167: get away

"What!"

Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan's faces instantly turned pale, but they didn't believe the Hotel Owner's one-sided story.

"Don't believe me? Then look inside!"

The Hotel Owner sneered, took out a key, and opened the room door.

Immediately, the bloody scene inside almost made Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan scream.

They saw many bloodstains remaining on the ground, and some blood had even splattered onto the walls.

This blood had not been on the ground for long; it hadn't even fully congealed.

With this amount of blood, the person who bled, even if not dead, was definitely in a critical condition.

"Owner, are my friends still alive?"

Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan gasped for breath, now somewhat believing the Hotel Owner.

"Don't even think about it. No one taken by those lunatics could possibly be alive!"

"Come with me, don't give yourselves away. I've had enough of this hellhole too."

The Hotel Owner said.

With that, he gestured for them to follow.

Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan exchanged glances, now completely out of options.

If what the Hotel Owner said was true, then the people with the strange gazes they had encountered earlier might be the 'lunatics' the Hotel Owner mentioned.

If that was the case, leaving now would be like walking into a trap.

Helpless, the two could only grit their teeth and follow the Hotel Owner.

The Hotel Owner led the two to the first floor, then moved a sofa, revealing a covered hole in the ground.

The Owner pulled up the cover, and beneath it was a basement.

"Get in. The air circulates in there. I'll call you when it's night; you can't leave during the day."

The Hotel Owner said.

"Owner, we can report to the Public Security Office! Yes! Contact the Public Security Office!"

Xu Yang, now slightly calmer, said.

"The Public Security Office? It fell days ago; everyone there is one of those lunatics."

"Don't even think about seeking help online. The internet in this small town is cut off from the outside world; you can only contact people within this town."

"If you had been observant, you would have noticed when you arrived that your phones here cannot access any external websites or apps."

The Hotel Owner said after a moment of silence.

"How can this be!"

Chen Huanhuan quickly pulled out her phone. It showed network connectivity, but she couldn't open anything external.

She opened her social media app; she had clearly sent a message to Xue Zhan earlier.

But now, she realized that message had not been sent.

No wonder Xue Zhan had called earlier, asking where he had gone.

Because the other party had not received his message at all.

"Go in. Only by leaving here can you truly save yourselves."

The Hotel Owner said.

Xu Yang had no choice but to trust the Hotel Owner.

Xu Yang comforted Chen Huanhuan as they entered the basement.

It wasn't dark inside; there were electric lights and a small bed.

"Huanhuan, don't be afraid, I will definitely get you out of here!"

Xu Yang comforted Chen Huanhuan, and in doing so, comforted himself.

"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have brought us here... Qianqian and Xue Zhan..."

Chen Huanhuan said, on the verge of breaking down.

"It's not your fault, it's the fault of those lunatics. We will escape, and then we'll report to the government. The Public Security Bureau will flatten this town, and all the lunatics will be brought to justice."

Xu Yang gently patted her back, speaking softly.

As the two comforted each other, time slowly passed.

Finally, it was eight o'clock in the evening.

In this season, it was already dark by eight in the evening.

But the Hotel Owner didn't come, and they didn't dare to act on their own.

As the two waited anxiously.

Time reached midnight.

Just then, the cover of the stairwell was lifted, making Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan tense up.

But thankfully, the person who came down was the Hotel Owner.

"Go, we don't have much time. They are holding a worship service."

The Hotel Owner said anxiously.

"Worship service?"

Xu Yang quickly pulled Chen Huanhuan along, asking at the same time.

"Just a few days ago, for some unknown reason, everyone in the town started believing in an evil god!"

"Many busybodies, or those planning to inform, were all sacrificed!"

"Their cult says they hold a worship service every Sunday at midnight."

The Hotel Owner said.

"Xue Zhan, Qianqian! I will definitely avenge you!"

Xu Yang had some guesses about this worship service and swore through gritted teeth.

The night was deep, the world silent.

A bright, clear moon in the night sky, like an eye, surveyed the earth.

The three walked out of the hotel. The dim streetlights shone on them, casting long shadows behind them.

Wutong Town's infrastructure was old; the dim streetlights could only illuminate a small area, with darkness beyond.

"Stay close. The mountain forest is very dangerous now; we can only leave through the town."

The Hotel Owner explained, leading the two to hurry on their way.

The three dared not walk in the light, moving only through the darkness.

The journey was very quiet, with no sign of people. A small town like Wutong Town naturally had no nightlife.

And now it was the Church of Eternal Life's worship time, so there were even fewer people.

The three gasped for breath, their eyes nervously scanning around, fearing being discovered.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth, and soon the three had covered half the distance.

But just then, Chen Huanhuan, with her sharp eyes, noticed what looked like a person in the shadow ahead.

She quickly whispered the situation.

Xu Yang and the Hotel Owner were startled. They exchanged glances, then, armed with a cleaver and an iron rod, walked over.

"Brother Wu, is that you?!"

After getting closer, the Hotel Owner recognized him and quickly stopped Xu Yang, who was about to strike.

"Old Cai!"

The person was startled, his weapon falling to the ground. He turned around and realized it was the Hotel Owner.

"Oh my goodness, you almost scared me to death!"

Wu Bingdi patted his chest repeatedly.

"Quiet, let's go!"

The Hotel Owner whispered.

Wu Bingdi glanced at Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan but didn't ask further. The four continued on their way.

Gradually, Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan heard some sounds—numerous people fervently praying.

"Oh, the great lord of eternal life! You are the Dominator of Chaos! The true world's..."

These voices were incredibly fervent and fanatical, making Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan very uneasy.

Soon, they discovered that in the open space to their left, countless figures gathered. All of them wore black robes, with a strange symbol embroidered on their chests.

After a period of prayer, everyone knelt on the ground, prostrating before a wooden engraving at the very front.

And between the crowd and the wooden carving, a bizarre symbol could be seen.

This symbol was formed by the corpse of a tiger, as well as the bodies of Xue Zhan and Yun Qianqian.

Their bodies were twisted, even broken and dismembered, solely to construct this bizarre symbol!

All of this was incredibly eerie and bloody!

Especially that wooden carving, which was indistinct, vaguely showing some tentacles.

But the feeling this blurry wooden carving gave was an unprecedented evil and strangeness.

Perhaps it was psychological.

Xu Yang comforted himself this way.

At this moment, he had a sudden realization: the reason he and Chen Huanhuan were unharmed wasn't because they had escaped by going out to play.

Rather, it was because the materials needed to construct this bloody symbol were already sufficient.

"Qianqian!"

Chen Huanhuan looked at the scene in the distance, her face filled with grief and indignation.

Why, after just one outing, had things turned out this way?

"What a sin. These people, they will go to Hell when they die!"

The Hotel Owner sighed.

"Let's go!"

At this moment, Xu Yang truly believed the Hotel Owner's words.

These people truly were unimaginably cruel cultists!

The four dared not delay and quickly continued their journey, fearing that a moment's hesitation would lead to them being captured and sacrificed to the evil god.

Perhaps because all the Church of Eternal Life followers were at worship, the four smoothly arrived at the town gate.

This made them breathe a sigh of relief.

"Wu Bingdi, Old Cai, what are you two trying to do!"

But just then, a cold voice rang out.

The four trembled and looked in the direction of the voice, discovering several men in black robes standing not far outside the gate.

There were six of these cultists in total, all holding weapons, looking at them with fanaticism and coldness.

"Run in different directions! Whether you make it out depends entirely on fate!"

The Hotel Owner shouted, then suddenly ran into the distance.

"Huanhuan, run!"

Xu Yang and Chen Huanhuan exchanged glances, then also ran in separate directions.

In a blink of an eye, the four ran in four different directions.

"Outsiders, one for each of you. The rest of you, bring Old Cai and Wu Bingdi back! We've waited long enough for their answer!"

The tallest cultist said coldly.