Chapter 185 More Bad Habits
Land police vehicles transported bodies and evidence of crimes in succession.
More than a hundred people, dressed in black robes and bound by handcuffs, with black cloth bags on their heads and shackles on their feet, were loaded onto an Iveco convoy and left the port.
At the end of the line were boxes of jewelry and gold being loaded onto the armored truck. More than twenty police officers were deployed for armed escort.
Legal reporters and media captured this unforgettable scene. Many onlookers were kept outside, pointing and whispering about the group.
"Sister Pearl instructed that the women wearing gray aprons are core members, so don't be fooled. Hand them over to the Major Crimes Unit's detention room to await interrogation." Zhao Qiqi hung up the phone.
Lu Ye returned to his office and immediately began arranging the interrogation. He looked up and asked, "How is Sister Pearl doing?"
Zhao Qiqi laughed and said, "I got a beating, but my brain and bones are fine. I even spat out the key."
Lu Ye laughed too: "Don't mention getting beaten up in front of Sister Pearl, it's too embarrassing."
Zhao Qiqi said, "I feel pretty proud of myself, beating up a whole bunch of people by myself."
Lu Ye laughed: "You can say that, but you absolutely can't say she was ganged up on."
Now that Chen Zhenzhu is alright, everyone can relax and joke around.
Wu Zhongguo walked to the door and said, "They're all ready over there. Let's go and interrogate them."
Lu Ye said, "I'll go too."
Zhao Qiqi ran after her, calling out, "Wait for me!"
Reaching the stairwell, Lu Ye encountered Zhang Jie, who was returning from a mission. She asked about Chen Zhenzhu's situation. Lu Ye instinctively asked Gu Yanzheng, "Why didn't the boss come back with you?"
Zhang Jie whispered, "He got a minor injury and was taken to the hospital."
Lu Ye was taken aback: "The boss hasn't been injured in years."
“He’s a tough guy, even with minor injuries.” Zhang Jie nodded and changed the subject, saying, “I heard you solved another big case, congratulations. Pearl was injured on this trip, it must have been quite tough for you.”
Zhao Qiqi said, "It's not just difficult, it's a matter of life and death."
Zhang Jie said in surprise, "That dangerous? Hey, let's all be careful."
Ever since Zhao Qiqi learned that Zhang Jie had also gone to SAS, she had been filled with admiration for her, nodding emphatically: "Sister Zhang, you are too."
After speaking, Lu Ye and his team went to the Major Crimes Unit's interrogation room. The entire process was recorded.
From the moment she boarded the car until she arrived at the Criminal Investigation Team, the Goddess remained silent. Her face was ashen, and her head hung low, her mind echoing with the words Shen Zhenzhu had spoken before leaving.
She was suspicious enough to doubt anyone in the world, but she never doubted her younger brother.
Her beloved younger brother betrayed her.
When and how did he communicate with Chen Zhenzhu?
"Name."
The goddess remained silent.
"gender?"
The goddess remained silent.
Lu Ye tilted his head and said according to procedure, "Do you see 'leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist' on the wall? Do you know how big a mistake you've made? Why don't you cooperate right away?"
The goddess slowly raised her head, like an innocent woman, and said with tears in her eyes, "Comrade, I really don't know what I did wrong."
Wu Zhongguo frowned and said, "Stop pretending. No matter how cunning the fox is, it can't fool the hunter. I suggest you stop wasting everyone's time."
The priestess told her lie without a single stutter: "I was also tricked into coming to the island. My brother is being controlled by them. If I don't obey them, they will kill us."
"You're the Goddess! You're the one who tricked everyone into coming to the island, and you're still spouting nonsense here? What's your real name?"
“My name is Wu Xiuzhen.” The priestess explained, “They insisted on calling me priestess. Do you know the Holy Maiden? I am a spiritual believer, just like the Holy Maiden. Many things were not done by my orders, but by that goatee.”
Lu Ye reprimanded, "Stop talking nonsense. Wu Xiuzhen's heart is still in the forensic room! Liu Anni was shot multiple times and died in the fire while looking for her. Do you think we don't know? Let me tell you, even if you don't tell the truth, with witnesses and physical evidence, you can't escape the punishment of the law."
“I know Liu Anni; he’s cooperating with your police.” The priestess said hesitantly, “Then what do you want me to say?”
Wu Zhongguo said with a sneer, "Don't beat around the bush with us, and don't pretend to be innocent. Tell the truth."
“Alright.” To everyone’s surprise, the goddess recounted the details of the “Gao Hui” organization. The information was identical to what Shen Zhenzhu knew about the personnel structure and methods of the crimes, without any falsification.
The interrogation cameras were still recording, and the transcripts were piling up page after page. Then the priestess said something unexpected: "Besides the believers on the list, there are several people who have infiltrated government agencies."
Lu Ye frowned and asked, "Who are they?"
Seeing Lu Ye's distrustful expression, the Goddess hesitated and said, "Never mind, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
Lu Ye said, "Are you still trying to outsmart us?"
The priestess said innocently, "I have told the truth from beginning to end. Is there anything different from what you know?"
Lu Ye said, "Say whatever else you want to say."
Seeing that Lu Ye had put away his distrustful expression, the goddess carefully chose her words and said, "Actually, my real surname is Wu, and my name is Wu Dong. I initially established 'Gao Hui' to avoid being bullied by unscrupulous bosses. In recent years, too many people have been exploited. I worked at a guesthouse and saw all sorts of people. So my sisters and I started swindling money from the bosses, sharing information and helping each other. Who knew that more and more people would believe us? My sisters were too scared to continue, so I was the one who kept going."
The shaman reminisced about the past, slowly saying, "When I was struggling financially, I suddenly realized how easy it was to make money. Gradually, I lost myself and believed I had the ability to manipulate people's hearts. But then I got married, and my husband betrayed me. He gave me to a conman fortune teller. The fortune teller was incredibly accurate, but unfortunately, he was a terrible person, taking pleasure in abusing me and had a history of such acts. My younger brother was thrown from a building by them while trying to save me and became a vegetable. I saw a 'medicinal diet' recipe in the fortune teller's book, so I killed the fortune teller, dug out his heart and liver, and gave it to my brother to drink. My brother actually woke up!"
This book taught me that miracles truly do happen. I killed a fortune teller, my husband, and his family, and almost got caught by the police. Later, I realized what I was doing was wrong; I could easily be arrested. What would happen to my brother if I were caught? He did it to save me. It's all my fault for being poor and powerless, unable to protect him... Later, I became a goddess, and I had more options without having to kill myself. At the height of my power, 'Gao Hui' had tens of thousands of followers, but unfortunately, the police suddenly cracked down on me, and I became a pariah. The former glory was gone, but thankfully, I still had a 'protective umbrella,' allowing me to take root and survive on the island.
Lu Ye and Wu Zhongguo exchanged a few words in hushed tones, then Lu Ye lowered his voice and asked, "After all this build-up, who are the 'protective umbrellas'?"
The shaman named several people: "Wang Haizu and Zhao Baojun from Hushi, Li Jianying from Fengdu, Liang Weiguo from Gaizhou, and another person, I don't know if I should say."
"Speak." Lu Ye had a bad feeling.
The goddess hesitated before saying, "And then there's Shen Zhenzhu from Liancheng... As the head of the Liancheng Criminal Investigation Team, if she weren't one of our people, I really wouldn't have dared to move Gao Hui to a nearby island. It's a pity she's so cunning that she left herself a way out, making you think she's loyal to the country."
Wu Zhongguo snorted coldly and said, "Then how did you make the deal?"
The priestess said, "I promised her that I would remove the obstacles on her path to officialdom and help her rise to the position of criminal investigation captain. She provided me with protection, but she betrayed me in the end. If you don't come and arrest me, I will give her an even higher position. But she refuses to drink the holy water; she has no faith in me at all."
Lu Ye placed his fingers interlaced on the table and said coldly, "That's enough nonsense. Don't you know how we find the tunnel?"
The priestess said, "Was it the fire that exposed the door?" This was her long-held guess.
Looking at her conceited self, Lu Ye said, word by word, "Captain Chen has been our undercover agent from beginning to end. She never believed in you from the start."
The goddess repeatedly said, "Impossible! She was the one I carefully selected, how could she betray me!"
“Look at you, your words don’t make sense,” Wu Zhongguo sneered. “You think she resisted because she saw you making poison, right? With a brain like that, what kind of cult are you running? You can’t even make sense of your own words. Let me tell you, Captain Shen left a mark long ago to guide us to find you.”
The goddess's face turned ashen. She had intended to drag Shen Zhenzhu down even at the cost of her own life, but she never expected to be outmaneuvered.
She stubbornly insisted, "Anyway, whatever you say is right now, so why are you still interrogating me? This is her territory, of course you'll protect her."
Lu Ye said, "I'll give you some time to think about whether you want to tell the truth or not. Once the time is up, you won't have another chance to explain."
Wu Zhongguo nodded. This case, with the approval of the provincial department leaders, followed the seven-character policy of "special investigation, special trial, and swift execution" to severely crack down on cults and enter into a high-efficiency procedure, resolutely denying them any opportunity to hide.
Based on the principle of "emphasizing evidence over confessions," even if the goddess spouts nonsense and sows discord, she can still be dealt with according to the seven-character principle, even if she does not give any substantial confession.
"I'm not lying, everything I said is true!" The Goddess, her short hair disheveled, struggled to shout, "Shen Zhenzhu is my person, she is my protector! I am the Goddess, the Goddess! I promised to take her to the Heavenly Ship, she couldn't have asked for more, she believes in me, follows me, obeys me!... Heaven grants my wish, heaven grants my wish!!"
Lu Ye looked at her coldly.
The goddess kept repeating, "I am the Creator, all of this is my achievement. What right do inferior beings have to hold me? I want to leave this universe, I want to reach a new universe! Brother, wait for me, I'm coming soon!"
While the goddess was in a state of frenzy and confusion, Lu Ye and Wu Zhongguo spoke in hushed tones.
"Let's pause for a moment; her mind is still confused. We need a psychologist to assess her."
"Sister Pearl said she has professional psychological knowledge, so it would be safer for us to invite a top-level expert from the provincial department."
“I’ll apply again; I can’t let her slip through the net.”
Lu Ye called a halt to the interrogation and went out with Wu Zhongguo.
"She can still bite back at a time like this; she's like a venomous snake," Wu Zhongguo said with a sneer. "Let's leave her hanging for a while."
"Uncle Wu, please check Wu Dong's identity and see if what she said is true," Lu Ye said.
"I know, these kinds of suspects have a really something else, they end up fooling themselves after all that deception," Wu Zhongguo grumbled as he walked away.
"What else can we do but become cults?" Lu Ye couldn't help but complain.
******
"The main person in charge of the 'Gao Hui' is called the Divine Mother, whose real name and age are unknown. The core members include the president, a person with a braided haircut, and a person in a gray apron. They are the main organizational structure of the 'Gao Hui' and help the Divine Mother control the believers. Below them are 33 loyal believers who are responsible for material screening, security, and other tasks. There is also another group of people, such as Teacher Fang and Assistant Cui, who are on the list I submitted. They are hiding in the corners of the city, promoting the cosmic divine power, recruiting folk geniuses, and collecting funds to hand over to the Divine Mother."
Sitting on her hospital bed, Shen Zhenzhu reported to Director Tu, Director Liu, Director Li, and others: "There were 90 believers who came to the island with me, 17 of whom were loyal believers who infiltrated the island to monitor and screen new believers. Before the new batch arrived, four 'special ability users' from the outer perimeter, nicknamed 'Electric Legs' and 'Strong Tongue,' were cruelly murdered by the Goddess. The rest should have returned to the mainland and continue to be monitored by their teachers in various hideouts."
Shen Zhenzhu paused for a moment and then said, "They use the pretext of receiving cosmic energy and their goal of going to higher universes as their objective, referring to ordinary people as inferior beings. Besides feeding human parts to the 'Navigators,' they also kill some believers to use as fuel for their spaceships... They even attempt to bribe government officials and expand their power..."
Shen Zhenzhu spoke for almost an hour straight, recounting everything that had happened during her many days of undercover work.
The city bureau leaders sat in a row around the hospital bed, not wanting to miss a single word Shen Zhenzhu said, their expressions serious and attentive.
Director Tu stared at Chen Zhenzhu: "This is a typical antisocial organization. If we don't crack down on it in time, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Director Liu said, "They actually dared to infiltrate our ranks; they're a malignant tumor that must be eradicated. What could possibly cause such an organization to emerge? How did the Divine Mother manage to do it?"
Midway through, Xiaobai poured warm water for Chen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu took a sip, paused for half a minute, and replied to Director Liu, "The cult's beliefs are deeply rooted. The Goddess has absolute power of life and death and is deified. According to my analysis, she did not become the cult's Goddess from the beginning. Her confidence was built on the worship and obedience of her followers, which gradually developed into narcissistic personality disorder. She firmly believes that her knowledge and power are for the purpose of fulfilling her mission to go to a higher universe."
She lacks empathy, never cares about the suffering of her followers, and treats them as tools for power, money, fuel, or even medicine. She also suffers from antisocial personality disorder, is adept at lying and deception, and can construct a self-consistent system, such as so-called cosmic energy, to mask her own selfish desires. Even when irreversible consequences occur, she attributes the blame to the external world, such as crackdowns, the lack of sincerity of her followers, or the Creator's choice.
Director Tu frowned and said, "As far as I know, many cult leaders initially have mental disorders and believe they are guided by God. Could it be that the Goddess Mother is like that too?"
“No,” Shen Zhenzhu said firmly. “Her initial goal was money. While treating her brother, she could have chosen to simply kill people with special abilities, but she also chose to extort money from them. She gradually swelled up as she played the role of a goddess with the worship of her followers, and eventually developed the delusion that she was the creator. She must have been mentally sound when she committed the crimes. Given the difficulty in verifying the veracity of her confession, I, as the person in charge of the case, recommend a conviction without a confession.”
Director Tu nodded: "Your judgment is very accurate."
Director Li asked in bewilderment, "How can a woman like her control such a large organization?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "She constantly screens and tests believers. All information is filtered through the organization and gradually indoctrinated by teachers and the president, cutting off believers' trust in the outside world and portraying relatives and friends as obstacles to their journey to the higher universe. After arriving on the island, the collective living, high-intensity study, and reduced sleep can impair judgment and make people more susceptible to suggestion. Everything, big or small, is arranged by the organization, and believers gradually lose their ability to think independently and increase their dependence on the organization. They are also instilled with an internal vocabulary to reinforce their internal ideology. They are required to donate money, hand over communication tools, and be induced to follow and obey."
In their collective, fanatical hope to reach a higher universe, friends and family were dehumanized, reduced to lower beings. Finally, feeling coerced by the outside world, they resorted to the 'doomsday prophecy' of the impending collapse of the material universe, which became the strongest means of consolidating internal cohesion. This provided a sacred pretext for mass suicide. Their attacks on police, harming others, and willingly ingesting holy water all became sacred rituals leading to their ultimate goal.
After finishing her explanation in one breath, Chen Zhenzhu took a sip of water and concluded, "This undercover operation has given me a deeper understanding of cult organizations. The core formula for the criminal behavior of cult organizations is essentially: [a leader with a pathological personality] + [systematic psychological manipulation] - [external intervention] = [high probability of group crime]."
"Excellent!" Director Tu led the applause, praising, "This mechanism is more intuitive and clear than previous experience. I believe it will help Liancheng to identify and be vigilant against cult organizations around us more quickly and eliminate potential dangers."
"Little Shen, when did you come up with this conclusion?" Director Liu asked with a kind smile, seeing that Shen Zhenzhu had made an appearance in front of Director Tu.
Shen Zhenzhu said shyly, "I've been thinking about this these past few days. I came to this conclusion on the ship that brought me back, and I've even thought about it in my dreams."
Tu Ju and the others smiled knowingly.
"You've had a tough day. You can rest assured and have Director Liu personally oversee the follow-up work," Director Tu said. "The Ministry of Public Security attaches great importance to this operation. I will handle any interference encountered during the operation. If you perform another outstanding service, I'll approve a week's leave for you—"
"I don't need to rest for that long." Shen Zhenzhu simply can't stay idle.
Director Tu tapped her head and said, "I'll give you some time to clear out the waste inside and restore your body. Later, I'll need you to report to the provincial department. You can't go there looking like this, can you? There's also a written report to write, and all of that takes time."
"Thank you for your concern, leader. I understand." Upon hearing that she still needed to report, Shen Zhenzhu replied perfunctorily.
Director Tu didn't hold it against her and said with a smile, "You've worked hard, it's not easy."
Chen Zhenzhu boasted, "It's nothing."
"You're the youngest criminal investigation captain in the country. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. There were some objections when I appointed you, but now you're the most promising one." Director Tu, seeing that Chen Zhenzhu's cheek was swollen and he didn't expose her boasting, called out, and a guard came in carrying milk and fruit: "This is my personal visit. I wish you a speedy recovery. A reporter from the National Public Security Daily will be coming to interview you later; please cooperate."
"Okay. Thank you for your concern, boss!"
With Director Tu taking the lead, none of the other leaders came empty-handed.
Before leaving, Director Tu asked her, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "The Fucheng Public Security Bureau has handed over all authority to us for this operation. One of their informants, Liu Anni, was killed on the island, and I would like to apply for a commendation for him."
"Regardless of the purpose, the spirit is commendable," Director Tu said. "I will consider it."
After they left in a large group, Xiaobai pouted and said, "Sister Pearl, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Shen Zhenzhu teased her deliberately, "Who brought persimmons? Aren't they astringent?"
Xiao Bai glared at Chen Zhenzhu.
Shen Zhenzhu put her arm around her shoulder and swayed back and forth: "I'm so glad I was chosen."
Xiao Bai could guess what Chen Zhenzhu hadn't said yet. With red eyes, she sniffed and went to open the fruit basket: "Brother Aye and the others will come to visit you later. They're all working overtime at the Municipal Bureau."
"No rush, I'm still sleepy." Shen Zhenzhu carefully leaned back on the bed, feeling like she had been beaten black and blue all over.
Xiao Bai turned around: "Does it hurt a lot?"
Chen Zhenzhu sat up straight and continued to boast, "They're the ones who are in pain."
Xiao Bai fell silent and sat to the side, taking a small silver knife and starting to peel an apple. She poked at the apple pieces and fed them to her sister Pearl bite by bite, just like a diligent little maid.
"My dad even called to ask about you," Xiaobai suddenly said. "I'll call my dad back later."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "You know what you should and shouldn't say, so don't worry him too much. Just say that I'm powerful and majestic, and I've stormed the den of evil."
"Hmm." Xiaobai planned to lavish praise on her Pearl Sister in front of Director Zhou.
Ring ring,
Ring ring.
After a short rest, the ward phone rang repeatedly, highlighting the privilege of having only two private rooms.
Chen Zhenzhu moved to the sofa, eating an apple while making a phone call, then an orange, then a banana, her mouth never stopping.
When it was time for dinner, she resolutely refused to let Xiaobai go back to Sixth Sister's place and insisted on eating the cafeteria's special meals for sick people.
"Team Leader Liu from Shen City, Team Leader Qiu from Baolu, and Sister Mei from Jing City all called to express their condolences. How come they are so well-informed?" Shen Zhenzhu ate a bunch of fruit, but her lips were still dry from chatting with them.
Xiao Bai grimaced as he looked at the fruit peels in the trash can: "Didn't your throat hurt if you swallowed the key?"
"Just open up your throat and you'll feel better. It's a little sore, but otherwise it's fine."
Xiao Bai tore off the meal ticket, picked up the lunchbox, and said, "Didn't I say I was going to clean up the remaining elements and crack down on cult dens? I've definitely notified everyone. You stay put, I'll be right back."
"Oh." Chen Zhenzhu leaned back on the sofa, touching her face and feeling the heat subside a little. Just then, the landline rang again.
The voice of Captain Xu from Fucheng came from the other end of the phone. After expressing his apologies and condolences again, he stated his purpose: "Regarding the situation of our informant Liu Anni, his body has been identified by his family. If possible, I have a favor to ask: could you please mention him in your work report?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Captain Xu, don't worry. I have already applied for a commendation from Director Tu. Whether it will be approved or not depends on the process and assessment. It's not up to me to decide."
"Thank you, Captain Shen, that's enough. The responsibility for this lies with me, and I will see it through to the end." Captain Xu paused for a moment, grateful for Shen Zhenzhu's thoughtfulness. After thanking her, he hung up the phone.
Little Bai was unaware of the little incident. After getting her food, she came back and ate it with her sister Pearl, picking and choosing what to eat.
After the meal, patients strolled and washed up in the corridor, and soon the lights in the ward were turned off for rest.
Shen Zhenzhu didn't dare tell her family she was hospitalized, so Xiaobai naturally stayed with her at the hospital.
In the dead of night, Chen Zhenzhu suddenly sat up in bed, like an owl eager to get to work.
Unable to sleep and not wanting to disturb Xiaobai, she quietly strolled into the corridor.
"Oh my god, that scared me to death!" The nurse on duty clutched her chest, and seeing that it was a policeman who had swallowed a key, said speechlessly, "Where did you policemen get this habit of being nocturnal?"
It's a cult.
"Let's go back." Xiaobai quickly ran out and pushed Chen Zhenzhu into the ward.
Shen Zhenzhu stood firmly on her feet, seemingly rooted to the spot, and insisted, "I can't sleep, so I'll just walk around the corridor a few times. I can't sleep if I don't walk around."
The nurse sighed helplessly, "Fine, just keep it down."
Shen Zhenzhu turned to the nurse and asked, "Who else is nocturnal?"
The nurse gestured towards another private room: "This person came in right after you."
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Author's note: See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes waiting for you! [Let me see]
***
This article references and modifies works such as "Punishment and Prevention of Cult Crimes," "A Study on the Patterns of the Covert Development of Cults," and "Modern Brainwashing Handbook," as well as online resources.
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