10: Chapter 10 Beneath the Church

Chen Mo did not go directly to the church.

He first drove both vehicles to find a hidden location.

It was an abandoned Farmhouse by the road, far from the main highway and shielded by surrounding woods.

He unloaded the supplies from the secondary vehicle and moved them into the Farmhouse's Basement.

He had discovered the Basement while searching; the entrance was hidden beneath the kitchen stove, making it very secure.

The space wasn't large, but it was enough to store his supplies.

He sorted and stacked the compressed biscuits, mineral water, and canned goods.

He also set up a simple alarm device at the entrance.

Several empty cans were strung together with thin wire; if anyone pushed the stove, the cans would fall and make a noise.

By the time he finished, it was already afternoon.

The sun was starting to set, and there were only a few hours left until the next Ghost Night.

Chen Mo sat on the steps of the Farmhouse, eating compressed biscuits while watching the gray road in the distance.

The diary said, "The warehouse is beneath the church."

But the church was at the end of Highway 13, the place eroded by the Source of the Sequence.

He had been there once and had almost died in that looping road section.

Going back now carried the same level of risk.

But if he didn't go, he would never know what was in that warehouse.

He had to wait until Ghost Night began before going.

Because the church was most active during Ghost Night, but it was also the easiest time to find it.

During the day, Highway 13 had no fog and no loops; it was just an ordinary road.

He needed that looping section to pinpoint the church's location; only during Ghost Night would that eroded church be "pulled" to the side of the road.

He returned to the Basement to check his gear.

The crowbar he found at the service area repair shop could serve as a weapon or a tool to pry things open.

Two bottles of mineral water and three packs of compressed biscuits.

A flashlight with full batteries.

And a first aid kit found at the service area supermarket.

He packed these items into a backpack, then returned to the vehicles and filled both of them with gas.

The sun went down.

Ghost Night descended.

Chen Mo started the engine and drove the main vehicle toward Highway 13.

He left the secondary vehicle at the Farmhouse, chained to a large tree. In case something happened to the main vehicle, he would at least have a backup.

The entrance to Highway 13 was at the fork of Highway 7. Chen Mo had been there before and remembered the way.

After driving for about forty minutes, fog began to appear.

At first, it was faint, drifting over the road like a light veil. Then it grew denser and thicker until visibility dropped to within ten meters.

Chen Mo slowed down and turned on the fog lights.

He activated his Pupil of the Sequence to its full extent.

In his golden field of vision, the familiar road sign appeared ahead—

【Highway 13 · End】

【Entering looping road section in 500 meters】

【Current Ghost Night countdown: 7 hours and 42 minutes】

The looping road section.

The church was inside.

Chen Mo stepped on the gas and drove into the fog.

The road began to twist.

Not violently, but rising and falling slowly like ripples on water.

The headlights shone ahead, revealing the white road markings bending, stretching, and then returning to normal.

Chen Mo gripped the steering wheel and maintained a steady speed.

Ten minutes later, the church appeared.

Just like last time, its black silhouette crouched in the wilderness, its doors and windows dark voids, resembling the maw of a giant beast.

But unlike last time, the church door was open.

Chen Mo parked the car by the side of the road, killed the engine, and got out.

He didn't rush to approach it; instead, he circled the church first.

Some things were scattered on the ground around the church.

Fragments.

Golden fragments.

Not just one pile, but many, densely distributed within a fifty-meter radius.

Chen Mo squatted down and picked one up.

It was an f-grade fragment, but unlike normal fragments, the golden threads inside this one had completely solidified, as if dead.

【Detected consumed sequence fragment】

【Source: Chosen One consumed by the church】

【Current status: Cannot be absorbed】

Chen Mo threw the fragment away and stood up.

Those who died here last time—their fragments hadn't been absorbed; they had been spat out.

What did this mean?

It meant the church didn't need these fragments.

Or rather, it had already obtained what it needed.

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver and walked toward the church door.

The door was made of wood, very old, with some religious patterns carved into it.

In his Pupil of the Sequence vision, those patterns flowed with golden light, as if they were alive.

He reached out and pushed the door.

The door opened.

It was pitch black inside.

Chen Mo turned on his flashlight, and the beam shone inside.

It was a hall with rows of pews, and at the end was a pulpit. Behind the pulpit was a statue, though it was unclear what it was.

People were sitting on the pews.

No, not people.

They were corpses.

Dried-up corpses wearing various clothes. They maintained a sitting posture, heads bowed as if in prayer.

Chen Mo counted them—at least thirty.

All of them were Chosen Ones.

He stepped over the threshold and entered the hall.

The flashlight beam swept over the faces of the corpses; some had their eyes closed, others open, but there was nothing in their eyes, only two black holes.

They all had wounds on their chests, as if torn open from the inside by something.

Chen Mo continued walking forward.

The pulpit grew closer.

The statue became clear, too.

It was an angel, wings spread, holding a long sword.

The angel's face was not benevolent, but ferocious, its mouth wide open as if screaming.

At the feet of the statue was a hole in the ground.

The opening was uncovered, with stairs extending downward.

That was "beneath the church."

Chen Mo stood at the edge of the hole and shone the flashlight downward.

The stairs were deep, and he couldn't see the bottom. Murals were painted on the walls on both sides, but they were so eroded by time that their content was indiscernible.

He took a deep breath and began to walk down.

There were 108 steps in total.

Chen Mo was counting.

With every step down, the temperature dropped a little.

By the time he reached the hundredth step, his breath had already started to form white mist.

108 steps, and he reached the bottom.

Before him was an iron door.

The door was closed, but it wasn't locked.

Chen Mo pushed the door open.

Behind the door was a huge underground space, at least as big as two basketball courts.

It was packed with things.

Rows upon rows of shelves were arranged neatly.

On the shelves were various supplies: fuel drums, weapon crates, medical kits, food boxes, and even a few large chests stamped with the word "Military."

Chen Mo froze for a second.

Then he smiled.

The diary was telling the truth.

This really was an unlooted warehouse.

He walked in and began to inspect.

Fuel drums: fifty-liter capacity, twenty drums.

Weapon crates: containing standard-issue rifles, five of them, plus corresponding ammunition.

Medical kits: military grade, ten of them.

Food boxes: compressed dry rations, enough to last one person a year.

There were also a few large chests; opening them revealed parts.

Vehicle parts—engines, tires, shock absorbers, everything was there.

Chen Mo stood in the middle of the shelves and looked around.

These supplies were enough to arm a small army.

But now, they were all his.

He began to move them out.

One trip, two trips, three trips.

He moved the supplies, crate by crate, up the stairs, out of the church, and onto the pickup truck.

The pickup truck's bed was full, so he stuffed the passenger seat and back seat full as well.

More than half still remained.

He needed the secondary vehicle.

Chen Mo checked the time.

Five hours left until Ghost Night ended.

He started the pickup truck, drove back to the Farmhouse at top speed, unloaded the supplies, and then drove the secondary vehicle back toward the church.

With two hours left in Ghost Night, he finally finished moving all the supplies.

Both vehicles were completely packed.

The Farmhouse's Basement was also completely packed.

Chen Mo sat on the steps, gasping for air.

His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his arms were too sore to lift, but he felt at ease.

These supplies were enough for him to live for a year.

Within a year, he wouldn't have to worry about food and water anymore.

He could focus on researching the rules of this world, improving his abilities, and finding a way home.

He stood up, walked into the Basement, and picked up the weapon crate.

He opened it and took out a rifle.

It was heavy and felt good in his hands.

He pulled the bolt and checked the magazine.

Twenty rounds of ammunition.

Enough to deal with an f-grade Ghost Shadow.

He placed the rifle beside him, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.

He suddenly remembered the line from the diary:

"Don't trust anyone, don't stay in one place for too long, and don't look back."

He remembered it.

He wouldn't stay here for too long.

Once he finished resting, he would leave.

He would go to the end of Highway 13 to find that legendary "Old Driver."

And ask him.

What on earth was going on with this world.