Chapter 330

Chapter 292: Desire Dancer

Tivyán, Coal Ash District.

In the afternoon, a black, wide carriage was parked by the roadside in front of the police bureau in the Coal Ash District. Inside the chief’s office of the bureau, Edmond, the captain stationed by the Tiwyán Anonymity Headquarters, sat lazily in the police chief’s seat, gazing at the urban map on the wall ahead.

At this moment, Edmond’s searchers were busy organizing crime files moved from the archive room, marking the locations of crimes on the map. As he looked at the map, which showed a dense center with sparse peripheries, radiating outwards, Edmond couldn’t help but nod silently.

“The dense center and sparse periphery… This radiating distribution is a typical phenomenon of extraordinary abilities, decreasing in strength with distance… Sigh… It seems this batch of cases falls within our responsibility; there’s no escaping it…”

Looking at the situation depicted on the map, Edmond sighed and said. The conditions shown on the map were clear enough: the most densely marked point was the source of some extraordinary force, possibly from an uncontrolled Extraordinary Being or some damaged Extraordinary Item. Regardless, this was clearly their responsibility.

“Then, sir, could you tell me why there has been such a sudden surge in criminal activities in the Coal Ash District recently?” the police chief standing beside Edmond asked anxiously, while Edmond replied casually.

“It is indeed due to hidden factors. Rest assured, we will handle it.”

Edmond responded. Clearly, this incident was caused by an extraordinary ability that could exert long-range mental influence, either from an Extraordinary Being or an Extraordinary Item.

Hearing Edmond’s words, the police chief let out a long breath. The rapid deterioration of public security in the Coal Ash District over the past half month had put great pressure on him. The concentration of so many criminal events was more than enough to warrant serious dereliction of duty.

Fortunately, higher-ups had recognized the unusual nature of these events, sending professionals to investigate. They confirmed that these incidents involved hidden factors unknown to ordinary people. This relieved the police chief of primary responsibility, and he felt a significant weight lifted off his shoulders.

“Very well… These cases are extremely severe. We will do our best to cooperate with your investigation. If you need anything, just let us know.”

The police chief said with a relaxed demeanor, to which Edmond lightly waved his hand in response.

“Usually, there won’t be much needed. Just continue as usual, stay at your posts, and mind your own business,” Edmond said, and the police chief nodded in agreement.

At this moment, a searcher approached Edmond and reported, “Captain Edmond, we have sorted all the files.”

Listening to his subordinate’s report, Edmond put down his feet from the desk and stood up from the chief’s seat, slowly walking to the map on the office wall. The police chief followed closely behind.

Looking at the map, Edmond focused on the area with the highest density. After a brief glance at the names on the map, he turned to the police chief and asked, “Charred Wood Intersection… Is there anything suspicious about this place?”

“Charred Wood Intersection? Suspicious? Let me think… Ah, sir, there is a house there that was burned down in a fire. That fire was quite dangerous; it seemed to have killed an entire family. Fortunately, it was extinguished in time and didn’t spread further. Now, the place has been empty for a long time, and only homeless people sleep there.”

The police chief reported to Edmond, who nodded in response before turning to his searchers and saying, “Change into plain clothes, we’re going to check that place out.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Soon, Edmond and his searchers left the chief’s office. After Edmond left, the police chief visibly relaxed, then walked to the window and watched as the searchers boarded their carriage and drove away, his expression turning serious.

…

At this moment, in a dim and narrow but luxuriously decorated room, a middle-aged man in his forties wearing a simple robe sat on the sofa. In front of him was a glass of red wine and a plate with bloodied meat chunks. Holding a large, strange scepter in his hands, he stroked the red fabric-wrapped orb-shaped head of the scepter.

“Hmm… I didn’t expect the Black Dog to come so soon. Coincidentally, they started their action alongside the big star and her entourage… It seems there’s considerable allure in the Coal Ash District…”

As he stroked the scepter, the man muttered to himself. He glanced at the table where, next to the wine, lay a map of the Coal Ash District, his gaze focusing on Charred Wood Intersection.

“In that case, shall we arrange for a chance encounter? How about it?”

The man continued, then a smile crept onto his lips.

…

Tivyán, Coal Ash District, Charred Wood Intersection.

Charred Wood Intersection was a triangular intersection in the Coal Ash District, similar to other parts of the district, covered with a thin layer of fine ash. The number of pedestrians and carriages passing through was neither too few nor too many, making it not particularly bustling.

At one side of the intersection, a charred stone building stood out prominently. The three-story building, which had been destroyed by fire, was very noticeable among the other structures. However, since the locals had become accustomed to its presence, it didn’t attract much attention—except for newcomers.

On one side of the intersection, Adele and Ed, wearing hats and sunglasses and disguised, stood there, looking at the burnt-down building nearby. After glancing at the charred floors, Ed whispered, “It seems the most suspicious place here is this building. Miss Adele, did you sense anything?”

“No, currently, I haven’t sensed anything unusual. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of the Desire Dancer ability being used here. We might have to go inside the building to find out more.”

Adele replied, standing beside Ed and looking at the black building in front of them. Meanwhile, Dorothy, who was observing the intersection from the sky using the flying crow doll, noticed nothing unusual. She then flew into the building for a preliminary inspection and reported back to Ed.

“Mm… The source of this uncontrolled extraordinary power should be around here, and the small building seems the most likely. My animal flesh puppet has already entered to investigate. It found nothing but empty ruins and straw beds for homeless people.”

“Perhaps there’s something hidden inside using extraordinary power or a mechanism? We might need to enter and take a look. Many extraordinary traces can’t be detected by a flesh puppet,” Adele responded. Hearing Adele’s words, Ed nodded in agreement.

“Mm, then we can find a place without people…”

Just as Ed was about to continue, Dorothy’s crow doll, which had been observing from above, suddenly spotted something. Through the doll’s perspective, Dorothy saw a black carriage driving towards the intersection from a distant road.