Chapter Nineteen: Victim and Perpetrator
“Just ten kilometers away.”
A heavy silence hung over the team as they walked through the slum.
Eve walked ahead in silence, not her first time witnessing such scenes. She had seen enough to become almost numb.
The others were equally silent. Even Lu Manqing had put down her camera, her gaze lowered, lost in thought.
The surrounding scene starkly contrasted with the district just ten kilometers away. Only one thing was ubiquitous… suffering.
Even the words “heaven” and “hell” couldn’t adequately describe the disparity.
Only now did they realize what kind of era they lived in.
Even in the most prosperous cities, such places existed, hidden from the light.
Although they had changed into simple, coarse clothing before arriving, they still appeared wealthy and privileged to the people here.
The refugees huddled in corners, observing them furtively. Their gazes, filled with a mix of emotions, held no hint of aggression.
The others found nothing strange about this, but Luo Ling, possessing Alyssa’s memories, knew the reason…
“Respectable” people appearing in the slum for no reason were usually patrol officers. They couldn’t afford to offend them.
Otherwise, this wasn’t a place known for its kindness.
However, as they approached the church, the number of refugees increased, their gazes turning hostile.
Eve was the first to notice this anomaly, but she only frowned.
As she continued forward, the ragged refugees began to surround them.
Most were elderly, their grey hair and beards matted with dirt, their frail legs trembling, yet their hands clutched stones or broken wood, closing in on Eve and the others.
“Move aside!”
Eve shouted, reaching for her waist as if drawing a sword.
She didn’t want to harm these impoverished people, hoping to scare them off.
At the same time, she felt puzzled. According to the file, this cult shouldn’t have many followers, only a hundred or two.
But the number of hostile refugees surrounding them far exceeded that.
Could the number of followers have multiplied so rapidly in just half a month?
Even Luo Ling was surprised. After handling Educator’s request, she had left Alyssa to her own devices.
Luo Ling didn’t constantly monitor her creations, nor could she. Although she wouldn’t be assimilated by their memories, constantly experiencing someone else’s memories and emotions felt strange.
Especially as Alyssa, hearing Stasha call her “sister” every time they met evoked complex emotions.
Luo Ling knew that Alyssa had been a nun before ending up in the slums, but she hadn’t expected her to gather so many followers in such a short time.
The surrounding refugees grew restless.
Perhaps Eve’s words and actions had revealed her identity as a patrol officer, here to destroy the “Church of Light.”
These refugees were well-informed. Several cult hideouts had been destroyed by Company employees recently, and rumors were rampant.
Although the believers believed that the “Church of Light” was fundamentally different from other cults, they couldn’t be sure if the patrol officers would treat them the same, destroying the church and killing all the priests.
Therefore, when Eve and her team appeared, some believers had already sent out warnings.
The furtive glances along the way had been lookouts.
As they approached the church, the assembled believers, despite their fear and the knowledge of potential repercussions, clutched their makeshift weapons, ready to defend their church.
Despite surrounding Eve and the others, the believers remained apprehensive. But as someone shouted, “Protect the Saint!”, they seemed to gain strength, their eyes filled with fervor, casting aside all hesitation and pressing forward, almost frenzied.
“Protect the Church! Protect the Saint!”
Hysterical cries echoed, unnerving everyone, even Luo Ling.
“Did… I cause this?”
A strange sense of guilt washed over her.
“Miss Eve, what should we do?”
Cen Xiangyun whispered, moving closer to Eve.
She had drawn a small handgun, but the sheer number of people surrounding them made it seem inadequate.
Unless absolutely necessary, Awakened Ones couldn’t use their abilities against ordinary people, especially her easily recognizable ability. The Company would punish her.
Judgment path Awakened Ones could perhaps claim to possess natural strength…
“Stay calm.”
Eve said gravely, putting on her gloves.
Other offices might handle this situation more tactfully, but she was from Wellington.
If necessary, they would fight their way out, then have Lu Manqing heal the injured.
She wore gloves to minimize the damage from her punches, at least reducing the pain.
Just as Eve prepared to fight, the agitated crowd suddenly fell silent.
As Eve and the others looked on in confusion, the refugees lowered their weapons and prostrated themselves before an unassuming, frail figure.
“May the Lord forgive your transgressions.”
She spoke softly, her unremarkable voice possessing a soothing quality, as if cleansing their souls.
Eve looked up, her expression turning strange.
It was a woman in a wheelchair, pushed by a thin little girl.
Her eyes were covered by a grey cloth, her legs limp and lifeless.
Although her clothes were unusually clean for the slum, she looked no different from the other refugees.
The woman wasn’t particularly beautiful or well-built, yet she possessed a unique aura that drew everyone’s attention.
As one of the two individuals specifically mentioned in the file, Eve recognized her instantly. But the problem was…
“Saint Alyssa, shouldn’t she be the victim?”
The recently discovered cult hideouts were all similar, consisting of one or several saints and a group of amateur priests.
These priests were considered amateurs because they couldn’t even formulate a proper doctrine, relying solely on coercion and bribery to build their cults.
If that were all, it would be considered an illegal gathering at most, and the Company wouldn’t bother, at most reporting it to the Victorian authorities through unofficial channels.
The authorities were even less likely to intervene. The patrol officers didn’t want to interact with these “filthy lower-class people.”
However, these cults had somehow gained access to Grotesquery powers, prompting the Company’s intervention.
The saints usually served as sacrificial offerings. In previous operations, less than twenty percent of the saints found were still alive, and most of them were permanently disabled.
Saint Alyssa seemed to be in a similar situation, but… why was she the object of worship?
Just then, several black-robed priests arrived, kneeling at Saint Alyssa’s feet and saying in unison,
“Forgive us, Saint!”
Eve was utterly bewildered.
She could perhaps explain the previous situation by claiming this church was unique, but… what was going on with these priests?
This had never happened in previous cases!
She even saw Cult Leader Felix among them, his face filled with fear as he looked at Saint Alyssa, as if truly fearing her wrath.
“Esteemed guests, why have you come here?”
Saint Alyssa smiled at Eve, her blind eyes seemingly burning with an intense gaze.
Eve was speechless. She wasn’t eloquent, and the other party’s politeness made it difficult to declare her intention to kill them.
Besides, the Saint wasn’t their target. They were supposed to rescue her.
Perhaps through these sacrificed saints, they could deduce how these cults obtained Grotesquery powers.
But in this situation, forget rescuing her, she was clearly the boss!
“We received a report about a cult here, so we’re here to eradicate it.”
Cen Xiangyun, ever reliable, stepped forward.
Upon hearing the word “cult,” the believers grew restless again, some reaching for their weapons, glaring at Cen Xiangyun.
Cen Xiangyun’s scalp tingled, but she stood her ground.
“A cult?” Alyssa chuckled softly. “If our church is a cult… then so is the state religion of Victoria.”
She took out a small booklet and tossed it to Eve.
Eve caught it, flipped through it, and her expression turned even stranger.
“Damn it…”
“What’s wrong?”
“At least from this doctrine, it seems quite orthodox.” Eve said, exhaling.
As a Victoria native, she followed the state religion. Although not devout, she was familiar with some of its scriptures.
This doctrine, however, was far more profound than her understanding, yet written in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, clearly the work of a clergyman with deep insights.
Judging by this doctrine, the Church of Light could be considered a branch of the state religion.
“Is it that impressive?”
Luo Ling asked, peeking at the booklet.
“In this place… it’s like bringing a gun to a knife fight.”
Eve put the booklet away. It was key evidence, regardless of the outcome, she had to bring it back to the Company.
Almost all churches relied on secular funds to operate. Even disregarding all expenses, the clergy still needed to eat.
This meant that in a place like the slums, where survival itself was a struggle, the emergence of a church was rare.
Even if some selfless clergymen, like the previous owner of this humble church, were willing to spread a glimmer of hope to the suffering masses, it wouldn’t last.
Therefore, the appearance of a true church here was like a game-changer. It was natural for them to gain so many followers in such a short time.
However…
“I don’t recall any rituals involving bodily sacrifice in the state religion.” Eve said gravely, her sharp gaze sweeping over Alyssa’s pitifully mismatched limbs. “Saint Alyssa, your injuries didn’t appear out of thin air, did they?”
“It’s our fault, esteemed patrol officers!”
Before Alyssa could answer, the black-robed priests cried out.
Their faces filled with remorse, they beat their chests and wailed,
“If we hadn’t been deceived by the evil god, ignoring the Saint’s teachings, insisting on sacrificing her flesh, she wouldn’t have lost her eyes and legs!”
“Thanks to the Saint’s guidance, we finally saw the light and returned to the true Lord!”
“If you must punish someone, punish us! Spare the Saint!”
Alyssa waved them off and continued,
“After several failed sacrifices, they finally realized that it was an evil god. Now they have repented and returned to the embrace of our Lord.”
…Could they not repent?
Luo Ling couldn’t help but retort inwardly. They had been completely reformed.
She hadn’t expected Alyssa to handle them so easily.
Even possessing Alyssa’s memories and emotions, Luo Ling wasn’t Alyssa herself. She couldn’t have achieved this.
The current Alyssa could be considered an AI loaded with Alyssa’s memories and emotions. Not the real person, but practically indistinguishable.
Eve was stunned, one unexpected turn of events after another.
She took a few deep breaths and removed her gloves.
“What now?”
Cen Xiangyun asked.
“What now? We go back!” Eve said exasperatedly.
What else could she do? The cult they were supposed to eradicate had repented!
The Company’s purpose in targeting these cults was to prevent ordinary people from accessing Grotesquery powers.
The Church of Light’s previous sacrifices had failed, and they had ceased such practices. The Company wouldn’t bother with them now.
Religious disputes were a matter for ordinary people. The Company wouldn’t interfere.
“So, we’ve… completed the commission?” Luo Ling blinked.
“I think we have, but the Company probably won’t see it that way.” Eve said impassively. “It will likely be marked as an invalid commission, and we won’t get any rewards.”
She had thought a low-level commission would be easy, yet after all her bragging, it ended in such an unexpected and embarrassing failure.
“What about this church…”
“If the state religion finds out, they might even fund it.”
“Oh.”
Luo Ling was relieved.
But the others weren’t. They didn’t care about the church, but this commission…
For the first time, they understood what Eve meant by “invalid overtime.”
Today, they had just wasted a trip, but next time… it might be worse.
“We’ve intruded enough. Let’s get out of here.”
Eve waved her hand and turned to leave.
The others, after a moment of hesitation, followed, surprised by Eve’s decisiveness.
The refugees parted, allowing them to pass, watching them leave.
“Sister…”
Stasha was still afraid. She had seen the weapons they carried and knew they were patrol officers.
She had seen patrol officers in the city many times. Even the teachers spoke of them with fear.
So, Stasha was afraid they would suddenly attack.
But the situation seemed fine for now…
“It’s alright, Stasha.” Alyssa gently squeezed Stasha’s hand. “Let’s go home.”
“Okay.”
The frail little girl pushed the blind saint, under the reverent gazes of the believers, towards home.
Moments later, a translucent figure materialized, seemingly invisible to the surrounding believers. Only Felix, the black-robed priest, looked up and said fearfully,
“Greetings, Educator.”
“…Phew, good thing they weren’t eradicated.”
Educator sighed in relief, then looked at the direction the team had left with apprehension.
He hadn’t been paying attention here, not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t.
He couldn’t risk exposing any connection between the Harbingers and the church. It would jeopardize the entire plan. So, even though he was optimistic about the Church of Light, he couldn’t intervene.
He didn’t even dare to glance their way while the Company team was present.
“Educator, do you have any further instructions?”
Felix asked nervously.
Educator glanced at him and extended his hand.
Felix’s eyes widened, rolling back in his head.
After a moment of convulsing, Educator withdrew his hand.
“Very good.”
Educator’s face paled slightly. Searching someone’s memories in such a short time wasn’t easy, even with the help of a Sacred Tool.
Whether to confirm if Felix had been infiltrated or if he himself was a problem, soul-searching was the most direct and effective method.
However, it took a toll on Educator, so he rarely used it.
After the soul-searching, he could finally trust Felix.
“This is a map of all the churches.” Educator waved his hand, sending a map and its marked locations into Felix’s mind. “Your next task is to take control of all the churches and proceed as instructed.
“I will be in seclusion for three months. After three months, I expect to see the results I desire.”
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