Pierce didn't know how long he had curled up in the darkness with his eyes closed, maybe for a moment or for many days, and it was still dark and silent all around.

At some point, the silence was broken without warningPh'ngluimglw'nafhLviat'hahnwgah'naglfhtagnNhplolrgTukrg'qwLviat'hahnrulx'qie...... He opened his eyes and found Carpenrol standing with his back to him, Juncker in the back right, and Spann in the back left, sitting on the ground with his back to the morgue, while the three of them chanted a spell to open the green soap bubble-like barrier for themselves, and outside the barrier was the world of flesh and blood, with the zombie Junker and the giant flesh worm eyeing him.

Wasn't this when he was just coming out of his hallucinations? He...... Just experienced a new hallucination?

Or is it the hallucinations that I am experiencing in the dark?

"Are you alright?" They stopped chanting, and Sheriff Juncker's voice came from behind Pierce.

"Sheriff Juncker, are you alright?" He still didn't know what was going on.

"He's been fine, are you back to normal now? We were just walking, and you suddenly broke away from us and ran towards the morgue, and we followed and found you scurrying nervously between the morgues, which let us know that something should have changed, but because you were moving so fast, we couldn't hold you in the middle and open the barrier, until you started squatting on the ground, and we didn't have a chance. Spann spoke, and Pierce turned his head to look at him, it was really hard to imagine that the two people who had just died in front of him suddenly stood there as if they were all right, this ...... Unspeakable taste, Pierce thought, the feeling transcended excitement or fear, and his mind was now full of doubts, what was going on?

Is this a miracle?

"I'm sorry we still underestimated the power of the demon, I didn't expect it to be so powerful that you ignore the pendant, by the way, let me introduce you first, this is Span, the director of Blackwater Island Hospital." This is a familiar conversation...... Is he dreaming now?

Is he asleep in that dark hospital room now, dreaming now? Although he had this thought, he subconsciously didn't want to think it right.

So he raised his right hand and slapped it heavily on the right cheek.

"Hey man, are you okay? Why did you suddenly start beating yourself? Carpenrol was taken aback by his sudden and strange behavior.

Fortunately, he didn't wake up in that gloomy basement, his cheeks aching hotly, as did his right arm.

He looked at his right arm, there was a wound that he remembered was scratched by the mantis's sickle in a hallucination, and it was still very new, and the bright red blood slowly oozed out along the gap.

I...... It was the same before. Pierce remembered what had happened earlier, when he was lying on a rocky beach outside the underground river, and had the illusion of exploring Vincent's house and secret passages with Jonny, and that the hallucination ended with him being thrown out by the monster and his head hit on the rock; Then this time it was he who was huddled in the morgue, and he had the illusion that he and the Junkers went to the hospital with the three Junkers to exorcise Lady Vincent's demons and fell into the ogre trap, and this hallucination ended in him being trapped in Lady Vincent's hospital room, curled up in the darkness in despair...... Is this what people call the ability to predict the future?

Like those gypsy girls see in the crystal ball, so I can avoid repeating the same mistakes?

"Hey, man, are you okay?" It seemed that seeing Pierce slap himself first, and then stunned for nothing, Carpenrol raised his voice and asked him again.

"Oh? Oh! It's okay, I'm fine, I was just thinking about something, and I was a little distracted. Pierce stood up, really, although the despair and horror he had just experienced was still deeply etched in his mind, it was a good feeling to have this ability to foresee the future.

"Then let's keep walking, it's not that far, this time we'll keep the barrier in place, it should be safe for you to stay in here, let's go." Pierce nodded, stood up with his hand on the morgue behind him, and the three of them walked through the squalid morgue and the dilapidated hallway to the steps leading to the basement.

Sure enough, just like in the hallucination, the flesh and blood space outside the barrier suddenly disappeared without warning when it reached this staircase, and as for the bottom, he glanced at the lower level of the staircase that disappeared into darkness as if leading to hell, I won't be fooled again.

"Guys, the barrier can be lifted, let's stop here for a while, I have important things to talk about." Carpenrol, who was in front of him, was about to bend down to pick up the oil lamp on the ground, when he heard Pierce say this, he stopped what he was doing, and his left hand, which had been pressed to his chest to maintain the effectiveness of the barrier, was also lowered.

As if the bubble burst, the barrier suddenly disappeared, but Pierce was undisturbed by the hallucination, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"It's a very important thing, but it may sound a little hard to believe, but I now finally understand that I may have an ability to foresee the future to a certain extent beyond my own control. Juncker, do you remember? I told you that there was an exorcism in Mrs. Vincent's room, and that Mr. Vincent also had an octopus pendant. ”

"Remember, isn't this the information you got in the early preparations?"

"No, this is what I saw in some hallucination-like way, and at first I thought it was a symptom of some kind of mental illness, until you confirmed to me that these things were real."

"So that means you're stopping here now because you see what's going to happen? Is it so amazing? What will happen? Span, who had been unfazed, seemed to be full of interest in Pierce's special abilities, and there was some excitement in his tone.

"Yes, I just saw something when I was crouching on the ground in the morgue, let me confirm it with some details, Juncker, you didn't tell me that this demon that is wreaking havoc on Blackwater Island is an ogre, right?"

"Juncker didn't even tell you this kind of information? You're too cautious, you old man, aren't you? ”

"Shut up. I really didn't say it, and this should be information that you don't know. ”

"And the reason why this underground ward is dark is because those who go crazy become very irritable if they are stimulated by the light, and they are quieter in the dark."

"Well, that's right."

"Lady Vincent's hospital room is at the end of the corridor on the right side of the underground lobby, where you have drawn a circle of white powder for exorcism. There is only one operating table that serves as a bed and a commode in the ward. All the wards here have iron doors with a small window the size of a man, and every time you open the window of Madame Vincent's room, she will scream loudly. ”

"Unbelievable." Spann and Juncker still looked calm, but they were clearly trying to hide their surprise.

Carpenrol was much more calm, and he let out a long whistle in admiration.

"It seems that I am not wrong about all these details that I should not know, so what I want to say next is the main point, Lady Vincent is dead, she is not the medium of the Ogre Power now, if the planned exorcism ritual has no effect, and the Ogre has already set a trap, all the iron doors will be smashed open by the madmen inside, and all four of us will die below." When Pierce finished speaking, he saw the three of them looking at each other in amazement, as if he felt that his words were somewhat unbelievable, or rather shocking.

"Mr. Pierce, can I find out how I died?" It was Spann who spoke first, and his amusement was still incomprehensible.

"You were caught by the madmen and beaten to death in the process of escaping, sorry I didn't see the whole thing, when Carpenrol and I were cornered, and we locked ourselves up in Madame Vincent's hospital room."

"You and Carpenrol? What about Juncker? ”

"He was the first to die, he was hit by the door pushed open by the madman in the process of escaping, and the sharp corner of the iron door hit the back of his head, and he was just finished."

"Oh? I was relieved to know that I died later than the Junker thief. ”

"I trust you, but to be on the safe side, I must make sure that Lady Vincent is no longer a medium for the power of ogres." Juncker didn't care about how he died.

"But it's too dangerous to go down, and there's a good chance you won't be able to come back."

"No, there's no need to go down, if Madame Vincent loses her function as a medium, the power enveloping this hospital should be reduced a lot, I'll just take a look here." After saying that, Juncker sat down cross-legged on the spot, put his palms together, sandwiched the octopus pendant between his palms, and then closed his eyes, lowered his head, and said words in his mouth, and Pierce listened carefully, still those unintelligible syllables.

"Not really." After a while, Juncker raised his head with a grim face,

"Although its influence has not dissipated, Blackwater Island Hospital is no longer the source of its madness."

"But its influence is still there, which means that it has not been disconnected from our world, so doesn't that mean that there are other mediums on Blackwater Island?" Spann pinpointed the crux of the matter.

"Pierce must have seen it too, right? Just ask him if he doesn't do it, oh my God, this is great, you must be a messenger sent by the goddess to save us, I now know that this must be the will of the goddess, the first time we met was at that dock, I was supposed to load the goods and return in the morning, but they didn't know why it was delayed on the way, so ......"

"Alright, Carpenrol, now is not the time to talk about this, we have more important things to do." Spann rudely interrupted Carpenroll's agitated narration and continued to question Pierce

"Well, Pierce, do you see where the Ogre Medium is in your field of vision?" Pierce was a little concerned about the goddesses that Carpenrol was talking about, he seemed to have said something about the revelation before, they didn't seem to be ordinary cultists, and the octopus pendant used to cast spells was also very strange.

They seem to have some common faith, and the object of that belief is not as ethereal as God or Buddha, but more one

"Realistic", something that can communicate with them, and even be able to actually perform miracles in them, Juncker said at the time that his role in the exorcism ritual was

"It's just a wire, sitting in a fixed position as a medium to transmit power", where does the power of transmission come from?

Does it come from their beliefs?

"Pierce? You okay? ”

"Huh? Oh! Well, I don't see exactly where the ogre's medium is, but I'm sure it's a painting by Madame Vincent, and it's now in the hole in the reef beach where you first found me, and I'm just escaping from the ogre's threat. ”

"Without further ado, we'll take our materials and set off immediately."

"Wait, Sergeant Juncker, you said Detective Jonny was on duty at the police station today, right?"

"Yes. What, you're looking for him? ”

"Yes, I still have some questions and need to communicate with him."

"Then go ahead. We're going to go back to the police station anyway to get the ritual supplies. With that, Juncker turned to Carpenrol,

"The power of the ogre is beyond our estimates, the development of the situation is a little out of control, just in case, you go and leave the message of the summons first, if the situation changes, we can still take measures." What to convene?

What kind of measures are being taken? He didn't think Juncker would tell him, because Juncker had always been very cautious, and the word "gathering" sounded like there were many companions who must belong to a large organization.

Huge organization? Pierce suddenly remembered the cultists who were gathering in the cave in black robes, could they also belong to that cult?

Hey, but it doesn't matter now, the enemy of the enemy is the friend, and the three of them don't mean to hurt themselves, and they've even saved themselves many times.

Besides, he himself now needs to use the power of the three of them to destroy the ogre, even if it is a cult, what does it matter?

If the influence of ogres is allowed to expand endlessly, the world will be destroyed sooner or later.

"Shall we go then?" After walking through the courtyard of the hospital, Captain Carpenrol said goodbye to the three of them and left alone, while Pierce followed Sergeant Juncker down another road to the police station.

I don't know if it's because I don't know if it's because of the fear in my heart or something else, Pierce feels that the night seems to be getting darker and more terrifying.

The stars and moon in the sky have completely disappeared, replaced by a distant darkness.

The darkness seemed to spread to the ground, too, and they flickered beyond the light of the oil lamps, like staring at three prey in a trap.

Fortunately, the police station was not far from the hospital, and they quickly arrived at the door. The police station is as shabby as the so-called port building, and every time I see this building, I am amazed.

If it weren't for the plaque and badge on the door, Pierce felt that he would never have been able to connect the crumbling two-story wooden building to the police station in any way - they didn't seem to be able to protect themselves, so how could they protect others?

Juncker pushed open the door and walked in first, followed by Pierce and Span. Pierce had been to this place in his hallucinations, and it was indeed the same place as he remembered, the old floors creaking to step on, the oil lamps hanging on the walls were already dusty, and there was really no one to light them now.

At the entrance, which can barely be called a lobby, there is a simple wooden table on the left, and even if it is the duty office, there is now a big man in a police uniform lying on the table with his head on his side, snoring like thunder.

"Brian, Brian! You shit, get up! Juncker placed the oil lamp on the table on duty and slapped the big man's face with his hand.

"Hmm...... Whew...... Oh, Sergeant Juncker...... Ah......h

"Where's Johnny? Where did that restless guy run away again? Sheriff Juncker's tone sounded very helpless.

"Oh...... Jony...... Ah......h

He replied...... Yes...... Home, or ...... Or White Shark wine...... Yes...... I don't know...... Don't make noise......" He had just said a few words, his eyes were completely closed, his head drooped lower and lower, his voice became weaker and weaker, and he lay on the table before he finished a sentence, and the snoring sounded immediately.

"Looks like it's not." Juncker turned to Pierce behind him,

"These stinky boys can relax at night, but even during the day, it's not much worse, after all, there's really nothing to do on this small island." Pierce nodded, indicating that he could understand.

"There's no way around that, it's important to get down to business, let's come back to him when we're done." We need to prepare some ritual supplies now, not much, but I may have to look for them, you can come and help me, or you can sit here and rest. Juncker gestured to Pierce with a few chairs across from the watch, and then walked down the hallway with the oil lamp.

"Span, come and help me." Jonny wasn't there. Pierce paced back and forth in the hall to the rhythm of snoring.

White Shark Tavern, the name is a bit familiar. Suddenly, a ridiculous idea popped into his head.

In the future he sees, he escapes through the underground sewers and goes straight to the police station, and now he should be with Jonny in Vincent's house to collect clues.

He remembered that when they left the police station, Jonny seemed to confess that the big guy named Brian had gone to the White Shark Tavern if Juncker asked?

Everything coincided perfectly, and Pierce even felt like there were two of his own beings on this Blackwater Island at this very moment.

Now that strange things are happening, he feels that no matter what strange things happen, he will not be surprised.

But judging by Juncker's attitude, it doesn't seem strange that such an excuse is just a common excuse for Jonny to be lazy at night.

Is this just a coincidence? That's right! He has ready-made evidence. He excitedly thought that the body of the monster in the morgue, Mr. Vincent, if it was still lying there, then it would be ...... What does that mean?

Pierce felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head, calming him down for a moment. That means that he did come to the police station after escaping from the underground waters, and now he should be collecting evidence in Vincent's house with Qiao Ming...... So what happened to me who went to Blackwater Island Hospital with Juncker and now returned to the police station?

This is something that could not have happened under any circumstances, so Mr. Vincent's body must not be here.

Although he had been comforting himself like this, the successive events had bombarded his original world to pieces again and again, and even if he thought about it now, he was still worried in his heart.

Blind thinking is fruitless. Pierce stared at the oil lamp on the watch desk, Brian was sleeping soundly, and it certainly didn't matter if he borrowed the oil lamp for a while.

Without further ado, since it's decided, act now. He picked up the oil lamp and walked down the hallway. Very close.

It occurred to him that he had been to this place in a hallucination, and that a few steps ahead was the reception room, and a few steps further on the staircase that led to the underground.

The people here are really weird. Pierce suddenly realized that the buildings on Blackwater Island seemed to be running underground, which probably had a lot to do with the geography of the place, after all, it was a deserted stone island, he didn't see any woods, and during the day, when he looked at the distant Crow's Nest Mountain, it was also a bare mess.

Perhaps their forests were cut down many years ago to build the town's broken wooden houses; At the same time, Blackwater Island has a complex network of caverns underneath, and with a little trimming, it can become an excellent solid space.

Thinking that he had arrived in the morgue, the place was very cold even during the day, and now there was an indescribable chill that Pierce felt as if it had oppressed the light of the oil lamp, and made it much more dim.

There were only three morgues in the empty morgue, and the one in the middle was covered with a white cloth.

Pierce felt his heart begin to beat violently again, a scene that seemed to be the same as when he hallucinated and left the morgue with Jonny, and he could almost see Mr. Vincent's diabolical deformed face under the white cloth.

A strong desire arose in his heart, which made him hurry out of this place and run up the stairs as fast as he could; But at the same time, the morgue seemed to have an inexplicable attraction, and this attraction and his desire to know the truth had far overridden the fear, and he was unconsciously walking towards it step by step.

Standing next to the morgue, Pierce felt that his palms were soaked with cold sweat, he put the oil lamp on the empty side of the morgue, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, grabbed the corner of the white cloth and pulled it back...... It was indeed Mr. Vincent, but it was not the demonic appearance that Pierce had seen in the vision, and now lying under the white cloth was just an ordinary corpse, except that half of his body had been destroyed by the flames—his burnt skin was covered with ugly bumps, and the eyelids of one eye had melted, completely covering the eyes, making it unbearable to look at.

The question that hung in Pierce's mind was finally put down, it seemed that his hallucinations were not real, and he was about to re-cover Mr. Vincent with the white cloth and leave, at this moment, he found that Mr. Vincent's eyes were open, and even the burned half had cracked a large ugly slit, but there seemed to be no pupil in the strange eyeball—I don't know if I could say that it was an eyeball, Pierce thought it was more like some kind of ball made of white flesh thread.

Pierce was so frightened by this surprise that he fell back and leaned against another morgue, all the while he felt his brain buzzing, like thousands of flies were locked in his cranial cavity, and he felt unspeakably uncomfortable.

"Ahh Pierce fell to his knees, his hands pressed his head hard, and the strange sound of flies flying in his head became more and more intense, causing him to have an unbearable headache, and he couldn't help but curl up his legs and roll on the ground with his head in his hands.

But it didn't work, the swelling pain continued to grow, and Pierce felt that the flies seemed to be multiplying rapidly in his brain, making his head swell bigger and bigger like a balloon that had been blown up, and now it seemed to be on the verge of exploding at any moment.

Luckily, the explosion didn't happen, and Pierce felt like his head had suddenly deflated, as if a hole had been made in his forehead, and then the flies swarmed out, and he was finally relieved.

Pierce lay on the ground weakly and gasped, and there was silence in the morgue. His forehead and body felt the chill coming from the rocky ground again, and he reached out to touch his forehead tremblingly, afraid that he would really touch a bloody mouth there, but it didn't seem to be, the forehead soaked in cold sweat was still as intact as before, was it another hallucination?

He thought of his hoarse scream just now, wasn't it actually heard by the Junkers? The silence did not last, and Pierce was startled again by the sudden sound of continuous crashing, and he looked up to see Mr. Vincent's body twisting into various strange poses on the morgue, his head raised high, and then slamming into the stone countertop with a terrifying breaking sound.

The oil lamp was also knocked over, igniting the white cloth that had been thrown on the ground, and the fire seemed to enclose the entire stone morgue in an instant, as if some evil ritual was being performed.

Mr. Vincent's head thumped against the countertop more and more intensely, and Pierce felt the ground tremble violently with each movement, making him a little unsteady on his feet.

Suddenly, there was a sound like an eggshell shattering, and Mr. Vincent's impact stopped, but the ground shook faster and stronger, and from Mr. Vincent's eyes and mouth erupted a vine-like white flesh, and this strange thing quickly extended upward, piercing the rock wall above in a strong earthquake, and the rubble continued to fall because of the tremors.

Not good. It occurred to Pierce that I would be buried alive here in such a strong earthquake. He fled the stairs by the light of the fire, and the shock of the distance made him almost fall backwards several times, but he steadied himself and continued to run.

"Mr. Pierce, why did you get down here, it's coming, it's an earthquake, let's get out of here." Having just escaped from the underground staircase, Pierce met Juncker and Span, who had just come down from the stairs with oil lamps, and it was a blessing that he might not even be able to see the way.

The three of them ran out of the corridor as fast as they could, a short distance that was not long in the first place, and they quickly ran into the hall, but Brian was still sleeping soundly on the table in this situation.

"Brian! Brian! You shit, get up, run! Juncker ran over and slapped him hard, and Brian seemed to be awakened, and sat up straight, staring blankly at the three people in front of him, completely unaware of what was happening.

"It's an earthquake, get out of here." After saying that, he ran out with Pierce and Span, who had run out of the door first, and Brian was stunned for a moment before he finally understood the seriousness of the situation, and hurriedly followed them.