Hell Game: Starting from Metropolis

Liu Zheng lowered his head, his bright gaze stinging the beast's murky eyes.

"All I want right now is to eat a normal meal in peace. If you bother me again, I'll put you on a fire and roast you right there and eat you."

The tentacles encircling the beast's neck tightened slightly, causing the deformed cervical vertebrae to crack under the strain.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

The beast howled, trying to break free of the terrifying tentacles, but to no avail.

"It seems you're still afraid. Very well, then get out of here."

With a flick of his wrist, the beast's head flew out of the doorway.

Through the doorway, you could see the fallen beast struggling to its feet before quickly fleeing.

"Okay, let's continue eating."

Liu Zheng moved his body and blocked the doorway again.

"Okay, let's eat."

Anko used the act of serving soup to conceal his inner shock.

To be honest, in terms of sheer ability, the outsider in front of him was not beyond his comprehension.

Whether it's the hunters of the Blood Healing Church or the knights of the former Pain Church, there are many incredibly powerful individuals among them.

They can easily wield alien weapons weighing hundreds of kilograms, and can jump from a building more than ten meters high without getting hurt.

What truly exceeded Anke's expectations was this outsider's attitude towards wild animals.

Liu Zhengming knew perfectly well that these beasts were humans in disguise, yet his attitude was quite casual, showing neither pity, disgust, nor fear.

It was as if they were just a bunch of troublemakers, or as if they were a group of unruly stray dogs.

That sense of relaxation was something Anke had never seen in anyone else.

What is the outside world like?

Anco, who had lived in Atlanta for over forty years, experienced fear and curiosity about the outside world for the first time.

Anco and his wife Marianne ate quickly because they wanted to get to the Church of Pain as soon as possible.

Although they didn't urge them, influenced by their parents, the two sisters, Nia and Nina, sped up their pace.

Liu Zheng wasn't affected, but he was a fast eater to begin with, so he finished his meal quickly.

"This feels so good. It's been so long since I've had a proper dinner."

He patted his belly and said happily.

"Don't you work at a restaurant? Doesn't the restaurant provide food?"

"Marianne asked curiously."

"There are employee meals, but to be honest, the ingredients are all questionable."

Liu Zheng pursed his lips.

Let alone food made by humans, can you believe that employee meals that could cause poisoning are more like mass reduction meals?

"Indeed, I have heard of such heartless bosses. May God punish these wicked people."

"Marianne said sympathetically."

In her mind, the employee meals Liu Zheng ate were probably rotten food or rat meat.

"I'm afraid the gods can't punish the Bloody Restaurant."

Liu Zheng thought to himself.

If even Mr. Li can dispel the gospel of God, let alone the Bloody Restaurant, which is of a higher status.

Unless it's an omniscient and omnipotent true god, that would be more likely.

But why would a true god concern himself with something as trivial as employee meals?

Speaking of which, the entity behind Hell Game seems to be much higher in status than the evil god who brought the gospel.

"Let's set off now, boss."

Liu Zheng said.

"Could you please wait a moment while we pack our luggage?"

Anko pleaded.

His original idea was to keep the journey simple, as long as he could get there.

Now that they've discovered this outsider's abilities far exceed their expectations, they've decided to bring more things with them.

After all, it's unknown how long the pale night will last, and people still need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves.

"of course can."

Liu Zheng agreed to his request.

"Thank you, kind sir."

After thanking him, Anke immediately got his family busy.

They seemed to have been prepared, so they packed up quite quickly, filling the cart to the brim in about half an hour.

The cart was loaded with potatoes, dried meat, dried vegetables, beer, drinking water, and various other necessities—enough to feed a family of four for ten days to two weeks.

"Is it too much?"

Looking at Liu Zheng's expression, An Ke said somewhat embarrassedly.

"I'm fine. Are you ready?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Ready."

"Let's go then."

He opened the door, and pale moonlight immediately shone in.

The shadows cast by the buildings swayed along with the distant howls of beasts, sending chills down one's spine.

"Set off."

Anke gritted his teeth, pushed the cart, and walked out of his house.

His wife, Marianne, and their two daughters were helping him push the cart, and they looked like they were struggling a lot.

Liu Zheng walked behind them, showing no intention of helping.

He even had the leisure to appreciate the city's night view.

The ubiquitous pointed arches and windows, the exquisite reliefs and stained glass windows, and the extensive use of ironwork give the city an atmosphere that is both magnificent and melancholic.

In reality, this style would probably correspond to Victorian London.

However, Atlanta was neither rainy nor foggy, and the air was even a bit dry.

"I'm curious, why do you all hang a red lantern outside your houses?"

Liu Zheng suddenly asked.

"That's a sign of safety, indicating that the people inside are conscious and not acting like animals."

Anke replied.

"What would happen if they transformed into beasts?"

"The red light will turn off automatically."

Anko said.

"That's amazing! What's the principle behind it?"

he asked in surprise.

"I don't know about that. These lights were all made and installed by the church staff."

Anko shook his head.

"Is this the Church of Suffering that we're going to?"

"No, it's the Church of Blood Healing."

Anko said.

What are the differences between these two churches?

"The Church of Pain was once the only church in Atlantis, but their doctrines were too extreme, so when the Church of Healing Blood appeared, they quickly declined and now only one church remains."

"The Blood Healing Church is a church that emerged decades ago. They are skilled at using blood to heal diseases, and their doctrines are very simple, so they quickly gained the support of the people and became the administrators of the city."

Anke explained.

"Are you skilled at using blood to treat diseases? Do you practice bloodletting?"

Liu Zheng immediately thought of the three basic techniques used by medieval barbers: bloodletting, amputation, and enemas.

"No, it's a blood transfusion."

Anke hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Blood transfusion"

He glanced at the city environment of Atlanta, which, while not exactly dirty or chaotic, was far from clean.

It's hard to imagine that this level of technology could provide any reliable blood transfusion technology. They probably don't even know the difference between blood types.

"Have all the people here received this kind of blood transfusion treatment?"

Liu Zheng asked casually.

"Most adults have accepted it."

"That's it."

He recalled that all the wild animals he encountered along the way were adults or larger than average adults.

"Do you think it's possible that the Atlanteans' bestiality was due to blood therapy?"

Liu Zheng stopped and looked at An Ke.

Chapter 251 Did the beast discover us, or did we discover the beast?

"I don't know."

Anke wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

"Oh. It's nothing, I was just asking casually. Let's keep going."

Liu Zheng waved his tentacles.

Seeing that he didn't ask any further questions, Anke breathed a sigh of relief.

Having experienced two pale nights, he certainly had his suspicions.

However, Anke did not allow himself to continue thinking about it in greater depth.

In any case, the family could no longer leave Atreus, and the Church of Blood Healing would not allow anyone to question the sacred blood healing.

Even he himself didn't want to know the cruel truth.

Anko glanced discreetly at his arm; beneath his linen shirt were the marks of numerous blood treatments.

Was Liu Zheng asking casually? Of course he didn't.

Both the Bloody Restaurant's purchasing catalog and the City Hall's task list contain items related to blood.

Since blood healing is a technique of the Blood Healing Church, then all those things must be related to this church.

However, these are additional tasks, and there's no need to rush into them before completing the basic procurement tasks.

Liu Zheng could tell that the tavern owner in front of him had not completely let his guard down.

Showing too much interest in the Blood Healing Church and Blood Healing could easily alert them.

The heavy wheels continued forward, screeching as they rubbed against the ground.