"The basic situation is like this. Miss Su Wei, do you have any thoughts about it?"
At the headquarters of the S.H.I.E.L.D., Smith explained the recent events to a dozen wizard apprentices. Then, very politely, he asked Su Wei for her thoughts.
Through the interaction with these dozen wizards, Smith got a general understanding. Su Wei was the most talented among the wizards aged fifteen to twenty. Combined with her good background and cheerful personality, she was entrusted with managing the other students by the teachers at the magic academy.
"Mr. Smith, we need to discuss this matter. As you know, I have only been studying magic for a little over a year as an apprentice wizard. I don't dare to make any guarantees. We need to research together with my fellow students."
Su Wei said politely.
Seeing the girl in front of him being so composed and emotionally intelligent, Mr. Smith sighed inwardly and nodded.
He could tell from Su Wei's expression that she had already drawn conclusions, but she didn't want to be too assertive. Instead, she gave space for all the wizards present to express themselves, avoiding potential dissatisfaction from others. Despite her high talent, she was, after all, just an apprentice wizard and couldn't be much stronger than the others. This showed her high emotional intelligence.
After a while, the wizards concluded.
Representing the group, Su Wei continued negotiating with Mr. Smith, "Mr. Smith, we all agree with your speculation. This incident should be the work of a ghoul. Our magic school teachers taught us about some supernatural creatures, and ghouls are one of them."
Upon hearing Su Wei's words, Mr. Smith's expression brightened, and he quickly asked, "How dangerous are these creatures? What are their habits? And how can we find them?"
This series of questions caused Su Wei to furrow her brows, but she still smiled and replied, "Ghouls are unconscious creatures. They only gain self-awareness if they consume too many corpses and undergo evolution. Ghouls at that level are beyond the capabilities of us apprentice wizards."
"However, from observing this ghoul's behavior, we can conclude that it hasn't evolved to that strength. There should be someone controlling the ghoul from behind. The person behind it is likely not a wizard; otherwise, when they control the ghoul to consume people, it wouldn't be noticed by ordinary folks. The person behind it probably stumbled upon the method to raise ghouls unintentionally, cultivating this evil species."
"Miss Su Wei, do you have a way to find the ghoul?"
Mr. Smith asked eagerly.
This was the first confirmed supernatural case that S.H.I.E.L.D. had encountered, and it was a case that humans could potentially solve. He couldn't wait for a successful start.
"We have specialized spells to detect these evil creatures. However, our manpower is too limited. Trying to find this ghoul in the entire city of New York is going to be challenging."
Su Wei frowned.
"No need to search the entire New York. According to our criminal psychology experts, the ghoul is most likely hiding in Brooklyn."
"Brooklyn? But Brooklyn is still quite large. However, it's fine. If we disperse and search with a dozen people, the chances of encountering it are significant."
Upon hearing Su Wei's words, Mr. Smith rejoiced, "Good, I will dispatch some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to accompany you for protection."
"Thank you, Mr. Smith."
Su Wei didn't reject Mr. Smith's suggestion. They were just a group of apprentice wizards, not too far from flesh and blood humans. Before making proper preparations with protective spells, a casual handgun could take them down. Thus, the protection of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was still needed.
Both sides confirmed some details again and expressed their intention to cooperate.
At this point, Alex stepped forward with a hesitant expression, "Mr. Smith, may I ask you a question? How is my mother doing?"
Thinking of his mother and the stepfather who used to abuse them, Alex was genuinely concerned about his mother's well-being.
Mr. Smith answered gently, "Alex, you don't need to worry. Your mother has divorced your stepfather. The American government has sent a psychology expert to help your mother overcome the trauma. Also, because of your influence, she no longer worships Satan. Instead, she has converted to the deities of Celtic mythology. The government has also found her a job, relieving her of many expenses."
For the few individuals in the country who become wizard apprentices, the American government naturally provides various care for their families. If Alex's mother hadn't volunteered to work, the American government would have provided financial support for her.
Grateful to hear that his mother was safe and her life was on track, Alex said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Smith."
"Don't thank me. This is what the government should do. By the way, Alex, do you want to go and see your mother now?"
"Well... maybe not. I'll go see her after we've dealt with the ghoul issue together."
Alex hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
Seeing this, Mr. Smith nodded silently, thinking that this fourteen-year-old boy was mature beyond his years.
…..
Park Jung-chul hid in his rented bedroom, with disheveled hair as if he hadn't taken a shower for days. However, he didn't mind. He was fervently staring at the corpse lying on the ground behind him.
The corpse was desiccated, skeletal, and emitted a foul odor, the result of Park Jung-chul's initial murder of a homeless man, whose body he turned into a ghoul.
"As long as I kill a few more people, and consume a few more ghoul bodies, I can evolve. Then, using the secret techniques recorded in the 'Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan', I can merge with the ghoul, gaining its power while maintaining my intelligence, and even achieving a longer lifespan."
Excited at the thought of surpassing humanity, Park Jung-chul couldn't contain his emotions.
He believed he was the protagonist of a novel, the main character of this world.
Just as Park Jung-chul immersed himself in his fervor, his expression suddenly changed drastically. A look of terror appeared on his face, and in the reflection of his retinas, a strange mist emerged. Within that mist, it seemed as if some mysterious creature was searching for him, intent on hunting him down.
"Damn it, those monsters are back!! I shouldn't have tried summoning the Hounds of Tindalos. Why are they so persistent?!!"
"...It's okay, just hold on. As long as I can transform into a ghoul and surpass humanity, I shouldn't fear them."
Park Jung-chul gasped for breath, using the secret techniques recorded in the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan to narrowly escape once again from the hunting of the Hounds of Tindalos.
Meanwhile, behind Park Jung-chul, Louie remained calm, gazing down at this man with his ethereal and superior dragon eyes.
"Humans are truly greedy..."
Everything was forever under his control!
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