“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting! Amen!” Yang Meili first drew a cross on her chest, using both of her hands to tightly grasp the cross necklace hanging around her neck. She endlessly repeated these words, immersed in her own emotions.
An icy-cold wind slowly blew inside and touched the skin on her neck, causing her to involuntarily shiver. She opened her eyes, which had originally been closed, and scanned the room.
There was simple furniture, a limited amount of space, and the pattern of an inverted pentagram affixed to a wall. And at the center of the pattern was a goat. Everything looked the same as usual.
Yang Meili erased the panic in her heart as her gaze moved back to the headboard of her bed. A puppet with the appearance of a girl was placed there. It wore a pink barbie dress, and its two eyes were surprisingly large. They didn’t blink, but they seemed to shine with life.
Yang Meili hugged the puppet in her arms. She thought of something, and a sob escaped from her.
“Mommy…”
“Why don’t you want me anymore…?”
Yang Meili was extremely shocked. She immediately snatched a white medicine bottle on the nightstand and fumbled to take off the lid. She ravenously swallowed two pills. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she had already begun to tremble.
“Mommy…” Even after Yang Meili ate the medicine, the distant voice didn’t fade. It even grew increasingly louder.
Outside the window, lightning flashed and thunder roared. The wind whistled as it hurtled through the air, and the rain emitted pitter-patter noises when it hit the window.
Yang Meili abruptly stood up from the bed and then fiercely ran out of the room. She grabbed a clear umbrella by the door. Despite the fact that she was still wearing slippers, she raced out, looking dazed and frightened.
She had rented an old apartment. The building didn’t have an elevator, and she lived on the 13th floor.
No one could tell what was going on in her mind. She rapidly ran down the stairs, the umbrella still in her hands. It almost seemed as if she was being chased by something unclean.
“Bam.” Perhaps because of her slippers, her right foot suddenly twisted and her entire body toppled forward. And the umbrella she held in her hand was also flung away.
First, it hit the steps of the stairs and rebounded. It turned in a circle, becoming vertical in the air.
The tip of the umbrella reflected in Yang Meili’s pupil as she fell down uncontrollably. And the umbrella was pointing towards her throat…
“Yang Meili died?” Wang Xing froze.
“Yes&#k2026;” Liang Jing was also somewhat absentminded. “Supposedly, she tripped when she was going down the stairs, and her throat was pierced by the tip of a clear umbrella.”
“&#k2026;&#k2026;” Wang Xing subconsciously touched her own neck, and her breathing was messy.
She had known Yang Meili for more than ten years, so she was familiar with the other’s mental condition. When Yang Meili was in high school, she was a bit promis/cuous. She had gone through many boyfriends, and later she actually got pregnant. Her belly grew every day, yet she didn’t even know who the father was. It was only when she was already six months pregnant that she was unable to hide it. She was dragged by her family to a private pheasant hospital to get an abortion. Ever since then, she became mentally debilitated and fell ill with an incurable mental disorder. Yang Meili unexpectedly started to believe in Christianity in the name of atonement. She prayed daily.
The reason why Yang Meili joined this club was because she was invited by Wang Xing. Yang Meili always acted somewhat strangely, so she didn’t have any friends.
“The police concluded in their preliminary investigation that she had auditory hallucinations. There were leftover pills on the floor of her room, so when she went down the stairs, she was in a trance. Then……” Liang Jing trailed off.
Yuan Zhong, who had listened at the side for a long time, couldn’t stand it anymore. “Liang Jing! At this time, you still won’t reveal the truth?”
“What?” Liang Jing raised his gaze weakly. He hadn’t gotten a good rest recently.
“What actually happened in the accident that day? Tell everyone the details of your dream. We can’t continue to sit back and await death!” It could be seen that Yuan Zhong’s mental state was also bad these days. He, who originally didn’t believe in such supernatural events, was also beginning to have suspicions.
Meanwhile, Xiao Chen just sat quietly and didn’t speak. His expression looked serious, as if he was contemplating.
Liang Jing exhaled deeply. Suddenly, something in his mind clicked. His eyes widened immediately. “I understand!”
“What?” Wang Xing was extremely attentive. She stared at Liang Jing, her eyes blazing like a torch.
“Do you remember the positions of our seats that day?” Liang Jing was a little excited, and his body was trembling. “We all sat in the last few rows! I sat with Xiao Chen, you sat with Yang Meili, and Yuan Zhong and Li Haibo sat together!”
“Yes! That’s right!” Yuan Zhong nodded.
“In my dream, when the accident occured, it was too sudden! Yang Meili and Li Haibo had seats by the aisle, so they were the initial ones to be thrown out! Li Haibo plunged to the bottom of the cliff first. Yang Meili had hung onto the rear of the bus, and only fell after Li Haibo! Afterwards, it was Wang Xing, Yuan Zhong, and me! Could this be the order of our deaths?”
Wang Xing shuddered, and thought of something. “What about Xiao Chen?”
Everyone’s sight turned to Xiao Chen. He calmly accepted their scrutiny and seemed to be very focused on Liang Jing’s words.
Liang Jing sighed, and said with a hoarse voice, “He got off the bus early…”
Silence……
“I don’t want to die……” Wang Xing was dumbfounded. If this was really the order of their deaths, wouldn’t she be the next to die? How could she just welcome that?
“What should we do? What should we do? We have to find a way to save ourselves!” Wang Xing was so anxious that she was about to cry, and she was shaking all over.
Xiao Chen, who hadn’t said anything this whole time, finally opened his mouth. “Have you guys heard of scape/goats?”
“Huh?” All the people stared at him.
“Where someone once drowned, there will often be others who also drown. Water monkeys will pull people into the water and suffocate them. In addition, the New Testament records that Jesus Christ was willing to be crucified on a cross as a sacrificial victim dedicated to God in order to atone for humans.” Xiao Chen grinned. “Commonly known as killing people to renew life!”
Everyone was slightly dazed by his serious expression. But they reacted swiftly, and Yuan Zhong wasn’t in the mood to joke. He really thought Xiao Chen was just playing around. “Xiao Chen, what nonsense are you saying? Right now, who f*cking has the time to joke?!”
Xiao Chen tilted his head. “I’m not kidding!” He blinked innocently. “You guys can go find some witches and ask them if this method can’t break this dead end.”
The old woman frowned, and her formerly impassive face stiffened. It wasn’t even an overstatement to describe her as terrified. Her lips had paled and she shook like she had seen something horrible. She twitched her lips and shouted, “Go! I cannot assist you!”
Wang Xing was shocked, and she recklessly grabbed the old woman’s hand. “Great master, help us! I know that your religious magic is very profound, and haven’t you saved many people before? Can you not save us this time?”
The old woman was so angry that she laughed. “Do you understand what kind of people I normally help? They are either exceedingly compassionate people without any sin, or they are good people who have reincarnated ten times. You really think that my religious magic is so advanced? I am only an ordinary person! Every single one of you is extremely sinful. How can I do anything?”
Wang Xing had been scolded so much that her face had turned ugly. Her complexion was especially sallow when the woman mentioned that their sins were intense.
Yuan Zhong had wanted to speak for a long time. When he noticed that Wang Xing was dumbstruck, he directly came forward and asked, “Is the method of killing people and renewing life actually feasible?”
The old woman’s eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected the other to say something like this. Her lips quivered as she murmured, “How do you know about that?”
Liang Jing appeared to have seized a key point. “So, it really works?”
The old woman was so frightened that she took a step back. She loudly yelled, “Quickly get out of my house, and don’t come again in the future! Leave! Quickly go!”
The moment the group was pushed to the door, the old woman’s gaze met with Xiao Chen’s. Horror emerged in her eyes, and she seemed to have seen something inconceivable.
It wasn’t until the door was completely closed that she recovered. “What’s going on? He was actually stillborn? How did he survive?”
T/N: I translated the author’s note because it clears up a bit about Yang Meili’s sin. I don’t usually do this because the notes are almost always just a thanks for supporters. There’s also the occasional spoiler.