Come Out and See Me!

The woman soon returned and handed a rather thin brochure to Neo. Neo flipped through it, a smile touching the corners of his lips as he turned the pages. "Now this is more like it. Otherwise, I really would have had to go settle scores with that brat Vicolai for sending me on a fool's errand." "Please forgive us, my lord. Might I ask what your exact relationship with Lord Vicolai is? Please don't misunderstand—our establishment simply wishes to upgrade your membership tier, so we need a few more specific details." "Hah, what relationship do I have with him? I have no relationship with him at all." Neo continued turning the pages with his left hand while lifting his red wine with his right to take another sip. Karen spoke up. "His grandfather's reputation is like a pile of cow dung scattered on the ground. Nobody wants anything to do with him." The woman instantly wore an awkward smile. "This one, Number 12, and this one, Number 23. Bring them up." "Understood, my lord. At the discounted price..." Neo tossed the card across the table and said casually, "No password. Swipe it yourself." "Yes. Please wait a moment, my lords. The dishes will be served shortly." Once the woman left, Karen could not help asking, "You still have that many vouchers?" Neo shook his head. "After paying off my debts, I really didn't have much left, not to mention that I went out of my way to decorate an office for you in grand style." "I've been curious about something. The nameplate outside the office door—can't it be changed?" "Every post has its corresponding office area. Even though our office building is desolate, there's a massive spell formation laid out underneath it, so the door plates cannot be swapped." "Oh, so that's how it is." "There are no vouchers in my card, but it can be used for credit. Now that I've settled my debts this time, my credit rating in that black-market bank's client system is bound to be exceptionally high. I should be able to advance quite a few vouchers." "How are you going to pay it back later?" Karen asked. "Write it into the case-closing report, of course. If your stomach feels upset, how could you not know where to find a restroom? When the time comes, our investigation expenses will be reimbursed with priority. Besides, look at this place..." Neo gestured around them. "When we really turn this place inside out, guess how much can be liquidated? If a little slips through our fingers... this isn't called corruption. This is called making sustainable contributions to the Church." Karen nodded. He did not feel any resistance or repulsion toward such gray operations. In his past mindset, he had always felt that people who did the right things and made real contributions deserved a better standard of living; at the very least, they shouldn't end up destitute. Well, there was no reason that principle shouldn't apply to himself. "I say, after this case wraps up, let's find some time to have a proper chat. Why do I feel a bit restrained around you lately?" "Do you?" "Yes. There's this feeling of being supervised. In the past, you weren't used to some of my actions, but you wouldn't show it. Now it's different—you actually express your attitude directly." Saying this, Neo hooked an arm around Karen's shoulder. "I say, what happened to you?" "I recognized some past mistakes and want to correct myself. I'm still feeling my way through it, but it's not a big problem." "Can you handle it on your own?" "I can." "That's good. If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, just tell me directly." "Neo, you don't need to be like this." "I'm not being sarcastic. Things aren't like before. When we were down below, it didn't matter how you played around as long as you weren't caught red-handed. In our current positions, the slightest carelessness will plunge you into a professional abyss. "I was actually considering whether I should change my past behavior, too. Since you started first, I won't bother overthinking it. Just remind me directly." "You're really not just accommodating me?" "Accommodating you? Haha, you think you have that much face?" Neo cast Karen a thoroughly disdainful glance. "Keep dreaming. Expecting others to accommodate you with an ugly mug like yours?" "Heh." Neo's hand slid down, pulling a cigarette from Karen's pocket. When Karen reached for his lighter to light it for him, Neo snatched the lighter away and lit it himself. Taking a deep drag and blowing out a smoke ring, Neo propped his forehead on his elbow and said, "One way or another, I can't stand in the way of your progress, can I?" "Thank you." "Then can you reimburse me some of the renovation costs?" "I meant 'thank you, Section Chief, for renovating my office.'" "Pah!" Neo leaned back and said seriously, "When the dishes are brought up later, you can dump yours out without eating it, but you can't return it. Once your manservant and that Felscher girl have probed Vicolai, we'll mobilize our personnel to raid this place. If we alert them prematurely, it's not that we need to worry about them escaping from here, but the Norton family would have time to clean up their evidence." "I know." *Thump, thump, thump...* A knock sounded at the door. "Enter." Six black-robed individuals walked in, carrying two stretchers bearing a man and a woman. Then, without waiting for Karen or Neo to give orders, they bound the man and woman within the two circles respectively. Immediately after, the woman from earlier walked in, carrying two pipe-like implements, and handed one to Karen and one to Neo. "My lords, would you like me to explain the procedure for you?" "You can get lost," Neo waved his hand impatiently. "Yes. Please take your time and enjoy, my lords." The others withdrew, leaving only Neo and Karen in the large private room, along with the man and woman kneeling bound before them. Neo got up first, stepped forward to examine them, and said, "They're already dead. More precisely, before being brought in, they were injected with a dissolution potion. Just like using salt to draw excess moisture out of food, once these potions are introduced, their souls and spiritual energy dissolve and are squeezed out. This process is virtually irreversible. "Moreover, they were brought in right as the potion took full effect, so the only window where they might have been saved was already squandered. They still have breath, and their souls still have fluctuations, but as people, they can already be considered dead." "You don't need to explain so much to me." Karen shrugged. "I can tell." "I haven't fully grasped your current state yet. Better to play it safe, lest you can't tolerate a single grain of sand in your eyes." "It's not that extreme. It's not like I have a purity obsession." "Alright." Neo reached out and touched the man's face. "I know this fellow. He's a criminal Gendy's squad captured a while back. He should be locked up in a dungeon right now, yet here he is, prepared as a dish." "Meaning this establishment has ties to people within the Whip of Order?" "It would be strange if it didn't. Pulling people straight out of the Whip of Order's dungeons to serve as dishes is truly lazy, though, because it's far too easy to trace." Karen replied, "It's not that they're lazy; it's that who would have investigated them in the past?" "Yeah, exactly. That's why we have to cherish our current opportunity. Those criminals truly have no awareness of being lawbreakers; their evidence is practically tossed on the street for us to pick up at will. "Vicolai drives here himself to 'dine,' and simply dropping his name grants you high-tier membership privileges. They don't even scratch up the 'dishes'' faces—no disfigurement whatsoever, served straight to the table. "I feel like if all our future work is like this, my intelligence is definitely going to drop. It's like going to university and still doing addition and subtraction problems on every exam." At that moment, halos began to emerge over the man and woman—a sign that their souls and spiritual energy were leaking out. Karen looked at the pipe-shaped object in his hand. After infusing a sliver of spiritual energy into it, the device began to operate like a converter. Karen said, "Actually, this kind of absorption doesn't hold much meaning for normal people." Neo smiled, spreading his hands toward Karen. "The issue is that normal people wouldn't come here in the first place. Those who come here are either purely seeking indulgence—bored of low-end thrills and looking for something premium—or they have problems with their own realm and strength. Take Adjudicator Vicolai, for instance; he probably comes here to replenish himself. "Who knows, Adjudicator Vicolai's true strength might only be... God's Revelation or God's Shepherd." "Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?" "Who told him to have a good grandfather?" Neo paused, raising a hand. "Fine, sorry. It really isn't appropriate to say such things in front of you." "My grandfather wouldn't do such tasteless things for me." Neo could not help quipping, "Still, not every family's grandfather can find a relic of Light to perform a servant purification for his grandson." "We're getting off topic." "Every stray topic has a reason. For example, I'm actually quite envious of your family background." "I always thought you preferred achieving everything through your own struggle, Section Chief." "That's because I didn't have a background like yours, so out of necessity, to console myself, I established that persona. The joy of personal struggle is beyond words, but sometimes it gets exhausting, and you just want to lie down. "Alright, back to business. To avoid any other mishaps, once your manservant and the Felscher girl confirm that Vicolai's strength fluctuates noticeably, I plan to act immediately. "The evidence and leads are simply too abundant—so abundant that I have no reason to waste any time. "So, can your people be assembled in time?" "Two of them are on leave with their families in other regions, but returning via transmission formations won't take long. If we issue the muster notice once we leave, the whole team should be back tonight." "Oh, no need to rush that much," Neo dissuaded him at once. "I plan to strike tomorrow morning." "Tonight would work just fine, actually." "No, no, no. I'm willing to bear some unforeseen risks to get through tonight because I intend to forge an official notice tonight summoning Adjudicator Vicolai to a meeting at the Church Affairs Building tomorrow morning. "When the time comes, you, as the operations captain, will lead your people into the Church Affairs Building, produce the document bearing our office's seal, and arrest him. "Oh, wait, not arrest—invite him to the Whip of Order regional headquarters to assist in an investigation. "Strictly speaking, our office doesn't have the authority to issue an arrest warrant. We have to bring the person back, submit the evidence, and have higher-ups review it before his status as a criminal suspect can be confirmed. "When making the arrest, I suggest you take two big fish with you." "Two big fish?" "Right. One is Muri. I know his relationship with his family is terrible, but the Benda family is the Benda family, and the captain of the High Priest's guard is enough to ignite a lot of speculation. "The other is that Vic—a student of the former High Priest. Even though he was thoroughly suppressed, he's still quite intimidating on the surface. Didn't old Coya get so intimidated that he had nothing to say? "With those two flanking you on the left and right, and you standing in the middle holding the document and thrusting it in Vicolai's face... "Heh, "That scene will definitely be shocking. The many priests in the Church Affairs Building will surely surround you several layers deep." "To make a name for our office?" "Half of it is for that. The Whip of Order's responsibilities and authority were clarified long ago, so why has the middle and lower tiers of the system ended up in this state? "Isn't it because the forces haven't been consolidated, and the wind hasn't blown in this direction? "This channel has always been here. "Whether through publicity or exposure, both are direct ways to boost our influence, like pouring water into this channel. "The other half of the reason is... "You can't very well go to his home to arrest him, can you? "Do you really think the Nortons are docile lambs? Would they obediently hand him over just because a newly reopened office shows up at their door with a document? "Frankly speaking, our current strength is still lacking. Relying solely on the three Whip of Order squads at our disposal, what right do we have to snatch someone from a Bishop's residence? "If the Nortons refuse to hand him over, could we even launch a frontal assault? If we ended up stranded halfway, not only would we fail to bring him in, but all our face would be wiped clean. "Granted, our office doesn't have much face right now anyway... but if our first shot isn't fired well and fails to make an impact, we won't just lose our springboard in the York City Region; we'll also lose points with the higher-ups. "I imagine the Whip of Order branches in many regions are currently preparing to put on a good performance, all vying for candy. But the candy is limited." "I understand." Karen nodded. "Tomorrow morning, then. I'll take Muri and Vic to the Church Affairs Building to make the arrest." "Yeah. I'll take the remaining personnel to turn this place inside out." "Will there be enough manpower?" With three understrength Whip of Order squads, breaching this place wouldn't be difficult, but casting a net wide enough to catch all the fish would still pose a challenge. "I still have some connections. I can call in a few more squads to help. I'll tell them this is a nest of Light remnants. You know, ordinary Whip of Order squads hunting Light remnants are like York City police cracking down on unlicensed pastry shops—enthusiastic as hell." "Didn't you say people within the Whip of Order have ties to this place?" "Don't worry. The squads I'm calling are all down on their luck. If they were qualified to participate in this sort of thing and pocket black money, they wouldn't be doing so miserably." "Alright, I understand." With Neo arranging things, there truly was nothing for Karen to worry about. "Then it's settled. I have a hunch we're going to get off to a flying start. Once we take down Vicolai smoothly, we'll use him as a breakthrough point to pry into his parents, his uncles, and finally... we can try probing his grandfather. "I believe the upper echelons will love our operating tempo." "Isn't that a bit too aggressive?" "When the time comes, you'll see Bernie get even more excited than me." Having finished their discussion, Neo crouched before the man, seemingly listening to his "whispers." Immediately after, Neo turned back to look at Karen. "I heard him begging me to 'eat' him, so I can gather more strength to avenge him." "You didn't communicate with his soul consciousness at all." "You should say 'there's no other way,' instead of undermining me." Neo placed a hand on the man's head. "He's bound to die soon anyway. Dragging this out will only make it more painful. I can help grant him a swifter release. "How about it? Care to eat some too?" "I don't eat." "Oh, right. You're afraid of worsening that addiction. Then I'll begin. Watch closely—I'll put on a show for you." Neo opened his mouth, revealing two fangs. But this time, his fangs glistened with a sacred radiance. He then plunged both fangs into the man's neck. Wisps of serene energy drifted from Neo and settled onto the man. A look of relief washed over the man's face, and he even regained a brief moment of clarity. "Thank... you..." Neo pulled his fangs back, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Karen. "Did you hear that?" "Yeah. The feel of your fangs just now was different from before." "I think it's because my body holds too much power of Light after accepting Rayan's gift. It seems to have purified my bloodthirsty aberrant demon bloodline. Now, when I transform into a bloodthirsty aberrant demon, I look like some sort of Guardian of Light. Not only is the past sinister, eerie menace completely gone, but it feels like I've draped a holy white veil over myself, as if my orientation has drifted off course." "Have you been Lightified, or are you in the process of it?" Neo froze for a moment, then cursed, "Damn! No wonder it felt familiar! Isn't this just like that Orderization you told me about before? So the bloodthirsty aberrant demon bloodline in me is really being Lightified? Or maybe it's just some kind of mutation." "Section Chief, you are sinking deeper and deeper into the vortex of Light." "Fine. Starting tonight, before going to sleep every day, I'll praise the God of Order a hundred times." "If the God of Order hears your call and finds you covered in Light, wouldn't He consider it a provocation?" "Alright, you can shut up now. You'll never know how repulsive it is for someone who believes in Order to be covered head to toe in Light. "When I take a bath at home, I don't even dare drain the bathwater carelessly, afraid it might create an aura of pure, holy radiance in my apartment's sewers." "That's great, isn't it? You could moonlight as a holy water salesman. It's much more comfortable than selling blood, and it doesn't harm your health." "If holy water were valuable, I'd soak myself in a well all day long and never bother coming up." "Then I'd put an iron lid over the well, weld it shut, and set up a stall beside it dedicated to selling holy water. I'd leave just a single peephole so I could look down at you whenever the mood struck." "Hah, then I'd definitely plug that hole with my finger. How could I ever let you make a fool of me?" "You want to plug it with your finger? Cutting it off will solve that. It's just a matter of a single scythe slash, simple as can be. For every finger you poke out, I'll slice one off." Neo immediately laughed and cursed, "Damn, even if we put aside being superior and subordinate, we're still friends, aren't we? You're far too ruthless. Then I definitely wouldn't accept it. Why should I be treated like that? "I reckon that when the time comes, I'd spend all day down in that well, furiously shouting up at the iron lid over my head: 'Karen, you bastard, come out and see me!'"