Chapter 42
"What should we do next?"
Yin Li hammered the door twice. The old door trembled and groaned a few times, but it was still locked.
After the announcement of the precautions, the radio became like a decoration, without making any sound. There was no light in the space behind them, and the brightness was just enough to barely see things. The few people couldn't even see the whole picture of the nave, so they all stopped at the door and no one moved.
"How do we play here? It's so dark." Yin Li felt the wall beside her but couldn't find any switches or anything like that. "There must be a light or something. We can't play like this."
"It seems we have to find a light source first." Lu Bai got into the state quickly.
"Then let's go inside first." Han Chengcheng walked in first, and several people followed her to the middle hall and stood around the altar.
Zhang Xiaotian looked around. Although it was dark, it was easy to see the old and solemn color of the nave. The cross with Jesus tied to it on the altar stood tall, with a slight metallic reflection. The closer he got to the altar, the harder it was to see its height.
"This building is so tall," Yin Li exclaimed. "Look at the decorative glass windows next to it. It looks like a real church!"
The stained-glass windows on the walls were vibrantly colored. It was unclear what religious stories they depicted, but the figures, plants, and animals were all eye-catching. Under normal circumstances, this would be a pleasant sight, but in this dimly lit scene, it felt strangely eerie. Zhang Xiaotian groped his way closer when he kicked something. He bent down to feel for it, and it turned out to be a spotlight fixed to the ground.
"Where there's a light, there's a switch," Zhang Xiaotian said, standing up. The four of them immediately set to work, groping around. But it was too dark, and every now and then they could hear the clatter of limbs against furnishings, accompanied by cries of pain. Zhang Xiaotian instinctively knew the switch must be near the altar, so he stayed close, occasionally tripping over the warped wooden floorboards.
The cold altar was uneven, seemingly carved with pictorial inscriptions. Zhang Xiaotian circled it, feeling around inch by inch, mentally imagining what the switch would look like. He felt intently, still imagining what the switch would look like, when he suddenly felt something like a strip. He could feel its warmth, and its shape... seemed like a finger! Zhang Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pulled his hand back, only to hear the click of a mechanism being activated.
All the lights in the central hall suddenly lit up. Zhang Xiaotian closed his eyes reflexively, enduring a moment of discomfort before opening them again. He vaguely saw Lu Bai standing before him.
"Oh, I guessed right!" Lu Bai finally got used to it. Seeing Zhang Xiaotian still half-closed his eyes, he felt a little embarrassed. "Did I blind you? I was just trying to press it, but I didn't expect it to be a switch."
Actually, it’s nothing to be dazzled.
Zhang Xiaotian didn't regain consciousness until he saw that it was Lu Bai. His heart was pounding with fear. He was about to ask why Lu Bai was walking so quietly, but Yin Li interrupted him with a curse:
"Depend on!"
Lu Bai and Zhang Xiaotian turned around following the sound and saw that Yin Li and Han Chengcheng both had pale faces.
"What's wrong?" Lu Bai asked.
Yin Li swallowed and slowly pointed her hand toward the altar. The two people below the altar looked up and were also startled.
The statue of "Jesus" has a drooping face covered by messy golden hair. He is wearing a torn and blood-stained wedding dress, and his neck is deeply indented with purple marks from being strangled. His hands, which should have been nailed down in memory, hang down on both sides of his body, but instead his neck is hung at the intersection of the cross by a thick hemp rope.
It was too dark to see clearly just now, but now that the lights are on, I realize that the thing on the altar is not a statue of Jesus at all.
That was clearly the body of the dead bride!
All four of them were frightened. Lu Bai froze for a long time before finally coming to his senses. He mechanically turned his neck and said with a wry smile, "Damn, that's really good. It scared me to death..."
He exhaled as if to encourage himself, rubbed his palms, and reached out with a trembling hand. Just as his fingertips touched the hem of the bride's skirt, he retreated. Zhang Xiaotian, having recovered his strength, walked forward and touched the "corpse." It was just a smooth mannequin. It had seemed so lifelike and terrifying at first glance, but now it seemed a bit rough. He stepped back a few steps and looked up to examine the dummy carefully.
"The lights are on. Now we can look for clues." Yin Li said, then frowned again, "What clues should we look for?"
"Let's take a look around first." Han Chengcheng said.
After the lights came on, the nave's furnishings finally came into clear view. The texture of the brick wall was faintly visible through the brilliant stained glass windows. Light filtered through the rose window above the main entrance, casting a bizarre web of light around the bride's "corpse." The benches, seemingly dilapidated and stained, were covered in mottled marks. Diagonally behind the altar, two closed doors stood in either direction.
Han Chengcheng walked towards one of the doors and bent down to look at the lock.
Combination lock, four digits.
"This door seems to be opened with a key." Yin Li was standing next to another door and shouted, "But I can't tell what kind of key it is. It should be different from the usual style."
"Just look around first and try if you see anything possible," said Lu Bai.
The three of them immediately began searching the room for clues, while Zhang Xiaotian remained alone, still scrutinizing the "bride." He tried his best to discern her features. The hair color, the strangle marks on her neck, the large bloodstains on her head and face—even though they could have been haphazardly applied during the construction of the props—Zhang Xiaotian still memorized them all. Suddenly, he vaguely saw something clutched in one of the "bride's" dangling hands. He walked over, gently pried open the model's fingers, and pulled out something papery and unrolled it, revealing a painting.
"What did you find?"
Lu Bai's voice suddenly appeared in his ears. Zhang Xiaotian felt itchy. He dodged inconspicuously and showed the painting to Lu Bai.
The faces of the figures in the painting are damaged, but their clothing still allows us to roughly identify the identities of the individuals. The figure in the center, arm in arm, is likely a couple. The man is thin and wears armor, while the woman wears a tall, conical headdress. Their pose is less like arm in arm than like the man leaning on the woman. Beside the woman is a young woman with her hair loose, their similar golden curls clearly indicating their relationship. Next to the young woman stands a woman of similar build, dressed as a maid.
"This guy's clothes are different from the others." Lu Bai pointed at a man on the other side of the painting.
Zhang Xiaotian looked in the direction of his fingertip.
Next to the armored man stood a man in a black robe holding a Bible in his hand. He must be a priest.
This should be my identity. Zhang Xiaotian stroked the priest on the canvas without saying a word. After they finished looking at this side of the painting, they turned it over and saw writing on the back.
"What's written?" Lu Bai asked.
"It seems like a poem." Zhang Xiaotian whispered, "Your name is a poem imprinted on my soul. Only the gods can understand the words within, like the sound of a sacred bell or the command of a choir..."
"Nothing can change my choice for you."
Lu Bai continued with the last sentence. His voice mixed with his warm breath flowed into Zhang Xiaotian's brain along the cochlea. Zhang Xiaotian felt his train of thought interrupted for a moment, and even the half of his body close to Lu Bai felt numb.
Lu Bai scratched his head: "So what does this mean?"
Nothing can change your choice...
"The signature is the bride Colin's name. It was probably written by the bride to her lover." Zhang Xiaotian said.
In addition to the poem, there is a line of words in the corner of the canvas, "In commemoration of the church renovation on July 10th."
"It seems that the bride's family paid for the renovation of the church, which is why this painting appeared." Yin Li's voice suddenly appeared, scaring Lu Bai.
"Oh my!" Lu Bai gasped and glared at Yin Li with gritted teeth.
"Why are you glaring? Who knew you were so timid?" Yin Li muttered, squeezing over to take a look. "But why would the bride write a poem for her lover on the back of this painting?"
That's because...
"Maybe it's because," Han Chengcheng said, "the bride's lover is in this painting."
Zhang Xiaotian glanced at Han Chengcheng.
"It must be this priest. There are only two men in this portrait." Lu Bai squeezed over again, "The man in armor should be Yin Li, the bride's brother-in-law. The bride wouldn't fall in love with her brother-in-law, would she?"
"That's hard to say." Yin Li said with a smile.
"Don't make blind guesses first." Han Chengcheng said.
Lu Bai also said: "That's right, you're talking nonsense as soon as you come here. Have you found any clues? Why are you making random analyses here?"
"Of course I found it!" Yin Li smiled proudly and raised a notebook in her hand. "This is what Chengcheng and I found in the corner. It's a Bible with a combination lock."
"What's the password?" Lu Bai asked.
"I still have no idea." Han Chengcheng said, "But now we have found a string of numbers, right? Let's give it a try."
"What numbers..." Lu Bai was about to ask when he saw Zhang Xiaotian take the Bible and enter the four numbers "0710" on the combination lock. The combination lock was opened without any surprise.
"Oh my god..."
No one responded to Lu Bai's sigh, and they all looked inside to see the contents.
This is not the original content of the Bible. It has a date on it and seems to be someone's diary.
"Xiaotian Nian Nian." Yin Li said.
Zhang Xiaotian nodded.
"On July 5th, in just a few days, the church renovation project will be completed. Praise our Lord, may He grant Viscount Solemn and his family peace and happiness. Thank you for funding a more comfortable home for your children, allowing us to better consider His thoughts and concerns."
"On July 10th, the renovation was completed. The priest invited the Viscount and his family to paint a portrait with him in front of the church. He hired the best artist... I heard that Viscount Solemn has been living a secluded life since his wife's death, with his eldest daughter and son-in-law taking care of all household matters. Sure enough, the Viscount didn't show up today... My lady's husband looks a little weak today. May God bless him and allow him to recover quickly..."
"On July 12th, the Viscount's maid came again... She'd been coming alone late at night for the past few days, and she seemed worried every time. I thought she'd been wronged by her master, but her prayers didn't suggest otherwise... Oh, God, please forgive me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop... It turned out that the Viscount's second daughter, Colin, was about to marry the Earl. May that romantic and kind Miss Colin be happy. I guess the maid seemed worried because she was concerned about her future..."
"July 17th... Oh my God, my God, what did I hear... Marrying in a place of marriage, what does that mean? How dare she do such a thing?! But from a distance, apart from her hair color, she does look a lot like Miss Colin... What does this have to do with the priest? My God..."
Zhang Xiaotian read out the key points, then looked up at the three people beside him.
"I seem to have learned some information," Yin Li muttered, "but it seems to be useless."
"So what day is today?" Lu Bai asked.
"I don't know..." Han Chengcheng glanced around, spotted something hidden beneath the altar, and went over to pick it up. It was a scroll, soft to the touch, unlike paper. It had dates written on it like a calendar, with important dates marked. However, the July section was obscured by bloodstains, leaving only a few visible areas. Han Chengcheng looked down and finally saw a note on July 23rd canceling all activities for that day. There were no notes for dates after that.
"If today is the 23rd," Han Chengcheng speculated, "that would explain why we're the only ones in the church today. All other activities have been canceled, and we were called in by the detective to investigate a case."
"When is the wedding?" Yin Li asked.
Yes, when is the wedding? Zhang Xiaotian's eyes wandered aimlessly around the room. There seemed to be no other clues in the room. Now there was only a nun's diary, a calendar, and a photo. What else could they do?
"Seeing the diary reminded me, Tian'er, you are a nun, right?" Lu Bai suddenly said, "Didn't we all read the stories of our characters when we changed costumes? Are there any clues in Tian'er's story?"
"I'm just a nun of marginal status. That diary has nothing to do with me." Zhang Xiaotian paused. "My diary only says that something happened to the bride at the wedding, and the detective asked me to help investigate the case."
"That's all?" Yin Li asked, "So you're the last one to arrive?"
"Isn't it okay if the skirt isn't comfortable to wear?" Lu Bai said, "Yin Li, don't be suspicious. We agreed to stick together before we played!"
That's really embarrassing. Zhang Xiaotian listened to the bickering and flipped through the diary in his hand. When he heard Lu Bai say this, he sighed softly.
"The diary also mentions a maid... Han Cheng, do you have any clues?" Lu Bai looked at Han Chengcheng again, "Are you related to the maid who was married off?"
Han Chengcheng shook her head and was about to open her mouth: "I..."
"The diary has fallen out!" Yin Li pointed at the notebook in Zhang Xiaotian's arms and said. Zhang Xiaotian quickly looked down and saw that a few pages had indeed slipped out. He had held it loosely, and those pages were almost half out.
"Put it back quickly." Lu Bai reminded, "Tell the store when you go out and ask them to glue it back on. Don't lose it."
Zhang Xiaotian pulled out those pages and wanted to insert them into any other page, but suddenly found that the contents of these pages seemed to be different from the previous diary.
"Well, you all still remember the names of each of our characters, right? My name is Loris." Zhang Xiaotian looked at the pages in his hand and asked the other three, "What are your names?"
"My name is Wayne." Lu Bai said.
Yin Li also said, "I am Casper."
"Han Cheng, you..." Zhang Xiaotian was about to ask Han Chengcheng, but was interrupted by Han Chengcheng.
"Have you noticed," she said slowly, gazing thoughtfully at the tall decorative stained-glass windows on the surrounding walls, "that these windows seem to tell a complete story."
Zhang Xiaotian read through the pages one by one. Lu Bai followed behind him and asked Han Chengcheng, "What kind of story is this? It seems to me there's no beginning or end."
"I like to read some miscellaneous books, so I know a little bit." Han Chengcheng explained, "Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. After exposing Jesus' identity, he was captured and crucified by the soldiers. But Jesus was resurrected on the third day after his death."
"What does this have to do with the game?" Zhang Xiaotian asked her.
"The calendar I just found also has Good Friday and Easter marked on it. The nun's diary also mentions this story. Combined with these stained glass windows, I think the repeated mention of this story is a metaphor for how the maid's marriage is also a betrayal for the bride, Colin."
"Then what?"
"We're here to investigate a case today," Han Chengcheng explained. "According to the story, the Jews spread rumors because Jesus' body disappeared, and they didn't clear up the rumors until Jesus appeared. Once we find out the truth, will this be a kind of spiritual resurrection for the bride?"
"To be resurrected, one must first suffer..." Lu Bai raised his hand and gently supported his chin. "Jesus was resurrected on the third day after his death... So the wedding, or the date when the bride hanged herself, should have been July 21st!"
"Want to give it a try?" Han Chengcheng pointed to the door with the combination lock. Several people quickly gathered around it. Han Chengcheng entered the four digits "0721". The door opened with a slight click. The four of them were delighted, and Yin Li and Lu Bai almost cheered.
"Oh my! It went so smoothly!" Yin Li clapped her hands and laughed.
"I told you, as long as we work together, with our combined intelligence and my leadership, we'll definitely be able to get through this quickly!" Lu Bai said proudly. He ignored Yin Li's glare and reached out to push the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"What's going on?"
"Get up." Yin Li pushed Lu Bai aside and pushed the door hard, but it still didn't open.
"The password is wrong?" Han Chengcheng asked in a low voice. "That shouldn't be the case..."
The joy of a few people who thought they had achieved initial victory was now poured with a bucket of cold water.
Just when they were at a loss, the long-silent broadcast suddenly began to chirp: "Please find the maid who is the substitute bride and state her name in front of the bride to verify her authenticity."
"Damn! There's still this? Where can we find it?!" Lu Bai rubbed his hair irritably and asked the others, "Are there any names other than Ke Lin in those clues just now?"
"Han Cheng," Zhang Xiaotian remembered, and looked at Han Chengcheng, "You didn't say your name just now."
The other two also looked at Han Chengcheng.
Han Chengcheng sighed: "My name is Viretta."
Zhang Xiaotian took out a few pages that had fallen out of the diary just now and had not been shown to everyone in time: "This is not a diary, it should be something like a visitor record."
He put the record in front of others: "The first few names were rarely repeated, until July, when one name appeared repeatedly alone." He pointed at the name with his finger, Viretta, which was the name of Han Chengcheng's character.
"So Han Cheng is really a maidservant!" Lu Bai breathed a sigh of relief and asked Han Chengcheng, "Han Cheng, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Hiding my identity is one of my two game tasks." Han Chengcheng shook her head, "And I really don't know any clues."
"What do you mean by hidden identity?" Lu Bai asked doubtfully, "Isn't everyone's mission to uncover the truth of the incident?"
"Restoring the truth is my other mission." Han Chengcheng said, looking at Yin Li and Zhang Xiaotian. "And I guess everyone's mission is different."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
