Cultivate Myself?

[Lin Qi has been taken over.]

[Lin Qi lv11]

Early in the morning, Ryan opened the game for a look and found that "Lin Qi" had already appeared in the church and begun her daily work.

She had only gained one level, but there were hardly any monsters around the church to farm. Being able to level up while keeping the character working was already pretty good... Come to think of it, did "Lin Qi" need sleep?

After washing up, Ryan opened the door, took down the newspaper hanging outside, and read it while enjoying breakfast.

The front page carried a report on the murder of a Central City Police Officer. The news outlet excitedly announced that the murderer had been brought to justice, and that the one who had caught him was none other than East District elite Police Officer Mr. Ryan Bask.

There was even a photo of Ryan on the page. The funny part was that he had no idea when it had been taken.

"Hm?"

As he turned to another page, he found an extra note pasted onto it.

Ryan focused his eyes on it.

[Starting today, I am your direct superior.]

It was a sentence with no context whatsoever.

But he quickly understood.

Deke had been killed. Adler already knew and had begun making moves.

The note bore no signature, but it had been pasted over a news report about Adler. Ordinary people would not make the connection even if they saw it, but Ryan was Adler's lackey. Of course he could figure it out.

"Things are going pretty smoothly."

Ryan stroked his chin.

The League of Fire had indeed elevated his status.

Now he needed to think about how to get rid of Adler.

After breakfast, Ryan arrived at the East District Bureau of Investigation. He crossed the office area, greeting his colleagues one after another along the way.

"You're here."

Outside the director's office, Jonathan was walking over with a kettle in hand. He pushed open the door and beckoned Ryan inside.

"Come in with me. I have something important to tell you."

Something for the Alt Account to Take the Blame For

"Director, what happened?"

Inside the office, Jonathan glanced behind Ryan and gestured for him to close the door.

"There's been a murder on Heiding Street. A fire burned down a residence, and fifty-three people died inside."

"A fire?" Ryan froze. "More than fifty people? What kind of family has that many people living together?"

Jonathan shook his head. "They weren't all the same group. Based on the latest information, it was likely the site of a cult ritual. We'll need to take a look before we can say anything definite. You'll be joining me for today's operation."

"No problem, Director. When do we leave?"

Ryan said the words aloud, but inwardly he was puzzled. When "Lin Qi" had left last night, there clearly had not been a fire. Had Echo gone back and set it herself?

That should not have been the case. The Hand of Darkness being investigated would not hurt Cassidy in any way. It might even benefit her. Unless Echo was also a mole, there was no reason for her to burn down the residence.

Oh... Adler.

Ryan thought of the Secretary-General. Since the other man had learned of Deke's death last night, he surely knew about the situation at Black Ding Street No. 228 as well. Burning down the residence to prevent information about the Hand of Darkness from leaking out was perfectly normal.

"We're leaving now. Ryan, remember that you're a probationary Investigator. You could get caught up in supernatural incidents at any time, so be especially careful. Don't act on your own if anything happens. Report it first." Jonathan gave him a worried reminder.

Normally, probationary Investigators had to undergo training before joining operations. Directly participating in an operation like this was far too dangerous.

But there was no helping it. Public security had truly been unable to keep up recently. Yesterday, they had discovered Sam, a Blood Cult Member. The League of Fire in Berman City was still investigating that, and now a murder case involving a suspected Cult Sacrifice had popped up.

Jonathan rubbed his temples. All he wanted now was for Princess Cassidy to arrive soon and leave soon.

Nine in the morning.

Ryan followed Jonathan to Black Ding Street No. 228.

More than fifty people had died. The severity of this case far surpassed the Police Officer murder from the night before last. Although the Bureau of Investigation had set up a cordon around the scene, the Outer Area was still packed with people.

The moment they saw Jonathan appear, those people swarmed toward him.

"Director Jonathan, has there been any progress in this case?"

"Director Jonathan, people are saying this was an evil ritual. Is that true?"

"Director, is there anything you can share with us regarding this case?"

"..."

"..."

Ryan was dumbfounded as he looked at the swarm of hornets in front of him.

Fucking paparazzi!

"Everyone, the Bureau of Investigation will provide updates on the case as they become available. Please do not obstruct our investigation for now."

After Jonathan spoke, several Police Officers quickly ran over to maintain order and stop the reporters outside. Ryan squeezed into the residence after him. Unlike at night, it did not seem quite so eerie in daylight. Still, the enormous residence from last night had now been burned into a massive lump of charcoal.

Before he even entered, Ryan smelled a pungent, charred stench. Several Police Officers came out through the entrance, each one pale-faced.

"Director."

"Director."

Jonathan nodded slightly and entered the residence without changing expression.

Ryan took several deep breaths to steady himself. Even though he had prepared himself in advance, the moment he entered and saw the grotesquely burned corpses piled in the center of the altar, the powerful visual impact nearly made him throw up.

That was disgusting!

"Ryan, keep up."

Jonathan urged him on and walked straight to the center of the altar. He crouched down to inspect it carefully, his eyes as sharp as Eagle Eye, utterly unaffected by the hellish scene before him.

After a while, he brushed away the ash on the ground and cleared a clean patch, revealing the mysterious patterns carved into the altar last night beneath it.

"As expected, it was a cult ritual."

As a Level 3 Investigator, Jonathan had seen far too many cult rituals like this.

He called Ryan over and said in a low voice, "Do you see these patterns? Cult rituals must use carved Divine Marks to proceed. Usually, the only ones who understand this are Singers... As for what a Singer is, you'll find out later."

"You must remember this: the League of Fire will never tolerate the existence of Cultists. No matter how deeply they hide, we must drag them out!"

Ryan nodded silently.

All he could do was mourn for these people's deaths. Until yesterday, his own life had been in danger. How could he have spared the energy to care whether these people lived or died?

"Look around first. Tell me if you find any clues," Jonathan said. Ryan was, after all, a Police Officer with some foundation. It did not matter that he was not from the Criminal Investigation Department.

This was also an opportunity to test Ryan's abilities. If he truly could not spot anything, that would mean he was not cut out for this line of work.

Ryan glanced at the pile of corpses, then pretended to make a circuit around the area before heading upstairs.

The second floor was filled with the Believers' corpses, all burned as well. The staircase hung there crookedly, and even climbing it was difficult. He searched the entire floor and confirmed that there were no clues that could reveal "Lin Qi's" identity before returning to the hall.

Jonathan was examining a wall.

"Director?"

"Come take a look." Jonathan pointed at a hole in the wall.

Ryan looked over. It was a Bullet Hole, with a Revolver round still lodged inside. Was that not the shot "Lin Qi" had fired at Echo last night?

"Can you tell anything from it?" Jonathan asked.

Ryan thought for a moment before saying, "It looks like ammunition issued by our bureau."

"That's right. And I suspect it was from the gun that went missing earlier... Ryan, what impression do you have of that Nun?"

"What aspect do you mean, Director?"

"Does she seem like the kind of person who would panic when faced with danger?" Jonathan continued without waiting for an answer. "At least, I don't think so. Being able to think of picking up a handgun and killing a Werewolf in a crisis shows that she remained sufficiently rational at the time. But she said she was very afraid, even forgetting to take the gun with her... She also said that fear was why she had not reported the matter immediately. If her fear was an act, then everything she said may have been a lie too."

"What if... she took the gun and even deliberately leaked Sam's whereabouts to you?" Jonathan fell into thought.

Ryan was stunned. Damn, this Old Man had been suspecting "Lin Qi" all along.

"Director, are you saying that Nun was using us to deal with the Cultists?"

"It's not impossible. But supernatural beings from churches are generally people of the Gate of Janus. I can't understand why someone like that would want to keep a gun." Jonathan said doubtfully, "And with the Gate of Janus's influence, they wouldn't need to borrow the Bureau of Investigation's hand."

He knew that people from the Gate of Janus were operating in Berman City, but they had no conflict with the League of Fire. To some extent, the two could even be considered allies.

"Could she simply hate Cultists? Come to think of it, I also found that Nun strange. When I pulled out my gun and shot Sam, she wasn't afraid at all." Ryan said in surprise. "...So that was it. Was all of this her scheme?!"

"Hard to say. In any case, she definitely isn't simple."

"Don't worry, Director. If there's something wrong with her, I'll keep a close eye on her!" Ryan declared loudly.

Sacrifice the small self to fulfill the greater self. An Alt Account could always be leveled again. Lin Qi, if something really happened, I'd have to ask you to bear it... Ryan thought to himself.

Janus's Priestess

As the saying went, better a fellow cultivator die than oneself. Besides, it was only his Alt Account. If the Alt Account was ruined, he could simply make another. Wasn't that how the adult world worked?

So when it came to his relationship with "Lin Qi," Ryan would distance himself from her as much as possible, whether it involved good things or bad.

"There's no need to go that far. If she really is a supernatural being of Janus, you won't be able to keep an eye on her anyway." Jonathan waved a hand. "What worries me now is that she may simply be another church member who infiltrated Janus. A lot must have happened here last night, but unfortunately, the fire burned away all the useful clues... By the way, how did your investigation go?"

"Director, I found this."

Ryan took out the Dark Emblem.

"This is..." Jonathan's expression turned grave. "The Hand of Darkness's emblem? So it really was them."

"The Hand of Darkness?"

"A Heretic faction, like the Blood Cult, but their actions are much more covert."

"Director, which of these two factions poses the greater threat?"

"Hard to say. In terms of crime frequency, the Blood Cult is definitely higher. The Hand of Darkness rarely acts, but when they do commit a crime, it is never something minor."

At this point, Jonathan rubbed his head in frustration. Damn Heretics, couldn't they behave themselves during this period?

"Also, I found traces of combat," Ryan said.

He led Jonathan to several Bullet Holes made by a Revolver.

The Bullet Holes had been scorched by the fire and covered in ash. Some were already difficult to make out. They would be hard to find without spending time carefully searching.

"So many?" Jonathan praised him. "Ryan, well done. You have sharp eyes."

Of course. I fired them all myself. How could I not find them? Ryan nodded. "Yes, I've been observant since I was young."

"Then, Jon, what do you think these Bullet Holes indicate?"

"Well... if the gun really belonged to that Nun, then at least it proves she wasn't with the Hand of Darkness, right? The battle last night must have been intense."

"Go on."

"As for the fire, that's harder to say. It could have been her, but I think it's also possible that the Hand of Darkness set it to cover their tracks. That fits their usual methods too."

Jonathan smiled lightly. Ryan's deduction was the same as his own... It seemed this kid really did have the potential to become an Investigator.

"Director, are the people from the Hand of Darkness powerful? Can guns kill them?"

"That depends on the circumstances." Jonathan looked around. "For a ritual on this scale, the Singer's strength must have reached First Tier Transcendent. If they go any further, firearms become difficult to use effectively. And there were so many Cultists here last night. If the Nun was alone..."

"Then her strength must be terrifying? No..." Ryan's tone shifted. "That can't be it. If she were really that strong, she wouldn't need to use us to deal with Sam. Were there other accomplices last night? Or perhaps a third faction?"

Jonathan had been considering that as well. If there was a third faction, who could it be?

What was going on lately? Princess Cassidy's arrival in Berman City was drawing closer and closer. The higher-ups had ordered them to tighten public security, yet those below were stepping up their destruction instead.

As the Police Chief, he was under a great deal of pressure.

Jonathan had no intention of investigating "Lin Qi's" identity any further. From the current evidence, she was most likely someone from the Gate of Janus. So long as "Lin Qi" did not conduct cult rituals or kill ordinary people, the League of Fire would not interfere with her.