New Gods of North America.

Chapter 623 Public Prosecution
Leaving aside the tedious gang negotiations, as usual, Wayne arrived at the small square in the dock area before sunset to meet with the group, as was his custom.

Upon meeting Brother Merlin, Wayne shared his findings from the day's investigation: "Nothing unusual has been found in the Ellan community yet, but O'Sullivan of the Ellan gang is likely involved. Although it's unclear what he's trying to hide, he definitely knows some inside information about the dock incident."

What Wayne didn't say was that, despite the man's seemingly polite demeanor, there was an underlying, barely suppressed contempt in their interactions.
There's a kind of superiority complex that's hard to believe, like having some kind of X-ray vision cheat.

Brother Merlin pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly. “We examined the magic circle that the Tranquility Cult members detonated in the cabin. Judging from the signs, the magic circle was set up before the time of the dock accident. It’s unlikely that the cultist arrived in Richmond on the night of the accident, unless he and his accomplices came in separate groups and someone made preparations in advance.”

Wayne chose to respect the other party's judgment and instead asked, "What new discoveries have you made over there?"

“We have roughly investigated all the members of the Sailors’ Gang. There should be no extraordinary individuals among them, and they seem unaware of the magic array in the cabin—it’s just a bunch of distillery equipment piled up there, so it makes sense that they would abandon it.”

"The bodies that went missing in the dock accident have not yet been found, but I plan to ignore this lead for the time being. Unlike Voodoo and some other immortal sects, the Tranquility sect is not interested in corpses, but focuses more on contamination, curses and the sacrifice of life."

"Miss Inessa's traps caught some rats, and she is comparing them with the previous problem rats with several exorcist priests to see if they are the same."

As he spoke, Brother Merlin handed over a map. "The most suspicious points are marked on this map. Unfortunately, the magic array was destroyed, so we can't determine the specific ritual the other side is planning yet."

The map was unfolded, showing many black circles, with several locations highlighted in red in addition to the black circles.
Wayne looked down for a moment, "Brother Merlin, how long do you think it would take to prepare the magic circle that was detonated last night?"

"If we don't sleep or rest, it will take at least a whole day. Considering that the enemy's numbers are probably not large, the replenishment of extraordinary power and the introduction of magic array equipment will take time, and we also need to avoid being noticed, I think the actual time required will be longer, possibly more than a week."

Wayne then raised his head again: "I still think there's a problem in the Ellan community."

"What is your reasoning?" Brother Merlin sensed Wayne's persistence and moved closer, scanning the map again. "Although we caught rats there, they were clearly not unusual, and not even worth comparing in detail."

"Circle hypothesis".

Before Wayne could speak, Lina's energetic voice came from behind them, "Wayne has his own set of theories for solving crimes. He believes that criminals can be divided into 'stalking' and 'migrant' types. If you put all the crime scenes in a big circle on a map, then stalking criminals are more likely to live inside the circle, while migrant criminals are more likely to live outside the circle."

After Lina finished speaking, she added with her own experience, "I think Wayne's assumption is actually quite reasonable. By the way, he also has a 'far-thrown, close-buried' corollary, which is consistent with this assumption."

Brother Merlin had a strong understanding of this matter. After a moment's thought, his gaze fell on Wayne's face. "So you think they set up the magic circle far away from their residence? Isn't that a bit too risky for outsiders?"

“It’s just a hypothesis anyway.” Wayne shrugged. “As it stands, within the circumference, I tend to suspect that the Sailors’ area is their ‘hunting ground,’ while outside the circumference, the most suspicious area is the territory of the Ellans, perhaps their ‘dwelling place.’ But this is just speculation; there is no conclusive evidence yet.”

Lina, the intelligence chief who seemed to be all alone lately, was actually quite supportive, listening attentively and nodding repeatedly, seemingly very much in support of Wayne's views.
But after she opened her mouth, the meaning she conveyed was almost the opposite:

"On this issue, I choose to vote for Brother Merlin. Whatever their reasons for distinguishing between the 'hunting grounds' and the 'dwellings,' the more dangerous and important place for them is definitely the 'hunting grounds.' The dock area is so large, and our manpower is limited, so we must focus on the areas that may be affected by the rituals."

Wayne thought her words made sense, and after a moment's thought, nodded in agreement. As usual, everyone would wait until they had all gathered before giving a collective briefing, and then decide on the search tasks for tonight and tomorrow. Those who returned early could rest briefly.
Now that there was no longer any controversy on this matter, Brother Merlin left temporarily after hearing the situation and went to continue giving the gangsters who had completed their punishment period a pre-release ideological education.

There were clearly fewer people obstructing the screening of newly arrested gang members today than yesterday; the "execution spots" in the square appeared to be more than half empty.

As soon as Brother Merlin walked away, Lina moved closer again. "I remember you found a translator/guide in the Elran community these past few days? Where does he live?"

I knew it, Lina, you were probably up to something...

After giving her the address of the guide named Seren, Lina wanted to slip away: "These past few days, we've 'softened' them so they won't continue to secretly help investigate the plague. Be careful yourselves, and you can ask the gangsters for inside information."

Wayne grabbed her by the back of her collar. "No. I only suspect there's something wrong with the Ellans. Are you going to leave the group already?"

"The rear battlefield is still a battlefield, okay? If there are any doubts, we must resolve them."

Lina slapped Wayne's hand away. "The Tranquility Cult advocates 'sacrifice of others,' and self-destruction is an option they only consider when they're desperate. They certainly don't want to sacrifice themselves here; they'll probably move on quickly after this is over. The good stuff will probably still be hidden in the safe house."

"Rather than letting the church people take it and destroy it, I'd rather contribute it to the sage—don't worry, I'll keep the extraordinary materials and valuables for everyone, and the things related to 'Koyatl' are useless to you, so those are mine."

Wayne thought for a moment, "Inessa could perhaps be used to counteract the Exorcist Guild's restrictions?"

“They’re different. She’s using the status of ‘Koyatl’ and the extraordinary power of the ‘death’ domain, while the sage wants the projected thoughts or residual will of ‘Koyatl’ or something like that. These two are not the same thing at all.”

Lina stopped halfway through her walk and turned back. "By the way, Willie sent me a message today. Someone is pressuring the prosecutor to try to get your case to go to trial as soon as possible. If things don't look good, I suggest you consider going back to Kansas."

Those people are really going to keep causing trouble, aren't they?
Wayne's eyes darted around slightly. "How are the people in the dock area now thinking about last night's explosion?"

"What else can we say? That you red armbands are using the city hall's authorization to disregard the law. The cathedral has kept the news under wraps, so outsiders are basically unaware that it involves a hidden organization and extraordinary factors."

"Have someone pass a message to Willie and see if he can get the prosecutor to prioritize prosecuting me for abuse of power or use of illegal weapons. It would be best to also spread some rumors and see if you can get the Sailors Gang to testify in court."

“Oh…you want the witnesses from the Sailors’ Gang to look like liars. Spreading information might not be effective, but I can have them ‘soften’ and secretly offer bounties or bribe one or two of them, which should be more effective. Anyway, most ordinary gang members have no hope of promotion, so they might as well find a chance to make some money and run away as soon as possible.”

"Great idea. Lina, you really are a wonderful bad woman."

"Mr. Wayne is too modest. I learned all of this from you."

(End of this chapter)