Chapter 63: [He] will punish, and I will do it..

[Your life is getting better and better, and the future seems to be full of hope.]

[You continue to help others, but you take one day a week to go to the "Sanatorium" to meet with Aponia, communicate with her, and take care of the children with her.]

[All in all, you spent a relatively pleasant time like this.]

[But... accidents always come quietly, or... it's not an accident?]

[It seems that some major disaster has occurred in the outside world. In a panic, more refugees have fled to "Twilight Street". Among them are all kinds of strange people, but most of them are ordinary people who come here to survive.]

[Most of them cannot adapt to the chaotic "Twilight Street", where things that are considered "crimes" by the outside world can happen anytime and anywhere. Murder, robbery, theft... can be seen everywhere, and you can even see people being kidnapped in the street.]

[For ordinary people like them, this place is simply too chaotic, so they choose to seek help from you, or the church and the "Sanatorium", hoping that you can give them a place to stay.]

[You did indeed do so. After all, this was your original purpose.]

[You have accepted many refugees, especially you and Father Yan Zheng. After all, the church was previously regarded as a "negotiation table" and has been vacant. There are no more people except you and Father Yan Zheng. Compared with the "Sanatorium" which already has many children and injured people, you can naturally accept more people.]

[In fact, many people are not optimistic about your place, especially the church. In this "Twilight Street" dominated by gangs and criminals, if you think about it, you will know that if you want to survive here, you have to join those gangs and become one of them. Otherwise, ordinary people who are alone will be eaten up by those with bad intentions here.]

[However, in such a place, there is a "shelter for ordinary people" like you. This is really strange. Even if it is a place like a "Sanatorium", it can be explained by the reason that "the gangsters will not harm them because of their old friendship". But your church should be from outside...]

[But they don't have any other ideas. They just want to find a place to live, a place where they can live in peace. As for you, they just think that the gangsters have a change of heart and give up an area for the church to exist.]

[After all, your buildings are intact, there seems to be no signs of fighting, and there are enough supplies for you to survive.]

[And you and Father Yan Zheng have no time to care about so many things. After all, more and more people come to seek help, so much so that the church is full of people, and even has to set up a canopy in the outer courtyard to allow more people to rest.]

[Although you are getting busier and busier, you feel satisfied in your heart. The smile on your face is a little tired, but it comes from the heart. You think "renovating the church" is the right decision.]

[When you pray at night, you hold the cross pendant tightly in your hand and tell Him about your experiences during these days, with a certain expectation in your heart, as if you want to get praise from Him.]

[But "He" has no opinion on this.]

[And in the end, this story is not so "beautiful".]

"Thank you very much for your help, Mammy."

Nozomi bowed slightly towards the old nun in front of him, tightly grasped the cross pendant on his chest, and recited softly.

"May [He] always protect you."

"It's okay, it's just some extra food we have. If it's left here for a long time, it will go bad. Why not let you use it to help more people?"

The nun smiled and waved her hand, indicating that Nozomi didn't need to worry too much.

"And... my child, we have all seen your efforts. You can make the people here feel at ease... even if it's only small and short-lived, it is enough... for those panicked people, for those who have lost everything and come here, this is undoubtedly a ray of light in the darkness."

"Sure enough... your name is really good... Nozomi... [Hope]... Haha, this is a really good name."

At this point, the nun couldn't help but laugh again and reached out to touch Nozomi's head, but was unable to do so due to the height difference... So Nozomi also lowered his body slightly so that she could reach his head.

"Good boy, good boy..."

Mammy smiled even more happily, then took her hand again and spoke in a very caring tone.

"In the future, please remember to communicate more with that child. Please, believe me, you two are a perfect match."

"Mammy..."

Nozomi's tone became somewhat helpless... Not to mention that he and Aponia only got along slightly, and because they were both cared for by "Him", the two of them had a lot of common topics and their communication was very smooth, but in the eyes of outsiders, especially in the eyes of Mammy and Father Yan Zheng, their relationship was developing in "that direction".

Although Nozomi could sense that Mammy and Father Yan Zheng were only pinning their feelings on Aponia and himself, after all, their relationship reminded them of their past selves, but this attitude similar to "parents urging marriage" was... how to put it? A little helpless.

"I know you don't want to listen to our nagging, but... I still have to say it."

Mammy held his hand and spoke softly.

"You are definitely destined to be partners and companions on the road because you are all His children whom He watches and loves."

"Your paths lead to the same destination, intertwined with each other... No, perhaps, your path is longer and more difficult than hers. After all, you are so lovable and favored by Him."

"I know from him and the priest about your past. Maybe you think you are stained with the blood of sin, or you are a born evil person, but... I know you are a good kid, always have been."

"That is why you are watched by Him and favored by Him... and because of this, you will experience even longer suffering, but... please do not worry, he will stay by your side, and His eyes will be on you and will never leave."

"Go on with strength and determination, push aside the thorns, and move forward towards the glory that has already shone. On the way, you will gain love and trust, memories and companions, and he will follow you and walk towards the end together."

Mammy spoke softly, but there was something difficult to express in her words.

"...Mammy, do you know anything?"

Although the main meaning of the words was to express to him that [Aponia will be his partner and future companion], the [Him] mentioned in mammy's words still made Nozomi realize something.

"Haha... not really. I... just saw our past selves in you..."

The mammy was stunned for a moment, then smiled, loosened her hand, patted Nozomi's chest gently, and spoke softly.

"Go back quickly, don't make those people wait too long. Hunger is always unbearable, and only food can make people feel at ease."

"...I understand. Thank you, Mammy."

Nozomi nodded and walked away slowly. When passing the front yard, he happened to run into Aponia who was playing with the children.

"Are you leaving now, Father?"

Gently nudged the children around her, Aponia walked up to Nozomi, looked at the basket of food in his hand, and spoke softly.

"yes, and...thank you for your gifts and help."

"If you need help in the future, please come back. It is our responsibility to provide people with a place of peace of mind. Only by helping each other can we last long."

Aponia raised her eyes slightly and looked at Nozomi's face. She noticed that his gaze stayed on her. There was a bit of trouble in her eyes that she didn't know how to express. She shifted her gaze slightly and looked at the nun who was standing at the door and watching all this with a smile. She understood something and showed an equally troubled expression.

"Ah... I'm sorry, Mammy told you those things again. I'm sorry to bother you, Father, but... no matter how much I explained to Mammy, she didn't believe me..."

"It's okay, she just cares about us, and...Father Yan Zheng is the same..."

Nozomi shook his head and comforted softly.

"...Alas." x2

Finally, the two of them sighed together… It was a very helpless emotion. Obviously, neither party involved had such intention, but the existence of the parents' generation arbitrarily poured their emotions and regrets onto the two of them, constantly trying to bring them together… and they didn't do anything excessive in the process, they just brought it up occasionally, which didn't make people feel annoyed, but only helpless.

"But she was not wrong."

After a moment of silence, Nozomi shook his head again and said.

"…Huh?"

"We are surely companions on the road, under the watchful eye and care of… [Him]."

Nozomi placed his hand on his chest and clenched his cross pendant slightly.

"Indeed… that's the case."

Aponia was stunned for a moment, then understood something, raised her hand, and placed it lightly on her chest.

The two smiled at each other, bowed slightly to each other as a sign of courtesy, and then parted ways.

...

......

clatter--

Walking slowly on the way back to the church, Nozomi's mood was as good as usual... Although the church has taken in too many people recently, resulting in a shortage of food and supplies, and the gangs have provided less supplies, which has caused the church, which has gathered many refugees, to have an increasingly difficult time in recent days. But with the help of Aponia and Mammy's "sanatorium", as well as the efforts of everyone, everyone is still living a good life.

Although life was difficult, at least we had a place to sleep at night and food to eat when we were hungry... The smiles on everyone's faces were real.

"...Hmm? Is it going to rain?"

Nozomi looked up at the sky and found that rain clouds were gathering. At the same time, he keenly caught the smell of moisture, and probably it would rain when night fell... He seemed to have a special sense for water, and could accurately sense the coming of rain almost every time, causing many people to tease him that this priest was a "human weather forecaster."

' since it's going to rain tonight, we have to go back quickly... I remember there are still a few places where the awnings haven't been put up yet, so I have to go back to help... huh?!'

Nozomi was startled for a moment, then quickly quickened his pace... He saw the overturned awning in the front yard of the church, food scattered all over the ground, bright red blood and light white porridge mixed together and flowing on the ground, and several people... collapsed on the ground, not moving.

He quickly walked into the front yard, put down the food, and came to the fallen person, but the moment he touched their skin, a cold touch mixed with the warmth of the porridge came from his hands.

They...are already dead.

Bang!

There was a sound of things being thrown and smashed in the church, followed by the sound of glass breaking.

He saw that it was the remains of wooden furniture mixed with broken glass that flew out of the church windows and fell to the ground, breaking into even greater pieces.

He heard the screams and wails of frightened people, but the screams were quickly suppressed by the threatening gunshots and roars, leaving only the incessant sounds of destruction and smashing.

Nozomi hurriedly ran into the church, but could only see those people, those people who suddenly broke in with weapons and malicious intent, pushing down the already broken statue of [Him] and smashing it to pieces.

What came into view next was the bruised and battered Father Yan Zheng who was forced to sit on a chair, and the people huddled in the corner.

Fear and malice mixed together, filling the entire church.

Bang!

A dull gunshot rang out, and a bloody hole appeared on Nozomi's leg. A huge pain followed, forcing him to kneel down on one knee.

"Look, look, who's back?"

The leader swung the gun in his hand, with a sarcastic and playful smile on his face, and spoke in a frivolous voice.

"Isn't this your junior, Father?"

He leaned close to Father Yan Zheng's ear and chuckled.

"If I remember correctly, he wanted to renovate this place, right? And you didn't stop him~ Hmm... As expected, you support him in your heart, right? Haha... To be honest, your behavior is quite funny~ Trying to use a junior to hide your thoughts... It's a bit childish."

"You used to be quite smart. You just lived in this dilapidated church, being a casual [negotiation table] and being a dispensable [witness]. But now... you want to change? No, no, no... you can't hide your thoughts anymore, right? You want to... take a piece of the pie from us, right?"

As he spoke, he shot Nozomi again. This time the shot hit the arm, causing Nozomi, who had just made a move, to stop. At the same time, he signaled and asked one of his men to step forward and step on Nozomi's body and head to prevent him from moving any further.

Then, he picked up Father Yan Zheng's head and pulled it in front of him.

"Look at that poor kid, the poor junior you used as a shield. How miserable he is now. As long as I give the order, my men will shoot him in the head. He will die instantly. Because you didn't stop him, because of your little thoughts that you didn't explain to him, he will lose his life because of this."

Then, he seemed to remember something, and then he smiled even more viciously and said.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that someone has already died because of your little thoughts, and their bodies are still outside."

"We just...want to help people in need...that's all..."

Father Yan Zheng's breath was very weak, but his tone was extremely firm.

"…Ha…hahahahahaha!!!"

The man was stunned for a moment, and then laughed out loud.

"Did you hear that? This guy... this guy is actually talking about helping people in need... it's hilarious!"

The man seemed to think that such words were really ridiculous and asked his companion. Then another burst of laughter rang out, and anyone could hear the sarcasm contained in it.

"Father...are you confused because of your age? Or...wasn't the lesson I taught you enough?"

He knocked Father Yan Zheng on the head with the gun in his hand.

"Don't forget that the church became so dilapidated... but you were partly responsible for it~"

"If you hadn't been so obsessed with changing this place and giving those people a 'stable life'... we wouldn't have come to trouble you, right?"

"You've clearly already suffered a loss once, and we've clearly been kind enough to keep you here, but why don't you learn your lesson?"

Boom!

He hit Father Yan Zheng's head hard with the butt of his gun.

"Your kindheartedness is not applicable here, and it cannot be used. Everyone who comes here... is a resource. They are all our resources!"

"That's right! I'm talking about you!"

He picked up the gun again and pointed it at the people huddled in the corner. Looking at their frightened expressions, he smiled with satisfaction.

No one would oppose him, no one would resist him, because those who dared to resist were already dead, lying in the yard.

"As long as you come here, as long as you enter here, you will never be able to leave! If you want to survive here, you can only become like us, so that you can live in this chaotic and twisted place!"

"So... come! Join us!"

"Of course, this is the only choice you have."

He chuckled.

"Otherwise, your end will be the same as those guys lying on the ground outside."

"......"

No one responded, but everyone knew that he was right. When they arrived, there was only one path they could choose.

"Ah, of course, we are still merciful and will not really force you. After all... you are all our precious [resources]."

At this time, he smiled and put on a hypocritical mask, with sarcasm and ridicule.

"It doesn't matter if you want to stay here~ But I have to tell you, here... there will be no supplies in the future. There will be no food or anything like that. Don't even think about clothes. If you are willing to accept that kind of life like savages, I don't mind, hahahahaha..."

"Okay, then, I'll wait outside. Come out when you've thought it through. Of course, I'll only wait for one minute. I won't wait for you later."

After saying that, he called out to his men, who destroyed everything that could be destroyed around them, and then walked out of the church in a bustling crowd.

Before leaving, he even hit Father Yan Zheng's legs again. After hearing the sound of broken bones, he nodded with satisfaction, walked to the door and began to wait, and even began to count down seriously.

And his voice turned into tangible pressure, oppressing everyone present.

"......"

The people huddled in the corner didn't dare to move or speak. Their eyes kept moving back and forth between the wounded Nozomi and Father Yan Zheng, with conflicted expressions on their faces.

"...Please leave now."

Father Yan Zheng spoke to them softly.

"I'm sorry... for giving you... a false hope. I'm sorry..."

"Let's go with them. Even though... life will be difficult, at least... we can survive."

"May [He] bless you to survive here..."

"Puff——"

He sneered, but said nothing, just continued counting down.

Soon, after people looked at each other, someone stood up and left tremblingly.

With someone taking the lead, everyone quickly stood up together and ran and crawled out of the church... His countdown was almost over, and he could no longer stay in the church. It was obvious that he had no intention of letting these two priests go.

Although they feel very sorry for the two priests who have bestowed grace on them, but...but didn't Father Yan Zheng say that they could leave, and they just wanted to survive, so there was nothing wrong with that, right?

'Just to survive... We are not wrong' - this is how they comforted themselves.

Until the last person left, no one looked back at the two priests. Perhaps it was because they felt guilty, or they were worried that their actions would make him unhappy, or they were simply worried that their actions would slow down their speed and prevent them from leaving before the countdown ended... But no matter what, no one looked back before the last person left.

This situation undoubtedly attracted his ridicule again.

"Look! Look! These are the people you have taken in! Such heartless and ungrateful people! They treat your charity and kindness as nothing! They don't even think of your kindness!"

"......"

There was another round of mocking laughter, but everyone lowered their heads and did not dare to refute.

"Alright, alright, take our important [resources] away, but don't let the boss wait anxiously... You, you, and you, stay with me."

He waved his hand and ordered his other men to take the people away first, and then he randomly selected three people and asked them to stay with him.

They need… "aftercare."

"Okay, Father, now...it's our time."

After watching his men send the [resources] away, he led his men back to the church, closed the door, and spoke with a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't let you die easily. I'm not that kind. After all, I'm an [evil guy]~"

He waved his hand, signaling his men to make way, then walked forward with a gun, lifted up Nozomi's head, and signaled to Father Yan Zheng.

"Come to think of it, you seem to like this junior quite a bit, why don't we start with him, um... let me see..."

He put the muzzle of the gun against the center of Nozomi's neck, thought for a moment, and then moved it to the side of the neck.

"No, no, if I shoot you straight through the neck, you'll die instantly. I can't let you have it too easy... How about knocking off half of it... Okay?"

His body trembled for no reason, and a chill ran up his spine. He lowered his eyes slightly and found that Nozomi was staring at him with those weird three-color pupils... 'Hmm? Was it an illusion? It felt like the gold in this guy's pupils was slowly expanding...'

"[He] will give the judgment that people like you deserve."

Nozomi'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 'God,' 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 Nozomi'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 Nozomi'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 happen!"

"[He] will give you the punishment you deserve."

Nozomi spoke softly, his eyes becoming increasingly cold.

Then, he felt a strong sense of crisis, a feeling of being preyed upon.

"You!..."

He pulled the trigger almost subconsciously, but the pain still came from his neck - in just a flash, Nozomi stabbed the cross pendant hidden in his hand into his neck.

Accurate and swift, one strike was enough to be fatal.

However, the bullet he fired just grazed Nozomi'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 Nozomi in the side of the neck.

Then, Nozomi quickly raised his hand, endured the pain in his arm, grabbed his hand, turned it back hard, took away his gun, and then used the body as a shield and quickly moved towards the other people.

Gunshots rang out continuously, and although most of them hit the body, Nozomi himself was also hit by a few bullets, but it didn't matter.

He seized the opportunity, lowered his body, threw the 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 Nozomi, 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 Nozomi's willpower to endure the pain and continue fighting.

"…I told you that [He] would punish you."

Nozomi, 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 on the ground in fear, and moving frantically towards the gun that had fallen to the side, Nozomi gripped the pendant expressionlessly, then stabbed him down, letting the blood gush out.

"It's just that I...will do it on 'His' behalf."

After saying that, Nozomi 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 Nozomi'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 kid\]\]]..."

Nozomi'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"...

————————

[Entry: ■■ (blue), effective]

[■■■: Young ones, don't worry, I'm by your side, healing your pain]

[Entry: Final Herrscher (Gold), has taken effect]

[Your adaptability to Honkai has been greatly improved, and the probability of becoming a "Herrscher" has increased! ]

————————

Tick-tock

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 Nozomi'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 Nozomi from doing those things, he should not have held out hope anymore, even if he saw the shadow of his past in Nozomi... he should have stopped him immediately, even in the end, he should not have smiled for Nozomi's efforts, and felt happy for everything that happened afterward... 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 Nozomi 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 Nozomi 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 Nozomi'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 Nozomi 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 for Nozomi to be with him and brought Nozomi 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 Nozomi 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 Nozomi'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 me' - 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.