The blood case at Messer University, as Stanna said, necessitated daily deaths, regardless of how tightly secured the school was. Hence, Stanna rushed over by night and was about to take Tang Qi back with her overnight.
After all, when morning arrives, it would be the eighth day, and another person would die.
Police cars wailed as they left Meiser City; coincidentally, these two days were rest days for Thorny High School, and Tang Qi had two days off to solve the murders at Messer University. If the case was not solved within two days, he would have to take leave.
Messer Town was situated on the outskirts of the city, on the other side of Messer City, right at the foot of the Sheep Horn Mountain.
Unlike the industrial and bustling atmosphere of Meiser City, Messer Town was breathtakingly beautiful.
In fact, once out of the city, the scenic contrast on the road to the town was striking, and even Tang Qi couldn't help but let down his hair knot and look out the window from time to time, admiring the primitive and natural scenery.
But Stanna had no mood for such things.
Speeding furiously, she did not ask whether Tang Qi wanted to listen or not; she just started to explain the case straight away.
"Seven days ago, the first dead --- an old janitor --- appeared at Messer University. His entire body seemed soaked in some highly corrosive liquid; his clothes and skin were all corroded, and so was most of his body to the extent that even his hard skull had several large holes eaten away."
"After the report, the town police thought it was an accident and didn't pay much attention, just investigated whether any dangerous liquid had leaked in the university's chemistry building."
"Then, on the second and third days, another gardener and security guard died, both in the exact same manner, and that's when they reported to the police station."
"The colleagues from the police station went to investigate and issued an alert on the same day, requiring everyone on campus not to be alone, and organized patrols at night, but sadly another student still died."
"Then, another student died after that, and an intern teacher."
"I was there on the day the teacher died, also participating in the investigation and patrolling, but still, right under our noses, an honorary professor died."
"This is abnormal, that kind of horrifying death, is definitely not something an ordinary serial killer can do. And that aura, that smell, it's certainly not human, at least not a normal human."
…
At this moment, Stanna bore no resemblance to her typically aloof and composed demeanor, as she rapidly briefed Tang Qi on the case details.
She also felt her persuasive power was not enough, gripping the steering wheel hard to make a turn, executing an extreme drift around a wide curve, while not forgetting to reach down and pull a file bag to hand over to Tang Qi.
Fortunately, Tang Qi did not get carsick; otherwise, with Stanna's driving, he would have been terribly sick already.
After receiving the file bag, opening it, and drawing out a stack of documents, the first thing he saw was a startling stack of crime scene photos.
This…!
Just the first picture made Tang Qi's pupils contract slightly.
What entered his sight seemed to be a hidden thicket, under a lush big tree, where a horrifying corpse was lying.
It was an old man with graying hair, wearing sturdy janitorial clothes, but now they were pockmarked from corrosion, and most of his flesh had dissolved, the melted fat turning a disgusting yellow-white color.
His corroded chest cavity was mostly liquidated organs, with more than half of the ribcage melted away, only a few remaining stained and hollowed, but the most shocking was his skull, half of the cranium gone, exposing all the murky brain pulp inside.
Just a normal person witnessing this scene would likely feel nauseous.
To some extent, this crime scene was even more terrifying than the skinning cases caused by the Manatee Sea Demon before.
The dozen follow-up photos were also pretty much the same.
Different were the crime scenes, and the victims varied as well.
But if it were just these, how could it prove that those committing these brutal crimes were from the Extraordinary Domain, or some Monster?
After all, anyone who masters chemistry or possesses dangerous liquids like sulfuric acid can achieve the same results with careful preparation.
Tang Qi was not at the scene, so he could not feel the kind of aura that Stanna spoke of.
But as Tang Qi flipped to a certain photo, his head nodded imperceptibly, affirming Stanna's guess—there indeed were signs of the Transcendent.
The photo in his hand depicted the last victim, an aged honor professor who died in his office amidst a horrific and chaotic scene, where in an inconspicuous corner of a flower pot, there was a cluster of withered plants that seemed very abnormal.
Relying on Stanna's terrifying driving skills, the two arrived in Messer Town in the wee hours of the morning, and before Tang Qi had the chance to appreciate the cultural small town, Stanna had already dragged him straight into the university.
"Shouldn't we meet with the chief first? He is my immediate superior after all. I should pay him a visit first, right?"
Facing Stanna's suggestion to go directly to the crime scene for investigation, Tang Qi patted the bag containing the freshly signed Fake Appointment Letter.
However, this big sister of a police chief was no ordinary person. She unflinchingly said, "Greetings can wait; solving the case is urgent. Catching the criminal sooner may save more innocent lives."
"Well then, let's go here!"
Tang Qi was just teasing the female police chief casually. Seeing Stanna change the subject, he directly raised the photo in his hand.
The place he pointed to was precisely the office of the honor professor.
"The professor's name is Rick Cassel. Not only is he a lifetime honor professor at Messer University, but he is also a well-known historical scholar at Secret Phoenix State University, and even has a considerable reputation within the Federation. His death has caused the case's impact to spiral out of control."
"If we can't solve this case, the repercussions will be severe. Our Messer Police Station will be the first to bear the brunt."
"The crime scene investigation team has already thoroughly checked and found no extra footprints or fingerprints. It's so clean it's as if the crime wasn't committed by a human, similar to the way that previous monster handled it, and that disgusting aura I felt, I'm certain it was those ghostly things that did it."
"Are those two bullets still around?"
Stanna was speaking when she suddenly heard Tang Qi turn around to ask.
By now, the two were already standing outside the office door.
"Ah~ yes, they are."
The female police chief subconsciously reached into her bosom, seemingly taking out two yellowish bullets from the inner lining and handing them to Tang Qi.
As the bullets touched his hand, a warm sensation washed over him.
It was unclear whether it was the heat from the Melting Furnace Power or Stanna's body temperature.
This body is just a teenager!
Muttering to himself, Tang Qi then dismissed the possibility of body heat and began to feel the changes in the two Molten Furnace Bullets.
The Melting Furnace Power had diminished somewhat.
It had only been a few days since Tang Qi gave the bullets to Stanna; the decay of the Melting Furnace Power should not have been so fast. This left only one possibility—Stanna had brief contact with negative, evil forces, or she had been in the same environment as those Evil Camp monsters.
With a bit of enlightenment in his heart, Tang Qi handed the bullets back to Stanna who once again tucked them preciously into her bosom.
Tang Qi's lips twitched slightly, but still, he turned and opened the office door with understanding. However, just as he stepped one foot in, Tang Qi's movement abruptly froze, and he shouted directly, "Who are you?"
After speaking, Tang Qi immediately stepped out of the office, shamelessly taking cover behind Stanna.
The movement was swift and smooth, executed all in one breath.