CH 18

Rode was dumbfounded.

"He's an enemy... can't I kill him?"

Lauren scrutinized him with his gray eyes, as if distinguishing the truth from his words.

"He's the most important clue in the Redstone Village case, and the only member of the Corrupted Sect that we have in our grasp. We have a lot of intelligence to gather from him, and you need him as a witness. He can't die."

Rode's heart sank. He hadn't thought that far ahead. When he couldn't find the Spirit Lock that Lauren had mentioned, his first reaction upon discovering the true identity was to shoot. He never expected that he would actually kill him with one shot.

As a result, his suspicion didn't lessen but instead became heavier, because he had the intention of silencing and destroying evidence.

"Can't you interrogate his soul? He just died not long ago, maybe you can use some kind of spiritual communication..."

Rode suddenly closed his mouth halfway through his sentence because Bass's soul might be with him.

Lauren shook his head slightly. "Special trials are not omnipotent. Even if we use the most extreme methods, we can only obtain a part of the information. Usually, we still need to decipher and interpret it. The soul is not as simple as you think. It's not a book that you can read at will. Moreover..."

He glanced at Bass's body and frowned slightly.

"His soul has completely dissipated... so quickly, is it because of corruption or the methods of the Corrupted Sect?"

Rode became nervous. "Soul Devouring" was a taboo, and if he was discovered, he would be done for.

But Lauren didn't seem to suspect him, nor did he mention those anomalies.

He put down the iron rod pointed at Rode and rubbed his chin, saying, "This should be an accident, not your fault, it's my fault. I didn't expect you to find his true identity. He used the Soul Ancient Talisman of Siglais, which is difficult for non-professional investigators to find in a short time. I originally wanted to force him into a corner bit by bit and make him reveal more information."

He sighed slightly, his tone somewhat melancholy.

"This should be your Flame Seed ability. The researchers at the Institute of Mechanics must have gone crazy again, replacing the original meaning with the words they imagined. Your Flame Seed can't be called a Black Rice Bucket. That's his own code name."

Rode almost laughed, but when he thought that he was still in a dangerous situation, he quickly suppressed his laughter and asked, "What should we do now?"

Lauren said, "I will slightly modify the process and emphasize the danger of the battle process, implying that you are in a life-threatening situation. But when anyone asks you, you tell the truth and don't lie. Do you understand?"

Rode nodded. "I understand."

Afterwards, Lauren briefly cleaned up the scene.

Soon, investigators wearing large woolen hats and black overalls arrived here, took over the scene, and began a more detailed search.

Rode was interrogated, and he confessed the process truthfully as Lauren had instructed, only hiding the abnormalities of the black lines and soul.

The investigators didn't make it too difficult for him and just took his fingerprints after recording his statement.

"Go back to the academy first," Lauren said briefly, without explaining too much.

An investigator led him onto a new horseless carriage.

As the wheels turned, the investigator pulled the curtains on the carriage window.

The last image left in Rode's eyes was the busy figure of a group of people in front of a huge warehouse in the dimly lit street.

The boundless darkness engulfed everything, making the faint light like a candle on the wilderness, making people worry that it might be extinguished at any time in the strong wind.

-

The effective clues obtained in the warehouse were far lower than what Lauren had expected.As other investigators reported back, Lauren's heart sank.

He knew that this level would be difficult to pass, especially after paying such a high price for such little results.

Sure enough, when he returned to the Internal Judgement Hall, he was subjected to severe questioning.

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"I'm sorry, my carelessness caused the failure of this operation. I'm willing to take full responsibility."

At the judgement meeting, Lauren did not make any excuses and admitted to the facts.

"Take full responsibility?"

A person wearing an iron mask sitting in the front row said coldly.

"We paid such a high price for the clue we obtained. Can you afford this loss?"

"It's rare to see our ace make a mistake." A thin and short old man sneered. "It's one thing to make a mistake, but what if he's a traitor deliberately destroying evidence?"

Many people sitting in high positions frowned.

"Kramar, this speculation is irrational and unnecessary." One person said.

The person with the iron mask stood up, looked around, and said loudly, "This is not an irrational slander. A high-level combatant actually made a mistake in this kind of mission. Don't you think this is suspicious and against common sense?"

"I don't think you're right. Nobody is perfect, and you shouldn't be so demanding of someone who works in the most dangerous position all year round." A middle-aged man with blonde hair shook his head.

"Enough!" The chief judge sitting on the highest seat interrupted their argument. "Manolobana, Mibol, state your conclusions."

The person with the iron mask said coldly, "Immediately suspend all of Lauren's duties and investigate his misconduct. Conduct a special trial on Rode, the main culprit of the Redstone Village case, to obtain new clues at the minimum cost. Our leniency towards him was a mistake, and now it's time to make up for it!"

The middle-aged man with blonde hair proposed a completely opposite opinion.

"Lauren should not be punished. We have other clues. The only survivor of Redstone Village, Rode, has shown unexpected potential. I think we can give him certain privileges and conduct customized training for him."

The person with the iron mask shouted angrily, "It's ridiculous! Murderers and misconducters not only go unpunished, but also receive rewards..."

"Enough!"

The chief judge interrupted him.

"Execute Mibol's suggestion, but Manolobana's suggestion will be filed as a backup."

No one opposed anymore. Everyone bowed slightly and said in unison, "As you wish, Your Excellency Lucien."

But the eyes of the person with the iron mask flickered, obviously not saying what he was thinking.

---

On the other side, Rode finally returned to Kimberly Academy.