Witch, don't be so lazy

The pharmacist said.

"Thanks for your hard work."

The old pastor nodded, then glanced at the whole audience and said solemnly,

"Everyone, we have basically locked down the culprit."

Chapter 53: Squatting and Standing

In the church's inner hall, the candlesticks are bright.

After hearing the old pastor's words, everyone looked at each other in surprise.

The culprit has already been identified? !

The ronin swordsman was the most impatient. He waved his hand and said, "What are you waiting for? My sword has been thirsting for a long time!"

The people nearby also responded one after another.

"Haha, as long as the agreed reward is enough, I guarantee that I can rip the enemy open." The charming woman covered her mouth and chuckled.

For such dangerous remarks, Encore gave her the nickname of Ripper.

"It's better to be cautious. Someone who can cause such a big scene might be difficult to deal with."

Ah San was very cautious. "Let's wait until we get more detailed information before we decide how to arrange the arrangements."

As for the pharmacist and Droke, they both seemed to have known about this for a long time. There was no surprise on their faces, and they just waited quietly for the pastor's next words.

"Please be patient, everyone."

The old pastor nodded at Ah San. "We don't have much information at the moment. We only know that over the past two or three days, they've been deliberately operating in the Upper Town to prevent patients from falling into our hands before they transform into monsters."

"The enemy's style of action is very distinct. They kill swiftly and silently at night. Most importantly, the wounds they inflict are all the same, like sharp weapons, leaving several bloody holes about two and a half fingers wide on the corpses. In just two days, they have committed twelve murders."

He paused and looked at An Ke and the other two, "If I'm not mistaken, the murder you just witnessed was probably committed by the culprit again."

The pharmacist and Droke nodded in unison.

Anko was stunned for a moment. No wonder the police officers and priests looked so unsurprised. What happened in the hotel had happened before, but the logic behind this was too strange.

"Reverend Pastor, are you sure this is the culprit?"

An Ke organized her words for a while, "After all, killing the patient personally..."

"Even if he's not the culprit, he's definitely the other party's most trusted subordinate and the most useful tool. As long as we follow this clue, we can find the real cause and completely resolve the incident."

The Ronin Swordsman interrupted directly, and seeing everyone around him nodding in approval, he raised his head even more proudly.

"This also shows that the enemy is unable to completely control the spread and progress of demonization, and they are also afraid to provide enough samples to allow the Church to thoroughly study the problem."

...Although this guy is impolite, what he said does make some sense.

An Ke pursed her lips. Judging from the current situation, all the people in Hongyan Town who were capable and willing to solve the abnormal incidents had gathered in the church. This guy who maliciously killed patients was obviously an enemy, not a friend.

"Yes, so we have to find a way to capture him alive."

The old pastor nodded, looked at everyone and said loudly,

"It's too late tonight, but starting tomorrow, we need to find a way to set a trap. For example, instead of sending all the patients we find back to the temple, we can deliberately leave one or two behind, then ambush them from the dark, waiting for them to fall into our trap."

Everyone looked at each other and started discussing again.

"Can the other party be fooled?"

Ah San frowned. "Ambush is not as easy as it sounds. Since the enemy can come and go freely at night, unless they are completely mindless monsters, they will definitely conduct environmental reconnaissance beforehand. A large-scale arrangement is definitely not an option."

"You are not talking nonsense, who wouldn't think of this?"

The Ronin Swordsman showed a look of disdain and said disdainfully, "Don't you see that the Reverend specially called us into the inner room? It's obvious that he only wants us to set up an ambush."

He patted the knife he was wearing. Well, because it looked a bit like a samurai sword, and in Anke's eyes, this guy's appearance had a bit of a happy-go-lucky feeling, so he was labeled a swordsman.

"Of course I have no problem. I have the technique to the highest level. If I calm down, even birds will mistake me for a rock and land on my head."

As soon as these words came out, everyone couldn't help but roll their eyes at him.

He is actually a master?

Even An Ke couldn't help but be stunned. She couldn't tell. It turned out that one couldn't judge strength solely by magic power. Maybe the master of someone else, Kurogane Ikki, had the special move of One Sword Shura.

"As for the other guys, I don't know if they are capable."

The ronin swordsman blew slowly, causing his bangs to flutter twice.

Now that things have come to this, naturally others are not willing to be outdone.

"Haha, don't bother with that. I still have some ways to hide my beauty."

The woman smiled.

"My goal is to be the greatest witcher, so I naturally have all the necessary means."

Droke raised his hat.

"Rather than hiding, I'm more confident I can lock onto the enemy before they spy on me."

Ah San downplayed it.

"Don't look at me. I'm just a pharmacist. I don't have much fighting skills. I can help you heal after the fight, but don't count on me for anything else."

The pharmacist waved his hands repeatedly.

Then, everyone looked at Encore.

The latter did not answer, but looked at the old pastor:

"Do you know the enemy's strength?"

This is an issue that requires special attention, and everyone's attention was instantly diverted.

If it's too powerful, even if we don't back out directly, the commission fee should at least be raised by one or two.

After all, he is a witcher, which is how they are called in the Papal States. In other places, he is called an adventurer.

"They're very formidable. A few days ago, they tried to sneak into the church, but their whereabouts were exposed and they escaped. During that time, there was a brief conflict with the priests, and many were injured. We already lost many men in the fight against the dark creatures, and now we're even short-handed. So I'm going to rely heavily on you."

The old pastor sighed, "But the enemy is still within our control. And judging by their ferocity and arrogance, they'll kill us even if you don't hide yourselves."

"Humph! So arrogant! Don't worry, with just a little bit of my strength, I'll make sure he doesn't come back!"

The ronin swordsman held his neck high.

"Just pay more." The Ripper woman chuckled.

The others also expressed their opinions one after another.

After a brief thought, An Ke agreed.

If a righteous group fight is possible, then of course I should go. The opponent is so good at assassination. If I defeat them one by one, my situation will be terrible.

……

The night retreats and the sun rises.

The streets and alleys gradually became lively.

Not long after the most famous tavern in Hongyan Town opened, many residents were seated inside. In addition to the rock sausage, the signature dish here is the tavern owner's extraordinary memory.

It is said that as long as you place an order at this point, as long as the changes are not to the point of plastic surgery, even after many years, when you enter the store again, the owner can easily tell you what dishes you ordered last time.

"Hey, Old Moose, do you remember what I ate last? Want a set?"

A cheerful voice echoed in the house, and the witcher's windbreaker swept the sunlight as he passed through the door.

The old man behind the bar slammed his plate. "Droker, you little brat! I heard a few days ago that you were back in Hongyan Town. Why did it take you several days to come to the store?"

"Oh, there were a lot of messes that took some time to complete."

Droke scratched his hair, which looked like a chicken coop, and shouted back.

It was obviously just a very short distance, but I had to greet a lot of people and exchange a few words. When I finally managed to sit down on a chair, the steaming hot dishes had already been served in front of me.

"Oh, that's fast."

Droke sat carelessly on the chair, picked up a piece of sizzling sausage, took a bite and his mouth was full of oil.

"It's still this familiar delicacy... Oh, this wine, haha, Old Moose, you're going to ruin your reputation. Give me a free meal and I won't tell anyone else."

"Heh." The old shopkeeper sneered. "When you left, you ordered Blackthorn, symbolizing fearless courage, but the first sip was so spicy it made your eyes and nose water. You're such a wimp! After all these years, you're still that foolish. Just drink the mead and save yourself from crying again."

"Hey, stop talking nonsense. I've always been very brave, okay? But thank you for being able to drink my favorite flavor from my childhood."

De Rock raised his glass and clinked it with the old owner.

"Is it hard to be a witcher?"

The shop owner asked, "I remember you always clamoring to be a great man and become the next Van Helsing. How come, after more than a decade, you're still far from your goal?"

"Hiss, well, the Legendary Hunter is so powerful, you need to give me more time..."

Droke scratched his messy hair and began to talk about other things.

Unfortunately, others showed no mercy.

"You little brat, how come you're still an Iron Hunter? You don't even have a Bronze Badge. Are you just out having fun?"

"Hey, don't underestimate me, I'm just one step away from promotion..."

"You used to say you were almost joining the Blazing Knights, but in the end you couldn't even become a priest!"

The secret was revealed and the whole room burst into laughter.

"My dream has changed a long time ago. Being a witcher is so prestigious, and I've made a name for myself!"

Deroker argued, then slammed a few shiny bullets onto the table.

"See this pale one? Five years ago, I killed five skull monsters in the catacombs. I took their skulls, mixed them with mithril, and ground them myself. I got thirteen of them, and now I have four left."

Suddenly, a sound of "Oh" was heard all around.

"Look at this dark green swamp again. Four years ago, I killed two of them..."

"Hey, is that your companion? A very young witcher, underage?"

"No way, you little brat, you went to the theater to look for Lisa a few days ago. And at your age, even in Hongyan Town, you'd be in jail..."

"Hey, stop talking nonsense. I'm devoted to Liqun, Liaoliuxia, Jiuwu, Mingluo, Lingwusha."

After Droke finished yelling, he turned around and saw Anke walking towards him.

It's not bad to call him a companion, since we're going to fight together tonight, but what are you looking for now? To learn from him? To discuss cooperation?

He had just scratched his head when he heard the other party ask a question.

"Is your uncle called Elian? The coachman?"

……

The backyard of the house.

The shovel dug the soil again and again.

"That guy is dead. He'd been talking about becoming a hunter and seeking revenge for decades, but when he came back a few days ago, he was still a rickshaw driver. But in the end, he died fighting monsters, which was pretty glorious, wasn't it?"

Droke said calmly, without any particular sadness, "You actually said you left behind your life savings. Is that true? That's bullshit."

Perhaps seeing Anke's confused look, he added two more sentences.

"Although he's my only relative, he's a jerk who eats, drinks, gambles, and does whatever he wants. He even goes crazy when he's drunk. I was practically raised by all my neighbors."

The shovel was swung several times and seemed to hit something hard.

"Fuck, there really is one."

Droke was startled. He exerted force with his hands, picked up the bag directly, and then reached out to hold it steadily.

"From the sound of it, there aren't many gold coins."

He curled his lips and opened the bag. As expected, there wasn't much in it. Adding up all the scattered items, there were barely over thirty gold coins. But there was also a booklet and two animal skins inside.

"what is this?"

"Oh, this is it. It's the picture book of Van Helsing: The Hunting Diary of a Demon Hunter. It was the first birthday present I received after my parents died. I still have it... Uh, do you want to read it? Go ahead."

An Ke took the picture book and flipped through it carefully.