This time, however, the candlelight, representing suffering, did not enter the cave.
After opening the trapdoor, the priest placed the candlestick on the ground beside him, then forcefully threw a huge, blocky object inside.
It was a human body, and he was still alive.
While living in symbiosis with trees may lower the upper limit of human lifespan and physical health, it can also cause humans to exhibit some plant-like traits when faced with external attacks.
One of the characteristics of plants is their strong vitality.
The man landed on the damp ground of the cave, like a catfish that had jumped out of the river into a mud pit, and began to writhe in agony.
After splashing the water out of the puddle, he finally adjusted his posture.
Despite still being bound by countless Boston Ivy, he began to move forward, seemingly trying to ascertain the size of the space he was in.
Although the scene was bizarre, the boys, who had experienced far more bloody and horrific treatment, were already used to it.
Using the faint light reflected repeatedly from the narrow cavern, they watched numbly as the figure writhed incessantly until...
" Tiya!"
The humanoid creature shouted the name at the top of its lungs.
The boys in the entire underground prison were all stunned into silence.
After a few seconds, a hesitant voice came:
"... dad?"
The rustling sounds in the darkness grew louder, and the previously numb teenagers moved from the corners of the prison to the vicinity of the cell door.
Through the gaps between the logs, they stretched out their hands; some had two, some had one.
They forcefully tore at the Boston Ivy binding the man's body; this plant, with its extremely strong rooting ability, had already pierced into the man's flesh.
Every tearing motion from the children caused him immense pain.
Despite the pain, the man continued to crawl forward, heading towards the sound. Finally, he gained his freedom in front of the deepest cell, his hands, withered from the Boston Ivy, reaching through the gaps between the logs to touch a familiar face.
" Tiya, Tiya..."
The man's withered, rough hands stroked his child's face:
"Are you alright? Dad... can't see."
Warm tears spread between their touching skin. Tiya didn't answer the question, but just sobbed silently.
The man's hands moved downwards, tracing his way down his daughter's pale, slender neck to her shoulders.
He tried to take the child's hand, but his fingers landed on nothing at his sleeve.
The man had lost his face and eyes. Realizing what had happened, he could only let out a heart-wrenching scream before collapsing unconscious on the damp floor of the cave.
This scene rekindled the flame of survival in the boys who had given up hope, but along with their will to live came the rich emotions that belonged to teenagers.
For a long time, the fear and grievances they had suppressed in their hearts finally erupted at this moment.
The sobbing grew louder and louder. What had started as just a few low, short breaths turned into a concert-like sound as more and more people joined in...
A dozen minutes later, the boys finished venting their emotions.
Even if they haven't fully vented, their current physical strength doesn't allow them to cry for any longer.
Tiya's father has also awakened from his coma, and the experimental subjects who came from outside, as well as those who have never left the church since they became conscious, have begun to listlessly inquire about what is happening outside.
The territory of the Tree Worship Church is always lifeless, with very few people actively growing food, hunting, or trading.
People usually just sunbathe and drink water, and if they're not family, they almost avoid any interaction.
Everyone seemed to have truly been Alienation into plants, staying in their own small territories, waiting for the collectors known as tax officials to come and collect taxes.
Tiya's father only mentioned a few things about the outside world, and the boys who had already spent some time outside lost interest.
White Wax Town is so unchanging; there's never anything new or interesting to see.
Only those teenagers who had never been outside the city listened with great interest to these old, trivial stories.
Just then, a young male voice suddenly came from the darkness:
Is there someone outside... called ' Number Three '?
Number Three?
Tiya's father thought for a moment and said:
"I haven't heard of it."
"All right."
The voice immediately dropped, then seemed to remember something:
"Well... hey, does anyone remember the name he gave himself?"
A profound silence fell over the cave as the experimental subjects drifted into memories.
A voice said:
"I remember his name was Ed something."
Ed Adrian.
Tiya said with certainty:
"I remember him saying that he came up with this name out of boredom when he was being sliced up."
"Dad, is there any news about this person outside?"
The man lying on the ground shook his head again, and only after realizing that he might be in complete darkness did he say:
"No, this name is much more normal than ' Number Three,' but I've never heard of it before."
So who is he?
"He's the only experimental subject who escaped from here."
Hearing that her father had also not heard of any trace of her companions, Tiya lowered her head sadly.
"Perhaps... he's already been caught."
The girl in her cell noticed her dejection. Her leg, replaced by a twisted tree trunk, slowly moved over and gently patted Tiya's shoulder.
"No, don't overthink it. Ed might just be dead."
The other children in the prison also chimed in:
"Yeah, those priests are so powerful, maybe Number Three just died, wouldn't that be good too?"
The hotel owner, lying on the ground, listened for a long time before realizing that the children weren't just being sarcastic; they genuinely wanted the escaped test subject to die.
Perhaps the long-term experiments have severely distorted their views, causing these people to develop an expectation of death.
Living would only bring them pain, but their survival instincts made them fear suicide, so they could only hope that the priests would give them a quick death.
In the minds of the test subjects, the status of "surviving after being captured" and "dying on the spot" had been completely reversed.
And his daughter has already accepted this view.
Thinking of this, a wave of sorrow welled up in the man's heart.
Then a somewhat immature male voice asked:
"If Number Three is still alive, will he come to save us?"
The test subjects immediately started discussing among themselves.
Someone said with certainty:
He said he would.
Some people remain skeptical:
"Stop dreaming, Number Ten. It's a miracle he's even alive."
Someone else whispered:
"He'd better not come back..."