Chapter 12: Turning Gears

After Zhang Ge leaped into the entrance, although he did not experience any adverse reactions from the corruption of the subspace, he could still perceive the exceptionally intense non-reality phenomena present in this area.

After all, he wasn't blind; he could see the bizarre creations littering the corridor.

Most of those objects were not intentionally made by the cultists but were merely phenomena resulting from the erosion of the original objects themselves.

Pastor Ryder also spoke with a grave expression:

"If those demons were summoned from a single altar, then this underground space is probably on the verge of becoming a living entity."

The team hesitated, not out of fear, but because everyone understood that in this environment, anything could potentially become an attacking entity. Rushing in would mean not surviving more than ten seconds, and they wouldn't even last long enough to find that mayor.

Such a large-scale demon summoning could be considered normal for a water supply town—provided it was developing secretly in multiple locations at the same time. However,

if it were concentrated in one place, the subspace fluctuations caused by the rituals would be too bright to conceal.

But they never expected the local officials to be so corrupt as to allow such a thing to happen.

However, if they had investigated a bit more, they would have discovered that this place was already in a terrible state before the chaos arrived.

The governor's family of this planet had promised a continent to the Mechanist Church long ago in exchange for sufficient industrial resources. But as the Mechanist Church developed, they became dissatisfied with just one continent to spread the glory of the Omnissiah and a precious mineral known as "Black Stone."

Thus, a brutal political struggle began, and even before the chaos invasion, this place was already on the brink of civil war.

What interrupted the civil war later was an even worse situation—the invasion of the Orcs.

This powerful external enemy breached the space defenses and struck various locations on the planet, establishing orc garbage cities and destroying several nests.

Yet even so, the internal conflicts did not cease, and the planetary defense forces struggled to establish unified command.

Amid such internal strife and external threats, the entire planet was already exhausted, and local control had significantly diminished.

If there had been enough time for a thorough investigation, perhaps the decapitation team would never have been formed in the first place. After all, to decapitate, one must be stronger than the "head," right?

But they did not have enough time or investigation, and thus had to face the consequences.

Now, there was no time to hesitate any longer.

The political commissar ultimately issued the order:

"Continue moving forward with me; if I fall, let Priest Ryder lead the way."

At that moment, a second unexpected event occurred.

As Zhang Ge was about to step into that corrupted land, he felt a warmth at his waist, and radiant light began to pour out from the seams of his pouch, growing more intense.

When he curiously reached inside to grasp the source of the heat, the object suddenly flew out on its own.

It was the skull cross that Zhang Ge had received earlier in the artillery shelter.

At this moment, it floated slowly in mid-air, releasing a gradually expanding golden light. The skull seemed to come alive, emanating a powerful force.

The energy surging from the cross purified the surrounding environment.

Those grotesque creatures and fleshly tendrils began to panic and flee as they approached within several meters of the cross, some simply turning to ash.

Simultaneously, this power enveloped the five surviving individuals, revitalizing their exhausted bodies with an inexplicable strength.

From the moment Zhang Ge had bent down to pick up that dog tag in the trench, the gears of fate began to turn. Now, as the final circle of those gears came to a halt, the ultimate result presented itself before him in this manner.

"Emperor above..."

Faced with this scene, even the political commissar couldn't help but gasp in astonishment, let alone the priest and the nun.

"Um, perhaps we should keep moving forward?" 

The only one not immersed in the scene was Zhang Ge, who, feeling frustrated, gritted his teeth and reminded them.

Damn it, if I had known, I should have listened to Brain Platinum and not accepted gifts during the holidays this year.

This thought seemed to awaken the cross, which began to float forward on its own. Seeing this, the others snapped back to reality and, under the cross's protection, quickly moved in the direction it indicated.

Before they left, Priest Ryder made sure to fire a heat-melting shot at the cave entrance, sealing it with the melted plastic steel.

Following the corridor that had once been adorned with extravagant golden decorations and various treasure sculptures, they now encountered blasphemous heretical symbols and disturbing ornaments.

After a while, the sound of their pursuers became barely audible, and for some reason, they did not encounter any other cultists ahead.

Until the cross stopped at a corner, and as they turned, a massive underground space appeared before them.

It was a vast circular "theater," where countless individuals were pierced and bound in twisted postures to bright red seats, facing the center.

Blood continuously flowed from them into drainage channels, leading to the passageway, creating a constantly flowing crimson carpet.

Though their bodies had become hairless, emaciated forms, their features seemed to meld together, twitching as if from some relentless, intense stimulation.

However, upon hearing someone intrude, they still reacted violently.

They were still alive.

The sounds of their struggles converged, amplified by the underground space and the theater's unique circular structure, echoing back like a chilling applause, inciting a wave of nausea in the five individuals present.

At that moment, the curtain in the center of the "theater" was lifted, and several performers with pink tendrils hanging from their necks, seemingly having their spines pulled upward, entered with stiff movements.

With perfect smiles on their faces, they bowed to the audience and began their bizarre dance.

"Ha... ha... ha... What vulgar guests... Seeing the performance, isn't there any applause?"

As the performance began, a sweet voice resonated from all corners of the theater, as if emerging from the mouths of everyone present.

The voice fluctuated between male and female, but without exception, it carried a syrupy sweetness that coiled around them.

But amidst this harmonious sound, a disruptive retching noise broke through.

It was Zhang Ge, who could no longer suppress his physiological urges.

He vomited a mixture of food remnants and stomach acid onto the corridor before him, blending it with the blood as it flowed downward.

Wiping his mouth with the robe of the nearby priest, Zhang Ge smirked disdainfully and replied, "Heretic, your performance and taste are revolting.

I really shouldn't have eaten anything before coming here."