writing on the wall. The madness in his bloodshot eyes was gone, as if he had suddenly regained his sanity.

“Mmmph, mmmph.” He mumbled a few words unclearly. Jiang Liu couldn’t quite make them out, so she signaled for the others to step back while she stepped forward and untied the ropes.

With the restraints finally loosened, the patient looked even more excited, almost fanatical. He crawled to the base of the Holy Wall and knelt down piously. He first kowtowed twice with a thud, then, as if sensing the unconscious Joseph’s presence, his face twisted into a grotesque expression. The corners of his mouth stretched almost to his ears, forming a wide, unnerving smile.

A cold wind seeped through the crack in the door, making Jiang Liu and the others shiver.

“Hehehe.” The patient was clearly slurring his words. He let out a couple of dazed laughs, his muffled tone adding a touch of eeriness to the dead of night. The sound echoed through the empty church, giving everyone goosebumps.

Jiang Liu had thought he would start praying like Qiya did last night, but she never expected this—

The patient ‘Joseph’ untied the ropes on his body in a few swift movements, kicked the person on the ground aside, and then, without a word, sprinted towards the second floor.

“Not good!” Jiang Liu’s heart tightened, and she rushed forward to give chase. Unexpectedly, after returning to the church, his condition had improved significantly. His movements were much more agile than during the day. Ignoring her completely, he grabbed a kitchen knife as he passed the kitchen.

Sweat beaded on Jiang Liu’s forehead. She grabbed a rock-hard piece of black bread and hurled it at the back of his head. The bread flew through the air and landed squarely on the patient’s head with a dull thud. Even in the darkness, she didn’t dare to slow down. In a few quick steps, she rushed up, snatched the kitchen knife, and subdued him, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

She looked up at the room, and her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.

—This was Yang Caisi’s room.

No matter what, is it impossible to complete the mission without getting past the nun?

A chill crept into Jiang Liu’s heart. She took a deep breath, closed the door for Yang Caisi, and her fists gradually clenched.