Sleeping in the wild? You've got some nerve

Before they knew it, the night had grown late.

Hunger, exhaustion, cold.

Under the weight of all these conditions, everyone had fallen asleep.

Du Xu leaned against the wall, mumbling something in his sleep, his body twisting restlessly.

Zhao Zicheng flailed his arms and legs, a smile on his lips, brimming with confidence. But his smile stretched too far, pulling at his swollen, reddened cheek and making him grimace in pain.

Suddenly.

A faint growl drifted in from outside the factory.

But it was still far away, and the sound was indistinct. Even someone who was awake might have thought they had imagined it.

In the darkness.

Yu Sheng opened his eyes, extraordinarily calm.

Almost simultaneously, Liu Qingfeng opened his eyes too.

The two exchanged a glance.

Liu Qingfeng shrugged, looking as though it had nothing to do with him.

Yu Sheng rose in the darkness, his footsteps making no sound as he threaded precisely through the crowd and disappeared into the dark.

Liu Qingfeng frowned slightly. Only after a long while did he sigh.

"A lone wolf's ending..."

"Is usually a tragedy."

Muttering to himself, Liu Qingfeng looked at the students sleeping peacefully around him, including the two teachers, then sighed again and closed his eyes.

"God be with us."

"God be with us."

On the outskirts, several middle-aged people looked at the abandoned factory in the distance, exchanging glances as they spoke softly.

They were dressed differently.

There was a professional in a suit, a fat, big-eared cook, and even someone in ragged clothes who looked like a beggar.

These people, whose lives should never have intersected, now had fervent eyes.

As though they shared the same faith.

"Tonight, we bathe in starlight."

"God..."

"Is watching us!"

The man in the suit took a deep breath and clenched his fists.

The others grew excited as well.

"If this plan goes smoothly, we might have a chance to become God Servants!"

"This is an immense blessing."

The suited man kept speaking.

The crowd's emotions were gradually whipped to a peak.

Until a sudden growl came from the distance.

Their voices cut off abruptly.

"A Demon Clan member?"

The cook looked noticeably nervous. He glanced around and asked cautiously.

"As a slave of God, I can nevertheless sense fear in you."

"This is the greatest insult to God!"

The suited man's expression instantly turned cold. He stared darkly at the cook and said, "So what if there's a demon?"

"Tonight, these most talented students in Mobei City must die!"

"Even if it costs us our lives!"

"God..."

"Will redeem us!"

As the suited man's words fell, the cook's nervousness gradually faded, and his piety returned. He kept mumbling, "God will redeem us, God will redeem us..."

Clearly, the suited man's words had affected the others as well.

For a time, everyone's emotions steadied again.

"Follow the plan."

"We strike in another half hour."

The suited man glanced at his watch as he spoke.

The others nodded firmly.

Baichun City.

As the capital of Jiangbei Province, on the northern edge of human territory, it remained brightly lit even late at night.

At that moment, however, the deputy pavilion master's phone suddenly rang in Baichun City's Ink Pavilion branch.

The busy deputy pavilion master picked up the phone and answered.

A somewhat hoarse voice came from the other end.

"Pavilion Master Lin, how about a deal?"

Pavilion Master Lin paused and frowned slightly, seemingly considering something. Several seconds passed before he said flatly, "Speak."

"It isn't anything major, really."

"We just need passage."

"In ten minutes, a convoy will enter through the north of the city and leave through the south."

"We simply hope the guards won't give them any trouble."

The hoarse voice spoke again, its tone calm.

Pavilion Master Lin's expression did not change. "People from the cult?"

"You must be joking, Pavilion Master Lin. It's the Myriad Gods Church." The hoarse voice corrected the mistake.

Pavilion Master Lin switched the phone to speaker and casually set it on his desk. Continuing to work through his documents, he asked in return, "Since this is a deal, what are you offering?"

"If I remember correctly, Pavilion Master Lin recently organized an assessment for students from remote cities."

"The assessment in Mobei City hasn't ended yet."

"The lives of twelve students in total."

"Do you think..."

"That will suffice?"

It was as though the voice were describing something perfectly ordinary, without a trace of murderous intent.

Pavilion Master Lin fell silent for several seconds.

"A deal needs a guarantor."

"After all, if you go back on your word, there's nothing I can do."

A soft chuckle came from the other end. "Pavilion Master Lin, in this deal... I'm the one calling the shots."

"You aren't qualified to negotiate terms."

"Of course, if the Ink Pavilion takes off the mask of hypocrisy it's worn all these years and lets those poor children die, I have nothing to say."

"Fine." Pavilion Master Lin took a deep breath, his gaze turning somewhat icy. "But if even one person in Mobei City dies..."

"For the next six months, Jiangbei Province will launch another crackdown on your cult!"

His tone held some anger, but in the end, he had no choice but to compromise.

"It's the Myriad Gods Church!" The voice on the other end corrected him again, then hung up.

Pavilion Master Lin casually set down his mobile, picked up the desk phone, dialed, and said something.

Several minutes later.

Baichun City's northern gate opened.

Several trucks roared through and sped down the road, trailing wisps of dust.

"You little brats!"

"Enjoy the party!"

Even late at night, Luo Yun still wore his sunglasses as he leaned against an off-road vehicle, a dog with blood-red eyes beside him.

The dog was enormous.

There was not a trace of intelligence in its eyes, only the primal frenzy of a wild beast. A dark red marking lay between its brows.

But a collar was fastened around its neck.

Luo Yun casually removed the collar. The dog abruptly turned around, stared at him, and let out a low growl.

"Go on, get!"

"Scram!"

Annoyed, Luo Yun kicked out, sending the dog flying.

The dog rolled once on the ground. When it got back up, instinctive fear had entered its eyes, and it gradually backed away, putting more and more distance between itself and Luo Yun.

But soon, it caught a scent, grew agitated, and raced toward the factory.

Drool dripped continuously from its sharp teeth onto the ground, giving off an overpowering stench.

Meanwhile, Luo Yun leisurely lit himself a cigarette and squatted on a hillside, admiring his handiwork.

"Heh, you little brats, it's about time you learned..."

"Just what the awakened have to face."

"Sleeping in the wild? You've got some nerve."

Clicking his tongue twice, Luo Yun took a deep drag and exhaled wisps of smoke, a faint smile on his lips, though his eyes were somewhat cold.