"Later, I'll take you to meet one of my informants. Well, he's hardly human. His true form is that of a werewolf. Don't be too shocked. You know, it's common for us detectives to cultivate informants for information. And when it comes to gathering intel on dark creatures, humans won't cut it. Humans have no standing in the society of those beasts. So... I once caught that werewolf, but I let him go since he was willing to work for me."
After leaving the small park and hopping back into the police car, Burke explained the identity of the informant to Kelot as he drove. Telling Kelot in advance was probably to prepare him and avoid any surprises.
"Should I watch out for anything when I meet him?"
Kelot didn't bat an eye at using a dark creature as an informant. He held no grudges against them. Truth be told, he was a bit of a creature himself.
"Nah. These creatures are as normal as you and me when they're calm. Later, keep an eye on him. If he acts up, take him down! I know you're stronger than me, that's why I brought you today. It's been ages since I last saw that thing. He used to fear me, but now... I'm scared that if I go alone and show the slightest weakness, he'll try to kill me. After all, I've forced him to do a lot of things he didn't want to in the past two years."
"Don't worry. Leave it to me. Before he makes a move, I'll make him realize that obeying you, the sheriff, is his best bet!"
The police car drove for about half an hour. The werewolf lived on the outskirts of Duras Port, an area the government hadn't fully developed. Along the way, there were several deciduous forests, and the werewolf's ordinary house sat right in the middle of them.
After parking the car, Burke led Kelot to knock on the wooden door. Soon, a deep male voice came from inside, and the door creaked open.
"It's you... I don't want you here! I've been your informant for two years! I'm not your slave!"
Kelot, standing behind Burke, sized up the so - called werewolf. Apart from the thick hair on his face, there was nothing monstrous about him. His behavior was just like a normal person's.
The werewolf glared at Burke, his pupils starting to turn a faint red.
"Do you think I'd come if it weren't important? It's been almost half a year since I last visited. Are you really gonna turn me away?"
As he spoke, Burke jammed his foot between the door and the frame that was about to close. He stared down the werewolf, then pushed the door open with his right hand and marched in. Kelot naturally followed close behind into the werewolf's home.
The house was furnished in an old - fashioned way, but it wasn't shabby. It had a sense of history. Most of the things were made of wood, as if the owner adored nature... or rather, the jungle. There were animal horns and skulls hanging on the walls. Hunting was clearly one of the owner's passions.
"Don't you know that barging into someone's house is a serious offense and a provocation?"
The werewolf clenched his fists, his arm muscles tensing. The whites of his eyes were turning red. If what Kelot read in the garrison was right, these were signs of an impending transformation.
"I think you'd better calm down! Maybe have a glass of milk to cool off! After all, our sheriff is swamped and has no time to play with a little mutt like you!"
An ordinary person might be intimidated by a werewolf on the verge of transformation. But Kelot thought the changes when his Tide Bloodline boiled were far scarier. So, in the face of the werewolf's transformation, he reached straight for the werewolf's neck!
The werewolf wasn't going to let himself be caught. He raised his right arm and threw a punch at Kelot. Kelot didn't dodge. He simply balled his out - stretched right hand into a fist and punched back!
How could an ordinary werewolf match Kelot, who had the bloodline of a Tide Giant!
A dull thud echoed. Kelot's fist, twice the size of the non - transformed werewolf's, not only sent the werewolf flying but also morphed into a claw and lunged forward to grab his throat. Fearing for his life, the werewolf's transformation sped up. Hair sprouted all over his face.
Kelot could feel the werewolf's neck thickening in his palm, but he tightened his grip instead of letting go!
The veins on his right - arm muscles popped out, and for a moment, he held the werewolf still!
The lack of oxygen made the werewolf's brain go fuzzy, and his transformation lost steam. Soon, he reverted to his human form. His hands flapped at Kelot's arm, and his eyes pleaded for mercy.
Satisfied that he'd subdued the werewolf, Kelot released his grip. There was a bright red handprint on the werewolf's neck.
After a fit of hacking coughs, the werewolf, slumped on the ground, first glanced at Kelot in terror, then at Burke, who was turning around.
"Do you think you can tell me something useful now? I'm sorry my subordinate got rough with you, but if you still refuse to cooperate... I won't hesitate to have him use even harsher methods."
Burke squatted beside the werewolf and patted his face. Seeing the dark - red handprint on the werewolf's neck, he was secretly impressed by Kelot's strength. He knew bringing Kelot was the right call, but on the surface, he still threatened the werewolf coldly.
"What do you want to know?"
"Someone died in the port park today. It was probably an attack by a creature like you. I know you creatures here have been well - behaved in my jurisdiction. So, I'm thinking there's a new outsider. You should know if any of your kind have arrived, right? After all, you have regular gatherings."
When the werewolf heard about the death in the port park, his face went rigid. Both Burke and Kelot noticed. There was no doubt this werewolf knew something.
"I... haven't been to any gatherings lately. You haven't been around, so you don't know. Our gatherings were canceled ages ago!"
The werewolf replied, avoiding eye contact. It seemed he'd rather help his own kind than humans.
"Well... It seems you're not willing to cooperate. That's a shame. Kelot! Come here and teach him what happens when he covers for his kind! Like taking care of his health the hard way..."
After saying that, Burke walked over to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Kelot continued to play the subordinate. He grabbed the two brass knuckles from his waist, put them on, and strode towards the werewolf.
Then came a series of blood - curdling screams. Kelot didn't use lethal force. He still punched at an upper - middle body - forging strength. But with the brass knuckles, a powerful close - combat weapon, each punch on the werewolf was as painful as a knife stab.
When they finally left the werewolf's house, both of them were beaming. Burke was happy because he got the information he wanted, while Kelot was thrilled to finally see a creature he once thought was mysterious. In his eyes, this so - called nightmare for ordinary citizens wasn't all that powerful.
According to the werewolf, a new creature had indeed come to Duras Port recently. He'd seen it at the regular creature gatherings. This outsider was a real troublemaker. In the werewolf's words, there was a wildness about it.
Although he didn't know what kind of creature it was, he'd suspected it would cause trouble. So, he'd kept a close eye on it.
At the gatherings, this outsider had repeatedly said it wanted to attack the humans in Duras Port and even tried to get the other creatures to join in. But these creatures lived in Duras Port themselves. Although they hunted, they usually went to other places, like the Duras urban area. After all, even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow.
Committing crimes near their homes would only expose them to the garrison's searches. Naturally, they weren't keen on it. But this outsider was hell - bent on causing chaos. It had even offended several creatures in the port area. They just didn't dare to take it on because of its strength.
Yes, this outsider seemed powerful and incredibly arrogant. It had clashed with several creatures at the gathering and beaten them all. This piece of information piqued Burke and Kelot's interest.
Since the outsider seemed strong, they couldn't just go and arrest it. To make sure they could bring the culprit back, they had to return to the garrison to gather their men.
The two of them got in the car and headed back to the garrison. They didn't know that after they left, the werewolf, beaten up by Kelot, limped out of the house with a backpack on his back and made his way towards an empty house nearby...