Saint Paul School

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

Crack!

The sound of a joint dislocating rang out.

[Grappling: Your Strength exceeds the opponent's by two ranks, 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.

Faced with the pain, he no longer tried to hide anything. Not only did he shout loudly, but he also fell to his knees in agony, tears and snot streaming down his face.

The sudden shouting and change drew everyone's attention.

Neither the criminal holding the hostage nor Karl, who was facing him down, was an exception.

However, the former reacted faster.

He violently shoved the hostage toward Karl. After blocking Karl, he wildly swung his dagger and ran toward the edge of the crowd.

The surrounding crowd hurriedly moved aside before the sharp dagger.

A clear path formed just like that.

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

"Get out of my way!"

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

The dagger was fast and vicious.

But it lacked accuracy and proper technique.

To Qin Ran, who possessed Mastery-level [Cold Weapon: Dagger], the thrust was full of openings.

Other than having a slight advantage in Strength, it was utterly worthless.

And even that strength was only impressive compared to ordinary people.

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

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

To the surrounding crowd, though, Qin Ran looked completely petrified with fear.

Poor guy!

Pity appeared in the eyes of many onlookers.

Of course, that was the limit of their kindness.

As for saving him?

One look at how they had retreated even farther, afraid of being splashed by the blood that was about to spray out, was enough to reveal their choice.

However, not everyone remained indifferent.

"Watch out!"

After pushing aside the hostage in front of him, Karl saw the scene and immediately shouted.

At the same time, he struggled to his feet and rushed toward Qin Ran.

But just as the young police officer stood up, the criminal charging forward wildly was sent flying backward. He crashed down in front of Karl, continuously vomiting blood.

What had happened?

Karl stood frozen in place.

The surrounding onlookers wore the same expression.

Everything had happened too fast, in the blink of an eye. No one had seen what happened.

Only Qin Ran, one of the people involved, knew what had occurred.

As the criminal approached, Qin Ran shifted his footing slightly and then raised his leg for 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- Rank.

When attacking with his legs and triggering the Mastery of Leg Combat effect of [Hand-to-Hand Combat], his Strength increased by another point, reaching E Rank.

That kind of Strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Based on what Qin Ran had learned from Lawless, taking the attribute Strength as an example:

F-: Weaker than an adult man. Most women fell into this rank.

F: The Strength of an ordinary adult man.

F+: The Strength of laborers at train stations and docks who exercised regularly.

E-: Amateur weightlifters.

E: The best among professional weightlifters.

E+: The absolute champions among weightlifters.

Above E+, once one entered D Rank, it was the realm of innate supernatural strength.

Qin Ran's Strength naturally did not count as innate supernatural strength. He had not even reached E+, the rank of "absolute champions among weightlifters." Even reaching E Rank, "the best among professional weightlifters," relied on triggering the Mastery of Leg Combat effect of [Hand-to-Hand Combat]. But that did not change the fact that Qin Ran's Strength had already far surpassed that of ordinary people.

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

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

"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 running himself ragged, will be very happy!"

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

If people did not offend him, he would not offend them.

Qin Ran had initially chosen to turn a blind eye to these thieves.

Because Qin Ran knew that around train stations, people like them were like weeds. If one disappeared, another would soon take his place. Wildfire could not burn them all away; the spring breeze would bring them back to life.

But in the end, these people had targeted him.

They had even nearly ruined his original plan.

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

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

He was more accustomed to taking the initiative to solve trouble.

"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.

Naturally, that 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 raised his hand to hail 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 driver.

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

It was a church school.

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

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

However, Saint Paul School raised its tuition accordingly.

It changed from an inexpensive school into an expensive institution with a semi-public, semi-church nature.

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

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

Children from anything less than rich and influential families should not even think about entering.

Sitting in the carriage, Qin Ran recalled everything related to Saint Paul School.

Qin Ran did not offer much of an opinion.

That was true of both the decree of "no compulsory faith" and the changes to church schools.

Because with the emergence of gunpowder and firearms, as well as the spread of knowledge, all of this had been inevitable.

But privileges 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.

Inside the school, there was also a School Guard Unit that answered entirely to the school.

That was what Qin Ran considered important.

After all, Artilly Hunter could not have suddenly learned swordsmanship and Shooting out of nowhere. Moreover, she could not possibly 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.

So she had hidden the items very carefully.

And Qin Ran believed someone had taught her that method of hiding them.

After all, 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 things—not merely objects, but herself as well.

Deceiving one's parents was no simple matter.

Qin Ran believed that the person who taught Artilly Hunter would be a key clue.

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

As these thoughts raced through Qin Ran's mind, his reaction was not slow. When the patrol officer questioned him, he immediately took out his letter of appointment.

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

"All right!"

Qin Ran did not argue.

For someone who intended to investigate and search a place, Qin Ran did not want to cause trouble before he had even properly entered it.

After settling the fare with the driver, 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 vitality.

"Sir, please stop!"

Just as Qin Ran approached the gate, he encountered a second inspection.

The other party was a middle-aged man, clearly a member of the School Guard Unit. He wore loose priest's robes, but Qin Ran's sharp Perception told him that there was likely a weapon beneath them.

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

Tight security!

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

Qin Ran was unsure 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's brow furrowed at Qin Ran's vague explanation.

However, after looking at the letter of appointment in Qin Ran's hand, he did not press further. He merely gestured to the side.

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

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

"Of course!"

Qin Ran replied with a smile.

Time passed second by second.

Qin Ran patiently stood there and waited.

About ten minutes later, the School Guard Unit member who had left returned. An elderly woman followed behind him.

Judging by her clothing, she was a nun.