New Gods of North America.

Chapter 424 Situation
Thanks to Mrs. LaLaurie, so many people were provided for "practice".
Miss Olivia has now become more proficient in the use of extraordinary abilities.

Wayne wasn't sure what kind of scenes and images she could see when she "touched" others, but it sounded like all kinds of "rooms" in other people's hearts - Wayne felt that a more accurate term should be "areas", because it seemed that some normal people's inner worlds were also very large, but at least the style was unified.

However, the subjects involved in this extraordinary ability are quite suitable for this young lady. In Wayne's eyes, they are probably closer to courses such as "psychoanalysis" and "art appreciation".

Different departments of the church actually have different approaches when dealing with different events.

For example, when the local church needs help from the public with some minor matters, the general response is "Just come if you can." When the local exorcism department is friendly, it will probably be "Don't refuse without a good reason."
And when the cathedral's exorcists are dealing with cases that may involve heresy, it's a case of "what you think may not matter."

So the secondary investigation at the college was carried out very quickly.
Although some people have not been "touched" by Miss Olivia before, after preliminary analysis, the degree of suspicion can be roughly determined.

The person who was most suspicious at this time was Macon Reeve, the "building manager" familiar to Wayne.
Although this guy still looks like he has been possessed by his "bad personality" and seems to have not changed much, according to Miss Olivia, the "house" in his heart has almost expanded into a "castle".
Miss Olivia's spiritual power was exhausted all at once after she investigated him. When she woke up from her coma, it was said that she almost got completely "lost" inside and couldn't get out.

Wayne didn't have a good impression of the current "Mackenzie Reeve". He just felt it was a pity that a child from an ordinary family who was originally quite good might be ruined by a bad old man.

The detective agency might be able to protect others from open and covert attacks, but faced with someone like Pastor Pycelle who used drugs for a long time and focused on the spiritual level, they were really helpless.

The exorcists from the cathedral also felt helpless in this regard.
The church's "purification" may be able to wash away the influence of extraordinary power, but it is more likely to "wash away" the lives of several suspicious students. It is still impossible to confirm the crime and obtain effective clues.

But anyway,

Given Mackenzie Reeve's current condition and his previous connection with Reverend Pycelle, Wayne felt that it would be correct to temporarily list him as the key suspect.

It was Sunday, and Tom Hagen was busy until midnight when he suddenly called Wayne and said that the bishop had summoned him to go to Richmond with him.

Wayne felt that the current progress of the investigation was pretty good and he probably wouldn't be scolded, so he just followed along obediently.

Bishop Corleone met Wayne and his companions in a reception room deep inside the cathedral. There were many people waiting in line in the waiting room.

This once again reinforced Wayne's stereotype that "church people don't need to sleep at night."

During the intervals between the audiences, several monks from the cathedral would occasionally push in a small cart covered with a red cloth.
In fact, Wayne should not have been able to see this scene, because the monks from the cathedral went through another door in the reception room.

But Tom Hagen and Wayne "cut in line" from this side and waited for a while, and then they saw these.

When Wayne walked into the reception room, he saw Bishop Corleone, who had a ruddy face, and a "snack tower" piled high with snacks and emitting an enticing sweet smell on the small table.
It seemed that those monks might be helping to replenish food or clean up the cups or something. Maybe the detective agency could learn from them when receiving important people in the future.

Wayne was feeling good about the progress of the investigation.
But Bishop Corleone, who was sitting in the middle of the couch, quickly raised his hand to interrupt Wayne's report, "Is this what you investigated in the past few days?"

Bishop Corleone asked in a low, hoarse voice, his eyes turning to Tom Hagen.
The latter stood beside Wayne and nodded slightly.

Bishop Corleone's cheeks puffed up a little - Wayne thought the bishop must have gritted his teeth - and then looked over.

This reaction made Wayne feel bad. He felt that the soft short sofa cushions were a bit uncomfortable. He didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Bishop Corleone's attitude seemed quite kind:
"Wayne, I asked you to investigate this matter. What do you think should be the focus of the investigation?"

Well……

Wayne quickly thought of a few legitimate reasons, "Deal with the heretics in the diocese as soon as possible to ensure law and order?"

Bishop Corleone gave a direct answer:
“The focus is to identify who else is ‘available’ as quickly as possible.

"When facing a fire scene, sometimes you need to put out the flames first, sometimes you need to first identify who can help put out the fire, but you should never rush to arrest the arsonist first."

This is a bit beyond the capabilities of the detective agency...

Bishop Corleone seemed to understand this as well and breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get straight to the point. Reverend Pycelle might still be alive?"

Wayne tried to answer along the lines of Bishop Corleone:
"It's possible. But the high-ranking clergy in Georgeburg have basically expressed their willingness to draw a clear line between themselves and heretics. Judging from the current situation, the remaining work is mainly to confirm their identities and arrest them, and the situation will not escalate further.

"But we still need to investigate the suspects carefully. It is possible that we have not yet found Reverend Pycelle."

Bishop Corleone's breathing sounded a little heavy, but he seemed satisfied with this answer.
He nodded slightly. "Let me tell you something. In some cases, guesswork is fact. Life won't always give you the time and energy to analyze it in detail."

Wayne nodded obediently, "I understand."

Tom Hagen then reported the death of a team of exorcists, and Wayne realized that Mr. Weisman had been attacked.

The exorcists compared the information given by the detective agency during the meeting and initially concluded that the murderer should be the same one who silenced the servants in the manor.

Bishop Corleone waved his hand, indicating that the investigators should handle the matter themselves.

Then Bishop Corleone rang the bell on the small table, and the monks pushing the carts entered the reception room.
The two of them wisely took their leave.

Before Wayne left the room, Bishop Corleone's hoarse voice added something behind him:

"Wayne, I don't think you understand the current situation.

"After making the position clear, some 'wars' should be like this - no reconciliation, no negotiation, no hesitation, no U-turn, regardless of the cost and any means, until one side is completely defeated."

Wayne didn't figure out the meaning of this sentence for a moment, but he has recently learned from Liam's tricks.
So he replied with a firm, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)