The Abyssal Garden: No Room for the Idle

All the villagers had already entered the church, meaning—every home was now deserted.

Su Qi, following the information he'd seen today, began to break into each house one by one.

Soon.

He found an axe at the woodcutter's house and slung it over his shoulder.

Then, at the hunter's house, he found a hunting rifle, thoughtfully stocked with ammunition by the owner.

Su Qi had no plans to flee or hide.

He was arming himself with the enemy's resources.

At last, in the butcher's home.

Su Qi suddenly halted, his gaze slightly startled, for he saw not only the bloodstained butcher's knife but also a mysterious symbol[!]above it.

"Is there an unexpected find? It never appeared before."

Upon triggering it, the information also revealed itself.

[If you can use it to peel an apple and keep the peel unbroken, perhaps you'll discover something]

"Sure enough... it's this style again." Su Qi shook his head yet his expression wasn't surprised.

Because the previous few exclamation triggers had also been like this, the prerequisite actions somewhat abstract, puzzling, but rewarding upon completion, so he endured it.

After a brief half minute, he completed the prerequisite action.

It must be said, the thing was indeed good at peeling apples, albeit a bit unnerving.

The exclamation symbol flickered lightly, then gradually faded away.

The next moment.

The butcher's knife seemed to absorb a special aura, changing its appearance, and a panel popped up along with it.

[Name: Hundred Man Slaughter Blade]

[Type: Equipment]

[Quality: Ordinary (Low-quality, Ordinary, Excellent, Perfect, Immortal, Legend)]

[Function: When slashing, it can increase movement technique and strength by +15 each (also consuming more physical strength)]

[Can be taken out of the instance: Yes]

[Note: A knife that has killed too many people, filled with a terrible sinister energy]

This was the first piece of equipment Su Qi could see the panel for, he didn't know whether it was because he had discovered its special property, triggering the equipment attribute.

Or because he did those things, changing from an ordinary item, directly creating it out of thin air.

The former... was still normal.

The latter... would be outright cheating.

However.

None of that was the most important thing at the moment.

Su Qi tucked the blade into his belt and then strode to the storeroom door, sniffing the smell of gasoline inside.

Right now, there was only one thing on his mind.

He was about to embark on a massacre!

-----------------

At this very moment.

The town's church was bustling, its doors tightly shut.

The space inside wasn't large; though it could accommodate nearly fifty people, they were all squeezed together. In the middle of the open space stood a column with the statue of a sheep's head on top, surrounded by patterns drawn in fresh blood.

Clearly, this was a ceremony.

Nearly fifty town residents were standing shoulder to shoulder in a circle.

The Old Priest's voice echoed as he bowed his head and chanted the prayers, his tone filled with utmost devotion.

"Great True God, in this world, only we recognize your might. Please accept our unwaveringly loyal faith."

"When the bell tolls, we will offer up the sacrifice to you, completing the ritual with the flesh and blood of the desperate one."

Torches burned around the column, and in their shadowy glow, the shadow of the sheep's head lengthened across the front wall of the church, reaching all the way to the hanging bell.

All the residents of the small town had eyes bloodshot, their expressions brimming with immense excitement as they watched the scene unfold.

Because they knew what was about to happen.

The great True God would ring the bell, answering their prayers, and then the night's revelry would begin.

"Dang!"

The bell tolled, struck by a shadowy figure!

The Old Priest watched everything, arms spread wide, his eyes lined with red veins. His devout expression appeared terrifying under the firelight as he said, "My friends, the True God's response has arrived, and today's prey seems quite promising, I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

The Hunters, Butchers, and Woodcutters raised their heads.

Mary, the maid, was even more filled with madness and excitement.

Yes, she had thought of a hundred ways to deal with that guy, just hoping this rude and disrespectful man would last a little longer.

Before.

Some guests would foolishly stay in the cabin, clueless even as the ritual started, and when tied to the post, still begged for mercy, ultimately being cut into pieces amidst desperate screams by each person.

Some guests were smart and noticed something amiss early on, then attempted to escape, but most were wounded by traps in the jungle, and even if they barely made it into the jungle, that was just the beginning of their hunt.

The prey that had lasted the longest before was an active-duty security guard, physically strong and experienced, having sensed the abnormality earlier than others.

But what of it, isn't he now just another corpse beneath that cabin?

"It's time, let's see if our guest is still foolishly staying in the cabin, or is a bit smarter and has already started running."

All the people stood up, their silhouettes elongated by the central firelight.

They walked towards the church doors with horrifying expressions on their faces.

Mary, the maid, couldn't wait to be at the front; she finally got to the moment when she could tear off her façade. She was already imagining the terrified and desperate look on that damned man's face, his constant pleading screams.

Her grotesque face couldn't stop laughing maniacally, then she reached out and pushed the door with force.

"Click!"

Mary's smile froze on her face.

The door did not open as she wished, but remained utterly still.

Others crowded in from behind but also felt a strong resistance.

The Old Priest noticed this and squinted, asking, "What's the matter?"

"The door won't open; there seems to be something blocking it from outside," someone muttered in confusion.

"Let's push it open together."

To hide the small town's biggest secret, even the windows in the church space were sealed, and the space was not large, so even if the residents all rushed forward, they could only cram against each other.

It took quite some effort to crack open a small gap in the door.

Through the door's slit, someone saw a blood-stained agricultural machine outside, topped with three heavy oil drums.

"It's the harvester from the storage room."

Although it was a machine for harvesting crops, it had never cut grass—it was their prop for revelry, putting people inside to listen to the crunching sound of breaking bones as flesh and blood spewed out, quite entertaining indeed.

"I'll break it open!"

The Butcher's body was all fat, and with a fierce bump, the door cracked open, and with a few more thrusts, the gap grew larger.

The Hunter looked out into the dark night:

"This seems to be a very clever fellow; tonight might be a bit interesting. Where has he run off to now? The town entrance or deep in the jungle?"

The Woodcutter was an old man with a face full of wrinkles, his beard somewhat grayed. He rolled up his sleeves, his voice hoarse:

"No matter where he runs, it's no use, I will split him in half with my axe."

"That would be so boring... I'll do it," the Butcher said breathlessly. He had already opened up enough space to pass through, his body fat jiggling as he squeezed through, trying to get out first. He snarled with a grin:

"While a hundred cuts go down, ensuring he's not only still alive but also has the strength to scream, that's the most fun..."

The Butcher hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly froze, his eyes fixed.

Outside the church, a figure stood next to the harvester, holding an axe, with a somewhat familiar blade strapped to his waist and a hunting rifle on his back.

And he was watching them.

"If it's that fun, count me in."