“Mr. Bres? Can we leave now?”
Qiao Anni asked.
“Wait a minute.”
Bres’s voice was muffled, his face buried in a wet towel.
“But you’ve been wiping for a full five minutes…”
Bres didn’t answer.
He just kept scrubbing his face vigorously, the liquid in the basin in front of him already turning a chaotic mix of colors.
“Ahh… whew…”
Only after repeatedly checking himself in the mirror did Bres let out a long sigh.
Then he winced, rubbing his reddened cheeks.
“I thought you were going to scrub off a layer of skin before you stopped.”
“Easy for you to say. You weren’t the one with paint all over your face.”
Bres shot Qiao Anni a glare.
“Anyway, shouldn’t we get going?”
Qiao Anni scanned the room but didn’t see Sister Leila.
“Where’s Miss Leila?”
“No idea. Maybe she went outside first?”
The two returned to the main hall of the church and saw exactly what they expected.
“Thus, the greatness of Troken lies in…”
That Derrick was tightly bound to a plastic chair, receiving Leila’s “enlightenment.”
She had no idea how long he’d been tortured like this, but Derrick’s eyes were already glazed over.
His mental state looked dire.
“PAY! ATTENTION!”
Leila grabbed Derrick’s wandering head and lifted both him and the chair into the air, causing him to scream in pain.
“I’m listening! I’m listening with all my heart!”
Qiao Anni turned away.
“Isn’t this a little too much?”
“Don’t forget he shot at you. This is a fitting punishment for him.”
Just then, Bres cleared his throat with a couple of coughs, reminding the engrossed Sister Leila of their presence.
“Oh, my apologies.”
Sister Leila let go, and Derrick crashed to the floor with a thud.
Ignoring his groans, Sister Leila straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and gave a deep bow.
“Then I’ll go make preparations to depart.”
Leila hurried out of the main hall.
Once he was sure Leila had left, Qiao Anni asked Bres, “Are you sure you want to keep helping her?”
“Probably.”
Bres shrugged.
“I still think she’s a bit dangerous… in every sense.”
“But there’s no denying her ability. Remember how she ‘calmed’ the crowd? That wasn’t street fighting skill. I don’t know what kind of cult this is, but they might actually have something.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“And their weapon modifications. Did you see the shotgun in the room? I can’t say for sure since I didn’t handle it, but it looked like a solid gun—exactly the kind we need right now. Being on good terms with her can’t hurt.”
Bres paused.
“Even though her mind seems a little… off, she does have a sense of propriety. She doesn’t hurt innocent civilians, doesn’t randomly go overboard. For that alone, I kind of respect her.”
“Mm-hmm, so you fall for everyone you meet?”
“Cut it out.”
As they were talking, Sister Leila returned to the main hall.
“Sorry! Kept you waiting!”
Leila rushed in, panting, with a heavy object strapped to her back.
“…A coffin?”
It looked like a coffin.
“Umm… we’re just going to teach them a lesson, right? No need for such bloodthirsty gear…”
Qiao Anni recalled movie scenes and asked awkwardly.
“No, no!”
Sister Leila shook her head rapidly.
“This is for preaching!”
She slammed the coffin upright onto the floor with a thud and began pulling out a series of strange items one by one.
“This is the church emblem, this is the Fourth Edition Doctrine, this is…”
“Alright, alright!”
Bres cut off the seemingly endless introduction.
“We should get going, right?”
He grabbed Derrick off the floor and shoved him toward the church exit.
Despite some stumbling, Derrick led the three to their boss, Lai Er De’s location—under a viaduct.
The area beneath the bridge was enclosed with wrecked cars and abandoned shipping containers, decorated with bizarre graffiti.
Two heavily tattooed young men stood guard at the narrow entrance, and an unsettling, agitated music leaked out from inside.
They were still a few dozen meters from the destination when Derrick refused to go any further.
“Please, I can’t go any further… If he finds out I led you here, I’ll get beaten black and blue.”
Derrick’s voice grew more earnest with each word, and he eventually dropped to his knees.
“I’ll quit. I’ll go home, I’ll find a proper job. Please…”
Sister Leila crouched down and gently took his hand.
Derrick looked up with tear-filled eyes, seeing Leila’s angelic smile.
“I understand. You’ve done well bringing us this far.”
“…”
“Go home. Don’t get involved in this anymore. Hanging around these people won’t do you any good.”
“Thank you…”
Derrick felt a pang of shame.
Not long ago, he had attacked the nun on someone’s orders, yet now she was forgiving his crimes like an angel.
This was the first time he had ever received kindness from a stranger.
“…Take these leaflets. Remember to introduce our church to your family and friends.”
“Yes!”
“Tell them there are generous rewards for bringing in new members. You can do that too.”
“Yes!”
Clutching the leaflets tightly to his chest, Derrick ran toward home.
He vowed in his heart that he would cut ties with gangs and street life and find an honest job.
…
“If it weren’t for that pyramid scheme pitch at the end, it would have been touching.”
Qiao Anni was a little embarrassed.
Sister Leila ignored her comment.
“Now, let’s go ask them directly.”
It was just past noon, and the two men ordered to guard the entrance were drowsy.
Footsteps startled them awake.
Rubbing their eyes, they saw a peculiar trio: a man with reddened skin, a girl covered in dust, and a nun carrying a coffin.
“What are you here for?”
one of the guards asked warily.
“We’re here to see Lai Er De. We have a few questions.”
Bres replied with a polite smile.
“State your names first.”
“Umm… we’re Lai Er De’s distant—”
“Troken Church’s Leila!”
Everyone’s eyes focused on Leila.
“Your boss broke our church windows! Why?!”
Leila asked indignantly.
“We got a troublemaker! Grab your weapons—”
Bres knocked him to the ground with a single punch.
He had hoped they could resolve this peacefully.