Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As Ning Chan approached Maifeipu's room, he deliberately slowed his steps, listening carefully for any unusual sounds inside. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.

He pressed his lips together and pushed open the door to Maifeipu's room—still empty.

Instead of feeling relieved, a bad feeling crept over Ning Chan, and his nerves only grew more tense. He had a sense of foreboding.

He squinted slightly as he took in the neatly folded blankets on the bed.

Outside the window, the night was inky black, with only a sliver of pale moonlight breaking through the gaps in the dark clouds.

An icy wind gusted, making the shadows of the surrounding trees appear even more jagged and menacing.

Any normal kid would've been scared stiff by the eerie atmosphere, but Ning Chan felt no fear—only just sweaty palms over the possible fate of those two boys.

He stepped out of the room and into the dark-as-coal hallway, his green eyes glimmering faintly.

With his exceptional mental strength, Ning Chan could navigate even with his eyes closed.

But right now, he had no idea where to search.

If his Superpower had reached the seventh level, he could have communicated directly with plants. But at his pathetic level three, he could only analyze their properties—no help here.

Since the quick method wasn’t an option, he had no choice but to search thoroughly.

With everyone asleep and no distractions, he listened carefully in every corner, hoping to pick up some clues.

Ning Chan went back to confirm once more that Dongmi and the others weren’t in their rooms, then began searching every inch of the church for any unusual locations.

Yet, no matter where he looked, he found no trace of them.

What puzzled Ning Chan even more was that, aside from those three, the moneyed "believer" tenants who rented rooms here were also missing from their quarters.

They couldn't be pulling an all-nighter singing hymns... Suddenly, a thought flashed through Ning Chan’s mind, catching his breath.

There was one place he hadn’t checked—the reportedly abandoned altar of the undead!

He had considered it before, but the path leading there was completely choked with brambles and weeds, showing no sign anyone had been through. So, Ning Chan had subconsciously dismissed it.

But now, with no trace of them anywhere else, and so many people unable to just disappear without a trace, Ning Chan couldn’t think of any other place to search.

Standing before the thicket of thorns, Ning Chan took a deep breath and reached out.

Perhaps there was another path leading there, but this was the only one he knew for sure. Finding an alternate route would take too much time.

Jade-green motes of light drifted from Ning Chan’s fingertips, dancing like fireflies as they clung to the dead grass. After absorbing enough energy, they returned to his body.

Compared to the sparse Superpower elements in the air, the wood energy stored within plants was way more concentrated. The catch was that this method would cause the plants to wither completely.

His low level and cracked core crystal made it impossible for Ning Chan to fine-tune his powers.

Normally, he avoided using this method—not only because he couldn't stand killing plants, but also because the energy spike it created was too noticeable.

However, the benefits were evident. After absorbing all that energy, Ning Chan's Wood-Elemental Superpower became significantly more abundant, circulating throughout his body and pushing his physical state to new heights.

Ning Chan walked through the dense thicket of thorns, emerging without a scratch, his clothes untouched.

In contrast, the wild grass and thorns fared much worse.

Sapped of all life force by Ning Chan, they crumbled into powder at the slightest touch.

As for the two century-old trees in the middle, they met the same end, their branches snapping and falling like they had been struck by lightning.

When Ning Chan finally reached the vicinity of the altar, he detected faint stirrings.

He circled around slightly before finding the entrance. As he navigated the winding tunnel and glimpsed the scene in the underground hall, his mind went blank with shock.

Two armored figures stood guard at the entrance, swords in hand, while the brightly lit hall laid bare humanity's vilest depravity.

On the rune-carved stone platform lay a person whose condition was unknown—stripped bare, bearing wounds no child should ever bear.

All of this confirmed Ning Chan’s earlier fears, though he wished he had been wrong.

Compared to the pitiful state of the person on the platform, the others in the hall seemed to be celebrating some macabre feast. Cloaked in black robes and wearing exquisite masks, they pointed and laughed at the figure on the platform.

Here, the so-called benevolent Lord Bishop brought not salvation, but torment and suffering. They chuckled as they lifted a skeletal ram’s head, chanting made-up dark incantations to ring in this devil's carnival.

Watching them carry on so nonchalantly, Ning Chan could only think of one phrase: *"Hell is empty, and all the devils are here."*

It was then that Ning Chan realized something—the Middle Ages had indeed harbored these vile rites as the Black Mass.

What he was witnessing wasn’t unique to this place, nor was it a recent phenomenon. Instead, it had lurked in the shadows throughout history, festering like worms in carrion.

Thinking of the children who had suffered under such cruelty, Ning Chan’s carefree demeanor shattered utterly.

If he didn’t cleanse this cesspit of corruption once and for all, he’d spell his name backwards from now on.

First, he’d start with these vile bastards!

Just as Ning Chan was about to loose a fireball into the hall, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He immediately retreated into the shadows, holding his breath, ready to let the newcomer pass before dealing with them all at once.

But when he saw who it was, a cold sweat instantly sheeted his back.

Why was Kane here? Had he come looking for him after not seeing him all evening?

Watching Kane cautiously peer around, surveying his surroundings, Ning Chan had no choice but to set aside his exorcism mission for now.

Darting out from the darkness, Ning Chan slapped a hand over Kane’s mouth and dragged him away. "This isn’t a place for you. We need to leave—now."

Kane Xiao had originally intended to confirm whether his targets were present. If they were, he planned to ignite poisonous herbs and toss them inside, gassing the whole lot. But Ning Chan’s sudden intervention nearly scared the life out of him.

The other’s movements were too swift—he hadn’t even had time to draw his concealed dagger.

Fortunately, Kane quickly realized the one restraining him wasn’t an enemy and stopped struggling. Otherwise, he would’ve used his childish looks to catch the other off guard and retaliate before fleeing.

After letting Ning Chan "drag" him a fair distance, Kane tugged at his sleeve, signaling for them to take another path.

Ning Chan hesitated, but seeing that Kane wasn’t about to make a scene, he cautiously released his grip.

"That way’s blocked by a wall—it’s a dead end." Ning Chan had already checked that route when he first entered.

"There’s a way," Kane said tersely, taking the lead, keeping his stunned expression hidden.

In his previous life, that guy named Chantulika Ning never made it through that high fever. That day, he had gone out early and hadn't noticed anything wrong with him. By the time he returned in the evening, the man was already burning up with fever and died within two days.

With his own rebirth staring him in the face, Kane Xiao couldn't help but suspect that this person might also have some supernatural experience.

After all, Kane Xiao felt that based on Chantulika's behavior in the previous life, there was no way he could have been this calm and quick-witted.

Moreover, during these past few days of interaction, the other party gave him a very strange feeling.

Clearly still a child, yet there was always a tired, lifeless vibe about him.

Perhaps others just thought the child was a little shy and quiet in the new environment.

But Kane Xiao remembered the look in his eyes during their private interactions—there was even something affectionate in it, something no ordinary child would have.

And then there was today's incident. Kane Xiao swore that Chantulika Ning's body must have been possessed by another soul. He just didn't know what the other's origins were.

Still unaware that his disguise had been partially uncovered in just a few days, Ning Chan would have been completely baffled if he heard Kane's analysis. He thought he had been doing a great job at pretending.

Usually solitary and rarely in prolonged contact with others, Boss Ning could only score a barely passing grade when it came to hiding his feelings.

Thanks to his strong mental powers, Ning Chan could discern the other's goodwill or malice but couldn't clearly judge their exact thoughts.

However, in the apocalypse, the strong ruled. With Ning Chan's abilities, others were too busy trying to read him to need him to care about what they thought.

In this regard, Kane Xiao and Ning Chan were like polar opposites. He was used to reading others' expressions and hiding his own thoughts deeply.

Even now, having run into Ning Chan, he wasn't about to spill his guts.

Kane gave the wall two quick presses, and a section of it rotated, opening up two passageways. He pulled Ning Chan into the left one.

Following behind Kane, Ning Chan stared at the child in front of him, growing worried.

He had originally wanted to take Kane away from this place to keep him from seeing the bloodshed of his actions. But now, this scene made him wonder why Kane knew about the secret passages here.

Could it be that Kane Xiao had also been brought to this godforsaken place before, which was why he was so familiar with it?

"How did you end up here, and how do you know about this place?" Ning Chan's voice quivered slightly. If Kane gave him a definitive answer, he might not hesitate now and would double back to take care of those guys.

That earlier delay might have let them scatter.

But things had already reached this point. Perhaps he would have to find another opportunity to deal with those guys later.

Kane Xiao huffed, lowering his head as if focusing on the path ahead. "I got up to use the bathroom and saw you weren't in bed. I waited for a long time, but you didn't come back.

Brother Romiler said that children who don't sleep at night get taken to a secret base and given to the big bad wolf. I was afraid you'd be eaten by the wolf, so I came here to look for you.

Grandpa Josie showed me the blueprints of this church. I know the way to every place. The secret base is nothing special."

Hearing the hint of pride in Kane Xiao's tone, Ning Chan finally relaxed. It was good that at least one fewer child had suffered.

Besides, he had always known this kid was cold on the outside but warm-hearted—a good kid.

Even though their relationship hadn't grown much closer these past few days, he had worried about him being eaten by the big bad wolf and even came looking for him in the middle of the night. Wasn't he scared at all?

By the time they returned to their room through the secret passage and sat on their respective beds, ready to bid each other goodnight, Ning Chan noticed something glistening on Kane's face.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Ning Chan leaned closer to Kane, watching as he bit his lip hard, tears streaming down. He felt utterly at a loss.

What should he do? He didn't know how to comfort people!

Kane Xiao, seeing the concern in Ning Chan's eyes, trembled slightly, his small hands clutching his clothes tightly, his voice still shaky with tears. "I... I was scared."