Saint Paul School

Qin Ran suddenly grabbed the hand just as it was about to touch his coat pocket, then twisted it slightly.

Crack!

The sound of a joint dislocating rang out.

[Grappling: Your Strength exceeds your opponent's by two levels, dealing 20 HP damage and dislocating the opponent's joint...]

"Ah!"

"Let go! Let go! My wrist is broken!"

The intense pain made the thief cry out.

Before the pain, he had no intention of concealing himself. Not only did he shout loudly, but he also dropped to his knees from the pain, tears and snot streaming down his face.

The sudden cries and turn of events drew everyone's attention.

The hostage-taking criminal and Karl, who had been confronting him, were no exceptions.

However, the former reacted faster.

He violently shoved the hostage toward Karl. Once Karl was blocked, he frantically waved his dagger and ran toward the edge of the crowd.

The surrounding crowd scattered before the sharp dagger.

A clear path immediately formed.

But at the end of that path, Qin Ran slowly stepped forward.

"Get out of my way!"

Facing Qin Ran, who was blocking his escape, the criminal had no intention of holding back. He thrust his dagger straight at Qin Ran.

The dagger was fast and vicious.

But it lacked accuracy and proper technique.

To Qin Ran, who possessed Mastery-level [Cold Weapons: Dagger], the thrust was riddled with openings.

Other than having some advantage in strength, it was utterly worthless.

And that strength was only impressive compared with ordinary people.

Compared to Qin Ran, whose Strength had already reached E-, it was far too lacking.

Qin Ran stood there, calculating his opponent's attack without dodging.

To the surrounding onlookers, however, Qin Ran appeared to have been scared stiff.

Poor fellow!

Pity appeared in many spectators' eyes.

Of course, that was the limit of their kindness.

As for saving him?

One look at how they had moved even farther away, afraid of being splashed by the blood that was about to spray out, made their choice obvious.

However, not everyone remained indifferent.

"Watch out!"

After Karl shoved the hostage blocking him aside, he saw the scene and immediately shouted.

At the same time, he struggled to rise from the ground and charged toward Qin Ran.

But just as the young police officer got to his feet, the criminal who had been charging forward wildly flew backward and crashed down in front of him, continuously vomiting blood.

What had happened?

Karl stood there in a daze.

The surrounding onlookers wore the same expression.

It had happened too quickly. Everything had occurred in the blink of an eye, and no one had seen what happened.

Only Qin Ran, as one of those involved, knew exactly what had occurred.

When the criminal was about to reach him, Qin Ran shifted his footing slightly and then drove out a straight kick. The dagger grazed Qin Ran's coat, but Qin Ran's kick landed squarely on the man's lower abdomen.

Qin Ran's Strength had already reached E-.

When he attacked with his legs and triggered Hand-to-Hand Combat's Mastery of Leg Combat effect, his Strength increased by another point, reaching E.

That level of Strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

Based on what Qin Ran had learned through speaking with Lawless, taking the attribute Strength as an example—

F-: Below that of an adult man. Most women fell into this category.

F: The strength of a normal adult man.

F+: The strength of those who exercised regularly, such as laborers at stations and docks.

E-: An amateur weightlifter.

E: An outstanding professional weightlifter.

E+: The undisputed champion among weightlifters.

Above E+, upon entering D, one entered the realm of innate superhuman strength.

Qin Ran's strength naturally did not count as innate superhuman strength. He had not even reached E+, the level of an undisputed weightlifting champion. Even his E-level strength, that of an outstanding professional weightlifter, relied on triggering Hand-to-Hand Combat's Mastery of Leg Combat effect. Yet that did not change the fact that Qin Ran possessed strength far beyond that of an ordinary person.

The criminal lying on the ground, vomiting blood and unable to rise, was proof enough.

[Straight Kick: Deals 70 HP damage to the opponent (Hand-to-Hand Combat (Mastery))...]

"Karl, I think he should be the criminal you're looking for!"

"Take him back and hand him over to John. I think John, who's been run ragged, will be very pleased!"

"Oh, and this guy too. He should be one of the local thieves! You should be able to bust a pickpocket ring through him!"

If people did not offend him, Qin Ran would not offend them.

At first, Qin Ran had chosen to turn a blind eye to these thieves.

He knew that around train stations, people like them were like weeds. If one disappeared, someone else would quickly take his place. Wildfire could not burn them all away; spring winds would bring them back again.

But in the end, these people had made a move against him.

They had even nearly ruined his original plan.

Since it had come to this, Qin Ran naturally would not remain indifferent.

Qin Ran had never been someone used to swallowing his anger.

He preferred to solve trouble proactively.

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The young police officer snapped out of his daze at Qin Ran's words, but his stammering showed that he was still shocked.

That naturally had nothing to do with Qin Ran.

[Side Mission: The Female Corpse at the Police Station! (Completed)]

Seeing the notification that the side mission had been completed, Qin Ran quickly walked to the side and hailed a carriage.

Qin Ran had not forgotten that he had something more important to do.

"Saint Paul School!"

That was what Qin Ran told the coachman.

The prefix of Saint Paul School was enough to indicate its nature.

It was a church school.

Like all church schools, Saint Paul School was renowned in the city for its strict rules and high teaching quality.

The latter in particular made parents throughout the city willing to send their children there. After the decree of "no compulsory faith" was issued, this became even more true.

Correspondingly, however, Saint Paul School raised its tuition fees.

It went from being inexpensive to becoming an expensive, semi-public, semi-church institution.

But its strict rules and excellent teaching quality had not changed.

Simply put, it had become the city's school for the elite.

Children from families without wealth or status had no chance of entering.

Seated in the carriage, Qin Ran recalled everything he knew about Saint Paul School.

Qin Ran offered no further comment.

This was true of both the decree of "no compulsory faith" and the changes in church schools.

Because with the emergence of gunpowder and firearms, and the spread of knowledge—

All of this had been inevitable.

Yet privilege had still been preserved—

Before Qin Ran's carriage could truly approach Saint Paul School, it was stopped by a police officer.

There was a guard booth at each end of the street where the school was located.

Patrol officers were on duty inside twenty-four hours a day.

And that was not all of Saint Paul School's security force.

Within the school itself was also a School Guard Unit that answered entirely to the school.

In Qin Ran's view, the latter was the key.

After all, Artilly Hunter could not have learned swordsmanship and Shooting out of thin air. Nor could she have acquired the weapons herself. Given how protective the wealthy merchant Hunter was of his daughter, he certainly would not have allowed her near such things.

Artilly Hunter understood that as well.

That was why she had hidden the items so carefully.

Qin Ran also believed that someone had taught her that method of concealment.

At the very least, creating a compartment beneath the floorboards without damaging the ceiling below was not something an ordinary person could do.

Someone must have taught Artilly Hunter swordsmanship and Shooting, as well as how to hide—not merely how to hide things, but how to hide herself.

Deceiving one's own parents was no simple matter.

Qin Ran believed the person who had taught Artilly Hunter would be a crucial lead.

It was clear that Artilly Hunter trusted that person. After running away from home, she would most likely contact them.

Though these thoughts raced through Qin Ran's mind, his response was not slow. When the patrol officer questioned him, he immediately produced his letter of appointment.

"Sir, you may pass, but only on foot!"

"All right!"

Qin Ran did not argue.

For Qin Ran, who intended to investigate and search the place, he had no desire to stir up unpleasantness before he had even truly entered it.

After settling the fare with the coachman, Qin Ran quickly headed toward the school gate.

The old school gate displayed Saint Paul School's history to the world, while the brand-new teaching building showed its vigorous vitality.

"Sir, please stop!"

Qin Ran had only just approached the school gate when he encountered a second inspection.

The other party was a middle-aged man, clearly a member of the School Guard Unit. He wore a loose priest's robe, but Qin Ran's sharp senses detected that he likely carried a weapon beneath it.

Not a cold weapon such as a dagger or short sword, but a firearm, likely a flintlock.

Tight security!

Qin Ran thought to himself, but he cooperatively stopped and explained his purpose. "I'm Qin Ran, a police consultant. I'm here because of a certain matter!"

Qin Ran was not sure whether the other party knew about Artilly Hunter's disappearance.

But considering the impact it could have on Artilly Hunter, Qin Ran chose to be vague.

The man frowned at Qin Ran's evasive wording.

However, after seeing Qin Ran's letter of appointment, he did not press further and merely gestured to the side.

A School Guard Unit member dressed similarly immediately ran into the school.

"You'll need to wait! I cannot decide on my own to let you enter the campus—even if you have a letter of appointment from the police station!"

That was what the man said.

"Of course!"

Qin Ran replied with a smile.

Time passed second by second.

Qin Ran waited patiently where he stood.

About ten minutes later, the School Guard Unit member who had left returned, followed by an elderly woman.

Judging by her attire, she was a nun.

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