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Li Lin explained the reasons to Silco and subtly hinted at his own ambitions, to which Silco readily nodded in understanding.
After all, due to the events from a few years ago, Silco still harbored resentment towards the Upper City.
Seeing the people of Piltover, especially those from the upper-class families, facing setbacks and even losing control over the Upper City, he naturally agreed wholeheartedly.
With the matter settled, Silco immediately instructed people to start selecting a location for the arsenal and began collecting the materials Li Lin needed.
With things in order at the arsenal, Li Lin returned to Kiramman's house and spent a few days fishing with Caitlyn.
Afterwards, he resumed his research on the issues of aerial combat robots, storms, and biological armor.
Piltover's basic power system had only been replaced by less than half, and with wired telephones just getting started, the foundation was unstable.
Therefore, he temporarily set aside the progress of communication stations and communication satellites.
These things required a significant investment of time, effort, manpower, resources, and finances.
Li Lin planned to wait until he leveled up a bit more to see if the Essence Store would unlock anything interesting.
At Kiramman's family restaurant,
Having just finished lunch, Li Lin was planning to return to his room for a nap and continue refining his research in the afternoon.
But as he stepped out of the restaurant, he unexpectedly encountered Caitlyn, who shouldn't have been at home at this time.
"Hey, Cait? Don't you have any cases today?"
Li Lin attempted to playfully pull Caitlyn into his arms for a kiss, but she skillfully dodged and gave him a stern look.
"Stop it. My mother is still inside. I came back specifically to find you today."
"Find me?" Li Lin raised an eyebrow, noticing her somewhat hesitant expression. "Is there a problem with your case?"
Caitlyn sweetly smiled, "You still have the detective's mindset I taught you. Not bad."
"Compared to you, I'm far from it. I'm not cut out for this profession," Li Lin shook his head helplessly.
After all, despite learning from Caitlyn for so long, the only additional skills on his skill panel were "Basic Combat" and "Firearm Proficiency."
While they were talking, Caitlyn heard some noise inside the house, beckoned to Li Lin, and turned to leave.
"Come with me. Let's go to my office. This case is a bit special, commissioned by Sheriff Grayson."
"Piltover Security?"
Li Lin furrowed his brows, recalling the familiar background he was acquainted with.
At this time, there didn't seem to be any major events. Could it be that the butterfly effect caused by his crossing over led to the early release of Khada Jhin, the serial killer known as the "Golden Demon," and he was wreaking havoc in Piltover?
"Is this case... a serial murder?"
Caitlyn was surprised when she turned around, "Huh? You figured that out?!"
Indeed...
Li Lin couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling.
Fortunately, Caitlyn's subsequent explanation dispelled this thought: "But it's just in the Zaun Undercity... Oh, this isn't the place to talk. Don't ask for now."
She took a few more steps forward, as if suddenly remembering something, turned back, and reminded, "Oh, by the way, remember to wear your powered armor."
...
...
Glassweaver Street, Caitlyn's detective agency.
Li Lin, who had taken off his powered armor, was sitting on Caitlyn's office chair, frowning as he examined the case file provided by Grayson.
[H.I.V.E. Incident Report]
[Case Code: Serial Murder]
[Case Status: Unsolved]
[Lead Investigator: Rol, P.]
[...]
Casually glancing through it, he found the case file strangely familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Before thinking too much, Caitlyn approached with two freshly brewed cups of hot tea, placing them on the table.
With one hand resting on Li Lin's shoulder and the other supporting the desk, she bent down, her smooth hair falling, emitting a faint, intoxicating violet fragrance that left him somewhat entranced.
Helplessly, Li Lin moved aside the hair on his face. Caitlyn's unintentional teasing made it difficult for him to focus.
"Cait, I won't be able to focus on the case if you continue like this."
He pulled Caitlyn's slender waist towards him, applying a bit of pressure.
With the young girl's soft exclamation, she found herself in Li Lin's embrace.
"Stop it, Li Lin. Serious matters are more important."
Although Caitlyn's tone carried a hint of resentment, her facial expression betrayed her true feelings.
She genuinely enjoyed the intimate moments with her beloved without any boundaries.
Li Lin, however, discerned the gravity of the situation and after teasing Caitlyn for a while, he stopped and resumed reviewing the detective's report, still holding her.
"The incident occurred at an oil tank factory in the upper layer of the Undercity," Caitlyn said, spreading another report on the table. "Normally, such common alchemical accidents wouldn't be reported to Piltover's Enforcers, but this time it's different."
Her delicate fingers moved, pointing to a few paragraphs in the middle of the report. "The factory's private security reported that several workers suddenly went missing."
"Sheriff Grayson sent an investigative team to the scene. In a cave filled with toxic suspended particles and alchemical fluids, they found two survivors and six bodies."
"Three bodies were mutilated, showing signs of rodent bites, likely from plague rats."
"The time of death for two bodies was this morning, caused by an alchemical facility explosion. One body, however, still had warmth, indicating a recent death."
Caitlyn paused and pointed to another part of the report. "But that's not the focus... look at this."
Li Lin picked up the report, reading aloud, "Causes of death include acute degradation of skin tissue, corrosive liquefaction, and fatal crossbow wounds?"
Li Lin, increasingly recognizing the report, finally grasped it when he read, "fatal crossbow wounds."
This seemed to be related to the case of the plague-ridden rats... no, the source of the plague, Twitch?
If the culprit of this series of murders was indeed Twitch, they needed to act quickly to eliminate the threat. The creature mutated into a giant plague rat after being contaminated with alchemical toxins dumped into the sewer.
Twitch harbored intense hatred towards humans, aspiring to overthrow their rule over the world.
Though it was just a delusion, it couldn't communicate normally and keeping it alive would only bring disaster.
Li Lin set down the report, raising an eyebrow. "How about the testimonies of the two survivors?"
Caitlyn handed him another witness report, explaining, "One survivor had part of their body liquefied by alchemical toxins and can't speak. They're currently undergoing treatment and adapting to augmented prosthetics."
"The other survivor, Waloree Orlant, a sewage analyst at the factory, is... well, she's severely traumatized. Her nerves have collapsed."
Caitlyn sighed. "She claims they were attacked by a giant rat with a crossbow, throwing glass bottles filled with alchemical poison at them."
"But how can a rat read romance novels and label dates and moods on collected fingers and toes?"
Listening to her description, Li Lin nodded.
The culprit was indeed Twitch.
Putting the report aside, he thought for a moment. "By the way, Cait, if the case details are so clear, why did Sheriff Grayson specifically assign it to you?"
Caitlyn turned to look at Li Lin, somewhat helpless. "According to the investigative team's judgment, the killer is small enough to fit into the sewers, likely a yordle."
"But it seems he sensed the investigative team approaching his hideout, so he fled in advance. The team lost the trail, and now they believe he might have escaped to the middle or lower levels of the sewers. The leads for the investigative team are gone."
"So... you're investigating a killer who can crawl into the sewers?"
Li Lin couldn't help but laugh, earning a disdainful look from Caitlyn.
"Hmph, that's why I came to you for help."
(End of this chapter)
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