"That will be covered in the meeting!"
Nicola didn't answer directly, merely making a polite gesturing hand. Plain-looking and somewhat plump, her face was perpetually stiff, as if she had lost the ability to smile.
Most members of the Prosecution Department were like this—irascible and short-tempered, yet stern and impartial. Those were their defining traits.
Of course, impartiality was merely a tendency among those traits, not an absolute rule. While most Lightning Mages were relatively fair-minded, a minority were still wicked at heart.
Across all professions in the Spirit Realm, only Knights were truly just and dependable—except, of course, for fallen Knights.
Zhang Yuanqing and the others left the office area and headed for Conference Room Three.
Nicola pushed open the frosted glass door. Conference Room Three was a large hall capable of holding over fifty people. At its center stood a brown conference table with twenty armchairs and two head seats, occupied respectively by the two chiefs.
The seats around the table were packed with Heaven's Punishment members, leaving no room for the Five Elements Alliance support team. Zhang Yuanqing glanced across the seated members. Seeing they were all Saints, he quietly led Brother Red Chicken and the rest over to the gallery.
They were outsiders, after all; if there were no official seats left for them, so be it. Of course, had there been any mere Extraordinaries seated at the table, Zhang Yuanqing would have had no qualms about picking a fight with the two chiefs right then and there.
Sean Mede wore a stern, unsmiling expression, appearing not even to notice the Five Elements Alliance cohort.
Winni gave them a slight nod, though her expression was noticeably grim.
Once seated, Zhang Yuanqing looked up at the projection screen. Displayed upon it was the corpse of a monster—it had a human head, a bloated fish-like body covered in pitch-black scales, and eight octopus tentacles coated in viscous fluid in place of a tail fin.
The victim's face was twisted in agony, suggesting he had suffered excruciating pain before dying.
"The deceased was Abner Carlyle, a Level 2 Silver Prosecutor. The killer is Beast Haas of the Biological Alchemy Society, a Level 6 Aberrant." Winni picked up the remote beside her and switched the slide.
A new image appeared on the screen, showing a line of English written in blood: *"Incompetent Orderly organizations, do your worst to kill me—Beast Haas!"*
Winni said, "Yesterday, right after the email calling for the hunt of New York's A-rank wanted list members was sent to the various Orderly organizations, Carlyle was murdered. This is an open provocation. Beast Haas is arrogant and brazen by nature, so this matches his usual style. We can rule out someone framing him under a false identity."
*A Level 2 Silver Prosecutor... That's Winni's own subordinate. No wonder she looks so upset,* Zhang Yuanqing thought, coming to an understanding.
As for Beast Haas, if Zhang Yuanqing remembered correctly, the man ranked fifth on New York's A-rank wanted list and was a senior deacon in the Biological Alchemy Society.
"The moment we made a move, the evil faction murdered a prosecutor in provocation, which means the victim's address was already compromised," Guan Ya analyzed. "Does this imply the evil faction has the addresses of many of Heaven's Punishment's prosecutors and executors? That puts us at a severe disadvantage."
Her words caused the faces of the Heaven's Punishment members to darken.
A thought stirred in Zhang Yuanqing's mind.
Concealing one's residence was common sense among Orderly organization members across the world, and high-level Saints had even more methods to hide themselves.
To be tracked down so easily left only two possibilities: first, Abner Carlyle's address had long since leaked; second, someone inside Heaven's Punishment had sold him out—and that person held a relatively high position.
If it were the latter, finding Beast Haas might very well lead them to a mole.
"That is precisely what worries me," Winni Berent said after a few moments of deliberation. "Starting today, all Saints of Heaven's Punishment will relocate to the bank building. Each person will be granted three days of leave per month."
"Oh god, absolutely not!" a black-haired, blue-eyed Saint protested vehemently. "Work is work, and life is life! We must have two days off every week, or I'd rather resign!"
He belonged to the Execution Department.
Winni's face darkened. "Then resign! Go to HR right now and process your resignation."
The Saint quickly looked around at his colleagues.
Several Saints from the Execution Department immediately voiced their objections.
Seeing this, Sean Mede said coolly, "Director Winni has a point. We are in a state of war. You are Saints of Heaven's Punishment, our organization's precious assets. We cannot afford any losses. Even if you are to die, you must die in battle."
The Execution Department Saints nodded repeatedly, looking completely convinced.
*Huh? They're ganging up to marginalize Winni? The two chiefs are still locked in a factional struggle?* Zhang Yuanqing noted Winni Berent's expression growing increasingly dark.
Though not well versed in power politics, he could easily see that the Execution Department officers were deliberately elevating Sean to undermine Winni.
*Playing power games at a time like this? Shouldn't they present a united front against external threats?*
Ignoring the Execution Department's staged performance, Winni Berent said, "Beast Haas openly provoked Heaven's Punishment and murdered a Level 2 Prosecutor. Because he was able to swiftly pinpoint Abner Carlyle's address, I suspect a traitor has emerged within Heaven's Punishment. I propose that Heaven's Punishment commit our full strength to capturing Beast Haas."
This was the real reason she had convened the meeting.
"I object!" Sean Mede, his cheeks hollow, replied expressionlessly. "The Execution Department has our own plans and deployments. Through our informants, we have already made a preliminary lock on the active area of 'Cocktail.' Our primary focus moving forward will be hunting down Cocktail."
Cocktail was a member of the Dionysus Club and ranked third on the A-rank wanted list.
Winni Berent turned her head, her gaze piercing into Sean. "Chief Executive Officer, you should know that Beast Haas holds higher priority than Cocktail."
She didn't state it outright, but Zhang Yuanqing understood her meaning. Winni wanted to use the lead on Beast Haas to expose the mole inside Heaven's Punishment. Naturally, there was also a desire for vengeance—after all, Beast Haas had killed one of her own subordinates.
Sean Mede kept a rigid face. "The Execution Department's operations do not require direction from the Prosecution Department. Concluding that Beast Haas obtained intelligence from inside Heaven's Punishment solely based on Abner Carlyle's death is overly hasty. In my view, putting Beast Haas aside for now is actually advantageous. If he strikes again in short order, it will prove that a mole truly exists within Heaven's Punishment. This is an opportunity to verify that."
Winni's brows snapped up. "That is an irresponsible disregard for our subordinates' lives! Setting aside the investigation of a mole, Beast Haas openly provoked Heaven's Punishment. If we cannot arrest him, where does our organization's prestige stand? The moment our purge order went out, our prosecutor was murdered by the evil faction without any response from Heaven's Punishment. That will only invite contempt from our allies and damage confidence and unity!"
Sean Mede refused to yield an inch. "Hunting down Cocktail, who ranks third on the wanted list, will establish Heaven's Punishment's prestige just as effectively. I repeat: the Execution Department's deployments and operations do not need the Prosecution Department's oversight. Director Winni is welcome to organize her own personnel to hunt Beast Haas."
Winni's chest rose and fell rapidly, veins bulging on her smooth forehead.
As a fierce, volatile Lightning Mage, her ability to manage her emotions had never been great; otherwise, she wouldn't have engaged in a physical brawl with Chris over romantic jealousy in the past.
Her anger stemmed from Sean Mede's shameless deflection.
Within Heaven's Punishment, the Prosecution Department—composed of Lightning Mages—was dedicated to internal discipline and anti-corruption, while the Execution Department handled field missions and tracking down criminals.
With aerial superiority and the Eye of the Wind King, Wind Mages ranked among the finest of the Orderly professions when it came to pursuing and locating enemies.
Forcing the fiery, short-tempered Lightning Mages to investigate and track a target would almost certainly lead to repeated frustrations, culminating in them exploding in rage and discharging lightning everywhere.
Zhang Yuanqing frowned. Locating a mole ought to be the top priority for Heaven's Punishment's leadership, and with Sean Mede's intellect, he couldn't possibly be blind to that.
Was his unwillingness to commit full effort to capturing Beast Haas out of guilt? Could he actually be the mole?
The moment the thought crossed his mind, Zhang Yuanqing dismissed it. If Sean were an undercover operative planted by the Covenant of Freedom within the organization, Catherine wouldn't have tasked him with assassinating Julian.
Furthermore, if Sean were indeed a mole, he could have easily agreed to the proposal rather than vehemently rejecting it. When the time came, he could simply claim that Beast Haas was too skilled at hiding for the Execution Department to find, thereby brushing the matter off.
After all, evil professions were notoriously difficult to track down. It was perfectly reasonable for Beast Haas to lie low knowing Heaven's Punishment was scouring the city for him.
Refusing outright only invited suspicion upon himself.
Was Sean worried that Winni would seize this opportunity to launch an offensive, nominally investigating a mole while in reality suppressing the Execution Department and eroding his influence? Or perhaps suppressing the Execution Department while purging political rivals? *Never forgetting to guard against political opponents even now... One's perspective truly depends on where one sits,* Zhang Yuanqing mused with inward cynicism.
Seeing that Winni remained silent, Sean Mede added fuel to the fire: "If the Prosecution Department isn't adept at field investigations, you can always hand it over to the Five Elements Alliance team. That is precisely what Scouts excel at, isn't it?"
With that, he rose from his seat and strode out of the conference room.
Amid the scraping of high-backed chairs, the Execution Department members got up and followed him out.
The Saints of the Prosecution Department looked incensed, barely suppressing their fury.
Taking a deep breath, Winni turned toward the Five Elements Alliance group. "We must capture Beast Haas. The Prosecution Department is not equipped for tracking enemies. Guan Ya, I'm entrusting this matter to you."
Before Guan Ya could respond, Zhang Yuanqing took the initiative to speak:
"My apologies, Director Winni. We are still in the adaptation phase and aren't familiar with New York yet. We can assist in combat, but we aren't ready to handle things independently."
Winni froze, clearly not expecting his refusal, and her delicate brows furrowed tightly.
She looked deeply at Zhang Yuanqing for several seconds before saying, "Then you may take your leave. The Prosecution Department needs to hold an internal meeting."
The Five Elements Alliance support team fell under the administrative jurisdiction of the Prosecution Department. Winni's dismissal of them made it obvious that she was displeased.
Zhang Yuanqing stood, nodded, and led his teammates out.
Once outside the conference room, he lowered his voice. "Head back first. Asano Ryo, take me to the morgue and help me obtain a copy of last night's investigation report. I'm not familiar with the people in Heaven's Punishment."
"Didn't you just refuse to get involved?" Sun Miaomiao's eyes widened.
"I just didn't want Winni to know I'm getting involved," Zhang Yuanqing whispered.
If Beast Haas had obtained Abner Carlyle's address from a Heaven's Punishment mole, that mole was most likely a senior figure within the Prosecution Department.
In that case, they couldn't coordinate openly with the Prosecution Department, or their operational deployments would be fully visible to the mole. Besides, he hadn't completely cleared Winni of suspicion yet—who was to say she wasn't the mole herself?
Zhang Yuanqing remembered Catherine mentioning that the Sole-Inheritor Knight Zhai Cai was staying at Winni's place. If Winni belonged to the Covenant of Freedom, then Zhai Cai was in grave danger.
*I need to find an opportunity to warn him...* Zhang Yuanqing looked at Asano Ryo, waiting for her reply.
Little Ryo shrank back. "I... I'm not very familiar with the Heaven's Punishment staff either."
Her interpersonal skills were mediocre and her worldly experience shallow. Once she noticed the Heaven's Punishment members weren't particularly friendly toward a "country girl" like her, she became even less inclined to socialize.
Furthermore, she had been placed in the Prosecution Department, whereas the Autopsy Division fell under the Execution Department's jurisdiction.
*Little Ryo, what good are you...* Just as Zhang Yuanqing was pondering how to get his hands on the autopsy report without alerting the two chiefs, Yuan Ting spoke up:
"I'll get it for you. I'm quite close with Joni from the Autopsy Division."
"Huh?" Everyone turned to look at him simultaneously.
Yuan Ting shrugged. "Joni is an obsessive fan of Fu Qingyang. She loves hearing me share gossip about him."
*It had to be you!* Everyone nodded, acknowledging Yuan Ting's terrifying social prowess.
Returning to the office area, they waited for half an hour until Yuan Ting returned, mission accomplished. He had brought back not only the autopsy report, but also the crime scene investigation report.
The Saints gathered in a small meeting room to analyze the findings.
"Footprints matching Beast Haas were collected at the scene. In Abner Carlyle's kitchen, bathroom, and bed, fingerprints and DNA from seventeen individuals were collected, all identified as female... Tsk, this guy's private life wasn't exactly virtuous," Zhang Yuanqing commented.
World Returns to Fire offered a differing opinion: "Carlyle was single. Having multiple female partners isn't a moral flaw."
Brother Red Chicken chimed in, "I'm with World Returns to Fire on this one. We're not married, so what's wrong with having multiple partners?"
World Returns to Fire replied, "Don't associate yourself with me."
He looked toward Zhang Yuanqing. "An experienced Spirit Realm walker wouldn't leave their DNA at a crime scene. If you're hoping to curse or track him via DNA, I don't think there's much chance."
Guan Ya suddenly interjected:
"Not necessarily! Look at the autopsy report. Carlyle died in agony from genetic tearing caused by physical mutation, but the coroner found toxins in his body.
"Among the evil professions, those skilled in using poison are Hexmasters and Toxic Chemists. The former use gu poison, while the latter use biological toxins. Biological toxins carry DNA."
World Returns to Fire shook his head. "It's not that simple. If they carried identifiable DNA, Toxic Chemists would have been eradicated long ago. Do you think Heaven's Punishment lacks curse items from Hexmasters?"
Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment. "It's also possible that the DNA within the toxin differs from normal DNA, rendering curses ineffective."
World Returns to Fire spread his hands. "The outcome is the same!"
"It's not the same!" The corners of Zhang Yuanqing's lips curled upward. Without offering further explanation, he looked at Yuan Ting. "Can you get me a sample of the toxin?"
He wasn't planning to curse Beast Haas to death; he wanted to use the Red Dancing Shoes to lock onto him. It might not work, but it was worth a shot.
If the Red Dancing Shoes failed to track the enemy through the nucleic acids in the biological toxin, he could still use the toxin for astrological divination, which would at least pinpoint a general vicinity.
Yuan Ting considered it and frowned. "That exceeds the bounds of my friendship with Joni... unless you give me a fresh piece of gossip about Fu Qingyang."
Guan Ya rolled her eyes. "Fu Qingyang keeps over a dozen bunny girls in his villa, yet he doesn't care for any of them—he solely dotes on Yuanshi Tianzun."
Zhang Yuanqing: "..."
Guan Ya looked straight ahead without batting an eye. "I've heard quite a bit of gossip about Yuanshi Tianzun and Fu Qingyang these past few days. The middle-aged ladies love it."
"I'll go give it a shot..." Yuan Ting stood and left.
"Who would believe such preposterous gossip?" Zhang Yuanqing glared at his girlfriend. "It's bad enough that Yuan Ting spreads rumors, why are you joining in?"
"Not only is it preposterous, it's boring and lacks an explosive hook. You think that's enough to get physical evidence? Yuan Ting is probably making a wasted trip." Sun Miaomiao was a good girl, and her comment came purely from a strong sense of integrity—absolutely not to take a jab at her romantic rival Guan Ya.
Ten minutes later, Yuan Ting hurried back, pulling a sealed plastic bag from his pocket. Inside was a strip of yellow test paper stained with dark green patches.
"Got it! Joni loved the scoop. She feels she can finally define the relationship between Yuanshi Tianzun and Fu Qingyang, and she plans to shut up those 'orthodox' colleagues of hers today." Yuan Ting cheerfully set the plastic bag on the table.
Zhang Yuanqing forced a strained smile. "Well done... but I think it's necessary for you to clarify things on Yuanshi Tianzun's behalf so he doesn't suffer an eternal injustice in the underworld!"
Chapter 691