Chapter 297: The Farmer and the Electricity Thief (Part 4)
Hearing this, William's expression became somewhat unnatural.
He hurriedly pushed Ruen away: "Lord Ruen, I have no idea what you are talking about."
But the latter still clung to William's thigh.
"The days since I left you, every single day has been unbearable torture. No one can set up a defensive magic array that makes people feel at ease like you do. I've tried! Not a single person..."
Seeing this scene, everyone, including Lynn, had a strange look in their eyes.
William hurriedly distanced himself from it.
Ruen also recounted his own experiences: "After leaving the town of Ravens Fair, I frequently encountered evil spirit invasions..."
Listening to the other party's tearful complaints, William finally understood what this illegitimate son had gone through.
He rubbed his nose: "Uh... well... it's my honor that you've changed your mind."
Ruen shook his head repeatedly: "No! I was wrong! As a member of the Clouseau family, my previous behavior was too foolish."
Surprise flashed in William's eyes. In this American Horror world, it was truly not easy for a native to have such self-awareness.
The few people nearby were visibly surprised when they heard "Clouseau."
"This Father William seems to be somewhat extraordinary; even the Clouseau family respects him so much," Austin thought inwardly.
Judging from this Bishop's reaction, the Clouseau name was clearly not simple within the Church.
Then he spoke in a low voice: "You two, now is not the time to catch up. We have to figure out a way to save her."
Ruen nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "What do you need me to do!"
Austin pointed to the farmland: "In a moment, Dylan will be responsible for luring the Butcher away, and our people will take the opportunity to rescue that nun from the hook."
Ruen widened his eyes upon hearing this. He didn't expect these people to actually risk themselves for a stranger.
Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Austin smiled slightly: "Before meeting you, we have already cooperated many times and have a tacit understanding with each other. If we let you join in, an accident might occur instead..."
William nodded upon hearing this; this Bishop's decision was very smart.
"However, you also need to undertake the final step of transporting the injured. This way, you can integrate with us as quickly as possible," Austin added.
"I have no objections."
"M-me too."
Austin nodded and imitated a few crow caws, to which someone quickly responded from within the cornfield.
Subsequently, William saw a few people quietly sneaking around the iron hook.
At this moment, Vera's condition was very poor. A massive iron hook pierced directly through her shoulder.
Her limbs hung limply; only in this way could she alleviate some of the pain.
At the same time, the blood from her shoulder dripped down from her toes.
Bubba the Butcher stood motionless in front of her.
At this time, the young man Dylan had already sneaked behind the Butcher.
After making a hand gesture to the surroundings, he suddenly darted out and hugged Vera, looking as if he was going to pull her down.
This action indeed enraged the Butcher, who roared and swung his hand axe.
But Dylan had long anticipated this. He nimbly dodged sideways, and then pointed at the Butcher right in his face.
William looked somewhat puzzled; this action seemed like a waste of time.
But next, Bubba the Butcher seemed to become even more furious, actually revving his chainsaw and chasing after Dylan.
The two quickly disappeared into the cornfield.
Only then did Austin command the rest to approach the iron hook.
According to the previous plan, to avoid the safe camp being discovered, they would circle the area a few times after rescuing her.
Therefore, William and Ruen still had some time to search for holy artifacts.
But because William had already found a target using [Divine Eye Seal], the two of them sneaked up to the generator.
"W-William, shouldn't we set up some holy artifacts around here first?" Ruen hugged William's arm, his body trembling slightly, his eyes constantly darting around.
"If you want to find some psychological comfort, suit yourself." William peeled the other party off again.
When it was already clear that holy artifacts were useless, the best defensive strategy was to complete the objective and leave as soon as possible.
Especially at this moment when someone else was attracting the Butcher's attention.
William had also thought about utilizing the power within the lost holy relics, but Austin told him that someone had already tried.
Whether using holy artifacts to cast Holy Arts or simply using them to purify the evil aura, they would be blocked by some kind of rule.
Therefore, arriving in front of the generator this time, William immediately took out the lost holy relic and placed it into the groove.
Click.
Clack clack...
The piston mechanism on the machine began to operate.
It was very slow at first, but as the power within the holy artifact was extracted, these mechanisms began to spin frantically.
At the same time, the light bulbs at the top suddenly flashed a few electrical sparks, and then three of them lit up, instantly illuminating the nearby ground.
But William's gaze was fixed intently on the bottom of the machine.
There was a small chute here similar to a vending machine.
At the exact moment the light bulbs lit up, a hexagonal stone seal also dropped out from inside.
This thing was slightly larger than a coin, with a purple eye symbol printed on it.
William reached out and picked it up, immediately understanding the function of the stone seal—[Fellow Traveler]
[Effect 1: When you are hooked, the locations of all preys nearby will be revealed to each other. If the Sweeper is within a 16-meter radius of you, its location will also be revealed to the preys.]
[Effect 2: When other preys are hooked, the locations of all preys will be revealed to you. If the Sweeper is within a 16-meter radius of the hooked prey, its location will also be revealed to you.]
[Message from the Evil Spirit: Alright, you are now clear about the location of your hooked companion. Now you can calmly search for wooden chest treasures.]
William's eyes flickered: "This is the special ability Austin mentioned?"
The "prey" in this stone seal should refer to them, the Holy Clergy Members, and the "Sweeper" naturally corresponded to Bubba the Butcher.
And judging from the effect description, this ability was extremely practical, especially in this kind of place where vision was severely obstructed.
Being able to directly see the locations of companions and Sweepers would greatly increase the chances of escape.
And the two effects described within corresponded to whether the holder of the stone seal was hung on the iron hook or not.
From a teamwork perspective, the first effect was obviously more practical.
As for the [Message from the Evil Spirit] section, William just glanced at it and skipped it directly.
Abandoning companions when holding an information advantage was the most foolish behavior.
William pocketed the stone seal. This thing wouldn't activate automatically, but required consciousness to trigger.
He looked not far away.
At this moment, Vera had already been rescued and was being supported by Lynn as they circled around.
And the surrounding heartbeat sounded again; obviously, Bubba the Butcher already knew something had happened at the iron hook.
Before long, the sound of the chainsaw indeed rang out nearby.
On the other side, William also spotted Dylan's figure among the cornstalks. It seemed this young man was safe and sound.
Next, as long as they shook off the Butcher, this rescue operation would be considered a success.
In this case, William was in no hurry to use this stone seal.
While he was thinking, Lynn was already supporting Vera and walking towards William's side.
He and Ruen also immediately went to meet them.
But at this time, a sharp screech suddenly sounded in everyone's ears.
William instinctively dodged to the side.
In the next moment, he saw a dark shadow flash past his eyes, stopping right in front of the two nuns.
A white dress stained with blood and filth floated above the ground, and a sharp long knife was raised high by a slender figure.
Judging by the attire, the "thing" in front of them looked like a nurse holding a butcher knife.
Only at this moment did a glaring red light manifest on the ground.
And the heartbeat in everyone's ears was already so urgent that it felt like it would burst out at any moment.
"This is... a Sweeper?" William narrowed his eyes tightly.
And Lynn opposite him was already stunned in place.
In the next moment.
Squelch!
Vera was slashed to the ground once again.
Only then did Lynn react, immediately turning and sprinting wildly.
That new Sweeper didn't pursue immediately, but instead raised one hand, and then a pitch-black force gathered in its palm.
Accompanied by another screech, the monster's figure instantly disappeared from its spot.
The next second, a shadow appeared behind Lynn.
The latter immediately let out a miserable scream, clutching her shoulder as she fled in another direction.
The Nurse monster didn't continue tracking her, instead disappearing yet again.
A few seconds later, another scream rang out from beneath the cornstalks elsewhere; it seemed others had been discovered.
For a period of time after that, pain and groans rang out everywhere in the farmland.
Blood splattered on the cornstalks, leaving large patches of bloodstains on the ground.
Austin also clutched his shoulder, trembling all over, his eyes full of terror.
"How could... this happen. To actually have two Sweepers appear at the same time..."
At this moment, he couldn't care about the others at all, only wanting to leave this area as soon as possible.
For a time, the survivors in the cornfield scattered and fled. William crouched in a dense patch of grass, with Ruen right beside him.
After sensing something was wrong just now, he had immediately taken this illegitimate son away, thus avoiding injury.
But now the situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Aside from Vera and a bunch of Holy Clergy Members being injured, even Dylan was currently lying on the ground.
Just now, seeing the crowd being attacked, this young man hurriedly tried to lure the Sweepers away.
But he was cornered by both Bubba the Butcher and that Nurse monster, taking a slash from the front and back simultaneously.
Right now, he was being dragged by Bubba the Butcher towards an iron hook, his upper body leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
And that Nurse monster was also slowly floating toward the unconscious Vera. William immediately rhythmically imitated the sound of a crow; this was the secret signal for "saving people."
Not long after, similar sounds echoed nearby.
William's spirits lifted; this meant Austin, Lynn, and the others were very likely still alive.
But the message conveyed by the secret signal was bad news—Evacuate!
William frowned slightly. It seemed this sudden drastic change had already made Austin plan to abandon the people here.
This was going to be a bit tricky.
In that round of attacks just now, aside from Vera and Dylan, there should have been a few others hacked to the ground.
When formulating the plan earlier, William already knew that Austin's group had all been on the iron hook once.
So right now, these people had zero margin for error. Once hooked again, if they couldn't be saved in a short time, their souls would be devoured by the evil spirit.
Vera's situation was largely the same.
If this nun lost her two "downed" chances in a short period, then even if she survived this pursuit, there was a high probability she would perish in other areas later.
In a place like this, "manpower" was a very important resource.
But just relying on William and Ruen wouldn't be enough to save so many people.
At the same time, the Nurse monster had already hoisted Vera onto its shoulder, floating back towards that iron hook.
William knew he had to do something.
He looked at Ruen: "Do you want to save your sister?"
"O-of course!"
"Very good." William smiled slightly. "Then go stand under that iron hook right now."
"Ah... me?"
Ruen froze, suspecting he misheard.
William quickly explained: "Right now, you are the only one who has never been on the iron hook, so you must be the one to replace Vera."
He shoved that stone seal into Ruen's hand as he spoke.
The latter really wanted to ask a question—haven't you also never been on it?
But upon seeing the stone seal's effect, Ruen understood.
William was highly capable and naturally had to undertake the "saving people" task.
Therefore, it could only be him who acted as the bait.
"This... will being hooked hurt a lot?" Ruen's breathing started to become rapid.
William shrugged: "Remember to tell me after you try it."
"You...!" Ruen was instantly speechless.
I was looking for encouragement, hey! Not sharing feelings!!
"Hurry up, there isn't much time left." William narrowed his eyes.
In the distance, Dylan had already been hung on the hook, and a vortex formed by evil aura had appeared above his head.
Ruen had no choice but to grit his teeth and activate the stone seal in his hand.
Subsequently, his eyes widened.
"I... I seem to have recovered my po..."
"I know, hurry up." William also raised an eyebrow.
The instant the stone seal was activated, he found his own power had recovered, but he could only invoke one Holy Art at a time.
Due to the short time, William only had time to activate [Missionary].
"Sure enough, when the stone seal is activated, the energy it emits can make the nearby space re-establish connection with the external Holy Power, but the duration it can maintain is very short..."
In fact, while William was thinking, the effect of [Missionary] was rapidly fading.
Before the spell completely ended, he only had time to look at the two Sweepers.
"Oh? This is..."
William narrowed his eyes, memorizing the things he had just seen in his heart.
Then he patted Ruen. The latter nodded and immediately dashed out.
Not far away.
The Nurse Butcher had already arrived at the front of the iron hook. It grabbed Vera on its shoulder and moved to hang her up.
But the next second.
Thump!
The prey in its hands actually fell to the ground.
The Nurse Butcher lowered its head, discovering a male human prey pressing his shoulder against its skirt hem.
Seemingly sensing something was wrong, Ruen also slowly raised his head.
Then two gazes met in this decayed air.
The latter's throat rolled, and immediately he raised his index finger, pointing non-stop at the Sweeper in front of him.
This was the action William had specifically instructed him to do; it seemed this could better attract the Sweeper's attention.
In the next moment.
Squelch—
A mist of blood splattered from Ruen's shoulder.
He let out a miserable scream, hurriedly clutching his wound and sprinting wildly.
In order to buy William time to save people, he couldn't be hooked in this place.
Moreover... he still had to provoke Bubba the Butcher.
Not long after, another chainsaw monster was added behind this illegitimate son.
A large patch of the surrounding cornstalks instantly collapsed.
This commotion also attracted the attention of Austin and the others, who hadn't fled far yet. "This... Sweepers usually don't chase the same person simultaneously. Could he be doing this on purpose?"
Just as the few were puzzled, they saw Ruen being hacked to the ground.
Because the two Sweepers attacked at the same time, Ruen even flipped over in the air before hitting the ground.
Squelch... Squelch...
A series of wet, sticky sounds echoed in the surroundings.
After Ruen lay on the ground, the Sweepers didn't stop immediately, but took turns hacking a few more times before stopping.
"It really hurts... ah..." he spat out some bloody foam.
This scene gave Austin and the others quite a fright.
Fortunately, due to the influence of the rules, these extra slashes wouldn't cause Ruen any further damage.
"This guy... is truly miserable..."
The few mourned silently in their hearts, watching Ruen get hung onto the iron hook.
But the next moment, Austin narrowed his eyes tightly.
He saw the surface of Ruen's body suddenly turn an eye-catching yellow, visible even through the cornstalks.
And beside him, the purple auras of the two Sweepers were also exceptionally conspicuous.
"This is!"
Austin hurriedly looked around, only to see the few companions beside him also exhibiting similar situations. And further away, there were still a few yellow figures crawling on the ground.
At the same time, there was another figure constantly waving its arms.
A moment later, Austin heard a series of crow caws.
Judging from the rhythmic pattern, the meaning conveyed by this sound was—saving people.
Austin narrowed his eyes tightly, immediately understanding that someone had found a holy artifact and put it into the generator.
Although it wasn't permanently lit, the accompanying ability allowed the humans present to see each other.
"So that guy was doing it for this purpose..."
Austin looked in the direction Ruen was at, his gaze gaining a bit of admiration.
"Lord Bishop, then we..."
"Go! Save them!"
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