“The first time I met Lina was at the beginning of the school term. I remember it clearly. What a beautiful and gentle lady she was back then…”
Under the dim light of the crystal chandelier, inside the café, Carter stared blankly at the wall’s relief patterns, his eyes unfocused as if lost in some memory.
“At that time, Lina had just lost her husband not long ago and was still wearing mourning crepe. Oh right, the dress she wore was the latest style from Caspar City!”
Although Carter appeared deeply sentimental, Wu Ming secretly rolled his eyes at his act.
Given Carter’s looks and personality, it was more likely that his feelings had developed gradually over time, right?
“Let me summarize—it was a case of a customer falling in love with a waitress…”
Wu Ming lifted his chin slightly. “Then what happened?”
“It was real…”
Carter spoke in a sorrowful tone. “I once considered marrying her, but Lina refused. She deeply loved her husband and had her own unspoken reasons. I respected her decision and gradually distanced myself, occasionally introducing her to small business opportunities—legitimate ones! But recently, I noticed injuries on her body. Every time I asked, she wouldn’t answer. That’s when I decided to follow her…”
“Do you have any findings?”
Wu Ming asked, curiosity creeping into his voice.
“She seems to have joined some secret religious sect. She often goes out alone and makes large donations…”
Carter grabbed his hair in frustration. “It must be a cult! If not for their brainwashing, how could my Lina ever leave me?”
“A cult?”
Wu Ming rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
After the war, and as a newly-widowed woman, she certainly needed some spiritual comfort. It was quite plausible.
“But how can we be sure without seeing it for ourselves?”
He shook his head and grabbed Carter. “Do you know where they gather? Take me there!”
“What are you planning to do?”
Carter suddenly looked up.
“Just concerned about my landlord’s safety. If we really find something suspicious, we just need to fulfill our duties as responsible citizens!”
Wu Ming winked.
“You mean… report to the police station? No!”
Carter shook his head desperately. “Lina wouldn’t agree, and I’m scared… scared she might…”
If she had been coerced into committing crimes under the cult’s influence and that became evidence, even Lina wouldn’t escape legal consequences.
“Huh?”
Wu Ming looked at Carter in surprise. “You actually thought that far ahead. You’re smarter than I thought!”
Actually, no matter how he appeared, Carter had been admitted to the prestigious Binford Business University—definitely an elite among ordinary people.
“But do you think she can keep going like this and end up well?”
Wu Ming remained unmoved, gripping Carter’s collar and lifting him up. “The sooner a tumor is removed, the better. Any hesitation will only cost more. As someone who specializes in finance, don’t you know when to cut your losses?”
Carter trembled, his eyes reddening. He suddenly made up his mind. “Fine! I’ll take you there!”
…
As Lina’s admirer and a stalker who had followed her more than once, Carter was very familiar with the route. He quickly led Wu Ming to a small chapel on the outskirts.
Lina used to come here often to pray. But after the original priest left, this guy who calls himself Pastor Redwin took over. He started preaching some weird doctrines, and who knows what evil god worship activities he’s been conducting in secret after gaining the locals’ trust!
Carter gritted his teeth as he spoke. “He keeps saying that people are born into this world to suffer, and that only through pain can one achieve joy and spiritual peace…”
“You know so much…”
Wu Ming looked at Carter in surprise. “Then why are you following Lina?”
“I… I just want to protect her. If anything happens, I’ll definitely rush in!”
Carter clenched his fists tightly.
Wu Ming was speechless. It was obvious that the boy had been loitering around this chapel more than once.
He could easily imagine Carter watching Lina enter the chapel, waiting silently like a statue, and only leaving after she had departed.
“This… is youth!”
Wu Ming sighed and looked toward the chapel’s windows, from which yellowish lights were leaking out.
“Rituals at night too?”
“Redwin only gives simple sermons during the day. It’s only at night that he summons his most devoted followers for his evil rituals!!”
Carter looked furious, while Wu Ming merely blinked, as if he had already figured something out.
“Let’s go!”
He walked out from the woods and strode confidently toward the chapel.
“Wait! There are guard dogs around the chapel. It’s extremely dangerous at night!”
Carter rushed out anxiously.
“You mean these dogs?”
Just then, several drooling hounds surrounded Wu Ming, wagging their tails submissively as if greeting their master.
“Back to your kennel!”
Wu Ming patted the head of a black-furred dog. Immediately, as if understanding human speech, the dog led its companions back to their kennel without making a sound.
“How did that happen? They’re supposed to only obey Redwin!”
Carter stared in disbelief.
“I just have a bit of experience with raising dogs.”
Wu Ming casually brushed off the question and approached the side of the chapel, deftly climbing through a window.
“Coming or not?”
Carter hesitated slightly but, seeing Wu Ming wave at him, he gritted his teeth and extended his right hand.
Apparently confident in the guard dogs outside, the chapel’s internal defenses were quite lax. Even if they had been vigilant, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against Wu Ming.
After walking down a corridor, some faint sounds reached Wu Ming and Carter’s ears.
As adults, they naturally understood what those sounds represented. Carter couldn’t help but blush slightly.
“Oh? So this is their ‘cult ritual’?”
Wu Ming pulled aside a curtain. Through the window, they could see scattered clothes, whips, and people screaming in pain—men and women entangled in a mixture of cruelty and desire. There was indeed a strange allure to it.
Still, he frowned slightly and shook his head. “Drugs too? How unrefined.”
“Have you found Lina yet?”
Wu Ming patted Carter’s shoulder.
“N-no!”
Carter’s voice was dry. Identifying a specific person among this mass of flesh was quite difficult.
“She’s not here!”
After a while, Carter confirmed.
“I think I know where she is.”
Wu Ming pressed his forehead, suddenly opening his eyes. “Follow me!”
The two bypassed the chaotic main hall and arrived at the entrance to a basement. Carter was surprised to see Wu Ming walking forward without hesitation, as if he knew the way.
Thanks to his mental scanning ability, nothing in the chapel could hide from Wu Ming.
In the darkness, faint sounds came closer.
The sounds of whipping, a woman’s screams and sobs, and curses.
“Bitch, how little you brought this time! Didn’t I tell you I need at least a thousand gold coins this week!”
A harsh male voice came, followed by a loud slap.
“It’s Lina!”
Carter’s face tightened and followed the sound.
Inside a basement room, light seeped through the door crack, revealing a scene that filled Carter with righteous anger.
The once dignified Lady Lina now had a swollen cheek, lying pitifully on the floor, her voice weak. “I don’t have any more… all my income is here…”
“You’re defying the will of the gods!”
A middle-aged man with a sinister grin stood before her, holding a whip. “You forgot! Who was it that saved you when you were in pain and despair? It was the God of Suffering! You swore you would serve it forever, offering your body and soul!”
“My faith in my Lord has never wavered!”
Lady Lina knelt and said.
Inside the secret room, there was also a black statue of a monster.
But Wu Ming was disappointed to find that although the statue looked terrifying, there wasn’t a trace of supernatural energy on it—just a fake meant to scare people.
“No! You’re holding back!”
Redwin’s eyes were deep, as if trying to peer into Lina’s soul. “You said you would offer everything to the God of Suffering? Then why not offer your house?”
From his investigations, that apartment was quite valuable.
“No! That house is the only thing Wilson left me…”
Lady Lina shook her head desperately.
“Bitch!”
Redwin angrily slapped her again. “How dare you show disrespect to our god?”
“Your husband is long dead! No! You have no husband. The God of Suffering is your only destination, your husband, your everything!”
“Damn you!”
Bang!
The wooden door was violently kicked open. Seeing the scene, Carter could no longer contain himself. He rushed in and punched Redwin in the face. “You bastard! Animal! You deserve to go to hell! What have you done!”
“You’re… Carter? And Mr. Steven?”
Lina looked up in surprise, but her face quickly showed horrified shock, as if her greatest secret had been exposed, filled with panic.
“I’m going to kill this bastard!”
Carter roared, swinging his fists.
Pah!
But his fist was caught mid-air by a strong arm. “Kid, you’re asking for death?”
Redwin slowly rose. It was only now that Carter realized that the man he had thought was just a fat parasite exploiting believers was actually taller than him by a head, with bulging muscles and a powerful build, his massive figure almost swallowing Carter whole.
“I don’t know how you got past my precious guard dogs outside, but now, you’re as good as dead!”
Redwin easily subdued Carter’s resistance with one hand while touching his bruised face with the other, his eyes darkening. “Tell me! How do you want to die?”
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