Forbidden Nightmare

Chapter 120 Pope, Angel

As the team gradually went deeper into Moonlight Town, the surrounding environment became more and more eerie. The originally dilapidated streets were now even more desolate, and there was a smell of decay all around, as if even the air had become sticky.

Occasionally a cold breeze blew by, bringing with it the growling sounds of zombies in the distance, making people's hair stand on end involuntarily.

Finally, among the ruins, a magnificent and ancient Gothic cathedral came into view.

It stands at the highest point of the town, like a lonely lighthouse, trying to guide the lost. However, the cathedral has lost its former solemnity and sacredness, replaced by an indescribable gloomy atmosphere.

The cathedral's exterior is covered in cracks and has even collapsed in places, exposing the mottled walls inside.

Several stained glass windows were broken into pieces, and through the broken gaps one could see that the interior of the church was completely dark, as if some terrifying creature was lurking inside.

The church door was half open and creaking, as if welcoming the uninvited guests.

The closer they got to the cathedral, the stronger the zombies they encountered. Not only were they larger in size, but they were also more agile. Some of them even possessed simple intelligence and were able to coordinate attacks.

If there were only two or three trackers clearing Moonlight Town, they would have been drowned in the pile of corpses and wiped out.

However, the strength of more than a dozen trackers working together should not be underestimated. In addition, with the command of the powerful leader Li Nanke, they were able to travel safely along the way without any substantial casualties.

Standing in front of the church gate and looking at the dark doorway, Li Nanke felt an extremely strong sense of crisis.

He did not rush in, but turned around and said seriously to the group of pursuers:

"Everyone, since we have accepted the commission, we must eliminate all living things in the church and learn the secrets hidden in the church."

"If anyone wants to quit, please step up now and don't let them down at the critical moment."

Along the way, the cooperation between the dozen or so pursuers gradually became tacit, and the strength of their combat formation became stronger and stronger.

Although the zombies are powerful, they cannot pose much threat to the trackers.

After Li Nanke said this, none of the trackers backed off, and some even felt that Hei Tu was exaggerating and making a big deal out of nothing.

"Okay, since everyone is so confident, I'll be frank with you."

"After entering the church, if anyone retreats in fear, abandons his companions and disrupts the battle formation without authorization, I, Black Rabbit, will kill him immediately!"

He swept his cold gaze over everyone, and placed extra emphasis on the word 'killed'.

The goat stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Boss Black Rabbit. If we can't even clear the church area, how can we face the Puppet King? We might as well escape by boat as soon as possible."

"Yes, if there is someone who deserts the battlefield and destroys the battle formation without caring about the lives of his companions, you don't need to take action, I will be the first one to kill him." Gray Donkey echoed, carrying a serrated machete.

Li Nanke knew that although the trackers showed initial cohesion, the team would most likely fall apart if they encountered a strong enough enemy.

If you want them to fight to the last moment without regard for their own safety, you must use an iron fist.

"Everything follows my command!"

He pushed open the church door and led a group of pursuers inside.

As Li Nanke pushed open the church door, an even stronger stench of decay hit him in the face.

The interior of the church was extremely dark, with only a few faint rays of light coming in from the broken windows, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling was shaking, making a slight sound, and on the surrounding walls, the ancient portraits were mottled and old, stained with a green liquid that looked like spurting blood.

Various broken syringes were scattered on the central aisle, and on both sides were not benches, but rather crooked isolation beds.

It seemed that a fierce battle had taken place here. There was an indescribable sense of oppression in the air, as if something was spying on everyone in the dark.

The pursuers held their weapons tightly and maintained their battle formation, ready for battle.

The crowd passed through one hall after another, but did not encounter any zombies until they arrived at the last hall.

A strange and huge statue stands in the main altar. The statue is in the shape of a man wearing a hooded robe and with an obscure face. There is a huge feather wing on the right side of his back.

This is the 'star' god worshipped by believers.

However, in addition to the statue, there is an even more bizarre and terrifying existence here.

In the shadow of the statue, a giant spider moved slowly.

Its fat abdomen is wrapped with pieces of emerald green crystals, and its eight sturdy legs covered with barbed bristles drag on the ground. Its huge fangs and venom glands are located on its head.

The most horrifying thing was that between the head and abdomen of this giant spider, there was actually the upper body of a zombie. It was a human wearing a gorgeous robe and a crown, holding a scepter inlaid with azure crystal in his hand.

"That man is the Pope!" White Bear pointed at the human upper body of the spider and shouted. Even though he had turned into a zombie, the Pope still maintained his attire when he was alive, which looked particularly strange.

The Pope's attention was also attracted by the arrival of the trackers, and he let out a crazy roar.

The giant spider began to move quickly, its eight thick legs quickly sliding across the ground as it pounced towards the pursuers.

Li Nanke immediately ordered the pursuers:
"Keep in formation and prepare for battle!"

Before the monster came close, a rain of bullets and a curtain of fire sprayed out, but this powerful attack against ordinary zombies could not stop the giant spider.

A fishy wind blew in my face and a huge shadow was cast.

Faced with such terrifying power, the buffalo and the lion gritted their teeth, cast aside their fear, and quickly charged forward, but the polar bear, who was supposed to charge forward as well, hesitated.

The formation of the three front-row pursuers was disrupted, causing the second-tier pursuers to slow down.

"White Bear! Do you want to die?"

Li Nanke shouted angrily, and immediately rushed forward in a flash.

With a loud bang, the huge buffalo flew backwards, and the lion who was fighting the monster with him had blood at the corner of his mouth and was knocked back several steps.

The enemy's strength was so powerful that it was far beyond everyone's expectations. He repelled the two front-row pursuers in just one encounter.

Li Nanke strode forward, and his heavy hammer clashed with his infantrymen!
With a loud bang, he felt a sharp pain in the palm of his hand, as if he had been hit by a speeding heavy truck.

Even with his powerful strength, he couldn't help feeling a tightness in his chest.

"The enemy is so powerful, there must be a hidden node here!"

The white bear was awakened as if from a dream by his loud shout, and quickly raised his weapon and stepped forward to fight the enemy together.

The battle formation was deployed, and the second echelon of pursuers followed closely behind.

Gray Donkey jumped up and chopped the giant spider's abdomen with the serrated machete in his hand, but only a dull sound was heard, and the spider's abdomen just shook slightly, without suffering any substantial damage.

"Boss, this guy is too strong!" Gray Donkey shouted.

The giant spider swung its huge fangs, and a stream of green venom spurted out from its venom glands, heading straight for the cunning rabbit on the side.

The cunning rabbit was agile and dodged with a leap. With a hissing sound, the venom corroded the ground like sulfuric acid, leaving a big hole. Colorful mist rose up, and even the slightest breath made people dizzy.

"Be careful of the venom! Attack the enemy's upper body." Li Nanke commanded.

The trackers quickly dispersed to avoid becoming targets of the giant spider.

Pinocchio and the porcupine's long-range firepower continued to bombard the giant spider, but the effect was very limited. The reindeer's arrows had great penetrating power, but every time they attacked the Pope's human body, they could not penetrate the green crystals on his body.

The pursuers kept jumping high and attacking the Pope's human body, hitting the crystal with clanging sounds and causing cracks to appear on it, but they could not break the crystal's defense.

Suddenly, a shrill scream was heard.

The goat was standing there in a daze, the spider's sharp legs having pierced most of his chest, blood gushing out like a fountain, it was obvious that he was doomed.

The first death loss among the tracker group cast a shadow on everyone's heart. Many of them were terrified and wanted to retreat and run away.

The enemy is too powerful!
"I will kill anyone who retreats!" Li Nanke's cold voice resounded throughout the room, "We can't retreat, otherwise everyone will die here!"

His murderous gaze made the pursuers tremble in their hearts, and they had no doubt that Black Rabbit would execute anyone who deserted the battlefield.

The more critical the moment, the more we need to work together. Only by working together can we defeat this monster.

The trackers could only grit their teeth and continue fighting the giant spider.

Li Nanke dodged and retreated, commanding the second echelon of pursuers to move forward to resist. Taking this opportunity, he took a deep breath, and his right hand was wrapped in a rough and fierce metal glove, and his hands tightly grasped the war hammer, igniting a blazing fire.

He stomped his feet hard, causing the church floor to shake and crack, and used the force to leap high into the air.

The bloody war hammer in his hand suddenly turned into a giant weapon, like the sledgehammer of a fire giant.

In the sky-high flames, the self-element crystal on the back of the 'Alchemical Star-shattering Gloves' burst into brilliant light, and snow-white air waves gushed out from the wrist of the gloves.

The hot steam generates extremely powerful thrust, making the power of this "Flame Waterfall" even more ferocious!

"Boom!"

A violent shock wave swept through the entire venue, and the deafening roar made people's heads buzz, their vision went black, and they could not stand steadily.

The cracked emerald green crystal armor was completely shattered. This powerful blow not only smashed the emerald green crystal on the surface of the zombie, but also blasted the Pope's human body into a ball of meat paste!
The giant spider let out a shrill roar, and its eight legs trampled and stabbed madly, spewing venom continuously.

The destruction of that half zombie body did not kill the giant spider immediately, but even made it even more crazy!
A sting.

The already injured buffalo was unable to dodge and was sprayed with venom. Before he could even scream, white smoke came out of his body and he melted like wax.

With a series of muffled sounds of "puff", the rooster blocked the attack of one leg, but was nailed to the ground by the other leg. It was trampled madly by the spider, and its body was covered with bloody holes.

"Spread out and hide! This is its final counterattack!"

Li Nanke shouted loudly, and everyone quickly scattered and retreated away from the giant spider.

The death of the pursuer again made everyone heartbroken and they scattered away from the enemy without any command.

The giant spider trampled madly on the spot, and the rooster's body was trampled beyond recognition. It threw the rooster's body away and turned to chase after the scattered pursuers.

But after just a few steps, the giant spider's pace slowed down, obviously because it was exhausted after suffering a severe blow and launching a crazy counterattack.

Li Nanke ordered his men to attack again. Everyone saw that the giant spider was tired, so they raised their weapons and joined him in besieging the enemy.

Soon, the giant spider fell down with a loud bang, and a large amount of source energy poured into its body.

He stood there, frowning.

Because the strong sense of crisis in my heart still exists and has not subsided with the death of the enemy.

He looked at the giant spider that was completely dead and realized that there might be other powerful enemies hiding in the church.

The trackers entered Moonlight Town and experienced many battles with zombies without any casualties. But now three trackers died in one battle, which made the atmosphere among everyone extremely depressing.

"The difficulty of this hidden node is a bit too high. I haven't even triggered the node yet, but the enemy I encountered is so powerful..."

Li Nanke made up his mind and directly injected the source energy into the second-level animal essence "Pain".

[Subject: pain]

[Level: Level 0 → Level 1 (21%)]

As the pain increased, a piercing pain swept through the whole body.

This kind of pain is different from ordinary physical pain. It seems to come from the depths of the soul and is almost unbearable.

Li Nanke did not use the 'God's Thorn' to block the pain, because he knew that this extremely intense pain came from extraordinary power and could enhance physical strength in all aspects.

He groaned, his face turned pale, he clenched his fists tightly, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to stay calm, trying to adjust to this weird, intense pain.

As the pain is gradually accepted by the body, a wonderful feeling of comfort and pleasure spreads throughout the body, so comfortable that it almost makes people moan.

Li Nanke felt that his body had undergone subtle changes. The old scars left on his body in previous years were gradually fading away, and some small injuries and hidden wounds that were usually imperceptible were also recovering rapidly.

The super recovery brought by "Pain" not only heals minor physical injuries, but also rapidly improves his physical strength, comprehensively enhancing his body's strength, agility, endurance, etc.

The second-level main substance brings even stronger physical strengthening. Even if it is only upgraded to one level, the body is filled with violent and surging power.

"Honey, are you okay?"

Cunning Rabbit walked over holding a tattered ancient book, indicating that it was found on the base of the statue.

Li Nanke shook his head to show that he was fine, took the book and took a look. It was a book called "Star Chronicles".

He raised his eyebrows and immediately flipped through the book to check.

The pages of the book are damaged, and the recorded text is intermittent and mostly blurred. Although the remaining fragments can still be barely recognized, they are extremely obscure and difficult to understand.

【In the beginning, He was a wish.】

【He must be a wish.】

【This is the only paradise that perishable human beings can possess. 】

【…】

【A star that was curious about humans pretended to be a human, and eventually became a real human.】

[Humans saw His glory and called Him an angel. Although His form was similar to that of humans, His essence was different.]

【…】

【Immortal substance; ever-living metallic breath, this is why humans expect angels.】

【Angels are happy to share eternal life with humans, but not everyone can be blessed. 】

【…】

【The gift of angels is beyond human endurance.】

[Many people died full of hope, while the rest died full of anger. ]

[In the end, people destroyed their own hopes, and the angels became torn gods...]

The wish of the ephemeral human, the star that becomes a human, the breath of metal that lives forever, the unbearable immortality shared by the angels, the torn God...

Li Nanke chewed over the words in the book carefully, and a series of guesses came to his mind.

While I was deep in thought, the synchronization prompt tone suddenly sounded.

[Nightmare, you have triggered a hidden node! ]

[Hidden Node: Find the alchemist's notes hidden in the cathedral area and learn the secrets of the angels.]

"Sure enough, the so-called angel is the hidden node!"

Li Nanke was delighted when he finally discovered the hidden node.

However, the so-called eternal life in the book gave him a bad feeling.

"I hope this hidden node will reward a non-animalistic main quality or trait."

After reaching the maximum level of Flame Falls, the second-level human trait brought him a lot of balance, but this was not enough for him to raise 'Pain' to the maximum level without being affected.

The interior of the cathedral is vast, with many halls and rooms along the way, and it took quite a bit of effort to find a hidden notebook.

The trackers gathered themselves together, hastily buried their companion's body, and split up into groups of three to search. Before they found the note, the trackers discovered something in the courtyard behind the church.

In the courtyard, the sunlight casts mottled shadows, and the strange big tree in the center is particularly eye-catching.

Its trunk and branches are the same as those of ordinary trees, but its leaves are golden yellow, like shining gold coins. A few fruits are hanging among the lush branches and leaves, which are also golden and look very valuable.

"Gold coin fruit!"

These fruits are the precious raw materials for making special panaceas.

(End of this chapter)