Chapter 28: Ahhh! I’m Sorry!

"I am sorry, it is all my fault."
"It is entirely my mistake."
"I have failed you, Father Charles."

The demonic whisper echoed at the foot of the icon. A dark silhouette spread its arms, and with its massive claws, tore Father Charles in two. Fragments of internal organs and jagged shards of bone scattered across the floor.

Father Charles's head rolled to the edge of the dais and tumbled off, clattering as it fell. Ni Hao covered her face in trembling, unable to bear the sight of such sacrilege.

The dark shadow slowly knelt. The crown of thorns atop its head was stained with blood, shimmering with a grotesque luster under the lights. Fog rose, and the entity’s form quietly faded away.

"Aaaah!" Zhou Quan swiped his claws madly at the shadow, but each strike merely stirred the blood-scented air, failing to affect the entity in the slightest. It was as if they existed in different worlds.

"Aaaah!!!"

Zhou Quan roared in fury. The Old Testament Wolf King, even larger than the White Wolf King and standing over four meters tall, looked like a small, white mountain. His rage-filled voice rolled across the ground, causing the tables and chairs in the church to tremble.

The dark shadow had vanished completely.

Only Zhou Quan remained, standing alone in a pool of blood, lost in his despair. He looked at the carnage on the floor and the blood on his own claws, utterly unable to accept this outcome. He had not only failed to save Father Charles but had also added to the priest’s agony.

*Thump.*

Zhou Quan fell to his knees in the blood, his body trembling uncontrollably. "I have failed you, Father Charles. I could not save you. I am nothing but a wretch who only brings harm." Remorse etched his features, and a visible mist clouded his deep eyes.

Witnessing the brutal murder of Father Charles by the evil deity had dealt a massive blow to Zhou Quan’s heart. Only a short while ago, Father Charles had been full of life. In the blink of an eye, the priest had been reduced to pieces scattered across the floor. What he found most unbearable was that he, too, was stained with the priest's blood—he had plunged his own claws into Father Charles's chest.

Li Muci stepped to Zhou Quan’s side and whispered, "Gods don't kill people without reason. This priest must have been a bad person."

"Silence!" Zhou Quan’s expression turned cold. "Everyone knows Father Charles was a good man. You are not allowed to slander him!"

Li Muci turned pale from the sheer volume of his shout. He said nothing more, merely lowering his head and beginning to sob.

***

Hearing Li Muci’s sobbing, Zhou Quan’s emotions stalled.

At that moment, Ni Hao approached. Suppressing her own fear, she spoke in a low, comforting tone: "Boss, you cannot blame yourself. We all saw it; you could not even touch that monster."

Zhou Quan clenched his teeth. Yes, he could not touch that shadow at all. If he could have, he would have torn it in two the moment he opened his eyes. It was no wonder the simulation had never mentioned him protecting Father Charles. How could he protect anyone if he couldn't even make contact with the enemy?

Ni Hao added, "The commotion was too great. We must leave and find a place to lay low." She looked worried.

Listening to Ni Hao, Zhou Quan gradually calmed down. "Let's get out of here," he said, gritting his teeth. He was not alone; he had parents and a younger sister to look after. He could not afford to get caught because of this.

With a thought, Zhou Quan’s body shrank rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he had returned to human form, completely naked. Ni Hao stood behind him, head bowed, handing him a black robe she had prepared in advance. Zhou Quan took the garment and tied it around himself. It was a silk robe, smooth and lustrous; though Zhou Quan was already handsome and imposing, the robe made him look even more aristocratic and regal.

"Let's go!"

Zhou Quan walked toward the door, his face filled with guilt. Ni Hao picked up the still-sobbing Li Muci and followed with short, quick steps.

...

A luxury car pulled into the villa. The doors opened, and the three stepped out. Zhou Quan’s brows were tightly locked, his mood sunken. On one hand, he had failed to save Father Charles; on the other, he was worried that the authorities would come knocking.

Suddenly, he remembered something. He turned to Ni Hao and asked, "Your organization's leader said that if he killed me, the authorities wouldn't have the resources to deal with it. Do you know why he said that?"

When the leader of the Gray Night Society had come to kill him, he had been incredibly arrogant, showing no fear of the authorities.

Ni Hao nodded. "The era of the transcendent is beginning."

"What does that mean?" Zhou Quan frowned.

Ni Hao explained without hesitation, "Every so often, the gods in the heavens fall in massive numbers. This period is called the Transcendent Cycle. We are currently in a new cycle. The authorities must be on high alert, preparing to receive the first wave of fallen divine remains. They have no time to deal with low-level transcendent crimes."

Zhou Quan was stunned.

Ni Hao continued, "The descent of divine remains alters the surrounding environment. In severe cases, it is like the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. If not handled well, it is not impossible for millions to be killed in a single event. Some gods are not truly dead when they first land, making the danger even greater."

Thinking of the horrific descriptions in ancient history, her voice grew tense. "The authorities are currently busy competing with civilian transcendent societies for these remains while preparing to mitigate the disasters they bring. They simply cannot spare the manpower to deal with ordinary transcendent criminals. If they can't spare the effort now, they will have even less in the future. As the cycle progresses, worldly order will crumble further. According to ancient records, most transcendent cycles eventually reach a point where ‘bones litter the roads and human life is as cheap as grass’!"

Ni Hao looked on with awe. In such a turbulent cycle, a transcendent without combat ability like herself had to cling to a powerful one, or else she would be no better off than an ordinary person.

Hearing this, Zhou Quan felt both relieved and anxious. The authorities might indeed be too busy to come after him, but the future Ni Hao described was too bleak. Would such a future really come to pass?

Just then, his phone rang. Zhou Quan picked it up; the caller was Chen Angxi.

Chen Angxi? Zhou Quan paused, wondering if he had found someone who could lift the curse on his parents.

"Professor Chen?" Zhou Quan answered.

"Mr. Zhou, I have contacted an expert who specializes in dispelling curses," Chen Angxi’s warm, steady voice came through the line. "She is taking a flight here the day after tomorrow."

"I will send you her flight information and contact details. You can coordinate with her from there."

Zhou Quan pursed his lips. "Thank you, Professor Chen."

Chen Angxi’s tone grew serious. "I can only help you this much. Remember to have the ten million ready for her. She is a woman who loves money more than life itself. If you don't have the money ready, I fear you will face quite a bit of trouble."

*Loves money more than life itself?*

At these words, the image of the miser Grandet rose in Zhou Quan’s mind—sharp, stingy, and mercenary. He wore a thoughtful expression. "Thank you for the warning. I will be sure to host her properly."