CHAPTER 803: CHAPTER 805: ASHIYA’S PAST

11:30 PM, Southwest Washington D.C., suburbs.

Exiting the building, Winslow led a group of SWAT officers to handle the battle scene inside, while Luo An instructed Chenier and Ashiya to head to the SUV. Then, he beckoned Reesi over and whispered:

"There’s something I need you to handle."

Reesi’s expression didn’t change as she asked:

"What?"

Luo An pointed to the unconscious man in the jacket, Harries, lying on the ground. He whispered something to Reesi, who frowned slightly but nodded in agreement:

"No problem."

Luo An then added quietly:

"If you encounter trouble, remember to swallow the chip."

The chip Luo An referred to was a tracking device he had acquired from the CIA after the [Sarls Case] (Chapter 633).

To prevent any mishaps, shortly after Winslow and Chenier joined the special investigation team and the group of six officially formed, Luo An established some rules.

For example, during every case, everyone’s phones would be set to send timed text messages to the others. If the messages were not canceled manually, it implied something had happened to that team member.

In addition, they all brainstormed and devised some codes that only the six of them could understand.

For example, when Luo An mentioned to Mona at the villa gate to prepare red wine and candles, it was one such code. Red wine signified encountering bloody danger, while candles signaled Mona to cautiously notify the other team members.

On the way to the coffee shop, Luo An not only ingested various potions but also swallowed the modified tracking chip. The chip sent out a signal every fifteen minutes, which helped Chenier, Reesi, and the others locate Luo An.

"Don’t worry."

Reesi smiled and made an OK gesture to Luo An before quietly leaving the scene with Harries.

Luo An turned to glance at the busy SWAT officers, thought for a moment, and then entered the car where Chenier and Ashiya were.

"Answer the question, Ashiya."

Luo An sat in the driver’s seat, turned to face Ashiya in the backseat, and said in a deep voice:

"Who is Sister Ali?"

With her hands cuffed and Chenier pointing a gun at her, Ashiya, though very disgruntled, still responded:

"I don’t know this Sister Ali. I saw her for the first time today."

Chenier frowned slightly, tapped the car window with her gun, and after two knocks, she said:

"Don’t lie to us, Ashiya. If you don’t know that woman, why did she want to kill you?"

"I’m not lying, I’m not deceiving you!"

Glaring fiercely at Chenier, Ashiya then looked at Luo An and said:

"As for why Sister Ali wanted to kill me, it’s obvious she was after you! I’m just a disposable tool!"

Chenier wanted to say more, but Luo An waved his hand to stop her. His "emotion sensing" indicated that Ashiya was telling the truth, so he asked again:

"Tell us about the Judgment Process Church and your experiences."

Taking a deep breath, Ashiya gritted her teeth and described the Judgment Process Church as a perverted cult.

years ago, when Ashiya’s family lived somewhere in Ohio, she found an injured puppy by the roadside while out looking for playmates one day and went over to check on it.

The next second, a car sped by, and before she knew it, she was dragged into the vehicle, her mouth and nose covered, causing her to instantly lose consciousness.

"When I woke up again, I found myself in a small room."

Ashiya’s eyes were red, and her tone was icy as she said:

"A man entered the room, claiming to be a messenger of God, and preached a bunch of the Judgment Process Church’s doctrines to me.

I was too young at the time to understand what he was saying. I just cried and wanted to go home, so I got beaten."

In the following days, that man kept preaching the Judgment Process Church’s doctrines to Ashiya, and every time she disobeyed, she got beaten. If she listened, she was fine, and if she memorized the doctrines, she got food.

Ultimately, Ashiya was forced to comply, memorized the doctrines, and passed the so-called doctrine exam.

Listening to Ashiya’s account, Chenier’s brow furrowed deeply, while Luo An noticed something and asked:

"Do you know Leisha?"

Taking the photo Luo An handed her, Ashiya shook her head and said:

"I don’t know her. In fact, where I was was just one of the many small branches of the Judgment Process Church."

As for Leisha’s excellent managerial skills, Ashiya noted that once they reached adulthood, they would be assigned different study directions based on their own conditions.

For example, Ashiya, having good physical aptitude, learned combat and marksmanship, while Leisha, possibly being smarter, learned more formal management knowledge.

Besides these, irrespective of whether cult members were male or female, there was a mandatory course, **, used for ***.

Chenier’s face turned grim, Luo An frowned slightly. After Ashiya’s emotions calmed down a bit, he continued to ask:

"How did you leave the Judgment Process Church?"

According to Ashiya, the branch of the Judgment Process Church was managed very strictly, making it impossible for any cult members to escape the supervision of the managers.

"The Judgment Process Church has an Archbishop, who is the founder of the church.

There is also a Sister Maria, who assists the Archbishop in management and is essentially the second-in-command of the Judgment Process Church.

Ashiya explained:

"About a year and a few months ago, something unknown caused a dispute between the Archbishop and Sister Maria, which led to chaos among the branch management personnel.

Taking advantage of the chaos, quite a few of us managed to escape. Leisha and others might have fled from different locations amid the chaos as well."

Chenier asked gravely:

"After you escaped, did you report to the police?"

"I didn’t report, but others did."

Upon hearing this question, Ashiya sneered and said:

"Later, those people were taken away and never seen again."

Given that Sister Ali previously indicated the Archbishop had connections with influential people, it was not surprising what happened to those who reported it.

Combining this with Ashiya’s talk of the Archbishop’s dispute with Sister Maria, she didn’t recognize Sister Ali, yet Sister Ali claimed to be acting on the Archbishop’s behalf, Luo An squinted his eyes and speculated:

"This Sister Ali is most likely the replacement for Sister Maria."

Chenier nodded slightly, sharing the same thought.

After a few moments of silence, Chenier turned and asked:

"Why did you kill the Cadillac owner, Imre, that night?"

Ashiya swindled 3000 US dollars from a gun shop and soon after arriving in Washington D.C., she began earning money with her body at a private club.

Considering Imre was an old customer, even if they hadn’t agreed on a price, Ashiya had no reason to kill him.

"Because that old guy was an ’outer circle follower’ of the Judgment Process Church!"

Ashiya explained that during the evening conversation with Imre, he accidentally let something slip, which startled and frightened her.

When Imre realized what he’d done, he tried to knock Ashiya out to deal with her, but Ashiya quickly retaliated and killed him.

Unexpectedly, Thonaka, the assassin sent by the church, found her at that moment, and unable to defeat him, Ashiya was ultimately knocked out and taken away by him.

Ring, ring—

Just then, Luo An’s phone suddenly rang, and Mona’s calm voice came through:

"Luo An, I’ve located that woman!"