Scarlet Descent-Chapter 60 - Returning to Visit Relatives

Uncle Yuan is indeed a kind-hearted person...

After leaving the raw meat factory, Wei Wei smiled and bid farewell to the workers. In his mind, he imagined the scene of digging out their eyes, but his expression became even more gentle as he turned to say goodbye.

He drove his car, feeling somewhat unenthusiastic, through the night streets of Scrap Iron City. The sky was drizzling, and the lights seemed distorted. Today's harvest was significant, but useless.

Was Uncle Yuan still holding a grudge, so he deliberately gave him this lead? Everyone knew that places with traces of high-level Transcendents' battles often represented danger and fear. Some powerful high-level Transcendents, like bishops or proxy-level figures, could turn a gathering point in the wastelands or even an entire city into a demon's playground with just a thought. Even years later, it was uncertain whether some remnants of their will might still linger. Rushing in without caution could result in nothing at best and disaster at worst.

This was precisely why Wei Wei liked Uncle Yuan—telling the truth to deceive people was a virtue.

Although the destination was the Faceless God Church, perhaps the last place he wanted to visit, he decided to go for work. Wei Wei had many thoughts flashing through his mind. In the end, he made a sudden decision, turning the steering wheel toward the west of the city. It was late at night, and the church was empty. Only a few candles lit the main hall. Outside, a nearby garbage mountain loomed in the darkness, it's only intact streetlight casting long, distorted shadows on the rats rummaging through the trash.

The heavy knocking sound echoed again. A nun carrying a lantern approached from the side hall, peering through the door.

It was late, and the location was remote, so she dared not open the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

There was no response, but a gun was inserted through the door, pointing at her forehead. The nun was terrified, trembling as she opened the door. The man outside walked into the church calmly.

"What do you want?" the old nun stuttered, fearfully explaining, "We don't have any money here. The bank is just a short walk ahead..."

"Banks don't have money at night," the man said softly, a smile spreading across his face: "Besides, I'm just here to visit relatives."

"Visit relatives?" The old nun was shocked, her expression a mix of surprise and terror.

Looking at her wrinkled face, Wei Wei couldn't help but think of times when she would take mischievous children to her office and punish them by pricking their thighs with needles. His smile became more gentle.

The gun touched her forehead, and he chuckled: "Don't you remember me? Sister Xu."

The old nun stared blankly at Wei Wei, trying to widen her cloudy eyes, but clearly didn't recognize him. Wei Wei didn't rush to introduce himself; his current appearance was vastly different from three years ago. Few people could recognize him at a glance, except perhaps someone like Ye Feifei, who had an incredible memory and always seemed to be in bad luck.

He smiled and turned his head, slowly surveying the church. He hadn't thought he'd return here until today. The years he spent in this church were dull and uneventful, filled with things that made him unable to get angry.

The rows of old pews, the few white candles lit in the corner, the dusty stained glass, and the faceless god statue in black robes, with no discernible features, all seemed unchanged. Everything was just older than he remembered, without any changes.

The clue he was looking for was nowhere to be found. This was normal; Transcendents' abilities were mysterious, and few could leave traces lasting three years.

Perhaps he understood this but wanted an excuse to return?

A faint creaking sound came from the side door. Wei Wei turned to see a figure peeking from behind it, cautiously looking inside.

"Hello there..." he said with a smile, adding, "Don't wake up the sleeping children. You can come in too."

The figure behind the door trembled but didn't seem willing to enter. Wei Wei pointed his gun, and the figure finally stepped inside—a young nun in a black and white habit, who stood obediently by the wall, her hands clasped together.

"That's more like it. I'm just here to visit relatives," Wei Wei said, smiling as he pointed his gun toward the window. "You can come in too."

A quivering face appeared at the window, another familiar face—the chubby chef from the restaurant. He had a fierce look, holding a rolling pin, but trembled as he faced the gun. With some effort, he climbed in through the window and stood beside the young nun, hiding the rolling pin behind him.

"Don't be afraid; I really mean no harm," Wei Wei said, sitting down on a pew. He checked the bullets in his gun and clicked it back into place.

Smiling, he glanced over them: "Is that all of you?"

Except for the unfamiliar young nun, the others brought back many memories. Like the food that was never enough, the legs pricked by needles, the lecherous gazes at little girls, and the endless farm work.

His smile grew warmer as he lit a cigarette.

"Where's Father An?" he asked, his expression slightly more subdued.

Perhaps the one person he didn't want to see was Father An—the old man with a red hat who was the only source of warmth during his time in the orphanage. He would patiently teach Wei Wei about the world, how to listen to his heart, and how to control his anger.

Maybe he didn't want to see Father An because he had changed, or perhaps it was because Father An wasn't there when he and the others needed him most. After all, the others, like Qi Qi, were all dead...

As memories flooded his mind, Wei Wei's expression faded. He regretted asking the question.

"What... what about Father An?" the old nun hesitated.

Wei Wei was taken aback: "The Father An who played the piano in the church—is he no longer here?"

The others looked at each other, seemingly perplexed.

"In the church..." the old nun mustered her courage to answer: "There's no Father An here..."

Wei Wei turned to her, puzzled by her apparent lie. Father And was clearly the only male clergy member in the Faceless God Church. He remembered Father An giving sermons and sitting quietly with a red-covered book, watching the children play.

Why would she say he wasn't there?

Noticing Wei Wei's furrowed brow, the old nun seemed frightened.

"Really, there isn't..." she explained, trying to convince him: "Our place is small; we've never had a priest come here..."

Wei Wei's pupils suddenly contracted. He sensed that the old nun wasn't lying. A sense of foreboding rose, and he turned silently toward the side door.

He strode through the door and into the orphanage's courtyard. Without taking in the vivid impressions from his memories, he pushed open the door to a room filled with bunk beds. The few children there were startled awake, sitting up to look at him.

Wei Wei took a deep breath, holstering his gun. He didn't speak but quickly scanned the room, noticing an old photograph on the wall. It was a group photo of the orphanage children.

However, as his gaze swept across the photo, his expression faltered. Everything in the photo matched his memories, including the positions of the children. He saw Ma Jia, Di Gua, Huo Chai, and Qi Qi with her two small braids.

His heart ached sharply, and he bit his lip, scanning the photo again. He saw his younger self, standing beside the chubby chef, who was supposed to be the one taking the photo. But there was no Father An in the photo.

His younger self had clearly stood beside Father An, but the photo showed the chef instead...

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