Open for business!
Ye Huan shook his head, feeling both delighted and anxious.
Seven or eight minutes later.
Downtown Police Station.
The safe house.
Luosha held up the phone, watching the scene on the screen.
"In the past, I always wanted to be strict, thinking it would help young people grow."
Elder Liu wore a sincere smile, her shoulders hunched and back bent, nodding like a pestle pounding garlic.
"I was wrong."
"Young people today don't need our teachings at all."
"You know everything, and you're better than us in every way."
"Miss Luosha, it was all my fault."
Tears began to stream down her face.
Her voice trembled, her tone earnest, her expression strikingly lifelike.
Ye Huan gave a slight nod.
This old woman had wasted her talents by becoming a cultist.
With that kind of emotional resonance, she should have gone into the performing arts.
Maybe in the next life.
Hopefully, she would discover her strengths earlier next time.
"The misunderstanding has been cleared up, and you should be safe for now. Is everything all right with your family? Do you need any help?" Ye Huan asked.
"I grew up in an orphanage. With your help, everyone will make it through this winter comfortably. I am truly grateful," Luosha said softly.
*So that's how it is.*
Ye Huan glanced at the phone on the table.
It was a very old model, its screen marred by several long cracks.
Then—
"Why did those people want to capture you?" Ye Huan asked.
"The Cardinal wanted to use my soul to conduct a ritual. If you hadn't sent that message, I would already be on the altar. But you sent it, and I used your method to hide here."
Luosha bobbed her head slightly, looking a bit pleased with herself.
Case closed.
*There is no unprovoked love or hate in this world.*
So he had once again blocked Cardinal An Qi's path and spoiled her "mood."
Still—
"You're a member of the cult, so why would they kill you?" Ye Huan asked.
"Only core personnel have safety guarantees. The rest who join are nothing more than lambs," Luosha said.
Having reached this point, Luosha opened up completely.
During the video just now, glimpses of the private dining room had appeared on occasion.
Those people sat quietly around the dining table, bleeding from their seven orifices.
Including that Shidu martial artist, Wang Long.
The ritual executor before her had protected her and then turned the tables completely.
He was entirely on her side.
Now, to help each other, anything could be brought to the table.
"Who counts as core personnel?" Ye Huan asked.
"The people around the Cardinal, the servants who obey her commands," Luosha said.
"I see."
Ye Huan focused inward for a moment.
The power of the ritual flames had gone completely dormant, no longer provoked by external influences unless he summoned it.
*The Great Being is not here.*
Still.
This matter was definitely not over.
"Are there many martial artists in the cult?" Ye Huan asked.
"Not many," Luosha said.
"Are there any at the Jiuyao level?"
"Not in our city. I heard there are in others."
"What are the martial artists doing right now?"
"Several Shidu martial artists disappeared. I don't know what they went off to do, but a grand ritual was held back then," Luosha said.
"When was this?" Ye Huan asked.
"A while ago—probably the night the mining area had its incident," Luosha replied.
Ye Huan nodded silently.
The Black Tide Cult was indeed plotting something.
Luosha just didn't know the details.
All right, set that aside for now.
"You know some of the cult's secret strongholds, don't you?" Ye Huan asked.
"I do," Luosha said.
"Look," Ye Huan leaned forward and spread his hands, "I'm just an investigator who recently joined the Bureau of Investigation. I have no real strength, and I've never killed anyone."
Luosha stared at him.
With an earnest expression and a sincere tone, he continued, "I want to speed up the investigation. Of course, I don't have the authority to mobilize others to assist me, and my own martial prowess isn't high."
Luosha nodded.
*You truly don't need very high martial prowess.*
*I saw with my own eyes the Great Being bestow higher-grade flames upon you. That power is horrifyingly destructive.*
"I'm willing to cooperate. What do you need me to do?" Luosha asked.
Ye Huan smiled and said, "Please tell me which strongholds are relatively safe, so I can slip in, scavenge, and find some useful intelligence."
"How safe?" Luosha asked.
"I'm alone, and I don't want to put myself in danger."
"I hope that right up until I walk out of those strongholds, I won't run into a single soul, inside or out," Ye Huan said.
*This ritual executor is about to go on a killing spree.*
Something must have enraged him.
Since he wouldn't say, she wouldn't ask.
She could, however, offer a reminder.
Luosha lowered her gaze and said softly, "Those kinds of places are all very remote. Going there is a real hassle."
"Fearing a little trouble only leads to bigger trouble," Ye Huan said.
Luosha froze for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Things had already reached a fight to the death.
If he had this level of resolve, what was she hesitating for?
"I happen to know several absolutely safe strongholds. Shall I write them down for you?"
"Yes, please."
"I'll start then."
Luosha picked up the pen and paper on the table and swiftly jotted down a series of detailed addresses.
Ye Huan watched in silence, then suddenly asked, "Are there any other people like you in the cult?"
"No."
Luosha answered decisively.
"How do you know there aren't?" Ye Huan asked with a smile.
"From what I've observed, the lambs are slaughtered at regular intervals," Luosha said softly.
Ye Huan looked at her.
She nodded hard, as if gathering her strength, and only spoke briskly after a long pause.
"I'm the last one of this batch. Everyone else is dead."
"My turn for the sacrifice was bound to come today. On the way there, the message you left behind saved me."
"I see. Please continue writing," Ye Huan said.
A few minutes later.
Luosha handed the slip of paper to Ye Huan.
The very first address on it was not far from here:
*Wastewater treatment plant staff dormitory, Building D, third floor, Room 302. (Mr. Investigator, this is the absolutely safe, absolutely deserted stronghold you requested.)*
Ye Huan stared at it for a moment, then slowly withdrew his gaze.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Please rest here with peace of mind."
Having said that, he took the slip of paper, stood up, and walked out.
...
Wastewater treatment plant.
Staff dormitory.
*Knock, knock, knock—*
"Who is it?"
"Excuse me, is this the staff dormitory, Building D, third floor, Room 302?"
"Yeah. Who are you?"
*Click.*
The door was gently lifted off its hinges from the outside.
Ye Huan carried the door into the room, set it back in place to block the doorway, and only then looked inside.
The room was packed with people.
Men and women.
Ye Huan looked around and couldn't help letting out a contented sigh.
Above each person's head floated the identity tag: "Black Tide Cult Member."
Not a single one missed.
Luosha truly was a considerate, sensible girl.
Wait, though—
Ye Huan looked toward the refrigerator with hesitation.
"Corpse."
"Corpse."
"Corpse."
Tags popped out of the refrigerator one after another, hovering in midair.
A scorched smell lingered in the air.
In the kitchen, there were signs that an open fire had just been used, along with the aroma of cooked food.
They had just finished eating.
Inadvertently, Ye Huan was reminded of Luosha's words: *The lambs are slaughtered at regular intervals.*
"Who are you? What do you want?"
A burly man stood up, glaring fiercely at Ye Huan.
"I'm a bit pressed for time, so I won't go into detail," Ye Huan said.
"You'd better explain yourself clearly," the man chuckled playfully, pulling out a handgun and waving it in front of Ye Huan.
"A gun?"
Ye Huan snatched it away, fiddled with it curiously for a moment, and then pointed it at his own head.
The room went dead silent.
What was this lunatic doing?
Ye Huan suddenly smiled and shook his head. "Actually, that gesture just now was merely a tribute. I'm not going to shoot myself."
"I came here today to beat all of you to death."
Chapter 31