According to Stana, the bloodshed at Messer University claimed one life every day, no matter how tight the security was. That was why she had rushed over overnight, only to immediately bring Tang Qi back with her through the night.
After all, once dawn arrived, it would be the eighth day, and another person would die.
The police car sped out of Messer City. By coincidence, Thorn High School was on break for the next two days, so Tang Qi had two days of free time to deal with the bloodshed at Messer University. If it was not resolved within two days, he would have to take leave.
Messer Town lay in the suburbs on the other side of the city. Ram Horn Mountain stood there, with the town nestled at its foot.
Unlike the industrial bustle of Messer City, Messer Town was so beautiful it was intoxicating.
In fact, the moment they left the city, the scenery along the road to town changed dramatically. Even Tang Qi could not help putting away the hair tie in his hand and occasionally looking out the window to admire the raw, natural landscape.
Stana, however, was in no mood for that.
As she sped along, without even asking whether Tang Qi wanted to hear it, she began introducing the case.
"Seven days ago, the first victim appeared at Messer University. An old janitor. His entire body looked as though it had been soaked in some highly corrosive liquid. His clothes and skin had all rotted away, as had most of his body. Even his hard skull had been corroded through with several large holes."
"After receiving the report, the town police thought it was an accident and did not take it seriously. They only investigated whether dangerous liquids had leaked from the university's chemistry building."
"Then, on the second and third days, a Gardener and a security guard died in exactly the same way. Only then was the police department notified."
"Colleagues from the police department went to investigate and issued an alert that very same day, requiring no one on campus to be alone. Night patrols were organized as well, but unfortunately, a student still died."
"After that, another student died, followed by a student teacher."
"I arrived on the day the teacher died and took part in both the investigation and patrols. Yet right under our noses, an Honorary Professor died."
"This is not normal. That horrifying method of death is absolutely not something an ordinary serial killer could accomplish. And that presence, that smell—it definitely wasn't human. At the very least, it wasn't an ordinary human."
Stana no longer looked like the cool, aloof Big Sister Police Chief. She rattled off a rough account of the case at lightning speed.
At the same time, perhaps feeling that her explanation was not convincing enough, she gripped the steering wheel with one hand and sharply turned it, pulling off an extreme drift around a wide bend. With her other hand, she reached down, took out a document bag, and handed it to Tang Qi.
Fortunately, Tang Qi did not get carsick. Otherwise, with the way Stana drove, he would have vomited his guts out long ago.
He took the document bag, opened it, and pulled out a stack of materials. The first thing he saw was a thick pile of crime scene photographs.
This...!
At just the first photo, Tang Qi's pupils contracted slightly.
The image showed what appeared to be a secluded patch of grass. Beneath a lush tree lay a horrifying corpse.
It was an elderly man with graying hair, dressed in stiff janitorial overalls. But they had been corroded into pockmarked ruin. Most of the flesh on his body had dissolved, and the yellowish-white remains of melted fat looked especially nauseating.
Inside the completely corroded chest cavity, most of the organs had turned to liquid. More than half the ribs had melted away, and the few that remained were covered in blotches and holes. Most shocking of all was the man's head. Half his skull was gone, fully exposing the murky brain matter within.
Any normal person who saw that scene would probably throw up.
In some ways, this crime scene was even more horrifying than the skinning case caused by the Dugong Sea Demon.
The next dozen or so photographs all looked much the same.
The only differences were the crime scenes and the victims.
But if that was all there was, it could not prove that whoever committed these brutal crimes was a person or monster from the Supernatural Realm.
After all, anyone proficient in chemistry or possessing dangerous liquids such as sulfuric acid could accomplish the same thing with careful preparation.
Tang Qi had not been at the scene, so he could not sense the presence Stana had described.
But when Tang Qi turned to one particular photograph, he gave an almost imperceptible nod, confirming Stana's suspicion. There really were... traces of the supernatural.
The scene in the photograph showed the final victim, an elderly Honorary Professor. He had died in his office. In an inconspicuous corner of the horrifying, chaotic scene, a strange cluster of withered plants sat in a flowerpot.
Thanks to Stana's terrifying driving skills, they reached Messer Town in the early hours of the morning. Before Tang Qi could even admire the quaint town, Stana dragged him straight into the university.
"Shouldn't we meet the Director first? He's my immediate superior, after all. We ought to pay him a visit first, right?"
Faced with Stana's request to head straight to the crime scene for an inspection, Tang Qi patted his bag, which contained the temporary Letter of Appointment he had just signed.
But this Big Sister Police Chief was no ordinary person. Without changing expression, she said, "We can pay him a visit later. Solving the case comes first. If we catch the culprit sooner, perhaps we can save another innocent life."
"Then... all right. Let's go here!"
Tang Qi had only been teasing the Police Chief casually. Seeing Stana change the subject, he immediately raised the photograph in his hand.
The place he pointed to was the Honorary Professor's office.
"The professor was named Rick Cassel. Not only was he a Lifetime Honorary Professor at Messer University, he was also a renowned historian at Mihuang State University. He had a considerable reputation within the Federation as well. His death has made the impact of this case spiral out of control."
"If this case cannot be solved, the consequences will be severe. Our Messer Police Department will bear the brunt of it."
"The forensic team has already examined the scene thoroughly. There were no extra footprints or fingerprints at all. It was so clean that it was as if the culprit wasn't human. Just like how that previous monster handled things. Combined with that presence that makes me sick, I dare say those ghostly things did it."
"Are those two bullets still with you?"
Stana was still speaking when Tang Qi suddenly turned back and asked.
They were already standing outside the office door.
"Ah... yes, yes."
The Police Chief instinctively reached into her clothes, seemingly taking two golden-yellow bullets from an inner pocket before handing them to Tang Qi.
The bullets felt warm when they landed in his hand.
He did not know whether it was the heat of the Furnace Power or Stana's body temperature.
This body was only a teenager!
After muttering that, Tang Qi silently ignored the possibility of body temperature and began sensing the changes in the two Furnace Bullets.
The Furnace Power had diminished somewhat.
Only a few days had passed since Tang Qi gave the bullets to Stana. The Furnace Power could not have weakened so quickly. That left only one possibility: the Police Chief had briefly come into contact with a monster from the negative, Evil Faction, or at least shared the same environment with one.
With a small realization forming in his heart, Tang Qi handed the bullets back to Stana. She once again carefully tucked them into her clothes.
Tang Qi's mouth twitched slightly, but he still turned around understandingly and pushed open the office door before him. Yet the instant he stepped one foot inside, his body abruptly froze, and he shouted, "Who are you?"
After saying that, Tang Qi immediately retreated from the office and, without the slightest shame, hid behind Stana.
His movements were swift and fluid, completed in one smooth motion.
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