Don't follow the rules

Chapter 567 The Church of the Cross (Part 30)

The headquarters of the Rules Oversight Association gradually shrank behind us, the sky shrouded in a dim, indistinct light, making it impossible to discern the time.

Chunyu Kong walked with steady yet hurried steps, without saying a word, rushing ahead with his head down, while Ning Yao followed leisurely behind, swinging the tactical gloves he had just acquired and humming an off-key tune.

"Brother Kong, where are we going next? Let's find a place to release Grandpa Geng?" Seeing that Chunyu Kong had almost walked two miles, Ning Yao quickly ran a few steps to catch up and asked with his arm around Chunyu Kong's shoulder.

Distracted like this, Chunyu Kong finally calmed down from the afterglow of the battle. He suddenly slowed down and glanced at the big, fat shadow that swayed like jelly at Ning Yao's feet.

"Geng Xun hasn't exited his demonic form yet, and his condition is unstable. He's not ready to be released back into the wild for the time being. Let's leave him here until he recovers. By the way, how long can you control him like this?"

"I don't know, it doesn't seem to be too difficult." Ning Yao felt it.

Chunyu Kong nodded and continued, "Then let's leave it at that for now. Also, although we seem to have made it easy, we've only gained a very short buffer period. That Minister Guo will definitely not let it go easily. We slapped him in the face, and he's probably yelling at the guards right now..."

He didn't finish his sentence, seemingly thinking that Minister Guo was probably in a complete mess right now, and although he was furious, he probably wouldn't be able to sort things out in a short time to cause trouble for them. However, the trouble that followed was a foregone conclusion.

The two were at a crossroads when they hesitated about which way to go.

Ning Yao: "Since things have come to this, let's eat first."

Chunyu Kong: "What do you want to eat?"

Ning Yao took a deep breath, about to recite a long list of dishes, when he heard a sharp, stinging sound in his ear. It was an urgent message from Number One.

"Xu Sui is in trouble! I'm following him. Sensing my location, come quickly!"

Number One's voice seemed to be interfered with; even though it was using divine sense communication, it sounded somewhat noisy.

"What's wrong?" Chunyu Kong noticed that Ning Yao's expression was strange.

Ning Yao looked up: "Xu Sui is in trouble. Number One is following him and asking for our support."

"Walk."
-
The sky was overcast, and the streetlights had not yet been turned on. There were hardly any pedestrians on the street, except for two elementary school students in school uniforms walking through the alleys.

For Number One, subduing Xu Sui would be a piece of cake, but he simply followed at a distance, not stopping Xu Sui from staggering toward the "clue" thrown out by the enemy.

Xu Sui's eyes had lost their former sparkle, revealing a faint sense of dejection and despair. With each step, his feet carried a heavy feeling of being forcibly driven, and the soles of his shoes rubbed against the cold, hard cement road, making a rhythmic dragging sound.

However, Xu Sui was not completely shielded of his self-awareness at this time. Unlike an empty doll without any thoughts, he could still judge the actual situation of walking on his own. He could even occasionally take a shortcut. Even in streets he had never been to before, he could make brief predictions and inferences about the road conditions like a normal person.

After informing Ning Yao and the others, Number One devoted more of his energy to observing Xu Sui's actions. Number One seemed very interested in this new type of "control technique".

The pedestrian crossing light turned red, and Xu Sui obediently stopped and stood on the side of the street to wait, glancing at both sides of the road from time to time, even though the road was empty and there were no vehicles at the moment.

Number One moved closer, deliberately exposing himself, and no longer sought any cover, keeping a distance of only four or five steps from Xu Sui.

Xu Sui didn't turn around, but obediently waited for the green light to come on, observing the road conditions as he crossed the street. Number One quickened his pace, overtook Xu Sui from behind, and reached the other side of the street before him, then stopped and looked back at Xu Sui.

Xu Sui continued to walk at his own pace, slightly turning his body to avoid bumping into Number One, who suddenly stopped in front of him.

Then, tilting his head, he smiled at Number One.

The zombie, Number One, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

This Xu Sui, who was being "controlled," actually recognized himself!
Was it the controller behind the scenes who instructed Xu Sui to smile at him? So arrogant? Or is it that Xu Sui still retains most of his consciousness, but his body is uncontrollably rushing towards a certain destination?
But how can someone laugh if they clearly realize that their body is out of control?

"Xu Sui!" Number One couldn't help but call out.

Xu Sui paused for a moment, but didn't stop. He simply greeted Ning Yi as he walked away.

Xu Sui rarely called him by his full name, Yihao. His friends always called him "Yihao" as a matter of habit. "Ning Yi" appeared more often on the cover of his workbooks.

Number One pretended not to know and struck up a conversation: "Where are you going after school?"

Xu Sui: "Want to go to church together?"

"Worship?" Number One was taken aback. "I didn't know you were religious. When did this happen? Did the Bodhisattva appear to you this afternoon?"

Xu Sui: "We can go take a look together."

Number One: "Where to?"

Xu Sui: "Of course, you go to church to worship."

"A church?" Number One already had a bad feeling.

Xu Sui stopped and pointed ahead.

Under the oppressive weight of the chaotic and restless cumulonimbus clouds, a Gothic cathedral, pure white as jade and with a soaring spire, suddenly appeared before the two of them.

"This is……"

“The Cross Church.” Xu Sui’s tone was calm, like the calm before a storm.

Number One chuckled dryly: "Haha, speaking of which, isn't it a bit inconvenient since we're both underage? My parents are coming to pick me up from school, so how about we..."
-
"Why is the connection down again?" Ning Yao patted his ear.

"What's going on?" Chunyu Kong asked.

"Number One left a strong signal at the entrance of the Cross Church and then lost contact," Ning Yao said. "Didn't the association send anyone to surround the church? Did they just let Du Jingxiu take the two children away like that? I don't think this association is any good."

Chunyu Kong said helplessly, "...Don't jump to conclusions of guilt when you don't know anything about it."

"Don't convict anyone? The association or Du Jingxiu?" Ning Yao asked.

"Both."

“Wandering aimlessly.” Ning Yao pouted.

"However, neither the association nor Du Jingxiu are good people."

Ning Yao exploded: "Hey!"

Chunyu Kong smiled almost imperceptibly, then quickly composed himself: "Now, the main course is about to begin. Are you ready?"

Ning Yao: "A proper meal? Where should we eat?"

“We’ve been delayed outside for far too long. Du Jingxiu must have gotten impatient, so he brought out Xu Sui and Number One to urge us on the process and push forward the progress.” Chunyu Kong squinted at the pure white church that had appeared out of nowhere.

"It's time to explore this Cross Church."

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