Void Cultivation

Chapter 379: Chapter 378- A Cause for Alarm

It was a major cause for concern that everyone present had overlooked, including Grey himself. However, he could understand why it had happened.

Each of them possessed respectable strength and held the position of Captain within their respective divisions. With such status came a quiet confidence—a belief that very few people in the city would dare provoke them.

After all, the Detective Agency was not an organization that anyone wished to offend.

Every one of its members carried a baleful aura and possessed a ruthless side that revealed itself whenever they handled dangerous criminals or complicated investigations. They had built their reputation through countless bloody missions, and that reputation alone was enough to intimidate most people.

Grey belonged to that group as well.

However, his naturally aloof personality and constant indifference often concealed just how ruthless he could be whenever a situation demanded it. Those who did not know him well would easily mistake his silence for passiveness, when in reality, he simply preferred letting his actions speak instead of wasting words.

After Violet pointed out the obvious flaw in their thinking, everyone wore slightly embarrassed expressions.

Even so, the seriousness in their eyes never disappeared.

After all, someone had truly been murdered here.

That fact alone could not be ignored.

"So... what do we do now?" one of the five Captains asked in a low voice.

He was a Sequence One cultivator who specialized almost entirely in direct combat. His name was Noren Sui, and among the Captains, his offensive strength ranked near the very top.

Violet nodded after hearing his question.

She remained silent for several seconds, organizing her thoughts before finally speaking.

"Let’s continue investigating the area before calling a cleanup crew," she began calmly.

"If we summon our members immediately, we have no guarantee that the danger has already passed. Whoever committed this murder could still be hiding somewhere nearby."

Her gaze slowly swept across everyone present.

"So it’s better if we thoroughly inspect the surroundings first. Once we’re certain the area is secure, we’ll personally accompany the cleanup crew while they recover the bodies and preserve the crime scene."

As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone nodded in agreement.

It truly was the safest course of action.

None of them knew who was responsible for these murders, nor did they understand the killer’s motives.

The last thing they wanted was to lose even more members because of a careless decision.

Although Violet was the only female Captain among them, none of the others looked down on her.

Instead, they treated her as an equal.

Grey understood that things had not always been this way.

She must have earned their trust through countless missions where she repeatedly demonstrated extraordinary judgment, sharp analytical skills, and an almost frightening ability to solve problems under immense pressure.

Her reputation had not been built through strength alone.

It had been built through results.

Had another Captain been leading this investigation, they probably would have summoned the cleanup crew the moment they arrived at the crime scene.

Doing so could very well have sent innocent investigators straight into an unseen trap.

Fortunately, Violet had considered that possibility first.

Without realizing it, she may have already saved several of their members’ lives.

"Since this murder happened within the last twenty-four hours," Violet continued, "there should still be traces leading back to the killer."

She glanced toward the dark streets stretching beyond the alley.

"The clues might not necessarily be here at the crime scene anymore."

"But I’m certain they still exist somewhere within the Market District."

Silence descended once more.

Everyone lowered their heads in thought.

Finally, one of the Captains broke the silence.

"Alright... but where exactly do we begin?"

His question echoed everyone’s thoughts.

Searching the entire Market District from end to end was practically impossible.

The district covered far too much ground.

Even with all of them working together, they simply didn’t have enough time.

In only a few more hours, the first rays of sunlight would appear over the horizon.

By then, merchants would begin opening their shops, workers would flood the streets, and countless residents would pour into the district to start their daily routines.

Once that happened, any remaining footprints, scents, disturbed objects, or subtle traces left behind by the murderer could easily disappear beneath the activity of thousands of ordinary people.

Their best opportunity to uncover meaningful clues existed right now.

Before sunrise.

Before the city awakened.

Violet suddenly let out a quiet chuckle.

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she slowly raised a finger and pointed directly at Grey.

"What do you think I called him here for?"

Her smile widened ever so slightly.

"Aside from being dependable and more than capable in a fight, he’s the only person I know who can track down our murderer within the limited time we have."

The other Captains instinctively turned to look at Grey.

Among everyone gathered here, he was the only Vice-Captain.

Strictly speaking, he shouldn’t even have been present.

He had only arrived because his own Captain sensed that something about this incident felt deeply unnatural.

Furthermore, Grey had only ignited two Spirit Flames.

Although his cultivation was respectable, he was still some distance away from igniting the third flame and officially stepping into the ranks of truly formidable experts.

Compared to the Captains surrounding him, his cultivation appeared rather ordinary.

In their eyes, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.

Grey remained expressionless.

He simply gave a small nod.

Naturally, he knew exactly what Violet was referring to.

His shadow.

No one else present knew about its true capabilities.

"We should also notify the forensic team," Violet continued. "Once we return, they’ll need to examine every body carefully. There’s always the possibility that we’ve overlooked something important."

She paused briefly before looking toward the sleeping streets beyond the alley.

"But for now..."

"Our highest priority is finding the murderer before the sun rises."

"Let’s move."

The determination in her voice made it sound as though she was prepared to chase the killer across the entire district if necessary.

However...

Instead of following immediately, everyone instinctively turned toward Grey.

The man whom Violet had personally designated as their tracker.

The one expected to uncover the first trail leading to the murderer.

Grey said nothing further.

He silently walked back to the place where the woman’s corpse still hung, her body suspended in the air with her internal organs violently torn from her abdomen.

The horrific sight would have made most people avert their eyes.

Grey, however, remained completely composed.

His expression did not change in the slightest as he slowly knelt on one knee before the large puddle of blood that had gathered beneath the corpse.

The metallic scent of fresh blood lingered heavily in the air, mixing with the foul odor of exposed flesh until it formed a nauseating stench that would have caused an ordinary person to vomit.

Yet Grey didn’t react.

Instead, he leaned closer.

His sharp eyes carefully observed every detail before he calmly reached out and dipped two fingers into the thick pool of blood.

The cold, sticky liquid clung to his fingertips.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Several seconds passed in complete silence.

Then...

Grey slowly stood up.

Without saying a word, he raised his arm and pointed toward a particular direction.

Everyone instinctively followed his finger.

He was pointing toward the southern region of the Market District.

"There..."

Grey spoke in a calm yet confident voice.

"I can smell a faint trace of blood coming from that direction."

The moment those words were spoken, every Captain except Violet stared at him in shock.

Disbelief was plainly written across their faces.

It hadn’t even been a minute since they had begun searching.

Yet Grey had already discovered their first clue.

The speed was simply unbelievable.

Some of them even wondered whether he was joking.

Even Grey himself was secretly surprised.

Naturally, it wasn’t his own senses that had located the clue.

It was his shadow.

His earlier actions—walking toward the corpse, kneeling beside the blood, and deliberately touching it—had all been done for one reason.

To allow his shadow to examine the blood more closely.

The closer it was...

The greater the chance it had of picking up the lingering scent left behind by the murderer.

Grey had expected the process to take at least a few minutes.

Instead...

Barely ten seconds had passed before his shadow quietly whispered the direction into his mind.

Even he hadn’t anticipated such efficiency.

Seeing everyone’s stunned expressions, Violet couldn’t help but chuckle.

"I think that’s enough standing around," she said with an amused smile.

"What are we waiting for?"

"Let’s go."

The others immediately snapped out of their daze.

Without another word, the six investigators shot forward toward the southern section of the Market District.

Each of them was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the Captain of their respective divisions.

Their physical abilities were naturally extraordinary.

Their figures darted across rooftops and narrow streets like fleeting shadows beneath the cover of night, crossing dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

Grey was no exception.

Without hesitation, he followed the direction indicated by his shadow, moving at a steady pace while silently paying attention to every subtle sensation his shadow relayed to him.

Behind him, Violet gracefully kept pace.

Unlike the others, she didn’t rush ahead.

Instead, she deliberately remained beside Grey, her expression thoughtful.

After several moments, the five Captains had surged far enough ahead that their figures disappeared around several buildings.

Their presence could no longer be seen.

Nor could they hear any conversation taking place behind them.

Only then did Violet finally part her lips.

"..."

She hesitated.

It was as though she was carefully deciding how to phrase the question lingering in her mind.

Before she could speak...

Grey answered first.

"Yes."

"This really is the direction my shadow sensed."

"I wasn’t lying."

His tone remained as calm as ever, almost as though he were discussing something completely ordinary.

Violet blinked.

Then an expression of fascination gradually spread across her face.

"So it really can..."

Her eyes shone with curiosity.

"Interesting."

"How does it manage something like that?"

"How can your shadow perceive something that none of us, not even six Foundation Establishment cultivators, can detect?"

Her gaze unconsciously shifted downward.

It landed directly on Grey’s shadow.

Although it was nearly impossible to distinguish in the darkness of the night, her sharp eyes seemed capable of seeing through the layers of darkness themselves.

The instant her gaze settled upon it...

Grey’s shadow shivered violently.

Although it wasn’t a true living organism and merely existed as an entity hidden within Grey’s shadow, it still experienced an indescribable sensation.

It felt as though countless invisible needles were piercing every inch of its body simultaneously.

The feeling wasn’t painful.

But it was incredibly uncomfortable.

Worse still...

It had the overwhelming feeling that Violet wanted to grab it, pull it apart piece by piece, and thoroughly dissect every secret hidden within its existence.

A voice full of horror echoed inside Grey’s mind.

"Crazy..."

Grey’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

For perhaps the first time...

He found himself completely agreeing with his shadow.