SCP Corporation: Contain Bonfire

There were no longer any kind-hearted, innocent villagers, nor were there any nuns and priests...

Those villagers who seemed like normal people all had rotten skin covering their bodies apart from their clothes, including missing limbs, and their white eyes stared at them, murmuring filthy language unclearly, imitating the living.

As for that exceptionally beautiful nun, in Colin's eyes, she had also become the decayed body of a living corpse clad in pristine garb, with a rotting, pus-filled face and swollen skin blanched as if from blistering water, devoid of any so-called sanctity and beauty.

Similarly, the Red-Robed Priest standing beside her was also a highly decayed living corpse...

At the same time, the surrounding buildings seemed to reveal their original form; they had been neglected for an unknown time, disorderly and dilapidated, walls overgrown with mold and glowing green moss-like plants.

The air that once carried a pleasant fragrance now bore a strong, rotten stench, nauseating to the senses.

Colin's body stiffened, but before he could ponder further, the scene before him changed once again.

The magnificent chapel, the sanctified girl, the august Red-Robed Priest, the emaciated villagers begging for salvation, and the enchanting fragrance in the air...

Everything seemed to have returned to "normal," as if what he had just seen was but an illusion.

The "Brave Ones" beside him were still lost amongst the villagers' vocal praises, making promises continuously; Colin felt out of place and found it somewhat noisy.

However, thanks to that brief moment of anomaly, Colin finally remembered his true identity and mission.

"Bonfire Camp Special Item Containment Company."

Colin silently recited in his heart, and instantly, his mind connected with the Company.

But before he could think further, he suddenly felt a chill on his scalp and noticed that the "beautiful girl" was looking in his direction—he immediately realized that compared to others, he was the one who was out of place.

"No one understands better than I how to make the world great again!"

Colin opened his palm and made a gesture like playing the accordion, blending into the group of eight behind him, and only then did the girl retract her gaze.

"Respected Brave Ones, please follow me to the chapel's treasury, where I will present you with precious weapons... Eh?! How come... there are nine of you?"

The Red-Robed Priest noticed something was amiss.

"Nine Brave Ones? How could that be, one, two, three... nine, there are indeed nine!"

The girl in the simple clerical attire counted naively with her fingers, then widened her beautiful eyes in astonishment and said, "Aren't there only eight Brave Ones?"

Who's the uninvited one?

Colin remained silent, exchanging glances with the others, seemingly just as bewildered.

A gaunt "Hero" in a shirt, with disheveled hair, curiously said, "Maybe it's some kind of accident? Isn't it good to have more people?"

"This..." The girl shook her head, "But the prophecy said there should only be eight people..."

"It doesn't matter, praise the great Creator, this must be His arrangement..." The venerable old man in Red Clerical Robe suddenly interjected.

"It is inevitable that we cannot understand the knowledge left by the great Creator. If there are nine Brave Ones, then there must also be deep meaning in that."

With these words, the "Church of Light" Bishop in Red Clerical Robe turned around, the villagers behind him immediately clearing a path, "Come, I will present you with weapons to defeat the enemy, and with them, you can save those engulfed in darkness."

With such powerful weapons, why don't you go fight yourselves... Colin complained inwardly, shared a glance with the others, and followed behind the man.

Nine people walked as a group, flanked by devoutly kneeling villagers, leaving the altar under the guidance of the girl and the old man, heading towards the Pristine Chapel in the town.

"The design of this chapel looks somewhat familiar... Wait, isn't this the same type of chapel where a former colleague was sacrificed? But it seems to be several times larger, hmm, and this town appears to be much bigger than that one."

Colin noticed the Sun Mark on the Pristine Chapel, a circle surrounded by lines of varying lengths.

Beyond that, there were grey clouds in the sky, seemingly in constant motion...

Plus, there was a familiar "tyrannical" feeling in his heart.

Beast Transformation Syndrome!

Colin had a smile on his face, but deep down, he wanted to curse. He could confirm that this was definitely a "Descent Type" task!

And the place of his descent was a familiar one.

The key point was that it was his true body that had come to this world!

The Dice of Probability has deceived me!

He cursed silently and then expertly summoned the task-related information in his mind...

[Event: "Call from Afar".]

[Description: Cases of mysterious disappearances among some fringe groups have caught the company's attention. Upon investigation, an unknown force is infiltrating reality, bringing people to a world beyond this land through means undetectable to ordinary people.]

[Requirement: Temporarily suppress memories, comply with the summons, locate and kill the true body, and complete the containment of the puppet master's corpse.]

[Remaining Time: 14 hours 33 minutes 33 seconds.]

[Note: Try to rescue the victims whenever possible, as this will help you attain a higher mission rating. If necessary, you can actively trigger the power of "Beast Transformation Syndrome" to break the illusion and confront the enemy.]

[Lastly, Bonfire Company (full name: Bonfire Camp Special Item Containment Company) wishes you all the best in this incident!]

What exactly are the people here trying to lure ordinary Earthlings for? Really because of some hero prophecy? Colin's expression remained unchanged, and he looked around covertly, preparing to observe before deciding what to do.

The task required the containment of the puppet master's corpse.

Most of those present were probably just its puppets.

He needed more information.

In any case...

Being careful never goes out of style.

"Dude..."

Colin felt a tap on his shoulder, turned his head, and saw a slightly overweight, disheveled-haired young man.

"What is it?" Colin asked.

"Uh, just wanted to ask... You've been looking at Sister Elisa," he said, a bit flushed, "you don't like her, do you?"

"No," Colin shook his head decisively, "I'm not interested in women."

Especially those of the rotting variety...

"Phew... That's good then. Since it's like that, I'm going to pursue her."

Buddy, you really have guts, Colin thought, picturing the young girl's highly decayed, pus-flowing appearance in his mind, expressing admiration for this would-be Undead Knight.

"Let's get to know each other. My name is Liu Dun, and I've come here because I found reality boring—everything's about fun-seeking people, diodes, and lately there's been something called the Dao of Forgetfulness; it's all either lascivious pictures or people talking about politics. I'm here to answer the natives' prayers; I want to establish a Utopia here, without conflict, without hunger. You, being able to receive the summoning like me, must also have some abilities, in the same league as I am. What's your name?"

Liu Dun's face showed a hint of arrogance, an air of superiority washing over him when he talked about the locals.

From the brief introduction, he already knew this was an ancient world of barbarians, backward and filled with magic, waiting for them to conquer.

Influenced by some factors, he also believed that he could solve everything.