Being Ugly Has Its Advantages

Besides the feathers, the Soul Link established between the Fragmented Imprint of Spirit Control and the Blue Lark was also a form of "connection," and an exceptionally strong one at that.

Everything that existed left traces.

Although the Blue Lark had been killed and the link severed, from a supernatural perspective, it had still left behind deep traces.

This, too, was an important connected object.

And the combined force of the two connected objects had unexpectedly allowed the Eye of Omniscience to break through some kind of limitation, making the Illusion it returned far clearer than before.

Cheng Han immediately saw the following scene:

On a lush Evergreen Tree, a small bird stood quietly on a slender branch.

Though partially obscured by Tree Leaves, its pale blue feathers still revealed a hint of unusual color.

At that moment, the little bird suddenly took a few steps.

Amid the verdant green, that streak of blue flickered.

Then, something bizarre happened.

A large mass of inky shadow appeared out of thin air on the ground beside the trunk. A pitch-black Vine shot forth, piercing the canopy with thunderous force.

"Rustle~"

The Vine scraped violently against branches and leaves, creating quite a commotion.

In the blink of an eye, the Vine retracted.

Where the blue bird had been, there was only empty space. Even that section of branch had vanished without a trace.

The shadow on the ground disappeared silently.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

The sudden upheaval frightened the surrounding birds, sending them scattering in every direction.

After a while, the Illusion dissolved like a bubble.

A message flashed before him: "Proficiency +4. Current Proficiency: 114/1000. Spirit Value: 9.4/14.6."

Cheng Han's expression turned solemn. "The Blue Lark was at least ten meters from the house, yet Qin Zi Cheng could kill it from afar. That kid's methods are far more terrifying than I expected.

"The Anomaly shadow on the ground felt very much like a ghost hand. It seems my deduction was correct. This is very likely the power of an Alien God again."

He turned to look at the Black Cat, a trace of relief in his voice. "Sheriff, fortunately, you're a pitch-black Black Cat."

The Black Cat meowed in confusion. "Meow~"

Cheng Han looked at the two surviving birds and commented, "Being a little uglier actually has its advantages."

As its name suggested, the Grey Spotted Finch had gray feathers all over and looked rather inconspicuous. The White Claw Crow was also an entirely black bird, with only its claws being white.

Their low-key appearances had no small part in helping them escape disaster.

Cheng Han beckoned to the Black Cat. "Sheriff, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you tonight."

The Black Cat swished its tail. "Meow~"

As a cat willing to take on responsibilities, it did not mind the hardship. Besides, every time it worked for its owner, it got to enjoy a feast.

Not a loss at all! Thinking this, it unconsciously glanced at the wooden bucket.

Cheng Han could not help laughing. "After we deal with Qin Zi Cheng, I'll make you a whole Roasted Whole Rabbit, roasted over Fruit Wood."

Fruit Wood carried a natural fragrance, giving roasted food a distinctive flavor.

The Black Cat licked its lips and let out excited meows.

Roasted meat of all kinds was its favorite.

Cheng Han began assigning tasks. "Sheriff, take another trip around Qin Zi Cheng's home and quietly collect some items from every household nearby.

"Whether it's dirt from their yards, stems and leaves from their flowers and plants, or anything else, bring back one sample of each. They'll be of great use to me."

Though inconspicuous, the items mentioned above carried traces of human presence and could serve as connected objects for Deduction.

The Vine that had burst from the shadows only showed that Qin Zi Cheng was a dangerous person.

Only the abnormal situations encountered by ordinary people could prove that this fellow posed an enormous threat to society, enough to prompt the authorities to launch a thunderous strike.

In short, he would make sure Qin Zi Cheng could never rise again! The Black Cat answered, "Meow~"

Cheng Han emphasized his warning. "Remember, do not go within twenty meters of Qin Zi Cheng's house... no, thirty meters."

The Black Cat nodded very seriously.

It understood that the bird that had not returned had probably encountered something terrible. Naturally, it would stay far away from dangerous places.

Cheng Han opened the door. "Go!"

The Black Cat darted out swiftly.

*Over the next four hours, the Black Cat made three round trips and was truly exhausted.

There was no helping it.

There were no fewer than thirty households around Qin Zi Cheng's home, and Sheriff could not carry too many things at once, so it could only run back and forth repeatedly.

Besides the items its owner had mentioned, the cat also brought back some strange things.

For instance, a palm-sized piece of Red Cloth.

Judging from its style, it appeared to be a woman's intimate garment.

Cheng Han picked up the cloth and sighed softly. "Sheriff, don't bring back this sort of thing again. I don't want people thinking I'm some kind of pervert."

The Black Cat tilted its head. "Meow~"

It did not quite understand. It was only a piece of cloth. Why was its owner so opposed to it?

"Whoosh!"

Flames sprang from Cheng Han's hand.

The red cloth instantly turned to ashes, burning more than ten times faster than normal.

He was destroying the "evidence."

The Black Cat swished its tail, finding it quite a pity.

In its view, the thing had plenty of uses. It could wipe tables and wash dishes, so why burn it? Cheng Han used these connected objects to conduct Deduction repeatedly.

Because his Spirit Value was limited and the task was too demanding, he had no choice but to use the Programmatic Breathing Method to enter a deep sleep. Only then could he barely hold on.

After completing his tenth Deduction, Cheng Han's face filled with alarm. "The problem is even more serious than I imagined."

For example, in one household, a five-year-old child had, for the past half month, kept hearing a strange voice calling his name whenever he slept;

A married couple had repeatedly experienced a bizarre dream in which a Black Flame Figure led them through a dark forest; another resident dreamed that he walked alone across a dark land, and whenever he looked into the distance, he saw what seemed to be a Giant Statue standing on the horizon; these were not isolated cases.

They were widespread.

It was confirmed! Things that sounded as strange as "black flames" and "statues" absolutely had something to do with an Alien God, and they also showed that Qin Zi Cheng was plotting something major.

Most intriguing of all, every affected family had chosen to remain silent and had not leaked any information to the outside world.

Without exception.

After pondering for a while, Cheng Han thought of the likeliest possibility. "There must be some kind of supernatural power that planted psychological suggestions in these people."

He checked his attributes and found that his Proficiency had increased by 24 points, bringing his skill progress to 138/1000. He was immediately quite satisfied. "My hard work was not in vain."

*Three in the morning.

Cheng Han assigned the Black Cat one final task. "Sheriff, there are quite a few Night Owls in the city. Catch a few and bring them back. I need them to handle something important."

Night Owls were a flocking bird species in this world, accustomed to being active at night.

He added, "Remember to catch them from different flocks."

The Black Cat meowed and went off to work without complaint.

Before long.

Three more "victim birds" appeared in the house.

Cheng Han used the Fragmented Imprint of Spirit Control to control them first, then released them.

He looked up at the night sky and said, "School starts tomorrow. I don't want to stay in the same school as Qin Zi Cheng. The best way is to make that guy disappear tonight."

"Meow~"

The Black Cat gave a serious meow of agreement.

*A few miles away.

A Night Owl returned to its flock.

It cawed a few times, then flapped its wings and took flight.

The other thirty-odd Night Owls seemed to have been affected by some mysterious force. They all took off at once, closely following behind it.

After flying some distance, they joined two other flocks of Night Owls in succession, forming a great bird flock of more than a hundred.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The dense sound of beating wings echoed through the night sky.

It seemed to herald the imminent beginning of a grand spectacle.