Chapter 251

Chapter 238: Investigation

In the ritual hall on the second basement level of King Campus, Edmund, the captain of the An Yin Bureau stationed there, was looking up at the profane statue before him while listening to his subordinates’ reports.

“Are all of them affected by Poison Recognition? As expected… in this heretical ritual site, those guys sleeping in such disarray couldn’t possibly be clean. At first, those young brats even tried to argue with me.”

Laughing lightly, Edmund turned to his subordinates and said. When he arrived at the ritual hall and woke up the students who were sleeping on the magical array in uniform cloaks, they attempted to explain that they were merely engaging in some club activities to create an atmosphere, which wasn’t a problem, and they just wanted to go back to class, avoiding the questions posed by the Hunters.

Of course, Edmund, who had seen such situations many times, naturally didn’t believe the students’ lies. After failing to extract any useful information from them, he decisively ordered his subordinates to escort the students to the city hospital for forced mental evaluations, which revealed that they were all contaminated by Poison Recognition.

“According to the hospital, the Poison Recognition affecting them is very subtle. Although their beliefs have been influenced, they are unaware of it themselves. It’s hard to detect without professional checks,” reported one of the Hunter team members to Edmund.

“Hmph… these brats dared to threaten me, each saying their fathers are barons or managers… you’re all useless here, no matter who your fathers are.”

Edmund said with a disdainful tone, his expression and casual attire, along with his unkempt face and hair, giving him a somewhat rough demeanor.

Late at night, the patrol personnel at King Campus suddenly heard continuous gunshots coming from somewhere unknown, scaring them into immediately finding the school security. The security guards searched the campus thoroughly but could not pinpoint the exact source of the gunfire.

To ensure safety, the security immediately contacted the student dormitories to check on the students. This check revealed that over ten students were missing from their rooms.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the security promptly called the police. The police arrived and followed the patrolman’s instructions to search near where the gunshots were heard, eventually locating the Secret Knowledge Society meeting point with its door already broken.

Upon entering further, the chief of the police force immediately sensed something amiss and immediately withdrew the team, contacting the An Yin Bureau through specialized channels.

Then, Edmund arrived with his team. Deep inside the meeting point and within the ritual hall, they found a group of students dressed as cultists lying on the magical array. Upon awakening them, none cooperated with the investigation, and some displayed arrogant attitudes. Angered, Edmund kicked the most defiant one and then forcibly sent all of them to the hospital.

“It’s early morning, and we’re already on a mission; I’m getting annoyed too,” Edmund muttered with slight complaint, lighting a cigarette and taking a few puffs.

“How is the on-site investigation going?” Edmund asked his Hunter team member, who immediately responded.

“My lord, we are currently investigating the third-floor ruins. We have discovered thirteen corpses in total between the first and second floors; seven of them were burned, and six were dismembered. Additionally, we found numerous bloodstains, b*llet heads, and casings on the second floor—both handgun and rifle ammunition. It can almost certainly be concluded that a normal power extraordinary battle occurred here.”

“Can you confirm an extraordinary battle took place?” Edmund asked, frowning slightly at his subordinate, who nodded seriously.

“Yes, among the seven burned corpses, one was particularly abnormal, seemingly ignited from within by some ability. The six dismembered corpses appear to have been torn apart, with wounds suggesting they might have been caused by the immense strength of the ‘Cup’ or the enchantment of the ‘Shadow.’ Even if they weren’t extraordinary beings, there must have been corresponding extraordinary items involved.”

The subordinate continued, and Edmund, after hearing this, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“A fire mage… a ‘Shadow’ or ‘Cup’ practitioner… interesting. Any other discoveries?”

“There are. The battlefield has been extensively cleaned up; many areas show dense bloodstains but no corpses. Many b*llet heads were found, but the few corpses present showed no signs of gunshot wounds. We suspect the wounded and intact corpses were handled and relocated first, so the current scene is a processed one.”

The subordinate reported, and Edmund raised his eyebrows in response.

“This means the winning side had ample energy left after the battle to clean up the scene thoroughly. The attacking party isn’t weak. After such a large-scale battle, they still managed to clean up the area meticulously.”

Edmund said jokingly, but he also noted the mysterious attacking party’s characteristics in his mind.

“By the way, has the observer stationed at this school been found?”

Edmund asked further. If he remembered correctly, recently, the bureau had sent someone to King Campus for inquiries. The investigator returned after meeting with the observer, reporting that everything was normal and no further investigation was needed.

Now it seemed that everything was far from normal. Those two investigators might have issues, and the observer definitely did.

“My lord, we investigated, and the observer stationed at King Campus is named Andrew Wayne. He remains missing. We searched his residence and workplace but found no trace of him. His office showed signs of being ransacked. Interestingly, his residence showed signs of dust accumulation, suggesting it hasn’t been occupied for a long time,” the Hunter team member replied immediately.

Edmund frowned upon hearing this.

“His residence hasn’t been occupied for a long time… Continue searching for Andrew. If we can’t find him, contact his family and prepare relevant materials for the Spirit Department, requesting a séance to see if we can get any information.”

Edmund continued his orders, now guessing that Andrew might have already died.

“Yes.”

The Hunter captain responded to Edmund, saluting and then leaving. Edmund remained standing, looking at the towering profane statue before him.

Looking at the spider-headed statue, Edmund, with a serious expression, took out a document paper from his pocket. It contained many black-and-white photos, mostly depicting statues similar to the one before him. Each photo had the discovery location, time, and a brief description below it.

“Here we go again, how many have we found now? Unbelievable, this time under the school… this thing is everywhere.”

Taking a deep breath, Edmund thought to himself, recalling that the An Yin Bureau had encountered similar statues before, and the Eight Pinnacle Nest had been involved in many covert conflicts.

“The Eight Pinnacle Nest… why are these guys chasing and desecrating these statues? Who is this heretical goddess… so much remains unknown, it’s frustrating.”

Scratching his head, Edmund pondered, then looked toward the distance, seeing several charred corpses laid out together.

“And the new force that appeared, annihilating one of the Eight Pinnacle Nest’s deity points, must be taken seriously. The ability to ignite a person internally is not something a typical apprentice or Black Tier extraordinary being possesses.

“Quite a number of people, swift actions, high execution, and high-tier extraordinary beings present. Ah… looks like I’ll need to write a report of five to six pages about this.”

Scratching his head, Edmund muttered.

…

Clear and Sunny, afternoon.

King Campus, girls’ dormitory.

In a double room on the fourth floor, Emma sat on her bed reading a book. Though she appeared focused, her eyes often glanced at the empty bed nearby.

“Nev, you haven’t come back yet. It’s been days, could something have happened…”

Emma murmured worriedly, looking at the empty bed. Her roommate had been gone for days since their hurried farewell, which was very unusual.

“Today, there were a lot of police at the school, apparently due to several students disappearing. It’s scary, could Nev’s disappearance be related to this?”

Emma thought to herself, just as she considered whether to talk to the police still on campus about the situation, the door opened. Emma turned her attention and saw the familiar figure walk in.

“Nev? You’re back?!”

“Oh, Emma, long time no see~”

Nev entered the room, wearing fashionable clothes and carrying a new bag. She waved and greeted her roommate sitting on the bed. Emma was startled and immediately spoke.

“Nev, where have you been for the past two days? No one has seen you, you didn’t attend classes, and you didn’t say anything when you left. It’s really worrying.”

“I received a telegram about an emergency at home, so I rushed back. Don’t worry.”

Nev smiled and closed the door, walking to her desk. From her smile, she seemed quite happy.

“An emergency at home? Hmm… no wonder. But considering your outfit, I thought you went shopping.”

Emma commented, looking at Nev’s expensive new clothes and bag. Nev continued smiling as she sat down.

“While handling matters, my bag got damaged. After finishing, I bought a new one and changed clothes because I had some money.”

Nev explained, mentioning that earlier in the day, Dorothy had come to the city to distribute some spoils from their efforts to her and Vania. Nev received 100 pounds in cash. As a full-time female college student, Nev immediately went shopping for new clothes and bags after receiving the money.

Participating in the Rosy Cross’s club activity and earning enough to buy new things made her feel great.

Shopping and the complete disappearance of the Eight Pinnacle Nest’s influence abroad improved her mood, so she quickly returned.

“Now, it’s time to do the real work.”

Thinking this, Nev sat down and opened her new bag, taking out several old-looking books and placing them on the table.

These were secret transmissions, given to her and Vania by Dorothy today, each having a few books.

“According to Miss Dorothy, by reading these books and praying to Akka, I can accumulate ‘Spirituality,’ just like reading the Thistle’s books. Once I accumulate enough spirituality, I will be qualified to enter true extraordinariness.”

Looking at the books on the table, Nev thought excitedly. Having been a student of the Secret Knowledge Society, she once dreamed of becoming a true extraordinary being. She never imagined that she would truly glimpse the path of extraordinariness now that the entire Secret Knowledge Society was gone.

“Thank you, Rosy Cross, thank you, Akka…”

Nev silently thanked, preparing to start reading when Emma, noticing the scene, tilted her head slightly.

“Nev, are you planning to review with all those books?”

“Oh, yes, these are my study materials for reviewing exams… what? Reviewing?!”

Hearing Emma’s words, Nev turned around in shock, as if realizing something terrifying.

“Yeah, don’t you remember? We had to retake the Prill Building Appreciation course last semester due to exam leaks. You were still reviewing when you left, and now you’ve completely missed the exam.”

Emma calmly stated the news that devastated Nev.

“Ah… I forgot, there’s an exam! I won’t have any grades this time!”

Nev mentally cried out in despair, her previous joy instantly shattered.

Now, Nev was considering whether to explain the situation to the teacher. However, revealing the truth might cause even more trouble.

For a moment, the previously cheerful Nev felt the future bleak.

“Please, Akka, save the students!”