They All Said This Isn't the Life Simulation Game! Section 3

[Perhaps you've fallen into someone's trap.]

Chapter 3: The Trap

[The Priest grew more enthusiastic, which made you feel extremely uncomfortable. Especially after you realized this place wasn't as idyllic as it seemed, you began to have some bad feelings.]

[You wished it was all just your imagination, trying to convince yourself that everything was normal. After all, the Priest's reasons were always quite convincing… but you still subconsciously started to take action.]

[You tried to stick with the other children, but they refused to associate with you, a "bad child." You sought help from the Nuns, only to receive warnings and scoldings. Sometimes, they would even call the Priest to discuss punishing you.]

[Although any punishments were always brushed aside with the Priest's smile, the constant scoldings and rejections made you increasingly withdrawn and uneasy. This was especially true when the room you slept in was specifically changed to a single room.]

[This wasn't a privilege; rather, it was more like a form of punishment, or a mark of a "bad child." All "bad children" lived in single rooms, but their rooms were located separately from the other children, closer to the Church's backyard. This area only contained rooms for "bad children" and a storage shed.]

[It was very quiet here, so quiet it was almost frightening. When you learned that the back of the storage shed led to the cemetery, you felt an inexplicable fear. Coupled with the cramped space of your single room and the small, solitary window, it made the place feel like a small prison.]

[That night, the Priest knocked on your door. Even though you didn't respond and had locked the door, none of it mattered. The Priest had keys to all the rooms and entered smoothly.]

[Seeing that you were awake and watching him warily from a corner, the Priest didn't seem to mind. He simply asked with a gentle smile why you weren't sleeping obediently when the lights were out.]

[You didn't respond, just stared at him vigilantly. He seemed to have just come to check on you, only saying "You should sleep early" before closing the door and leaving.]

[The Priest's visit disrupted your sleep. Even after relocking your door, you stayed tense and watchful of the entrance throughout the latter half of the night, too afraid to sleep. This left you with tired eyes all day. It was then that the "bad children" seemed to officially accept you. Perhaps it was mockery, perhaps it was comfort, but in any case, you were now like them—or so they said.]

[The teacher from the "school" came again. Seeing you mingling with the "bad children," he seemed displeased. After a period of discussion with the Priest, he seemed to be persuaded by him, casting a regretful glance at you.]

[That time, several more children were taken away by the "school" than the previous time. The children didn't pay much attention to this. The chosen children cheered, happy to have been selected, while those not chosen waved them off, regretting their own exclusion.]

[You and the "bad children" watched this in silence. As the "school bus" gradually moved away, you opened your mouth several times, wanting to say something. But then you looked around at the cheering children, the indifferent Nuns, and the ever-smiling Priest, and closed your mouth again.]

[You vaguely suspected that the "school" was likely also a sham.]

[The words "child trafficking" suddenly appeared in your mind, and you felt a deep revulsion and anger towards this term. But this emotion quickly faded, replaced by overwhelming dread and unease.]

[Days passed, and after their apparent discussions, the Priest's behavior became increasingly brazen. He would check on you almost every night, and his stays began to lengthen. Although he always left under your watchful gaze, you felt increasingly helpless.]

[One night, you faintly heard a child crying and the Priest speaking from the next room. Due to the room's soundproofing, the voices were muffled.]

[You formed a terrible suspicion.]

[The next day, you noticed the child from the next room walking with an obviously exhausted body. Their swollen eyes still held traces of tears, and tear streaks remained unwashed on their face. Their gait also seemed peculiar.]

[The other children and the Nuns acted as if they saw nothing. The children might not have known anything, but the Nuns didn't offer a single word of concern, merely maintaining basic etiquette… sometimes even scolding them directly.]

[The other "bad children" seemed accustomed to this, merely remarking to the child, "Last night must have been tough, huh?" After receiving a nod in response, they paid it no further mind.]

[These events seemed so commonplace that the child even refused your concern.]

[You vaguely realized that such things had happened many times before. You hadn't known because you hadn't heard anything. Such incidents might be happening every day.]

[And, you might be next.]

[No one would help you, and no one would care about this. Everyone here was already "used to it." Such things were "natural," and you didn't even know who around you could be turned to for help.]

[Fear, laced with despair, washed over you.]

[However, you didn't give up hope. You thought you should ask the police for help. In your memory, the police were a presence that could definitely help you. Moreover, with what seemed like an innate strong memory, you still remembered the route the Priest had taken you to the police station. Therefore, you discussed with several other "bad children" you were on good terms with about finding an opportunity to seek the police's help.]

[Some children were unwilling, even advising you against such thoughts. They suggested it would be better to just escape if you could leave, even though they didn't know where you could escape to.]

[However, some children were willing to help you. After a slight hesitation, they chose to assist you.]

[After several days of discussion and testing, you came up with a plan that seemed feasible.]

[The time to leave couldn't be during the day. From the moment the children woke up in the morning, they were all under the care of the Priest and Nuns. While they could move freely, any absence would be immediately noticed. Therefore, the departure time could only be at night, and because of the Priest, you had to act in the dead of night.]

[The wall behind the storage shed leading to the cemetery was relatively low. By using some surrounding debris, you could just manage to climb over the wall. Afterward, you could squeeze through the iron bars of the cemetery gate to leave.]

[The Priest only went to the cemetery to clean on Wednesday afternoons, and only every other week. Normally, he only appeared at the cemetery entrance in the morning and evening. At other times, unless someone was there for a burial or to pay respects, the Priest wouldn't enter the cemetery. Therefore, you didn't have to worry about being seen.]

[Furthermore, you believed you needed to take another child with you to meet the police officer. Ideally, this child should have visible injuries inflicted by the Priest, which would at least solidify the accusation of the Priest "abusing children."]

[As for leaving the room, which should have been the most troublesome point, it turned out to be the easiest. The Priest had a habit of not locking the doors when he entered or exited rooms, seemingly to make it convenient for him to move between the children's rooms. It was actually the "bad children" who locked their doors every night.]

[In other words, on the night of the "escape," they could leave directly. Of course, to avoid suspicion, the door had to be locked before the Priest arrived. After he came and left, you could act, thus preventing the Priest from noticing anything amiss.]

["To be safe, it's best to leave after the Priest starts," one child suggested. Although this suggestion was hurtful and quite terrible, it did have its logic.]

[This suggestion was naturally opposed at first. While they were accustomed to "that sort of thing," if they could avoid experiencing it, they naturally wouldn't want to. After all… it hurt.]

[However, this opinion was ultimately adopted because the child who proposed it volunteered to take on the responsibility, with the reason being, "Whoever proposes it is responsible for it."]

[You were deeply moved. You could see the difficulty and reluctance behind his decision, as well as his final resolve. In the days following the decision, you almost compensated him as if to make yourself feel better.]

[The next few days went smoothly. You lived your lives as usual, and neither the Priest nor the Nuns noticed anything. On the night of the plan, the execution was also smooth. You still locked your door, huddled in the corner of the bed, vigilantly watching the Priest who naturally opened the door and entered in the middle of the night. After he left, you waited a while longer before quietly opening your door and walking slowly down the corridor.]

[As you passed a room, you heard faint sounds through the door. You could vaguely make out the voices of that child and the Priest. You pursed your lips, knowing it was time to act.]

[You knocked on the door of the child you had agreed to take as "evidence." Softly, you spoke his name, using your own voice to identify yourself. Then, you both quickly left together. Thanks to the soundproofing here, your actions could be bolder and faster.]

[Everything went smoothly. You circled around to the back of the storage shed, climbed over the fence using the piled-up debris, and squeezed through the iron bars of the cemetery gate. Then, guided by the decent moonlight and scattered streetlights, you found the familiar path and headed in the direction you remembered for the police station.]

"Are we really going this way? Wang?"

The young boy wrapped his clothes tighter around himself. The night, as winter approached, was exceptionally cold.

"Of course, I remember,"

Xi Wang replied firmly, seemingly very confident in his memory.

"But it feels like we've been walking for a long time..."

"It hasn't even been an hour."

"Should... should we just give up? It's okay if we don't go... Anyway, the Priest gives us a place to stay, food to eat, and clothes to wear. That kind of thing... we can endure it... right?"

As he spoke the last part, his own tone became uncertain.

"That's not a reason for him to do that kind of thing."

Xi Wang said, searching for the path in his memory, while also tightening his clothes to keep himself warmer. After a slight pause, he continued.

"Besides, Wright is already holding the Priest off for us. We can't let his efforts be in vain... If we hurry, we can go back and catch him in the act."

"Th... that's true..."

The boy seemed to realize what his words implied, his gaze involuntarily flickered to the side, and his tone became more guilty.

"...It's soon, we'll be there any minute now."

Xi Wang said softly, as if to comfort the boy, or perhaps to reassure himself.

After continuing along the path from memory for a while longer, Xi Wang spotted a few familiar landmarks. His heart leaped with joy, and he quickly pulled the boy along, almost instantly arriving at the place that would surely help him—the Police Station.

Even though it was deep in the night, the lights were still on. He could vaguely see the police officers inside, diligently on duty, chatting and joking with each other to ward off the growing drowsiness.

"Great!"

Xi Wang exclaimed excitedly, a hint of relief on his face, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart. He then quickly led the boy into the police station, ready to seek their help.

"Hey there, little guys, what are you doing out here so late instead of sleeping at home?"

As Xi Wang pushed the door open, the officers on duty noticed the two little ones and asked in a half-joking, half-inquiring tone.

"Uncle Police Officer, we need help."

Xi Wang said very seriously, then gently pulled the boy, whose expression was a little stiff, and rolled up his sleeve, revealing the lingering scars on his arm.

Judging by the depth of the marks, it already fell into the category of abuse. Coupled with the boy's slightly reluctant expression, such injuries were definitely not limited to his arm.

"Oh?"

The officers looked at them, then at the boy's arm, and frowned, seemingly displeased that such young children were being abused.

Xi Wang noticed this and seized the opportunity, recounting everything the Priest had done and informing them that a child was currently being abused by the Priest.

"This is truly... outrageous! How could something like this happen?"

One of the officers stepped forward, gently pulled the boy's sleeve back down to cover the scars, and then met the boy's eyes.

"Child, tell me, can you guarantee that the Priest did all of this, right?"

"…………Mm."

The boy glanced timidly at the officer in front of him, then at Xi Wang standing beside him, encouraging him with his eyes. He then lowered his head and nodded slightly, responding in a voice that was almost inaudible.

"...This is unbelievable! That Priest is actually doing such things in private!"

After receiving the answer, the officer was silent for a moment, then said in an almost indignant voice.

The Priest has a good reputation outside?

Xi Wang's thought flashed subconsciously.

"Let's go, children! We'll take you back! People like him must be punished!"

But soon, the officer took the boy's hand and led him outside. Meanwhile, several officers, with indignant expressions, accompanied Xi Wang out, leaving only those who needed to remain on duty at the police station. This also made Xi Wang stop his train of thought.

The police will help us— he thought.

Several officers put the boy in a police car, while others took Xi Wang in another.

"Don't be scared, child, we'll protect you."

In the back seat of the car, an officer smiled and gently patted Xi Wang's back, who was looking a little anxious and nervous, and said softly.

"...Mm."

Xi Wang nodded, relaxing slightly.

He didn't feel anything was wrong, nor did he think there was any problem with all of this. After all, "if you have trouble, go to the police" was the natural thing to do.

However, when they returned to the church, what Xi Wang saw was a peaceful and serene courtyard, and the Priest who seemed to have come out to greet them upon hearing the police siren, along with the officers who greeted the Priest in a very familiar manner...

They chatted with each other familiarly, even cracking a few jokes and catching up on personal matters. Then, the officers gently nudged the boy, who had been looking down and nervously fiddling with the hem of his clothes, gesturing towards the Priest, and then pointed at Xi Wang, who was still in the car.

"…………"

The Priest looked over in the direction they indicated, his eyes holding a hint of a smile as he looked at Xi Wang.

!!!

Xi Wang's expression instantly turned to horror. Sensing that something was wrong, he immediately tried to get out of the car and escape.

But