Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ning Chan stood on tiptoe and ruffled Kane's hair. "Shh, it's okay, nothing to fear. Don't be scared, everything will be fine."

So his earlier bravery was all an act—he was still just a kid after all.

Given how tall the bed was, Kane, now pressed against Ning Chan's chest, had a strange look on his face, wondering whether those words were merely meant to comfort him or carried some deeper meaning.

Kane's small hands, which had been clutching his own clothes, now reached out and clung to Ning Chan. He sobbed out his fear, "It was so dark down there, and there were big bad wolves. I was so scared they'd eat me."

"Then why did you come after me? Do we even know each other that well?" Luckily, it was him Kane had run into tonight. If he'd run into those devils, who knew what might have happened?

Kane thought that if the hand pressing his head down weren’t so firm, Ning Chan’s cold, distant words might've been more convincing.

"Aren’t we friends? You even gave me a gift!" Kane widened his teary eyes, wide like a kitten's, in shock as he stared at Ning Chan.

Ning Chan thought of the two grasshoppers he’d casually woven to amuse the child. His throat went dry, leaving him at a loss for how to explain—was this really all it took?

Naïve kid. That barely counts as a gift! Since when are we friends?

But for now, Kane was young and didn’t understand. When he grew up, he’d see how childish this was.

"Yeah, yeah, we’re friends. Thanks for coming to find me." Unable to bear the disappointment in the child’s eyes, Ning Chan could only nod in agreement.

"Heehee, you’re so brave! You weren't even scared down there! By the way, what were you doing there? Exploring? Did you see the big bad wolves?" Kane hugged Ning Chan tightly before pulling back, his eyes full of questions.

Seeing Kane distracted by other things and no longer crying, Ning Chan let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Children in the late stages of the apocalypse didn't get babied—even if they got hurt, they’d cry a little and get over it.

A "normal" child like Kane, bawling his eyes out—he wouldn’t have known what to do.

"Yeah, I was exploring. I saw the big bad wolves, that's why I said we had to get out fast." Feeling Kane tremble, Ning Chan patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t be scared. We'll make sure those wolves are gone."

Kane’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he subtly studied the person before him. By the way he said it, Ning Chan had gone there on purpose—did he really have a way to deal with them?

Even he didn’t have full confidence and could only rely on sneaky tricks. What would Ning Chan do instead?

Kane had felt around—Chantulika wasn’t carrying a knife or poisonous herbs. Empty-handed, what could he do without any weapons?

"Really?"

"Mhm. Go to sleep—aren’t you tired after all this excitement?" He hadn’t dealt with those people tonight, but he wouldn’t let them off in the days to come.

Kane, who had wanted to fish for more details, decided to drop it for now. There’d be plenty of time later to find out.

Seeing Kane nod obediently at his suggestion, swiftly changing into pajamas and lying down, Ning Chan couldn’t help but think to himself, *Such a sweet kid.*

With so much happening tonight, Ning Chan was still mulling over his plans as he drifted off to sleep.

Yet, the next morning, he woke to news that soured his mood—the group of believers who had been staying here had left at dawn.

Ning Chan frowned. This was troublesome. With them scattered, where was he supposed to find them now?

His gaze swept over the few bishops nearby—perhaps they would know.

So, who should he start with first?

Soon, Ning Chan no longer needed to dwell on the matter, as someone stepped right on his landmine and provoked him.

"Chantulika, why didn’t we see Brother Dongmi and Brother Jie An today?" Little Kane knew the reason, but he wanted to hear how this person would respond.

Heaven knew how shocked he was when he passed the "sealed zone" earlier and saw the desolation there.

The thorny bushes and weeds taller than a person had turned into that state overnight.

Those damn bastards claimed it was struck by lightning, but in his previous life, nothing like this had ever happened.

But if this was related to the person in front of him, how did he do it? Was this even humanly possible?

Watching Chantulika’s expression, torn between worry and anger, Kane curled his lips slightly, feeling as if this wretched world had become just a tiny bit more interesting.

"They might be sick, just like I was a few days ago. But I believe they’ll recover—God will bless them."

Mimicking Chantulika’s manner, Kane put on a show of praying, his heart filled with mockery and cold laughter.

There was no God in this world. Even if there were, they wouldn’t spare an ounce of mercy. They would only rot and die in this hellish existence.

Look, soon a "devil" would appear before them.

Kane Xiao’s eyes locked onto the doorway, where a figure carrying a large bag had appeared out of nowhere.

"Archbishop Mitched, you’re back. Was the journey hard?" Harry noticed the newcomer and hurried over, offering to carry his things, but the man dodged his hand.

Mitched Chuse gave Harry a gentle smile. "No, it wasn’t too bad. Father Nocha took good care of me on the way. Are you still conducting the sacrament? Don’t delay dispensing blessings for the congregation on my account. I’ll just cleanse myself and rest for a bit."

"By the way, where’s Kane Xiao? There’s something I need to tell him."

Harry awkwardly withdrew his rejected hand and scanned the room before pointing toward the figure by the grand piano. "He’s right there. Should I call him over for you?"

Mitched shook his head. "No need, I’ll go myself. Thank you."

"Kane Xiao, come here for a moment. Remember the letter about your family’s situation? There’s something we need to discuss—see if you’re willing." Mitched walked over to Kane Xiao and patted his head with his free hand, like a kindly elder.

Kane battled down his revulsion and nodded meekly, as if struck by grief.

Beside them, Ning Chan’s eyebrow gave an involuntary twitch. This Archbishop’s malice was off the charts, making him deeply uncomfortable.

Not being a mental-affinity type, Ning Chan’s use of mental energy was limited—either channeling his superpower or sensing others’ goodwill or hostility toward him.

The latter was more like an innate sense. If the other person wasn’t paying attention to him, he couldn’t gauge their intentions.

Right now, though Mitched’s focus was mostly on Kane, the occasional glances he threw Ning Chan’s way were dripping with malice.

Ning Chan couldn’t help but curse inwardly—was this guy another disgusting creep?

What a den of monsters, all rotten to the core. Might as well make him the first target.

"Archbishop Mitched, can I go with Kane?" Ning Chan tugged at Mitched’s sleeve with enough force to yank his hand off Kane’s head.

Mitched turned to Ning Chan. This child must be a new face—he hadn’t seen him before.

That milky-white little face was so pretty. Imagine what he’d look like in a few more years.

"Little one, what’s your name? And why do you want to accompany Little Kane?" Mitched’s gnarled hand naturally moved to pat Ning Chan’s head, the fluffy curls making it so he couldn’t keep his hands off.

The moment his head was touched, Ning Chan's expression froze. If it weren't for Kane holding his hand, he would have burned this old man to ashes right then and there.

Kane, who had been keeping an eye on him, noticed something was off and immediately hugged Ning Chan with exaggerated gratitude. "Thank you, my friend. I've cried enough these past few days and won't be sad anymore."

Because of Kane's sudden embrace, Ning Chan took two steps back, just dodging Archbishop Mitched’s reaching hand. "Archbishop Mitched, his name is Chantulika Ning. He's a friend I made here. He's really amazing—he can craft little animals from grass."

When Kane spoke of Ning Chan, his face was full of pride, as if these skills were his own.

"Oh, so it's Little Chantulika! You seem like a fine young man. Don't worry, Little Kane and I just need to chat for a bit. Why don't you wait outside the door? You'll see your friend again very soon."

Seeing this, Ning Chan had no choice but to agree. He would wait outside and listen to what they were saying. If anything sounded off, he'd rush in and kill this old pervert!

To those unfamiliar with Ning Chan, he seemed gentle and polite. But someone who had long fought on the frontlines, stepping over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, couldn’t possibly be anything less than volatile.

Before, he had been listless, unwilling to care about anything. Now, he was a walking volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.

Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, Ning Chan heard every word of the conversation inside clearly.

The old creep was telling Kane that he couldn’t go home anymore and asking what he planned to do—whether he wanted to stay as a Prospective Holy Child, with the potential to become Holy Lord someday.

Even if he didn’t pass the probationary period, he could still become a saint or a godfather, eventually rising to bishop or even archbishop—endless opportunities.

The old lecher then said he was tired and ended the conversation, telling Kane to think it over and rest. He’d come back in the evening for an answer, and if Kane could help knead his shoulders or legs then, maybe the probationary period wouldn’t even be necessary.

Knead his shoulders? He’d pummel him to death!

Ning Chan heard Kane agree before turning to leave.

Kane pushed open the door and met Ning Chan’s concerned gaze, managed a strained smile.

His heartache was plain to see, even to someone as oblivious as Ning Chan.

Ning Chan scrutinized Kane’s clothes—they looked the same as when he’d gone in. At least the old pervert hadn't touched him inappropriately.

"Are you okay? What did Archbishop Mitched say to you?"

"W-well—it’s just that I might have to stay here forever now. I can’t go home." Kane looked at Ning Chan with teary eyes before collapsing into his arms and sobbing.

Though Ning Chan didn’t know what had happened to Kane’s family, he still comforted him with gentle pats on the back.

Poor kid. It’ll be okay.

"Did he say anything else?" Ning Chan’s fists clenched at the thought of the old man’s last words.

"What?" Kane, who hadn’t been prompted for details, hesitated before reluctantly added the rest.

"Can I take your place? I’ve never met an archbishop before. I’d be delighted to massage his shoulders—can I?"