"I saw what the killer looks like!"
The vacant dullness in Zhang Yuanqing's eyes gave way to lively focus, and he immediately turned to look at the two colleagues beside him.
As he spoke, an intense terror gripped him, the lingering shadow of death clinging to his chest, refusing to dissipate.
The sensation of devouring a spirit was simultaneously deeply satisfying and acutely nauseating.
Li Dongze and Guan Ya both relaxed, letting out sighs of relief. The former quickly asked, "What does he look like? Any distinctive features?"
Recalling what he had seen, Zhang Yuanqing said, "A man, around thirty to thirty-five, medium height, burly. He has a scar about half a finger long on his left cheek, sparse eyebrows, and a very fierce look in his eyes..."
Li Dongze listened patiently, sketching a rough outline of the killer in his mind.
The killer's facial features were distinct and highly recognizable.
Once Zhang Yuanqing finished, Guan Ya asked, "Did he violate the female victim?"
Zhang Yuanqing recalled the images right before the memories cut off. "Looks like he did..."
Having confirmed her suspicion, Guan Ya immediately looked at Li Dongze with a frown. "Decurion, I suspect the killer is mentally unstable."
Zhang Yuanqing didn't quite follow. He thought to himself, *Could anyone who does something this cruel ever be mentally normal?*
Li Dongze nodded, cursing indignantly, "That bastard can rot in hell."
Seeing Zhang Yuanqing's blank expression, Decurion Li stroked his mustache with two fingers and explained, "Do you remember the penalty mechanism for Morality Points?"
Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
"The killer murdered Zhao Yingjun's mistress to silence a witness, which counts as a pragmatic choice. But violating a female victim before killing her incurs an additional penalty to his Morality Points."
Li Dongze was confident that with the Songhai University student's intellect, he wouldn't have trouble understanding the implication.
*Uh, he really might be crazy...* Zhang Yuanqing understood now.
When a Spirit Realm walker committed a crime, Morality Points were deducted. Therefore, anyone with half a brain would do their utmost to avoid triggering additional penalties. Silencing a witness was an inevitable move, but violating someone before killing them just to lose more points...
Only two explanations fit: either he had Morality Points to burn and didn't give a damn, or his mental state had collapsed, leaving him unable to suppress his inner beast.
The second possibility was far more likely.
The resident veteran driver, Guan Ya, was completely serious right now. Resting one elbow on her chest and propping her chin in her hand, she said, "A Spirit Realm walker whose mental state is unstable must be eliminated, whether they belong to an orthodox profession or an evil profession. Someone like that lurking in a metropolis is a ticking time bomb."
Even if their Morality Points fell below sixty and the Spirit Realm broadcasted their location to draw in hunters from the same city, a powerhouse with superhuman abilities could easily slaughter an entire street from one end to the other before anyone could stop them.
The veteran driver looked at the only rookie present and cautioned him, "The Spirit Realm is fraught with mortal peril, especially solo instances where the mortality rate is terrifyingly high. Even when walkers manage to complete their missions, many are left with indelible psychological trauma. Over time, mental issues become practically inevitable.
"Especially for you Night Wanderers. If you ever feel like something's wrong with your mental state, you must let us know right away. The organization will provide psychological counseling."
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help recalling everything he had endured in the Mountain God Temple. Lingering fear tightening his chest, he nodded. "Understood..."
"By the way, did they find any of the killer's DNA at the crime scene?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
Guan Ya shook her head.
*Did the killer pack up his progeny and carry them off?* Zhang Yuanqing felt a twinge of regret. If he had the guy's myriad offspring in hand, the red dancing shoes could have tracked him down.
At that point, Li Dongze surfaced from his thoughts and asked, "What else did you see in Zhao Yingjun's memories?"
"There is something," Zhang Yuanqing said, having waited for him to ask. "The killer was interrogating Zhao Yingjun about the whereabouts of the 'Holy Grail' and the 'roster.'"
The Holy Grail? The roster? Guan Ya and Li Dongze exchanged a glance, finding only mutual bewilderment.
Li Dongze asked, "What do the Holy Grail and roster refer to?"
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "There was no information about them in the memories."
Li Dongze pondered for a moment, his brow furrowing. "This case is far more complicated than we thought. Zhao Yingjun was keeping a lot from us."
He patted Zhang Yuanqing on the shoulder and praised, "Well done. You uncovered a critical lead for us. Once we arrest or take down the killer, I'll file for your merit. For now, go with Guan Ya to make a composite sketch and put the killer's face together."
"Understood, Decurion."
Zhang Yuanqing immediately followed the leggy mature beauty outside.
"Oh, right," Li Dongze called after Guan Ya. "Have a suit tailored for him. In the future, he's to wear formal attire at the office."
Zhang Yuanqing was just about to say that he wouldn't be coming in very often, but Guan Ya beside him beat him to it: "Understood."
Leaving the morgue, Guan Ya said with a soft chuckle, "Make sure you wear a suit whenever you're at the office from now on."
Zhang Yuanqing gave a small nod. "I know. Big corporations have strict dress codes."
Guan Ya giggled. "No, it has nothing to do with the organization. It's the Decurion's personal requirement. He thinks casual clothes aren't elegant enough."
*What does this have to do with elegance?* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally. But as his eyes drifted across Guan Ya's black-stockinged legs, her short skirt hugging her rounded hips, and the crisp white blouse accentuating her slender waist, he suddenly felt the Decurion was absolutely right. A person in this world ought to pursue elegance.
As he walked, he pulled up his status panel:
[Name: Yuanshi Tianzun]
[Race: Human]
[Profession: Night Wanderer]
[Level: 1]
[Skills: Night Walk, Spirit Devouring, Lunar Spirit]
[Experience Points: 44%]
[Morality Points: 60 (Initial Value)]
His experience points had gone from 42% to 44%. After devouring the spirit, he had felt a surge of warmth wash through his body, making him feel thoroughly invigorated, and his Lunar force seemed to have grown.
"Sister Guan Ya, I gained two experience points!" Zhang Yuanqing said, delighted.
Experience points were an indicator of strength. Even among Level 1 Night Wanderers, the disparity in power between someone at 1% and someone at 99% was vast.
Guan Ya paused in surprise. "Oh, right, that is a thing. You Night Wanderers can gain experience points by absorbing spirits. But the Night Wanderers from the Taiyi Sect don't seem to like doing it. Every time we ask them to help interrogate a spirit, they always have scowls on their faces, dragging their feet with terrible attitudes."
"Why?"
The mixed-race beauty rolled her eyes with practiced charm. "How should I know? I'm just a delicate Scout who couldn't even truss a chicken."
*Nonsense. Even if Scouts aren't built for raw combat, a Level 2's base attributes would still wipe the floor with me. Not to mention, once Scouts change professions at Level 4, they possess terrifying individual combat prowess. Their physical fitness in the Extraordinary stage is bound to be immense.*
Zhang Yuanqing didn't buy it. "Really? You couldn't even truss a chicken?"
Guan Ya looked at the new recruit, her gaze flicking downward as she said with a teasing smile, "How about you let your big sister practice on you?"
Zhang Yuanqing refused with total deadpan seriousness. "Don't be like that. I'm still just a kid."
Then he promptly pulled out his phone. "Are you free tonight? I can book a hotel online right now. If you don't mind, you could practice your squats instead."
"Hahaha, you're hilarious." Guan Ya laughed so hard she practically shook. "Yuanshi, you really ought to come to the office more often. With you around, your big sister will never be bored."
Leaving the glass building, the two walked over to the Public Security Bureau headquarters, where Guan Ya expertly guided him to the Technical Department.
After thoroughly questioning him on the killer's facial features, the Technical Department spent two full hours before finally producing a rough likeness of the killer.
Zhang Yuanqing looked it over and rubbed his chin. "It's close, but it still doesn't feel quite right."
The veteran technician, Lao Zhang, had plenty of experience. He pondered a moment and asked, "Is it the facial features or the aura?"
"The aura, probably. The killer gave off a really vicious, ruthless vibe."
"Vicious how? Can you describe it more specifically? I know it's hard to put into words, so a reference would be best."
"Like Chang Wei beating Lai Fu the moment I stepped through the door."
"...Understood."
At last, a new forensic sketch was completed, and Zhang Yuanqing nodded in satisfaction. "That's pretty much it. A good seventy to eighty percent match."
Next, by cross-referencing with the population database, they locked down their target.
"Ou Xiangrong, native of Wushi, Jiangnan Province, long-term resident of Songhai. Sentenced to prison in 2012 for intentional assault, and dropped off the grid after his release..."
Sitting in her office chair, Guan Ya broke into a smile. "With this information, we'll flush him out by tomorrow morning at the latest."
"That fast?"
"Heh, you have to believe in the capabilities of the authorities and Scouts." Guan Ya rose and headed out. "Yuanshi, your work here is done. You can head back to school. You don't need to worry about what comes next. Even though Night Wanderers have immense combat power, you don't yet possess the courage and psychological fortitude of a warrior."
"Alright," Zhang Yuanqing agreed cheerfully.
***
In his office in the glass building, Li Dongze finished reading the files Guan Ya had sent over. He opened the "Kangyang District Spirit Realm Walker Management Group" and synced the killer's information to the chat.
Da Jiba: "Our new Night Wanderer is pretty efficient. He's already pinned down the killer's identity."
Shui Shang Piao: "@Li Dongze, how does it feel having a Night Wanderer subordinate at your beck and call?"
Li Dongze: "It feels pretty great."
Tang Guoqiang sent a red envelope.
Bailong: "Alright, wipe that smug grin off and get to deploying. Notify the Songhai Public Security General Bureau to have their personnel strictly screen vehicles entering and leaving Songhai. Notify the Spirit Realm squads across all districts to be on standby to assist our manhunt. Let's just hope Ou Xiangrong hasn't already fled Songhai."
The killer had struck this morning, and five or six hours had elapsed since then. Never mind a Spirit Realm walker—even an ordinary person with advance preparation would have escaped Songhai by now.
Ordinary people could be tracked via surveillance cameras, but tracking a Spirit Realm walker was far more difficult.
Qingteng: "Compared to having an evil profession lying in wait to take revenge on the authorities, him fleeing Songhai might actually be a blessing."
The former would mean official Spirit Realm walkers could be targeted for assassination.
Li Dongze: "He won't leave Songhai."
Da Jiba: "You're that sure?"
Li Dongze: "If Ou Xiangrong merely wanted to kill Zhao Yingjun, he would have done it long ago. Even with a Night Wanderer on our side, by the time we pinned down his identity, he would have been long gone. So why did he choose to act now of all times?"
Da Jiba: "Stop beating around the bush. Just spit it out."
Qingteng: "So it really is to get revenge on the authorities?"
Li Dongze: "No, things are probably much more complicated. My Night Wanderer caught some clues from Zhao Yingjun's memories. Ou Xiangrong interrogated Zhao Yingjun to find the Holy Grail and the roster."
The Holy Grail and the roster? While the other captains were racking their brains over what those two things could be, Da Jiba simply fired off a question:
"What the heck are those?"
Li Dongze ignored him. After waiting a moment and seeing that none of his colleagues had any thoughts to offer on the Holy Grail and the roster, he could only let the matter drop for now and send:
"Let's set the Holy Grail and roster aside for the moment. Move out."
Chapter 25