I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

Gunshots rang out in succession. Although most of them hit his body, Xi Wang himself was also hit by a few bullets, but none of that mattered.

Seizing the opportunity, he lowered his body and threw the corpse out to attract the other party's attention. Then, ignoring the gunshot wound on his leg, he forcefully pushed off to the side, rolled on the ground, and came to the side of the crowd.

He raised his gun, aimed with a natural, almost innate skill, and then... pulled the trigger, emptied the magazine, and casually plunged the cross pendant in his hand into the neck of the nearest person. At the same time, he thrust his knee forward, delivering a powerful knee strike to the opponent's vital point in the lower body, forcing them into a state of intense pain that rendered them unable to retaliate in time.

Of the remaining two, one was killed by a direct hit to the face, while the other was lucky enough to dodge the bullet aimed at his neck. Like Xi Wang, the bullet only took away a piece of flesh from his neck.

Unfortunately... he was also shot several times, and he didn't have Xi Wang's willpower to endure the pain and continue fighting.

“...I said that [He] would punish you.”

Despite the blood gushing from her throat, Xi Wang covered her bleeding neck with one hand and clutched the blood-soaked gilded cross pendant with the other, limping toward the person.

Watching him writhe on the ground in terror, watching him frantically move toward the gun that had fallen to the side, Xi Wang gripped the pendant tightly with an expressionless face, then stabbed it down, letting the blood gush out.

"It's just that I... am acting on your behalf."

After saying that, Xi Wang checked the condition of the others and, after confirming that they were all dead, limped toward Father Yan Zheng, who was struggling to move toward him.

However, it seemed that confirming the deaths of those people had exhausted Xi Wang's last strength. He swayed after taking only a few steps and then collapsed to the ground, his blood flowing and mixing with the blood of those people, staining the ground red.

"Child... child..."

Upon seeing him fall, Father Yan Zheng used both hands to crawl to his side, held him in his arms, and tried to stop the bleeding from his neck.

“I’m sorry, Father… I guess I’m just a born… [bad kid]…”

Xi Wang's consciousness was weakening, and his strange tricolor eyes were gradually becoming unfocused. But what he thought of first was that his actions had implicated Father Yan Zheng, and that he had failed [His] trust and expectations.

Not only did they use the tokens given by "He" to take lives, but they also stained their own hands with the blood of sin once again...

It seems I have failed Father Enrique's expectations even more...

Sure enough, I was born a "bad kid"...

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[Entry: ■■ (blue), already in effect]

【■■■：Young people, don't worry, I'm here to heal your wounds】

[Entry: Final Herrscher (Gold), Now in Effect]

[Your Honkai adaptability has been greatly improved, increasing your chances of becoming a "Herrscher"!]

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tick-

The sound of raindrops falling could be heard from outside the broken window.

Night fell imperceptibly, and the rain arrived as expected. A cool night breeze, carrying the rain, poured into the church through the windows, adding a damp touch to this place filled with the smell of blood.

In a daze, it seemed as if the scent of lilies wafted from Xi Wang, but it was fleeting, like an illusion.

Father Yan Zheng, who was in a panic, did not notice this.

"I'm sorry...child...I'm sorry..."

He should have been more resolute from the beginning. He should have stopped Xi Wang from doing those things. He shouldn't have held onto hope. Even if he saw his past self reflected in Xi Wang, he should have stopped him immediately. In the end, he shouldn't have smiled at Xi Wang's efforts or felt happy about everything that followed. Because he should have known that all of this would be shattered.

She had already lost the church's reputation in the area because of something similar, and had even parted ways with her, leading her into that "breeding ground for sin," where she watched one child after another being taken away by gangsters to do those sinful things... She had already experienced it once herself, but in the end, she still made her descendants go through the same thing again.

And Xi Wang even paid for it with his life... He was the most sinful person here.

To know something and not report it is a crime; to allow someone to do it is a crime.

"I'm sorry, child..."

Father Yan Zheng murmured softly, watching helplessly as Xi Wang closed her eyes in his arms, her body gradually growing cold, until even her breathing became weak, and then…

not dead? !

Father Yan Zheng's pupils widened slightly as he checked Xi Wang's breathing several times. He found that Xi Wang's breathing was gradually returning to normal, although it was still very weak, but it did not show any signs of weakening. Even the blood seeping from his neck was gradually slowing down, and after a while, it stopped bleeding altogether.

Father Yan Zheng frantically searched for the pendant, reaching out to touch the cross pendant that Xi Wang was holding in her hand. He found that the pendant was slightly warm, which seemed especially comforting in the cold environment.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is! Indeed, you are here, you are watching over this child, you are protecting this child."

At this moment, Father Yan Zheng suddenly realized why his friend Father Enrique had arranged for Xi Wang to be by his side and brought Xi Wang to this chaotic and disorderly place.

Because He was watched over and protected by Him, He guided him to bring change to this chaotic and disorderly place.

But in the end, his sins brought him disaster.

But... thankfully, He was watching over the child, and He loved the child.

“Child, don’t be afraid… I will take you to a safe place… Don’t be afraid… He loves you, He watches over you…”

Father Yan Zheng moved his body little by little, found a still intact wooden board from the side, and then found a waterproof cloth. He placed his immobile lower body on the board, carried Xi Wang on his back, covered both of them with the waterproof cloth, and then began to crawl out little by little.

Perhaps He can save Xiwang's life, but... that alone is not enough. He must be taken to a place with medical capabilities, or at least the ability to bandage, a safe place to rest...

And... this child cannot be allowed to suffer death because of my sins... this matter must be resolved... this is my sin, and I must atone for it...

And...and...

Father Yan Zheng moved slowly, his arms and chest bleeding from the friction, but nothing could stop him, nor could the rain falling from the sky.

Although it was a journey full of suffering, Father Yan Zheng found it all so reassuring.

Perhaps... this is the path of redemption that [He] has given him—he thought to himself.

Keep going, move forward steadily, little by little, and don't let any difficulties defeat you. We...we will eventually reach that place.

"Father?!"

Finally, amidst the slightly noisy rain and the faint sounds of children playing, he... heard a somewhat familiar voice.

"We've arrived... I've brought him here"—he thought, and the string that had been holding him in place finally relaxed.

Before his vision went dark, he could see Aponia's panicked and helpless expression, and... her figure rushing towards him.

So...we've gotten this old already...

As he thought this, he immediately fainted.

Chapter Seven: Kindness Will Eventually Be Rewarded, Even if Slightly (5371)

Xi Wang could sense that she was about to die.

But it seems that he is not dead—Xi Wang knows this.

Is it "He" protecting me? — Xi Wang thought to herself.

Although you can't move your body, the surrounding environment feels somewhat familiar, and more importantly, you can sense that [He]'s gaze is on you.

Xi Wang hurriedly lowered his head, trying to perform the rituals of a devout believer... Unfortunately, he couldn't do it now, but [He] didn't mind such trivial matters.

She spoke, in a slightly gentle female voice.

“Young one…do you know the evil consequences of your actions? Do you know the mistakes you have made?”

His words were no longer as vague and difficult to understand as before, but became clear and audible. They were in a language that Xi Wang was familiar with, rather than a language that he did not know.

“I’m sorry, Almighty Lord… I have failed to meet your expectations, using the token you entrusted to me for killing, staining my hands with the blood of sin once more. I… have failed your trust and expectations, and have failed to spread your love throughout the world.”

"........."

Upon hearing this, [He] paused for a moment, then spoke calmly.

"You have not betrayed my trust and expectations; the mistake you made was something else."

Afterwards, He gently recounted why things had turned out this way, which was the mistake that Xi Wang had made.

First of all, Twilight Street is in a delicate balance. Under this fragile balance, neutral zones like the church can exist. Even Xi Wang's daily necessities are "provided" by those gangs. Under these circumstances, Xi Wang is trying to use their resources to carve out an independent area out of thin air on their land... This is obviously not allowed by them.

If Xi Wang were to repair the church using her own strength and the resources she obtained, the gangsters wouldn't say anything, at most they would just mock her a bit—after all, their arrival would definitely make Xi Wang's efforts go to waste, and they would definitely loot all the resources in the church.

However, Xiwang used the supplies they "donated" to repair the church and even took in refugees who should have been their human resources. This touched their interests, which is why Xiwang and Father Yanzheng were "retaliated against"... They don't need a "negotiating table that gets in the way" or a "witness with their own ideas".

As for the subsidies and supplies that should have been provided by the church to the church? Those things don't exist. They would be divided up by them when entering [Twilight Street]. In fact, the supplies that the church received from them were also part of the subsidies provided by the church.

In other words, Father Yan Zheng should have been living a good life, and the church here wouldn't have been in such a dilapidated state. The current situation is all because they embezzled most of the subsidies and supplies. Moreover... they not only took these subsidies, but also used them to "give" a portion of them to the church, making the church staff thank them for their "charity".

It's really... disgusting.

"Almighty Lord...why not change the atmosphere of Twilight Street, let this chaotic place return to peace and tranquility, and allow the people here to sleep peacefully?"

Xi Wang asked softly.

"Because this is the choice of the people."

He said.

"The people who live here are used to and fond of this atmosphere, and people from the outside world also need this kind of atmosphere here."

"This is a chaotic place that everyone has pushed for and tacitly approved of."

“Those in power outside need such places to exile criminals, to drive out the desperados or the difficult ones to manage.”

"The people here need outlaws to do things that are not meant to be done in the open, to make a fortune in order to maintain their authority here and in the place."

Things that are not suitable to be brought into the open... are things like illegal human experimentation, or... the sale of "addictive drugs"... and the like?

How disgusting! Xi Wang couldn't help but think.

"Your intentions are good, your thoughts are good, and the goodwill you expressed is not wrong."

He said this.

"It's just that there's no room for such goodwill here."

"The choices of the people have made this place [Twilight Street], and you have no power to change their minds."

"You are too weak to change anything here."

He drew a conclusion.

I see……

Xi Wang suddenly realized.

He suddenly understood why Father Yan Zheng always seemed so indifferent when he first met him; he suddenly understood why Father Yan Zheng always seemed hesitant to speak when he wanted to improve the church; and why the smile on Father Yan Zheng's face was so genuine when he took in refugees.

Changing this place is difficult, but the kindness shown is commendable.