Chapter 605 - 97: Luring the Enemy into the Trap
Chapter 605 - 97: Luring the Enemy into the Trap
Originally, the victim locations were scattered, but after marking them on the map, it was found that they formed circles, with the North, South, East, and West districts all having a central point. The central points were denser, while the crime scenes further out became more scattered.Li Xin had a bold idea in his mind.
"Li Yinxiao, why are you marking this?" Meng Po asked curiously.
Li Xin smiled wryly, "I plan to go through them one by one. Diligence can compensate for lack of skill. This case is my responsibility now, and Old Tuo hasn’t found anything. Plus, since this involves Divine Revelation Canon Law School students, I feel if I don’t do something, I can’t handle the blame from above. Has the victim’s identity been discovered?"
"Snake Skin and Drunkard went, but the Messenger hasn’t returned. Since it involves Divine Revelation, it’s probably not that easy," Meng Po said.
"Alright, notify me if there’s any news," Li Xin said.
Li Xin rolled up the map from the wall and put it away, then went to the doorway and called for a carriage. On the carriage, Li Xin pulled out a bell and summoned Justin.
Compared to the Immortal, Justin still had a high cost-effectiveness and wasn’t that conspicuous.
He found a way to catch the Little Flayer but needed Kathy’s help, plus some time to set up, and then he could go fishing.
In the following days, Li Xin either followed up on the case at Shadow Owl during the day or went outside to inquire about the victim’s families one by one, following the map’s records. It was a clumsy yet ineffectual approach, while at night, according to the plan, he was fishing.
These two deceased indeed were students of the Divine Revelation Canon Law School, possessing noble lineage. One family worked for City Hall, and the other had a baron title. They usually performed quite well at the Divine Revelation Canon Law School.
The investigation by Snake Skin and Drunkard was not going smoothly. In the eyes of the Divine Revelation Canon Law School, Shadow Owl meant nothing. If they weren’t worried about tarnishing the school’s reputation, they wouldn’t bother. However, they only learned basic information about the two, investigating further into whom they interacted with regularly, or even looking for familiar students to question, was not allowed.
Snake Skin and Drunkard dared not be arrogant in the Divine Revelation Canon Law School; after being expelled, they could only return to report their failure. This matter couldn’t be decided by Li Xin alone; he must report it to Jiang Wu and gain his support.
"Captain, being able to contact these two Divine Revelation Canon Law School students and implant worms, this line of inquiry is bound to uncover something," Li Xin said.
Jiang Wu smiled wryly, "I understand what you’re saying. But the reality is, Shadow Owl isn’t regarded at all by Divine Revelation Canon Law School. I’ve already been warned and issued a gag order, telling us to focus on solving the case but to be mindful of the repercussions, especially maintaining Divine Revelation Canon Law School’s reputation."
"So can we investigate or not?"
"The higher-ups won’t tell me if we can or can’t; the demand is to catch the perpetrator, but we cannot damage Divine Revelation Canon Law School and cannot spread this matter, or we’ll owe a fault rather than gain credit."
Seeing Jiang Wu’s helpless expression, Li Xin couldn’t tell how sincere he was; to sit in the captain’s seat, one must be adaptable. Even with Matthew’s backing back then, Uncle Luo couldn’t do whatever he wanted.
"Li Xin, I know you’re feeling stifled. I’ve been through my youth too. Often for us Night Patrol, the most difficult part isn’t the criminals, but dealing with the complex relationships. I remember you are a member of Mysterious Black Rose; maybe you could gain some insight from this direction," Jiang Wu said.
Truly a wise captain. Yes, using the identity of Mysterious Black Rose to investigate, if things get messy, Mysterious Black Rose gets involved. Currently, the competition between Divine Revelation and Mysterious is evident. Old Chen treats him well; he doesn’t want to drag Old Chen into trouble due to the Shadow Owl case.
"Captain, it’s not that I don’t want to. You know the Canon Law School’s situation. During my first interview, they told me we must separate our Night Patrol identity from the Canon Law School identity, or Principal Chen would be the first to kick me out," Li Xin said with a bitter face.
Jiang Wu threw Tai Chi, and he also threw Tai Chi.
"Ah, then you’ll have to work harder," Jiang Wu said.
"It’s not hard; it’s my duty. Captain, I’ll continue investigating," Li Xin said.
"Go ahead; I’m counting on you. Let me know if there’s anything you need. Without Tang Yinxiao, you’re now the backbone of our Shadow Owl." Jiang Wu said enthusiastically, patting Li Xin on the shoulder.
Li Xin left the captain’s office. If he hadn’t eaten so many empty promises in his previous life, he might have believed it.
Complaining is pointless; there’s no one to count on. At least Jiang Wu isn’t dragging him down, and you can’t expect every Night Patrol captain to be like Old Luo.
Under the moonlit night, if Justice truly existed eternally, this world wouldn’t have so much regret.
Li Xin left Shadow Owl and continued to the next household according to the plan. The conversations with the families of the deceased were not pleasant, with some refusing to even speak about it.
At night, Li Xin grabbed a quick meal at a street stall, as night deepened, entering a small alley, turning into a private residence.
The house was rented; he’s rented four such residences, one in each district (North, South, East, West), all within areas where Little Flayer was more active.
Entering the room, he turned off the Hex Lamp in the living room, moved into the inner room and lit a candle. This room faced the street; Li Xin drew the curtains, leaving only a slight gap, then took out a gray copper cauldron from Yazama Karashi. This kind of vessel was inherited by the Church Court from the old era to hold and preserve worms. The copper cauldron, placed on the table, emitted a rustling sound from within.
This was the worm he borrowed from Kathy; among the people he knew, only Kathy could produce such an object. The Church Court didn’t know how many they had raised, but the success rate of implantation wasn’t high, and not everyone could endure such parasitism. Even if successful, some quickly died or went insane.
Since the rattle drum is used to find bloodthirsty worms, he might as well give Little Flayer what it wants.
This worm had not fed on blood for three days; now, just the scent of him agitated it significantly. Li Xin cut his arm, letting drops of blood seep into the copper cauldron. The worm coiled its body, glowing red, making loud noises, sipping the blood cleanly, and constantly pounding the cauldron vigorously. Such vitality was not typical for worms.
Li Xin wouldn’t feed it too much at once, feeding some then stopping briefly; he couldn’t risk anemia before Little Flayer even showed up.
After about ten minutes, just as Li Xin prepared to feed again, suddenly, he heard a banging sound close to him.
Somehow, a short figure appeared in the living room, and the banging became extremely clear in a short time, as if it was being struck directly next to his ear. Li Xin frowned; his heart also thumped along with the sound of the rattle drum, amplifying with each beat, directly affecting him. This was surely an extraordinarily powerful secret item.
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