The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

After the brief period of surprise, Haida quickly accepted the situation.

Dr. Fran's presence makes perfect sense; she was there when Sayens attacked the museum with his half-body, so why would she be absent today?

Vivian, who had been standing right behind Haida, witnessed the entire scene unfold. She felt a non-existent bead of sweat trickle down her cheek...

Sister Heda's finger was clearly on the trigger, almost emptying the magazine inside the door. Perhaps only Dr. Fran would dare to make such a joke at a time like this.

But for some reason, Vivian felt a strange surge of security after seeing Fran. This peculiar doctor was indeed reliable most of the time, as long as no cases piqued her interest…

Vivian suddenly had a strange feeling, as if Dr. Fran was actually an integral part of her task force...

Suddenly, Haida's gaze towards Fran became somewhat strange. She noticed the change in him immediately.

"Dr. Fran, what's wrong with your ear?"

At this moment, two soft, pale white ear feathers stood harmoniously on either side of Fran's bangs... and these ear feathers twitched occasionally according to her mood and words, not at all like decorations.

"What's wrong? Is there something strange on my ear?"

Fran touched her earlobe as she spoke, finding nothing unusual. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she touched her hair and indeed found two ear feathers.

"...Hmm, I think I understand."

"This is the result of a recent experiment... We're still not very proficient at it, but we should be able to store it away anytime soon." —Sugi

"I see." 5

Heda gazed at the two rather beautiful and glossy ear feathers, but didn't ask any further questions. After all... if she knew the truth, Dr. Fran would have explained it himself; there was probably no need for anyone else to ask. (She slipped away.)

"Such beautiful feathers. May I...may I touch them?" (Sound of a character)

Vivian couldn't help but exclaim, "So Dr. Fran does have such adorable experiments? I thought he was only interested in things like internal organs..."

"Hmm..." Fran Qiaoqian raised her eyebrows, seemingly troubled by the request.

"Okay, just for today?"

In the end, she agreed. After all, it was just touching, and the request wasn't unreasonable.

After receiving permission, Vivian stepped forward and reached out to touch her ear feathers. They resembled hair, yet had a downy, feather-like texture. Like a real bird, yet with subtle differences.

Haida squinted as she watched the two of them the whole time, making it difficult to guess what she was thinking.

"Sister Heda, would you like to try it out? Or if you like, I can make one for you... but we don't have any other styles, only these bird-like ear feathers."

Fran looked at Heida and tried again to recommend the new medical services to her.

"Thank you for your kindness, Dr. Fran... but I don't need it for the time being."

If she were to suddenly develop bird-like demi-human features, she would probably have to be in close contact with Ms. Marian every day... That being said, she was indeed inexplicably curious about the texture of the two ear feathers.

Just then, Haida smelled a faint scent of blood. As she was about to locate the source of the smell, she was tackled by something soft... It was Fran.

Its ear feathers brushed against her neck, the texture softer than real bird hair. It tickled slightly against her skin.

The distracting thought flashed through her mind for only a moment before Haida's gray-brown eyes sharpened. She saw a bone spur covered in filth and flesh in her original spot.

It was an enemy attack, and it was an encounter battle.

“Even as a high priestess, a dancer who indulges in debauchery cannot truly understand the divine message. Her only value to the Lord is her own death... How pathetic.”

An elderly man in a red leather robe sighed and slowly approached the three people already in the Hungry Club from the outside of the secret passage. His footsteps were crisp, because there was no flesh on his feet, only withered bones.

"And so you are, sacrifices."

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Pain Subsides

The ascetic, clad in a red leather robe, moved forward slowly and heavily. His body was thin and emaciated, like a straw-filled puppet. Each step he took carried an unpleasant awkwardness, as if he had not yet mastered how to use his muscles.

“Young and vibrant hunters are my most cherished offerings, and they are the most pleasing to the gods. Gentlemen, do you know why?”

The old man moved forward step by step, accompanied by the pale moonlight that shone into the secret passage, his voice hoarse and melancholic.

"Please give me some advice."

Fran stood up from Heida, whom she had tackled. She straightened her clothes, then rubbed her hands, making no attempt to hide her thirst for knowledge.

A thirst for knowledge has always been her guiding principle; there's nothing shameful about admitting ignorance. In contrast, those who feign knowledge and put on airs are far more repulsive…

"Heh, young lady, you really want to hear it? Judging from your white robes, you're from the Medical Department?... Since you're a doctor, you shouldn't vomit, right?"

Upon hearing Fran's question, the old man stopped in his tracks with amusement, scrutinizing her with his cloudy, muddy eyes.

"Young hunters still have aspirations for life and the future. They are passionate, beautiful, sensitive, and vulnerable. Even after the most rigorous training... their age and experience are not enough to forge them into emotionless weapons."

"Perhaps they can appear to be ready to die, but as long as they are not allowed to die, and given some time to prepare them... we can see the deepest and sweetest despair after the collapse of faith."

“Skinning them off, branding them, cutting off their throats and tongues, severing their limbs. Sometimes they go mad after only a third of the process is complete, as fragile as flowers…”

The old man slowly described the five →№螧6彡四咝←＊找书_…羣：, his eyes slightly closed, as if reminiscing, as if in a trance.

"Does that mean older hunters can't be used as offerings?"

Fran remained calm, his amber eyes clear as a mirror, showing no change despite the old man's cruel and frantic narration.

“Girl, you have too many questions. But if you can become a living sacrifice, I will answer you slowly during the ritual… I hope that I can still hear your questions then, instead of just screams.”

"boom!"

If Fran hadn't pounced on her, Heda probably would have fired her gun before the conversation even began.

In most cases, the roar of a bullet leaving the barrel is the only language that heretics understand. This is why many experienced hunters are accustomed to maintaining absolute silence during missions.

The bullet struck the old man precisely in the heart, eye socket, and spine.

At such close range, he even exposed his torso to the moonlight... Haida had no reason to miss.

But Haida did not let her guard down just because the bullet hit her. She tucked the empty magazines of her two pistols back into her waistband and then picked up her wooden-handled folding knife.

“Sister Haida, something’s not right with him…” Vivian sensed something was off.

This old man's attitude was very different from that of the usual Red Cup believers. He did not grow flesh and blood, did not transform into an evil offspring, and did not even flinch when faced with steel-core bullets inscribed with prayers... Even a deacon should respect firearms and basic physics.

So far, she has only seen one cultist survive after suffering a truly fatal wound... High Priestess, the dancer Sayens.

"Ok, I know."

Haida knew perfectly well the level of the assistant priest's strength, which was why she knew... the person in front of her was probably a high priest.

"Your marksmanship is excellent, Sister Si. It ranks among the top five of all the Hunters I've encountered in the past ten years..." (wu) ≠

The old man, riddled with bullets, quietly praised Haida before pulling himself back from the jolt of the force of the impact. He reached up and lifted his red leather robe, revealing his true form beneath.

His entire torso consisted of nothing but bare bones, with no flesh or organs visible. Yellowish-white nerves, like roots, intertwined with the bones, bulging and contracting like muscles to give the body the ability to move.

Although he barely maintained a human form, he had almost completely become a demon. The wounds from the gunshot wounds were now constantly gushing out dancing white substances.

"The ascetics of the Red Cup?"

Heda used this break to reload the magazine. Although she was currently using a folding knife, being prepared in advance would facilitate a quick switch to combat mode.

The first round of probing has now been completed... the opponent's strength is beyond our expectations. Theoretically, the best course of action is to avoid direct armed confrontation, try to buy time, and attempt to disengage as much as possible.

"Ascetic is a general term; generally, we refer to ourselves as 'ascetics.' Of course, your understanding is perfectly correct..."

As the old man explained, he suddenly lunged at Haida in an extremely awkward posture. His movements were light and swift, as if invisible threads were pulling his joints along.

While direct confrontation is not the optimal solution... sometimes, head-on clashes are unavoidable.

"Humph."

Haida snorted coldly, raised her wooden-handled folding knife, and charged forward without flinching.

The gleaming blade sliced ​​through the old man's crimson leather robe, severing countless pale nerve roots before leaving a deep gash on his spine.

The ascetic's face contorted in a spasm, his features melting together. But he wasn't in pain from his injuries; rather, he was enjoying the divinely bestowed pain.

His nerves transformed into a tangled web of roots, gradually devouring his organs and flesh, and then replacing them... After that, most of his senses were transformed into the most extreme and profound "pain".

This is the blessing of the Red Cup, the gaze and pity of the colossal statue hanging far in the sky.

"Mortal sacrifices, how can you comprehend true supremacy and power? And who has made you so arrogant, giving you the right to harm this divinely bestowed body?"

The old man's voice seemed to be twisted with pain, yet it also carried a sense of heartfelt relief.

After Haida unleashed two slashes, she immediately prepared to distance herself, only to find that the ascetic's red robe seemed to have a life of its own, wrapping around her wrists and making it impossible for her to break free.

That wasn't a red robe at all; it was several human skins turned inside out... Up close, you could even vaguely see pores and human facial features.

Can't escape!

A pale, scarlet bone thorn suddenly emerged from the wound on the ascetic's spine. At an unavoidable distance, it easily pierced through the leather armor close to Sister Heda's robe and stabbed into her ribs.

The second-tier superior secret technique of the Crimson Cup: Bone Control.

Due to the toughness of the bones, the technique is quite slow, so its practical effectiveness is somewhat unsatisfactory... However, thanks to this blessed, monstrous body, the old man was able to manipulate his bones with superhuman efficiency.

At that moment, Vivian pulled the trigger. The bullet struck the old man squarely in the forehead.

The pause the ascetic made after landing a successful blow was the perfect opportunity in Vivian's eyes. She didn't possess any damaging secret techniques, nor did she have any special relics... therefore, she could only try to find such an opening.

"...The pain you inflicted was of high quality; even I felt a sense of relief. Be proud of that..."

From the bullet wound on the old man's forehead, a network of pale nerves continuously oozed out, rapidly repairing the wound while simultaneously causing intense pain.

Vivian clicked her tongue inwardly, her eyes growing even more serious.

The old man in the red robe's nerves and bones are actually one; he can use his mutated nerves to repair his bones. Moreover, this guy probably has no other organs left.

No wonder Haida was unharmed even though she was shot in the eye... Zhong@QUn：亦÷!〇〇℃『柒√＆六！ /洢】`肆... The brain inside his skull was probably reconstructed from these nerves that create pain.

Moreover, Sister Haida was injured; that bone thorn pierced through her leather armor in an instant, showing its considerable power... it might have damaged her internal organs.

What about Dr. Fran? Isn't she going to take action?

In the tension of the previous exchange, Vivian had even forgotten to pay attention to Fran. Now, suddenly remembering her, she noticed Fran was still casually enjoying the battle, only occasionally taking out her brass pocket watch to check the time.

Haida, who had just been pierced by the bone thorns, did not retreat, and her aura did not weaken in the slightest.

With one hand she grabbed the old man in the red robe’s eye socket and tucked her thumb in as if it were embedded in it, while with the other hand she clenched into a fist and slammed it down hard on the gash caused by Vivian’s earlier shot!

The old man's entire skull was completely shattered from top to bottom, and yellowish-white nerve tendrils gushed out from it. He staggered back a few steps, his remaining half-face filled with confusion.

"How can you still move? [Bone Control] has clearly spread inside you, tearing apart all your organs..."

"Hey……"

Fran, holding a brass pocket watch, walked through the shadows and moonlight, smiling as he approached Heda.

"Sir, Ascetic... I amplified your perception of 'premonition.' As a result, you assumed Sister Heda's serious injury was a fait accompli, thus neglecting to observe her true condition. Don't be surprised, it's just a little trick."

Fran raised his hand and lifted Heida's black trench coat, revealing the ribs where the bone thorns had struck her. The movement was natural and fluid, like a medical instructor explaining a concept to a student.

The blood oozing from the wound had already scabbed over and congealed, and the wound wasn't deep, seemingly only affecting the skin and flesh.

The "bone-strengthening organs" created by the modification surgery transformed Haida's bones in terms of both strength and flexibility, and the shape of her ribs became more like bone plates, making it difficult for the ascetic to move after the bone thorns pierced her flesh.

Er: "Influenced my thinking? How could that be? You're not one of those academics from Baibei, ah... you're Baibei's 'refutationist'?"

The old man in the red robe seemed to have a sudden realization; he felt he was close to the truth. Indeed, the white coat could refer not only to doctors… but also to the researchers in the white coat.

"As a high priest favored by the gods, you must have a deeper purpose for coming here, right?"

Lingfran strolled leisurely toward the ascetic, speaking in a relaxed tone as if he were having a casual chat.

"You really think you've won? Young deniers... your swords and guns... haven't even really harmed me, and you think... victory is assured? You scholars who pursue truth will ultimately be destroyed by this arrogance..."

The ascetic asked questions intermittently.

These fleshy nerves oozing from his skull were constantly repairing him, bringing him wave after wave of pain, and making his aura increasingly terrifying and profound.

However, Vivian's expression became somewhat strange.

The High Priestess is having difficulty moving around because of her body repairs... This scene seems familiar. Oh, right, it's even in the Hungry Club, the location hasn't changed.

"Reach out and touch the moon."

While the ascetic was still repairing his mangled body, the black chain on Fran's wrist suddenly popped out, wrapping around his body and pulling him directly in front of Fran.

"What...do you want to do?" He struggled desperately, on the verge of breaking through the tentacles of "Reaching for the Moon".

"I want to give you a little surprise."

Fran's eyes were full of earnestness, so sincere that one couldn't help but want to believe her.

Just now, she received her monthly house call notice for June.

[Dear Dr. Fran, this month's rounds have been triggered. The target is the 'Red Cup Cult's' tormented wanderer 'Hoven Renéniz'. Please relieve him of his endless suffering. The target is expected to escape in 5 minutes. Please begin treatment as soon as possible.]