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

Chapter 100 Merit and Point Cards

"Any clues?" Shirin asked curiously.

"Yes, we found a doctor who didn't like to wallow in the same old ways as his boss. Olivia went downhill, while Albert went uphill; they clearly had a directional divergence."

Gordon checked again and ordered the patrolmen to collect a large number of medical records, medicine prescriptions, surgical diagrams, and information on various members of the mansion in a categorized manner.

He noticed that several sets of crucial equipment were missing from the doctor's private lounge drawer.

The large medical kit that the doctor brought with him to the end-of-term report meeting that day was also gone; he was clearly in a hurry.

"Come on." Gordon led Shirley down further.

As Gordon passed through the half-open cast iron door, he sensed the presence below.

It was a flooded hall with marble pillars and floors, and a large table, but now it was deserted.

The giant dragon lizard that attacked Golden Oak Manor that day seemed to have been kept beneath the pool, and it swam from the pool into the vast underground world of Lundenim.

He walked down and stood at the edge of the pool, where corpses were everywhere.

[Large pool. The water quality is not suitable for drinking.]

Most of the corpses showed signs of aquatic mutation, with gill slits on the sides of their necks.

Shirin raised the lantern and saw a bloated, dead face; her expression immediately turned grim.

The pool was filled with the bodies of more than one group of people, including members of Green Shade Mansion, wet-footed members and swimmers from the Blackwater Hermitage, as well as aquatic creatures of unknown origin, all of whom died in different ways.

It is clear that a short and brutal civil war took place here.

Some people died in particularly horrific ways, as if they had been "flattened" from the middle by a tremendous force, with their internal organs spilling out of their mouths.

Olivia and Ellen may have been involved, but another force was also present here —

Gordon took a deep breath and began to retreat. This was the boundary Vera had demanded; the world beyond that was beyond the current capabilities of this team.

Regardless, Olivia's entry into the water was hasty, possibly due to pressure from the other side.

"Don't go any deeper. Record everything you see. Once the agency's follow-up personnel and pollution investigators arrive, we will have found enough clues. There's no need to risk going into the water."

No one objects.

Tonight's target has been exceeded.

They found irrefutable files on Green Shade Mansion's alleged supernatural alterations, and completely occupied the mansion, which had lost its mistress.

"Investigator, what else do you need to investigate?" Shirley followed closely behind Gordon.

"Find the doctor who caused all this." The pool doesn't grow legs, but this doctor might be somewhere else. Gordon picked up his scalpel and quickened his pace.

Albert knows about modification technology, knows about Olivia's network, and may also know how to deal with the surviving limb-splitting individuals.

Any one of these three points would be enough to make him live and reveal all his secrets.

Beside him, the heavily modified "swimmer" finally showed a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

As she stepped back to the top of the stairs, Shirin made a point of looking back.

The patrol officers carried evidence boxes, medicine cabinets, and a group of men with wet feet who had been beaten up and were cooperating well; their footsteps were orderly and weary.

The captured swimmer walked at the back, its grafted giant claws dragging on the ground, leaving a white mark on the tip of its carapace with every step it took.

Back in Olivia's bedroom.

Martin stood in the center of the room. The exhausted patrolmen piled the files they had found on the floor, categorizing them into categories: bloodstained medical records, lab reports, various drug formulas, and even the gamblers' files that had been in Olivia's bedroom.

"The underground treatment area has been initially sealed off. We have discovered 19 bodies, 6 surviving modified individuals, and captured 6 alive."

"We seized more than 140 medical records —" Gordon reported.

Martin scribbled notes in his notebook.

Gordon rubbed his hands together, waiting. Martin probably knew what he was up to.

"You located the number of people and sentries at the mansion before the operation, reducing the risk of a raid. You also brought the crucial solution to the mystery, enabling you to break into the mansion's hidden location. These two achievements can be recorded as minor accomplishments."

These are two minor achievements.

Gordon quickly converted them into large prizes, gadgets, and chips for future redemption; tonight's trip was worthwhile.

He hadn't been working so hard just to wait for a compliment like "Well done."

"If I bring the mansion doctor back, would that count as the third separate minor achievement?" Gordon was eager to know this.

Martin remained silent for a moment.

"Sure," Martin said tactfully, "but Gordon, the Empire's achievements aren't like a bakery points card. Besides, you haven't found him down there, and we haven't found him on the surface either. How are you going to find him?"

"I have a way. Just tell me if it counts or not."

"Yes," Martin agreed. "If you can actually catch the doctor tonight, I'll consider this the third small achievement."

Gordon entered the hall and took out a scalpel stained with dark brown blood.

A thin thread emerged from the knife, tilting towards the west of the city.

The fact that the thread wasn't connected to the target meant the doctor wasn't within 100 meters, so Gordon could only determine the direction, not the distance.

This person may have just escaped to a cheap hotel in the West End, or may have already escaped to the west coast of Logris Island, or may even have taken a steamship across the ocean to New Albion.

The night has been long enough; he could certainly go back to sleep.

But we can take another step forward and give it a try. If we give up, we may lose the clues forever.

Gordon arrived at the front courtyard of Green Shade Mansion, where the mermaid statue was still spouting water.

He heard footsteps, and Shirin followed behind.

"What?" Gordon said without turning his head.

"Investigator! Where are you going!"

"I'm going to see a doctor."

"I'll go too! I can!"

"I didn't ask you!"

"Then please ask quickly!"

Gordon untied the ropes of the furious beast, which puffed out a puff of white breath and shoved its forelegs heavily into the ground. It had been waiting too long tonight and was getting impatient.

Shirin looked up at the furious horse. It was incredibly tall, and she had to stand on tiptoe to get her hat brim over the saddle.

"I might have to search half of Lundnim tonight, maybe even leave the city, and maybe I won't find anything by dawn. Are you still willing to do that?"

"no problem!"

"There may be no overtime pay."

Shirin took a deep breath.

"—Still no problem!"

"Very good, you have passed the ultimate test for imperial public servants. Get on." Gordon mounted his horse.

Because of Shirin's small and portable size, she and Gordon could ride together without any problem.

The problem is she can't climb up.

Shirin grabbed the edge of the saddle, stepped into the stirrups, and used her arms to lift herself up half a meter. Because her legs weren't long enough, she could only hang solemnly beside the horse's belly.

"Sir Investigator, I can't get up there!"

"That happens often."

He turned his head in fury and looked at her with one dark brown eye.

"Is it making fun of me?" Shirin questioned.

"It's okay, you're the one riding it anyway." Gordon grabbed Shirin's arm and lifted her up. She was as light as a suitcase, and in the blink of an eye, she was on the horse's back, sitting behind Gordon.

Gordon spurred his horse forward, galloping wildly in a rage. Shirley immediately grabbed Gordon's waist, her police hat hitting his back.

"I'm ready!"

Enraged, it reared up on its front hooves, and Shirin only had time to let out a short "Ouch!" before her high ponytail was blown flat by the wind.

Enraged, we drove through the neat cobblestone streets of the North District, through the still brightly lit and bustling Dionysus Street, through the now quiet Place de Mayo, and continued towards the West District of Lundnium.

The West District is an industrial area, filled with giant factories that work all night long. The Spiritual Processing Plant spews purple smoke into the sky, and steam pipes extend along the exterior walls of the factory buildings.

Gordon gripped the scalpel, the sutures becoming increasingly solid.

Upon reaching the edge of the city, at the end of Rivet Street, it suddenly stopped trembling, as if it had found a real target.

Now, it has finally transformed from an illusory sense of direction into a complete thin line, stretching straight to a distance of over 100 meters.

He breathed a sigh of relief; this was the moment he had been waiting for.

Gao Deng dismounted to observe.

It was a small inn built next to a textile warehouse, with a sleeping goose hanging above the door.

"Home of Peaceful Sleep," at least that's what the sign says.

Gordon stepped inside, and the copper bell on the top of the door gave a weak, brittle sound.

"No rooms available tonight." The hotel owner was a fat man with a red nose, wearing a shirt stained with wine, and carrying a short, nail-headed stick. He was clearly used to dealing with thieves, drunkards, and disputes over accommodation fees.

"We're looking for someone around forty years old, who smells strongly of medicine," Gordon said.

"There is no such person."

"This is official business! Obstructing an investigation will result in being taken back for questioning!" Shirin showed her identification.

"—Room 7 on the second floor. The registered name is George Brown. He said he treats livestock." The boss lowered his voice. "I've never taken his money, nor have I ever hidden anything for him."

"He really treats people like livestock," Gao Deng said, climbing upstairs.

The two walked up the creaking stairs to the second-floor corridor, where a brown carpet covered the floor. Room number seven was quiet.

Gordon knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came an old, hoarse voice from inside.

"Open the door and check the water meter."

There was no further sound coming from inside.

He sensed the mattress creaking and the belt buckling; a person was tiptoeing toward the window, trying to escape.

Gordon glanced at Shirin, who pulled out her revolver, pushed it to the other side of the door hinge, and prepared for close-quarters combat inside, just waiting for Gordon to ram it.

But Gordon didn't crash into the door.

He released a thin thread, which went straight up from under the door crack, hooked onto the doorknob, and then pulled down.

Click.

The door lock opened by itself.

Gordon rushed in, and "Doctor" Albert climbed onto the windowsill and jumped downstairs.

"Stop!" Shirin rushed over.

Albert leaped down and landed easily on the ground without hesitation; judging from his skills, he was at least not an ordinary person.

Shirin rushed to the window and raised her revolver.

boom!

Gunfire illuminated her profile, and the bullet, traveling thirty meters, struck Albert precisely in the side. He screamed and fell forward.

A blue light shone from his hand, and he seemed to be healing himself. He was able to stand up again after a few seconds, although blood was still flowing and his left leg was obviously dragging.

"Damn it—" The doctor endured the excruciating pain, looked up, and saw a monster.

Furious.

It turned around, kicked out with its hind legs, and Albert flew off the ground, spinning around on the road a dozen times, exploding in a pool of blood before crashing into the coal ash on the side of the road.

"well done."

Gordon rushed into the street.

It snorted angrily, clearly finding this more in line with its habits than waiting outside all night.

Gordon used his divine thread to wrap around Albert's wrists, shoulders, neck, and ankles, and then pulled hard, immobilizing Albert's body and pressing his cheek against a puddle of water on the ground.

"I have high hopes for him."

"You're under arrest!" Shirin handcuffed him.

Gordon told Shirley to watch him, then went back to search Albert's rented room.

Huge gains!

One was his large medicine chest, which contained a large quantity of medicinal preparations.

The other was an iron box containing rubbings of ancient Logarithmic inscriptions, which seemed to be clues that Albert had obtained. To be honest, it's hard to believe that this person developed that kind of limb-setting technique himself.

Eve would definitely love this.

This pursuit was not in vain.

"Let's go." Gordon spurred his horse forward, dragging Albert along. "Hopefully we can find a carriage that operates at night, otherwise you'll be dragged all the way back to Green Shade Mansion like this."

At 3:40 a.m., at Green Shade Mansion.

The mansion was still brightly lit, and the police officers were moving evidence. Turning their heads, they first saw Gordon, and then a rental carriage.

Shirin dragged Dr. Albert from the Green Shade Mansion off the carriage.

Martin came out upon hearing the news and saw the doctor, who had been beaten beyond recognition, and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Mr. Vic, this is your third small achievement."

"Please list separately."

"Yes. Apprehend the key suspect who escaped—"

Gordon's eyes were dry, and his arms ached from a busy night.

"According to your agency's classic principle of 'the more people, the more evenly they share,' shouldn't we also give Zhen Nu and Shirin credit for their contributions? Someone kicked out, and someone fired a shot." Gordon then began to recount the whole process.

"That's the theory." Martin opened his notebook and began to recount his achievements to them. "—Don't worry, I'll write it all down."