Gun of Ashes

Just like an excellent physician, balancing the enemies without causing their death.

These people might be those devout believers, without a hint of fear. Even under such suppression by 042, they continued to surge forward, a strange power surging in the midst of flashing blades, suddenly erupting.

It was like a buzzing sound, a sharp, high-frequency sound ringing in the mind. 042’s sword-swinging hand slowed by a step, the continuous sword momentum interrupted, and people swarmed in.

Perhaps anticipating this anomaly, 011 distanced himself at the critical moment, but this intense pain inevitably brought some shock to him.

016 was not too affected. Instead, in this brief pang, she seemed to discover the truth of Valley Town.

Someone raised a rusty blade, but paused the moment he made eye contact with 016. She said.

”Move aside.”

She didn’t even dodge, the blazing pupils slowly solidified, like a glowing mirror, reflecting the face covered with symbols.

The blade failed to fall; the person seemed to be petrified, foolishly staring at 016. In his eyes, the already twisted world became increasingly hideous, and 016’s body began to distort, moving towards a fear that humans cannot endure.

He hallucinated countless tiny sounds, intersecting and resonating, as if ancients were whispering in his ears, telling secrets unbeknownst to mortals.

The intense pain originated in his mind, then blood gushed from his ears and nose, eventually his entire eyeballs were bloodshot, shedding tears of blood.

The fiery zeal for death was extinguished. The person seemed to suddenly realize the absurdity of it all; after losing his senses came fear, he let out a mournful cry, staggering back.

But there was no time for remorse, his consciousness began to dissipate. Without any physical attack, his spirit was already riddled with wounds in that brief glance, endless nightmares utterly destroyed his will, and he fell rigidly.

Watching the fallen corpse, as the blood washed away the symbols, that eerie feeling gradually faded away.

But it wasn’t enough. 016 keenly sensed something else was interfering with her, something that had been with her since entering Valley Town.

She seemed to realize something, looking around, a brief moment of distraction followed by a self-mocking smile, as if laughing at herself for not realizing such a thing.

”Let’s finish this quickly, 042, I know where the problem lies.”

016 shouted towards the center of the chaos, her crossbow shooting repeatedly, killing those prepared survivors. At this moment, all this seemed unimportant to her.

Outside the story, four people watched that bloody slaughter from afar. Everything was reaching an end.

”She has always been the smartest one, excellent and efficient, although 042 leads the team, the real brain is her.”

Lorenzo looked at the familiar figure beneath the gray mist, speaking somewhat nostalgically. He still missed those times, although the Evangelical Church was foolish, at least his companions were not. Even though they liked to slay demons, they were all good people, extremely lovable.

”Would the great Holmes also acknowledge the intelligence of others?” Red Falcon teased.

”Of course, I never hesitate to praise those who are excellent… except fools.”

Lorenzo said mercilessly.

”So where does the problem lie?” Bluebird asked. He was very curious about everything in Valley Town.

Not the abnormality of the abnormal, even the Purification Mechanism seemed to have never encountered these.

”It has always been there… always influencing us, starting from when we entered Valley Town.”

Lorenzo and 016 in the story said in unison.

Inside and outside the story, different gazes watched them.

016 slowly raised her hand, seemingly wanting to touch that gray mist. It shrouded this valley, thick and impossible to dispel, omnipresent.

”It’s the mist, these mists are the root source of the influence.”

016 expressed her conjecture.

If there was something that always existed and influenced them, then it would be this eerie gray mist.

”But I didn’t perceive anything abnormal,” 011 said.

”Yes, that’s where its eeriness lies… we were all misled by our own common sense,” 016 said, ”remember the example I always used to give you, 042?”

042 killed the last person, standing amidst the corpses, but he did not answer 016, remaining silent.

”042?”

011 called tentatively, but his hand couldn’t help gripping the Nail Sword tightly. Immediately, Shangdafeng foresaw it.

042’s figure staggered, seemingly enduring some kind of torment. As the blood surged, the scent of blood also permeated into the mist, amplifying the eerie power.

016 immediately made a judgment. Instead of retreating, she approached 042, firmly pressing against his Face Armor before he could make any unnecessary moves.

”Look at me.”

She shouted, then the shout turned into a soft calm. The eerie world started becoming serene, as if placed in a cradle, 042 fixedly watching those blazing white eyes, the tense emotions gradually calmed down, as if soaking in warm seawater.

Authority · Raphael.

Weaving a delusional and illusory world, but when you lose yourself in it, the hallucination can become the real world.

Under 016’s gaze, 042’s agitated heart gradually calmed down.

”So I said you have the potential to be a doctor… a psychological doctor though.”

042 emerged from that peaceful illusion. In such an extremely oppressive environment, the illusion 016 created could well soothe those tense emotions.

But 042 remained vigilant. He knew to what extent this Authority could achieve its ultimate; in those chaotic illusions, the lost people would lose themselves, even having false memories implanted, plunging into endless madness.