Chapter 112: Legs
Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the church. It sounded like there were not just one person, but three or four approaching the door. Linlang was startled, momentarily unsure what to do. Seeing the person outside about to push the door open, exposing herself to them, she didn't know how to explain her presence there. Suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, right behind the curtains on the side of the confessional.
Linlang was so scared that she almost screamed, but the man covered her mouth. After looking carefully, she saw that it was Luo Mei.
Luo Mei raised his index finger towards Linlang, asking her to be quiet, and then he crouched down and hid under the wooden fence window of the confessional, in the shadow where the candlelight could not reach.
"Take so many as sacrifices... Is it necessary?" a man asked in English. Luo Mei didn't know who he was, but Lin Lang immediately recognized him: a young man with a Scottish accent who believed in Satan.
"Mr. Leslie, God is noble. If the sacrifice is free of charge, wouldn't that be a desecration to God?" said another man, whose accent sounded more like a Chinese speaking English.
"Hmm... you do have a point. But... it's better not to let the priest know."
"Douglas? I haven't seen him for a long time." a woman said.
"At this point...where can he go?"
No one answered.
"Just a reminder, Mr. Leslie, you were supposed to board the ship this afternoon. If Mr. Taylor blames you..." the woman continued.
"Oh, it's okay. There's another one tomorrow morning, I'll just catch that one. Clark, now that you've done what I asked you to do, make sure nothing goes wrong at the hospital."
"Don't worry, Mr. Leslie." Another man said with a pure British accent.
Luo Mei didn't understand a single word, and she couldn't help but feel anxious. She cautiously peeked out of the confessional's barred window, and was immediately startled. She saw four people entering, each wearing a hideous, demonic mask that was terrifying.
"It's ten o'clock at night," said the grim-faced man known as Mr. Leslie, looking at his watch. "That's all for today. I have a boat to catch early tomorrow morning. Let Clark celebrate the mass."
Everyone agreed respectfully and gradually dispersed. After waiting for a while, making sure that no one was around the church, Linlang and Luo Mei came out.
"Huh, finally these weird guys are gone!" Luo Mei sighed, then asked Linlang: "Did you understand what they said?"
Linlang nodded and told Luo Mei about the conversation. She then explained, "I ran into these people when I came here this morning. They were holding a mass for Satan. I guess they were doing something evil for Satan just now!"
"Satan, I have heard of him. He is a very evil god in Western religions. They actually believe in such an evil god, so he must not be a good person!" Luo Mei said disdainfully.
"Where have you been during this time? Why is there no one in the hospital when I open my eyes?" Linlang asked.
"I find this place very strange," Luo Mei said as he came closer. "Look, there's a hospital and a church here, with a beautiful garden in the middle. But the dozen or so families next to it keep their doors shut from day to night, and no one ever leaves their homes. I once suspected this was an abandoned village, but after careful observation, I discovered that smoke rose from each household in the evening. It turns out that these homes are all inhabited by villagers, and why they never leave their homes is very strange. Then I noticed some movement in the church, so I sneaked in to see what was going on, and that's when I ran into you. As for why the hospital was empty... I don't know."
"It's not accurate to say it's deserted," Linlang shook her head. "I came here following that weirdo in the basement who looked like a walking corpse. But after following him from the secret passage to the church, I haven't seen him since."
"Is it possible... that the weirdo is among those Satanists?"
"It's hard to say. Maybe it's possible, but it doesn't seem likely," Linlang said thoughtfully. "It's just that... the content of their conversation just now has me more concerned. Douglas... is the priest of this church, and very likely a member of the Satanic cult or organization, but it seems he hasn't been seen in a long time. If we can find him, we should be able to rediscover the lost clues."
Luo Mei grinned. "Hey, these foreign names are really hard to pronounce, like Leslie, Douglas... Anyway, isn't it just about finding someone? With my Feiyan's skills, there's no one I can't find. Douglas, right? I've seen all kinds of priests before, so it's easy."
She rubbed her shoulders, stretched her arms and legs a few times, made a reassuring gesture to Linlang, and quickly left the church.
"Hey..." Linlang had originally planned to discuss countermeasures with Luo Mei, but she hadn't expected Luo Mei to be so impatient. She shook her head helplessly. It seemed like she had no choice but to return to the hospital and secretly inquire among the doctors and nurses there to find out who was a Satanist.
Just as she was about to get up and leave, she noticed someone else approaching the church, this time seemingly alone. Linlang, assuming Luo Mei had returned for some reason, went to greet her. But who would have guessed it was the female doctor, Vina Yun, dressed in clerical attire. When they met at the door, they both paused.
"Ms. Lin? Why are you here?"
"Doctor Yun? What are you doing..."
Vina Yun showed a complicated expression, "Well... I have something to say to the priest. You..."
Linlang quickly explained, "Oh, after I woke up, I found that there was no one in the hospital, so I wanted to go out for a walk, and I just let my imagination run wild and ended up here."
"Oh... I see. You look a little pale, so you should go back and get some rest," she said, glancing at the candlelight in the confessional. "I'll finish talking to the priest and then we'll go back."
Linlang could tell she wanted to confess to the priest, revealing things she couldn't bring herself to share in public. But there wasn't a priest here. Should she tell her? Forget it. She was afraid people might suspect she'd been here long enough, and they might think she'd been sneaking into the church to investigate. If she was also a Satanist, that would be a problem.
"Well, please do as you please. I'm going back."
Linlang and Vinayun waved and walked out of the church. She was thinking about how to search for clues back at the hospital, but she had only taken a few steps when she heard Vinayun scream. She didn't know what had happened. Linlang quickly turned around and returned to the church. "What's wrong, Doctor Yun?"
"Look! What's in there?" Vina Yun pointed inside the confessional.
Linlang had only been thinking about finding that strange man, and hadn't carefully observed the confessional. She approached and peeked through the barred window. She saw a waist-high wooden table with a cross on the edge. And just behind the cross, a bloody human leg stood upside down!
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