Chapter 3: The Mother God

The mouthful of green blood Lucy vomited splashed onto the shabby wooden bed, like some kind of cursed mark.

I held her trembling body, fingernails digging deep into my palms.

That damn bottle of "holy water" wasn't medicine at all.

I waited until midnight, and during the patrol shift change, I snuck to the lame doctor's shack, only to see him packing his bags, clearly preparing to flee in the night.

I kicked open the door and pressed my palm to the ground. Thick vines burst from the soil, precisely wrapping around his neck and pinning him firmly to the wall.

"Speak! What's in that bottle of holy water?"

"I... I'm just following orders... that thing... makes children's flesh and blood... purer..."

"Purer?"

I tightened the vines, "For whom?"

"For... for the 'Mother'..."

I loosened the vines. The shack door was kicked open violently.

The greenhouse supervisor came in with five armed guards.

"Caught you, you damn outsider rat."

"Those kids yesterday were right, you really are an evil sorcerer. Now, get back to the greenhouse immediately. Tonight you must deliver triple the special vegetables, otherwise—"

He licked his lips, "Your sister's 'holy water' will be cut off."

I gritted my teeth, knowing now wasn't the time.

Back at the greenhouse, I pressed both hands into the soil. I could feel life force being drained from my body, but I couldn't stop—Lucy was still waiting for me.

Mutant potatoes, radiation tomatoes, twisted pumpkins... one after another sprouted from the soil.

During催生, I secretly injected "parasitic poison thorns" into the root stems of every vegetable.

At dawn, I delivered three large baskets of vegetables to the greenhouse supervisor.

He hefted those plump fruits and smiled with satisfaction: "That's more like it. Remember, your and your sister's lives are in the Prophet's hands."

The next day at noon, Silas suddenly gathered everyone in the camp square.

He stood on the platform wearing magnificent robes, a benevolent smile on his face.

"My children, God has sent down a revelation."

"This gardener is a messenger chosen by God. He uses his hands to make the earth bloom and bear fruit again—this is a miracle."

Everyone applauded and cheered.

"At the same time, God has also chosen a pure soul to serve as the saint for the 'Harvest Festival' in three days."

He waved his hand, and two guards dragged Lucy from the crowd.

My blood instantly froze.

"No—"

I rushed forward but was pinned down by more guards.

I didn't expect them to move even faster than I imagined!

Lucy's pale face was covered in tears. She reached out trying to grab me, but the guards had already dragged her away.

"From today on, the saint will live in the sanctuary and receive the most devout baptism."

Silas looked down at me.

"No one may visit—this is God's will."

That night, the greenhouse supervisor enjoyed the special vegetables I give in his luxurious tent.

He had just bitten into the first mutant potato. Then his stomach began to swell violently, as if something was growing madly inside.

He screamed and fell to the ground, limbs convulsing.

The next second, countless sharp poison thorns pierced through from his internal organs. His body vomited foul-smelling green juice like a broken sack.

And he wasn't the only one. The entire camp instantly descended into chaos.

I took advantage of the confusion to infiltrate the church, following the dark, damp stone steps downward.

The torches on both sides of the corridor flickered, and the air was filled with a rotten sweet smell.

I could hear deep breathing in the distance.

At the end of the underground chamber was a rusted iron door.

I pushed open the door, and the sight before me made my stomach churn violently—

It was a giant mutant man-eating vine, with a main trunk as thick as a water barrel, countless tendrils swaying slowly in the air.

It was bound to stone pillars with heavy iron chains, and the ground around it was piled with white bones, some still wearing tattered children's clothing.

And Silas stood before the vine, holding a crystal bottle, extracting milky white liquid secreted by the vine.

He turned around. When he saw me, there was no surprise on his face.

"I knew you'd come."

He smiled, "How about it, seeing God's true face—quite shocking, isn't it?"

"This is your 'God'? A monster that eats children?"

"Monster?"

Silas shook his head, "It is 'Mother,' the source of power. Look at me—"

He extended his hand, and a verdant vine suddenly grew from his palm.

"Without it, I'm just an ordinary person. But with it, I'm the Prophet, the savior."

"Those children—"

"Are necessary sacrifices."

Silas interrupted me, "The 'Mother' needs pure flesh and blood to produce holy water. Just one child can ensure the survival of a hundred people—isn't that a good deal?"

"You madman—"

"Madman?"

Silas laughed, "Then what about you? For your sister, aren't you madly overdrafting your life too?"

He stepped closer.

"But I must thank you. Your 'Green Speech' ability is exactly what the 'Mother' craves most. In three days, when your sister is sacrificed, the 'Mother' will devour her, and then more people will gain your ability through the juice."

He paused, his smile becoming even more insane: "By then, I won't need to sacrifice children anymore."

In an instant, all the lights below came on.