Zhang Rantian still lay motionless on the ground. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong with him. But looking closer, his complexion had turned a translucent black, and the swollen side of his face where he had been hit was already reduced—except for the area where the cross had touched, which remained slightly swollen. Other than that, there was no sign of the injuries that had almost disfigured him moments ago.
Sun Fatty noticed something was off too. He didn't dare step forward and stood in place, saying to Director Hugo, "Hey Director Yu, what's going on with him? Is this some kind of dying flash? Honestly, that stuff you poured down his throat just now—was it holy water or some miracle tonic?"
"On God's grace, do you want to taste the holy water yourself?" Hugo raised the glass bottle that once held the holy water, gesturing twice at Sun Fatty, then continued, "But it looks like having him accept the cleansing of holy water wasn't such a good idea after all…"
No sooner had Hugo finished speaking than Zhang Rantian's abdomen suddenly sank inwards in a terrifying way. It was as if all his internal organs had vanished into thin air; his belly almost leveled with the ground. This process lasted more than a minute, after which Zhang suddenly opened his mouth. Though he didn't seem to inhale, his lower abdomen began to swell slowly once again.
"Lazi, what the hell is going on with Zhang Rantian? Possession or something?" Sun Fatty babbled as he started walking toward Hao Zhengyi and Crow. But after just a couple of steps, Zhang Rantian abruptly stood straight up, blocking Sun Fatty's path.
Seeing the danger, Sun Fatty was about to retreat when a small rat's head suddenly poked out of his shirt pocket. His fat rat seemed like it was pumped full of adrenaline; it clawed at Sun Fatty's pocket, baring its four rows of sharp teeth, and started squeaking furiously at Zhang Rantian.
Sun Fatty was startled and quickly pushed the rat's head back inside. Luckily, Zhang Rantian's attention was fixed on Hugo and didn't notice this anomaly on Sun Fatty's side.
After standing up again, Zhang Rantian stared fixedly at Director Hugo and asked, "What exactly did you pour into my mouth just now?"
Zhang's current state was far beyond what Hugo had expected. He had previously tested holy water on half-formed Nyeh — the holy water could even dissolve their bones. Pouring it into Zhang Rantian's mouth shouldn't have restored him so radiantly, even if it didn't corrode him like the half-formed Nyeh.
Director Hugo let out a light hum and muttered something incomprehensible. Though it was unclear what he said, his expression suggested he was cursing under his breath in Italian. The once solemn and dignified Nicholas Hugo was now tilting his head and glaring sideways at Zhang Rantian. Speaking with a thick Beijing accent, he said, "Buddy, enough is enough. If I hadn't shown mercy for the sake of God just now, you would have been dead many times over…"
"Holy water, right?" Before Hugo could finish, Zhang interrupted, staring at him, "Seems like your faith in God isn't all that special—just the Bible's cross and holy water." He then glanced down at his own body.
...
After a pause, he looked up again and said, "In Dong Qichao's time, your religion hadn't even entered China. He reversed all the mystical practices of the religions of his era to forge the Sacred Body. But due to the limited knowledge of the time, Dong Qichao didn't even know your kind of religion existed, which left me with this enormous hidden threat. Had someone else inherited this Sacred Body, I might really have died at your hands just now. Too bad for you—you happened to run into me."
While Zhang Rantian was speaking, Hao Zhengyi and Crow had already approached without a sound. The two of them, together with Hugo, now surrounded Zhang Rantian from both sides and behind. But Zhang Rantian only glanced briefly at the two newcomers before locking his gaze back on Hugo, clearly unfazed by their presence.
Just as Zhang Rantian finished, and before Hugo could respond, Hao Zhengyi suddenly spoke from behind him. "Sacred Body? Don't flatter yourself. Nyeh is still just Nyeh. If my guess is correct, the reason you were able to drink the holy water without harm just now is because you were once a believer yourself. You've received the Church's baptism, haven't you? Your body has already developed a memory of the holy water, so it doesn't harm you. In fact, it seems to have altered some of your physical functions. But you couldn't stand Director Hugo's cross, could you? That's because his cross isn't like those decorative ones you've seen before." Then Hao turned to Hugo and asked, "Am I right, Director Hugo?"
Hugo nodded and waved the cross in front of Zhang Rantian's face. With a serious tone, he said, "This cross has been worn by four successive Popes and blessed by no fewer than nine Cardinals. It's just short of being a true relic." Then, a puzzled look crept onto his face. Hugo stared at Zhang Rantian and asked, "Aren't you a disciple of an old Daoist? How did you end up mixing with the Church?"
Suddenly, something seemed to dawn on Zhang Rantian. He glanced at Hugo, then turned to look at Hao Zhengyi and Crow. With a cold smirk, he said, "You're stalling… what tricks do you still have up your sleeve?" Then turning again to Hugo, he sneered, "Didn't you enjoy hitting me with that cross just now? Come on, give it another shot—see if you can actually kill me this time."
To his surprise, Hugo simply smiled and replied, "There's no need for me to dirty my hands. You're not as untouchable as you think—someone else will deal with you." As Hugo finished, Zhang Rantian turned back to Hao Zhengyi and Crow, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Boss Hao, still holding back one last card? Looks like you came well prepared this time."
Hao Zhengyi was silent for a while before speaking slowly. "I underestimated this whole situation. If my intel had been more thorough, things might look very different right now." Then he gave Zhang Rantian a grin. Before Zhang Rantian could react, Chairman Hao suddenly shouted, "Now! Do it!"
As soon as Hao Zhengyi gave the order, Zhang Rantian instinctively turned toward Hugo—despite all his bravado, those slaps from Director Hugo earlier had clearly left a mark on his psyche. At that very moment, there was a boom beneath his feet as two arms burst from the ground and seized his ankles. With a forceful tug, the figure underground yanked hard, dragging Zhang Rantian downward.
Another loud thump—Zhang Rantian's lower body was pulled underground, leaving only his upper half above the surface. Hugo, Hao Zhengyi, and Crow seized the opportunity and rushed toward him. Sun Fatty and I hesitated but stayed where we were, not wanting to get in their way. Just like before, Hugo slapped Zhang Rantian's wounded cheek hard.
The slap landed with full force, but this time the result was dramatically different. With a dull thud, the sound was like palm striking stone. Hugo hadn't expected such a drastic change in just a few minutes. He'd used more force than before, and now his cross had bent and warped. Heartbroken, Director Hugo visibly winced.
Meanwhile, Hao Zhengyi and Crow had reached Zhang Rantian's back. Both struck his head at once—Crow with his Six-Spoked Dharma Pestle, and Hao Zhengyi with the Bureau's tactical baton. A metallic clang rang out—clang, clang!—as Crow's Dharma Pestle bounced off Zhang Rantian's skull. If he hadn't held on tight, the weapon might've flown out of his hands. Hao Zhengyi wasn't so lucky. Pouring all his strength into the blow, his baton snapped into three pieces on impact.
In an instant, the situation reversed again. Zhang Rantian shoved Hugo aside and turned to seize Crow. Fortunately, Hao Zhengyi reacted quickly—after his strike failed, he immediately retreated a few steps, keeping out of Zhang Rantian's reach. Otherwise, Zhang Rantian would've had one of them in each hand.
Zhang Rantian had just grabbed Crow when Hugo charged back in. From his waist, he drew a short sword and brought it down toward the back of Zhang Rantian's head. Though there was no lighting, I could clearly see under the flashlight Hugo had dropped earlier—that short sword in Hugo's hand was identical to the one Sun Fatty and I carried.
Since when did Wu Rendie's short swords become so common? There was no time to dwell on it. Hugo's blade slashed down across the back of Zhang Rantian's head. Sparks flew, and though Zhang Rantian swayed slightly, he remained standing. A patch of hair had been shaved clean off, and the point of impact showed a slight dent.
Both Hugo and Zhang Rantian were stunned. Hugo forgot to dodge and stood rooted, only breathing a sigh of relief when he saw that the blade edge remained intact. Though Zhang Rantian appeared unharmed, the moment that blade struck his skull, his mind went completely blank. His grip weakened, allowing Crow to wriggle free.
Before Zhang Rantian could react, the hands beneath him pulled again—this time dragging him another foot underground. Only his arms and head remained above the surface. Realizing what was happening, Zhang Rantian braced his hands against the ground, struggling with the figure below.
"Don't give him time to recover! Do it now!" Sun Fatty shouted beside me. But despite his yelling, he had no intention of joining the fight—in fact, he pulled me back and gave a frantic look, warning me to stay put. Not that it mattered—Hao Zhengyi, Crow, and Hugo had already charged in again.
Before we talk about the others, let's focus on Crow. Wielding the Six-Spoked Dharma Pestle, he was the first to reach Zhang Rantian. He'd seen what happened during Hugo's attack and now aimed straight for Zhang Rantian's eyes. The pointed bronze tip of the pestle was aimed directly at his eye socket.
Zhang Rantian saw it too. As Crow closed in, Zhang suddenly raised his hands. Without support, he was immediately pulled under. By the time Hugo and Hao Zhengyi arrived, only a gaping hole remained where Zhang Rantian had stood.
Zhang Rantian had vanished underground, as if swallowed whole. The scene fell silent. For a long while, there was no sound from below. No one above knew what had happened down there. Seeing that there was no immediate danger, Sun Fatty and I finally stepped forward.
A man-sized hole remained in the ground, but no one seemed willing to go down and investigate. After another moment of silence, still no movement came from beneath. Sun Fatty grew impatient. From a distance of about three meters, he shouted, "Da Yang! Is that you? What's it like down there?"
The words had barely left his mouth when the ground beneath us trembled violently. Then, with a rumble, a second collapse occurred, centered right where we stood, covering a radius of about twenty meters. Fortunately, the cave-in wasn't too deep—just over a meter—but it was enough to scare the life out of us. Sun Fatty fell straight to the ground. As the tremor stopped, he scrambled to his feet—only to see a pale hand suddenly shoot up from the earth and grab his ankle, just like what happened to Zhang Rantian.
Sun Fatty jumped, but relaxed once he saw the pale skin. "It's Da Yang! Come on, give me a hand—let's get him out!" He grabbed the arm with one hand and brushed away the sand and gravel covering what seemed to be the head.
Hearing it was Yang Jun, I joined him, clearing away the debris. Hugo also came to help, while Hao Zhengyi, though not lending a hand himself, didn't stop Crow from joining in. Together, the four of us dug until we uncovered a patch of white hair—who else could it be but Yang Jun?
With both arms exposed, Sun Fatty, Hugo, Crow, and I pulled Yang Jun out like we were uprooting a carrot. Though he was naked, there was barely a scratch on his body. Sun Fatty wrapped him in his coat immediately.
Yang Jun was severely depleted, barely able to speak. We laid him down to rest, wanting to ask what had just happened, but he seemed eager to express something. After a moment of recovery, he gritted his teeth and raised his right hand, pointing at the hole Soul Husk had made in the wall. "Go… go… go…"
He repeated "go" three times, confusing us all. Sun Fatty said, "Da Yang, are you telling us to go through that hole? But you're the one who said we can't go back that way." Yang Jun ignored him. After a deep breath, he finally said something more coherent: "Can't… stay here. Must… leave…"
Sun Fatty still wanted to ask more, but Hao Zhengyi stopped him. "Little Fatty, listen to Yang Jun. If we go alone, it's a dead end. But if he leads the way, maybe we still have a chance." From Yang Jun's expression, we all understood something terrible was about to happen. Without hesitation, I hoisted Yang Jun onto my back while Sun Fatty supported me. Crow and Hao Zhengyi led the way, Hugo brought up the rear, and together we crossed the hole and continued forward.