Arriving at a carriage outside the club, Morris opened the back door. The carriage had no seats and was covered with tarpaulins, clearly a vehicle specifically used for transporting special items—such as corpses.
The maggots obediently crawled into the carriage and lay down. Morris closed the door and walked to the front of the carriage, where the space was rather cramped, with two rows of seats facing each other.
Morris instructed the coachman to go to the Joint Investigation Bureau. Isaac sat down opposite him, the coachman pulled the reins, and the carriage drove away from the Oak Club.
Neither of them spoke on the way. Morris looked out the window, the streetlights casting shadows across his face, the alternating light and shadow making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Isaac didn't want to say too much, after all, the section chief's hostility towards Carlo was obvious, and he was Carlo's assistant, so the more he said, the more mistakes he would make.
As the carriage rounded a bend, Morris suddenly spoke up, "What do you think of tonight's attack?"
Isaac paused, surprised that Morris would ask him a question. Recalling his previous experiences and Carlo's judgment, he said, "They came for Captain Byrne, but if they really wanted to kill, they wouldn't have chosen this method. So, the killer's goal might not be to kill Captain Byrne, but to make a big scene."
Morris scoffed. "At the same time, this serves as a warning."
Isaac looked at him, Morris said, "These nobles have been living in comfort for too long. Someone like Byrne went out without even a guard. If he had been targeted by someone who really wanted to kill him, he'd probably be dead by now."
Isaac thought for a moment. As the chief of the City Police Force, Byrne came to the club alone tonight without any bodyguards. Although the security in Vista City was relatively good, given Byrne's status, this level of security was indeed a bit lax.
"Do you think this attack was more of a reminder to Captain Byrne that he is not safe?"
Morris did not reply.
If the other party's purpose was truly to "remind" them, then although the attack was radical and disgusting, its stance became ambiguous, and it was difficult to discern the truth from a single exploding corpse... Isaac pondered.
After a moment of silence, Morris spoke again, "Do you know Corotty?"
Isaac shook his head.
"I heard you're from out of town, so it's normal that you don't know," Morris said. " Corotty doesn't have a good reputation in Vista. He comes from a collateral branch of the nobility and runs a lending business. He charges high interest rates and is ruthless in collecting debts, driving many people to bankruptcy."
Isaac listened, picking up on the implications in Morris's words.
Corotty had a bad reputation; a loan shark with a terrible reputation probably had many enemies. The death of such a person would likely be met with secret jubilation from many.
He was from a collateral branch of the nobility, not exactly an unknown nobody, but not a particularly important figure either; his death wouldn't cause much of a stir.
It feels like... the killer deliberately chose someone "suitable to die".
The carriage stopped in front of the Joint Investigation Bureau building. The two men got out, and the maggot was taken out of the carriage and followed them into the Joint Investigation Bureau building.
The Joint Investigation Bureau was much quieter at night than during the day. When the agent on duty saw the maggot-like man enter, he nearly dropped his pipe. "Chief Morris, what are you doing here—uh..."
Morris briefly explained the situation to the agent on duty, who understood and glanced at the maggot-man again with lingering fear before leading them to the underground containment chamber.
The on-duty detective led the way with a lantern, barely illuminating the surroundings. At the end of the steps leading to the basement was a narrow passage, and at the end of the passage was another iron door. Inside were a row of rooms, all with cast iron doors, each with a numbered tag and a small observation window below.
The officer on duty checked the register, walked to one of the empty containment cells, took out his key, and unlocked the door.
The room was empty. By the light of his lantern, Isaac saw many symbols and patterns carved on the wall. He gestured to the maggot-man, who entered the room and stood in the center.
Morris closed the iron gate, took out a seal, stuck it on the crack in the door, and signed his name on it.
"I'll arrange for someone to conduct further testing on it tomorrow to confirm its condition and potential risks. Until then, it will remain here," Morris said. "Come with me to the office to sign some papers."
Morris's office was on the first floor. Upon entering, Morris took a document from a drawer, unfolded it, quickly scribbled a few lines on it with a pen, and then pushed it in front of Isaac.
Isaac took the pen and glanced through the document. It listed the Foul Spirit's number, type, and the summoner's name. The gist of it was that he, as the summoner, voluntarily transferred the Foul Spirit numbered X-017 to the Joint Investigation Bureau Section One for safekeeping and disposal. During the transfer period, Section One Section One be responsible for the management of the Foul Spirit, and would bear the corresponding responsibility in the event of loss of control or escape.
He signed his name, pushed the document back, and Morris took it, checked the signature, stamped it with his own seal, and put it in the drawer.
You can leave now.
Back at the office, the lights were on in the living room. Carlo was sitting behind his desk, twirling a pen, with an open booklet in front of him.
Fenri was lying on the cushion in front of the fireplace. When Isaac came in, she looked up.
Isaac closed the door and leaned his cane against it. "Boss, it's over with Morris. The handover documents are signed, and the Foul Spirit is locked up in the containment room of Section One."
Carlo put down his pen. "Did Morris say anything to you?"
Isaac recounted the conversation in the carriage, including Morris's criticism of Byrne for not having guards and his assessment of Corotty's identity.
After listening, Carlo said, " Morris has a good eye. He's right. Corotty is indeed the kind of person who deserves to die but won't cause too much of a stir. Choosing him as this corpse bomb is perfect."
Carlo smiled. "That's right. So, who do you think did this?"
Isaac was deep in thought.
The attack methods bore traces of the Ghoul Cult, but if it really was the Ghoul Cult's doing, there was no need to make such a blatant display...
If it's not the Ghoul Cult, then someone is using their methods to conceal their true identity. Someone capable of this would need a certain understanding of the Ghoul Cult's rituals, at least knowing how to perform the Maggot Locomotion Technique...
Corotty was the chosen vessel; his reputation was bad, so his death wouldn't attract much attention...
As he was thinking, he heard Carlo say, "Let me give you my opinion first. I think it's Morris Gan's."