Chapter 1389
Damn! A real devil has infiltrated!
Some funny things have happened recently.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, TPC actually hired a bunch of experts.
There are all kinds.
Some were wearing Taoist robes and ringing bells, some were wearing cassocks and chanting scriptures, some were holding compasses and pointing randomly, and there were even a few wearing suits and ties but holding crystal balls in their hands.
A meeting room at the Victory Team base had been temporarily converted into a reception hall, the air filled with a mixture of sandalwood, the burnt smell of burning talismans, and a certain indescribable sweet and fishy odor.
Cui Ming stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the corridor, holding a cup of coffee in his hand, watching the group of people showing off their skills in the lobby with a blank expression.
Megumi walked over and stood beside him, her brows slightly furrowed.
Are these people reliable?
"Let's see."
Cui Ming took a sip of coffee, his tone indifferent.
Then Choi ordered them to inspect the props.
A major problem has been discovered.
In Cui Ming's eyes, those people were pure evil cultivators!
Human skin drums have even appeared!
Cui Ming's face immediately darkened.
He walked up to a middle-aged man wearing a Taoist robe with a fierce face.
The man was triumphantly patting a small, dark red drum. Twisted patterns were faintly visible on the drumhead. With each pat, the surrounding temperature dropped a few degrees, and a faint wail echoed in the air.
"Where did this drum come from?"
Cui Ming's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a block of ice being smashed into boiling oil.
The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then revealed a smug smile.
"This is an ancestral treasure! The drumhead is covered with human skin, and the souls of nine young boys are sealed inside. It can exorcise evil spirits and suppress evil with a single beat. It's incredibly powerful!"
As he spoke, he clapped his hands again; the drumbeat was muffled, as if it came from underground.
Cui Ming's eyes changed.
He raised his hand and fired a shot.
The beam of light pierced directly through the middle-aged man's forehead.
The smile on the man's face hadn't faded when he fell straight down, the human skin drum in his hand rolling to the ground with a dull thud that made your teeth ache.
The hall fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone froze on the spot. Some people dropped their compasses to the ground with a clatter, while others got the scriptures stuck in their throats.
Megumi walked quickly from the other end of the corridor. When she saw the body on the ground, she frowned but said nothing.
"What's wrong with Cui?"
A TPC official spoke tremulously, his face pale.
Cui Ming bent down and picked up the human skin drum, running his fingers across the drumhead, his eyes as cold as knives.
"Exorcising evil spirits? Using the lives of young boys to exorcise evil spirits? These people are not masters, they are evil cultivators. Human skin drums, bone flutes, blood banners. At least half of the people you invited have the blood of innocent people on their hands."
He turned to look at the group of silent "experts," and as his gaze swept over them, many people instinctively shrank back, some even trying to slip away towards the door.
"Who wants to run away?"
Cui Ming had already raised his beam gun, with wisps of blue smoke rising from its muzzle.
"If one more runs away, I'll kill him."
Cui Ming began a thorough investigation.
He sat in the makeshift interrogation room, a stack of files from various places laid out in front of him, his fingers flipping through them rapidly.
Go through them one by one, without missing a single one.
结果
Most of them are fine.
Although those dressed in Taoist robes seemed a bit mystical, they actually possessed real magical items. One old Taoist even drew a talisman on the spot, which, when pasted on the wall, could dispel the surrounding yin energy by three feet.
Those who carry compasses are just trying to make a living, but the compass needles turn accurately and can indeed indicate directions and determine good or bad fortune.
Several monks also emitted a faint golden light while chanting sutras, which was not fake.
Some local Japanese monks, a lama, and one or two priests have problems.
When the first monk was brought in, he was still chanting scriptures and holding prayer beads, looking as if he had transcended worldly affairs.
Without looking up, Cui threw a file on the table, the paper making a crisp sound as it hit the table.
“Three years ago, in the suburbs of Kyoto, an elderly man living alone died in his home, and all his belongings were stolen. The murderer has not been caught to this day. You were begging for alms nearby at the time, so the time and place match up perfectly, and you even left your fingerprints.”
Cui Ming's voice was as calm as if he were reading a report, and he pointed to a photo on the file.
The monk's face drained of color instantly, his lips trembling as he tried to protest. "Injustice...this humble monk is innocent! It was just a coincidence!"
Cui Ming raised his hand and fired a shot.
The beam of light pierced his forehead, and the body fell straight down, knocking over the chair next to him. The rosary string in his hand snapped, and the wooden beads clattered on the floor and rolled under the table.
The next one to come in was that lama.
He was wearing a monk's robe, clutching a string of bone prayer beads in his hand, with a compassionate expression on his face. He bowed slightly to Cui Ming as he entered.
Cui Ming's gaze, however, fell on the leather suitcase he was carrying.
"Open."
The lama's smile froze for a moment, and he put his hands together in prayer.
"Esteemed benefactor, this is a sacred artifact and should not be shown to others lightly."
Cui Ming repeated himself, his finger already on the trigger, his eyes as cold as knives.
"I'll let you open it."
The lama dared not say another word and tremblingly opened the lock on the leather suitcase.
The moment the lid was lifted, a faint, sweet, fishy smell wafted out.
Inside is a drum.
A drum covered with human skin, with bone drumsticks lying quietly beside it. Tiny pores and dark patterns remain on the drum surface, and the stitching along the edges is fine and neat, indicating that it was recently made.
The lama was even more terrifying; this guy was carrying something called the Sister Drum.
And it's brand new!
The skin on the drumhead still had an eerie sheen, and under the light, you could even see traces of blood vessels remaining under the skin, like a face that had just fallen asleep.
Cui Ming's gaze darkened.
"Brand new. It must have just been peeled off not long ago, right? The smell of blood hasn't completely dissipated yet."
His voice was completely flat, as if he were confirming the expiration date of a product.
The lama knelt on the ground with a thud, his forehead hitting the floor with a loud bang, and his bone rosary broke, the beads rolling everywhere.
"Spare me! Spare me! I was just... I was just following orders to keep it safe!"
Cui Ming pulled the trigger.
The beam of light pierced through the back of the lama's head, burning a charred hole in the floor. The body fell forward, covering the sister drum.
The last person to enter was the priest.
He was wearing a long robe, with a cross around his neck, and he made the sign of the cross on his chest as he entered, muttering about the Lord's mercy and forgiveness.
Cui Ming pushed an investigation report in front of him, the edges of the paper scraping against the table with a harsh sound.
“Crime against young boys. Three victims, the oldest being twelve and the youngest nine, spanning two years, in locations including a church back room and your private vehicle.”
Cui Ming's tone was not one of inquiry, but of sentencing.
The priest's face contorted for a moment, then he squeezed out tears, gripping the edge of the table with both hands until his knuckles turned white.
"No, that's not it. That's God's test, it's salvation. They are receiving the baptism of holy love."
"Redemption? Didn't your God teach you how a damned person should die?"
Cui Ming stood up, walked around the table to him, his steps slow, each one seemingly treading on the priest's nerves.
The priest looked up, a flicker of fear in his eyes, and shrank back, his robes swaying as he overturned his chair.
"Wait. I can confess. I can turn myself in to the bishop. I can."
Cui Ming shot him through the knee.
The priest screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in agony, clutching his legs. His robes were soaked in blood, and the cross swayed in front of his chest, making a faint metallic clanging sound.
Cui Ming walked up to him, pointed the gun at his forehead, and looked down at the face that was contorted with pain.
"Repentance can be saved for the next life."
The gunshot rang out, the priest's screams stopped abruptly, his body twitched twice, and then he went completely limp.
These few.
Cui was executed immediately.
He put away his gun, turned and walked out of the interrogation room, his steps quick, as if he were rushing to his next appointment.
The guard at the door watched him come out, then looked at the corpses lying haphazardly inside the room. His facial muscles stiffened, his calves trembled, and the recorder in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
Cui Ming patted one of the guards on the shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy.
"Dispose of the bodies and publicly announce their crimes. In the future, when you bring people in, check their criminal records first, then their luggage. Don't let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry bring any kind of person into the base."
His tone was as calm as if he were arranging logistics and procurement, and he pointed to the end of the corridor.
The guard nodded stiffly, a gurgling sound coming from his throat, barely able to speak, as he watched Cui Ming's figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, leaving only a faint smell of gunpowder in the air. (End of Chapter)