Chapter 045 Cult Simulator (End)
The journey back to the church was more bumpy than expected. There was not a single believer on the road. Even Wang Gu, who was running up and down the floors with a pile of documents, disappeared. The elevator stopped on the 15th floor, and the temporary password failed. Lin Muching had no choice but to go to the corridor.
He turned around and observed, and suddenly realized that the floors he had never stayed at were actually training classes.
I don't know what kind of expectations the believers had as they carefully decorated the place where they were about to learn survival skills. There were doorplates of different sizes and specifications hanging on the doors, and most of them had traces of rough handicrafts. He walked along the corridor and turned into an unfamiliar elevator. The button showed that it could only go downstairs.
Lin Muqing was extremely confused.
It was the first time he saw the maze-like winding roads of the Hundred Prayers Church. He didn't understand, nor did he want to respect, why Ji Xu decorated his nest like this. He wasted half a day taking a detour, but he didn't know that Ji Xu on the rooftop was taking this opportunity to busy himself.
Shudong reported anxiously: "Director Lin is coming upstairs!"
"It will be ready soon." Ji Xu patted the dust off his gloves. He coughed a few times and wiped the dirt off his glasses with the cloth on his sleeve - he had driven Wang Gu away yesterday, and now he had to do all the chores himself.
Ji Xu hid the video recorder that he had used before in a potted plant. The tree canopy covered the lens. Ji Xu pressed the glass ball on the button. With a click, the faint sound of the videotape running came out. There was a small mechanism made of double-sided tape and an iron ruler on the old-fashioned button. Ji Xu then put a book on it to cover the mechanism, and the iron ruler was pressed into an arc. Now, as long as the glass ball is moved away, the button will be pressed again under the gravity of the book, stopping the recording function.
"The sound of the video is a bit loud." Shudong gave sincere feedback, "Director Lin will realize that he is being secretly filmed when he comes in."
Ji Xu tapped a few times on the blank wall, and a hidden monitor played the current news station. "Now?"
What else could Shudong say? Of course he firmly affirmed his employer: "Great! Block the sound physically and attack the opponent mentally."
After a while it asked again: "Why do you suddenly want to record a video?"
"When I went out this morning, I saw the camera that Wang Gu had placed in the corner." Ji Xu adjusted the angle and turned down the news volume to avoid interfering with the normal recording. He walked to a distance to observe the concealment and said casually, "I have to leave something for them."
Even ordinary believers have the guarantee left by Ji Xu, so how could his abandoned deputy have nothing?
Shudong was a little puzzled. Ji Xu was not the type to hide things. Just as Lin Muqing guessed, Ji Xu was not lacking in love. He was good at expressing his emotions directly and would also make requests directly, such as asking the management bureau to speed up because he was busy going back to work.
In short, after saying so much before, what Shudong actually wants to say is that Ji Xu is unlikely to do this. He should have prepared the gifts in advance and hinted to Wang Gu and others.
It thought about it and guessed the truth.
Perhaps he was afraid that his deputies who had lost faith would give up on themselves.
Nearing noon, the news hosted by the on-demand channel had changed from current affairs to anecdotes. Anyway, the Hundred Prayers Church was involved in both. In the final analysis, the Administration was too serious. They were worried that the publicity that Hundred Prayers was a cult would lead to widespread dissemination in society, and as a result, they watched them become the typical external propaganda of Huzhong City.
Propaganda representative Ji Xu himself commented: "Yes, in a sense we have occupied the territory of public opinion."
Public opinion? It should be the entertainment territory.
The tree hole seemed to want to say something but hesitated. If it had been in the past, it would have complained long ago, but the alarm suddenly beeped, indicating someone was approaching outside the door, so it immediately shut its mouth and acted as a decoration.
Lin Muqing connected the door lock detector he brought from the Administration to the door. Electronic locks can be hacked, so naturally the signal source can be detected. He pressed down the film, and the indicator light of the detector turned green after three seconds. He took a photo with his mobile phone and sent it to the Administration with a note: "Save it in the archives."
Even if Ji Xu had fallen into a trap, he still had to complete the necessary steps. Lin Muqing removed the detector and stepped back a few steps. One second, two seconds, and about half a minute later, the door opened. The young man sitting inside withdrew his hand from the door-opening button. The TV nearby was reporting on the anecdotes that the official website of the Hundred Prayers Church had finally been upgraded and was ready to open.
Ji Xu noticed where he was looking, but remained unmoved and even gave a reminder: "My suggestion is that the Administration should not interfere."
The young man spoke politely but firmly. Lin Muqing, who heard the threat, tensed his face and said, "And then you let the church blatantly promote revenge under my nose?"
"Humanity has developed for thousands of years but has not eliminated hatred."
"But we are easing the situation, and the future will be better and better." He did not say the subject, and it sounded like he was accusing him of depriving the victims of the possibility of getting better. He also seemed to be calmly explaining that civilization is developing, and sooner or later humanity will be better off.
Ji Xu calmly pointed out the point he had overlooked: "Did you see the fifteenth floor? They are living well."
"..." Lin Muqing wanted to say that they could live without worries because of Ji Xu and the church, but this might seem like he agreed with the enemy, so he simply didn't answer. Then, in this silence that didn't get a response for a long time, Ji Xu suddenly sighed.
"Obviously the debate will never end. It's up to you, Director Lin. You care about the rules and maintaining stability, but I'm just a villain. There's no need to consider what hidden dangers I might leave behind."
Ji Xu loved to argue with others some time ago, but now he always has a boring attitude of "whatever you want". Lin Muqing doesn't understand what he means. He can't figure out the source of Ji Xu's change of mentality, and replied sarcastically: "It sounds like you are mocking your own short-sightedness."
Ji Xu did not deny it. He answered the ridicule with a straightforward rhetorical question: "Do we have to look to the future?"
Why do we have to turn over the old page of life?
After all, the past is not really past; the past lives in today.
Ji Xu also knew that his words would not have any effect, so he put away his unfinished words and extended his hand considerately, "Let's go, Director Lin."
Lin Muqing ignored him and looked around, "Where are Wang Gu and the others?"
"I drove him away." Ji Xu told the truth. He didn't like to spy on other people's private lives. The flight shown on his mobile phone had no one boarding and flew away an hour ago. He guessed that Wang Gu, who was unwilling to rest, might have gone to find Ye Cheng.
The barber shop near the library posted a notice of closure today. Ye Cheng and Wang Gu upstairs were worried and looked out the window from time to time. The sun was shining brightly above their heads, and they could not empathize with the complicated feelings of the two people downstairs at all. Just like Ji Xu who stayed in the church, he simply cut off all the paths for them to follow.
Ye Cheng asked suddenly, "Will the leader be detained by the Administration?"
Wang Gu nodded and shook his head, hesitantly saying, "Without direct evidence, he will be detained for a maximum of 24 hours, but the leader is ready to leave."
Ye Cheng asked again: "Where are you going?"
Wang Gu shook his head: "I don't know, we can't catch up."
Ye Cheng was in a very depressed mood. She lay on the table without revealing her slightly red eyes. "Don't we have tickets? We just didn't get on the plane. It doesn't mean that the Administration has put up a wanted warrant for us."
"The church cannot do without people." Wang Gu turned his head and looked at the computer.
On it was the church's upgraded website address. The original complex and gorgeous style had been completely transformed into the simple and clean style that Ji Xu liked. Only the red letter c was always hanging on it. Wang Gu was silent for a moment, then typed on the keyboard for the seventh time, entering the account keys of himself, Ye Cheng, and Yu Xi.
The system coldly reminded him three times in a row: Account error, you do not have sufficient permissions.
Ye Cheng became even more depressed. There was a cactus of the same type as the leader's on the table in front of her. The adopted child loved to water it, but did not know that some flowers and plants did not need care. As a result, Ye Cheng had to secretly change the soil or replace the cactus with a similar-looking one every now and then.
She pulled out a few thorns angrily, suppressed the sourness in her eyes and nose, and asked Wang Gu: "-Isn't the church getting better? What did we do wrong?"
"You did nothing wrong. The problem is that we are getting better." Wang Gu murmured, "No one stipulates that the founder must enjoy the joy of success. Besides, the purpose of the leader establishing the church is to provide a knife of revenge and a safe home for those he protects."
They are the sword and family chosen by Ji Xu.
Ye Cheng turned his head away in a sullen voice, his brown curly hair falling down to cover his face. His voice was dry and angry: "I don't want to understand. I haven't been back to the church for several days. I just finished the teacher qualification exam a few days ago, and you came to tell me last night that all of us were kicked out."
"Please understand the leader." Understand Ji Xu, who left neatly but emotionally. Wang Gu tried to type on the keyboard for the eighth time and sighed out the depression in his heart, "No one is willing to leave before we leave."
Ji Xu, whom they were worried about, had just ended his confrontation with Lin Muqing.
Ji Xu knew that Lin Muching was worried about his sudden change of attitude, but the problem was that the mission had been completed, and there was no need to continue to provoke the fragile nerves of the Administration. He relied on himself, went around behind Lin Muching, and under the director's vigilant and puzzled gaze, took out handcuffs from his bag and handcuffed them on his own wrists.
Some people were put on the bus only because they had worked hard enough in their lives.
Ji Xu is different, he relies on self-reliance.
Ji Xu seemed to be imprisoned, but in fact he was very free. He staggered and picked up the glass ball. Lin Muqing, who had been staring at him, did not notice the clicking sound hidden under the news. Ji Xu suddenly asked him, "What would you do if I suddenly disappeared?"
Lin Muqing glanced at him and said, "He's fleeing for fear of crime."
He pushed open the door to let Ji Xu out, and when he asked Ji Xu, "Do you want to escape?", Ji Xu looked back at him with a look that said 'how is that possible'.
He had been asking others to wait obediently for the arrest, so how could he run away? Ji Xu shook his wrist, and the sound of the metal chain colliding echoed with his walking movements. He joked: "Please, Director Lin, I plead guilty with a good attitude."
Lin Muqing opened the door for him: "Your behavior doesn't say that."
Ji Xu shrugged noncommittally. He sat in the car, holding his chin and watching the familiar scenery outside gradually disappear. Lin Muqing looked at him through the rearview mirror. At a certain moment, Ji Xu's eyes were blurred for a moment, as if he had temporarily withdrawn from this world. When waiting for the red light, Lin Muqing stopped the car and turned around to ask him: "Do you have dissociative symptoms?"
Ji Xu smiled lazily at him in the mirror: "No."
If that’s the case, Lin Muqing thought, then why can you care and yet be able to detach yourself as if nothing happened?
No one knew about the process of secret detention. One reason was that the Administration did not want to publicize it and let the entire Lake City know. If the citizens became curious and spread the business of the Hundred Prayers Church, they would have no place to cry. Another reason was that Ji Xu was still an ordinary citizen without any stain. He even actively paid taxes and supported special families. The word "pending" had to be added before the word "suspect".
When Ji Xu got off the car, he turned his head and smiled at the members of the Administration who were watching the fun nearby. This scared them so much that they reached for their stun batons and stared at him with rejection.
Even though he returned to the old place in a different guise, Ji Xu was still at ease. He tilted his head to Lin Muqing and praised: "Your people are quite vigilant."
"You talk a lot today."
"I have to find something fun to kill time in these 24 hours." Ji Xu said in a negotiating tone, "Why don't you get me a book? As an old rival, please give me some humanitarianism."
"According to the procedure, what you are going to get is an interrogation."
"Why bother? It won't lead to any result."
Ji Xu came to the table and looked around. It was a standard interrogation room with propaganda slogans on the wall. He couldn't see the shadows of the two people reflected in the single-sided window opposite. He suddenly turned his head and smiled at a certain place. On the other side of the window, Yu Xi, who had returned to work, was unconsciously infected by his relaxed and natural posture, until a colleague next to him asked him: "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing." Yu Xi restrained his expression, "I'm going out for a while."
He went to a nearby bookstore. On the way, Yu Xi put on a Bluetooth headset and connected to the mobile phone signal. The familiar voice of the director came from the headset: "What do you have in your pocket?"
"A piece of candy." Ji Xu peeled off the candy wrapper and put it in his mouth. He spread out his palm, revealing a few pieces of candy that were hot sellers in the snack shop, and asked vaguely, "Do you want some?"
Lin Muqing took them all and placed them on the table, piling them together with the crystal ball cactus. He knocked on the table and frowned, "Be serious, Ji Xu. I'm asking you a question."
"I am also answering you seriously, Chief, you have to provide evidence of my instigation." Ji Xu withdrew his hand, and put a pen and folded plastic film back into his pocket as if nothing had happened.
While the two were doing Tai Chi, Yu Xi had already bought the book and went back. He pulled down his hat and mask, covering himself tightly, and casually pulled over a familiar passerby wearing a red moon badge, and said in a low voice: "Tell the people in the management bureau that you want to visit the class, and give this to a man named Ji Xu."
Before the passerby could speak, Yu Xi added, "He is a member of the Hundred Prayers Church and knows Wang Gu and Ye Cheng."
The passerby took the book and asked, "What about you?"
Yu Xi opened his mouth, and for the first time he personally admitted his position, more fluently and straightforwardly than he had imagined, "Me too."
The passerby nodded to him and turned away. Soon, the book was delivered to Ji Xu. He flipped through the book calmly in the single room and had a good sleep. As expected, at noon that day, the management bureau left with a gloomy face after finding nothing. Ji Xu put the candy and crystal ball in his pocket, and no one found that one of them was a bug.
Many pedestrians on the roadside turned their heads to look at him. Ji Xu walked on the street, pretending not to be aware of the blatant observation of the management bureau members after they changed into casual clothes. Passersby sensed that the atmosphere was wrong and moved away from Ji Xu. Even though his presence was low, he had created a blank space on the crowded street.
Not far away, there was someone waiting for the traffic light, playing with his mobile phone. After knowing that the website had been restored, he made a phone call to kill time. Ji Xu heard it and looked in the direction where the nursery rhyme came from.
The greeting from the intelligent customer service sounded——
"Welcome to the official platform of the Hundred Prayers Church. Our church is committed to helping victims get rid of their troubles and get out of difficulties. We are well-received in Lake City. Don't be afraid if you are hurt. Please come to us. The church is always waiting for your decision."
"Please press 1 for consultation and 0 for administration."
Passersby could vaguely hear complaints coming over, "What the hell, how come the functions become less and less as the upgrade progresses?"
Ji Xu suddenly raised his hand and patted the shoulder of the management staff member who had come over to observe: "Too close."
The plainclothes officer was startled by the sudden call, and watched him leave with his eyes. At the next corner, the plainclothes officer waited for a long time for no one to come, and the surveillance camera turned around but could not find the familiar figure. The unstoppable leader suddenly disappeared, as if he had merged into the ordinary and common people, and could no longer be found.
The joke that Ji Xu had played had come true, but Lin Muqing could do nothing about it, because Ji Xu had obediently accepted the interrogation and walked away along the street like an ordinary citizen. He was just an "ordinary and slightly tainted" citizen.
Although even the word "citizen" needs to be questioned.
No one knew whether Ji Xu stayed in Huzhong City or went to other places, or maybe he got rid of surveillance and ran to live a normal life among ordinary people. In short, when Yu Xi hid from the children who ran home to hug after school and found Wang Gu and Ye Cheng who were autistic at home, he shook his head and said, "The Administration searched Huzhong City thoroughly but couldn't find them."
"What are you looking for?" the child asked curiously.
"Looking for someone important."
The child knew who it was as soon as she heard it. She had a deep memory of Ji Xu, including the place where he rested when he was sleepy that day. The high-tech and extremely concealed door lock made her obsessed, "Is it hidden in that room?"
Looked at each other.
Yu Xi asked: "What house?"
"I forgot you didn't know that there is a hidden rest room in the church office. You can only enter after passing the verification. Whether it is the main entrance upstairs or the storeroom with a secret passage below, the problem is that the permissions of the three of us have been revoked long ago."
Wang Gu held his forehead and continued, "The round-trip ticket that the leader booked for me will be six months apart. I'm afraid it will take six months for us to regain our authority."
"Let's go take a look first." Yu Xi said, "At least I have to go to the church headquarters in person." He laughed for no apparent reason. It was a bit strange to discuss this matter with the person who had been hunted before. He talked about the past calmly, "I questioned you on the first floor several times before."
Wang Gu also remembered the time when he took out the videotape in front of Yu Xi.
He covered the corners of his raised mouth in embarrassment, sent the children to do their homework, and drove the other two up. Having lost access to the elevator, Wang Gu led the two of them around in circles, and it took about five or six minutes to reach the top floor. They pressed the handle tentatively, and it opened with just a push.
Ye Cheng ran to the back of the desk with a clear goal, took a look, stood up and said, "The door opening button was pressed down by tape."
"The only one who would do this is the leader."
They were looking for clues everywhere. Wang Gu saw 1984, which was pressed down by something, revealing an old-fashioned VCR underneath. It played the whole thing from beginning to end. It started with the debate between Ji Xu and Lin Muqing, and the topic suddenly changed when it started talking about Wang Gu and others.
Ji Xu in the camera had his back to the crowd and said calmly, "I don't mind them replacing me."
Wang Gu seemed to remember something and anxiously turned to the title page. He tried pressing his finger on the scanner, but the secret door did not move at all.
Yu Xi saw his action, turned back and rummaged through her bag, and found the unclaimed novel in the administration. Two identical books were stacked together. The three of them looked at each other, and Yu Xi opened the first piece of white paper wrapped in a cover that no one cared about.
Of course, this novel, which I bought on impulse, did not have a scanning device. There was only a line of faint black words and a plastic fingerprint film with almost zero thickness - no one knew when Ji Xu stole them and slowly sandwiched them in front of the surveillance camera.
The title page reads: "Welcome back. Although you are angry, I still want to say that the leader should be a protector, not someone who controls your thoughts and helps you make decisions."
But they don't care about that at all.
After silently packing up the two books, they used plastic fingerprints to pass the verification. The door of the lounge opened. The real estate shares and church funds were all here. The transfer contract had been signed with Ji Xu's name. They only needed to wait for other people who came in to sign in the blank space to receive all the funds of the Hundred Prayers Church.
But they didn't even look at it, instead they were attracted by the cloaks and masks hanging on the hangers. Ji Xu kept all of Bai Zhao, just like what was said in the video, he didn't mind someone replacing him, nor was he afraid that later generations would misinterpret his teachings, because this group of people would always follow Bai Zhao, one after another, as if they were following a god who saved them.
Children's songs and the ringtones of smart customer service spread throughout the streets and alleys, and no one could stop them, just as unnoticed tragedies were happening all the time in the world, and only the moon hung in the night sky, watching everything equally. When the blood flowed into the victim's eyes, the victim looked up and saw a red moon.
We are invisible and we are everywhere.
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