Chapter 25: Father! I Need Your Cooperation!

At this moment, Father Charles felt an ominous premonition, and it was overwhelming.

"It is your turn tonight."

"I am sorry."

Father Charles’s heart skipped a beat. *My turn?* Hearing these words, he felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He was a non-combatant! While Rosanne and Weng Lin possessed some combat capabilities, Father Charles was different. His ability was to resurrect the dead, but only for a brief moment, and those resurrected could not fight. As a priest, he had extensive connections. He was adept at gathering intelligence for the organization and helping Rosanne collect young boys, but combat? He could only dig his own grave on the spot.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

His heart hammered faster and faster. Looking at Zhou Quan, who had his eyes closed, a flurry of thoughts surged through his mind. *He pretended to come to me for confession a few days ago; he must have been targeting me back then, right? He deliberately left me, a man with no combat power, for last, killing Rosanne and Weng Lin first, just to make me experience fear and helplessness—to torture me?*

"I am sorry, Father Charles."

"I have failed you."

"I have returned evil for good; I am guilty, I deserve to die."

Zhou Quan confessed with deep remorse. Listening to Zhou Quan’s inner voice, Father Charles suddenly understood Rosanne. *He’s a lunatic! He really is a complete lunatic! He’s going to kill me, but he apologizes so sincerely beforehand—does he want me to forgive him?*

In a trance, he seemed to hear Rosanne’s heart-wrenching screams... "When he killed me, he kept apologizing, saying he was sorry, that he was wrong! The louder he spoke, the harder he struck—I was beaten to death by him alive!"

*Beaten to death alive!*

Father Charles shuddered. Rosanne had been beaten to death while being apologized to. Weng Lin had suffered an even worse fate. Through his connections, he had learned that Weng Lin’s body had been torn in two, blood splattered all over the walls—a sight so gruesome that even veteran detectives could not bear to look! The most terrifying part was that the coroner concluded Weng Lin had only one fatal wound: the one caused by being torn apart. This meant Weng Lin had been ripped open while still alive! The hotel corridor’s security cameras had recorded her screams—incredibly shrill, impossible to imagine coming from a human throat!

*Rosanne was beaten to death alive, Weng Lin was torn apart alive, so what about me? How is he going to kill me?*

Beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down Father Charles’s forehead. *This lunatic is not only apologizing to me but also confessing to me—and he’s done it twice! Won’t I have an even more miserable end than Anne and Weng Lin?*

At that moment, the power of the "mind-reading worm" faded, and the red light in Father Charles’s eyes quietly dimmed. Unable to hear Zhou Quan’s inner voice, he felt hollow inside. He collapsed into his chair, unable to move, as if an invisible hand had drained him of all his strength.

*Should I run?* Although Zhou Quan still had his eyes closed, the confessional had only one door, located right behind Zhou Quan, and it was blocked tight. Father Charles trembled inwardly. *He deliberately blocked my path of escape!*

For the first time, Father Charles felt that listening to confessions in the booth was an agonizing ordeal, and that time was passing with excruciating slowness. Looking at Zhou Quan’s calm expression, a thought suddenly struck him. *Does this guy know I can read his thoughts, and is he saying these things on purpose for me to hear? He wants to kill me... and crush my spirit as well?*

Once this thought took root, it spiraled out of control. *It must be! The organization only placed three people in this city, all with perfect public personas for cover: the selfless orphanage director, the dedicated celebrity singer, and the widely respected church priest. How could ordinary people guess they had secret identities? Yet, they were all found. The mind-reading worm is no secret; this lunatic must know about it, so he is deliberately confessing to me! Ah! Is this also part of his torture?*

Father Charles shook uncontrollably. His hands rested on the table, causing it to vibrate and emit a faint sound.

Zhou Quan opened his eyes, looking confused: "Father Charles, what is wrong?"

"Do you need help?" He offered a friendly smile.

However, in Father Charles’s eyes, that smile was more terrifying than a devil’s.

"I... I... I am fine," he stammered. As he spoke, he pulled a handkerchief from his robe to wipe the sweat from his brow, his aged hands trembling violently throughout the process.

"Father Charles, are you really okay?" Zhou Quan looked at him with concern. Before his confession, Father Charles had been perfectly fine. How did he end up like this the moment he opened his eyes? *How strange. Could it be... Father Charles is ill? Not only does he serve the divine while sick, but to avoid interrupting another’s confession, he endures it in silence without a word. What a noble, golden-hearted priest he is!*

Watching the trembling Father Charles, a wave of respect rose in Zhou Quan’s heart. He made a silent vow. *Today, no matter what, I will exhaust every ounce of my strength to protect Father Charles from the clutches of the evil god!*

"Father, shall we go out?" he said in a low voice.

Father Charles did not hear him clearly. "Go on the road? What road?" he asked, his face full of terror. Father Charles had misheard, thinking Zhou Quan meant to send him to his death.

Zhou Quan paused, stunned. "I didn’t say 'the road.' I said let’s go out; I’ve finished my confession." He hesitated for a moment, then added thoughtfully: "You can attend to your personal affairs now."

*What? Attend to my funeral arrangements?* Father Charles’s face turned ashen. He understood that he was doomed today.

"Thank you," he whispered. At this moment, he felt utterly humiliated. *Someone is coming to kill me, and I have to say thank you—how pathetic I am!*

Zhou Quan stood up, opened the door of the confessional, and stood by the frame, smiling as he waited for Father Charles to exit first. Light spilled into the booth, illuminating a small patch of the floor. Father Charles was filled with sorrow. With a heavy heart, he took a step forward, then another, walking toward the exit. A prisoner being led to the executioner’s block walked with a lighter step than he did.

Soon, he was out of the confessional. *No! I must pass on the intelligence! I must ensure the organization avenges us!* Father Charles, with his back to Zhou Quan, gritted his teeth. He thought that he must not die in vain; he had to make this lunatic pay the price! He walked slowly toward the high altar of the church.

"Wait a moment!"

Zhou Quan’s voice came from behind him. He had no choice but to brace himself and turn around. He forced a smile: "What is it?" *Didn’t he tell me to attend to my affairs? Why stop me now? Did he change his mind? Is he going to kill me now?*

Zhou Quan looked directly into Father Charles’s eyes, his tone exceptionally grave: "Father Charles, there is something I must tell you."

Father Charles hesitated: "What is it?"

"You are going to die," Zhou Quan said with utmost solemnity. "You may find it hard to believe, but I must tell you, because I need your cooperation."

Father Charles: ...