Lu Luo quickly flipped through their information, then set the files down and began to organize his thoughts.
Yang Liya, seeing Lu Luo had stopped looking, began to examine the files herself.
"These... are they all female students from East Ring University? Currently enrolled? And all from Dormitory 5?"
"That’s right. They’re all current students from Dormitory 5. I’ve seen every single one of them before."
"You’ve seen them? When?"
"There was a mist crisis at East Ring University previously. Does Captain Luo Sen still remember?"
"That incident? Of course, I remember."
"Then, if you look at these girls’ files, you should understand without me needing to explain further."
Luo Sen picked up the files. As he read, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Aren’t these the girls who were infected by the Nightmare Seeds and then handed over to the Church?"
Yang Liya immediately sensed something was amiss. If the Church was involved, Hunters usually backed down.
Handing people over to the Church was standard procedure, but Yang Liya was furious. Moreover, she was more concerned about Luo Sen’s involvement.
"Luo Sen, why were these people handed over to the Church? And to whom in the Church were they given?"
Luo Sen immediately glanced at Lu Luo, instinctively wanting to shift the blame.
This person wants to shift the blame; I’d better strike first!
Lu Luo, seeing right through him, quickly interjected, "At the time, I told Captain Luo Sen to thoroughly examine those women before dealing with them. My intention was for them to be handled properly, not ignored. I didn’t expect Captain Luo Sen to turn around and dump them on the Church. This is my fault, not Captain Luo Sen’s."
With Lu Luo’s words, the pressure shifted to Luo Sen.
"You’re full of shit! You clearly told me..."
"Enough," Yang Liya interrupted their blame-shifting. Their time was precious, and assigning blame was pointless. "We don’t need to discuss this now. What I need to know is why these people are linked to the Nightmare Demon. Lu Luo, you tell me."
Lu Luo frowned slightly, wondering how to explain. If he delved into it, the repercussions would be massive and detrimental. Besides, the matter involved the Church, Ludie, and the Nightmare Demon.
So Lu Luo subconsciously looked at Ludie, seeking his opinion. Seeing Lu Luo’s gaze, Yang Liya started to speak, but after noticing Ludie’s expression, she held her tongue. She, too, chose to wait for Ludie’s input.
Ludie looked at them and sighed, his expression calm and resigned.
"The bride incident is in the past; I’ve long since moved on. There’s no harm in speaking about it. Besides, it’s time they knew about the Church’s shadows so they can prepare."
"The Church’s shadows? Are you referring to the legendary taboo, the Fruit of Life?"
Yang Liya furrowed her brow. If this matter involved the Church, it would become exceedingly complicated. Under normal circumstances, Hunters avoided matters related to the Church because its power was immense, and its position within the Wasteland Alliance system was unique. Thus, Hunters generally didn’t provoke the Church; more often, they yielded.
But this incident was too significant. If the root of the East Ring uprising wasn’t addressed, the entire district might collapse. For instance, a collective mutation among those 13,500 contaminators alone could bring East Ring to its knees!
She understood Lu Luo’s hesitation, so as a leader, she had to set a strong example.
"Lu Luo, speak freely. Even if an investigation yields results, the credit will go to our Hunter Team 2. You’re just an ordinary, good citizen assisting."
With clear reassurance from the two Sixth-Tier powerhouses, Lu Luo nodded. He immediately grabbed paper and pen from the table and quickly sketched a rough diagram for the three of them.
"Captain Luo Sen handled the aftermath of that incident, but its origins trace back to corruption within the Church."
Lu Luo recounted the entire event concisely, then laid out the critical information: The Church privately refining the Fruit of Life—leading to Ludie’s bride incident—the Nightmare Demon was born. Internal chaos within the Church—the Nightmare Demon influencing Church members to create mutated Fruits of Life—harboring Nightmare Seeds.
"At that time, Priest Wu En had already become a servant of the Nightmare Demon. So, those dozen or so girls he infected with Nightmare Seeds are very likely the source of this incident."
Yang Liya nodded, then shook her head.
"No, something isn’t right. Normally, humans involved in Exotic Species incidents are detained for up to half a year. Hunters usually kill on the spot; Luo Sen is experienced in this. I can somewhat understand him handing them over to the Church, but even the Church isn’t full of charitable souls. They call dealing with Exotic Species ’Holy Light Cleansing, Returning to Li Ming.’ It sounds noble, but their methods aren’t fundamentally different from Hunters—they kill. If they also kill, how did those dozen girls survive?"
Lu Luo waved his hand.
"The answer is simple: Wu En wasn’t the only Church member seduced by the Nightmare Demon!"
As the situation clarified, Lu Luo rubbed his fingers together, reassessing the Nightmare Demon’s methods. The Nightmare Demon wasn’t a mindless madman. Even if it was mad, it was a cunning schemer.
Perhaps the Nightmare Demon had been planning all this since the day of Wu En’s incident, or even when Wu En sensed his own impending death—or possibly even earlier.
A question that had been bothering Lu Luo resurfaced: Priest Wu En had a long history with the Church, yet he’d obtained the forbidden secret technique to refine the Fruit of Life far too easily.
Lu Luo had suspected Wu En might have had an accomplice, but Wu En mentioned nothing before his death, so Lu Luo hadn’t pursued that line of thought.
Now, however, it seemed likely that Wu En’s discovery of the refining method was orchestrated. This could all be the Nightmare Demon’s design—a complete, elaborate plan.
"For a seemingly insane, chaotic being to devise such a seamless plan is truly incredible. The framework of its design is mostly clear now. The only unknown is the Nightmare Demon’s motive! Why go to such complex lengths?"
Luo Sen looked around, unable to grasp it, and said indignantly, "Hasn’t the answer been found? It’s deeply connected to the Church. Why don’t we just go straight to the diocese? It’s simple."
Ordinarily, Ludie would have met such a suggestion with cold sarcasm, but this time, no one spoke. Not just Ludie; Yang Liya was also silent, apparently considering a direct assault on the diocese.
Nevertheless, Lu Luo shook his head, dismissing the idea. "Right now, we only know this is *likely* connected to the Church. It could be someone in the Church, or it might not be. We have no clear evidence, nor do we know the Nightmare Demon’s motive. Rushing in blindly would make us look like utter fools, wouldn’t it?"
Speaking this way carries a hint of mockery. I doubt the three captains would ever admit to being fools.
As expected, hearing Lu Luo, the three sat down again. Just then, another Hunter burst through the door.
"Captain, we found a body matching the description of the girls in the report!"
"A body? Where are they?"
"On the second floor of an abandoned warehouse."
Yang Liya started to rise, still pressing for details. "The second floor of an abandoned warehouse? That kind of place isn’t usually searched. How did you find them?"
"We didn’t find them. Nearby Scavengers did. They used the place to divide their loot. These Scavengers found the bodies and considered looting them. But when one Scavenger approached the corpses, he was incinerated by Netherflame. That’s why they reported it."
This time, Lu Luo also stood. "Regardless, these girls’ bodies are one of our few clues. Let’s go together. Maybe we can find something useful."
The four sped off in their vehicle to the warehouse the Hunter had reported. The place was utterly dilapidated.
According to the Hunter’s earlier report, all fourteen bodies were there. However, after a Scavenger touched one, it combusted. The Netherflame burned a large area and even killed the Scavenger.
Fortunately, the remaining thirteen bodies were relatively intact, giving Lu Luo plenty to work with.
"Where are the bodies?"
Lu Luo ducked under the police tape set up by Hunters and security personnel. He had no forensic experience, and Han Shiyu wasn’t available. It was too late to contact her. Besides, given the Netherflame reaction on the corpses, even Han Shiyu probably couldn’t perform a proper autopsy.
Wow! The periodic table! Experiencing it again. No, this is even more bizarre than the periodic table. What on earth happened to them?
Lu Luo, too, felt waves of nausea looking at the corpses. Even a seasoned Hunter like Luo Sen covered his nose upon seeing them.
"Ugh, what’s that smell?"
If it were merely their appearance, their reaction wouldn’t be so strong. But the odor was too strange—not just foul, but a concoction of many disgusting smells.
"Alright, you brought the examination tools, right? Let’s get started!"
Lu Luo put on a mask and gloves, donned a white coat, and approached one of the corpses, forensic toolkit in hand.
Qi Xinzhu glanced at Lu Yu, who was on the bed hugging her knees, a sense of unease washing over her.
Within the wall, there was zero tolerance for Exotic Species! Unless Lu Yu could transform into a state like Lu Luo or Zhou Kai, she had no chance of survival.
Qi Xinzhu could accept Lu Luo, so she could naturally accept Lu Yu not being purely human. But her acceptance didn’t mean others would. The public, the media, the Alliance—none would permit an uncontrollable, irrational Exotic Species to live among them.
Currently, however, Lu Yu seemed completely unaware of her actions the previous night. She looked up at Qi Xinzhu, a puzzled expression on her face. "Sister-in-law, is something wrong with me? My chest hurts so much!"
"It’s okay, I’ve checked. You’re fine, and your injuries are healing quickly. I believe you’ll be discharged soon. And even if there were problems, I’d treat you! I’m quite skilled, you know."
"Hehe, Sister-in-law, who’s more skilled, you or Second Brother?" Lu Yu asked with a giggle.
Speaking of Lu Luo, Qi Xinzhu naturally offered high praise. "Hmm, I think your Second Brother is more skilled. He’s very smart and learns quickly. Plus, his combat intelligence is high, and his inherent abilities are formidable. He’s well-rounded—speed, strength, durability, ranged, and melee combat—with almost no obvious weaknesses. If your Second Brother has one glaring flaw, it’s probably his extreme greed."
"I knew it! Yesterday, I sensed Second Brother is so powerful now. He killed that strong Exotic Species in the cafeteria in just a few moves. In the future, if I’m in trouble, I’ll just rely on Second Brother! I’ll be soaring, hehe!"
"Yes, if you’re in trouble, your Second Brother will handle it." Qi Xinzhu smiled and stroked Lu Yu’s head, seemingly oblivious to the faint purple in Lu Yu’s eyes. "Although your Second Brother is very skilled, you need to grow on your own. Even women can’t rely entirely on men."
Qi Xinzhu smiled, flexed her biceps, and struck a strong pose.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Read complete version only at novel•fire.net
After the brief knock, a nurse carrying medication entered. "3012-Lu Yu, right? Time for your medicine!"
"Oh!" Lu Yu nodded, obediently poured some water, and took her medicine.
Qi Xinzhu looked at the nurse, suddenly noticing how pretty she was. "Nurse, I’m from the Church and have already treated Lu Yu’s injuries. I was wondering, what procedures are needed for discharge?"
The pretty nurse pursed her lips and shook her head. "The issue isn’t whether she’s healed, but whether the Security Bureau authorizes her release. The entire East Ring is currently under martial law. Without Security Bureau orders, discharge can’t be requested, even if she’s fully recovered."
Hearing the nurse’s reply, Qi Xinzhu could only frown and nod. "I see. Thank you so much, Nurse."
The nurse waved her hand, a youthful smile on her face. "No need to be so formal. Besides, I’m the duty nurse here. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. If you’re staying to care for Lu Yu, we’ll probably meet often. My name is Qin Wanyu. And you are?"
"Qin, Wan? Yu? Oh, sorry. My name is Qi Xinzhu."
Qin Wanyu smiled and took out a ballpoint pen from her chest pocket. "It’s not the Wan and Yu you’re thinking of; it’s ’bowl’ as in ’a bowl of rice’, and ’fish’ as in ’fish meat’!"