Chapter 57 Part 2

After all, even the Goat Demon was just an easily destroyed clone in his hands.

In those short few seconds, which felt like awaiting judgment, they stretched endlessly in Zhong Nian’s senses, torturously long.

Fortunately, what rang in his ears was a calm “Mm.”

Zhong Nian kept his face impassive, but his toes already pointed outward, betraying his eagerness. After the response, he tossed out a “Goodbye,” picked up the food that had fallen to the ground, hugged the basket, and turned to leave.

After two steps, the man’s voice came from behind again.

“Sorry.”

Those two words halted Zhong Nian’s steps.

The Priest continued, “It was supposed to enter the church only at midnight like the other demons, but it relied on my power to break the rules and act rudely toward you… This is my oversight and responsibility.”

Zhong Nian was stunned, taking half a moment to recover.

He said nothing, lifting his foot to continue forward.

The Priest’s attitude suggested this might be a good chance to ask questions, but the Goat Demon’s words lingered in his mind. Right now, he only wanted to leave immediately.

The Priest had only apologized without clarifying, and his words confirmed that the Goat Demon was indeed part of him.

So… the Priest’s desire for him was real too.

What the Goat Demon had done to him, the ugly and filthy fantasies it spoke of, and the sensations it gained—all had an equal share from the Priest.

Beneath that icy exterior lay such thoughts.

Thinking of how he had been messed up into a mess in the demon’s hands, lost in confusion and infatuation, Zhong Nian felt ashamed and furious, his teeth itching. His steps to leave quickened.

But after not going far, he heard the man behind him spit out a mouthful of blood. Urgent coughs and pained gasps followed, sounding very serious.

It must have been the backlash from killing the Goat Demon.

“Baa—” The Black Goat chased after, trying to get Zhong Nian to stop.

Zhong Nian did hesitate for an instant. Before, he might have shown sympathy and concern for the Priest’s condition, but now he didn’t want to stay a moment longer.

He wasn’t tripped up by the Black Goat and soon left the church.

–

On the way back to the cabin, Zhong Nian ran into the Masked Man who was searching for him.

The moment he saw the other, his spine stiffened instinctively as he observed the man’s eyes.

Confirming it was the person he knew, he secretly relaxed, feeling helpless at his own over-sensitivity.

There was no mist now. Even if there were other disguising demons, they wouldn’t appear at this time.

“Where did you go?” The Masked Man immediately checked if he was injured.

No one knew how the Masked Man, who had worked hard to finish his tasks, felt when he went to the residents’ homes to pick up Zhong Nian and heard the impatient reply that Zhong Nian had left less than an hour ago.

The Masked Man’s rapid breathing and the anxiety in his eyes were obvious. Zhong Nian could tell he had searched diligently for him.

“Sorry, I’m fine.” Zhong Nian softened his voice. “When did you finish your work? Did you look for me for a long time?”

The Masked Man nodded. “I went back once and found you gone. When I went out again, the mist appeared, obstructing visibility too much. I couldn’t find you. I…”

The man’s throat was extremely dry and hoarse. Even without seeing his facial expression, the emotional fluctuation was clear.

Only then did Zhong Nian learn the mist had appeared. He said in surprise, “You were still wandering around in the fog?”

The Masked Man lowered his gaze and said softly, “I was only afraid you’d encounter an accident in the mist.”

Zhong Nian paused, then curved his eyes in a smile. “Thank you. Let’s head back first.”

After returning to the cabin, Zhong Nian told the Masked Man what happened.

Of course, he omitted the part too embarrassing to mention.

“You were right. That priest isn’t a good person. He can even split off other demons.” Zhong Nian couldn’t help infusing his tone with resentment.

He had nowhere to vent his grievances, not even to the Masked Man he trusted most.

But the Masked Man’s focus wasn’t on the Priest’s true identity, but on the casually mentioned near-bullying.

“You’re really okay?”

Zhong Nian pursed his lips and nodded.

The Masked Man didn’t press further, just silently looked at his reddened lips and the corners of his eyes.

–

That evening, Jie Jialiang proposed abandoning the voting.

“From the results of these past nights, clearing via this method is too inefficient and dangerous. We can’t guarantee the voted player is 100% a demon. The risk in the confessional is too high. We might wipe out before even selecting the demon.”

Jie Jialiang smiled. “To be honest, with some clues I’ve obtained, I can confirm that outside demons need conditions to enter. The biggest possibility is an internal demon disguised among us opening the door to let them in.”

As he spoke, Jie Jialiang subtly observed every player’s expression at the table, lingering two seconds extra on Zhong Nian and the Masked Man, but saw no reaction from them.

“…So, I propose we all spend the night in the first floor living room tonight. One, to supervise each other and give disguised demons no opportunity; two, to look out for one another.