Chapter 172 – Full of Doubts
He accepted this mission not only because he was confident he could retreat safely—
but also because vague commissions like this often meant facing something powerful.
After the Remembrance Day incident, Gideon had realized one thing:
On ordinary missions, encountering even two or three hostile spirits was already rare.
If he wanted to level up his abilities efficiently, he needed stronger opponents.
Dangerous ones.
Of course, that also meant greater risk.
But Gideon was never reckless.
If, during the investigation phase, he judged the threat to be beyond his capacity, he would abandon the mission without hesitation.
Preparation first.
Survivability second.
Escalation only when possible.
This had always been his rule.
However… this time, he felt as though he was being used.
And that irritated him.
Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, Jack quickly apologized.
"I'm not trying to manipulate you… I swear."
"But Jenny has been missing for so long… After Helen died, she's all I have left."
"I really… truly have no other choice."
Gideon answered coldly:
"Five days. Whether there's any result or not, after five days, this mission ends."
Jack opened his mouth—then closed it again.
"…I understand."
Gideon tossed a few bills onto the table and left.
---
On the Road to Greenbrier County
As he drove, Gideon replayed the conversation.
Jack Weber had issues.
The man claimed to be an experienced outdoorsman.
Yet after his daughter slipped down a slope, Jack insisted there was nothing abnormal at the scene.
That was strange.
Even cultists left behind traces when setting traps.
Were the dangers in the forest simply… subtler?
That alone proved nothing.
But the second problem was more glaring—
Jack's confidence in Jenny's survival was abnormal.
She was nineteen.
Even with survival skills, living alone in a forest filled with traps and cannibals was unrealistic.
According to the original story, most wildlife in that forest had already been wiped out.
Where would she get food?
Drinkable water?
There was no way a normal girl could last that long.
Then there were two more disturbing inconsistencies:
First— A normal father would contact police immediately.
Jack's excuse sounded convincing on the surface—but cracked upon inspection.
Forest visibility drops dramatically at night.
If Jenny hadn't been found quickly, alerting authorities would've been the logical choice.
Search dogs.
Manpower.
Resources.
Was Jack honestly claiming he searched the forest alone for five days straight?
Where did he get food?
And if, as he claimed, he'd trained Jenny since childhood—
why didn't he consider she might escape the woods and return to town on her own?
Second— Jack looked anxious and helpless…
Yet when it came to manipulating the mission details, he was disturbingly calculated.
That contradiction made one thing clear:
Jack was not stupid.
So why behave like he was?
What finally sealed Gideon's suspicion—
was the pendant.
The moment Jack produced it, Gideon examined it with Holy Sight.
There was an energy signature inside.
Subtle.
Controlled.
Very familiar.
It reminded him of the idols he had encountered during the Memorial Day disaster.
Not evil.
…But not holy, either.
Something else.
Something ancient.
Something hidden.
That energy alone made Gideon accept the job.
Because if the pendant had been dangerous, he would've turned it down immediately.
Whatever Jack was hiding—
Jenny knew about it too.
---
Greenbrier County
Greenbrier County was remote… but far from empty.
Thanks to the forest, tourists passed through year-round.
Shops were open.
People wandered.
Everything looked normal.
Which made the recorded death count…
absurd.
Tourists die every year. Cannibal legends exist. And the government does nothing?
Yeah… right.
The bookstore was easy to spot.
The owner, an older man, sat half-asleep in a rocking chair.
After a brief chat, Gideon purchased an accurate forest map.
Then he quietly questioned the man.
The response?
"Cannibals are just a ghost story," the shopkeeper said.
"Those who vanish are reckless hikers who get lost."
A convenient answer.
Too convenient.
So Gideon used Psychological Guidance on him.
The result surprised him.
The old man wasn't lying.
Tourism had improved the town.
Most former hunters had stopped hunting.
The bookstore owner included.
He knew nothing.
Or at least… believed he knew nothing.
Gideon spoke with several locals.
Same result.
No recorded danger.
No witnessed attacks.
Which meant—
Someone was very good at hiding the truth.
---
He stocked supplies next.
Flashlights.
Fuel.
Spare parts.
Food.
And emergency rations.
Especially for Jenny.
Although he considered her survival unlikely—
he refused to leave luck to probability.
Then he drove straight to the forest's edge.
According to the map, the area was massive.
Mostly undeveloped.
Wildlife.
Poisonous plants.
And worse.
Much worse.
There were only three viable escape routes.
Flat ground.
Nearby water.
High visibility.
Gideon personally scouted each.
Along the paths, he planted holy markers and isolation arrays.
One route failed?
Two others would remain.
By the time he finished—
night had fallen.
He returned to town.
Nothing happened.
---
The Next Morning
After self-cleansing with holy water—
Gideon drove toward Jenny's disappearance point.
It was along a highway.
Normally, the road would lead straight to North Carolina.
But this stretch—
cut directly through forest wilderness.
Misstep once.
And the road vanished.
Greenbrier County lay just outside its boundary.
It was early.
Only a few vehicles passed.
With time tight, Gideon opened scripture beside the steering wheel and completed his morning studies as he drove.
Whatever waited in that forest—
He would be ready.
---
The car radio played solemn scripture.
Gideon recited along, his voice blending with the chants.
The scene oddly reminded him of memorizing English vocabulary in a previous life—
monotonous, but comforting.
As he approached a crossroads, his brows suddenly knit together.
Up ahead, a car had broken down.
A young man and a young woman stood beside it.
When she saw a vehicle approaching, Nina Pappas hurriedly waved her arms and ran into the middle of the road.
Her pale-gold hair streamed behind her.
Her gray eyes shimmered with excitement.
She wore black cargo pants and a tight gray T-shirt—
cut low enough to reveal an eye-catching curve.
As she ran out into traffic—
she even tugged her shirt down a little further.
When the truck slowed, Nina hurried forward.
"Hey! That was dangerous!" the man yelled from behind her.
"What if you'd gotten hit?!"
The muscular Black man was clearly shaken.
"Being hit is better than missing a hundred-thousand-dollar opportunity!"
Nina snapped back.
"If it weren't for your junk car, I'd already be there by now."
"Watch your mouth!" the man protested.
"This is a Mazda MX-5 with a six-speed manual transmission!"
"Your car is trash!"
Nina flipped him off.
---
Inside the pickup.
Gideon studied them quietly.
No demonic aura.
The charm on my dashboard doesn't trigger a reaction from the girl.
Not spirits. Not demons. Probably not cannibals either.
He tapped the steering wheel lightly.
"Still… stopping for strangers like this is asking for trouble."
---
Outside.
Nina plastered on a sweet smile, motioning for the driver to lower the window.
The truck didn't respond.
Her annoyance rose.
"Why do I always run into garbage situations like this?!"
She lifted her leg—
and kicked.
"OW!"
She grabbed her shin in pain.
The driver's door had just opened.
Her foot slammed directly into it.
"Hey, you—!"
Nina snapped upright.
Then froze.
"…A priest?"
A moment later.
The pickup rumbled back to life, pulling away from the sports car.
Jake leaned against the window, blinking after departing wreck.
"…Uh… thanks for the ride."
Nina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You're welcome," Gideon said gently.
"Helping others is the Lord's calling."
He'd changed his mind for a reason.
Because he remembered something.
In the Wrong Turn franchise—
attractive young people were practically a death flag.
By franchise logic:
"Pretty people die first."
These two had all the signs.
And conversation soon confirmed it.
They weren't hikers.
They were contestants.
They'd come to the forest to participate in a survival reality show.
The last person standing would win a prize—
USD $100,000.
Different Jake.
Different purpose.
But same cursed forest.
Gideon glanced in the rearview mirror.
He didn't need prophecy to know:
This is a suicide mission.
Remote woods. American horror show. A name that practically screamed "We're about to die."
He silently shook his head.
Still—
he persuaded them to drink holy water.
Neither of them reacted.
Which made him slightly more at ease.
"Father Gideon," Nina asked softly,
"Are you here for the survival show too?"
Her initial irritation had completely vanished.
Now she peeked at him sideways, curious.
He's handsome… and nice… and even gave us water.
Even if it tasted salty…
Gideon smiled politely.
"No. I came here for something else."
As they chatted casually—
he also began quietly extracting information.
Then—
Jack suddenly shouted from the back seat.
"LOOK OUT!"
A figure appeared out of nowhere.
Standing directly in the middle of the road.
The truck was about to slam straight into it.