Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

Chapter 96 Raid on Green Shade Mansion

"Going to Green Shade Mansion?"

"Probably. Tonight is the moment of attack."

Green Manor, the place where the Crocodile Man came from, Olivia's lair.

Previously, it hid in the shadows, and Gordon could only defend. Now that Shirin has given them time to act, they have their first opportunity to take the initiative.

There must be a lot of crucial intelligence stored there, and with the imperial forces backing them up this time, it would be a waste not to seize this opportunity.

Gordon buttoned up his sleeves and checked his equipment.

Vera's gaze fell on the black spikes.

She changed her clothes, got up and walked towards the longsword, her breathing becoming serious and her center of gravity slightly adjusted.

"You'll have to stay home this time," Gordon reminded him.

"I want to go."

"Not this time. Your next words will be, 'I can fight.' Then I'll tell you, 'I know, but your injuries haven't healed yet. The source contamination hasn't been completely resolved either.'"

"I—can fight," Vera whispered.

"Don't worry, with Martin, Shirin, and a whole bunch of burly patrol officers around tonight, my safety is guaranteed. And you should also conserve your energy and prepare for the Hunter Administration's test to advance to the third tier."

"The test is the day after tomorrow morning."

"Then you shouldn't be taking risks now. You should be conserving your energy to pass the test, Vera. Your life, your destiny, the opportunity you've waited so long for."

"I don't care."

"I care!" Gordon took a step forward. "—I hope you love yourself."

Vera looked at Gordon quietly.

She won't be convinced by a few words.

Gordon's words made sense, but she still wanted to go, especially when Gordon was preparing to enter a cult stronghold. No matter how much security he took, she wanted to be by his side.

She had seen many people die inexplicably, and she had also seen a group of police officers be torn to pieces in front of real demons.

Trust is not the same as obedience.

Vera suddenly stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch to Gordon's chest, so fast it was completely unexpected.

call out!

The jab came out like thunder, but there was no real feeling of it hitting.

Gao Deng was still sitting on the bed one second, but the next second his body had already turned a quarter of a meter to the side, just enough to make the fist miss its mark, without wasting any of his strength.

She immediately changed her move and swept the attack. Gordon leaned back to avoid the attack, and the transparent thread swept out, pulling her wrist to the side. She didn't try to match her strength, but simply deflected the direction of the force again.

Vera's right arm was pulled off course by the string and hung in the air.

She could have broken free, but she didn't. She mainly felt strange.

Before going to find Harold, Vera had briefly tested Gordon's dodging ability. She used tons of water, and Gordon was only able to dodge three attacks.

This time she used her true speed, but Gordon dodged it.

At such close range, Gordon couldn't possibly wait until the fist was thrown before reacting. Judging from what just happened, Gordon sensed her intention the moment she made her move and responded in advance.

Gordon has become stronger.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Understand the cause before going where the consequences won't reach. That's what I've been training lately." Gordon said casually, but dodging that punch had left his brain spinning.

"You really want to go by yourself?"

"Don't worry, if the Green Manor operation results in the deaths of a large number of patrol officers, someone will be more anxious than us." Gordon withdrew his divine sense.

!

"I don't want to rely on you every time, Vera. You paved the way for me before, and now I want to prove that I can get back on my own."

The room quieted down.

Vera pinched Gordon's cheek.

"I—I always want to hug you, lately," she said awkwardly.

"I can tell."

"I don't know when I'll go mad again, sink into a moonless, lightless dream and never wake up. So I'm afraid if I don't hurry, I won't have another chance."

"Don't worry. I'm going to help you find Source Material. As long as Source Material exists in the world that can help you, I'll get it back sooner or later. Green Shade Mansion might have some clues, and even if there aren't, there might be information that can be used for trading. You need to take good care of yourself until we completely solve the problem."

"Um----"

"Even when taking tests, you need to be in top form. So let's rest today."

"You are ordering me around."

"It's medical advice. And advice from love."

"—If you find Olivia or anything you can't defeat, come back. Don't linger for even a minute—no, a second—just to search for things."

"rest assured."

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Vera lay on the large bed, watching her man slowly walk out of No. 9 Knight Road.

This time, she finally suppressed the urge to go out with him, but her eyes remained fixed on the door, anticipating the next moment it would open.

9:50 p.m., backyard of Black Rock Road Police Station.

The gaslights cast a sickly, pale light on the walls as 20 patrol officers made their final preparations.

They checked their batons, handcuffs, and vests, and loaded their revolvers.

Several black horse-drawn carriages were lined up on the street, suitable for transporting police, prisoners, and people who had been beaten so badly they could not walk.

Gordon looked at the patrolmen and nodded in satisfaction. Only now did they have the momentum to attack the cult stronghold.

He saw Martin sitting behind a square table, planning his attack route while looking at the architectural plans of Green Mansion.

Martin was wearing a splint on his fracture that day, but he's almost fully recovered today.

Several team leaders stood up straight, awaiting orders.

"Mr. Vic," Shirley greeted Gordon, her high brown ponytail hanging down from behind her police cap.

Gordon nodded.

What are your plans?

"Raid on Green Manor!"

"They have powerful connections inside. Some people may have revealed their identities, titles, or relatives. Some even said they had dinner with the police commissioner."

"I know!"

"So what are you going to do?"

"Write down everything they say! Check if there's any transfer of benefits!" Shirin answered without hesitation.

"Okay, that's great, get back to the team now."

"Yes." Shirin turned around.

Martin glanced at Gordon, then at the line of police officers in front of him.

"This operation will be led by full-time investigator Martin Hott and trainee investigator Gordon Vick," Martin announced. "I possess the Source ability to reconstruct the scene, Gordon?"

"I have a string."

"You and I seem to be the same type of investigator," Martin thought seriously.

"Sounds useless, doesn't it? One's for setting off smoke, the other's for setting off the line."

"I wouldn't say that. But it's the truth."

The captains' expressions grew increasingly strange.

Next, Martin assigned tasks to the patrol officers.

"Our plan this time is to raid and take control of everything at Green Shade Mansion, seal off the underground casino, protect the ledgers and files, and control and question the guests as necessary. The place is suspected of three imperial felonies, and the evidence is conclusive."

"First, the illegal detention, control, and modification of human beings."

"Second, they are plotting to carry out attacks that endanger citizens in Lundnim."

"Third—and most important, and most unforgivable," Martin took a deep breath, "long-term concealment of income and tax evasion."

Everyone got serious.

"We'll split into three groups," Martin planned. "The first team will enter through the main entrance and take control of the ground-level guests and employees; the second team will block the back and side entrances to prevent anyone from escaping. The third team will storm the underground casino directly through the stairs to take control of the armed personnel and the ledgers."

"What about the two of us?" Gordon asked.

"We'll go where the trouble is the most."

10:20.

When the team arrived at Hensley Street in the North District, the officers disembarked in batches, their boots landing silently.

Green Shade Mansion is a three-story building hidden behind a row of yew trees.

From the second floor upwards, dark red bed curtains hung behind each window. The light and blurry figures overlapped behind the fabric, and occasionally the outline of shoulders pressed against the window frame, then began to vibrate rhythmically.

In the center of the forecourt, there is a bronze mermaid statue in the fountain, with water constantly flowing from a slender slit on the side of her neck, eventually flowing all over her body.

Gordon stood on the street corner.

He closed his eyes and recalled everything he had realized.

Viewing Green Shade Mansion as a whole means not only listening, but also uncovering its fluid destiny and exploring everything related to it.

Then, he took out "The Rhythm of a Shallow Dream" and listened attentively.

According to Eve, listening to the pocket watch for sixty seconds could improve mental performance, but it would also cause insomnia. Fortunately, tonight was not a good night for sleeping anyway, so he would use this night to gain sixty seconds of the clearest judgment.

Other patrol officers wanted to make a move, but Martin raised his hand to tell them to stay put.

Tick-tock, tick-tock —

Sixty seconds later, he indeed felt his mind become clear, as if his thinking ability had been greatly enhanced in an instant. His mind was like a thoroughly organized archive room, with every piece of information automatically entering its corresponding position.

He carefully savored everything about Green Shade Mansion.

It is a whole.

Breathing, footsteps, vibrations—all the details corroborate each other, weaving together into a net.

The wind could be a person or a fan; footsteps could be a villain or a guest, but as countless pieces of information verify each other, uncertainty is gradually eliminated.

Laughter in the lobby, heavy breathing on the second floor, and whispers on the third floor—

In the underground casino, dice roll, chips clink, and water flows—

"There are 86 breathing sounds in the hall, 12 people moving repeatedly along a fixed route, 24 people on the second floor, and 30 people on the third floor, engaging in in-depth exchanges in groups of two or three. There are two guards on the left and right sides of the main entrance, one person is hiding in the carriage shed on lookout, and another person is hiding in the hedge maze, his legs are numb from squatting and he is switching legs. There are 113 gamblers and 17 thugs on the ground. No breathing or vibrations of large creatures have been detected."

After Gao Deng finished speaking, the skeptical looks quickly turned into awe.

They thought Gordon was just there to observe, but he ended up stripping Green Shade Mansion bare.

"How did you do that?" a patrolman asked in a low voice.

"Shut up. That's how professionals are." The captain was knowledgeable and experienced.

They pointed at the operational plans, and by the time Gao published the report, the attack route on the plans had been repeatedly revised and made more precise.

"Are you sure?" Martin looked at the completely altered attack plan.

Gordon nodded vigorously.

Martin made several hand gestures.

Several patrol officers sneaked over.

The lookout in the hedge had just stood up, and before he could even open his mouth, a large hand covered his mouth, pinning him to the ground and handcuffing him.

The man in the carriage shed was even more unlucky. Two patrolmen crept over, and by the time he realized someone was approaching, he had already been grabbed by the ankles and his head was shoved into a pile of straw.

Other officers then quietly advanced and silently surrounded the area.

In less than two minutes, the entrances and exits of Green Shade Mansion were completely locked down.

The people in Green Shade Mansion were still playing music and dancing, unaware that their world would be shattered in seconds.

Martin raised his finger.

Three, two, one!

boom!

The patrolman kicked open the front door, and Shirin jumped inside.

"Lundnium Police Station! Everyone stay where you are!" Shirin pointed her gun at the ceiling.

>