Carlo stood up. "Alright, I understand the basics. The ring came from a pawn that Handel Baker received from an unidentified person, which he then sold to Sherwood."
"And this guy, guided by Foul Spirit claiming to be an emissary of Morzul, went to the Sherwood family to steal the ring. Hmm, Handel Baker's death should have nothing to do with this guy."
During his previous interrogation, Li Jiehao was also asked about Handel Baker, and he repeatedly nodded, saying, "I have no idea who Baker is!"
"As for which side silenced Baker, it's hard to say at the moment. It could be the person who pawned the ring to Baker returning to clean up the mess, it could be the Ghoul Cult sensing something amiss, or it could be the former being the latter."
Li Jiehao also realized the seriousness of the problem. "So what should I do now?"
"You? You'll stay in jail for now. We'll figure things out first. Don't worry, the Joint Investigation Bureau's food isn't great, but there's plenty of potatoes; you won't starve."
Carlo turned and walked towards the door. Li Jiehao cried out anxiously, "Fellow villager! You can't just leave like this! You have to get me out of here!"
"Why?"
"Aren't we from the same hometown? Since you're the senior, why don't you look after the junior?"
Carlo stroked his chin. "That reason isn't convincing enough. I know more than just you who are transmigrators. If I had to take care of every transmigrator's junior, wouldn't I become a transmigrator babysitter?"
Li Jiehao choked, his imagined friendly future of time travelers helping each other shattered.
Carlo sized him up a few times. "Well, it's rare to see someone as stupid as you, and you have crucial clues on you. If you're willing to work for me, I might reluctantly help you out."
"I do!"
"You're talking so fast, be careful you don't run into a jerk or a gold digger."
"Ah..."
Isaac now suspects that even in the world of transmigrators, Carlo's writing style is unique.
Carlo held up one finger. "Anyway, there are a few rules for following me. First, do what I say, and don't act on your own and think you're having some kind of protagonist's lucky encounter and rush out on your own."
"Second, don't say things you shouldn't say, and don't use secret codes on everyone you meet. If you run into someone who isn't me, you'll have to deal with the consequences yourself."
"Third, don't cause me trouble. Fourth... that's all for now, I'll add more if I think of anything else."
Li Jiehao nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "No problem!"
"Alright, let's wait here for now." Carlo turned and walked towards the door, with Isaac following.
Once outside the detention area, Isaac asked in a low voice, "Boss, are time travelers common?"
He had never realized before that there was a group of people from another world.
"Not many, but not few either. As far as I know, no more than two hands are still alive, and there should be some elsewhere as well."
"Are the authorities aware of the existence of these types of people?"
"No party has publicly mentioned the existence of time travelers, nor has there ever been any related records. Let's assume we don't know, but it's hard to guarantee that there are no people who are aware of it."
"However, as I just said, there is something that hunts down transmigrators. Many transmigrators might be killed by that thing for no apparent reason, without even knowing why they died, before they even live to see the light of day."
"What is that?" Isaac thought it sounded pretty creepy.
"Who knows? Those who have seen it are probably all dead by now."
Upon reaching the stairs, Carlo went upstairs to ask Chief Patrick for the man, while Isaac returned to Section Nine's office and sat down at his desk.
The idea of a time traveler, upon closer reflection, does indeed explain those strange things about Carlo that he'd always found odd—his inexplicable vocabulary, his behavior that seemed out of place among those around him...
As for that guy named Li Jiehao, he was clearly a novice who hadn't figured out the situation and had plunged headlong into trouble he couldn't handle at all...
Composing himself, Isaac picked up the investigation files distributed that morning and began to look through them.
Half an hour later, the door was pushed open, and Carlo came in first, followed by Li Jiehao, who carried in a chair.
Carlo sat down behind his desk. "You can sit with Asa for now."
Li Jiehao moved a chair to Isaac's table, looked at Isaac with a hint of curiosity, clearly indicating from Carlo 'Isaac previous explanation that Isaac was a "local."
" Isaac Lessing, your colleague. Ask him if you need anything," Carlo introduced.
Isaac stood up and nodded to Li Jiehao: "Hello."
Li Jiehao's gaze swept over Isaac, landing on the ebony cane he had placed on the table. He blinked, then looked at Isaac's face, his expression turning to one of realization.
"You're the one from last night... the one who blocked bullets with a sword and tore my zombie apart?!"
After all, Isaac was also dressed as a robber last night, so Li Jiehao didn't recognize him at first.
Isaac coughed. "It's me."
"Dude, you're awesome! That's amazing!"
"You flatter me," Isaac mumbled in response.
The time traveler's language habits were indeed very unique. He had never heard the word "awesome" before, but judging from the context and the other person's tone, it was probably a compliment.
Li Jiehao was still excitedly saying, "I was completely stunned when I saw it from outside. That zombie wasn't very well-trained, but it was incredibly strong. You took it down in just a few moves. You're amazing!"
Isaac didn't know what to say, so he could only nod again.
Carlo interrupted, "That's enough, Jacob."
" Jacob... me?" Li Jiehao pointed to himself.
"Otherwise, try to use your real name as little as possible; that's also dangerous."
"Okay, alright..." Li Jiehao replied, "By the way, what's your name? I mean, what's your name from where we're from?"
"Secret."
"You can't even say this?"
"One advantage for time travelers is that curses based on real names can't directly target us. If our real names are exposed, this advantage becomes ineffective." Carlo held up a finger. "You're not trustworthy enough for me to reveal my real name yet. Let's wait until you prove you're not a liar."
Li Jiehao pursed his lips, Carlo turned to Isaac: " Asa, give Jacob some tutoring, so he won't be asking around like an idiot."
Isaac agreed, and Li Jiehao quickly sat up straight, his posture still resembling that of a student, filled with the curiosity and unease of someone new to the place.
"Um, Brother Asa?"
"... Just call me Isaac."
"Oh oh."
Isaac put the file away first. "What would you like to know first?"
Li Jiehao thought for a moment, "It's common sense about this world, I guess. I feel like I know too little about this place. The original owner's memories are incomplete, and many things are blurry. When I ask other people, most of the time they either look at me with surprise or like I'm an idiot..."