r18novel Chapter 15 Makes a Discovery
Chapter 15 Makes a Discovery
Luo Qiu returned along the same route alone.
Unsurprisingly, his old partner was still parked on the side of the road.
Nearly ten minutes had passed since the explosion, and thanks to the efforts of several detectives, the road was now clear. Cars began to pass by, making the parked cars on the side of the road seem rather out of place. Some drivers, seeing that no one was inside, would honk their horns in frustration.
Ignoring the noise, Luo Qiu opened the car door, started the engine, and drove away.
A minute later, the car drove into a quiet alleyway in the vicinity.
I found an empty spot to park and turned off the engine.
This is an alley about 100 meters long, sloping eastward, with plane trees lining the roadside, and a row of cars parked along the roadside in front and behind it, just like his.
Aside from these cars, there weren't many pedestrians in the alley. Since neither end of the alley was particularly busy, the occasional passerby was probably there to take a shortcut.
Luo Qiu saw in the rearview mirror that there was only the figure of a young man wearing a hood.
With his talent activated, no red light appeared on the other person, so Luo Qiu quietly sat in the car and waited for the other person to drive away.
Da Da Da~
After the footsteps passed, the surroundings quieted down, and the sounds of carriages and horses at the other end of the alley became faint.
Luo Qiu let out a breath and finally raised his right hand, reaching for his chest.
The cell phone was taken out, still slightly warm.
The screen lit up automatically the next moment.
In addition to the date and time, a new notification appeared on the screensaver featuring the smiling goddess:
[A connectable MagicNet node has been detected nearby. Would you like to attempt a connection?]
This is why the 'phone' vibrates.
After reading the message, Luo Qiu closed his eyes and put the 'phone' back in his pocket.
Things weren't as bad as he imagined.
Magic Network Node.
This app is available on your phone.
He had seen the word in the wizard's notes as well.
According to Luo Qiu's understanding, a Magic Network node is equivalent to a signal transmitter, or a cell phone's signal tower.
The Free Alliance has sent many people to Fog City, such as Mr. Bias, who carries a very important mission. However, Mr. Bias is not the most important person sent by the Free Alliance in Fog City. The person who controls the Magic Network node is.
With the Magic Network node, Bias and others were able to contact the Free Alliance, which was thousands of miles away.
The fact that his phone could display this notification could only mean one thing: the briefcase of the man he had seen contained a magic network node.
Considering that the other party came from near the apartment where the explosion occurred, does this indicate that this is yet another operation by Fog City forces against the Freedom Alliance? Was that man from Fog City? Or from the Freedom Alliance?
It should be the former. Although the other person's steps were unsteady, they remained composed throughout.
So, the fact that the other party didn't cast any more spells means they didn't expose themselves. In other words, that man is most likely a Sequence Three.
……
Ten minutes later, Luo Qiu walked back to the workshop where the explosion had occurred.
After Clyde took charge of the area, unsurprisingly, a police cordon was set up.
The patrol officers who had come to help earlier were now in charge of guarding the scene. In front of them, a dozen reporters with name tags on their chests and cameras on their shoulders had crowded around. Some of their cameras were pointed at the injured passersby, while others were pointed at the ruins. They all looked excited.
"Sir, were any cats injured in the explosion?"
"I'm injured, and my car! It's completely wrecked."
"Oh, excuse me, we're from the Cat Lovers' Newspaper... May I ask, sir, do you have full car insurance?"
"I……"
"Hey, this breaking news story will probably be on the front page tomorrow. Should we 'risk' and go for the interview?"
"Front page? Tomorrow's front page will definitely be about Miss Alicia's scandal and her upcoming concert. I advise you not to overthink it."
"Oh, I see. But I noticed there seems to be a little girl who's injured over there."
"Really? Then that makes a difference."
Luo Qiu remained indifferent to these reporters.
Although he was wearing a uniform, he did not attract the attention of these reporters, since he did not emerge from the ruins.
As he crossed the cordon and Smith came to greet him, a flurry of camera shutters clicked behind him.
"Sir, what happened inside? Did someone commit suicide?"
"Look here, Detective, could you tell me what happened inside? Were any cats hurt?"
Smith ignored the reporters. Although he was a little unaccustomed to seeing so many film crews today, he quickly ran to Luo Qiu's side, led him inside, and whispered:
"Senior, Senior Clyde has just ordered the scene to be cleaned up. We just found bloodstains in the reception room of this workshop."
"Someone is buried underneath?"
"It should be. Several agents are digging right now. I don't have any tools, so I can't help at the moment."
Following Smith's directions, Luo Qiu looked toward the workshop's reception room. Through the gaps in the ruins, he could see six agents working inside.
Two more agents arrived at the scene, and the latter agents clearly brought tools. Four of the six were now working with shovels. Clyde gave the orders, his voice growing increasingly serious, as if a crucial moment had arrived.
Luo Qiu stepped over a few planks and entered the workshop. He found a safe place to rest, then took a pair of white gloves out of his pocket and tossed them to Smith.
The white gloves were taken from the car earlier and are intended for use when handling evidence to prevent damage to fingerprints. Currently, although there shouldn't be any fingerprints to destroy at the scene, they will likely be needed later when cleaning up loose debris.
He had already put on white gloves. After deducing what had happened here, although he was still scared, it also aroused his hunting desire.
At that moment, he was convinced that there must be something extraordinary here.
And this feeling grew stronger as the rubble and wood were gradually moved out.
"Here, move these planks...be careful..."
"Wait, put down the shovel, we found something here... a finger."
"There are indeed people down there. Quick, get to work."
Clyde's sharp eyesight came in handy; he gave loud instructions and was the first to spot the finger.
It was a finger that was already a bloody mess, split diagonally at the nail, with half of the nail missing. But the finger itself was still relatively intact, and you could even see the thick calluses.
Upon seeing this finger, Clyde made his judgment.
"This should be the owner of the workshop, in his forties, a gunsmith. His fingers should be this strong, and his calluses should be this thick. If he were a buyer, the calluses shouldn't be here."
"Strange, what's the gunsmith doing here? Carefully clear the area around you, and don't move anything you find."
"Yes, sir."
Clyde's words put the other agents to their senses, and they quickly became even more careful in their work. Even Smith put on gloves and went to help.
Luo Qiu found a spot near a corner.
After the thick wooden planks were moved away, his innate vision caught an unexpected sight. Two meters away from the finger, a sliver of red light stubbornly drifted out from the ruins.
……