...
Old Man Roger glanced at Shin and Leonard before saying. "This does not concern you, young lads. You better go back."
Hearing that, Officer Billy paused in his tracks and turned to them. "Old Man Roger, I think it is better to bring them along. We still have to keep an eye on them."
"Who knows, they are somehow related to this," he added while shooting an unfriendly gaze at the two.
The expression on the faces of the two suddenly turned dark when they heard it. Suddenly being accused like that did not feel well, especially when the case was this serious.
Old Man Roger also knitted his brows. He knew that Billy was currently agitated. After all, Templar Johan was his best friend.
Billy was quite sensitive right now, especially when it came to the foreigners in their city.
Old Man Roger smiled bitterly before saying. "Calm down for a moment, Billy. We don't know what exactly happened in the mountain yet."
"Moreover, isn't impropriate to involve outsiders in this case yet?" he added while glancing at the two.
"Isn't that exactly why we must keep an eye on these two? They are the only outsiders here, so they were one of our main suspects," said Billy in a snarling tone before quickly adding. "Sorry, Old Man Roger, but it is impossible to calm me down currently."
"Not only the Temple Guards are annihilated, but their captain, who is a Templar is also killed in action. Moreover, the Head Priestess and the maidens accompanying them also disappeared!"
He paused for a moment before glaring at the two. "The citizens of the city are aware of how important the Shrine Temple is to us, much less the priestesses, the maidens, and their guards. It is impossible for them to do anything to them. Outsiders are the only ones that we can suspect in this."
Old Man Roger smiled bitterly and shook his head. It was not that he did not suspect the same thing, but he just knew that it would be impossible for these two young lads to be the main suspects.
First of all, these two were at most only at the peak of the Core Formation Stage or in the lower stages of the Grandmaster Realm. Even if they were talented enough to be as strong as a few Ethereal Opening Stage Experts or peak Grandmaster Realm Mentalists, their strength was still weaker compared to Johan, who was a Templar of their Shrine Temple.
Outsiders might not know about it, but an individual could only be given the title of a Shrine Templar if they were on the Void Manifestation Stage or Rulers Realm, which was far superior to the strength of these two.
Billy could not see this fact since he was currently blinded by grief and rage.
Of course, there was also a possibility that these two had an accomplice with a strength comparable to Templar Johan. But given the description of the surviving maidens, the old man guessed that there was a higher chance that there was another party involved.
Old Man Roger tried to reason with Billy, but the latter was too blinded to listen to him. The old man could only smile bitterly and agree. He looked at the pair of young lads before apologizing. "I am sorry, young lads, to be involved in this manner. But you have to come with us right now."
He then paused for a moment before quickly whispering to them using a sound transmission. "I know that you have your own agenda. What he is saying is not totally unjustifiable either. You two just arrived recently and this happens."
"Of course, this can be a coincidence. But we can't say that you are not involved either since everything is too coincidental."
"If you are not guilty, then everything will be fine. It is not like you are not going to gain in this either since I know that you are looking for something," he added as he followed Billy.
He was thinking that these two might possibly be looking for that so-called 'Demon' the maidens saw.
At the same time, he was also thinking that this incident might be related to the case of the mysterious disappearance of certain individuals. Additionally, there was also a huge battle that occurred just recently, that case might also be related to this.
The more the old man thought about it, the more convinced he became. He had to find out what exactly happened and punish those sinners for the crime that they had committed.
Shin and Leonard exchanged glances with each other before smiling bitterly.
"That old man sure is sharp. He really knows our agenda," whispered Leonard as they walk.
Shin smiled and said. "This is what you call experience."
At the same time, he tapped the communication device attached to his ears while whispering. "Inform the others of what happened. I think they have to make their move sooner than we expected."
…
Not long after, Shin and the others reached the place where the incident happened. Or should he say, the crime scene?
The pair could not help but wear a solemn expression when they saw the scene. It was too gruesome and hideous. It might not be a crime scene but a slaughter place instead.
Shin swept his gaze at the surroundings and saw the scattered limbs and innards everywhere. The ground, the trees, and the brushes were painted with blood.
If not for his and Leonard's strong willpower, they might have been vomiting their breakfast already. Aside from them wearing dark expressions, they seemed to be fine overall.
Old Man Roger, who was keeping an eye on them saw this. He immediately confirmed that these two were not ordinary young lads. To have that kind of tenacity, they must be trained agents or something similar.
The old man took note of that and proceeded to investigate the scene. The more he looked the darker his expression was.
Based on these traces alone, he could guess that what took place here was a one-sided slaughter. There were no traces of any resistance at all – everyone died on a single hit.
When he thought about it, he suspected that the so-called 'Demon' had let the surviving maidens escape purposely.
Old Man Roger clenched his fists tightly as he tried to suppress the rage within him. 'I am going to slaughter them personally!'
Bang!
A little further ahead, an explosion erupted.
Raising his head, the old man saw Billy punching the nearby trees and destroying them in the process. Not far from him, a head was currently placed on the ground. From the looked of it, it must be Templar Johan.
Old Man Roger frowned deeply before disappearing from his current spot. It only took an instant for him to appear behind Billy. He put his hand on the shoulder of the latter, suppressing the guy and preventing him from messing the scene further.
…
Shin and Leonard were observing the scene and came up with the same conclusion as the old man. Not long after, they heard John's voice from the communication device.
"This looks familiar."
John, who was watching everything through the special lenses that Shin was wearing, was muttering to himself while the two paused what they were doing.
"What do you mean?" whispered Shin with a furrowed brow.
"Wait. Give me a second," said John before turning to another computer beside him and quickly tapping its keyboard rapidly.
Not long after, he could not help but cursed out loud. "F*ck! F*ck!"
Shin raised his brows as he listened to the curses that were coming out of John's mouth. When he could no longer hold himself back, he quickly asked. "Hey! Stop cursing for a moment and tell us what it is."
It was at that moment that John calm himself down. "Shin, listen carefully. You have to get out of that place as soon as possible. The Butcher might be there!"
"Butcher what? What are you talking about? Explain to us what is happening," said Shin as his frown grew deeper.
John took a few deep breaths to calm himself further before sending a file through the computer. Immediately after that, Shin and Leonard saw a series of images and information flashing through their vision.
The special contact lenses that the two were wearing were another product that the military had produced. It is operating similarly to what Shin and the others were experiencing inside the game, where certain files would appear in front of their eyes without the others knowing.
Shin and Leonard scanned through everything wearing a deep frown.
At the same time, John was explaining. "The scene over there is very similar to the previous case that the military is currently investigating."
"It is first in the hands of the police forces of the Eastern Sea Region. And it is the special unit of the Metropolitan Police Force no less."
"They are chasing after a high-profile criminal who infiltrated the country and seemed to be hiding in the region. But later, the special unit is slaughtered in the same way as what you are seeing over there."
"Understanding the seriousness of the situation, the police forces collaborated with the military forces stationed in the Eastern Sea Region. But that is still not enough, and they ask for more help from Commander Nathan."
"They later confirmed that the one who is responsible for it is Butcher, a high-profile criminal, and a powerful expert."
While he is saying that another series of information appeared in the eyes of the two alongside a photo of a scary-looking man.
John continued. "From the database, Butcher is in the Domain Realm. He is still a little weaker compared to top experts like Commander Nathan, but he is still a powerful Domain Realm Expert nevertheless."
"Commander Nathan is looking for the trances of the Butcher everywhere these last few days."
"F*ck! You will be in deep trouble if the Butcher is really in there. Our end will be the same as those people that he has slaughtered!" John's voice was full of urgency as he urged the two to run away as soon as possible and as fast as they could.
Shin signaled Leonard to prepare to run as he himself was also taking a few steps back. He then whispered. "So, you are telling me that this Butcher guy is the 'Demon' that the maidens have seen earlier."
"Hundred percent positive!" confirmed John while adding. "I've already contacted Commander Nathan. He will arrive there in five minutes tops!"
He then paused for a moment before quickly adding. "Actually, Butcher is only one of your problems. There is another high-profile criminal working with that guy."
Then another set of information was sent to Shin and Leonard alongside an anonymous photo.
"Coffin Maker?" muttered Shin as he saw the name on the very top of the information.
John continued. "Coffin Maker is also one of the criminals that Commander Nathan is currently chasing. Based on the updated data that the military has, the guy is also in the Domain Realm. But he is much weaker compared to the Butcher, but he is by no means a weakling either."
"What makes this guy troublesome is his disguising techniques! He can take on every form or disguise which makes it impossible to identify his real appearance."
"He can even copy the appearance of his victims as well as their attitude, manner of speech, and everything else through special means. That guy is one of the most troublesome criminals that anyone can face."
"If there is anyone who finds acting suspicious, then he is most likely the Coffin Maker! If he is also in there, then you are in an even more dangerous situation!" added John as he became desperate.
Shin quickly swept his eyes in the surroundings when he heard that. He observed the police officers investigating the scene with sharp eyes, cautiously looking at them.
He was about to run with Leonard when a sudden thought flashed through his mind. He snapped toward the direction where Old Man Roger and Officer Billy were.
His pupils suddenly contracted as he shouted. "Old Man Roger, watch out!"
...…
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