Just to Stay Alive

After all, the wounds left on your body had mostly healed. Even if you told others, it would not be very convincing.

However, Father Enrique seemed to care deeply about this matter. Under his and Elysia's questioning, you truthfully revealed this strange "trait" of yours. After learning the truth, Father Enrique stared at you for a while with an expression that seemed both delighted and pitying. In the end, he told you in an extremely firm tone—he would definitely help you.

Both you and Elysia were confused, but you still hoped Father Enrique could first save the other children who were still there. If possible, it would be even better if he could restore that church to what it was supposed to be.

After hearing your words, he seemed to grow even more resolute about something. The pity in his gaze deepened, even carrying a trace of inexplicable guilt. He seemed to have more to say to you, but unfortunately, visiting time had already ended.

Over the next few days, he came to visit you every day with Elysia. While learning the details from you, he also told you about the progress they had made in recent days—he had found some clues that convinced him there was a deeper darkness and misfortune behind how the church here had become what it was. There might even be a clear "industry chain."

When he realized this possibility, Father Enrique became especially furious. As a devout believer, seeing someone use the church and its sanctuary to commit such evil was undoubtedly trampling upon his faith. Worse still, the priest and nuns in that church were even accomplices. This information made his blood boil.

Unfortunately, he had only found clues. Everything concerning this was merely his own speculation, without any concrete evidence. And now, the nuns in the church were all behaving themselves, leaving him with nowhere to begin. He could only keep searching for other methods—such as reporting it to the church.

But the church's response was evasive. It was clearly a major incident concerning the church's reputation, yet it did not receive the attention it deserved... This gave Father Enrique a bad feeling.

But that was not a reason for him to give up. On the contrary, Father Enrique became even more determined to keep investigating.

He used his connections to look into the matter, while doing everything he could to make your life in prison a little better.

You saw everything he did. He truly was a dependable, trustworthy "adult." Thus, you gradually let down your guard around him. If that previous priest had not gone so far, you would not have wanted to harbor such intense hatred toward others.

Of course, you had not forgotten that Elysia was the reason all of this had happened. If she had not happened to meet Father Enrique and tell him what was really going on in the church, he would likely have been misled by the information that had been made public as well.

Not to mention that she was also helping you in her own unique way—just as before, every conversation with her was filled with joy and happiness, allowing you to briefly forget the coldness of reality.

She still told you in her own way—do not give up. Hold on to hope. Everything would be resolved.

You understood, and gladly accepted her blessings and encouragement.

Elysia was becoming more and more important to you.

But reality often failed to live up to one's wishes. Or rather, you had forgotten that what you were facing was a massive force capable of making both the Police Station and the church of a small city serve it, even directly replacing the Police Chief for a period of time—a force capable of establishing a complete "criminal industry chain."

How could such a huge interest group allow your investigation to proceed so smoothly?

As expected, after a brief period of smooth investigation, Father Enrique encountered unprecedented resistance. The other side seemed to have caught on and made the necessary preparations.

Father Enrique was naturally the first target. As someone fairly well-known, he had forged friendships with many people, and those were his "connections." But now, his friends seemed to have received warnings to varying degrees. When faced with his requests for help, they began to look troubled, even making excuses. Although most still chose to help, they clearly would not—and could not—give their full support.

Father Enrique keenly sensed the danger. The worry on his face grew heavier by the day, but he had no intention of giving up—his faith would not allow him to ignore such evil.

Of course, he also admitted frankly that if the church had not sent him warnings and subtle assistance, he himself would probably have had to endure a trial of faith first.

As for Elysia, when Father Enrique noticed that something seemed wrong, he entrusted her to someone reliable. Not only that, he planned to arrange for you to be transferred to a safer prison, preventing those people from finding an opportunity to seize you. During that time, he could also focus on overturning your case and getting you out.

But unfortunately, he never got to see you.

After dealing with Father Enrique, who was investigating them, they naturally would not spare you—the one who had triggered the incident.

You were inexplicably taken out of your original prison, then handed over to a group of strange people.

Later, you learned that you had been "sold." They had used you and several other juvenile offenders like you as "expendable goods" in an exchange of interests with another organization.

It was a fairly famous assassin organization. It had left its mark in both political and business circles, and had served as the hidden blade of certain important figures. They had systematic training methods and special measures that ensured the loyalty of their assassins, which was why they were trusted by powerful people.

Of course, those powerful people feared the organization as well. After all, no one knew when they might be placed on a bounty with an excessive reward, only to be assassinated by one of its killers.

It was a "blade" that everyone could use, everyone wanted to possess, and everyone feared.

At this point, it did not yet have a name of its own. But in the future, it would bear a name remembered and hated by most—Poison Chrysalis.

To Survive, Nothing More

"Another... place like this..."

Xi Wang looked around, his eyelids lowered as he murmured softly.

An enclosed room, illuminated only by harsh white lights. Though the room was rather spacious, though everything in it was an ordinary indoor sight, being shut inside a place like this made Xi Wang feel extremely uncomfortable. Combined with the blades casually laid out nearby, he was almost having a stress reaction.

Xi Wang looked around. Besides their group of juvenile offenders, there were several elderly people, some vagrants, some girls, and several people who looked like they were up to no good... Honestly, Xi Wang felt as if he were experiencing phantom pain again. Or perhaps his wounds had not healed yet?

"Everyone is here. We can begin."

A processed electronic voice rang through the empty room, as if someone outside the room were issuing orders.

Then someone removed your restraints. Other than the few who clearly did not look like good people, everyone else's handcuffs were unlocked.

Although they were no longer restrained, and the strange people who had brought them here had all left, no one dared move recklessly. This place frightened everyone, leaving them tense and restrained. Still, a few people's gazes occasionally darted toward the blades nearby.

"Next, everyone, feel free to do as you please. As usual, only one person may leave."

The electronic voice rang out again. After saying something meaningless yet obviously dangerous, it fell silent.

There was no reason, no explanation. All that had been left to them was a single sentence, an empty room, weapons scattered about, lights that were gradually dimming, and a tightly locked door.

A silent competition... no, it should have been a slaughter, had begun just like that.

The first to move were a middle-aged man who looked like a vagrant and several juvenile offenders beside you. Perhaps they did not know what was happening, but they knew that under such circumstances, obtaining weapons for self-defense was the most important thing.

The next to act were several girls and an elderly man. They had clearly realized the same thing. They deliberately tried to obstruct those who had moved first while attempting to seize the blades.

You and the remaining people stayed where you were, either blank or panicked, seeming not yet to understand what was going on.

Finally, there were the few people who clearly did not look like good people. With several sharp clanks, they somehow freed themselves from their handcuffs and rushed at the first group to move with astonishing speed—or rather, at the weapons.

"I got one!"

The first to obtain a weapon was a teenager. Perhaps due to personal preference, or perhaps because he believed that longer meant stronger, he unhesitatingly picked up a long sword. The instant he became the first to get a weapon—and it was even the weapon he liked most—he cheered in delight.

But just as he turned around, intending to threaten the others with his weapon and force them back, a burly figure had already appeared before him—despite belonging to the last group to act, he had already reached him!

He seized the teenager's hands holding the sword, twisted them to one side, pushed them upward, then pulled them outward. The sharp blade sliced open the teenager's throat, taking his life.

Then, he smoothly took the long sword from the teenager's hands. With one hand, he lifted the teenager, who still had a faint breath left in him, and threw him to the side, knocking over the vagrant who had been trying to grab a weapon. Holding the sword in one hand, he slashed at the people who arrived afterward.

The people who had arrived afterward had clearly anticipated this. Some dodged, while others forcefully grabbed people beside them and used them as shields. Then they quickly lowered themselves and advanced. With a forward lunge and a roll, they rose again with weapons already in hand and immediately clashed with him.

Surprisingly, it was you few who seemed not to understand the situation and had not moved who remained safe. Those who had tried to seize weapons first were all wounded by the people fighting... or even killed outright.

Their attacks had clear purposes. They were wholly aimed at killing. When those people had used others as human shields earlier, they had deliberately positioned the "shields" to take the blows in easily fatal places. As a result, the first group to act all lay on the ground wailing, their breaths growing weaker and weaker, on the verge of death.

They were completely focused on reducing the number of people present—Xi Wang realized that.

He had finally escaped that place, only to arrive somewhere even worse?

Xi Wang was lost.

If Father Enrique's prison only required enduring pain without worrying about one's life, and if putting aside one's dignity could even earn a normal life... then this place was simply an arena.

Only the last person alive could leave... The door would only open when there was one person left... At that moment, those of you who had not acted understood what the electronic voice had meant.

Some were flustered and helpless, wanting to pick up the weapons that had been kicked into the corners. But seeing the few people fighting fiercely, they did not know how to act and could only pace anxiously in place.

Some went mad, screaming and sobbing, unable to understand why they had suddenly been brought here or why they had to suffer such a thing, when they had clearly done nothing at all.

Some tried to act. Thinking of using those who could no longer move on the ground as shields, they gathered the courage to drag corpses around, moving cautiously toward the weapons in the corner. But they were quickly noticed, then casually and carelessly killed by those people.

Others simply buried their heads like ostriches, hiding among the piles of corpses. Their bodies trembled as they muttered to themselves, hypnotizing themselves into believing that all of this was a nightmare... Then, amid a burst of pain, they fell into an eternal slumber.

It was truly so casual. To them, people like us were merely "things" to dispose of at will. They had even assumed no one would be able to take advantage of their fight. They believed that even if they both ended up severely wounded, they could still directly deal with all of us who remained—because anyone who would act first or take a weapon had already been dealt with.

As for the rest of you, you were merely people who could not understand the situation and would only panic until you were at a loss.

...That was indeed true.

Xi Wang... was utterly lost.

Was this... what the world was like?

The stench of blood in the room grew stronger and stronger, mixed with strange odors. Perhaps some people could no longer control themselves.

But Xi Wang was already used to it. He had experienced this thick stench of blood more than enough in that prison where there had been nothing but torment.

He was simply... confused.

He had finally endured it...

He had finally escaped...

Even if... he had stayed in prison forever... that would have been fine...

Why... had it become like this?

No one stepped forward again—because everyone who had stepped forward was dead.

No one wanted to act anymore—because there was no room to resist.

They cowered in the corners with vacant eyes, letting fear fill their hearts as they waited for death to come.

Then, as the range of the fighting expanded, they would be dragged into it and casually killed.

The sound of metal clashing continued. They paid no attention to the few remaining people, as if you truly were insignificant.

"..."

Xi Wang wanted to speak, but did not know how to make a sound.

Trying to stop the fight was impossible, because he did not have that ability.

Looking at the scattered corpses, he hesitated for a while. Then, dazed, he lay on the ground and slowly, tremblingly, carefully crawled forward, seeming to want to do something.

He grabbed a corpse at the very edge of the battle.

Xi Wang could feel it. The moment he touched the corpse, his nearly instinctive sense of danger toward "sharp weapons" surged up from the depths of his heart. Completely on reflex, he dragged the corpse back one position, causing a blade aimed at him to miss.

"?"

The man seemed somewhat stunned. He had not expected this inexplicable fellow to dodge. But he quickly had no way to care about the variable that was Xi Wang. In the instant he revealed that brief opening, the others' attacks came at him.

He could only click his tongue, dodging the attacks while kicking Xi Wang away in one smooth motion.

"Cough, cough..."

The tremendous force made Xi Wang taste blood in his throat. It felt as if his internal organs had all shifted out of place. He even felt that if the kick had been any harder, the pain alone might have made him pass out.

But it was fine. Xi Wang adapted quickly... It only hurt a little more than Father Enrique's torment.

And even after being kicked away, Xi Wang still did not release the corpse he was holding. Just like that, he dragged a corpse into a slightly more peaceful corner of the room.

It was the corpse of a teenager. At first, like Xi Wang, he had not acted, seeming not to understand the situation. Later, he had tried to use corpses as cover to pick up a weapon, but he had failed.

Xi Wang tidied his clothes slightly, making him look neater, then laid him flat in the corner.

Afterward, Xi Wang used a similar method to drag back several more corpses. Every time, he narrowly avoided the lethal blades. Though he was struck once or twice each time, though his injuries increased considerably, and though he had nearly been pinned beneath their feet several times and left there, he miraculously did not die in the end.

And Xi Wang did not search the corpses for anything after dragging them back. He merely straightened their clothes, then laid them flat beside the other bodies.