Li Xin furrowed his brow, “Judging from the victims in the smallest pile of files, they are all Moncalleta people, and we can even narrow it down to pure Hedan people. They are either wealthy or noble, sometimes even involved with the mafia, but they are always adult men. This characteristic is quite distinct and differs significantly from the other batch. Can we say that the killer’s target is specifically pure Hedan adults? Is there a requirement for using Hedan people in Isaac’s artificial human experiments?”

“You seem very concerned about Isaac’s artificial human experiments?” Travis said, “But as far as I know, the artificial human experiment uses death row inmates of all kinds, and it hasn’t specifically mentioned using only Hedan people.”

Travis gave Li Xin a look of approval that was slightly different. He also noticed the distinction between the two groups’ victims, identifying their different target demographics.

Li Xin still trusted the judgment of the dice, believing that one among the two groups of inner demons must be behind this. However, he couldn’t fathom the motive of the other party, nor could he ascertain it.

“Solving cases requires bold conjectures and careful verification; this is just a direction of thought,” Li Xin stated. “You’ve seen more crime scenes; the killers’ styles must differ, right?”

“Yes, although both are meticulous, there are differences in style between meticulousness. However, due to factors like time, site destruction, and other issues, we couldn’t gather more clues. We did bring in experts who commented on the extremely high level of professionalism in the methods used, good enough for artificial human experiments,” Travis said.

Li Xin’s hypothesis was confirmed, and the Funeral Attendant had already considered it. “I’d like to ask a perhaps somewhat presumptuous question: if an artificial human is created, would it affect the power of the Earth Mother Goddess?”

Travis contemplated for a moment, “The Church Court has investigated this matter. The act itself is sacrilegious, but whether it affects the authority of the Earth Mother Goddess is hard to say. Regardless, the Church Court would not permit it; answering this might require a demigod, and even they might be unable to answer.”

Li Xin nodded. This indeed constituted a motive. The Cult might resort to such actions at any cost for a divine struggle. Compared to the widespread disappearance of people, this killer, who specifically targets Hedan people, would be easier to summarize and investigate.

“Regarding the killer targeting adult Hedan males, do the victims have any specific characteristics, perhaps not clearly noted in the records or inconvenient to document?” Li Xin asked casually.

“Yes,” Travis replied, “Almost all these individuals were involved in homicide cases but escaped justice for various reasons. They are degenerates among the Hedan people, deserving their fate. Their bodies were disposed of in a way that seemed to deliberately attract the attention of the Funeral Attendant. This is why we combined it with other cases and noticed the traces of another killer.”

The Funeral Attendant initially believed it to be provocation from the killer, as did Travis. However, as the incidents increased, he felt the other party was being deliberate, aiming to attract the Funeral Attendant’s attention to another inner demon case. Yet, as victims, the Funeral Attendant couldn’t glamorize the killer. Travis persistently traced this lead, and the disposal of bodies drew public attention among the Hedan people until newspaper exposure forced the matter to a level that demanded resolution.

This was also a question for Li Xin after examining the files: why a killer with hidden powers would dispose of bodies without being chased by the Funeral Attendant. Travis’s answer resolved this issue.

“So, it means that each of these two groups of inner demons has its motives, but the latter bears hostility toward the former.”

“That’s my interpretation, highly targeted,” Travis nodded.

“Let’s call the earliest one who caused the disappearance of many young people Number One, and the latter Number Two. Given so many victims, haven’t the bishops of the Earth Temple discovered anything?” Li Xin asked, puzzled, casting doubt on the Earth Mother Goddess Court’s competence or suspecting internal betrayal.

“The bishops have intervened and assisted with investigating cases multiple times. It’s not that they haven’t discovered anything; it’s that both groups of killers appear to be influenced by divine powers, rendering many secret arts ineffective, otherwise, hmph.” Travis wasn’t aware of Li Xin’s extensive thoughts, inadvertently revealing his aversion to evil in his heart.

Li Xin was speechless for a moment. Damn, it’s just a tussle among higher powers; no wonder it’s dragged on unresolved for so many years.

Achilles is indeed a good person!

“Regardless of who is behind the killers or what their motives are, as Funeral Attendants, our duty is to catch the killers and burn them all,” Travis said calmly, without a hint of fear in his eyes.

Li Xin felt somewhat ashamed, realizing his resolve was much weaker in this regard. “Captain Travis, let me handle the visible affairs, and you lead the investigation. It’s foolish for an outsider to command an insider; whatever needs doing, just let me know, and we’ll cooperate. If Didia and Simmons need to make an appearance, I’ll handle it. If the sky falls, Prince Achilles will bear it—we’re all just doing our jobs.”

Through explaining so much to Li Xin, Travis was actually waiting for this statement. He’s just a Funeral Attendant captain; facing the aristocratic class is not insurmountable, but there are significant obstacles. The reason Prince sent someone was due to certain areas where he couldn’t directly intervene.

Of course, his own thoughts were futile without meeting the right partner. Li Xin and he were totally on the same page. “That’s not quite right. We’re cooperating under Prince’s leadership to find the culprits and get justice for the victims.”

Having reached a consensus, the atmosphere became much more pleasant.

“Captain Travis, it’s certain that one side or both sides among the inner demon killers must be producing artificial humans. But I can’t pinpoint their motive. If we could identify it, we might trace them back,” Li Xin said.

“Just call me Travis, and I’ll call you Li Xin. We are comrades now,” Travis felt that there was no need for such formalities. “Why do you think so; how confident are you?”

“This might also be why Prince Achilles involved me in this matter. I come from a Secret Organization, and regarding this judgment, unless targeted by a demigod, it’s an already occurring situation that I’m quite certain about,” Li Xin said.

For the case to be resolved, he needed to work jointly with Travis, convincing him in the process.

Travis stared at Li Xin, suddenly making a move, yet Li Xin was already behind him. The two figures constantly shifted within the room, yet Li Xin maintained his position at Travis’s back. Travis’s face turned extremely grim because he completely lost track of Li Xin’s presence. In the next moment, Li Xin returned to face Travis.

Travis sighed lightly. Although as a Funeral Attendant he possessed extensive combat experience and knowledge against hidden powers, he was no match for Didia and Simmons. Knights excelled in direct combat, and he hadn’t expected Li Xin to be so formidable. In hindsight, he realized it was arrogance, assuming youth equaled lack of experience and skill.

Li Xin wasn’t bothered by this kind of probing. Instead, he appreciated Travis’s straightforwardness, as needless internal conflict should be avoided. Having reviewed so many files, his sole purpose regarding this case was to identify the killer.

“Great. If we have the token from Prince Achilles, I’ll find a way to get Isaac’s notes from the Church Court for your review,” Travis said.

“That would be excellent,” Li Xin replied. With that, perhaps he could further use the dice for determinations.

“Which do you think might be producing artificial humans, Number One or Number Two?” Travis inquired. If true, this plot would be substantial, likely a cult aiming at the Earth Mother Goddess Court’s dominion or something else.

“I think Number Two is more likely, but now I also consider Number One. Artificial humans are not limited by ethnicity; the more materials, the less notice, the better. Number Two’s actions are overdosed with a sense of vengeance suppressing evil,” Li Xin stated. “Logically, it should be this way, but my intuition tells me Number Two is the one making artificial humans.”

“Sometimes intuition is significant. It doesn’t matter; let’s follow the clues to uncover them,” Travis said. Having formed a partnership with Li Xin gave him more confidence in solving the case.

After their conversation, it was already quite late. Li Xin returned to the inn, and Travis aimed to consult the Metropolitan tomorrow. Going directly to the Church Court without following protocol would only get him thrown out.

Having sorted out thoughts, when Li Xin returned to the inn, it was dim and the lights were out. At this hour, leaving the lights on would surely provoke the Dragon Mother. The moon was bright, and along the way, he continued organizing his thoughts. Considering Number Two’s actions, it was reminiscent of Zorro, penalizing villains who escaped justice and concurrently using corpse disposal to draw attention to Number One.

Perhaps he was complicating things unnecessarily, but he felt Number Two’s objectives weren’t pure, just slightly off, as if they required just a little nudge to be clear.

Lying in bed, Li Xin stared at the ceiling and fell into a deep sleep…

Knock knock knock… knock knock knock…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep