Dusk slowly fell beyond the edge of the muddy, pitch-black wilderness, and the dark night gradually shrouded this land soaked in blood.
The gunfire had ceased some time ago.
Yet the gray mist lingering all around had not dispersed. Instead, it seemed to be spreading farther and farther, extending from Master Kong's estate all the way to the woods north of Hope Town.
By the south gate, where the roadblocks had only recently been removed.
Ma Hechang stood beside the muddy road, staring in the direction of Pinecone Farm, unable to stop himself from murmuring another prayer to the Holy Son.
He had occasionally been able to hear the Holy Son's voice before.
But after the mist had risen, for some reason, he could no longer hear it.
Uneasy, he could not help recalling what Pastor Wei had said.
Perhaps...
The Holy Son was truly angry.
Just as he strained his eyes to look into the distance, three people appeared at the end of the road. The man in front was Kong Lingkai, the owner of the neighboring farm.
Seeing that it was not the hunter surnamed Liu, disappointment surfaced on Ma Hechang's face.
Before he could exchange a few pleasantries, Master Kong, who normally acted as though his nose were pointed at the sky, urgently spoke first this time.
"What the hell is going on? Why is there such a thick fog?"
He had been staying at home peacefully and had not wanted to concern himself with anything, but seeing that the mist showed no sign of dispersing even at nightfall, he felt increasingly unsettled.
He had planned to visit Pastor Wei in a nearby town for advice, but instead ran into Mayor Ma here. Instinctively, he felt that these people had hidden something from him again.
Normally, Ma