The world doesn't need succubi to save it.

Memories of the night?

Ning Feng, who had been listening quietly, raised an eyebrow slightly and asked:

"You mean, you no longer dream?"

"No, that's not it... What I've forgotten are my memories from when I was conscious."

Charlie shook his head, raised his eyes, and let Ning Feng see the weariness in them.

"I am in the habit of praying at night because that is when my mind is at its most peaceful during the day."

The militia captain had told Ning Feng the same thing before: the pastor was preparing for the night's prayers.

“That day was no different from any other day. I bathed and changed clothes as usual. When I started meditating and praying, I found that I was hallucinating.”

Charlie's body trembled slightly; even just recalling the feeling made him unable to stop himself from shaking.

"I felt my body being gradually drained by an invisible force, losing blood and moisture, and my body began to shrivel up."

"It was a hallucination so real that it almost made me wail and cry, but you know what?"

Charlie looked at Ning Feng, his voice filled with excitement:

"On that day, my first reaction was one of being moved... because only my Lord would do such a thing for me!"

“I believe that was divine punishment! My Lord has finally seen me again! This illusion is her retribution for the wavering in my heart!”

"She hasn't given up on me!"

Even though the other person's eyes had long since decayed, Ning Feng could still see the excitement he felt when recalling the past.

It was a kind of touching feeling of accepting divine punishment with a sense of satisfaction.

This discovery sent a chill down Ning Feng's spine.

This is faith.

This is what a fanatic is.

This is one of the creations that the gods brought to this world.

Charlie, who had been agitated by his memories, gradually calmed down, and his voice became hoarse and somber again:

"But when I woke up again, I found myself lying in bed... I had lost the memory of the time after the prayer ended."

“At first I didn’t take it seriously, thinking it was part of the punishment, and I was waiting for a divine revelation to guide me, but… I didn’t get one.”

"The Lord said nothing."

After saying this, Ning Feng felt a slight chill in his body.

This was not an illusion; the temperature in the room was indeed gradually decreasing because of the scent emanating from Charlie!

“Every day after that, I had the same dream every night, and when I woke up the next day, nothing else changed.”

"No, there have been changes, but they haven't affected me."

Charlie looked up, leaned back in his chair, and gazed absently out the window at the tranquil village.

“After that day, something seemed to change, and some strange things happened in the village.”

“There are always more torn-up carcasses of wild beasts outside the village. These are huge beasts that require many people to hunt.”

"But the bodies of those beasts were completely torn apart, as if they had been crushed, and their remains were smeared all over the road leading from the village to the farmland at the edge of the forest..."

“The villagers were terrified, fearing that even more ferocious and brutal wild animals had appeared in the vicinity, and many people kept suggesting to me that we seek help from the capital to hunt them down.”

It's no use, running is the best option.

Shaking his head inwardly, Ning Feng felt regret that the villagers hadn't left immediately after such an incident, but he also understood that it was impossible.

Relocation is impossible. The village sites of that era were determined through the efforts of several generations and are difficult to change easily.

The best solution is to have the capital send people to hunt down the possible beast, even if it comes at a high cost.

“I took their advice and sent the village’s best equestrian militiaman with a handwritten letter bearing my seal to the capital to ask for help.”

That's too late.

Ning Feng sighed slightly; he could guess the outcome without even listening any further.

In films and television shows with terrifying plots, regardless of the background or setting, none of the people who set out to deliver the message ever meet a good end.

really.

"Days passed, but the reinforcements never returned... He never came back."

"They sent people again, but they never returned."

“The villagers have changed; they have become increasingly fearful, and conflicts between them have also increased.”

Fear amplifies the darkness in people's hearts, and everyone becomes different when they are nervous.

“But I had no other choice but to step in and stop it. I’m just a pastor, and there’s not much I can do.”

"I realized things were really starting to get out of control when villagers started disappearing..."

Kakaka...

It wasn't the chains on his feet that were rattling, but rather the soft rustling sound of frost slowly forming on the table in the room.

The temperature has dropped even lower.

“I angrily questioned all the villagers, but no one told the truth… They were all blaming and complaining about others.”

"Finally, I resorted to flogging and punished all the villagers involved in the conflicts during this period, but even then, none of them came forward to admit it."

"They just looked at me with horrified eyes, like they were looking at a monster."

With a weary sigh, Charlie's emotions calmed as his memories unfolded.

"Although they were punished, I understand that nothing has been resolved."

"On that same day, I discovered bloodstains on the corner of my mouth."

!!!

Ning Feng's eyes widened slightly, but he restrained the urge to ask questions and waited for Charlie to explain.

"I started to get scared."

"What on earth happened!?"

"Did those people really encounter danger on the road? Why is there blood on the corner of my mouth?"

Fear not only consumed the villagers, but also tormented Charlie's soul.

"Finally, I made a difficult decision: I didn't pray that day."

A devout fanatic abandoned his daily, ingrained prayers in order to figure out what was happening to him and the villagers.

"That night, I waited anxiously, both expectant and fearful... but nothing happened."

His tone was filled with confusion and bewilderment. Charlie grabbed his head with both hands and tore at it forcefully.

"Could it all really just be my imagination? Did they really just encounter danger on the way and fail to return? And what about that wild beast?"

"In order to find out what was happening outside, I made an impulsive move. At midnight, I left the church with a lantern and went to the entrance of the village."

A pastor who had never engaged in productive labor and devoted his entire life to praying to God went into the darkness at midnight.

“I saw it! I saw the hideous monsters that came following the smell of blood, and I saw them gnawing on the rotting bones on the ground.”

"I was terrified, I wanted to run away in fear, but..."

"They ran away; the moment they spotted me, they fled in panic."

Turning his head, Charlie stared at Ning Feng, his tone indescribably complex, a mixture of laughter and tears, and said:

"At that moment, I suddenly realized the difference."

"It turns out, the one who changed was actually me..."

The terrifying-looking child stared at Ning Feng. Charlie paused for a moment, then raised his hand with a painful yet resolute expression, finally pressing it onto the bandage.

As he unwrapped the bandages, Bishop Charles revealed his true appearance to Ning Feng.

Just like the little bit of him that was exposed, his body was like a mummy that had just been taken out of its coffin.

It is ferocious and terrifying, and its appearance inspires fear from the bottom of one's heart.

Staring intently at Ning Feng, he said:

"I am the real monster."

But Ning Feng didn't retreat; instead, he moved closer and observed carefully.

He scrutinized every part, from the texture of the muscles to the degree of decay and shriveling.

Charlie was somewhat surprised by Ning Feng's actions, but he did not stop him and continued:

"Moreover, this change didn't just happen to me; it happened to our villagers as well... They changed too."

Charlie clenched his fists tightly, and the chilling aura emanating from him intensified.

“They’ve become a bunch of walking dead… but unlike me, they’re completely unaware of the changes that have happened to them.”

"The grain hasn't ripened in a long time, but they keep cultivating it."

“With each sunrise and sunset, I notice a slight change within myself.”

"We are dead, but we are still alive."

Ning Feng remained silent.

No, he had been silent for a long time.

For the sake of Bishop Charles before us, and for the sake of all the villagers in the village.

Living in a daze, their state is worse than death.

Do you want to help them?

miss you.

But what's the method?

In the silence, Ning Feng heard the same announcement as before: