His body trembled for no reason, and a chill ran up his spine. He raised his eyes slightly and found that Xi Wang was staring at him with those weird three-color pupils... Hmm? Was it an illusion? I felt that the gold in this guy's pupils was slowly expanding...
“[He] will give the judgment that people like you deserve.”
Xiwang's voice was calm and firm.
"Ha...hahahaha!!! Very good! I like your pious look, and your eyes are great too! If you join us, you'll definitely adapt quickly!"
He laughed, unbridled and full of sarcasm.
"But unfortunately, you two must be cleared out... and..."
He pointed his gun at the statue that they had pushed over, and then spoke.
"Look, your so-called 'Him', your so-called God is just an illusory thing. If we push it casually, it will shatter to pieces."
"And look at you, look at your miserable state now, where is your God now?! Can your God help you now?! Why doesn't your God kill us and save you?!"
"Look at you again!"
He used the muzzle of the gun to lift up Xi Wang's collar, looked at the empty skin underneath, and laughed.
"Where's your pendant? Where's the pendant you wear around your neck all day? Did you lose it? I heard that it was specially distributed to you, and it was said to be a token of God's gift to you. All of you priests treasured it very much and held it when you prayed. Where's yours now?"
"It seems that you are not very devout in your faith. You can even lose such an important thing."
After saying that, he knocked on Xi Wang's head with his gun and laughed at him. Then, as if to trample on the two people's beliefs, he deliberately fired another shot at the broken statue on the ground, making a hole in the half of the head that was already bumpy but still intact.
“Look, even if I treat your God like this, He won’t say anything… Your so-called God doesn’t exist at all! If you have the ability, you can ask him to kill us directly, right? Hahahaha, try to pray with your not-so-devout faith, maybe a [miracle] will really happen?”
“[He] will give you the punishment you deserve.”
Xi Wang spoke softly, his eyes becoming increasingly cold.
Then, he felt a strong sense of crisis, a feeling of being preyed upon.
"You! Auntie..."
He pulled the trigger almost subconsciously, but the pain still came from his neck - in just a flash, Xi Wang stabbed the cross pendant hidden in his hand into his neck.
Accurate and swift, one strike is enough to be fatal.
However, the bullet he fired just grazed Xi Wang's neck, taking away only a piece of flesh and blood.
In a sense, his aim was very good. After all, he did just as he originally intended and only shot Xi Wang in the side of the neck.
Then, Xi Wang quickly raised his hand, endured the pain in his arm, grabbed his hand, turned it back hard, took away his gun, and then used his body as a shield and quickly moved towards the other people.
Gunshots rang out continuously, and although most of them hit his body, Xi Wang himself was also hit by a few bullets, but it didn't matter.
He seized the opportunity, lowered his body, threw his body out to attract the other party's attention, and then, ignoring the gunshot wound on his leg, he forced himself to the side, rolled on the ground, and came to the side of the crowd.
He raised his gun, took aim with a skill that seemed innate, and then... pulled the trigger, emptying the magazine, and stabbed the cross pendant in his hand into the neck of the nearest person. At the same time, he pushed his knee forward and knee-kicked the opponent's vital point in the lower body, forcing the opponent to lose the ability to counterattack in time with the huge pain.
As for the remaining two people, one was hit directly in the face and died, while the other was lucky enough to avoid the bullet attacking his neck. Like Xi Wang, the bullet only took away a piece of flesh on his neck.
But unfortunately... he was hit by several bullets, and he did not have Xi Wang's willpower to endure the pain and continue fighting.
“…I told you that [He] would punish you.”
Xi Wang, with blood constantly rising from his throat, covered his neck which was constantly bleeding with one hand, and held the gold-plated cross pendant stained with blood in the other hand, and limped towards the man.
Watching him wriggling in fear on the ground, and moving frantically towards the gun that had fallen to the side, Xi Wang gripped the pendant expressionlessly, then stabbed him down, letting the blood gush out.
"It's just that I...will do it on your behalf."
After saying that, Xi Wang checked the conditions of the other people again. After confirming that they were all dead, he limped towards Father Yan Zheng who was moving towards him with difficulty.
However, it seemed that confirming the death of those people had exhausted Xi Wang's last strength. He took a few steps and his body swayed, and then fell to the ground. Blood flowed, mixing with the blood of those people, dyeing the ground red.
"Child... child..."
Seeing him fall, Father Yan Zheng used both hands and struggled to crawl to his side, held him in his arms, and tried to stop the blood flowing from his neck.
"I'm sorry, Father... As expected, I am a born... [bad boy]..."
Xi Wang's consciousness was becoming weaker, and his strange three-color pupils were gradually becoming blurred, but the first thing he thought of was that his actions had implicated Father Yan Zheng, and... he had failed His trust and expectations.
Not only did he use the token given by [Him] to take away lives, but he also once again stained his hands with sinful blood...
It seems that I have failed Father Enrique's expectations...
As expected, I was born a "bad boy"...
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[Entry: ■■ (blue), effective]
[■■■: Young ones, don’t worry, I’m by your side, healing your pain]
[Entry: Final Herrscher (Gold), has taken effect]
[Your Honkai adaptability has been greatly improved, and the probability of becoming a "Herrser" has increased! ]
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tick-
Outside the broken window, there was the sound of raindrops falling.
Night fell unknowingly and the rain came as expected. The cool night breeze carried the rain and poured into the church from the window, adding a touch of dampness to this bloody place.
In a trance, there seemed to be the scent of lilies coming from Xiwang's body, but it was only fleeting, like an illusion.
However, Father Yan Zheng, who looked flustered, did not notice this.
"I'm sorry... kid... I'm sorry..."
He should have been more resolute at the beginning, he should have stopped Xi Wang from doing those things, he should not have held out hope anymore, even if he saw the shadow of his past in Xi Wang... he should have stopped him immediately, even in the end, he should not have smiled for Xi Wang's efforts, and felt happy for everything that happened afterwards... because he should have known that all of this would be shattered.
It was obvious that he had lost the reputation of the church in this place because of a similar incident, and he had also parted ways with her, causing her to walk into that "place where sin is nurtured" and watch as one child after another was taken away by gangs to do those sinful things... He had clearly experienced it once, but in the end he let his descendants go through the same thing again.
And Xi Wang even gave his life for this... He is the most sinful person here.
Knowing and not reporting is a sin; allowing others to do it is also a sin.
"I'm sorry, kid..."
Father Yan Zheng whispered softly, watching Xi Wang close his eyes in his arms, his body gradually becoming cold, and finally even his breathing became weak, and then...
not dead? !
Father Yan Zheng's pupils dilated slightly. He repeatedly checked Xi Wang's breath and found that his breathing was gradually returning to normal. Although it was still very weak, it showed no sign of weakening. Even the blood oozing from his neck was gradually slowing down. After a while, the bleeding simply stopped.
Father Yan Zheng searched hurriedly and reached out to touch the cross pendant that Xi Wang was holding in his hand. He found that the pendant was slightly warm, which seemed particularly warm in this cold environment.
"I see...I see! As expected, you are here, you are watching over this child, you are protecting this child."
At this moment, Father Yan Zheng was a little bit enlightened and knew why his good friend Father Enrique arranged Xi Wang to be with him and brought Xi Wang to this chaotic and disordered place.
Because he is watched and protected by Him, and He guides him to bring changes to this chaotic and disordered place.
But in the end, his sins brought disaster upon him.
But... fortunately, [He] is looking at this child and [He] loves this child.
"Don't be afraid, child... I will take you to a safe place... Don't be afraid... [He] loves you and [He] is watching you..."
Father Yan Zheng moved his body little by little, found a piece of intact wooden board nearby, and then found a waterproof cloth. He put his immobile lower body on the board, then carried Xi Wang on his back, covered both of their bodies with the waterproof cloth, and then began to crawl out little by little.
Perhaps [He] can save Xi Wang's life, but... it's not enough just to do that. He must go to a place with medical treatment, or at least bandaging capabilities, a safe place for him to rest...
And... I can't let this child suffer death because of his sins... I have to resolve this matter... This is my sin, I must pay for it...
And...and...
Father Yan Zheng moved forward bit by bit. His arms and chest, which were rubbed to the point of bleeding, could not stop him, and the rain falling from the sky could not stop him either.
It was clearly a journey full of pain, but in Father Yan Zheng's eyes, it was all so reassuring.
Perhaps... this is the path of atonement that "He" gave him - he thought so.
Go on, move forward step by step, firmly, and don't be defeated by any difficulties. I...we, will eventually reach that place.
“Father?!”
Finally, amidst the noisy rain and the faint sounds of children playing, he...heard a familiar voice.
Here we are... I have brought him here - as he thought this, the strings that maintained his consciousness finally relaxed.
Before his vision went dark, he could see Aponya's panicked expression and... her hurried figure running towards him.
We are already so old...
As he thought about this, he fainted.
Chapter 5371: Kindness will eventually be rewarded, even if it is small ()
He seemed to be dying soon - Xiwang could sense it.
But he didn't seem to be dead - Xiwang could tell that.
Is it [Him] who is protecting me? ——Xiwang thought so.
Although you cannot move your body, the surroundings seem familiar to you. More importantly, you can sense His gaze on you.
Xi Wang hurriedly lowered his head, trying to perform the etiquette of a devout believer... Unfortunately, he was unable to do so now. However, "He" did not mind these little things.
[He] spoke, a slightly gentle female voice.
"Young one... do you know the evil consequences of your actions? Do you know the mistakes you have made?"
[His] words were no longer as vague and difficult to understand as before, but became clear and audible. It was a language that Xiwang was familiar with, not an unknown language.
"I'm sorry, Almighty God... I failed to live up to your expectations. I used the token you gave me to kill people, and my hands were once again stained with sinful blood. I... failed to live up to your trust and expectations, and failed to spread your kindness to the world."
"........."
Hearing this, He was silent for a moment, and then spoke calmly.
"You have lived up to my trust and expectations. The mistake you made is something else."
Afterwards, [He] gently explained why things ended up like this, which was the [mistake] that Xi Wang had made.
First of all, [Twilight Street] itself is in a delicate balance. Under this weak balance, [neutral zones] like the church can exist. Even Xiwang's daily life supplies are "provided" by those gangs. In this situation, Xiwang tried to use their supplies to tear out an independent area out of thin air on their land... This is obviously not allowed by them.
If Xi Wang had repaired the church with his own strength and the materials he obtained, then the gangsters would not say anything, and at most would have mocked him a few times - after all, their arrival would definitely make Xi Wang's efforts go to waste, and they would definitely loot all the materials in the church.
However, Xiwang used their "donated" materials to repair the church and even took in refugees who should have become their human resources. This affected their interests. Therefore, Xiwang and Father Yanzheng were [retaliated]... They did not need a [negotiating table that was too inconvenient] and [witnesses with their own ideas].
As for the subsidies and supplies that should have been provided by the church? Those things did not exist. They would be divided up by them when they entered [Twilight Street]. In fact, the supplies that the church received from them were also part of the subsidies provided by the church.
In other words, Father Yan Zheng should have been living a good life, and the church here would not have been in such a dilapidated state. The current situation was caused by them embezzling most of the subsidies and supplies, and... not only did they take these subsidies, but they also used them to take out a portion of them as "alms" to the church, making the people in the church thank them for their "alms."
It's really...disgusting.
"Almighty God... why don't you change the atmosphere of [Twilight Street], let this chaotic place return to peace and stability, and let the people here sleep peacefully?"
Xiwang asked softly.
“Because this is the choice of the people.”
He said.
“People living here are used to and love this [atmosphere], and people outside also need this [atmosphere] here.”
“This is a chaotic place that is driven and condoned by everyone.”
"The outside powers need places like this to exile prisoners, to drive those desperate criminals or those who are difficult to deal with here."
"The people here need those desperate people to do things that are not suitable to be put in the sun, to make a lot of money to maintain this place and their authority here."
Things that are not suitable to be exposed to the sun... such as illegal human experiments, or... selling "addictive drugs"... or something like that?
How disgusting—Xi Wang couldn't help but think so.
"Your intention is good, your thoughts are good, and there is nothing wrong with the goodwill you express."
[He] said so.
"It's just that there's no room for such kindness here."
"The choices of the people have made this place [Twilight Street]. You have no power to change their minds."
"You are too weak and don't have the power to change this place."
