American Zombie Detective

Chapter 177 The Living Dead

As dawn broke, Qin Jin led Yuanxiao through the grove of crosses toward the monastery gate.

Just as I reached the weathered door, it creaked open from the inside.

Two nuns dressed in black habit and wearing white headscarves came out carrying wooden buckets, seemingly preparing to fetch water from nearby.

The first of the older nuns looked up and happened to see Qin Jin standing at the door.

Her face was ashen and bloodless. Most horrifyingly, a large chunk of the left side of her head, above her temple, appeared to have been smashed or gnawed by some heavy object, and the grayish-white brain tissue inside was clearly visible.

However, when she spoke, her tone was unusually gentle and natural, even carrying a hint of the nun's characteristic kindness: "Fellow believer, is there anything I can help you with?"

Her eyes, which looked no different from those of an ordinary person, stared at Qin Jin with a puzzled expression, seemingly completely unaware of her terrifying appearance.

The younger nun next to her also turned her head.

Her condition was equally dire; a huge laceration ran down the middle of her neck, as if a piece had been gnawed off by a wild beast, revealing the cross-section of her trachea and her stark white mouth. Even her voice was slurred: "Do you need—hiss—help, fellow believer?"

Qin Jin could clearly sense that the two nuns did not possess any living aura, nor did they have the "human aura" mentioned in the East or the "dead aura" of the West.

Their state was like that of a corpse that had just died, yet remained on earth unaware of its own demise.

For this situation, normal communication is a good idea.

Qin Jin immediately responded to the nun's question: "Two nuns, I'm lost. I've been wandering around for a long time, and I'm tired and hungry, so I came to ask if you could give me something to eat and let me rest for a bit? I'll leave once I've recovered."

The older nun's face showed compassion: "The Lord said to help those in distress. We are all brothers and sisters in this world, and since you are in trouble, we should help you." She paused, then said apologetically, "However, this is a nunnery, full of sisters serving God, and it is really inconvenient to allow male guests in. Please understand."

She turned to the side and pointed to one side of the monastery's outer wall: "But don't worry, we've built a few wooden huts next to it, specifically for brothers and sisters who need temporary shelter. They're simple, but they'll provide shelter from the wind and rain."

She took the key off her neck and handed it to the young nun: "Mary, take this parishioner to rest, and then go to the kitchen and get him some bread and water."

The young nun named Mary nodded obediently, the horrific wound on her neck opening and closing slightly with each nod: "Yes, Sister Rachel."

She picked up the bucket and gave Qin Jin a smile—if you ignored the gruesome wound, the smile could even be described as sweet: "Sir, please come with me."

She led Qin Jin along the tall, gloomy outer wall of the monastery.

The stone path underfoot was swept clean, and on both sides, there were even some carefully tended plants that also had a strange dark green color.

As Mary walked, she curiously observed Qin Jin's Eastern face and asked in a lively tone, "Sir, you look... a little different from the people here? You're not from here, are you?"

""

"I come from the East, a very far place," Qin Jin replied calmly.

"The East!" Mary's voice held a hint of longing. "I've heard the Dean talk about it; it's said to be a vast and magical land. I wonder when the Lord's Gospel will be fully spread there. Maybe we'll have the chance to go there and spread our faith someday."

As she spoke, she seemed a little embarrassed by her idea and lowered her head slightly.

Qin Jin smiled but didn't reply; he simply followed silently.

After walking a short distance, we indeed saw a wooden hut built against the outer wall of the monastery.

The log cabin looks quite sturdy, made of large logs, and the roof is covered with logs and straw. Although it is old, it does not look rotten at all, but rather looks like it is regularly maintained.

Opening the wooden door reveals a spacious hall furnished with rough but sturdy wooden tables and benches.

There are several small rooms on the side of the hall, all with their doors closed. The most eye-catching feature is a half-open wooden door on the innermost side of the hall, right next to the monastery's stone wall. It is clearly a door that opens directly into the monastery wall, connecting the inside and outside.

"Sir, please sit here and rest for a while," Mary said, gesturing to the bench. "I'll go to the kitchen and get you something to eat. Please don't come with me!"

She pointed to the door leading into the monastery and said seriously, "That's the rule; outsiders can't just go in. Have something to eat and rest well. I'll tell you how to get out of this forest later."

"Yes, thank you very much, Sister Mary."

Qin Jin readily agreed and sat down on a bench, placing the glutinous rice balls at his feet.

Yuanxiao seemed uneasy about the atmosphere here, and whimpered softly, but was soothed by Qin Jin's gentle stroking.

Mary smiled at him, then walked to the door leading to the monastery, pushed it open, and went inside.

The moment the door opened and closed, Qin Jin's gaze quickly swept over the scene behind it.

It was a stone corridor, dimly lit, but you could see several other figures dressed in the same nun's habit walking in the distance.

He could see the nuns; some had bluish-purple faces as if they had suffocated to death, some had huge lacerations on their bodies, and some were even missing half of their bodies. But they were all moving around normally, wiping the walls or talking in hushed tones, as if it were just an ordinary daily routine.

The entire environment was exceptionally clean, even spotless, creating a chilling contrast with the horrific state of the inhabitants' deaths.

All of this maintains the appearance of a living world; the only anomaly is the people living here themselves.

They seemed trapped at the moment of death, yet continued their duties and habits from their previous lives, creating an eerie space that was both incredibly real and incredibly terrifying.

After a while, the door was pushed open again.

Mary came in carrying a wooden tray with black bread, a small plate of boiled beans, and a glass of water on it.

Behind her followed another nun, who was even older.

The nun's expression was more serious, with deep nasolabial folds and a pale complexion. A dagger was stuck in her chest, and as she moved, streams of unidentified liquid flowed down her nun's robes.

"Fellow believer," Mary put down her food and introduced, "this is our deacon, Sister Helen. She heard you're from out of town and would like to have a chat with you."

The head steward, Helen, sat down opposite Qin Jin, her hands folded on the table, her posture meticulous, although the hilt of the sword in her chest made the movement look somewhat awkward.

"May the Lord bless you, lost sheep."

She spoke, her voice hoarse, as if her vocal cords were affected: "No one has come to our monastery in a long time! We heard there's a war outside, the church hasn't sent anyone, and we dare not go out. Could you tell us what's going on outside? Is the war still going on?"

Qin Jin's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. He carefully chose his words, following her lead: "Yes. The situation outside is still not peaceful. The war is ongoing, and there is chaos in many places. The Church must have been greatly affected as a result."

Helen then inquired about certain aspects of the Austro-Hungarian Empire—

This confirmed Qin Jin's understanding of the timeframe of their memories: although Romania itself was an independent country, Transylvania belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was not incorporated into Romanian territory until after World War I, around 1920.

Qin Jin began chatting with her based on the history of World War I. Mother Helen listened very attentively, nodding from time to time. Clearly, what Qin Jin said matched the world she remembered perfectly.

After a pleasant conversation, Helen took her leave, and Mary also arranged a bed for Qin Jin before leaving, but before leaving, she reminded him again not to enter the monastery.

The wooden house was suddenly left with only Qin Jin and Yuanxiao at his feet.

Qin Jin then fed the bread and beans to Yuanxiao, while he pondered the situation he had encountered.

It seemed the situation at the monastery wasn't complicated; they could just storm in. His only worry was the location of the Blood of Jesus's hiding place. If it was too well-hidden, they might not be able to find it.

Therefore, the violent exploration method was ruled out, and Qin Jin needed to find a better way, such as having Alessa go?

suddenly!

Ah 1

'

A scream came from the direction of the monastery gate!