Clues

The potentially enormous gains did not make Qin Ran lose his cool.

Instead, Qin Ran grew even calmer.

He knew very well that truly obtaining enormous gains would never be simple.

Whether he joined the same faction as the other party or opposed them, it would require tremendous effort.

The former required missions to lay the groundwork and improve the relationship between them. Put simply, he had to raise their favorability high enough to receive equipment, skills, and other gifts from them.

The latter was much simpler to carry out, but it required sufficient strength, manpower, and so on to take the other party down. Put simply, it meant looting equipment, skills, and the like.

As for Qin Ran, he was still far from either of those approaches.

Because he first had to deal with the crisis before him—

Accompanied by a heavy gust from the punch, his opponent's fist was already right in front of Qin Ran.

Facing a punch with such power, Qin Ran had no intention of taking it head-on if he wanted to avoid broken bones and torn tendons.

His proficient-level [Dodge] and E-rank evasion made his steps nimble. Like an agile cat, he lightly evaded the opponent's first strike.

"Huh!"

His opponent was clearly surprised that Qin Ran had dodged his punch.

Though surprised, his second punch followed immediately after.

Whoosh!

This punch was heavier and more forceful than the last.

It was also a little faster.

It appeared before Qin Ran almost instantly, leaving him no way to evade as lightly as before with nimble footwork and a flexible body.

Moreover, Qin Ran was certain that if this heavier punch landed solidly, it would not merely give him a concussion. His skull would be deformed by the blow.

And if his skull was deformed, there was naturally no way he could survive.

Even a data-based body could not withstand that.

After all, the head, heart, and similar areas had always been classified as vital points.

Without hesitation, Qin Ran exerted force through his waist, throwing his upper body backward while keeping both feet firmly planted.

The fist brushed past Qin Ran's face, and the wind it generated tossed his hair into disarray.

Qin Ran felt heat on his face, followed by the sensation of liquid running down it.

Combined with the stinging pain, it was obvious that the skin on his face had been scraped open by the force of the punch.

However, Qin Ran did not spare it much attention.

Because his opponent's third attack had arrived!

The straight punch turned into a dropping elbow, like an iron spike smashing down toward Qin Ran's lower abdomen.

Maintaining the Iron Bridge stance and unable to borrow any force, Qin Ran was instantly thrown into an extremely dangerous situation.

At the brink of life and death, Qin Ran raised his leg and "stomped."

Bang!

With the sole of his firmly planted foot acting as though it had springs attached, Qin Ran "stomped" on the opponent's shin. Before the attack could touch his lower abdomen, his entire body shot backward.

However, the retreat was extremely awkward.

The moment Qin Ran raised his leg, his entire body lost balance. Though he borrowed the force to retreat, it would have been more accurate to say that he rolled backward.

Even the box containing [Viper-M1] fell to one side.

As Qin Ran rolled backward, his opponent relentlessly pursued him.

Likewise, Qin Ran would not simply wait to die.

While rolling, [M1905] and a dagger appeared in his hands.

"Stop!"

At that moment, Sister Mony finally recognized Qin Ran from a distance and stopped the two from continuing their fight.

The old man named Gonglansen, who had raised his leg to kick, and Qin Ran, who had raised his gun to fire, did not attack again at Sister Mony's shout.

However, both remained guarded as they watched each other.

"Detective Qin Ran, I need an explanation!"

Sister Mony frowned unconsciously as she looked at Qin Ran.

Yet her tone and gaze remained gentle.

Faced with Sister Mony's question, which barely even counted as an interrogation, Qin Ran gave a wry smile.

Her gentle inquiry was far harder for Qin Ran to handle than a harsh rebuke would have been.

"When I spoke with you earlier, Sister, I noticed that you had concealed something."

"So I pretended to leave, then sneaked back in to investigate."

Still wearing that wry smile, Qin Ran told her the truth.

"It was my oversight!"

"You are the best detective in this city. How could you fail to notice the flaws in my words?"

"I'm sorry. Gonglansen thought you were someone else, which was why he attacked!"

With a sigh, Sister Mony apologized to Qin Ran.

"Sister Mony, I'm the one who should apologize!"

The wry smile on Qin Ran's face deepened.

He would rather fight Gonglansen beside Sister Mony again than face the self-reproach in Sister Mony's gentle expression.

After all, the fault was not hers!

Her failure to tell him the full truth was not a mistake.

Other than your parents, no one had any obligation to tell you everything you wanted to know.

Qin Ran had understood that principle long ago.

And although his later infiltration could be justified emotionally, it could not be justified logically.

In fact, from the moment he chose to sneak in, he was the one in the wrong.

Qin Ran understood that clearly and did not deny it.

That was why the situation before him was so awkward.

"Detective Qin Ran, you are a kind person!"

"Tilly is Gonglansen's student. He should know more!"

"I had originally intended to tell you tomorrow, but it would be better for Gonglansen to tell you himself now!"

"Gonglansen, please tell Detective Qin Ran everything you know about Tilly—this is my request!"

Sister Mony looked gently at Qin Ran, then turned her gaze toward Gonglansen.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Gonglansen touched the tip of his right middle finger to his heart and lowered his body along with his head.

It was an ancient gesture of respect.

And that honorific was the beginning of the ancient ritual.

Qin Ran watched Gonglansen and Sister Mony before him.

He instinctively recalled what Sister Mony had called Gonglansen when she had been emotionally agitated earlier: my guardian knight!

Now, Gonglansen formally addressed Sister Mony as Your Highness!

Qin Ran was not stupid.

From their forms of address alone, he could tell that neither of their identities was simple!

Gonglansen, however, did not care what Qin Ran was thinking.

After saluting Sister Mony, the tall, sturdy old man began telling Qin Ran everything he knew about Artilly Hunter.

"Tilly happened to discover the most secluded corner of this school! She possessed curiosity far beyond that of children her age—after finding this place, she kept exploring and eventually discovered my secret!"

"At the same time, I discovered that Tilly had considerable talent!"

"Going with the flow, I agreed to teach Tilly things she could not learn at school, while she helped me keep my secret!"

At this point, a smile appeared on Gonglansen's face.

It was the relieved smile of an elder watching a younger generation's prank.

"This instruction has continued for four years. I taught her all the fundamentals and some advanced knowledge. Then, a week ago, she brought an injured man here—he should have been a stranger whom Tilly happened to save! He stayed here for one night before leaving! Tilly was worried and followed him!"

"Tilly's disappearance should be connected to that stranger!"

"But don't worry. Tilly will definitely be fine!"

Gonglansen appeared extremely confident.

He had confidence both in Artilly Hunter's abilities and in his own instruction.

"Accidents can happen at any time!"

"Gonglansen, tell Detective Qin Ran the characteristics of that injured stranger!"

"Finding Tilly as soon as possible is what we should be doing!"

Sister Mony sighed softly.

The nun was filled with worry for her student.

"That fellow had a knife scar on his face, beginning between his eyebrows and running all the way to the left corner of his mouth. He is easy to recognize!"

"The knuckles on both hands were thick, and he possessed considerable fighting skill!"

"He was wounded in the back. If he had not dodged in time, his kidney would have been pierced—the person who attacked him was an expert!"

Gonglansen described the injured stranger from his memories.

His account was clear and organized, showing that the events of a week ago remained fresh in his mind.

"Will those characteristics be enough?"

Sister Mony looked at Qin Ran.

"They're enough!"

Qin Ran nodded.

In fact, the first detail Gonglansen had mentioned was enough for Qin Ran.

After all, anyone with a scar on their face was bound to leave a deep impression on others.

Not to mention the other two details.

As long as he asked Sheriff John for help, Qin Ran was confident he could find the man in the shortest possible time.

"Then Tilly is in your hands!"

Sister Mony bowed slightly to express her gratitude to Qin Ran.

"I accepted Hunter's advance payment. As a detective, this is my job!"

Qin Ran quickly stepped aside, then explained with a smile.

By this point, with useful clues in hand, Qin Ran should naturally have left.

However, Qin Ran had not forgotten that he needed to complete the objective of the side quest as much as possible.

And based on the information he had received earlier, Sister Mony before him must have had a side quest.

More importantly, completing Sister Mony's side quest would surely earn him the goodwill of Gonglansen beside her.

Qin Ran still vividly remembered the man's strength.

Especially those successive, rapid punches. They were absolutely not merely the result of powerful physical attributes, but rather some special technique.

If possible, Qin Ran very much hoped to learn that technique from him.

Of course, Qin Ran was also more than willing to help someone as worthy of respect as Sister Mony.

So, after pausing for a moment, Qin Ran continued.

"Sister Mony, I overheard your earlier conversation with Captain Lidd—I'm sorry, and I apologize for that!"

"You seem to be in some trouble. If you do not mind, I think I may be able to help!"

"Consider it compensation for my inappropriate behavior this time!"