"So he was transferred to this nursing home—" Isaac looked at the notes, "Sent from the city hall?"
"They're probably considered homeless or mentally challenged by the City Police Force. Every year, there are many homeless people who can't find their families. While able-bodied people can be allowed to support themselves," the city police say, "The elderly and children, since the welfare bill was passed, are considered inhumane to simply evict them. Therefore, corresponding policies have been introduced, with private welfare organizations helping to take them in. The operators can enjoy certain tax exemptions, making it a profitable deal, although some people still try to exploit loopholes."
In other words, Elesha was found by the City Police Force, but since he couldn't speak clearly and they couldn't contact his family, they transferred him to this nursing home for care— Isaac said, "This is what you wanted to confirm, boss: did you know Elesha might have been here?"
"Because this demon's face looked familiar. After thinking about it, I realized that such Eastern Territory faces are rare in Vista. And after a little more thought, it does resemble Elesha somewhat. He wrote to me saying that the mess he made was summoning a demon and getting entangled with it."
Isaac frowned. It seemed that Elesha had summoned a demon, but might not be able to resist the cognitive and memory distortions caused by the demon, so he came to Carlo to solve this problem.
But Elesha, an Eastern Territory, may have been mentally corrupted and confused when he arrived in Vista. He didn't find Carlo, but was instead picked up by the City Police Force and later sent to this nursing home.
The room he lived in was the one at the end of the corridor on the third floor, and his demon stayed there with him.
"He moved in eight years ago, and seven years ago he disappeared from the records. There's no record of him anymore, and the director changed too," Carlo said. "I'll go check the archives to see if there were any unusual reports about this nursing home seven years ago, or anything about E."
Records of Lesha's death or relocation.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Take another look around the office and see if there's anything else that's worth noting."
Carlo didn't say anything more, probably temporarily disconnecting and going to the archives. Isaac looked at the remaining folders in the bookshelf and pulled out a few employee files.
It's not unusual for a nursing home to change leadership, but when even the frontline staff are replaced, it usually means something is wrong.
Further on, the workforce becomes much more stable.
Isaac closed the booklet, still feeling somewhat uneasy at the thought of that demon being right beside him.
If it came here with Elesha eight years ago, and Elesha is now missing, it seems this demon might still be in that room.
So why the mass killings today? It hasn't gone berserk in the past eight years, but it just happened today.
Moreover— Isaac recalled the gaze he had sensed before entering the nursing home.
Was it from the demon? But according to Carlo, the demon had been hiding on the ceiling of that room, "isolated," until he opened the door and then reacted.
Could there be something else in this building?
He thought of the underground zombie workshop the two police officers had mentioned; this might be one of the Ghoul Cult's strongholds.
The entire underground operation couldn't have been run by outsiders, and these frequently changing employees were very likely members of the Ghoul Cult. The periodic turnover was to prevent anyone from staying in one place for too long.
Isaac flipped through the ledger again, looked at it for a moment, and then Carlo's voice rang out. "There was indeed something seven years ago."
Isaac put the booklet back on the bookshelf. "Hmm?"
" Nehir Elesha killed the founder of this nursing home, that wealthy businessman Ailias."
"Ah?"
"It is said that Ailias would regularly visit the residents in each room to check on the quality of the nursing home's services. On that day, he entered Elesha's room, and Elesha stabbed him in the throat with a pair of hidden scissors, and then stabbed himself in the throat as well."
"At the time, this was handled as a regular murder case. After all, it seemed like a kind-hearted wealthy businessman visiting a mentally ill old man, only to be ambushed and killed by the madman. Back then, the cooperation between the Joint Investigation Bureau and the City Police Force wasn't as close as it is now. In cases like this, the City Police Force could handle them on their own and wouldn't report them to higher authorities."
"Fortunately, the murder case files are shared between the two sides, so I can access them here without having to go to the City Police Force."
Isaac leaned against the table, pondering the message.
When Elesha moved into the nursing home, she was likely already in a state of severe cognitive dissonance. How could someone who couldn't even speak clearly, and who was transferred there by the City Police Force as a homeless person, suddenly erupt in violence, killing the founder of the nursing home, and then immediately committing suicide?
"When Elesha was brought in, he was already mentally unstable," Isaac said, "but he was kept in that room for almost a year without incident, until Ailias came to see him, at that point in time—"
"It's too much of a coincidence. Are you suggesting that Ailias did something to provoke Elesha?"
"Yes." Isaac nodded.
"Well, it's difficult to investigate things from seven years ago. But we can at least speculate about what happened after Ailias died seven years ago."
Isaac nodded. "After Ailias died, the dean and staff changed. There are very few records of guests on the third floor, but the layout of the third-floor corridor doesn't look like it has been unused for a long time."
"Judging from this change, coupled with the suspected involvement of the Ghoul Cult underground, it is highly likely that the Ghoul Cult took over this nursing home after Ailias's death."
"If the third floor was a temporary hideout for the Ghoul Cult, then that makes sense; the nursing home's basement has..."
The workshop is located on the third floor, which contains rooms for temporary accommodation. The first and second floors serve as a cover for the daily operations of the nursing home.
Isaac paused for a moment, thinking about this.
According to Carlo, the victims ranged in age from twenty to fifty, with no elderly people among them. If this were a massacre targeting nursing home residents, the victims should have been predominantly elderly. However, the scene appeared to be more like a group of young adults trying to escape through the door.
If these people are all members of the Ghoul Cult...
Isaac suddenly realized something. "Boss, why did you call me over?"
"Because although the identities of those who died are still being verified, when they were brought to the Joint Investigation Bureau, I saw someone you recognized among them," Carlo said.
Isaac was taken aback. "Who?"
" Glen, although only his head is still intact, he's not hard to recognize."