Chapter 154
Bourbon and Scotland are speechless.
Undoubtedly, Bo Yezhai's flamboyant attire makes him look like a prime target for easy money. Even if he is genuinely interested in pyramid schemes, once he reaches the higher-ups who know his true purpose is to amass wealth, they will understand what Bo Yezhai's greatest value is.
Bo Yezaki was still putting on an act; agreeing right away would make him look like a fool, so he put on a skeptical look: "Really? Superpowers? You're not trying to fool me again, are you? Are you going to pull some kind of murder-sacrifice thing to gain divine power or something? I don't do that stuff!"
The believer immediately knew that this person must have an urgent need, which was why they were searching everywhere for help, and that they had already been deceived before... How tragic! So they must abandon darkness and embrace the light!
"Come to us! We don't cheat people! We don't do any crooked tricks!" the follower said excitedly. "You'll know who our Mother Spring Cult leader is once you meet him! We're going back anyway, let's go together!"
"It's a bit too late today, let's do it tomorrow. I'd like to soak in a hot spring." Usaku Saiki wasn't in a hurry to gossip.
This person left him a phone number and then hurried off to help other believers "rescue" those who had been imprisoned by the landlady.
Bo Yezhai closed the door and turned to share with his two roommates, "Did you hear that? This cult leader can read minds! This trip was definitely worthwhile, let's go check it out tomorrow!"
Even if the hot springs are great and the food is amazing, there are no other entertainment options nearby, not even a shopping street. You'll get bored after two or three days in this remote area.
While many office workers find happiness in lying around all day and simply enjoying their leisure, why shouldn't Bo Yezhai see something exciting?
Bourbon and Scotland were also quite interested in the "Mother Spring Cult".
If we can take this opportunity to expose the deceptive tactics used by cults, we might be able to save some families. After all, the ultimate goal of such cults is to swindle money, and many families have been ruined and destroyed because of it.
Even if they originally had to consider reasons for getting involved, now that Bo Yezaki has brought it up, they can just follow along and don't need to worry about anything else.
So the two nodded, indicating that they had no objection.
"I'm also quite curious about that 'mind-reading' ability," Bourbon said with a grin. "Wouldn't it be very useful for finding traitors?"
Bo Yezaki frowned: "Why are you so like Gin? Don't learn from him. You're always calling others rats, undercover agents, or traitors. Your paranoia has reached a critical stage."
Bourbon: "…………"
Gin has become an adjective all over the place...
And Usaku Saiki, don't you want to think back to what you've said before?
Why do I feel like you're even more enthusiastic about pointing out traitors than Gin is?!
Scotland's lips twitched as well: "Bourbon might have just said it offhand, after all, the mission he did before was to help Gin catch a traitor."
Bo Yezaki: "Don't mention traitors or anything like that in front of me. I'm just an ordinary person, and I'm not interested in these things."
Bourbon: "..."
Scotland:"……"
I haven't seen him for half a year, what happened to him... I don't know if his condition has improved or worsened...
But since he didn't want to listen, the two of them stopped talking about it and started eating the food that had just been delivered, preparing to go to the hot springs afterward.
On the way to the hot spring, they ran into the landlady who looked distressed, and Usakawa asked, "Your child has been kidnapped? Is his life in danger?"
"Probably not, because I forced him to stay..." the landlady said, clutching her chest. "But they cursed me, saying that if I kidnapped anyone again, I would die within seven days... I heard their curses are very effective; someone tried to leave the cult, but died within a few days..."
At this point, the proprietress couldn't help but wipe her eyes: "What should I do? Should I send someone to check what's going on? What if it's not a scam, but the god I believe in is actually an evil god? Am I going to die?"
Usoya Saiki: "...It shouldn't be that bad."
It turns out this person isn't a materialist, but simply finds the religion rather strange and will still be superstitious.
Scotland also felt the situation was getting a bit tricky, because those who were half-believing were more likely to be converted into believers after witnessing the cult leader's so-called "superpowers".
And the fact that the curse is so effective... could it be murder? That would be much more troublesome than simply scamming money.
Bourbon, a proper intelligence operative, promptly stepped forward and began inquiring: "I've never heard of this 'Mother Spring Cult' before. May I ask you for details?"
The proprietress hesitated for a moment: "You're from out of town, there's no need for you to know so much. If you're worried, it's better to leave sooner rather than later..."
At this critical moment, Bo Yezaki stepped forward: "Actually, I am a detective. Since you originally wanted to find someone to check on that cult, why not just hire us? We won't charge you if we don't find any problems!"
Bourbon: "...?"
Scotland chimed in, "Yes, don't let his youth fool you. This is the famous Detective Conan, who has helped the police solve cases. His eyesight and reasoning abilities are top-notch."
The proprietress was skeptical.
Usoppei has grown a few years older now and looks more mature than when he first joined the organization. He's no longer treated like a child to be played with; he has to prove his strength to be recognized.
To increase his persuasiveness, Usakabe Saiki even said, "I also know the son of the Osaka Prefectural Police Chief. In fact, I know the sons of other police superintendents. If this cult really has problems, I can resolve them much more efficiently."
Scotland was puzzled. He knew the son of the Osaka Prefectural Police Chief, someone he'd met when he was playing with elementary school students, but who else could it be? Just how many sons of police superintendents did Usaku Saiki know? Was he planning to bribe them starting with the second generation? Was that alright?
So he looked at Bourbon with a questioning gaze: Who are these people that Usoppaiki is talking about? Do you know?
Bourbon nodded, rubbing his forehead.
That Scottish guy in Osaka once told him that, but as for the others... is Usui Saiki referring to Kitamigi?!
The father and son are both dead! And now they're still exploiting them, using them to fool outsiders!
Although the people she knew were all sons of police inspectors, which sounded a bit unreliable, the landlady thought about it and, considering the guy's age, felt she could understand.
In the Japanese workplace, seniority matters. Promotions are not always based on merit. Those who become inspectors are usually middle-aged, so there's not much to talk about with a kid like this. If this guy says he's close to several inspectors, she won't believe him.
The son of the superintendent of police is probably also a police officer, so it's highly likely that he's familiar with this guy, and maybe what this guy is saying is the truth.
Besides, she couldn't find any suitable detectives around here...
After considering for a moment, the proprietress made up her mind: "I understand. Let the guests go soak in the hot spring first. I still have some work to do... Once the guests have rested, we can sit down and have a proper talk."
This arrangement is much better. They came here for a vacation, and the things they were carrying clearly indicated they were going to soak in hot springs. They didn't get to enjoy anything, and taking on this assignment will only make it harder for them to relax. It feels like we're just causing them too much trouble.
The three understood that the proprietress needed some time to sort out her thoughts, so they all agreed to go soak in the hot springs first.
Otherwise, there might not be any time to relax afterwards.
Because this shop mainly caters to locals, there are very few people; there were only two or three when they went in.
After soaking for a while, Bourbon deliberately started discussing the topic of the "Mother Spring Cult".
"This is the first time I've heard of this sect. If the leader is really that powerful, shouldn't he be very famous? Is that person lying to us?"
Bo Yezaki chimed in with enthusiasm, "Mind reading is easy to fake, isn't it? There's a technique called 'cold reading,' which can glean a lot of information from someone you've just met. It's like those fortune-telling scams—just a bunch of little tricks."
Scotland said, "They also said the cult leader could levitate... was he suspended by wires?"
“If only it were true.” Bo Yezai sighed. “I do have a wish I want to fulfill… but what’s wrong with this cult? People die if they want to leave it. I’m a little hesitant.”
Hearing this, a middle-aged man nearby couldn't help but speak up: "Don't go! People will really die!"
The three of them immediately turned to look.
Bourbon immediately asked, "Sir, do you know something?"
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment: "Well, it's better not to say anything."
"What? If you speak ill of them, they'll curse you to death? Then that really makes it a cult!"
"Shh! Shh! I didn't say that!" the middle-aged man quickly explained. "Their leader is indeed very powerful. I participated in one, and what I thought was true! I just meant that some people did die because they questioned the leader and tried to leave..."
Usoppei leaned closer: "How do you read minds? Is it through leading questions?"
Bourbon also questioned, "Won't there be shills? Like, the answers are pre-arranged, and someone else is acting it out..."
The middle-aged man shook his head: "No, they told me to write down the questions I wanted to ask on a piece of paper and put them in an envelope. Then the cult leader directly stated my questions and took out the paper on the spot for everyone to confirm. The answers cannot be changed, so it must be true!"
"...This kind of thing even includes props, it's probably best to fake it!"
Bourbon was full of confidence, thinking he would soon be able to expose the true nature of this cult.
Organizing a vacation while also taking down a cult for the masses, Bourbon felt that being forcibly summoned by Usoppō Saiki wasn't such a loss after all!
But the middle-aged man insisted, "The envelope was right under my nose the whole time, it absolutely wasn't opened. I even went up to check it. It's not some magic prop... You'll see when you go! The cult leader really does have superpowers!!!"
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It didn't time out; it was updated at 29 minutes past the hour. The following is a correction of typos.
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Extra chapters at night featuring landmines
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Big Fat Sheep Thin Leaf: What's fun about this? Let me see!
Two police officers: While infiltrating the organization, they also helped crack a cult case; their mission was worthwhile.
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Gin has become an adjective.
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The case is adapted from the novel *The Trap*.
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