The moon had vanished.
The body had also been dealt with.
"Let's go, get in the car, we're heading back," the captain called out.
Ji Xun and his fellow corpse collectors secured the doors and left the gunpowder factory.
For the average person, the sudden appearance and disappearance of the moon was merely a topic for idle chatter. When you can't grasp the essence behind such phenomena, it's nothing more than a source of illumination.
It's like "enlightenment"; if you can't understand something, it won't even register in your cognition.
...
As Ji Xun suspected, the appearance of a "moon" in the sky wouldn't go unnoticed. Ordinary people might not know what a moon is, but certain high-level spellcasters did. It was a mysterious symbol from myths and legends.
At 117 Candy Street in the West District, a heavily guarded building stood: the headquarters of Golden Oak Security Company. At the top of the building, several men in black suits stood by a large window, their faces dark as they stared at the silver moon in the sky.
"Those Silver Moon Cult guys are getting bolder, openly trying to corrupt the city's faith. They must be seeking death!"
"They're still hiding in the shadows, hard to find."
"Indeed. The ancient artifact brought back by 'Lone Wolf' Baron from the Demon Cross Silver Moon Altar has given them too much of a boost. If they manage to revive the will pointed to by the silver moon, we'll be in big trouble."
"Have we figured out what happened on Tailor Street last time?"
"Not yet, but we have some leads on the perpetrator. Judging by the skinning method, it should be an advanced profession of the 'Plague Doctor' in the 'Square 3' category, known as the 'Mortician.' Our people are investigating."
"Be careful. I've got word that Dragon City has sent people over to investigate. They must have noticed something."
"Got it."
Under the moonlight, a layer of eerie black mist rose from them.
...
Shortly after, the corpse collection team returned to 117 East Street. After stuffing a new client into an iron cabinet, Ji Xun was once again alone in the morgue.
He immediately took out a map of Innocence City he had bought at the market, spread it on the ground, and began drawing on a thin white paper. Ji Xun recalled the layout of the secret room in the labyrinthine graveyard. Having carefully observed almost every brick in the maze, he remembered the exact positions of the four sacrificial pillars.
It formed an irregular diamond shape.
"The distance between the upper and lower pillars is 18.5 meters, and between the left and right pillars is 13.2 meters. The lengths of the four sides are…"
As Ji Xun recollected, he scaled it down proportionally and drew the diamond shape on the paper. Then, he marked a dot at the center of the diamond, corresponding to the moon symbol he had seen on the ceiling.
Since his memory was precise, the scale was very accurate. Ji Xun then thought about the moon he had just seen, estimating its position to be around King's Street in the Central District.
Just by visual estimation, Ji Xun couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the moon. He could only mark its approximate position on the Innocence City map.
Ji Xun then took out a light source and shone it through the paper where he had drawn the diamond shape. The black lines of the diamond were projected onto the map.
He aligned the central black dot of the diamond with King's Street and slowly moved the paper upwards, enlarging the diamond's projection on the map. After adjusting the angle slightly, he overlapped one corner of the diamond with the Tailor Street cellar in the East District. He then marked the other three corners on the map.
Seeing this, the positions of the "four pillars" became clear.
"This means the nearest point should be somewhere in the Red Cedar neighborhood in the North District," Ji Xun concluded, mentally calculating his findings. Confident in his assessment, he packed up the map.
Though not perfectly precise, this method gave him a rough estimate. Besides, he couldn't be certain that the "four pillars" hadn't been relocated after the exposure of Tailor Street.
Regardless, Ji Xun decided to investigate.
...
A few minutes later, Ji Xun, now in a different outfit, emerged in the dark alley behind the corpse collector's building. He uncovered a tarp, revealing a fairly new steam motorcycle.
This steam motorcycle cost around ten thousand yuan, which he couldn't afford before. After making money from the maze, he bought it for easier travel.
He started the motorcycle, its engine roaring to life, and sped through the streets. The efficiency of travel with a motorcycle was impressive, bypassing the need to stop at every intercity train station. In just half an hour, Ji Xun arrived at the Red Cedar neighborhood in the North District.
This area was part of Innocence City's working-class district, home to several large factories, a large population, and a complex mix of residents.
Ji Xun parked his motorcycle in a deserted alley, changed into greasy factory worker clothes, and transformed his face into a sallow, middle-aged man using a clown mask. He blended in as a tired mechanic.
In such working-class areas, outsiders were quickly noticed, so preparation was essential.
Ji Xun walked down the streets. Innocence City lacked municipal services, making the working-class neighborhoods filthy, with swarms of flies on garbage piles and rats bathing in sewage.
There were many people on the streets, children playing, and adults discussing wages, strikes, and new factories.
Ji Xun behaved in a manner consistent with the neighborhood, attracting no attention. He walked and listened, but detected nothing unusual. It seemed like a perfectly ordinary working-class district.
After an hour of fruitless searching, Ji Xun began to doubt his intuition but still felt he was in the right place.
Because the cellar on Tailor Street gave off a similar feeling.
The ordinariness of a working-class neighborhood is a facade, hiding a lurking demon in the shadows.
However, finding this hidden demon is quite challenging.
The buildings in No-Guilt City are mostly ancient ruins, with complex, dilapidated structures and many makeshift dwellings.
No one can really know how many people live there.
Qi Xun wasn't even sure what he was looking for.
A cellar?
Impossible.
He couldn't possibly search through thousands of residential buildings in the entire neighborhood alone.
Qi Xun decided to try his luck, looking for "suspected followers," "secret meeting points," "mysterious symbols," or any unusual "religious behaviors."
Given that the old cult is an organized group, if there's a base nearby, it should reveal some clue.
But as he walked through the area, everything seemed normal.
He did come across a few suspicious places, but they turned out to be either drug labs run by gangsters, brothels catering to regulars, or home-based gun workshops.
There were also some run-down buildings with suspicious-looking guards, likely hideouts for thieves or killers.
Qi Xun didn't get involved and continued searching for clues.
After changing his outfit and face, he spent almost another hour scouring the area.
Since the estimated location was only approximate, several nearby neighborhoods might be within the error range, so he found nothing.
Just as Qi Xun began to doubt whether he had made a mistake or if the cult had relocated, something unexpected happened.
It was a pure coincidence.
....
In any world, the profession of a doctor is essential.
There are a few clinics in the Redwood District as well.
As Qi Xun was walking down the street, he suddenly noticed a white-painted building with a sign reading "Yanbian Clinic."
He initially just walked past it casually, but when he glanced inside and saw the doctor, he immediately thought, "That's the guy!"
The clinic was run by a middle-aged man in his forties, slender and wearing a white coat, looking like an ordinary community doctor.
But this doctor was exactly the one Qi Xun had been looking for.
...
After the Tailor Street incident, a mysterious cloaked figure visited the corpse collector's dormitory in East Fifth District.
At that time, Qi Xun hadn't seen his face because he was cloaked.
Yet, he instantly recognized him now.
Around forty years old, about 1.75 meters tall, wearing a pair of "Mole Leather Factory" monk shoes, and looking slender... with a respectable job.
These characteristics matched exactly with those of the cloaked figure who visited the dormitory!
Moreover,
When Qi Xun saw the corpses in the cellar, he noticed the skinning skills were extremely refined and displayed a thorough knowledge of anatomy.
He had suspected that the old cultist might be someone with a profession related to forensics, butchery, or leatherworking.
It seemed his luck was good this time.