https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-113-The-Xenomorph-Fused-with-Hell-s-Power/12850190/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-115-Weakened-Preachers-Battle-Hellish-Xenomorphs/12850192/
Chapter 114: The Aura, Disaster Gradually Arises
Chapter 114: The Aura, Disaster Gradually Arises
"Laurence, the Church is very dissatisfied with you. Why are so many Hell demons escaping?"
The lead Nailhead Preacher looked at the mayor, his tone calm, but with the calm before the storm.
There were fifty Hell Preachers, each one a Nailhead. Apart from their different appearances, they had no other distinctions.
Mayor Laurence remained calm: "Your Reverence, you should not be questioning me, but rather the priest from the Church, since the entrance to Hell is beneath the church."
"Ever since he arrived, so many incidents have occurred. First, the Pumpkin Head Wraith, then the Tall Shadow Ghost, followed by the insect demons, and today, the meteorite from outer space. Before he came, even though Ackerman was one of the entrances to Hell, it was still a peaceful town."
Mayor Laurence handled the preacher's questioning with ease, even shifting the blame onto Qin Muye.
However, this wasn't entirely without reason. Qin Muye's temporary skill and constitution were truly problematic, otherwise, such a dense series of events wouldn't have occurred.
"Regarding Father Andrew, we have already sent a letter to the Church. But your situation requires more explanation, such as the tourists who go missing around Ackerman every year." The preacher was clearly well-prepared.
Laurence showed no signs of nervousness: "Your Reverence, I don't understand. Ackerman is located in a remote area, mostly wilderness outside the town. With limited police resources, I have no way to prevent tourists from disappearing."
The preacher, though well-prepared, did not argue irrationally. Laurence's explanation made sense, and he had done his best. Every time a tourist went missing, he personally led search parties, though whether they found anything was another matter.
As for demanding that Laurence clear the hazards, it would be unreasonable. Ackerman's population was small, and such tasks should be handled by the council sending in the army. However, due to the Hell entrance, the Hell Church and the Church secretly prevented it, so it never happened.
Even if they did clear it, the Hell forces would just re-emerge as they dissipated, so they let it be.
"I will report your defense in full, Laurence. What about the trail of the insect demons?" The preacher asked as a matter of routine. A few deaths were not a big deal, especially for the Church and the Hell Church. As long as the Hell entrance remained sealed, these were minor issues.
"Currently, we are still searching. The insect demons are extremely cunning, like seasoned hunters," Laurence replied.
The preacher's expression remained indifferent, but his gaze shifted to the sky above Ackerman.
"It's too late. I can sense the Hell aura outside the town growing stronger."
"Have you figured out the origin of the meteorite from outer space?"
Abruptly, the preacher changed the subject to the spacecraft that had fallen from the sky. He didn't know its true origin, but from its spear-like shape, he suspected it was something special.
"It was preempted by Father Andrew of the Church. However, he seems to have brought nothing back. The spear-shaped meteorite has vanished, even the traces have been erased." Laurence was somewhat frustrated. He had been too late, having been on a patrol with the preacher to search for the alien.
When he returned and arranged for people to investigate, the object was already gone, leaving only a large crater.
The preacher fell silent after hearing this, realizing it was impossible to investigate further.
As for confronting Father Andrew about it, he wasn't foolish. He knew that Father Andrew had brought a hundred red-robed acolytes, who were quite powerful.
In terms of both numbers and strength, the preachers were at a disadvantage, so he ultimately decided to let it go.
The Church and the Hell Church had a good relationship, but there was also a competitive edge. However, it was a healthy competition, rarely turning into a hostile one, as they all faced the threat of Hell.
"Let's get everyone to go and hunt down the insect demons. Send someone to inform Father Andrew; he has his own responsibilities," the preacher said as he stood up.
This made Laurence's expression change slightly. There was a lot of meaning behind those words.
He knew that the preacher wouldn't act out of personal vendetta. After all, these preachers were not ordinary humans but had been baptized, willing to sacrifice themselves to combat Hell. However, now they had to notify Qin Muye, which meant the preachers lacked confidence in eliminating the insect demons.
For the preachers, face was an insignificant matter. If someone else had been treated as poorly as Qin Muye had treated them, they would have been upset, but the preacher remained calm, almost inhuman.
'Maybe these preachers aren't human at all,' Laurence thought to himself, but he replied, "I'll notify him right away. Please wait a moment."
There was no need to find anyone; he could just make a phone call.
The call was quickly connected, and after a brief explanation of the preacher's request, the matter was settled.
The person who answered was Tianqi, who readily agreed but did not move immediately. Instead, he communicated with Qin Muye.
Qin Muye indicated that he would send fifty acolytes to go through the motions, and if anything happened, they should run away and not get involved.
This showed that he also knew that the Hell Preachers lacked confidence in dealing with the insect demons, which were a fusion of Hell's power and a deadly weapon.
Qin Muye didn't bother to find out how they knew this.
Not sending anyone would be inappropriate. At the very least, it was a pretense. Going through the motions was one thing, but if something unexpected happened, like scavenging the bodies of the Nailhead Preachers or the insect demons, that would be fine with Qin Muye.
As for the insect queen's lair, he had already found it, but only knew the general location, not the exact spot.
Outside the town of Ackerman, there seemed to be a vast underground cave system that had become the nest of the insect demons. There were quite a few of them, densely packed, numbering in the thousands, all hatched in just one day.
To put it simply, the area outside Ackerman was rich in spiritual energy. According to the report from the Gospel Sprites who had tracked the insect demons back, most of the insect demons were not animal-like but rather derived from serial killers, urban legends, and other terrifying creatures imbued with Hell's power.
If the insect demons hadn't fused with Hell's power, they might not have been able to achieve this. However, the witch had filled in the last gap, transforming the insect demons completely.
So, the preachers were not just dealing with ordinary insect demons. Without Hell's power, some of these terrifying creatures could have single-handedly defeated or even overwhelmed them. The insect demons were strong, but they were no match for these Hell-empowered monsters.
With Hell's power, they gained the ability to face these terrifying creatures, and even use them as hosts.
Clearly, the insect demons had accomplished this.
As a result, Ackerman had become a truly terrifying place.
A single misstep could lead to an insect apocalypse, which was not impossible. Unless a higher civilization from space discovered it in time, such as the Blood Civilization or the Engineer Civilization, the Hell-empowered insect demons could spread beyond Earth, forming a terrifying interstellar insect race.
Not just a sci-fi threat, but one with mystical powers.
Of course, this might not happen, given that Qin Muye was around. If things went wrong, he could use the Scarlet Invasion.
The insect demons were not invincible. While they could absorb the genetic material of their hosts to evolve, this evolution was not infinite and only occurred when they were parasitizing a host, thus having its limitations.
Fifty Gospel Sprites quickly gathered and headed to the agreed location with the preachers. Laurence also went along, seemingly at the preachers' request.
It seemed that although Laurence's explanation had convinced the preachers, suspicion still lingered. The Hell Church was not a pushover. They handled the aftermath of the missing tourists in Ackerman and had a lot of intelligence.
Laurence's handling of the matter was impeccable, and the Hell Church couldn't just replace him without cause. Besides, for the Hell Church, this was not a major issue, so they let it slide.
However, with Laurence's request for assistance and the dispatch of the preachers, they would take the opportunity to investigate further. If it was indeed due to the influence of Hell's power, they would conduct a simple cleanup to maintain order.
(End of Chapter)
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