At Hand I (Special Thanks to Alliance Master Low-Key Temperament for the Reward)

"All right, I should get going." Jack swiftly rolled up the oil painting, turned, and hurriedly pushed the door open. "Thanks for this time. I'll treat you to a meal next time!"

"Hey, you brat, pulling this again!" Andrew's voice came from behind him. "Be careful. Don't get yourself dragged into it too! Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself to your old man!"

"Got it, got it!" Jack waved without looking back.

After leaving the university gates, Jack raised his head and looked at London's sky. It was dark and oppressive, filled with heavy shades of gray and black.

He recalled a puzzling point he had discovered while examining the scene of a previous murder case.

In that case, the murderer had clearly been hit by more than a dozen bullets, yet he had seemed completely unaffected. He had slaughtered another family of six before fleeing several hundred meters and finally collapsing dead.

Even after being shot, he had still been able to move freely. That monster had borne an Anomaly symbol on its body. And now there were the strange symbols he had suddenly discovered today. The case was like something hidden beneath layers upon layers of mist—each layer peeled away, yet the truth remained nowhere to be found.

Touching his holster again, Jack knew that he might have to rely heavily on this old companion from now on. Or rather, it was the only thing he could rely on.

He tightened his holster and strode into the distance. Yet he did not notice in the slightest that threads of dark clouds and black mist were quietly gathering above all of London, slowly enclosing the entire city as night began to fall.

From certain corners deep within the city came faint, eerie, low-pitched roars.

Without anyone noticing,