The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 375, 666, and 667: The Dark Church that Believes in Nar

"Don't worry, Eric..."

Misty Knight glanced at the other person with some sympathy, a hint of pity in her eyes, and couldn't help but offer words of comfort:
"I promise you I will definitely find those bastards who did this and bring them all to justice."

Eric glanced at the Murman policewoman in front of him, his expression cold and serious. He showed no joy at her promise, but instead reminded her:

"If you think you can handle them on your own, you're being naive... because this kind of thing happens not only to humans, but also to animals!"

A hint of worry flickered across his face, his brow furrowed, as if he had already foreseen the complexity of the situation.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Misty Knight was taken aback, her eyes widening as she looked puzzled.

But she quickly came to her senses and pointed to the missing spine of the corpse, tentatively asking, "You mean... even the animal's spine was pulled out?"

"Yes."

Eric nodded noncommittally, his eyes somewhat unfocused, as if recalling those chilling images.

“You know, the biggest advantage of living in a small town, especially as a sheriff, is that you know a lot of people.”

He sighed softly, his voice growing increasingly somber, "So recently, some friends who frequently go hunting in the countryside have told me that they've encountered wild boars, gorillas, and even brown bears with their heads eaten and spines pulled out..."

"What? A brown bear?"

Upon hearing this, Misty Knight's face was filled with shock, her eyes widening like saucers, and she exclaimed in disbelief:
"My God, if you want to pull out a brown bear's spine by brute force, it would probably take at least five adult men working together to barely manage it, right?"

"But the question is, what exactly is the purpose of those guys... no, those lunatics doing this?"

Misty Knight frowned, her face full of confusion. "Could it be that the spine has recently become some kind of new and popular collectible?"

"Oh, damn it, man, I suddenly feel like this case is getting weirder and weirder. Could I have accidentally wandered onto the set of Saw?!" Her voice trembled slightly as she tried to ease her tension with a joke.

Eric remained silent for a long while, a hint of struggle in his eyes, as if he were weighing something in his mind, before slowly saying, "If you really want to find the answer, then perhaps we should go to that place..."

"Where?" Misty Knight asked instinctively, leaning forward slightly, clearly anxious.

Although this case is clearly not that simple, the bigger the scandal, the more valuable the fish becomes.

Who knows, she might even get promoted to police chief based on this big case!

At that moment, the desire for a promotion and a raise successfully overcame the unknown fear that had just risen in Misty Knight's heart, and gave her a glimmer of hope for further advancement in her career.

"【The Dark Church】!!"

Eric said with a complicated expression, "Based on my investigation over the past few days, I suspect that they are the masterminds behind these tragedies."

"【The Dark...Church】?"

A hint of confusion flashed in Misty Knight's eyes. She had never heard of this name before, but since she was already there, she might as well go and investigate.

The two then left the morgue and drove to a church in the very center of town, which was the gathering place of the Dark Church that Eric had mentioned.

Outside the car window, the streets of the small town were empty and quiet. A cold wind blew by, stirring up the fallen leaves on the ground and making a rustling sound.

Perhaps influenced by the weather, Misty Knight always felt that the houses on both sides were somewhat eerie, as if they hid countless secrets, and each house was like a lurking beast that might open its bloody maw at any moment.

"Excuse me, ma'am, this is a private area. Only church members are allowed to enter!"

Even though Misty Knight had already taken out her badge, she was still stopped by two tall, muscular male guards in suits when she tried to enter the gate.

The two guards stood at the entrance with serious expressions and cold eyes, like two iron towers. They completely ignored the police badge in the other person's hand and stared at Misty Knight with icy eyes, as if warning her not to make any rash moves.

"Get out of the way, don't delay my investigation."

Misty Knight waved her badge at the other person, her face showing impatience, and urged him on somewhat displeased.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm afraid that won't work..."

The two guards were adamant, their eyes filled with hostility as they said, "This is private property. Unless you have a search warrant or Miss Dehar's permission, even police officers have no right to enter!"

"Who is Dihar?" Misty Knight asked, looking completely bewildered.

Eric, who was standing to the side, tilted his head slightly, leaned close to Misty Knight's ear, and whispered, "He is the owner of this church, and also the founder of the Dark Church."

Misty Knight thought for a moment, put away her badge, and then said to the doorman, "Alright, please inform Miss Dehal that I'd like to ask her about some details of a murder case 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 to show the other person her determination.

"Please wait."

Immediately, one of the gatekeepers stepped aside and used a walkie-talkie to give a full report to his superior about what had just happened at the gate.

He quickly returned and said to Misty Knight and the other woman, "Gentlemen, Miss Dehal says she has some time now and can meet with you. Please follow me..."

A few minutes later, Misty Knight and Ekri were taken to an office in the building next to the church.

The office was dimly lit, and strange paintings hung on the walls, giving off an indescribable, eerie atmosphere.

As Misty Knight and her companion entered the office, they were greeted by a middle-aged woman, around forty years old, dressed in a dark purple business suit, sitting behind her desk and giving them a scrutinizing look.

Her eyes were sharp and cold, as if she could see right through people's hearts.

Behind the woman hung a huge painting.

But strangely, there was only a blood-red spiral pattern on it, like a vortex. "Hello, Officer Misty Knight, how can I help you?" The woman named Deehar spoke first with a smile.

Her smile seemed gentle, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

"Of course."

Misty Knight made no attempt to conceal the purpose of her visit, stating directly, "For some reason I can't disclose right now, I'd like to enter the church and see what your church does on a regular basis..."

Her eyes were fixed on Dihar, trying to catch a clue in her expression.

"I'm sorry, Officer Knight, I'm afraid that won't work."

Dihar slightly raised his chin, his tone tinged with arrogance, and refused with a smile: "According to church rules, only members of the 'Holy Order' are allowed to enter the church!"

"Why?" Misty Knight couldn't help but press, "Miss Dehal, is there something shady going on in your church? Otherwise, why are you being so secretive?"

“No, Officer Knight, you’re mistaken…” Deehar shook her head slightly, a hint of cunning in her eyes. “There’s nothing in my church that needs to be hidden, not a single thing!”

Although the other party's tone was very firm, Misty Knight still keenly sensed a deeper abnormality hidden in the conversation.

“Really?” Misty Knight narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing within them. She abruptly pointed to the painting behind the other person and asked:

"Then what does this symbol mean? I've seen the same tattoo on those security personnel before!"

"This..."

This time, Dihar did not refuse to answer. She crossed her arms over her chest and said with a devout expression, "This is a symbol of the great god Nar... The god is coming!!"

Misty Knight's eyes twitched slightly, revealing a hint of disgust. She really wanted to say, "This is clearly a typical shoe cultist, isn't it?"

But she suppressed her anger and did not lash out immediately.

“Miss Dehal, some people say that many of the strange cases that have occurred in Paterson City recently all started after your church rose to prominence.”

Misty Knight slowly stood up, looked directly at the female shoe cult leader opposite her, and said without any hesitation, "So, I have reason to suspect that these cases are related to you... or one of the members of your church?!"

Her gaze was fixed on Dihar, trying to find a clue in the subtle changes in her face.

Upon hearing this, Deehar did not rush to defend himself. Instead, he glanced at Eric, who was sitting next to Misty Knight and had remained silent throughout, and a subtle smile appeared on his lips.

When the latter noticed her gaze, he first mustered up the courage to meet her eyes, but quickly lost his nerve and awkwardly turned his head to the side.

Upon seeing this, a hint of mockery flashed in Dihar's eyes, as if he were laughing at Eric's cowardice.

Then, she replied calmly, "Officer Misty Knight, I'm sorry that my church has left such a bad impression on you, but I must say..."

She paused slightly, then retorted with a provocative tone, "If we were a Christian church or a squid church, would you still raise such questions?"

"I doubt you would harbor such hostility and prejudice towards other religions, would you? Isn't that right... Officer Misty Knight?!"

"Do not."

Misty Knight's anger was clearly ignited by the seemingly righteous cult leader before her. Her cheeks flushed slightly with rage, and she immediately retorted righteously:

"What I truly cannot tolerate is certain individuals who, under the guise of 'divine beings,' engage in rampant cult-like activities. Their actions fill me with anger and disgust, and I will absolutely not tolerate the evil deeds they commit in secret..."

Before she could finish speaking, Dehal waved her hand to interrupt her, "Officer Misty Knight, I don't think we need to continue this conversation. If you have any further questions, you can consult my lawyer."

As she spoke, she slowly stood up and gestured for Misty Knight and Eric to leave, clearly intending to urge them to leave.

"Hmph, Miss Dihar, I'm sure we'll meet again soon."

Misty Knight turned and left angrily, not forgetting to solemnly warn before leaving: "The official search warrant will be issued as early as tomorrow, and then... Miss Dehal, you, your so-called 'Holy Order' members, and that god Nar will all be exposed to the truth!!"

“Um…” After leaving the office, Eric looked at Misty Knight with a somewhat unnatural expression and asked, “Is this how you usually handle cases?”

Eric's voice carried a hint of doubt, as if he was puzzled by Misty Knight's reckless approach to investigations.

"what happened?"

Misty Knight looked at the other person with some confusion.

Eric, looking speechless, reminded him, "Don't you think that if those tragedies were really committed by Dihar and members of the Dark Church, then your threats to them just now might have alerted them?"

He really wanted to say: I thought you were a smart person, but I didn't expect you to be such a fool.

Things have clearly gotten worse!
"hey-hey."

Unexpectedly, Misty Knight changed her previous emotional state and smiled slyly, saying, "Of course... but I was just bluffing. Although I came to Paterson City to investigate a case, I am actually like you and do not have law enforcement authority here. As for search warrants, that's out of the question."

“But Dihar doesn’t know any of this… So, I think if these cases are really related to her and that shoe cult, then tomorrow morning… no, maybe tonight there will be new developments!”

Misty Knight's eyes held a hint of anticipation, as if she were waiting for her prey to take the bait.

Eric immediately realized what was going on. "You want to lure the snake out of its hole?"

“That’s right!!” Misty Knight nodded confidently.

After parting ways with Eric, Misty Knight stayed at a hotel not far from the church.

She had a feeling that something might happen tonight.

As midnight approached, Misty Knight was awakened by her pre-set cell phone alarm. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, quickly washed up, dressed, grabbed her pistol, and quietly headed toward the church.

(End of this chapter)