407. No One Survived

Inside the police station.

The three of them flipped through the documents, looking at the case records of the House of Happiness apartment incident.

However, police records for cases involving gangs are often vague.

I don't know if they're afraid to investigate thoroughly, or if they've been paid to deliberately obscure the truth.

"Here."

Fortunately, Xiya possessed magic, allowing her to directly read files using quantum fluctuations. She made the files grow on their own and read themselves, quickly finding the relevant information.

Liz, 15 years old, died of ****, unclaimed, body cremated.

"?"

Lu Ban was stunned.

Why was the cause of death covered up?

He looked back and saw that there was no photo of the girl, nor an autopsy report. All that was said was that she was sent to the same funeral home they had initially gone to for cremation, and her ashes were nowhere to be found.

A living person died just like that, the cause was covered up, and the final whereabouts of the body are unknown. It really makes one feel that this world is too outrageous.

There aren't many records of this case.

Xiya pointed down.

A violent clash between two armed groups at the House of Happiness apartment complex resulted in 17 deaths and 6 injuries. Two perpetrators were arrested but later released on bail after negotiations with the authorities.

The large-scale gang fight resulted in the deaths of seventeen people, but only two scapegoats were arrested and released, which shows just how chaotic the security situation in the Ruined City was.

Trist glanced at the trial records and the list of the dead and wounded.

Apart from the five gang members, the others were ordinary civilians, while three people died in the House of Happiness apartment building, including Liz from room 404.

There's also Tack in room 405.

Regarding Tack's records, Trist discovered that the police had much more detailed information here.

Tack, leader of the violent Sharp Blade Gang, died in October 2025 during a fight with other gangs.

Besides Tack, the other four gang members were also from the Sharp Blade Gang. It seems they gathered here and were then wiped out by the Catania Family.

Such cases are not uncommon. Over the past few years, the Catania Family has continued to expand and has clashed with many small gangs. Some have submitted and become subordinates of the Catania Family, while others, such as the Sharp Blade Gang, have been directly eliminated by the Catania Family and completely wiped out of the city.

It appears that Liz, who originally lived here, was caught up in a gang fight and died. Lu Ban looked at the information of the other victims, and the cause of death for most of them had been redacted.

Although, according to Stone, the Catania Family wanted to whitewash itself and become upper class, its characteristics as a gang were still unavoidable during the process of expansion and consolidation. When facing small gangs and violent groups, it was obviously much simpler to give them an offer they couldn't refuse than to go through a lot of complicated negotiations.

"But what does all this have to do with Dr. House's case?"

Xiya didn't quite understand.

If Trist dreams of Flora, who is a close friend and roommate of Liz, and Flora was previously in poor health but was cured by Dr. House's medicine, and they were involved in a gang fight a year ago, in which Liz died unexpectedly, and Flora began to receive Dr. House's medicine directly, then the events can all be explained up to this point.

But why kill these two people?

"They were silenced because they saw the faces of gangsters or learned some gang secrets?"

Lu Ban guessed casually.

"But gangsters can control police records, so there's no reason they wouldn't know about these two people. They should have silenced them long ago."

Trist shook his head. In the Ruined City, if a gang wanted to keep any secrets, they could just kill them without any hesitation.

"Furthermore, Dr. House is connected to Madam Martina and the Catania Family, and someone from the Catania Family has also died."

As he said this, he flipped through the case file again and looked at the list of those on trial.

Trist quickly recognized a familiar name: Mackey, the name of the gangster who died because of the Glass Flower.

He participated in the operation to kill the Sharp Blade Gang, but was later made a scapegoat and was eventually released on bail without punishment.

"The connection was right here."

Trist felt the threads in his mind gradually becoming clearer.

The deaths of these three people are indeed related to this incident.

What kind of murderer would harbor such hatred to kill these three people?

Trist believed that as long as a motive could be found, the murderer could be deduced quickly.

Because these cases are clearly highly purposeful.

Once the motive is revealed, it clearly points to the murderer.

"It seems I'll have to ask the Catania Family a good question tonight."

He thought of his banquet invitation.

evening.

The core urban area of Ruined City.

This place is completely different from the surrounding area.

The streets were clean, the buildings stood side by side, and the windows were much brighter.

The streets are filled with all kinds of vehicles, flowing endlessly, and people coming and going.

Colorful signs stand between buildings, making the road colorful as well. The streetlights are so bright that they obscure the starlight and moonlight.

From any random shop on the street, you could hear songs playing on a gramophone, the cheerful music filling the area as if trying to cover up all the evil.

Most of the people on the street were dressed in decent clothes. These clothes were exquisitely made, some were hand-sewn, and fit the body perfectly. The cost of just one button was enough to feed the people in the slums for a week.

This was Lu Ban's first time truly visiting such an affluent area. The mansion in the Gudu was already considered luxurious, but now he could feel that the Gudu were just ordinary rich people, while the people living here were the true upper class of the Ruined City.

Children who grow up here will never know what pig feed tastes like, will never have to sell their bodies for money, and will never show a bright smile over bread stained with mud or a sandwich left over from someone else.

Lu Ban wasn't feeling too comfortable either. He was wearing a cheap suit, which was rented and didn't fit him well. There weren't many people his height in the Ruined City, so the suit was a bit too small.

Trist also pulled out his most treasured formal attire, handling it with utmost care, afraid of getting it dirty.

As for Xiya, she rented an emerald green evening gown. For Xiya, who had grown up in a free environment, wearing such a corseted dress and high heels was obviously quite uncomfortable.

"May I take off my shoes, at least before the banquet begins?"

Xiya rubbed her fair feet. The torment of high heels on her heels was more agonizing than the most troublesome magic problem. She couldn't help but take off her shoes and walk barefoot in the car, feeling quite pleased.

"Watch your image, I don't want you to get kicked out."

Trist straightened his tie. The car arrived at the hotel entrance just in time. He got out first, followed by Lu Ban, and finally, Xiya, who looked displeased and had put on high heels.

They are about to attend a charity banquet hosted by the Catania Family.

*

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