Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 149 Midnight Visitor
Inside a room in Backlund, Hilton district.

As night deepened, Fors Wall finished a cigarette, removed the remaining bit from the wooden mouthpiece with its silver band, and tucked it into the overflowing ashtray beside him.

Cigarettes come with their own filters, but using a cigarette holder makes smoking more comfortable and can prevent nail polish from turning yellow. A good cigarette holder can make a woman look elegant and beautiful while smoking, and it was even popular in Backlund at one time, with materials ranging from high-end silver to inexpensive wood.

As for what she was holding, it was a birthday gift that Hugh gave her after he made money last time.

After finishing his tobacco, Fors turned his attention back to a blank sheet of paper on his desk. There were a few lines written on it:
The target has a history of fraud and is likely to be cunning by nature. They may change their appearance. It is recommended to add glasses, hats, beards, etc. to the existing portrait to increase the margin for error.
The targets specifically prey on streetwalkers, and the methods are extremely cruel. We can deduce their motives by extracting information from the streetwalkers themselves.
The target is suspected of joining a cult, and their mental state and behavior may differ from ordinary people. Only by living in areas with high crime rates can they reduce the chances of being discovered. They may be active in the East District, specifically the Backlund Bridge area.
This is advice written on it from Detective Isengard Stanton.

The detective's advice had been very helpful when they investigated Ziringus last time. So this time they simply asked him again to speculate on Laneus's situation.

Upon hearing that the target might be a serial killer, Eisinger became very interested. He seemed eager to ask for more details, including who provided the information, but out of professional ethics, he refrained from doing so.

Tomorrow is my day off, and she definitely wants me to go out with her. The East District is too far; I really don't want to go.
Fors was already feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of having to get up early tomorrow and conduct a long investigation across the city.

Forget it, that Lanluus guy is so dangerous, I'd better go with her. Otherwise, if her short legs aren't fast enough, she might get caught.
"Well!"

Just as she was making excuses for herself and taking a jab at her friend, she suddenly froze, then her expression quickly turned ferocious, and she covered her ears with both hands.

The crimson moonlight, like flowing water, blanketed the curtains and trickled down the floor through the gaps, casting a faint red glow inside the room. Invisible whispers seemed to surge into the room along with the crimson moonlight, echoing in Fors' ears and causing her indescribable pain.

Oh no, I forgot it's a full moon today.
Fors thought to himself, and because of the pain, he unconsciously squeezed the wooden cigarette holder so hard it creaked, his face contorted, and he rolled and struggled on the chair.

In the depths of her pained eyes, there seemed to be layers of strange radiance, as if reflecting the distant moonlight.
When she last encountered Qilingus, she used a strange gem to travel through space and escape her pursuers. However, the side effect of that item was that she would hear unknown and terrifying murmurs during every full moon, which caused her extremely intense pain.

"Stop!"

Fors screamed and tore at her hair, seemingly trying to relieve the pain in her head. Large clumps of brown curls were ripped out, but she seemed oblivious.

A few minutes later, she finally recovered, covered in cold sweat and panting heavily.

Looking at the large handfuls of hair and cigarette holders in his hand, Fors couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

"Luckily, the cigarette holder was of good quality and I didn't break it, otherwise I wouldn't know how to explain it to Hugh."

She had tried to save herself, but various rituals and prayers to the gods had no effect. The delirious murmurs grew louder and louder, and the situation worsened; she didn't know how many more times she could hold on.

With mixed feelings of helplessness, Fors stared blankly out the window.

That same night, in the East District, in the apartment rented by Lu Ze.

"This mainly tests your understanding of mathematical theorems. Just follow the formula and substitute the given conditions."

At his desk, Lu Ze quickly scribbled a few lines of numbers on a scrap of paper, then looked up at Emily. "See? It's solved!"

Emily glanced at the manuscript, then at him.

"You explain it even more clearly than our teacher."

She said it from the bottom of her heart.

"It's just very simple math," Lu Ze said with a smile. After all, he had climbed through a sea of ​​math problems in his previous life, so dealing with the high school math problems of this era was no challenge for him.

Emily looked at the question he had analyzed so thoroughly, and after a moment, she suddenly looked puzzled.

"But don't you have a mental illness? So where did you learn math?"

She asked that question.

Lu Ze's eyes narrowed. He noticed that his younger sister across from him was also looking at the manuscript thoughtfully. He knew something was wrong, so he smiled and said, "I never went to school. I learned it on my own while working."

He almost forgot that Cecilia was very aware of her own academic situation; she knew that she had never studied mathematics.

After chatting for a few more minutes, it was almost time, so Emily got up, said goodnight to the two of them, and then went back to her bedroom.

"elder brother."

Sure enough, she spoke immediately after Emily left.

It's okay, I can still cover it up. Luckily, I have some work experience, so I can say that I received special training at the company during my employment because it was required for the job.
Lu Ze prepared his words, waiting for his sister to ask.

He then heard her look at him with concern and ask earnestly, "We should rest now. Have you taken your medicine?"

"what?"

Lu Ze was taken aback.

My sister didn't ask me anything about math. Wait, isn't it better if she doesn't ask? It saves me the trouble of making up an excuse.

"I haven't eaten yet, Cecilia, could you pour me a glass of water?"

He nodded and said with a smile.

Mentioning the medicine, Luze instinctively reached into his chest pocket, where three glass test tubes were hidden. They were sedatives provided by the portly pharmacist, Darkwell. Besides the sedatives, his payment included 10 pounds in cash and a clue to the Extraordinary Gathering.

"The meeting will be held in a house on Iron Gate Street. To find out the exact time, check the fifth page of the daily Backlund Morning Post. If there's an advertisement for Ernst Trading Company buying up goods, it means there will be a meeting at 8 p.m. the following day. The intensity and interval of your knocking are related to the price you're offering."

I'll have to remind Cecilia to subscribe to this newspaper later.
Lu Ze thought to himself that since it was the first gathering, he planned to test the waters first and not necessarily buy anything.

Wait a minute, I wonder how much of Cecilia's "Assassin's" potion she's used up. Maybe we can prepare some of the main ingredients for the "Instigator" potion for her in advance and try to buy them at the party.
"Boom boom boom!"

Just as he was pondering what to do at the party, there was a loud knocking on his apartment door.

　Mutual promotion, a top contributor on the suspense channel, "Under the Nuo Mask" - brew a cup of tea

　　This suspenseful urban fantasy story unfolds within a world where Nuo masks awaken, featuring a novel power system, meticulous writing, and well-crafted atmosphere. Recommended for fans of this genre.

(End of this chapter)