It was as if he wouldn't stop until his goal was achieved, as if no matter what, they wanted him to go in.
A cold smile played on Duan Chen's lips. He refused to go in, wanting to see what they could do to him.
He turned and walked away directly.
This time, Duan Chen changed direction again, turning to his left.
He wanted to see if the church would appear wherever he went.
However, what truly made Duan Chen speechless was that it was exactly like that.
Wherever he went, the church followed.
Especially as he went further, it became more excessive, with churches appearing one after another before him.
He was completely surrounded by light.
When Duan Chen looked back, he no longer saw the heavy night. Instead, it was a series of churches.
Countless churches appeared around Duan Chen, completely enveloping him.
This time, he could no longer leave. If he wanted to leave his current spot, he could only randomly choose a door and enter.
"Interesting, you want me to go in that badly?"
The corners of Duan Chen's lips curved upwards, revealing a smile of disdain.
He didn't know who he was talking to. "Have you ever heard the saying, things that are too eagerly offered are cheap, and freebies are worthless?"
A sound like someone spitting blood seemed to come from the void.
The smile on Duan Chen's lips widened.
And this time.
He approached one of the doors at lightning speed.
Without giving anyone time to react, Duan Chen pulled the door open and stepped inside.
As he entered the church, Duan Chen felt his vision blur.
He had originally thought that this must not be a proper church, and that he might be teleported somewhere upon entering.
However, Duan Chen did not expect that after entering, he suddenly realized that it was indeed a proper church.
The only difference was that the church was now filled with people.
Duan Chen focused his gaze and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
The people sitting there were all scarecrows; not a single one was alive.
At the very top, holding a holy covenant book, was not a priest, but a milky white angel statue.
The angel statue held a real book in its hands, while the scarecrows sitting below wore black robes, but their exposed heads were made entirely of straw.
The expression on each scarecrow's face was different.
This was because they all wore cloth bags on their faces. Although the bags were shallow, even revealing their straw heads, the front of the bags displayed different expressions.
Some were devout, some were guilty, some were ashamed, some were peaceful, some were indifferent, some were sweating profusely, and some were anxious.
The expression on each scarecrow's face was unique.
The only similarity was that their straw-made hands were all raised to their chests.
It was as if they were truly praying.
Furthermore, another difference was that at the very front of this group of scarecrows, below the pulpit, knelt two people.
These two individuals were bound entirely with ropes, their clothes completely gone, and their bodies covered in wounds of varying sizes.
They were unconscious.
Each of their eyes was tightly closed, yet they were all kneeling uniformly and bowing towards the pulpit.
The angel statue seemed to be enjoying this with complete peace of mind.
At the back of the church, behind the angel statue, stood crosses one after another.
On each cross, a scarecrow was bound.
Duan Chen's gaze fell upon the two kneeling figures, but he did not act rashly.
Even though he had already realized that among the two kneeling, one was Bai Ye, and the other was Wang Zihao.
...
"What happened to me?"
Ming Yan weakly opened her eyes and sat up.
The surroundings seemed different from before she fell unconscious. Ming Yan looked around and found a familiar face.
"Xiao Li."
Xiao Li suddenly woke up and looked at the conscious Ming Yan with surprise. "You're finally awake, President!"
"Mm," Ming Yan nodded and raised a hand in a small wave. "Don't talk for now. Let me recall what happened."
Xiao Li remained silent.
Ming Yan delved into her memories, then suddenly looked up, her tone laced with anxiety. "Now that I'm awake, what about that charm banknote?"
Xiao Li smiled. "Don't worry, President. That charm banknote has been sealed and sent to the Capital Sector by the team members who returned with you."
Xiao Li had thought that after saying this, Ming Yan would be happier.
Even if not happy, at least she would be more relaxed.
But to her surprise, after hearing Xiao Li's words, Ming Yan frowned sharply. "What did you say?"
"What team members?"
Xiao Li blinked. "President, don't you know? Or have you forgotten because you haven't fully recovered? Of course, it's the team members who went on the mission with you."
"Nonsense!"
Ming Yan reacted violently, slamming her hand on the bedboard. "They're all dead!"
Xiao Li was instantly shocked, stammering. "President, has your memory become confused?"
How could they be dead?
Everyone was full of life.
Ming Yan, however, directly pulled out her IV drip and got out of bed. "I'm absolutely certain that everyone who went with me is dead. Only I managed to escape."
And she was still carrying that damned banknote. When she found people nearby, she didn't want ordinary people to be contaminated by the supernatural object, so she swallowed it.
She had thought to herself, "I'll just die then."
If she miraculously survived, her severely injured self would be transported to a hospital, and her identity information should attract the attention of the Spirit Hunter Guild.
Thinking of this, Ming Yan suddenly stopped.
"Wait, how did I get here?"
Xiao Li almost ran into Ming Yan's back. Hearing the question, she instinctively replied, "Of course, your team members brought you here."
"Impossible! They're all dead!"
"The place we went to was not a normal A-class mission; it was SSS-class!"
Ming Yan said very seriously, "With just me, there's no way I could have saved everyone's lives."
"What?!"
The color drained from Xiao Li's face in an instant. She was somewhat devastated.
"But, but, Officer Duan, Bai Ye, and the newly appointed agent Wang Zihao, they have all gone to the place where you were on your mission."