Chapter 031 Cult Simulator

It was already seven o'clock when Ji Xu woke up in the morning. He was sleepy, yawned, and slowly got out of bed in his slippers.

In order to make time for today, he stayed up late yesterday to process the new documents brought by Wang Gu, and got up a little tired. While washing up, Ji Xu stared at the mirror in a daze.

——Why don’t we get Ye Cheng back after some time? He and Wang Gu alone can’t handle it.

Few people know that although the Church of a Hundred Prayers owns two buildings, Ji Xu sleeps in the office every day.

He pushed open the secret door of the lounge, moved the bookshelf back to its original position, and would not open it until he got the correct fingerprint, and then pressed the call button. Not long after, Wang Gu came in with a stack of papers. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to be heavier. He put down the documents and sank them down with a thump.

"These are the latest developments of the Administration. They are considering promoting the dangers of cults. These are the future developments of the city library and restaurants. These are..." He spoke slowly, pointing to the documents divided into categories, and then hesitated for a few seconds at the top, "Uh, this is..."

Ji Xu guessed casually: "A contract designating guardianship?"

Wang Gu admitted: "Yes, the believers gave it to me yesterday and said you asked for it."

Ji Xu always felt that Wang Gu had a strange concept. He respected him and was afraid of him, but he couldn't help but care about him. He had a very high sense of responsibility. The evidence was that he always cared about his three meals a day. "I've finished my report. What would you like to eat for breakfast today?"

"...Porridge will do." Ji Xu put down the contract. "Is the morning news out?"

Wang Gu looked at his watch and said, "It's not time yet. It starts at eight o'clock."

He walked to the opposite wall and pressed some buttons. The originally empty wall revealed a display screen. Wang Gu switched to the news channel. With the looping music, the countdown decreased little by little. The breakfast he had just ordered happened to be placed outside the door. He took it back and put it on the table.

Ji Xu stirred the spoon, his face thoughtful: "Let Ye Cheng find a way to get out the day after tomorrow. There is no need to send today's documents for now. Send them to me tomorrow morning. For important matters, send them by email."

It was unknown what exactly happened, maybe we would know when we watched the news later. Compared to this, Wang Gu found that Ji Xu only tasted a few bites, "You don't like seafood?"

The canteen prepared seafood porridge. Ji Xu had no preference for seafood, but he just had a poor appetite due to staying up late and getting up early. Looking at the breakfast, his mind was unconsciously full of work. Just as he put down the spoon, the news countdown stopped and the morning music suddenly rose in pitch.

The host came out to greet us, and the whole process went very quickly, and soon he was talking about the latest news.

"An attempted homicide occurred in Huzhong City last night. The suspect, a male, is a brother of the victim and has now escaped capture."

The TV gave a brief description of the victim's appearance and identity, which was consistent with the information provided by the citizen who had chatted with the church's customer service yesterday. Wang Gu first understood, then was puzzled. He glanced at the two models again and again and couldn't help but doubt his memory.

Doesn’t this guy not meet the church’s requirements?

Why would the leader help him?

The news did not release specific information about the case, and the location and process of the incident were unknown. Apart from the appearance and identity and reminding citizens to be careful, the media carefully blocked relevant information.

The host fluently concluded: "It is speculated that there is a huge criminal supply process behind the suspect. He escaped from the siege of the Administration under the guidance of the suspect. Citizens are requested to actively report, stay away from dangerous people and unknown sects, and be responsible for their own lives. Relevant matters are under investigation."

The unknown sect is clearly playing tricks on the Church of a Hundred Prayers.

The hatred between the Administration and the Hundred Prayers Church had been intensifying for a long time. It was estimated that a new round of surprise inspections would be coming soon. Wang Gu had no time to think about whether Fu met the requirements. He quickly notified others to handle the fire and food safety, print out the tax bill in advance, and bring the business contracts and health certificates of nearby stores...

The church was busy and orderly. After all, the administration came to visit every now and then, and everyone had exercised a lot.

Some unimportant things will even be placed on the first floor in advance so that they can be taken out and checked at any time.

But this time, the people from the Administration rushed in directly and changed the subject, "Today we are not here for inspection. We want the church to provide information about this person."

In the printed surveillance photo, a hunched man came out of the window, hanging in the air. The Administration changed the photo, which was taken later and from a closer distance. It can be seen that a rope was hanging from the upper floor. The suspect climbed to the seventh floor and got in, leaving the police officer who was waiting downstairs empty-handed.

Wang Gu had no expression, "There is no such person in the church."

Officer Yu sneered and continued to change the photos. The image was enlarged to the point of distortion, with only a faint hint of red.

"Look here! As a former police officer of the Administration and the current vice-chairman of the church, I believe you can definitely tell that this is a red moon brooch. Don't try to shirk your responsibility. We need to check the registered members of the church."

Wang Gu bent down preparedly and took out a stack of papers from the drawer. There were not many, probably only a few dozen sheets. "They are all here. The remaining people resigned a few days ago."

Officer Yu: “Those who have resigned are also required.”

Wang Gu silently took out a new stack, which was at least ten times thicker than the last time, and a USB flash drive, and said calmly: "It has been sorted in advance by gender, age and age. The electronic information is here, and you can search for keywords."

Officer Yu paused.

Ji Xu's painful memories were also awakened by Wang Gu's skillful movements.

He lay his head on the backrest and covered his face with the book to block out the glaring light above his head. Only his chest rose and fell with his breathing, like a dying corpse.

Wang Gu did not even turn his head, letting the police officer flip through the documents in disbelief. "Obviously, this citizen is not in the church. Perhaps he has admired the church for a long time and is willing to wear it."

Officer Yu: Do you think I will believe it?

But they are police officers of the Administration who enforce the law impartially. Unlike a certain unknown religious sect, they cannot break the law.

When facing a former colleague, there is nothing I can do even if he grinds his teeth until they make a noise.

That is the world in the simulator. If it were in the real world, every single person in the church would be taken away for obstructing official business.

Officer Yu said, "Where is your leader? This is about a murderer on the run. We need the leader of the Hundred Prayers Church to be questioned."

Wang Gu looked at him deeply, bent down again, and took out an old videotape and a brick-sized player from the drawer. There was a click when he closed the player.

Officer Yu: …

He subconsciously looked into the drawer, wondering what else was inside.

But then, under Wang Gu's operation, the display screen hanging above his head automatically played the video. Officer Yu withdrew his gaze and leaned forward unconsciously. A young man wearing a black robe and a white mask appeared.

The young man greeted him in a machine voice that was indistinguishable from his real voice: "Good morning, Officer Yu. You can call me Baidao. I believe you have discussed this incident many times in the bureau, so I will make it short--"

Baizhu said, "He does not meet the requirements and is not worthy to join the church."

Officer Yu's expression gradually became serious. How should I put it? It sounded very serious.

The Church of a Hundred Prayers is a very special entity. It not only makes the Administration hate it, but also contributes a lot of jobs and tax revenue. It is currently developing towards the goal of sacrificing its own image to appease the citizens, and is about to become a dual pillar for the citizens of Lake City to obtain money and entertainment.

The Administration dared not imagine what this suspect looked like, as he was able to make Bai Dao say "unworthy" with contempt.

"But this matter is inseparable from the Hundred Prayers Church." A voice suddenly came from outside the door. Director Lin Muqing walked in. He also had concentric circles embroidered on his body. "Let's be honest. Very few people know what you did. There are not many believers who joined normally. Most of them were recruited by the Hundred Prayers. We know very well how unreasonable the two so-called propaganda news were. Why did he wear a red moon at the murder scene? Please explain."

That’s right, after all, the church does not have a normal joining process, and we have always taken the initiative to send invitation letters.

Ji Xu thought in agreement.

Wang Gu said perfunctorily, "Who knows? We are willing to actively cooperate with the investigation. Please let us know once we find out the cause."

This was the first time that Director Lin came to the Church of a Hundred Prayers. He did not go straight to the target like his subordinates, but looked around. The reception room was a semi-open corner, and many people were chatting and reading books with drinks in their hands. When he saw the badge of the Administration, he subconsciously frowned.

Only one person did not react, his breathing was barely audible, he sat on the sofa and almost blended in with the bookshelf and cactus. But after all, such a big human being, as long as you pay attention, your eyes are not blind, you can always see it.

After scanning three or four times, Director Lin finally saw someone sitting there: "...Who is that person?"

Wang Gu cunningly changed the subject: "It has nothing to do with you, sir. You are concerned about where the suspect fled to, not the rest of our church members. It just so happens that his act of wearing the red moon has seriously tarnished the reputation of the church. We are willing to provide information until the suspect is arrested."

Director Lin was not angry. He took out a cigarette, shook it, and lit it after receiving the please-come-as-you-can gesture. He asked directly, "Where is Bai Dao? This is a murder case, and every citizen has a responsibility. Since he chose to stay in Huzhong City, he should be questioned. The Administration does not accept the proxy system."

Wang Gu smiled without changing his expression: "The leader is here. He has always been here."

A cold snort of "playing tricks" came from the direction of the Administration.

"Oh?" Director Lin knocked off the ash from his cigarette, bit it between his teeth, tapped the videotape with his fingers, and raised his eyebrows. "Don't tell me, your leader is a videotape?"

"Of course not. Although I can't tell the tone, I'm referring to the human 'he'." Wang Gu said this without looking back at Ji Xu. The believers nearby who heard the noise stared at the person who had just spoken. "Sir, according to the rules, the leader has responded. You can ask me about the rest."

As a former member of the Administration, Wang Gu was not at all inferior to his former colleagues. He knew the Administration's investigation methods, their tricks, and even their next moves. After a standoff of about half an hour, the Administration, which was as slippery as catching a loach, was the first to retreat.

When leaving, Director Lin was still looking at the single sofa in the corner.

The young man in beige sweatshirt and grey cotton pants seemed to be asleep, breathing deeply, lying on his back with a copy of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" covering his face, with only his curled hair showing. The only two suspicious points were that he was wearing a pair of inconspicuous beige gloves and that he was not wearing the red moon mark on his body.

Five minutes after the Administration Bureau left, Wang Gu tidied up the messy drawers. He turned around to look at the leader, wondering if he didn't get enough rest yesterday and accidentally fell asleep while he was practicing Tai Chi with the Administration Bureau.

Just as Wang Gu was holding the blanket in his hand and making up his mind to stand up and move closer, a hand suddenly grabbed the blanket and threw it onto the armrest next to him.

Ji Xu took the book off with his other hand, revealing a pair of clear black eyes behind them. He was even wearing glasses, so there were no red marks. He was awake from beginning to end and listened to the whole process.

"Don't rush to send the collected information. Delay it for a while before giving it to him. He will try again tonight, and this time he will succeed. Remember to prepare the adoption agreement and the signed custody designation contract in advance. The child is the daughter of the victim and the niece of the murderer."