The Church of Mist

[The Chef] left with Joker.

Chen Miemie closed the door.

He didn't go and report them.

At present, he wasn't sure what the Mist Church was or what evil deeds they had committed.

More importantly, if he reported them now, Joker would be doomed too.

Chen Miemie considered Joker his employee and wouldn't shoot himself in the foot by cutting off his own arm.

Before he could fall asleep again, the knocking resumed.

The visitor was Joker.

"Are you going to let me sleep or not?" Chen Miemie sat on the sofa while Qinghua stood behind him, rubbing his temples.

Joker wasn't one for small talk either. "The Mist Church is about to make a move."

"Does that have anything to do with me?"

Joker thought for a moment. "It does. They plan to infiltrate the school's graduation exam and go on a killing spree."

Chen Miemie opened his half-squinted eyes and waved his hand.

Qinghua stopped what she was doing and sat down beside him.

"How bold. They know I, Chen Miemie, am taking this exam, yet they still dare to cause trouble."

"No, they don't know about you. They just want to kill all the prospective graduates of this cohort."

"What is their goal?"

"The Mist Church worships the mist and pursues disorder and chaos. Most of the time, the things they do harm others without benefiting themselves, or harm both others and themselves.

This time, they want to weaken the new generation of Sixiang City to prepare for the upcoming New Era Racial War."

Chen Miemie nodded; that made sense. "Chaos and disorder... why does that sound right up your alley?"

"I used to be in the Mist Church, and I was in charge of Sixiang City. They came to me this time because they wanted to borrow my power."

"Did you agree?"

"I was a little interested at first, but when I remembered you were also taking the exam, I refused."

Joker knew very well that going up against an unknown, absolutely high-tier entity like Chen Miemie wasn't seeking thrills; it was seeking death.

He was just crazy, not stupid.

"By the way, why did you leave the Mist Church?"

"The Mist Church operates in pairs. My partner was too boring, so I killed him."

Damn, ruthless.

But thinking about it carefully, being in a group with Joker was indeed extremely hazardous.

"Who is [The Chef]'s partner?"

"I don't know. The people in the church also know my hobbies, so they wouldn't come to me two at a time."

Chen Miemie understood that it wasn't that they "wouldn't," but rather they "didn't dare." If both came, Joker might get a sudden urge and score a double kill. If only one came and got killed, the other could at least report back.

"I came to give you a heads-up. He won't wait until the day of the exam. Starting tomorrow, [The Chef] will probably come looking for you. He won't come today; I took off one of his legs when he left, so he should be looking for a place to stop the bleeding right now."

"Why would he still look for me? If I wanted to report him, I would have done it eight hundred times over the past half of the night."

"People in the shadows are always exceptionally intolerant of extra witnesses. I guarantee he will strike at you, an eyewitness, again."

Chen Miemie stood up to see his guest out. "Alright, I welcome his visit."

As soon as Joker left.

Chen Miemie immediately jumped onto his bed, wrapped himself tightly in his small quilt, and shivered.

This world was too terrifying. Not only were there natural disasters like the mist, but there were also man-made disasters like [The Chef].

He wasn't afraid if they came at night, but if he got caught during the day, he'd be doomed.

For [The Chef] to escape Joker with his life, even if his [Mystery] wasn't Level 5, it had to be at least at the peak of Level 4.

With that kind of strength, he could make a living anywhere. Why did he have to go around harming others for no benefit and act like a rat in the sewers?

Chen Miemie decided that starting tomorrow, Qinghua and Bobo would not leave his side.

The silver sun rose, and a new day began.

Chen Miemie only had one item on his itinerary today: going to the [Night Market] at 8:00 PM to hunt for treasures.

Out in the world, there was an old geezer wearing a chef's hat lying in ambush for him, so he planned to stay home all day and only go out at night.

At noon, someone knocked on the door.

Chen Miemie knew the old geezer had arrived.

A door could keep out the mist, but it couldn't keep out people who played with mysteries.

He hid Qinghua on his chest in the form of a pendant so she could protect him at a moment's notice.

He had Bobo conceal her aroma and lie on the table, disguised as an ordinary plate of roast chicken, waiting for his signal to strike.

Meeting him again, [The Chef] appeared incredibly polite.

He was even carrying a small box as a housewarming gift.

"Hello. I left in a hurry last night and haven't thanked you yet for guiding me to successfully find my friend. I've come specifically to express my gratitude."

Chen Miemie glanced at his lower body. "Your leg healed that fast?"

The smile on [The Chef]'s face tightened.

He really had to hit where it hurt. To restore this leg, he had paid a hefty price last night.

"To think that the utterly insane Joker actually made friends with his neighbor."

"Oh? How could you tell he and I are friends?"

"Stopping me from attacking at the beginning, and then telling you about my broken leg at the end—this is completely different from the Joker we know."

Chen Miemie let the man in. "People change. Joker is human too."

As a chef, the first thing he noticed upon entering was the pineapple roast chicken on the table.

"Did I interrupt your lunch?"

"No, I've already eaten. That's dinner."

"A roast chicken cooked to such perfect perfection will lose more than half its flavor if left until the afternoon."

"I suggest you not say that, it will get upset. You should say that no matter how long it's left out, it remains just as delicious."

The chef did not go sit on the sofa.

He opened the gift box he brought, revealing an assortment of kitchen utensils.

"Since you are Joker's friend, I will slightly alter my plan. I heard you are also a prospective graduate of the school. Could you cooperate with us for a little activity?"

[The Chef] seemed to have temporarily changed his objective, from coming to kill someone to inviting Chen Miemie to be his inside man.

"Not interested," Chen Miemie refused.

"What a regrettable choice."

[The Chef] sighed.

He pulled his beloved kitchen utensils out of the box one by one.

"As a guest, I can't come empty-handed. Let me cook a meal for you. However, I need some ingredients, and I'll have to borrow a little from you."

"The ingredients you mean are...?"

"The fresh, living body of a young prospective graduate. How about it?"

Chen Miemie put away his welcoming smile. "So, you eat people?"

[The Chef] just smiled and didn't answer.

The verbal conversation ended there.

Next came a "conversation" of action.

A sharp kitchen knife slashed toward Chen Miemie's throat, much like slitting the throat of poultry to drain the blood before slaughter.

Halfway through the slash, [The Chef] noticed something was wrong.

The kitchen knife was an extension of his hand, and he knew its weight intimately. But suddenly, he felt that while the shape of the knife in his hand hadn't changed, its weight had become more than three times lighter.

Catching a glimpse from the corner of his eye, the fine steel kitchen knife in his hand had transformed into a ceramic knife.

[The Chef] did not stop his strike halfway.

Even if it was a ceramic knife, its sharp edge could still slice open human flesh and blood.

A slender, white jade-like arm appeared, blocking the ceramic knife.

Qinghua jumped out from Chen Miemie's neck.

Right under [The Chef]'s nose, a grand transformation into a porcelain person took place.

"An Anomaly! The White Porcelain Lady!" [The Chef] instantly recognized Qinghua and took a massive leap backward to put some distance between them.