Chapter 3: Rip!

The yin wind came, fierce and strong, making the dark clouds unnaturally cover the moon; shortly after, it blew the clouds apart.

"Look, there's a church." Visibility improved considerably, and someone pointed to a building not far away and said.

In the darkness, the outline could barely be made out.

Gothic-style pointed spire.

The mission is for everyone to find Kai Tangshou Jieke.

This is a very notorious serial killer, who, with brutal methods, continuously killed at least five female support females, and was "active" in the Whitechapel District of London in 1888.

Kai Tangshou Jieke is his codename; as for his true identity, opinions vary.

Even Churchill's father was once suspected—folk suspicion.

There is also a claim that the final culprit was definitely Aaron Kosminski; this person was one of those whom the police at the time confirmed as having major suspicion.

Of course, no one dares to guarantee a hundred percent that the final truth is known.

The true identity of the Ripper has already become an eternal unsolved mystery in history.

Since it is a story of London in 1888.

Then, everyone feels that the place we are now is naturally London.

The place we came out is a tomb chamber; not far away is a pointed spire building, most likely a church.

It is not uncommon for a church to be paired with a cemetery nearby.

Even the underground of some churches is a large burial ground.

"Let's go take a look."

Zhou Zhenguo spoke.

In the middle of the night, first find a place to stay.

Even if we are to find Kai Tangshou Jieke, we need not be hasty in such a gloomy, strange night.

Moreover, since we haven't even figured out the basic situation, where would we go to look for people?

The church's main door was tightly shut, but not locked.

Push open the door, and everyone entered in single file.

Inside the church there was no one, but some candles were burning.

Rows of long benches used for prayer were neatly placed.

Zhou Zhenguo looked around and saw no priest or nun or similar figures.

"Let's rest here for a while, and start the mission again tomorrow morning?"

Zhou Zhenguo opened his mouth to ask.

Although it was a question, in fact a decision had already been made.

"Good."

Everyone had no objection and readily sat on the wooden benches.

The so-called rest was not sleeping at first, but merely relaxing the tense nerves a bit, then chatting about personal matters related to this Gods and Demons Game.

The time Tang Luo was pulled in was the afternoon.

The others were the same.

Their biological clocks were still functioning; despite it being night here, nobody felt any sleepiness.

Just now we exchanged "codenames"; now everyone begins to report some "family background".

The youngest among them, a teenager, is a second-year high school student.

He dozed off during self-study class, and when he woke up he found himself inside the carriage.

Bespectacled Xiao Chu is similar, a college student lying in the dorm playing on his phone, perfectly awake, when he suddenly found himself in a different environment.

The rest are largely similar.

The man who calls himself Xiao Li, a fresh graduate unemployed and looking for work, was pulled into this.

The two women are friends, second-year college students; while out shopping, one missed a step and ended up sitting down on the carriage seat.

Zhou Zhenguo is different.

As a player who has already experienced several missions, he received the information a day in advance.

He rested his spirits and sat upright, waiting.

As for Tang Luo, from this carriage to that carriage.

There was nothing like a "nothing left to live for" option, no yes-or-no choice box, nor any resurrection of the dead "for my use".

The Gods and Demons Game drags people in with extreme brutality, giving no choice at all.

Without the slightest preparation, they were forced to join.

After completing the mission, they do not return to some special space.

But rather, they return from where they came.

If one feels the mission is too dangerous and unwilling to complete it, one can also choose to lie low.

Wait for the mission to fail.

In as little as two or three months, or as long as a year and a half, they will also return.

However, the flow of time in the mission world and the real world is not the same.

The time spent in the mission world, in real world terms, is basically just an instant.

But Zhou Zhenguo has also heard of some exceptions.

As for the specifics, he does not particularly understand them.

For Xiao Chu and the others, Zhou Zhenguo is indeed a big thigh.

But in reality, he is merely a middle-aged unlucky man who has experienced five missions, with only two successes.

He barely got through his newbie time.

"Uncle Zhou, what exactly is that skill?"

After chatting for a while, Xiao Chu couldn't help but ask.

The others also pricked up their ears, looking very curious.

"It's just a skill, similar to those in games." Zhou Zhen'guo said concisely, "It consumes stamina, energy, and has a cooldown, and proficiency can be increased with use."

"Oh."

Everyone nodded in realization, and no one asked Zhou Zhen'guo to demonstrate.

Their relationship wasn't close enough for that.

One shouldn't get arrogant just because someone is easy to talk to.

"The term 'player' always feels a bit childish..." Xiao Chu muttered.

"You can also call it God-Demon Walker." Zhou Zhen'guo said, "The term 'player' is actually a self-deprecating joke; many prefer to call themselves God-Demon Walkers."

"That's good!" the grim‑green sophomore showed some excitement.

His expression kept shifting—sometimes angry, sometimes delighted—obviously lost in his own fantasy world.

Become a God-Demon Walker, take on the school bully, flirt with the school belle.

Just thinking about it feels wonderful.

"Back to senses."

Zhou Zhen'guo clapped his hands in front of the grim‑green youth, solemnly reminding him, "As a player, a God-Demon Walker, one cannot act recklessly in the real world."

"Huh?"

"It's not that you can't use the benefits of the God-Demon Game for personal gain or to do things, but there is a limit; exceed it, and the outcome..." Zhou Zhen'guo didn't continue.

That solemn expression nevertheless made everyone realize.

Yeah, if a group of players, God-Demon Walkers could run wild in the real world.

Then wouldn't the real world already be chaos of demons dancing?

There must be a limit.

"However, I've also heard that the limit seems to have loosened; have you heard of any abnormal news lately? I feel all sorts of chaotic things have increased."

Zhou Zhen'guo said.

This sparked everyone's interest.

Apart from Tang Luo, they all began recounting the abnormal events experienced by their "friends."

Originally just jokes, but upon reflection, it seems there might be truth to it.

After chatting for about an hour and a half, the outside sky showed no sign of brightening.

Not knowing the time and being in a dim setting, everyone inevitably grew drowsy.

One after another fell into deep sleep.

Zhou Zhen'guo said nothing, but voluntarily took on the night watch duty.

I don't know if he's a great thigh, but undoubtedly he's a good person.

Tang Luo opened his eyes, glanced at Zhou Zhen'guo, then closed them again to regulate his breath.

The vital energy here is richer than on Earth, somewhat helping to heal injuries.

Once injuries heal, one can smash the heads of demons and monsters—no, rather, to save people and do good deeds.

I don't know how long passed, but part of the candles inside the church burned out.

Outside, it was still night.

Zhou Zhen'guo also seemed tired, closed his eyes, his head slightly drooping, as if already asleep.

That Xiao Li moved a bit, got up from the bench, and hurriedly walked toward the outside of the church.

Xiao Li's real name is Li Liang; that name doesn't sound very good.

It also gave him some difficulty finding work after graduation, hitting walls everywhere.

At least Li Liang himself thinks so, blaming everything on his name.

Otherwise, how could a proper college student fail to find a job?

What's more, he once served as a student council officer at school.

Before being dragged into this God-Demon Game, Li Liang was thinking of changing his name.

But now he has abandoned that idea.

Finding a job? Not happening.

From now on he will ascend to the peak of life.

Leaving the church, Li Liang walked toward the nearby small square building, which was the toilet.

He needed to relieve himself.

"Did they have electric lights and flush toilets in the 19th century?"

Entering the restroom, Li Liang was quite puzzled.

The relevant historical knowledge had already been returned to the teacher after the college entrance exam.

He wasn't sure whether London in 1888 had those two things.

He also prepared himself to avoid looking directly and to finish quickly.

As it turned out, he felt the light switch on the wall, flipped it, and saw a rather clean restroom with a flush toilet.

This restroom is very modern.

With some doubt, Li Liang unzipped his pants, shivered, gave a pleasant shudder, closed his eyes, and began to release.

The patter of water sounds entered his ears.

Li Liang felt numbness in his hands and feet; at the same time his body inexplicably grew cold—how could this chill last so long?

Can you even get this feeling from urinating?

Though it should have been ending, the water sound grew louder; Li Liang felt as if his body were being emptied, and he could barely stand.

He opened his eyes, lowered his head, and the expression that had been slightly doubtful turned into boundless terror.

The liquid flowing into the toilet turned red.

At some point, his chest was torn open in a horrible wound, and a large amount of bright red blood gushed out.

Li Liang felt no pain at all, as if the person whose chest had been torn open wasn't him.

He only felt his body growing cold and weak.

A grating sound that made one's teeth ache came through.

It was the sound of some metal substance rubbing against bone.

An icy cold breath came from behind, blowing on Li Liang's neck.

Someone behind?!

A blood‑stained knife extended from the chest cavity, retracted, then extended again.

It gradually enlarged the wound.

Open the chest!

An open‑chest piercing from behind straight through the whole person!

Terror, despair, helplessness.

Li Liang's eyes began to scatter; he couldn't struggle, let alone make a sound.

Darkness surged in like a tide, swallowing all his consciousness.

Zhou Zhen'guo opened his eyes and looked around.

Everyone was sleeping slumped over, except the guy with the dharma name Xuanzang.

He sat cross‑legged, as if meditating, still giving off a feeling of tranquility and peace.

The outside sky had already grown somewhat brighter.

"Little Li hasn't come back?"

Zhou Zhen'guo stood up and walked outside.

When Li Liang went out, Zhou Zhen'guo actually knew, and also guessed he might have gone to the toilet.

He did not stop him.

Even if it were a gods‑and‑demons game, it wasn't a matter of life‑and‑death struggle right from the start, and a little carelessness could get you killed.

If that were the case, there wouldn't be a situation where one could abandon the mission and just scrape by to stay alive.

Zhou Zhen'guo didn't think that simply going out to use the toilet would bring danger.

After all, this was a mission for a group of newcomers, and he, Zhou Zhen'guo, was the only pseudo‑senior among them.

The difficulty shouldn't be too high.

But judging by the time, at least an hour must have passed.

The sky had brightened, yet Li Liang still hadn't returned.

It made Zhou Zhen'guo's heart sink little by little.

After a moment, he pushed open the toilet door, as if pushing open the door of a sealed slaughterhouse.

A pungent smell of blood spread together with the blood itself.

A pool of blood lay underfoot.

Li Liang's corpse lay askew, his chest ripped open in a horrible wound.

Inside, everything was torn apart and in disarray.

It simply reminded Zhou Zhen'guo of the scene of an alien bursting out of a body.

"Jack the Ripper!"

Zhou Zhen'guo's face instantly turned utterly grim.

He turned and hurried toward the church, leaving a trail of red footprints.

This mission seemed far more difficult than he had imagined!