Not a detective

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...Such instruments may be able to detect bombs, daggers, or pistols, but they cannot detect real weapons, such as the human body.

Riku Asakawa's fists and legs, these weapons, were able to pass through security with impunity, and the equipment issued a green safety warning. Isn't that terrifying?

As long as you don't carry any weapons, you can infiltrate any building without any problem.

The woman behind her was the same.

"I hope there's no radiation... This is scary, I have to get there right away."

Kirisame Aoi also passed the security check smoothly. She should have removed her weapons before the investigation mission.

Asakawa Riku had never seen her carrying a sword before, but even so, those in the know could discern clues from her every move, gait, and hand gestures.

These two people combined could probably destroy this building with their bare hands. In this situation, what is the purpose of the security scanner?

Confusing.

The bespectacled man who led the way probably had no idea what kind of powerful figures he had brought into the church.

The burly men guarding the gate returned to their respective posts, and Jun Murayama took the elevator with them and pressed the number key [9] for the top floor.

As the elevator slowly ascended, Asakawa Riku noticed something was amiss. While observing the building from the outside, he realized that it should have 10 floors.

This indicates that the highest floor, the 10th floor, is not in the elevator but is hidden, and one may need to use other secret passages to get there.

Could those items contain the church's weapons, property, or important figures?

Sensing the presence of a secret, Asakawa Riku felt both curious and excited. He hadn't expected to find a clue so soon after entering; how fortunate!

This bespectacled man probably won't take them up for a tour; we'll have to figure out a way to sneak up and see for ourselves.

Because the elevator was cramped, he quietly gave Wu Yukui a hand gesture, not knowing if she understood, but that was it.

With a ding, we arrived at the ninth floor. After the elevator doors opened, a long corridor stretched out before us.

Just like in a hotel, there was a red carpet and dim lighting. We walked silently through it until we reached the door to a conference room.

Murayama Jun pushed them aside, saying slowly:

"You two are very lucky. There happens to be a confessional meeting today, attended by our brothers and sisters. You can come in and listen in."

Winter of God: Chapter Nine - Confession

As soon as I entered that door, I felt an unusual atmosphere.

To put it simply, it's like the family waiting area outside the hospital's ICU, with its cold metal chairs and lingering smell of disinfectant.

That's the taste of "despair," but here it's different, as if a spoonful of honey has been added, making it like "sweet despair."

The layout here is very luxurious, resembling the style of a classical church, but with a large empty space in the middle.

On the soft carpet, there was a circle of chairs, about seven or eight in total, and each one was occupied.

They turned around and stared in surprise at Asakawa Riku and Kirisame Aoi, who had suddenly pushed open the door. They seemed not to have expected any uninvited guests to interrupt them.

However, Riku Asakawa was also surprised.

He saw an acquaintance.

No, from the other person's perspective, they might not be considered acquaintances, but Asakawa Riku would never mistake them for someone else.

Takagi Ichiro.

Yumiko Ezaki's father... was actually among those sitting people!

The CEO of a famous clothing company was dressed in a suit and tie today, looking every bit the part of a president. Unfortunately, his face completely betrayed him. He had a stubble beard, sunken eyes, and heavy dark circles. He looked pale, puffy, and lifeless, appearing very颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, dispirited, or颓废). However, his eyes were bright and sparkling, as if they were radiating hope.

Everyone here is like this: both wretched and hopeful, both rotten and steadfast.

Mr. Takagi looks much the same as he did on the snow mountain... Asakawa Riku thought, but he knew that this time it was the real deal.

Being lured and coerced by a cult has led to their current state, plunging that family into another abyss.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Asakawa Riku did not linger his gaze on Takagi Ichiro for long, but instead swept it over the others.

...Fortunately, Ms. Takagi is not here.

The couple didn't come together, which was lucky, since Ms. Takagi had met him before and was likely to be recognized.

If I accidentally blurt out something like "detective," I'm doomed.

However, Takagi Ichiro was different. He never met Asakawa Riku in person, so he didn't have to worry about the risk of being exposed.

"Murayama, what's wrong?"

A middle-aged woman stepped out from the group and came to greet them.

She has an ordinary appearance, just like the auntie next door you see every day, but her smile is very friendly, like a flight attendant who has been specially trained, with her teeth showing and her eyebrows curved.

Upon seeing her, the bespectacled man, Murayama Jun, immediately stood up straight respectfully:

"Mentor Yasui, I've introduced two lost newcomers to us. I hope you can help them escape their misery and join our big family."

He clasped his hands together, slightly bent, making a strange gesture.

The woman known as "Mentor Yasui" also smiled and made this gesture:

"Thank you for your introduction; the Lord will remember your contribution."

So, Jun Murayama left, closing the door behind him, and the entire conference room became closed again, as if the prey had been locked in a cage.

"Gentlemen, is this your first time here? Please have a seat."

Professor Yasui warmly greeted Asakawa Riku and Kirisame Aoi. There was one empty seat among the chairs, which she had just vacated when she stood up.

"Brothers and sisters, could you please bring me another chair?"

“No need,” Wu Yu Kui said quickly. She strode over and plopped down in the empty seat. “He can stand. I asked to come.”

Master Yasui and the followers seemed surprised for a moment, not expecting her to say such a thing.

But looking at Asakawa Riku next to him, his face looked like a gigolo kept by a rich woman, and his physique looked like a bodyguard hired by a rich man. In short, he should be a servant.

So naturally, no one cared about Asakawa Riku's seat anymore, and they just left him there and stopped paying attention to him.

Seeing that the "mentor Yasui" had looked away, Asakawa Riku was not displeased by the contempt. He knew that Kirisame Aoi meant that he was given the possibility of moving around freely.

The lower his profile, the better; ideally, no one should notice him.

In that case, he wouldn't be confined to this confessional meeting, and he might be able to find an excuse to sneak off to other parts of the church to investigate.

"Well then, could this new lady please introduce herself? Why do you wish to join our church?"

"Who are you?"

Wu Yu Kui rolled her eyes at her: "I'm here to pay my respects to the patriarch. Only the patriarch is worthy to listen to my troubles. Is this how you treat people? How unprofessional."

She is an outstanding actress who portrayed a spoiled young lady very well.

Even Shinonome Suetsuki might need to learn a thing or two from her.

However, Professor Yasui also showed great composure, maintaining a smile even when attacked like this.

"Unfortunately, the Pope doesn't have that much free time. He has to practice daily, receive messages from the Lord, and pray for us. He simply can't be in two places at once."

She stood in the center of the circle of chairs surrounding the group, making a circular motion: "I will lead you in your usual confessions and prayers."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with moved shouts from the believers below:

"The Pope is truly great!"

"My mentor, Yasui, has given me a lot of guidance!"

"Our church is truly...a warm and loving family..."

Among them were genuine cries.

Asakawa Riku's eyes darkened. He hadn't expected that he wouldn't have the chance to meet the leader of this cult, the one known as the "Cult Master," today.

To be honest, whether it's publicly available information online or information gathered by Xingyu, there's very little information about this cult leader; they don't even know his name.

His specific gender, identity, and age are completely unknown. It is said that the cult leader never appears in public, perhaps for fear of being singled out.

But that guy must be a key figure in this cult. Only by capturing the cult leader can we defeat it. If we let him escape, he could easily rise again.

Since Kirisame Aoi's purpose was so clear from the start, the Inspection Department's plan must also be the same.

Asakawa Riku looked up at the ceiling.

Is the founder of the cult located in that "hidden 10th floor" above, or is he not here today, but hidden somewhere else?

The problem is that even if you see them in person, you may not be able to confirm that they are the cult leader. You might not even recognize them among the group of people in front of you, which is the most troublesome thing.

We need to think of a solution.

Just then, Master Yasui reached into her bosom. She was wearing a strange robe with unidentified patterns, the kind that religious people would wear.

He took a thick booklet from his robe and handed it to Kirisame Aoi:

"Our doctrines and principles are recorded here, miss. You may take a look at them first."

"Here, take a look."

Less than half a second after it was handed over, Kiri Aoi handed the book to Asakawa Riku behind her.

...Is this guy maintaining his acting persona, or does he really treat him like a laborer?

Helpless, Asakawa Riku took the doctrine and casually flipped through it.

Winter of God: Chapter Ten: Doctrine

This copy of the "Doctrine" is printed quite well, with neat and beautiful layout, clear text, and illustrations. It's not some cheaply made, shoddy product.

It can be seen that there must have been professionals such as graphic designers and editors among the believers who helped with the production.

These pamphlets are easy to spread; you can simply hand them to someone while proselytizing, and it's hard for most people to refuse. If they take a second look out of curiosity, they might fall for the trick.

Perhaps it's not just Kabukicho, not just Shinjuku, not even just Tokyo; the spread and development of this cult has already shown a terrifying growth.

Asakawa Riku glanced at the contents.

Like other religions, they contain teachings such as "do not do evil," "do not deceive," and "do not kill," primarily encouraging people to do good and perform good deeds.

Although it does not prohibit eating meat or abstaining from sex, it does contain more extreme provisions such as "no abortion" and "no suicide".

Looking back now, this might be one of the reasons why Rika Otsuka didn't choose abortion after becoming pregnant, but instead went to a private hospital to give birth to the child.

After flipping through a few pages, Asakawa Riku could clearly see the characteristics of a cult. Compared to the deity they worshipped, "Supreme God" (referred to as "Lord" within the church), the doctrine contained far more praise and descriptions of the cult's founder. Basically, every page was filled with high praise for the founder's great deeds, how he saved people, and how humble, beautiful, and holy he was.

By transforming the object of worship from an ethereal deity into a real religious leader, it becomes easier to manipulate and control believers.

The doctrine requires believers to abandon worldly evils and give their ill-gotten gains to the church for purification. The more one gives up, the purer and cleaner one becomes, and the closer one gets to a state of perfection.

This must be their method of making money.

He looked up from the book and glanced at Takagi Ichiro sitting opposite him, wondering how much money the couple had burned in there, and how much they could get back.

The doctrine also says that if you sincerely join the church, you will receive blessings from God and the church founder, be free from illness and disaster, pain and accidents, and live a peaceful and happy life.

According to Riku Asakawa, most people believe in a religion for a specific purpose. Of course, seeking inner peace is one reason, but many more people worship their ancestors to get promoted, worship the God of Wealth to get rich, or worship the Dragon King to pray for rain. These are all traditional beliefs, and it's understandable to have faith for the sake of avoiding illness and disaster.

After all, the prerequisite for joining the religion is to donate money, so it has nothing to do with getting rich.

Moreover… Asakawa Riku looked around at the believers sitting there and felt that the target of this doctrine might be quite obvious.

"In that case, let's continue with the confessional meeting. It'll be a good opportunity for this young lady to get a basic understanding of our procedures."

As the presiding teacher was conducting the ceremony, she said to one of the believers, "Ms. Kaneda, why don't you start?"

"Okay...cough cough, okay."

An elderly woman, her hair sparse and gray, appeared to be in her fifties or sixties. “Brothers and sisters,” she said, “this must be our first meeting. Let me tell you about my experience… cough cough. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. During that time, my children took me to see doctors, I took many medications, and even underwent surgery, but I didn’t recover. The doctors said I was nearing the end. But then I discovered our great church. After joining, I renounced all worldly possessions, lived a simple life, and persisted in coming here to pray. Cough cough, and after a month, my cancer was completely cured! It was a miracle! Cough cough! My body no longer hurts, I don’t need to go to the hospital anymore, my hair has grown back… I’m getting healthier and healthier… It’s all thanks to the Lord for this miracle, all thanks to the glory of the Church Master! Ah, I am so happy…”