Not a detective

Page 183

Therefore, Kirisame was bewitched by what seemed like a simple sentence, but in reality, it was influenced by a mysterious force.

...However, despite this, Asakawa Riku still vaguely felt that Kirisame Aoi's reaction just now seemed a bit too much.

It was like having my "soft spot" hit...

Her past...

"Thank you."

She seemed to hear Kirisame Aoi say something softly, then she pressed Asakawa Riku's hand and stood up from her chair.

The long black trench coat seemed to drape her like a cloak, and the woman once again returned to her sharp and dashing demeanor, her momentary weakness vanishing without a trace.

Her eyes and her tone shifted to a state of "law enforcement":

"Very good. The facts of the investigation have been confirmed. This organization has misled its followers and used religion and faith to generate illegal revenue and illegally collect money. It is suspected of violating organizational rules, using a cult organization, and using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law. The improper use of faith power has reached the level of [A] supernatural risk. This case will be taken over by the Non-World Inspection Department."

Wu Yu Kui pulled out the shiny ID from her pocket, opened it briefly, and then closed it again: "I am Executive Officer Wu Yu Kui. Now, no one is allowed to move."

"……Alas!"

In that instant, the believers present panicked, not knowing what was going on, and could only stand there dumbfounded.

But only Professor Yasui reacted quickly; in her panic, she immediately turned and ran away.

Before Asakawa Riku could even make a move, Kirisame Aoi reacted even faster, her hand forming a blade as she slashed through the air—

A piercing, slicing sound reverberated, followed by Yasui's robe being stained red. He controlled his movements, making only a cut on his ankle to deprive him of the ability to escape.

This is... an invisible blade that needs no knife.

Her statement, "Can't you cut without a knife?" was indeed true; this woman's strength was far beyond what the naked eye could perceive.

"Ahhh...! No... don't come any closer!"

Instructor Yasui clutched his leg, rolling awkwardly on the ground, completely losing his previous mysterious and aloof demeanor, and hurriedly moved backward, shouting, "Don't come near me!"

Mist Rain Sunflower walked slowly, step by step:

"Tell me, where is your godfather?"

"Take me to him."

Winter of the Gods: Chapter Thirteen, Tenth Floor

"Who...who are you?!"

"Just treat them like police officers."

"You don't have a search warrant! You've broken into private property and even assaulted people! Our church has lawyers!"

"Please proceed. According to the special law of the Inspection Department, as long as the enforcement officer determines that there are supernatural factors involved in the incident, he/she has the authority to enforce the law and use force."

Faced with Professor Yasui's angry questioning, Kirisame Aoi simply replied indifferently, "Just submit the report later."

Asakawa Riku followed behind, silently thinking that the people in the Inspection Department seemed to be more free than he had imagined.

He had initially thought they were working for the government, but it seems that even frontline executives have considerable decision-making authority.

That makes sense. In the face of supernatural events, every second counts and the danger is immense. It would be absurd to have to repeatedly review and report before taking action.

...

After subduing Master Yasui, they locked the remaining believers in the confessional.

After confirming that there are no other exits, once the door is closed, there should be no way to escape. By putting all communication devices such as mobile phones outside, they will be unable to send messages.

Of course, the believers are secondary; the most important thing is to arrest church administrators like Jun Murayama and Master Yasui, especially—

That mysterious patriarch.

Even if we destroy the entire hideout, it will be useless if we don't catch that guy.

But it seems they're in luck today. Under Kirisame's threat, Instructor Yasui is leading them upstairs, which seems to be where the patriarch is hiding.

"Don't try anything funny, I'm watching. If you don't behave, I'll cut off one of your legs."

The last time we met, I felt she was very friendly to me, and even just now, she was smiling and not very serious.

Asakawa Riku was quite impressed by Kirisame Aoi's decisive and efficient work style.

However, Professor Yasui remained defiant:

"You can't hurt me! I'm protected by the Lord, your sorcery has no effect on me! I'm not injured at all!"

She limped along, calling out these words without even flinching as blood continued to gush from her ankle.

The wound must have exposed bone, but it didn't sever the Achilles tendon. However, most people couldn't walk under such conditions; it's simply not physiologically possible.

This shows that the cult's beliefs have indeed infected these believers, shaping them into madmen who know no pain and no fear.

Asakawa Riku thought of the crew members on that ship. They must also be believers. No wonder they were able to resist him and fire the bombs even when they were in so much pain.

These believers...in extreme cases, are even willing to sacrifice their own lives because they believe they are free from illness and disaster...and will not die...

Cults are indeed terrifying.

"If you're not afraid, then run! Try running and see if you fall."

However, under Kirisame Aoi's threat, Yasui was unable to disobey and could only be escorted through the corridor to the end of the stairwell.

Sure enough, Asakawa Riku looked back and saw that the elevator was on the other side. The elevator shaft must have been specially modified. The elevator could not go up to the 10th floor; only the stairwell could go up. If people were not paying attention, they would indeed overlook the existence of this hidden floor. Although it was not a clever method, it took advantage of people's psychological blind spots.

The stairwell was covered by a huge metal door with a silvery-white sheen, making it look like a bank vault, as if it could withstand an explosion.

"You will regret this. After you meet the Pope, he will make you repent and convert..."

Professor Yasui was still grumbling reluctantly when he walked to the keypad. He unlocked the first layer with his fingerprint, the second layer with his iris, and the third layer with his password.

As the mechanical sounds continued, the vault door was finally unlocked and slowly opened.

This kind of door is obviously very expensive, which is enough to prove how much illegal funds this cult has amassed, and also proves that something very important must be hidden on it.

After climbing the stairs, we finally saw the hidden [10]th floor.

The spatial structure is similar to that downstairs, with long corridors and many different rooms along the way, but the lighting here is much dimmer, creating an incredibly oppressive, gloomy atmosphere.

It felt like being close to hell.

"The Pope... is... is in the innermost room."

Instructor Yasui stood still, seemingly a little hesitant: "I... I've never been inside either. If you want to go, you can go by yourselves."

"What are you saying? Aren't your legs fine? Get moving!"

Without any pity, Kirisame practically dragged her to the last luxurious room.

The metal door here is similar to the one downstairs; both are incredibly thick, like a vault door capable of withstanding an explosion, and their circular shape covers the entire wall.

This must have been specially designed so that it's impossible to drill a passage through the adjacent wall; to get through, you have to cut open the entire doorway.

With this level of security, double protection, it seems that this is indeed the patriarch's room.

"Beep."

"Authentication failed."

However, when we forcibly pressed Yasui's hand onto the fingerprint scanner and scanned her eyes, it showed a failure message and she couldn't pass the scan at all.

"It seems she indeed doesn't have the authority to pass through this door," Asakawa Riku said, frowning as he looked at the red-lit keypad.

He tried with all ten fingers and two eyes, but still couldn't get through. If he failed a few more times, he worried that the door might trigger some kind of alarm mechanism.

"I...I've already told you!"

Professor Yasui angrily withdrew his hand.

"This is going to be difficult."

Kiri Aoi tilted her head, her slender fingers reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone, intending to dial a number: "Have logistics deliver my knife over; it should arrive in ten minutes."

“No need,” Asakawa Riku said, taking a step forward.

This is the difference between "Kendo" and "Martial Arts". It allows one to exert 100% of one's strength without relying on external objects, in any situation.

There's no need to wait for reinforcements; this can be resolved now.

Asakawa Riku stood in front of the heavy vault door, took a deep breath, and did not make any gesture. At his level, any action was the optimal solution at the limit.

No need to gather strength, no need to shout, just gently bend your wrist, place your palm on the door, and silently sense the structure.

Like organic matter, inorganic matter and like the human body, all things have weaknesses and "eyes" or "holes".

--found it.

In that instant, he turned his palm into a fist and gently tapped a spot on the door, with a force that seemed as light as a knock.

Inside the building structure, however, it was like a violent storm, with unbearable stress pouring in from all directions, the water flow rising higher and higher, creating a chain reaction that intensified continuously.

Ultimately, it transforms into a qualitative change.

The entire metal door crumbled and disintegrated like tofu dregs, blooming incomprehensibly and turning into a pile of fragments before their eyes.

Winter of the Gods: Chapter Fourteen - The Crime Scene

Professor Yasui was completely dumbfounded, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.

She even began to wonder which part of her past experiences was truly a "miracle".

Kirisame Aoi, on the other hand, seemed unfazed and whistled cheerfully, as if to say, "Well done."

Asakawa Riku slowly withdrew his fist. It had been a long time since he had released such extreme power and destruction, and he thought he had become rusty.

As it turns out, it didn't.

The smoke and dust slowly dissipated from before my eyes. I thought that with such a commotion, the people inside would be terrified and flee in panic, but it was surprisingly quiet, without a sound.

The faint scent emanating from it instantly alerted Asakawa Riku, causing him to straighten his back.

"...something's wrong."

Kiri Aoi also sensed the faint smell of blood, which was immediately and intensely strong as the door to the closed room was blasted open.

She instinctively reached for the knife at her waist, but found nothing. Asakawa Riku blocked her way and walked into the eerie room.

The smell of blood was not fake; it was pervasive everywhere.

This is not just a place that resembles hell, but a place where you are actually in hell.

Corpses were everywhere, lying scattered across luxurious furniture and sofas, blood splattered on the walls, making the place resemble a work of art in an art gallery, illuminated by the ceiling lights.

The room reeked of decay and stench. There weren't even flies around. Only a woman in a long robe stood in the center of the room, covered in blood, as if she were the one who had caused all of this.

She didn't speak, her eyes were calm, and she remained silent even standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, as if everything around her was normal and there was nothing unexpected.

The scattered corpses around them no longer answered, lying there quietly, amidst the smell of gunpowder and gunpowder.

Shell casings, a pistol, and the murder weapon were laid out right in the center. All the bodies had been shot, their skulls pierced, their hearts pierced, their brains and internal organs spilling out and shattering on the ground.

When Asakawa Riku saw this scene, he thought he had accidentally wandered onto the set of the movie "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils".

Has Chen Guilin been here? He's the one who should be eradicating the cult... No, wait, this isn't the time to joke.

"This is a big problem."

Wu Yu Kui also came in, glanced around at the deceased's somewhat recognizable facial features, and her expression was solemn.

...

A few hours later, Asakawa Riku sat in a clean, quiet room where he was all alone.

Although there were snacks and drinks on the table, something still felt off: the overly bright and glaring incandescent light, and the flimsy tables and chairs.

It is clear that everything was arranged subconsciously to make people feel "oppressed" and "uncomfortable".

Asakawa Riku could sense that, for example, one of the walls that looked like a wall was probably a specially made one-way transparent glass, and the person behind it...

Thinking of this, he suddenly jumped up from his chair and rushed over like lightning, pressing himself against the wall and staring inside.

...I heard it.

I heard someone behind me yell and fall down. How funny.

Two or three seconds later, someone pushed the door open and came in.