Dimensional Codex System I m really not a cultist

Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Treat Your Enemies as Ruthlessly as the Autumn Breeze Sweeps Away Fallen Leaves
 

Hearing this voice, everyone hurriedly turned their heads to look. They saw a man in his fifties with a beer belly and a slicked-back hairdo approaching with a grin.

“Officer Oishi.”

Seeing the man come over, Sonozaki Mion frowned slightly before walking up to greet him.

“Thank you for your hard work again this year.”

“It’s nothing, this is what police work is all about. But speaking of which, the young man’s words are really quite interesting.”

As he spoke, Oishi looked towards Fang Zheng, a sharp glint appearing in his smiling eyes.

“The people here really believe it’s a curse, don’t you young man?”

“If you’re telling me it’s been happening since ancient times and occurs every year, then maybe I’d believe in a curse. But if it’s only happened for four years, it seems more likely that someone is exploiting the situation.”

“Oh?”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s response, Oishi stepped forward and took out a cigarette to place in his mouth.

“So who do you think the criminal could be?”

“At least I don’t think it would be the villagers here… or rather, not those devout believers.”

“That’s really interesting.”

Oishi, holding the cigarette, became more serious.

“Do you know? Your theory is the opposite of the police’s guess, we’ve always thought that the criminal might be right here in the village, using the legend to cause trouble.”

“I disagree, if someone truly believed in Oyashiro-sama, they would never do such a thing. Assuming someone really was cursed by Oyashiro-sama or harassed by a spirit, then it should be the deity itself who personally takes action to eliminate them. As believers, stealing the deity’s job isn’t something to be proud of. Of course, I don’t rule out the possibility of interference by zealots, but… if they were truly madmen who had lost all reason, they wouldn’t manage to commit the crimes for four consecutive years without being discovered. Therefore, I think that those who couldn’t care less about the faith of Hinamizawa could very well be the culprits.”

As he spoke, Fang Zheng glanced at Miyo Takano.

“Because they lack reverence… thus they take advantage of the deity’s name to play tricks… This kind of case is not at all uncommon.”

“Hmm… that is quite an innovative perspective.”

Officer Oishi wasn’t as relaxed as he was at the beginning, instead, he began thinking while smoking his cigarette.

“Indeed, it seems our investigation may have fallen into a misconception. If we consider what you’ve said, then many things can be explained… hah, I don’t think an ordinary teacher could have done this.”

“My name is Fang Zheng.”

Seeing Officer Oishi’s probing, Fang Zheng did not hesitate to reach out his hand.

“I’ve just returned from studying abroad in America. I minored in criminal psychology there, so I know a bit about this area… Of course, these are just my personal opinions. After all, I’m also just speculating based on rumors I’ve heard, so if I’ve said anything offensive, please forgive me.”

“No, I should be thanking you. It seems our scope of investigation has been too narrow… Thank you for giving me a whole new perspective.”

As he spoke, Oishi reached out and shook Fang Zheng’s hand.

“By the way, young man, if you have the time, how about coming to the station to work as an advisor? I think we really need someone as smart as you.”

“If I have the time, I’ll consider it.”

Fang Zheng did not refuse Oishi’s offer, and knowing the plot, he knew that Oishi was a good person. A pity, though, that he wasn’t quite up to par as a police officer. Generally speaking, a police officer needs to rely on evidence to pinpoint a suspect. But Oishi would talk without evidence, revealing his speculations recklessly to the public—well, considering he was stationed in a rural place like Hinamizawa, his professional skills were probably just that.

At least he was very dedicated.

Hmm, at the very least.

“But don’t you think that there might be someone who feels Oyashiro-sama has been insulted and decides to eliminate the threat on His behalf?”

At this moment, Miyo Takano finally couldn’t hold back and stood up. Although she still wore a smile, Fang Zheng could see a clear hint of disdain in her eyes.

You’ve finally shown your true colors, thinking you could play the innocent forever in this cesspool.

“Religious belief indeed has a certain exclusivity, but normal people would not commit crimes because of it. Of course, I can’t deny that some may commit crimes under certain real or psychological pressures, but that is not a problem of religious beliefs. What we should focus on is the mental state and psychological traits of the criminals.”

Fang Zheng casually responded, then looked at Miyo Takano with a somewhat mocking smile.

“Speaking of which, when I was studying in America, I came across a paper by a Mr. Hifumi Takano in a journal. He actually attributed some human behavior to parasites controlling the brain… Such a notion is unheard of and difficult to accept.”

“—————!!!”

In just an instant, a murderous intent, almost ghost-like, exploded from Miyo Takano; she continued to smile at Fang Zheng, but her eyes now revealed an unmistakable intent to kill.

“Oh? Mr. Fang Zheng, do you think that kind of statement is completely unfounded?”

“That’s self-evident.”

Fang Zheng retorted without any hesitation.

“The examples cited in that paper are utterly meaningless. In psychology, there are countless cases proving that under similar environments, humans often exhibit irrational aggressive and harmful behaviors. If we were to attribute that to parasites, it would be too far-fetched. Humans under stress feel pain, anxiety, and even resistance, all determined by the protections and exclusivity of the spirit. Similar cases are countless across the world; relying on such baseless speculation and delusion to negate the harm caused by humans’ own inner psychology and spirit is indeed laughable.”

“Meow?”

Hearing this, everyone else besides Fang Zheng and Miyo Takano was utterly confused, having no idea what the two were talking about, while Rika looked at Miyo Takano with a meaningful glance and then curiously at Fang Zheng.

“Teacher, what do you mean by that? What strange thing did Mr. Takano write in his paper?”

“In simple terms, Mr. Takano believes that when you are wronged or under too much pressure, the emotions you experience don’t come from you, but from parasites controlling your brain. Our responses to the outside world are not our own ideas but are controlled by parasites… Honestly, as the premise for a novel, it’s an interesting subject, but as a scientific claim, it’s far from stringent, even ridiculous.”

While patting Rika’s little head, Fang Zheng fixed his gaze on Miyo Takano and silently delivered another blow.

Ever since the game began, Fang Zheng had been irked by this woman, and even giving her a whitewashed past later on was useless. How much she had suffered was her own business, but to prove her conjectures by murdering an entire village was something Fang Zheng would never forgive. Not only that, but he also intended to completely destroy her, both spiritually and physically, along with her beliefs and soul.

If it weren’t for the Will of the World protecting her, Fang Zheng would have made her wish for death long ago, but… this was okay too.

Let me completely ruin everything you believe in.

“……….”

At this moment, Miyo Takano clenched her teeth tightly, her fists balled up, her nails deeply embedded into her flesh. Even her lips were bitten, but she did not lash out at Fang Zheng.

“Takano?”

“I’m sorry…”

Upon hearing Rika’s voice, Miyo Takano fell silent for a moment before speaking up reluctantly.

“I’m feeling a bit unwell… I’m sorry, I would like to go back and rest.”

Having said that, Miyo Takano turned around and left without looking back. Watching her departure, Fang Zheng narrowed his eyes, revealing a cold smile.

This is my welcome gift to you, Miss Takano.

I hope you like it… after all, this is just the beginning.