Chương 83: Mischief
"...Since we have been sent here and the number of patients correspond, there must be something we can do. I mean, didn't the nun mention it? There were doctors before who were able to treat the patients. Although there weren't many, it wasn't none."
After You Huo and Qin Jiu left, the other examinees didn't remain idle.
They tried to get more information from the patients or find clues hidden in the church.
Gao Qi and Zhao Jiatong became the leaders of this group.
"These patients have already become like this. I don't think the so-called treatment is what it means in a literal sense." Gao Qi looked carefully at the carvings at the base of the stone pillar and said: "Search everywhere. If you find anything share it with everyone."
Zhao Jiatong added: "First, find things related to the patients. Afterall, they are the key to the current problem. Although they themselves are already...….."
She wanted to say "neither a human nor a ghost" but because she felt a little bad for them, she changed her words: "they no longer remember, there should be traces left behind. It might possibly be a clue."
"That makes sense."
"Come on, let's split up and search."
The examinees voiced their agreements and scattered across the church.
What surprised Gao Qi and Zhao Jiatong was that some examinees they were unfamiliar with came over and asked: "What about those two? Are you really going to let them go out like this? Won't something happen?"
Humans are always like this. In a dangerous setting, they are more inclined to hide out where it's safer. With the church figured out, it was much safer than the town outside.
From what they could see, although those two are very powerful, it was still dangerous going outside.
Gao Qi internally thought: With the first-generation invigilator leader and the second-generation invigilator leader working together, what could they be afraid of?
But he still remained humble and reassured: "Those two are fine. They know what to do. If they encounter any problems, they will come back for help."
After the examinees left, Zhao Jiatong suddenly sighed.
Gao Qi: "What's wrong?"
"Just felt it's quite unexpected?"
"What's unexpected?"
"The exams over the past two years have become more and more tricky, and more and more unreasonable." Zhao Jiatong said: "A lot of times, it's clearly just trying to trap people in here. This kind of environment generally makes examinees develop in a negative direction. I thought they would be more cold, indifferent.....and more animalistic."
Selfishness was very natural.
In order to live, some would hold malicious intentions.
She didn't expect that the examinees she encountered would be willing to work together, share information and even worry about a companion they had met for the first time.
Gao Qi thought about it: "It might be because we haven't reached that stage yet. At least in this exam we haven't reached that point yet."
"That's true."
Gao Qi touched the stone pillar and said after a while: "With you saying that, I suddenly understand why A has been always acting out."
Zhao Jiatong stopped: "Why?"
"I just feel that although he is very proud, his personality isn't one that would want to attract attention. It might be because he may have some madness hidden inside but it shouldn't be to this extent."
Zhao Jiatong nodded: "Yeah, to be honest, I was quite surprised too. I almost thought it was because of 001's influence."
Gao Qi: "Maybe he's doing this to make the exam seem less intimidating? Almost to the point that it's childish; like a joke? To let the other examinees realise that it's still far from the need to give up on humanity and kill one another."
Zhao Jiatong mulled over this thoughtfully.
Gao Qi stopped for a moment and then said with a complicated expression: "So when 001 was a defiant examinee, he was probably also thinking this?"
If that was the case, he could understand why the two of them are able to get along so well.
Suddenly, Zhou Qi's voice travelled over: "Brother Qi, Sister Tong, please take a look."
They looked over.
She and Yang Shu were squatting beside a bed that had fallen onto its side.
Yang Shu pointed under the bed: "Blood writing."
Everyone heard this and gathered. Under the bed was crooked writing written in blood.
One could imagine that at some point in time a patient had hidden under the bed and, while their consciousness was still clear, written with their bloody, mutilated fingers——
The nun and Duke are devils, madmen! They're causing harm...
...…
***
The back door of the church led out to an overgrown garden. On both sides was a promenade and once you pass through that there was a small hut with a pointed roof.
You Huo and Qin Jiu looked around as they walked through but found no trace of the nun or patient no. 26. The door of the small hut with the pointed room however was slightly ajar.
The two looked at each other and quietly entered the room sideways.
The hut looked like it probably had not been used in a long time. Thick dust was gathered everywhere.
The mirror, candles, tables and chairs were all covered in spider webs. There was a musty smell in the air.
Qin Jiu swept away the dust in front of him and looked around the room while covering his nose.
You Huo had a look of disgust. He coughed a few times.
He used the tip of his finger to pull open drawers and open boxes. After rummaging around, an old book caught his attention.
The books in the room were either placed on the bookshelves or stored in wooden boxes. Only that book sat on the hearth of the fireplace. From its uneven corners, it was clear that it had been ripped.
He opened the book and read a few pages.
"What did you find?" Qin Jiu came over and asked in a low voice.
"A witchdoctor's book." You Huo pointed at the faded name at the bottom of the title page: "The priests'. Stained with blood and missing pages."
Coincidentally, the missing pages appeared to be witchcraft about resurrection.
The book mentioned that it is a very dangerous witchcraft. For resurrection, there was a horrible price that needed to be paid.
The contents came to an abrupt end after this. The dozen or so pages after that had been destroyed. There were both tearing and burn marks.
This made it all the more clear—–
Ever since they came here, they had not seen the priest around. He was probably dead or among the 26 patients.
.....Perhaps he was the one that went missing.
The only person in charge here was the nun but there were no signs of her living here in the church.
She either lived somewhere else in the town, or she wasn't a normal person.
Suddenly, wailing broke the silence in the hut.
The voice was muffled and dull....
Qin Jiu listened to it for a moment and pointed at the floor. He whispered: "Down here."
That voice came from somewhere underground. It was probably a basement.
They found a trapdoor under the desk. In order for it not to get in the way, they took off their formal coat and left it next to the bed —— The only place that had no spiderwebs.
Although silk shirts and tall boots weren't appropriate for fighting, it wasn't something that would hinder them too much.
Under the trapdoor was a long set of stone steps. It was both dark and wet.
At the end of those steps was a narrow tunnel.
Wind from who knows where caused the fire on the stone walls to shake.
They could vaguely hear a woman's hoarse whisper as they walked through the narrow tunnel. Sometimes it was close, sometimes it was far. It gave it a very haunted feeling.
The tunnel was filled with bones.
Rumour has it that there are such tunnels under some old European castles where the bodies of the dead were piled up.
You Huo frowned. He gestured something to Qin Jiu and went deeper in as he followed the voice.
Deep inside, there were several rooms. Iron fences surrounded each of them. It was probably an underground dungeon.
The first room was covered with mouldy grass. Several animals laid paralysed on the grass. Their chests rose and fell so they were still alive but they were also not far from dying.
You Huo looked around and mouthed to Qin Jiu: "Two pigs, four goats, and a snake."
Qin Jiu: "Keeping pets underground. That's a pretty unique interest."
You Huo: "....The taste is more unique."
He held his breath with a taut expression.
The nuns voice was just ahead. It travelled past the rough underground dungeon stone wall.
She lowered her voice and said hoarsely: "Just five left. Just five sacrifices left. Why are you always trying to escape?"
The other voice was sobbing. It trembled as it sobbed.
"Look. The other patients are being good. Only you're like this. Do you know what you are like right now?" The nun said quietly.
The sobbing stopped. It spoke while trembling: "Know…..I know. It was written in the book. I remember it. Using this witchcraft requires you to pay a huge price. You all passed that onto us....I probably, I probably...…no longer look like a human."
"You actually remember that. I'm a little surprised." The nun giggled: "But it's not that you no longer look like a human. You can't be called a human anymore. Do you know what you look like when the sun outside hits you? When it's on your hand, your hands are bones. When it's on your face, your face is all bone. If you go outside and stand under the sun, imagine how many townspeople will be scared?"
"This should've been yours." That voice whimpered, "You and that Dukes. You two deserve this curse."
The nun said: "Yeah, it's all thanks to kind-hearted people like you that we can avoid this kind of pain. How about this...."
There was a sound of rustling. It sounded like a large dress moving across the stone ground.
"I'll set you free in advance so that you won't run around anymore. Your mental power is unexpectedly strong, it's surprising. Not bad...that's not bad. Why haven't I noticed this before?" The nun said: "That's good. I've grown tired of using this woman's identity. I want to change back into a man."
"No. Don't light the candles.....Please, don't light them." The wailing person begged incoherently: "You can't. I'm already rotten. Rotten. No flesh or blood left. It's useless to change."
The nun said: "Looks like you didn't read the book you stole carefully enough. It's the curse that's making you look like a skeleton under the sun. I'll find a body for you, so you won't have to rot so badly. How good is that? You lend me your body; I'll transfer the curse to the nun, and she can return to the sickbed in your place. How does that sound?"
"No.....no! You'll cut me. Cut me to pieces. I saw the Duke do this!"
"I won't. I promise." The nun persuaded. It even sounded a little tempting: "The Duke just used the wrong method at the beginning causing him to change his body piece by piece. But that's also because he's too picky. When he finds a body that both perfect and strong, I think....he probably won't make it so ugly anymore."
That missing "patient" was still crying. He repeatedly begged "No, please", but the nun ignored him.
You Huo and Qin Jiu sneaked over. They quietly leaned against the wall and glanced in.
In the dungeon, the nun with her hair scattered was laying candles in a circle around a bloodied man.
The flames on the candles suddenly leapt and turned crimson red. It was strange and terrifying.
The nun's finger stroked the top of the bloodied man's head. She then bent down, closed her eyes and whispered a few words.
The moment the candle flames began to tremble wildly, You Huo bend his finger at Qin Jiu and made a gesture.
Kidnap?
Together.
***
While the two gentlemen are sweeping through the dungeon without a care in the world, a tall, thin figure slipped through the church door and entered the dusty small hut.
It was none other than Douglas, the Duke's head butler.
With his old, wrinkled face, he lightly coughed a few times before his eyes fell onto the coats next to the bed.
"Ah...got them" Douglas whispered: "Not wearing their formal clothes. This is a small mistake that will make the Master unhappy."
But it seems that the two gentlemen had strayed into the dungeon.
If the witchdoctor had taken them first, that would be a pity…..
Haa, pitiful people.
Douglas muttered this internally.
He found the trapdoor with familiarity and followed the stone steps down into the dungeon hoping to get the two gentlemen back before the witchdoctor could do anything.
Douglass heard some noises as he walked through the tunnel. He subconsciously quickened his pace.
He thought he would see something like this: The two gentlemen tied up and, on their knees, trembling pitifully and begging for mercy. The witchdoctor who wore the nun's skin would stand among the candles with his hand on their heads laughing while waiting for the other party to give up their body.
It wasn't until he reached the iron fence and took the scene in that he almost couldn't breathe.
The candles were there.
The people were all there too.
But the position was reversed…..
The one kneeling in the circle was the witchdoctor and the ones holding him down were the two gentlemen.
In the corner nearby was a bloodied patient. It was the priest.
And next to the witchdoctor in the ring of candles, laid a pig.
Of the two gentlemen, one held the witchdoctor down with one knee and the other held the witchdoctor's hand and pressed it on the pig's head.
The witchdoctor was about to go crazy.
Douglas was also about to go crazy.
What was frightening was that the moment those two gentlemen heard sounds from his end, they both looked over.
One of them tilted his head and smiled: "What a coincidence, another one is here."
The other said: "Then I'll go catch another one."
Catch another what?
The butler didn't want to know....
He only came here to lure the other party into making a small mistake. He didn't want to drag himself into this.
No way!
KK has something to say:
It's hard being a villain nowadays...
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