Blue Eyes Under Fog City Bridge (8)

The night was as dark as ink.

Ye Yan stood before the iron gates of Butler Manor.

In the flowerbed facing the main gate, a cluster of roses bloomed, with hazy mist flowing slowly among them.

On the dark green stems, the unopened red buds appeared all the more jarring, like drops of blood oozing from thorns that had pierced the moonlight, slowly dripping down the veil of mist.

Smith was indeed skilled at interrogation.

Even though Ye Yan had heard the screams from outside, once everything was over, aside from the lingering terror on Baron's face, not a single obvious wound could be found on his body.

And from Baron's own mouth, they had learned exactly who the culprit was.

The three of them escorted Baron forward.

The servants dared not block them while they held an arrest warrant, but a certain shameless old man proved to be quite an obstruction.

"Stop!"

Old Marquis Butler stood at the top of the second-floor stairs, clutching a silver-headed cane.

They were intercepted by the old Marquis in the main hall.

Detective Lestrade stood beside Ye Yan, his gaze sharp and stern: "Your son, Cyril Butler, is involved in multiple cases of missing young girls. We have obtained eyewitness testimony and recorded statements. As a law enforcement officer, I have the right to—"

"The right to what?" The old Marquis stood on the stairs, looking down at them from his superior position: "Trespassing on a private estate? Insulting the reputation of a noble? My lawyer is already on the way."

"Marquis Butler, your denial is useless. Baron has already identified Cyril Butler's crimes."

Lestrade gestured for the other man to look at the parchment in his hand: "This is an arrest warrant."

"An arrest warrant?"

The old Marquis glanced at the contents, his withered fingers gripping the cane tightly: "Baron, some thug from who knows where, actually has the audacity to shamelessly claim he is of Butler blood and slander my son!"

He stared at the pale-faced Baron, his voice trembling with rage: "I will sue you, you degenerate, for defamation!"

Ye Yan glanced at Smith, who was standing to the side.

He saw the man step forward and pull out a document stamped with a special seal: "I am James Smith, a mid-level investigator for the Supernatural Administration Bureau. Our investigation shows that Cyril Butler has had secret dealings with cultists from the Sunset Church and is suspected of using underage girls for human sacrifice."

The document was real.

However, it was an expired document he had kept from his last field mission.

Thus, Smith only let the man catch a glimpse of the fake document before quickly retracting it, then presenting his own credentials: "We are taking him into custody. You have no right to stop us."

The old Marquis's cold expression finally shifted: "Absurd! The Bureau must have made a mistake!"

"We need to go in and verify." Ye Yan's gaze locked onto the old Marquis's eyes: "If you continue to obstruct us, we will arrest you as well for interfering with special law enforcement."

The old Marquis's expression was dark and uncertain.

Just then, a servant hurried forward.

"Master, a squad of police has arrived outside, saying they are here to arrest Young Master Cyril."

Hearing the servant's report, a crack appeared in the old Marquis's mask-like expression, his face turning terrifyingly grim.

In the end, he chose to concede.

"The butler will accompany you to find Cyril."

His cane struck the floor heavily as he cast a cold glare at the three of them.

"The impulsiveness of youth always comes with a price. As someone who has been through it, I don't mind teaching you a lesson."

"I will appeal to the Unicorn Court and make you understand the consequences of offending the Butler Family. You will ruin your otherwise bright futures, and the rest of your lives will be spent repenting for today's recklessness in prison."

Facing the old Marquis's threats, the three of them remained unmoved.

The old Marquis did not care about their indifferent attitudes and let out a cold snort. As he turned, he cast a meaningful glance at the cowering Baron and lightly twisted a plain silver ring on his finger.

Baron's pupils constricted, and he lowered his head, his face turning deathly pale.

This scene went unnoticed by Lestrade and Ye Yan, but Smith narrowed his eyes as he passed the head-bowed Baron, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint arc.

The butler attempted to lead the three of them in circles around the manor to stall for time, but his efforts were destined to be in vain.

Upon learning that Baron was an illegitimate child of the Butler Family, Ye Yan had used the Luck Compass to pinpoint Cyril Butler's coordinates using the man's blood.

The Luck Compass spun silently in his mind, its needle trembling as it pointed toward the east side of the manor.

The further they walked, the heavier the smell of mold in the air became, mixed with the pungent odor of some chemical agent. As the distance closed, the compass needle finally stopped trembling, coming to a rest before a seemingly ordinary stone wall.

"It's here."

Ye Yan turned to tell Lestrade and Smith.

Hearing this, the two men felt along the stone wall, and Lestrade felt a slight protrusion on one of the bricks.

"Found it."

Accompanied by the sound of a mechanism turning, a hidden door slowly opened.

In the dim basement, a man sat sipping red wine. The display cabinet behind him had become empty, leaving only a pair of blue, heterochromatic eyeballs staring at the three intruders from within a jar of preservative.

Lestrade's blood ran cold.

He drew his gun directly, aiming it at the man sitting on the sofa.

"Cyril Butler, you are suspected of multiple counts of murder involving young girls. I am now officially arresting you on behalf of the London Police Department!"

Ye Yan and Smith raised their guns simultaneously.

Facing the three muzzles pointed at him, Cyril appeared surprisingly calm. He looked back at the trio, a morbid smile hanging on his lips.

"My father always underestimated the curiosity of his guests, to think he would let the three of you stumble into my lounge."

"A lounge? Then what is that behind you?!"

Lestrade roared, firing off the question.

Cyril suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing throughout the basement.

"You mean this?" He raised his hands, looking at the sole remaining collection piece behind him: "This is merely a human specimen I purchased from a collector. It is my private property, and the three of you have no right to interfere."

Hearing this, Ye Yan frowned.

According to what Baron had said, Cyril Butler kept the Blue Eyes he had removed from the girls as a collection, hiding them all in a mysterious basement within Butler Manor.

The coordinates from the Compass could not be wrong.

If the man was this composed, it was likely because he had already destroyed all the Blue Eyes taken from those girls.

Ye Yan's gaze shifted to that pair of heterochromatic eyes.

No.

This piece of trash had arrogantly left one behind.

Ye Yan recalled the girl on the missing persons list who possessed rare heterochromatic eyes; her name was Daphne, the very same noble girl Detective Lestrade had been searching for all this time.

"Enough! You lunatic!"

Lestrade suddenly exploded in rage: "Don't think you can escape punishment just by destroying the evidence. With Baron's testimony, you can wait for the gallows!"

"Is that so?" Cyril smiled, a frantic light flickering in his eyes: "Then let us wait and see!"