Chapter 63 Part 1

Zhong Nian had suspected the Skinny Man ever since the Bald Man died.

The biggest clue was the astonishing speed at which the wounds on the Skinny Man’s body healed. He had nearly lost his life that day, yet in less than two days, he moved about freely, recovering even faster than the sturdy Masked Guy.

Not to mention that in the afternoon that day, he had bumped into the Masked Man and acted as if nothing had happened.

The day Little Yu’s lover got eaten was also the day he was grouped with them.

There was no reason the devil would let him go after they found him, only knocking him unconscious.

However, until tonight, it had only been suspicion. After the Masked Man captured him, the abnormal burst of strength confirmed Zhong Nian’s guess.

Even now, on the way to the Confessional, the Skinny Man showed more anger than fear. Even with a rag stuffed in his mouth, he kept making angry noises and struggled defiantly.

The Masked Man gripped his neck with one hand and held the knot of the rope with the other, forcing him forward with all his strength.

He had stabbed the Skinny Man with a knife several times, but he avoided vital spots, fearing the man would die and the devil would break free, causing more trouble—after all, the mission specified delivering him to the Confessional.

Yet even after several deep stabs that drew gushing blood, the Skinny Man showed no sign of pain. His resistance did not weaken; it grew even more frenzied.

Zhong Nian wanted to help, but the Masked Man refused, saying he was afraid of hurting him.

Jie Jialiang, who was good at quietly manipulating others to do the work while reaping the benefits, spoke up: “Let me do it.”

Under the Masked Man’s cold glare, he smiled again. “This time, I’m sincerely offering to help. I noticed something off about him earlier too and planned to mention it tomorrow. I didn’t expect you to act first… I can’t just freeload without contributing, right? Otherwise, the viewers in the Live Stream Room would curse me even more.”

But the Masked Man did not trust him at all and did not give him a chance to help.

Jie Jialiang shrugged and wisely stepped back.

Even though it was strenuous, the Masked Man still managed to drag the Skinny Man into the Confessional.

Time was tight and they lacked manpower, so they could not seal the door as securely and meticulously as before. They jammed a stick into the door and blocked it with a long bench from the Cathedral, but by the time they finished, only a few minutes remained of the fifteen-minute timer.

The locked Skinny Man relentlessly rammed the door with his body, ignoring fatigue and pain, making the old Confessional bang and shake.

“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

The sounds echoed through the Cathedral one after another.

Little Yu, sweating coldly, said, “This doesn’t feel right…”

Zhong Nian said, “Let’s go!”

They had only run a few steps when an ominous sound of the door breaking came from behind.

Turning back, they saw the Skinny Man twisting his face into a sneer outside the Confessional door.

The Masked Man reacted first and turned back.

Zhong Nian hesitated only a second before following.

“You go first. I can handle it alone.” The Masked Man pushed him and grabbed the Skinny Man to drag him back inside.

In his peripheral vision, Zhong Nian saw a figure pass by—Jie Jialiang.

His offer to help was genuine this time. He followed the Masked Man and helped subdue the Skinny Man again.

Zhong Nian knew he would only get in the way and hinder the Masked Man, so he decisively turned and pulled the stunned Little Yu toward the exit.

Jie Jialiang did stay to help the Masked Man lock the Skinny Man back in the Confessional, but the stick jamming the door broke. Without extra tools, just blocking it with the bench wouldn’t hold long. They had to rely on manpower to hold it.

The Confessional shook again, and inhuman roars emanated from inside.

Black slime oozed under the door, flowing to the feet of the Masked Man and Jie Jialiang.

A cold wind blew through, the Cathedral lights flickered, and the atmosphere shifted noticeably in an instant, sending chills down their spines and raising their hackles.

No one knew what would happen once the thing inside fully revealed its original form. Seeing the situation turn dire, Jie Jialiang immediately withdrew his hands.

“Sorry, I’m heading out first.”

Even then, he politely smiled and nodded at the Masked Man before leaving him alone.

With one less person to support, holding the door became even harder for the Masked Man, but he showed no reaction to Jie Jialiang’s desertion—not even a glance. He silently counted seconds in his mind.

3, 2, 1…

Midnight struck.

Ding-dong. The System Sound rang in all the players’ minds.

【Congratulations to the game players for finding the hidden devil. Escape from the Small Town limit: 30 minutes.】

【Countdown begins—】

The next second, the Cathedral plunged into endless darkness. With a boom like an explosion, the Masked Man was blasted away, his back slamming hard into the wall behind him. He coughed up blood.

With no time to catch his breath, he quickly readjusted into a defensive stance and used his dagger to block the devil charging at him like thunder.

Escaping with his abilities would not be difficult, but he needed to buy more escape time for Zhong Nian.

…