The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 468: The Fourth Believer

The curtain fell in the church.

Lu Li took a deep breath, rose from his chair, picked up the oil lamp, and turned toward the closed wooden door.

The state of the corridor would reveal the final fate of the "girl."

He pushed the door open. Everything was laid bare before him.

The ruined walls barely clung to one another. Through the floating stone debris, a dark, maddening abyss was mercilessly revealed.

The path back was cut off. There was no returning.

The time-worn stone steps were treacherous. Lu Li had to navigate around sections that opened into the chasm, stepping only on the parts that remained intact. His face remained calm, as if the churning darkness beyond the passage had nothing to do with him.

On the fourth floor, the same carved wooden door appeared.

Stepping over the ruined stairs, Lu Li opened the door and entered the confessional.

The door closed behind him. The light and the sound of the organ dispelled the dead silence and oppressive atmosphere that had pervaded the corridor.[A victim caught in a trap is like a frog in boiling water. By the time the danger becomes obvious, it is already too late to escape.]

The saying on the carved wooden wall seemed to describe Lu Li's current situation.

Lu Li silently sat on the chair, awaiting the arrival of the fourth believer.

The dim light filtering into the church grew brighter and stronger. By all appearances, it was now midday.

A figure appeared at the church entrance and made its way toward the confessional.

"Lord... Please, save this lost sheep. Tell me what I must do to save my brother, who walks a path of sin..."

The figure began to tell his story.

John Peters and Ol Peters were once exemplary brothers. They loved each other and were always there for one another, and thanks to their identical twin appearances, they were known by many.

Standing before the confessional was the elder brother, John Peters, born just a few minutes before Ol.

Despite such a small age difference, John Peters had always felt the weight of being the older brother and took care of the younger.

From childhood, Ol Peters had displayed an extraordinary intellect, but it was an intellect different from what others imagined—it was a talent for crime.

John noticed that even in early childhood, Ol would find sophisticated ways to kill insects, which brought a smile to his face. As he grew older, he moved on from insects to small animals.

John tried to influence his brother, but to no avail. All he could do was help Ol cover up his devilish acts and hope that he would not go too far.

But the worst still came to pass. One night, Ol returned home, his hands covered in blood and an excited smile on his face. John found no animal fur on his brother, and the scent of blood was not like that of an animal.

John understood what had happened. When he questioned him, Ol confessed everything: he had killed a lost little girl.

Ol was walking straight into hell.

John severely reprimanded his brother, but it did no good. As if possessed by a demon, Ol felt no remorse and, a few days later, used his criminal mind to kill another woman.

John wanted to go to the police, but his brother's pleas softened his heart. Besides, he had heard that a brutal murderer, nicknamed the Ripper, had appeared in the city. He killed people walking at night, cut out their organs, and strangled them with their own intestines. The police were searching for the criminal, intending to hang him.

Though John knew of his brother's grievous sins, he did not want him to die.

So he agreed to keep Ol's secret in exchange for a promise that he would not kill again.

But last night, John awoke to find that Ol was not in their room. He had not returned by morning. And the neighbors were saying that the police had found the Ripper and were trying to catch him.

John realized that Ol had once again failed to control his nature.

In desperation, he came to the church, hoping the priest could tell him what to do next.

After his experiences on the three previous floors, Lu Li had learned a little about playing the role of a priest.

[The path to redemption does not lie in indulgence.]

While John Peters silently read the note, Lu Li handed him a second one: [True redemption is to stop him before he commits more crimes, before he kills more innocent people. Their deaths are not his fault alone; they are yours as well.]

"I... Yes... Of course... If only I had stopped him sooner..." John Peters muttered, his head bowed. "Tell me, how can I atone for my sin..."

Even before John Peters had finished speaking, Lu Li took his pen and began to write.

Olivia, Green, the unknown girl, and the priest. Though the chances were slim, Lu Li was still trying to change their fates.

After writing about their stories, Lu Li passed the note to John Peters: [Go to them in my name. They will either help you, or they will need your help. Together, you will solve your problems and atone for your sins.]

John Peters left with the note from Lu Li.

From Lu Li's understanding of this trial, John was unlikely to succeed in saving his brother or the others.

But it was worth a try.

The story did not end there. A few minutes after John Peters's departure, another figure approached the confessional.

Looking at the blurry silhouette, Lu Li understood everything and wrote: [I foresaw your failure: Olivia will die under the wheels of a carriage, the weeping girl will come to the church at sunset, and Viscount Levais will throw you in his dungeon.]

The priest stared silently at the note.

If time was continuous, and Lu Li could intervene at any point, then after Lu Li had told the priest about the future on the previous floor, the priest on this floor must have lived through all the morning's events.

Lu Li's gambit had worked.

[Tell me your original plan,] Lu Li wrote.

After a brief pause, the priest respectfully told Lu Li his intentions: to speak with Viscount Levais, find Olivia and pay for her child's treatment on behalf of the church, and find Green and his daughter, tell them what was about to happen, and ask them to stay home.

Lu Li already knew the outcome from the nuns' conversation on the previous floor: the priest was immediately seized by Viscount Levais, and everything else followed the original script.

[Do not go to Viscount Levais... Bring Olivia and her child, and Green and his daughter, to the church. Let them stay here until nightfall, and then let them go.]

[The girl who left the church this morning could not escape the hands of villains. Find her, or find them. Bring the girl back, and send them to their deaths.]

[The Ripper is the younger of the twins, a man named Ol Peters. His older brother is John Peters. Report this to the police.]

Lu Li wrote a great deal. Fortunately, written instructions did not require the priest to have a good memory. The priest bowed slightly, accepted the "divine will," and left the church to carry out "God's will."