Soul Trigger

Chapter 625 Suspect

Do you all carry my arrest warrant with you?

Ji Li looked surprised:
"A fugitive has come to town?"

"No, he's not a fugitive, don't worry."

Angelica Laurent put the portrait away:

"The other party is a very dangerous Shulong spy. He has most likely been infiltrating the country for a long time, but he may not visit Red Maple Town, so there is no need to worry too much."

"I see……"

"This is a long-term mission for the county, not the reason we came here. If you have any special information, you can report it to us or the local police station; there is a reward."

So, is the Duke of Ludwig's mansion currently sending my portrait and characteristics to the Human Spirit Cluster? Ji Li pondered:

From this perspective, it's likely that the number of awakened individuals will become even more widespread...

"Besides that, Mr. Orin, there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

With an embarrassed expression, she pulled a workbook from her briefcase:

"I've seen your file. I heard you've won quite a few Olympiad trophies. Could you help me solve this problem?"

"These are my nephew's practice problems. You know we're not good at math, especially in education. Just consider it a small personal favor you're doing me?"

Ji Li paused for a moment, then sat down again:

"Okay, I can give it a try."

Although Ji Li doesn't have the brains of a Pulitzer Prize-winning student, the Ascension Agreement will help.

After Ji Li quickly copied down seven problem-solving strategies from his retina, he received a small bonus of Cognitive Index points.

Angelica put away Ji Li's answer, a visible look of surprise flashing in her eyes:
"Are you interested in joining the City Hall's talent program? We can guarantee you admission to one of Birmingham's best universities."

"Really? But I've already confirmed that my intention is Sword Sky University..." Ji Li looked conflicted.

"You can discuss it with your family again, and I can reserve a spot for you on my own initiative."

"But if I hadn't seen your file, I would have thought you were bigger than a bear. I never imagined you were so good at math. After all, they all say you'd dare to go into a bear's den alone."

Ji Li smiled sheepishly:
"Then can I leave now?"

"Sure, take this as a small gift."

Angelica handed over a silver brooch. Sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations on it, Ji Li sneered inwardly, but accepted it without showing any emotion on his face.
"Thanks……"

Oh, it's your nephew's workbook, isn't it? The real purpose is to stuff this into the students' hands.
After turning around, Ji Li's smile vanished completely.

The instant he received the brooch, he saw clearly the lines on the back of Angelica Laurent's hand.

The silver-black patterns resembled spiritual circuits, but their underlying logic was entirely different, and the overall shape looked somewhat like sharp bat wings.

However, Ji Li had seen something similar on another person:
The white ring of the Command Seals on the back of Ludwig's hand.

By invoking the power of words, the power of the White Island's cluster of spiritual cores, the "Shattered White Ring," can be limited.

This woman is no nobody.

The crimson ritual on the tombstone allows Ji Li to infiltrate the land shrouded by the shattered white ring, but he doesn't know if the ritual can remain stable if he directly confronts the power derived from the shattered white ring.

So it would be best to make some noise to divert her attention elsewhere, maybe that way she'll come and work for me too—

External forces are likely to be more likely to stir up the stagnant local situation and reveal hidden secrets:
“Speaking of which, Ms. Laurent.”

Ji Li, who had reached the door, suddenly stopped in her tracks:
Do you believe in Odin?

After leaving the house, Ji Li saw her supervisor waiting outside the door, asking her how things were going.

Being questioned by the students under her supervision makes her a little nervous; one wrong move and she could lose her job.

Ji Li gave a casual reply and showed the supervising teacher the small gift the high-ranking official had given him:

"Give it to you."

"what?"

"But who is the woman inside?"

The supervising teacher subconsciously put the brooch away.
"He is a police inspector from the county police department."

A mere glance reveals a deceptive identity.

After saying goodbye to the supervisor, Anya quickly came forward:
"Is everything okay?"

"It's nothing, I just have some questions."

But Anya seemed a little nervous and whispered:

“I’ve asked around, and everyone here today is from that jungle party. I’m afraid you’ll be implicated…” “Just say you don’t know anything and that you woke up in the bear’s den. If you think there’s something wrong with your answer, just blame it all on the bear. But don’t panic.”

Anya nodded:

"I understand... I've spoken on the town's stage with my father before, so it shouldn't be a problem!"

After she finished speaking, she smiled and whispered in Ji Li's ear:

"There's a volleyball match in PE class this morning. Could you help me change in the locker room? I just bought a new tracksuit."

"my pleasure."

"Come find me before the first class ends..."

Anya smiled and left her seat, and they started calling her name.

……

As the last student left the room, Angelica Laurent wore a thoughtful expression.

"Excuse me……"

"It's okay, you can go now."

The supervisor assigned by the school breathed a sigh of relief before leaving.

On the table are the inquiry list, which is fully checked off, and the files of all the students on the list:

"The caliber is basically correct. Except for some students who seem to have been frightened, they all say it's related to bears, but my sense of smell can't be wrong..."

Angelica closed her moon-silver eyes, and when she opened them again, they had turned blood red.

The small blood collection devices next to it were all opened, and fresh blood floated out—

The mansion in the jungle had a very strong smell of blood, which encompassed all the other smells of blood.

That kind of bloody stench was definitely not from an ordinary wound; it could only be left with that kind of smell from a wound where the average person bled to death.

However, according to police records, the students were not injured, but were simply frightened.

Moreover, bears rarely venture out during this season, unless they actually wandered into a bear den...

Suddenly, a red glint appeared in Angelica's eyes, and a pair of sharp teeth were revealed beneath her lips:
"It tastes wrong."

Among these blood samples, one person's blood did not match the olfactory cluster of bloodstains remaining in the mansion.

However, similarly, among the olfactory clusters of bloody scents in the mansion, there is one individual whose scent is not present in these samples.

"A student was switched at birth by an unknown entity..."

After uttering this possibility in her murmur, Angelica's pupils contracted sharply. Smelling the blood, the corresponding student flashed through her mind:

It's that black-haired Pulitzer Orin!

But how is that possible... to completely cover it up, with no one noticing the problem, not even his family?

She glanced at Pulitzer Orin's family relationships: an aunt with an incomplete foster care arrangement and a half-sister.

Such a family is perfect for swindling and parasitizing.

Even so, there wasn't a single flaw...

Thinking of this, a fine layer of sweat suddenly appeared on her forehead:
“Dead Apostle…”

If anyone could accomplish this, aside from the two or three known resting objects stored in the Royal Asylum, and other potentially unregistered resting objects, it would be the "rituals" of the Dead Apostles.

However, if it's a Dead Apostle, another problem arises:
Whether they are Awakened Ones or Dead Apostles, the former, due to the unity of spirit and flesh, will inevitably have spiritual essence within their flesh and blood.

The latter goes without saying; a body entirely forged from spiritual matter may even evolve into malevolent derivatives after leaving the body.

However, the blood of Pulitzer Orin in her hands was perfectly normal, without any spiritual quality, and it was impossible for it to exhibit the derivative phenomena of a Dead Apostle.

After careful consideration, she took out Ji Li's file and placed it separately, and also took out Jason Green's file and placed it next to it.

The incident of the burial object going berserk in the upstream town was not completely resolved, and the two incidents occurred too close together, making it hard for her not to think about the bloody smell in the old house in Red Maple Town.

One is a suspect with questionable circumstances, and the other is a century-old family with close ties to the Duke of Ludwig's mansion.

Her gaze shifted, and she saw the wildlife activity report from the police station next to her:
“Bear… In that case, let’s use some special methods to test the waters before the others finish up.”

Having confirmed her thoughts and plans, she suddenly clutched her chest, a look of pain on her face.

He quickly pulled a silver can of beverage from his briefcase, took a sip, and gently wiped away the bright red tea stains from his lips. Only then did his expression improve considerably.

What she didn't notice was that a nun was standing in the corner of the room, quietly watching everything.

(End of this chapter)