Chapter 027: University of Michigan Investigation Team

“…”

"I'm fine (peaceful)"

"I'll just stand there for a second. They're a perfect match, detective x bishop, a tsundere bad cat with a gentle poop scooper. No matter how naughty you are, I'll tolerate you. Damn, tears are flowing from my mouth!"

"Even though I know these guys are not good people, why are they still so attractive?"

"Really? I often doubt myself. Am I really watching a live broadcast of the City of Mist and not some romantic drama? Otherwise, why can players pair up with so many bosses?"

The barrage of comments were all talking.

While Rong Le was communicating with the bishop, the scene on Thor's side was completely different.

Ever since Thor and Rong Le parted ways, that sticky, disgusting touch had enveloped him again, as if something was secretly watching his every move.

Thor was extremely upset and walked around in distress, and finally found a quiet corner away from the crowd to sit down.

He was still thinking about what Rong Le said. He felt that those words were meaningful, but he couldn't figure it out for the time being.

"Just bear with it until the party is over, okay?"

Thor muttered softly. The carpet reflected the moving figures under the light, overlapping each other and almost distorted.

He sighed and subconsciously shrank deeper into the corner.

Behind him was a corridor, starting from the hall. There were many such corridors, and each corridor looked very similar, deep and interconnected, hidden in the dark, with no end in sight.

Like a huge spider web, it tightly wraps the prey in the center.

Thor squatted there bored, studying the patterns on the carpet.

This carpet covers the entire floor of the church. The deep red background is covered with complex dark patterns, and the light divides the carpet into distinct areas.

Thor sat in the dark, staring at the carpet not far away that was illuminated by a bright light.

He studied the pattern on the carpet until it disappeared where the light cut off.

He subconsciously followed the lines to see from a different angle, but a shadow suddenly appeared in the brightly lit area.

"Is he there? Is he there?"

A delicate voice asked.

Thor frowned. The sound was so thin and harsh, and a little rubbery, like the sound of a parrot in his memory.

"I smell it, I smell it..." said another voice in a low voice.

If a normal person just listened to the two people talking, he would only feel confused. Thor felt a little uncomfortable and hesitated whether to change places.

He wanted to go back to Mr. Detective, but Rong Le would definitely not agree.

Although I don't know the purpose of Rong Le doing this, there must be a reason for it. Thor just needs to be obedient.

“Trust your instincts.”

The detective's words came to mind again.

"If you hesitate, you'll be caught and eaten by the terrifying monster."

Even if you say so, I don't know what to do.

Thor stood up and his eyes fell on the ground unexpectedly. Then his body stiffened in an instant and cold sweat covered his whole body.

There were no two people's shadows on the ground at all!

“It smells so good…”

“Aa ...

Countless corridors are natural playgrounds. The roles of hunter and prey are never absolute. A lone lamb without anyone to protect it will become prey and be chased by the hunter.

The fun of the game lies in balance. A seemingly powerful hunter may be killed by a weak prey if he is careless for a moment.

Perhaps this is the fun of hunting.

Of course, Thor didn't know the truth of the matter. His desire to survive made him jump around everywhere. He turned a corner and met the eyes of the monster in front of him. He screamed and changed direction to continue running.

Wherever he went, his screams were heard, and his screams echoed in all directions, it was so full of energy.

Perhaps his potential was stimulated, the boy ran very fast, often screaming as he ran through the corridor. The sound was still echoing, and he had already run to another corridor. The monsters moved at the sound, but could not even touch a hair of the prey.

“…”

You really can run.

Thor finally understood what Rong Le meant. It was obvious that Rong Le had anticipated what would happen now, and what she said was also a hint.

Thor's footsteps suddenly stopped.

A tall and thin figure appeared at the corner of the corridor.

He looked back and saw a large number of monsters appearing in the corridor behind him.

His little trick finally failed. More and more monsters gathered here, and the last retreat was blocked.

Thor gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, grabbed a crowbar he had picked up from the tool room and rushed over. Luckily, he managed to repel the monster in front of him. He could see its mouth full of saliva in his peripheral vision.

“…”

After tearing a way out, Thor quickly shook off all the monsters and hid in the darkness with light steps. He leaned against the wall and gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, feeling his strength rapidly draining away.

There couldn't be only one dead end in front of him.

Although it is unclear why Mr. Rong Le put him in this situation, he would not let himself die, so there must be some chance of survival that he has not discovered.

The monsters are so terrifying that they can make people's hearts and livers break. The hordes of monsters and the dark corridors with no exits are like hell. People's willpower can be easily exhausted here, and they will go crazy.

Thor suddenly remembered what Rong Le had said to Bai Yue during their conversation: "In the midst of endless madness, only reason can lead to freedom."

Calm down.

Thor rolled on the spot and narrowly avoided the attack of the monster behind him. However, he exposed his position again and the monsters soon found him.

They surrounded him silently.

Thor's scalp went numb and his heart was pounding. His biological instinct made his adrenaline surge, and his mental threshold soared wildly, almost touching the edge of danger.

If a normal person stood here, he would have had a mental breakdown and started screaming wildly.

But Thor's emotions slowly calmed down at that critical point.

As Kurosawa said, Thor's mental will is incredibly strong and he can withstand a lot of torture without breaking.

Thor's gaze calmed.

He no longer had time to think about anything else. His will to survive made his mind exceptionally clear, and the lines outlined in his mind were exactly the route he had just run.

He took a deep breath and used his sharp dynamic vision to capture the trajectory of the monsters' attacks. Everything in his field of vision gradually slowed down. In fact, these monsters were not moving very fast.

He swung the crowbar vigorously to clear an area and rushed out nimbly.

——He wants to survive.

…

After continuous training, Thor's mental threshold was as stable as an old dog. He no longer screamed in shame. In the end, he could even stand face to face with monsters without any composure.

…Having said that.

But the number of monsters is indeed not something that one person can deal with. After dealing with it for a long time, Thor was finally surrounded by the monsters who could no longer bear it.

He slowly backed away, holding the crowbar against his chest, staring intently at the monster in front of him.

It has a human-like appearance and is dressed in gorgeous clothes, but its greedy look has completely destroyed any trace of humanity.

Is he really going to die here?

Thor inexplicably felt that all this was so unreal. His heart was very calm, as if he was watching a slow-motion replay of a movie, watching the monster pounce on him.

…

The next moment, a bright light flashed past Thor's eyes!

The monster roared in pain, and the claws that were reaching out to him were chopped off in an instant, and dirty blood gushed out wildly from the broken surface!

Thor's pupils suddenly shrank as he looked at the group of people that appeared in front of him.

The leading young man was dressed in black, holding a cold long sword, with calm black pupils, and appeared in front of him with an absolutely strong attitude.

Thor's heart suddenly started beating wildly.

**

Rong Le and Fairlight stood together, watching him dismiss another person who came to chat with him with a few words. He glanced casually at the sky outside the window, calculating the time in his mind.

It's almost reached its limit.

Those monsters were indeed difficult and troublesome, and as hard to deal with as ants, but with Baiyue secretly protecting them, they were just the right thing for Thor to build up his courage.

He curled his lips, and a cold breath enveloped him. It was Fairlight who lowered his head and whispered in his ear: "What are you thinking about? Why are you so happy?"

"Nothing." Rong Le looked at where he was just now, "Sent away?"

Fairlight spoke softly and slowly, looking down at him, "What a bunch of boring, annoying guys, swarming around like flies. I'd rather stay with you than talk to them."

Rong Le smiled and curved the corners of her lips: "It's really hard work, Bishop."

He was always fond of teasing Fairlight with that name, in that false, familiar way of his.

Obviously both sides knew that they would not be allies and would even become enemies one day, but at the moment they could talk in a low voice in the corner, as if this was their own little world.

Fairlight stared at him calmly. Even though the man in front of him was speaking fake and vulnerable sweet words, he couldn't resist.

Cats are cunning and slippery, and they will only become more obedient after being confined and trained.

He said, "It's obviously time for the two of us now, isn't your purpose to keep me here?"

Rong Le paused slightly.

Fairlight was actually not wrong. He had stayed here and talked to him just to get more information.

He had been to the church so many times, but he only saw Bai Tutu that day.

Low-level believers rarely have the opportunity to go out and show up. The meeting between the two was too hasty that time and no information could be conveyed. If Rong Le wanted to see her again, she could only start from Fairlight.

He believed that Fairlight must know something. Bai Tutu might have been able to sneak into the church in disguise with his instructions. The church was both a protection and a constraint for Bai Tutu.

But what was Fairlight's purpose in doing this? They weren't here when Bai Tutu got into trouble, so it seemed useless for him to capture her.

"You're distracted again."

Fairlight Road.

Rong Le: "Sorry, maybe I drank too much."

"This is not a good habit." Fairlight said, as if he realized something and suddenly laughed.

"What's wrong?"

The bishop's voice was low and cold: "A group of little rats have sneaked in."

Rong Le said calmly, "Compared to rats, jackals chasing after flesh and blood are even more annoying."

He suddenly started to make things difficult, just like a cat that was throwing a tantrum because it was being spoiled. In the eyes of the person who liked him, he was cute no matter how. Fairlight did not get angry, but let him do what he wanted helplessly.

Rong Le: "Is it okay to stay by my side forever? There must be many lost lambs waiting to be saved by you, right?"

Fairlight: "They can have fun without me."

Rong Le curled her lips slightly: "How pitiful."

Shi Jin just walked over when he heard this. He paused slightly, then stood not far from the two of them and whispered, "Bishop, as you ordered, dinner is ready."

"Will you have dinner with me?" Fairlight asked.

It seemed strange to be sharing dinner with this man with such a potentially abnormal appetite; the word "eating" was fraught with danger when associated with Fairlight.

Rong Le calmly replied, "Of course, it's my honor."

But he was not worried about this danger.

However, the focus of the entire dinner was on the delicate relationship between Fairlight and Assorted.

In the church, the relationship between the bishop and the second-in-command is worthy of attention. Before, the two of them did not appear in front of Rong Le in the same frame, so he ignored this key issue.

On the surface, the bishop praised Shijin lightly, and Shijin was also indifferent and respectful without losing his courtesy.

It seemed that there was nothing wrong, but after experiencing the gentle and gentle style of doing things, Rong Le could easily sense the undercurrent between the two.

Rong Le lowered her eyes, blocking her view with amusement.

**

In just a few minutes, Thor was experiencing a roller coaster-like plot.

The monster's claws were already in front of him in the previous second, and someone fell from the sky and saved him from danger. Thor was still in a trance after surviving from the desperate situation.

The young man in black who had just delivered a stunning blow retracted his knife, glanced at him calmly, and said calmly to the people who had rushed over: "Quit them all."

"yes!"

The team members cheered up and answered in unison.

The investigators were very agile and rushed into the pile of monsters and started hacking them. Although there were many monsters in number, their individual strength was only slightly stronger than that of ordinary people. This kind of collective biological deformation was usually commanded by a leader.

But obviously the leader is not here, these are just some of the cannon fodder that have been abandoned.

Thor watched in shock as the monsters fell one after another, and the surroundings quickly became empty.

These people who suddenly appeared acted swiftly and showed no fear in the face of the terrifying monsters. They acted as if they were cutting melons or vegetables.

A young man accidentally had his clothes torn by a monster, and was even laughed at by his companions on the spot. The young man retorted in shame and anger, and the two quarreled on the battlefield. The senior was annoyed and scolded him, and then he continued to carry out his mission honestly.

A young man with an oriental face ran over and asked him with a gentle smile: "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Thor: "...I'm fine."

The young man praised, "You're amazing, little brother. You've managed to hold out in this monster pile for so long. Once the captain and the others have cleared them out, we'll take you away from here."

Thor saw him carrying a medicine box and felt that he should be in a good mood. He asked tentatively, "Who are you...?"

"We are investigators who specialize in dealing with things like this that cannot be explained by science. We received a report from someone related to this matter and rushed here to investigate. Fortunately, we saw the monster's corpse on the road and were able to find your location."

The young man pointed at himself and said with a friendly smile: "My name is Xu Yuanhe, and I am the assistant of the team doctor."

Thor already knew what was going on when he heard him say investigator, and Rong Le didn't avoid him when they were exchanging information.

These people in front of me might be the reinforcements Mr. Rong Le mentioned.

The monsters were quickly cleared out. Seeing that the situation was not good, the monsters outside the encirclement immediately withdrew from the battlefield and disappeared into the depths of the corridor, retreating back into the darkness like a tide.

The others did not pursue without orders, but just cleaned up the area. On the messy battlefield, these young men in combat uniforms, holding weapons, looked imposing.

Tina casually shook off the dirty blood on the knife, sheathed it, and glanced around.

He said, "Hey, you."

"...Yes, yes!" Thor was startled.

Tina: "We are investigators specializing in cases like this. Tell us everything you know."

"Identity, name, age, why you came to the church, why you were chased by the deformed creatures, who you came into contact with... Tell me everything clearly."

Tina's eyes were cold, her palm resting casually on the hilt of the knife, as if she would draw the knife and chop someone if she didn't like it.

If he were allowed to interrogate the prisoner, it is possible that he would scare the prisoner into tears.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

Another handsome young man skillfully squeezed past him and said with a smile, "You can say whatever you want. You'll be fine. Our captain just looks fierce. My name is Bai Yang. Just tell me."

Thor answered honestly, "My name is Thor, I'm seventeen years old, and I came here with my guardian. He went to speak to the bishop here, and I found a place to stay on my own. Then I was chased by these monsters."

He couldn't help but shudder as he spoke: "It seems like they... want to eat me."

Bai Yang turned around and looked at the others. It was unknown what they exchanged, and no one asked him any other questions.

I think they regarded him as an innocent victim. After all, if it weren't for them, Thor would have died in the clutches of the monster.

Thor breathed a sigh of relief.

These people are very strong. Some of their characteristics are very similar to Mr. Rong Le. After repelling those monsters, they also skillfully asked the only insider here for information in a similar way.

"Since this church is able to harbor such a large number of deformed creatures, and the investigation report also states that the bishop here is very mysterious, it seems that the bishop is also a suspect, and may even be the mastermind behind this."

The members of the action team gathered together and whispered.

Tina held the knife with one hand and boasted, "Then let's just go ahead and kill him. His life will be our first day's record."

"What--?!"

Everyone was shocked. Bai Yang was dumbfounded. "Wait, Captain, there's no such thing!"

"Shut up. You have no ambition at all. How can you become stronger like this?"

Tina's fighting spirit surged: "I want to achieve real results and impress the teacher."

"We can do that kind of thing later. There's no need to rush it now."

"That's right, he's in Portland and he can't run away!"

"And it might disrupt Mr. Rong Le's plans."

Everyone talked at once, trying to persuade him to give up the idea.

Tina's expression suddenly became stern: "Who? Come out!"

Baiyue's figure appeared in the corner at some point.

His presence became very low. If Tina had not been extremely alert, she would not even have noticed that there was an extra person there.

If Tina hadn't suddenly had a disordered breathing sound after hearing Liu Guangye mention Rong Le, she wouldn't even have noticed that someone was watching their every move in the dark.

"Huh?" Someone in the team suddenly stopped.

“This isn’t…”

Thor's brain froze when he saw Baiyue, and he said in shock: "Mr. Baiyue, why are you here?!"

Liu Guangye also blurted out: "Isn't this Mr. Baiyue?!"

Baiyue glanced at them and said to Thor: "That guy asked me to protect you."

Tina suddenly became alert: "Could that person be...?"

Baiyue waved to Thor.

Tina's mentality was unstable: "Who is this guy? Why should I protect him? Am I no longer important to him?"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Liu Guangye quickly stopped him.

Their team is an armed squad led by Tina, and the other team has been led by the leader of this team to infiltrate directly into Portland to conduct a branch investigation.

Their goal is to meet up with Mr. Rong Le and let him lead them.

Tina herself was more enthusiastic about the reunion than anyone else.

"Captain, the most important thing now is to reunite with Mr. Rong Le. Everything else can be discussed later."

Liu Guangye skillfully gave Bai Yang a look, and he immediately understood. He stepped forward and said, "Mr. Baiyue, we are the investigation team sent by the University of Michigan. We are now trying to find a way to reunite. Now that we have found you, let's act together."

Baiyue: "Let's go, I'll take you away from here."

In this way, Thor was alone when he was being chased, but when he went out, he became a group of people.

Bai Yang is very talkative. He chatted with Thor all the way and complained to him that the design of the church corridor was simply anti-human. He is very good at building relationships. Thor gradually relaxed a lot as he chatted with him.

It seemed that the people at Mi University were aware of Baiyue's identity and spoke to him politely.

Thor's gaze involuntarily shifted to Tina.

I always feel that the days ahead will not be peaceful.

…

After dinner, Rong Le was taken back to the hall by Shi Jin.

Fairlight once said that he has a part of God in him, which means that he is no longer a complete human being. The level of danger will also subtly increase. It is not wise to have contact with him for too long.

If he really continued to stay with Fairlight and was taken to participate in the ceremony, he would probably face the unspeakable coming, and then he would have to reload the game and start over.

If you don't want to go crazy on the spot and be infected and brainwashed by Fairlight into a fanatic, it's best to go back to where you came from.

Fairlight was also selective about the party attendees. A considerable number of them were not his prey. They were ignorant of everything and came here only with their relatives and friends or out of blind faith. Their purpose was just to socialize or waste time.

There are also some people whose fate has already been determined, and they are surrounded by disguised monsters.

Innocent lambs trembled in the shadows. Some were sacrificed to appease the monsters they had captivated, some were infected and transformed into their own kind, and some were completely brainwashed and became pagans who truly devoted themselves to the church.

Rong Le was obviously not classified as prey. He was taken to a safe hall and stood at a place on the edge where he could observe the entire venue.

Rong Le was not in a happy mood at this time.

He looked at several familiar figures not far away and felt sincerely that some kind of mysterious Shura field was gathering towards him.

So...why are these guys here?!