Chapter 351: Chapter 232: Multiple Cases (Part 2)
Then, the so-called summoning ritual of the Illuminati might really be a ceremony to summon some evil entity. As for the Big-chested Lizardman, Concrete-Mixed Spaghetti No. 42, Blue Ductwork Organ, Wild Trigonometric Functions, Purple Yogurt Shooter, Great Tits and Kittens, and the most evil and dangerous of all, the Sunshine Rainbow Little Pony... I had no clue what any of that was.
Zhou Chen’s mind raced. ’A summoning ritual... Were there evil beings that could be summoned even back in the old era?’
If so, that entity must be incredibly powerful. It might even be the culprit behind Akita Town’s fall. No matter what, I absolutely cannot let the Illuminati succeed.
"You’ve seen the monster too. Doesn’t that make you a target as well?"
Old Jack chuckled, revealing a set of yellow teeth. He tapped the Tinfoil Hat on his head. "I have this insulator. The monster can’t sense my presence."
Zhou Chen studied the grimy Tinfoil Hat on Old Jack’s head, his expression complicated. It was just an ordinary tinfoil hat, not an Extraordinary Artifact. You could tear it apart with a little bit of force.
’No, I can’t take things for granted. This is a Restricted Area!’
Zhou Chen had a sudden realization. Akita Town was a Restricted Area! Due to the influence of Divine Power, most Restricted Areas had certain Rules. For example, the gamified Restricted Area [009], where "gamification" was its Rule.
’Maybe the Tinfoil Hat is one of the Rules of this Restricted Area?’
Outside the alley, four or five police cars sped past, their sirens wailing, followed by fire trucks and ambulances. The rescue operation had begun swiftly.
The monster had already succeeded and left. Staying here wouldn’t yield any more intelligence, so Zhou Chen and Old Jack quietly departed and returned to Old Jack’s residence.
"I’ve got another prime cardboard box right here. You want it for the night?" In the alley, Old Jack pointed to a nearby pile of trash, generously sharing his only treasure.
"No, thanks. I still have some things to take care of. You get some rest," Zhou Chen said, waving a hand as he left.
"See you tomorrow, then," Old Jack called out as he said his goodbyes.
"See you tomorrow."
·
「Temporary Hideout.」
Lying on a simple cot, Han Danqing glanced at Zhou Chen and asked quizzically, "What are you doing wearing a Tinfoil Hat?"
"Art." Zhou Chen adjusted the Tinfoil Hat on his head. "I’m a ’Tin Punk’ now."
Han Danqing gave a faint smile. "Making puns like that will get you docked pay."
Zhou Chen eyed him suspiciously. "Speaking of which, don’t tell me you’ve just been lazing around and sleeping here this whole time?"
"You found me out."
Han Danqing shamelessly adjusted his sleeping position. "I’ve always been a firm believer in the eight-hour workday and a healthy sleep schedule. I will not work a single minute of overtime. My work for today is done, so the rest of the time is my personal time. How can you call that lazing around? Besides, people are supposed to sleep at night. You guys are a bunch of bats with your inhuman sleep schedules."
"You make a surprisingly good point, but how come your teacher never beat you to death for it?" Renie asked in surprise from her chair.
"He tried, but I never changed, so he eventually gave up." Han Danqing chuckled. "It’s a right I fought for and won myself."
Renie fell into thought, wondering if she should also try to rebel a little once she got out of here.
"Only Liu Ling isn’t back yet. Should we start without him?" Chengzi asked, munching on dried meat from her chair.
"I’ve met that Lady Daisy. Liu Ling probably won’t be back tonight. Let’s just start," Zhou Chen said.
He first explained the origin of the Tinfoil Hat, then recounted what he and Old Jack had experienced, mixing in his own related speculations.
"I was nearby when that bar exploded. I didn’t see any black mist, nor did I see this so-called monster..." Yano paused. "It’s probably because I don’t have the Ability to observe Essence residue."
"I can see Essence residue. I’ll head over there later," Yao Hu said coldly.
"I’ll go too," Renie added.
"The Illuminati, a Big-chested Lizardman, Sunshine Rainbow Little Pony..." The gruff Yan Wu couldn’t help but burst out laughing after hearing the story. "What kind of nonsense is all that? Don’t let that homeless guy fool you."
Zhou Chen nodded. "I can tell the difference. But Old Jack is definitely a key figure."
Just then, Chengzi eagerly raised her hand. "My turn, my turn! I heard about a really terrifying case at the hospital.
Last month, a nurse at the hospital went on a rampage in the nursery, killing all ten-plus infants in there before committing suicide. The police department covered up the incident to prevent it from leaking out and causing a panic.
I used an Alchemy Tool to use hypnosis on a hospital director to get this information. He said the nurse was an approachable, kind-hearted person who loved children. He had no idea what could have provoked her to do something so monstrous. He also said that at the time, the nurse was like she had been possessed by a Demon. Her face was calm as she went on her killing spree, and she was exceptionally serene even as she slit her own throat to commit suicide."
"That’s messed up." Zhou Chen frowned. This was without a doubt a vicious case, and it seemed to be related to Extraordinary Power. But so much time had passed, they probably wouldn’t be able to dig up anything useful.
Chengzi continued, "Afterward, the hospital brought in a Priest from the church. The Priest said the nurse had been possessed by a Demon, which is why she did such a wicked thing. He claimed that even in death, she needed a Purification to drive out the demonic residue in her body, or her Soul would not ascend to Heaven. Then he charged the nurse’s family three thousand US Dollars for the exorcism fee."
"What a goddamn con artist," Renie snorted.
Chengzi concluded, "I think this incident is definitely connected to Extraordinary Power. If the summoning ritual is real, this has to be part of the plan."
Everyone fell into their own thoughts, trying to piece the clues together to reveal the true face of the conspiracy.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
The warehouse door was suddenly knocked on with their secret code. Yano went to open it and was surprised to see Liu Ling.
Liu Ling looked refreshed and invigorated, though his clothes were disheveled and there were a few red marks on his neck. After coming inside, he pulled a stack of files from his coat and grinned. "This is good stuff."
"How are you back?" Zhou Chen was puzzled. ’Judging by that hungry look in Lady Daisy’s eyes, Liu Ling shouldn’t have been free tonight...’
"An urgent case came up, and Daisy was called away by the police department, so I took the opportunity to compile a file." Liu Ling’s expression turned serious. "Take a look. Things are a bit troublesome.
These are the case files for Akita Town from the last three months. For the first two months, there were basically no cases. But starting last month, the number of cases suddenly shot up, and they’re all major ones."
The group gathered around. As they turned through the pages of the file, their expressions grew progressively solemn.
"Akita Town serial car crash case. The perpetrator, suffering from road rage, successively ran down and killed thirteen people before dying by crashing into a tree at 50 miles per hour."
"Akita Town hospital infanticide case. Perpetrator was a hospital nurse who brutally murdered nineteen infants before committing suicide. According to the investigation, the perpetrator was found to be infertile and had developed a twisted personality due to long-term domestic violence, leading to resentment toward infants. She eventually had a mental breakdown and committed this inhuman act."
"Akita Town serial rape-murder case. Perpetrator was a thirty-five-year-old male. He met his first victim in a bar, followed her home, and committed breaking-and-entering, rape, and murder. He subsequently committed seven more similar offenses, ultimately dying of a heart attack during his last crime."
"Akita Town casino mass suicide incident. A total of fourteen dead. After losing their entire fortunes at the casino, they all chose to commit suicide at the same time..."
"Akita Town..."
There were too many, far too many...
In the last month alone, seven or eight vicious cases had occurred in Akita Town, and a large number of people had also gone missing during that period.
This was completely illogical!
"This is bad..."
Zhou Chen flipped through the file page by page, his voice heavy. "Judging from these files, Akita Town was a very peaceful town with basically no major cases. But from last month until now, cases have been happening frequently. The mastermind behind this is definitely making their move. They’ve been preparing for over a month. I’m afraid we don’t have much time."
"Then we’ll speed things up."
Yao Hu crossed his arms and said coldly, "Tomorrow, I’m going to have a talk with the town’s mayor."
