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"Don't worry, Eric..."
Officer Misty Knight looked at him with some sympathy, a hint of pity in her eyes, and couldn't help but comfort him, "This time, I will definitely find those bastards who did this evil deed and bring them all to justice, I promise you."
Eric glanced at the Pirate police officer in front of him, his expression cold and grave, not showing the slightest joy because of her recent promise. Instead, he warned, "If you think you can handle them on your own, you're being too naive... because this kind of thing hasn't just happened to humans, but to animals as well!"
A hint of worry subtly appeared on his face, his brows furrowed, as if he had long foreseen the complexity of the matter.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Officer Misty Knight was first stunned, her eyes wide, a puzzled expression on her face.
But then she quickly recovered, pointing to the missing spine of the corpse, and tentatively asked, "Are you saying... even the spines of animals have been extracted?"
"That's right."
Eric nodded noncommittally, his gaze somewhat unfocused, as if recalling those chilling scenes.
"You know, living in a small town and being a sheriff, the biggest advantage is knowing a lot of people."
He sighed slightly, his voice growing deeper, "So some friends who frequently hunt in the suburbs recently told me that they encountered wild boars, gorillas, and even brown bears whose heads were eaten and spines extracted..."
"What? Brown bears?"
Officer Misty Knight's face was filled with shock upon hearing this, her eyes wide like copper bells, exclaiming in disbelief, "My God, to extract a brown bear's spine by brute force, it would probably take at least five adult men working together to barely manage it, wouldn't it?"
"But the question is, what is the purpose of those guys... oh no, those lunatics doing this?"
Officer Misty Knight frowned, her face full of confusion, "Could it be that spines have recently become some new, popular special collectible?"
"Oh, damn it, buddy, why do I suddenly feel like this case is getting weirder and weirder? Am I accidentally walking onto the set of [Saw]?!" Her voice trembled slightly, trying to use humor to alleviate her inner tension.
Eric was silent for a moment, a hint of struggle in his eyes, as if weighing something in his mind, then slowly spoke, "If you really want to find the answer, then perhaps we should go to that place..."
"What place?" Officer Misty Knight asked subconsciously, her body leaning slightly forward, clearly a bit eager.
Although this case clearly wasn't simple, the greater the stir, the bigger the fish.
Perhaps, she could even get promoted to sheriff directly with this major case!
At this moment, the desire for promotion and a raise successfully diluted the unknown fear that had just arisen in Officer Misty Knight's heart, and allowed her to see a glimmer of hope for further career advancement.
"The Dark Church!!"
Eric said with a complex expression, "Through my investigation these past few days, I suspect they are the masterminds behind these gruesome incidents."
"The Dark... Church?"
A hint of confusion flashed in Officer Misty Knight's eyes; she had never heard of this name before, but since she was here, she might as well investigate it.
So the two immediately left the morgue and drove to a church in the center of the small town, which was the gathering place of the Dark Church Eric spoke of.
Outside the car window, the town's streets were empty and quiet, and a cold wind blew, rustling the fallen leaves on the ground.
Perhaps influenced by the weather, Officer Misty Knight always felt that the houses on both sides were somewhat eerie, as if countless secrets were hidden within them, each house like a lurking giant beast, ready to open its bloody maw at any moment.
"Excuse me, madam, this is private property, only members of the church are allowed to enter!"
Even though Officer Misty Knight had taken out her police badge, she was still stopped by two tall, burly male security guards in suits when she tried to enter the gate.
The two security guards had serious expressions and cold eyes, standing like two iron towers at the entrance, completely ignoring the police badge in her hand, staring coldly at Officer Misty Knight, as if warning her not to act rashly.
"Move aside, don't delay my investigation."
Officer Misty Knight shook her police badge at them, an impatient look on her face, urging them somewhat displeased.
"I'm sorry, madam, I'm afraid that's not possible..."
The two security guards were very firm in their attitude, saying with ill-intent in their eyes, "This is private property. Unless you have a search warrant or the consent of Miss Deehar, even a police officer has no right to enter here!"
"Who is Deehar?" Officer Misty Knight asked, looking bewildered.
Eric, standing beside her, leaned his head slightly and whispered into Officer Misty Knight's ear, "She's the owner of this church, and also the founder of the Dark Church."
Officer Misty Knight thought for a moment, put away her police badge, and then said to the security guard, "Alright then, please inform Miss Deehar that I have some information about a murder case that I'd like to discuss with her in person!"
"Of course, she can refuse, but I will then apply for a search warrant from the state court..."
She raised her chin, a hint of confidence in her eyes, as if showing her determination to the other party.
"Please wait a moment."
Immediately, one of the security guards walked aside and used a walkie-talkie to give a full report of what had just happened at the gate to his superior.
Soon he returned and said to Officer Misty Knight and Eric, "Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Deehar says she has time now and can meet with you. Please follow me..."
A few minutes later, Officer Misty Knight and Eric were led to an office in the building next to the church.
The office lighting was dim, and some strange paintings hung on the walls, emanating an indescribable, peculiar aura.
As Officer Misty Knight and Eric entered the office, they immediately saw a middle-aged woman, about forty years old, wearing a dark purple OL professional suit, sitting behind a desk and casting a scrutinizing gaze upon them.
Her eyes were sharp and cold, as if they could see through a person's heart.
Behind the woman hung a huge painting.
But strangely, it only had a blood-red spiral pattern, like a vortex.
"Hello, Officer Misty Knight, how can I help you?" The woman named Deehar was the first to speak with a smile.
Her smile appeared gentle, but there was no warmth in her eyes.
"Of course."
Officer Misty Knight made no secret of her purpose for coming, stating directly, "For a reason that I cannot disclose for now, I want to enter the church and see what your church usually does..."
Her eyes were fixed on Deehar, trying to catch a flaw in her expression.
"I'm sorry, Officer Knight, I'm afraid that's not possible."
Deehar slightly raised her chin, a hint of arrogance in her tone, and refused with a smile, "According to the church's rules, only members of the 'Holy Assembly' can enter the church!"
"Why?" Officer Misty Knight couldn't help but press, "Miss Deehar, is there something shady going on in your church? Otherwise, why be so secretive?"
"No, Officer Knight, you are mistaken..." Deehar shook her head slightly, a hint of cunning in her eyes, "There is nothing in my church that needs to be hidden, not a single thing!"
Although the other party's tone was very firm, Officer Misty Knight still keenly sensed a deeper abnormality hidden in her words.
"Really?" Officer Misty Knight narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, and suddenly raised her hand to point at the painting behind the other party, asking, "Then what does this symbol mean? I saw the same tattoo on those security personnel earlier!"
"Oh, this..."
This time, Deehar did not choose to refuse to answer. She crossed her hands over her chest and then said devoutly, "This is the symbol of the great god Nal... The God is coming!!"
Officer Misty Knight's eyelid twitched slightly, a hint of disgust in her eyes. She really wanted to say that this was clearly a typical cult, wasn't it?
But she still suppressed the anger in her heart and did not immediately lash out.
"Miss Deehar, some people say that many strange cases happening recently in Paterson City all began after your church rose to prominence."
Officer Misty Knight slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on the female cult leader opposite her, saying without hesitation, "Therefore, I have reason to suspect that these cases are related to you... or a member of your church?!"
Her gaze was fixed on Deehar, trying to find a flaw in the subtle changes on her face.
Deehar did not rush to defend herself upon hearing this. Instead, she first glanced at Eric, who was sitting beside Officer Misty Knight and had remained silent the entire time, a subtle curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.
And when the latter noticed her gaze, he first mustered the courage to meet her eyes, but quickly gave up, turning his head away unnaturally.
Deehar's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery at this, as if ridiculing Eric's cowardice.
Then she responded unhurriedly, "Officer Misty Knight, I am very sorry that my church has left such a bad impression on you, but I must say..."
She paused slightly, then provocatively retorted, "If we were a Christian church or a Squid church, would you still raise such questions?"
"I'm afraid you wouldn't hold such a hostile and prejudiced attitude towards other religions, would you, Officer Misty Knight?!"
"No."
The anger in Officer Misty Knight's heart was clearly provoked by the hypocritical female cult leader in front of her. Her cheeks flushed slightly with anger, and she immediately retorted righteously, "What I truly cannot tolerate are those who use the name of 'God' to promote cultism. Their actions make me angry and disgusted, and I will absolutely not allow the evil deeds they commit in the dark..."
But before she could finish, she was interrupted by Deehar, who waved her hand, "Officer Misty Knight, I don't think we need to continue talking. If you have anything else you want to inquire about, you can go to my lawyer."
Saying that, she slowly stood up and made a 'please' gesture to Officer Misty Knight and Eric, clearly wanting to drive them away.
"Humph, Miss Deehar, I believe we will meet again very soon."
Officer Misty Knight turned to leave in a huff, not forgetting to solemnly warn before exiting, "A formal search warrant will be issued as early as tomorrow. By then... Miss Deehar, you and your so-called 'Holy Assembly' members, as well as that god Nal, will all be exposed!"
"That..." Outside the office, Eric looked at Officer Misty Knight with a somewhat unnatural expression and asked, "Do you usually handle cases like this?"
There was a hint of confusion in Eric's voice, as if he was puzzled by Officer Misty Knight's reckless style of handling cases.
"What's wrong?"
Officer Misty Knight looked at him with some confusion.
Eric reminded her, speechless, "Don't you think that if those gruesome incidents were indeed committed by Deehar and the members of the Dark Church, then your direct threat to her just now would alert the enemy?"
He really wanted to say: I thought you were smart, but I didn't expect you to be an idiot.
Things had clearly gotten worse!
"Heh heh."
Unexpectedly, Officer Misty Knight, who had previously seemed emotionally charged, now smiled cunningly and said, "Of course... but I was just deliberately bluffing. Although I'm here in Paterson City to investigate a case, I actually don't have law enforcement authority here, just like you. As for a search warrant, there's even less to say."
"But Deehar doesn't know any of this... So, I think if these cases are really related to her and that cult, then there will be new developments tomorrow morning... no, perhaps even tonight!"
Officer Misty Knight's eyes showed a hint of anticipation, as if she was looking forward to the prey taking the bait voluntarily.
Eric suddenly understood upon hearing this, "You want to lure the snake out of its hole?"
"Exactly!!" Officer Misty Knight nodded confidently.
Later, after parting ways with Eric, Officer Misty Knight stayed at a hotel not far from the church.
She had a premonition that something might happen tonight.
It wasn't until midnight that Officer Misty Knight was woken up by her pre-set phone alarm. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, quickly washed up, then got dressed, grabbed her pistol, and quietly headed towards the church.