Chapter 498: Unexpected Discovery

"Catalog of Unnatural Deaths and Missing Persons?"

After glancing at the title on the register, the female police officer said with a look of surprise:

"Everything recorded in here is about the Lane family, isn't it? If you're looking for evidence of the Lane family's crimes, checking this probably won't be much use, right?"

Indeed, if one wanted to look for criminal evidence, reading this would indeed be of little significance, but when it came to investigating anomalous objects, it became very effective.

Especially an anomalous object like the Goat Heart, born from a "demon"—when the wielder couldn't control it, it would almost inevitably cause a great many unnatural deaths.

And if many of those who died unnatural deaths were all connected to a single person, then the likelihood that this person had used, or even possessed, the Goat Heart would be raised without limit… but there was no need to explain all this to her.

……

"Don't worry, it's useful."

To keep this hard-won tool working properly and not just going through the motions, Hearing Li Ang flipped through the family tree in his hands and brushed her off without looking up:

"What's stored in this room isn't the original family tree—it's a transcribed copy that the Lane family has opened to the public and allowed others to consult, so the contents have definitely been prettied up. The overly sensitive bits have most likely been deleted, but…"

"But while the events recorded can be deleted, things like who's alive and who's dead are generally recorded truthfully! So in these semi-public family trees, it's actually these most basic records that have the highest reliability!"

The moment she grasped Hearing Li Ang's meaning, the female police officer's eyes couldn't help but light up, and the gaze she turned on Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but carry a faint trace of admiration.

This bastard is so… this guy's mind really works fast!

Not only can he instantly judge the reliability of information, he also has interrogation techniques scary-accurate, and his shooting is super accurate too—truly… no wonder he was able to enter the Bureau's "hidden department." This guy really is a rare talent!

After being shaken by the methods Hearing Li Ang displayed, the female police officer's Hearing Li Ang seemed to have been plated with a halo of "big shot," and even the frown he wore while flipping through the "fake" family tree took on a touch of wisdom.

"…"

This guy may be hot-tempered, but who would've thought he'd actually be so easy to coax… hmm… it's just that his gaze is a little uncomfortable…

Stared at by the female police officer until he felt a bit awkward, Hearing Li Ang instinctively held the family tree in his hands and shifted his bottom away from her, then continued flipping through the family tree while nodding in confirmation:

"Right, that's exactly what I mean!

Besides, the Lane family is a big clan, and the internal relationships aren't that tight—they even scheme against each other. And those who are used to playing tricks probably won't only play them against outsiders; they're very likely to strike within the family as well, so…"

"So we should prioritize finding those connected to many of the dead and the missing!"

Once she grasped Hearing Li Ang's meaning again, the female police officer couldn't help but give her own long leg a hard slap and said softly, her eyes full of admiration:

"Being linked to one dead person is coincidence, but being linked to many dead people—then they're most likely the mastermind!

And if they're this ruthless within the clan, they'll definitely be even more unscrupulous toward outsiders. Compared to those who scheme less, investigating people like this makes it easier to find evidence of their crimes!

Damn it! Why didn't I think of that! You really are… um…"

"…"

No… how did you suddenly flip from "Ang-hater" to "Ang-fan"?

Stared at by the female police officer's burning gaze until his back went numb, Hearing Li Ang, feeling uncomfortable all over, discovered for the first time that being looked at with admiring eyes could actually be this uncomfortable.

Please, could you act a little more normal?

I'm not being falsely polite—I really do find it uncomfortable… to be fair, compared to that strange look you're giving me now, the disgusted expression you used to wear when looking at me was actually a little more pleasant…

"I'll look into it right now!"

Unaware that she had actually been disliked, after finding the "meaning" of this job, the female police officer immediately stood up, asked a waiter for paper and a pen, then took the death register and the family tree with its important correspondence records, and threw herself, full of vigor, into the endless "Lane Hell."

And seeing that she had finally settled down—no longer looking at him with that gaze, and no longer asking questions—Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, and threw himself into the work of searching through suspicious files. After the two waiters also left, this genealogy room on the first floor of the small building was left with only the rustling sound of two people turning pages.

And these two—one wanting to find evidence of the Lane family's crimes, the other wanting to find the lost Goat Offal—each with their own purpose, flipped through the records with extreme care, and the investigation lasted a good half a day.

By the time the sun began to sink in the west, the paper beside Hearing Li Ang already had nearly thirty names written on it, and although the female police officer had found far fewer, she had already found eight or nine.

……

Hmm… you really have to hand it to her, requisitioning her this time really was the right call…

After closing the family tree in his hands, Hearing Li Ang stretched his somewhat stiff neck, and casually glanced at the paper beside the female police officer. He then discovered, not without pleasant surprise, that among the "black-hand list" she had compiled, some five or six names overlapped with the "nouveau riche" list he had put together.

Someone who was originally unremarkable but suddenly rose to power and got rich, and who was also connected to many of the Lane family's internal deaths… as long as the person who got the Goat Heart wasn't some laid-back youth, they were probably among these five or six people.

And just to be safe, to prevent the "Goat Heart holder" from already being high-ranking, or from having a weak desire for wealth, the scope could be expanded a little more, but it should still be kept within seven or eight people. One could say he wasn't far from the Goat Heart now.

Hmm… the Director really is the Director. Although the excuse of "coming to claim kinship" sounds utterly childish, when it comes to investigating anomalous objects, it's shockingly useful—it's only been a few hours and there are already some leads.

If he had listened to Hearing Heishanyang's suggestion and snuck into the Lane family in the middle of the night, going room by room, and as soon as he met someone carrying the smell of Goat Offal, woke them up and interrogated them—setting aside whether it was safe or not, the efficiency alone couldn't compare to this!

After earnestly admonishing himself to learn from the Director and Senior Emma, to always use his brain and think more when things came up, and never become a 2b brute like Hearing Heishanyang.

Hearing Li Ang looked at the female police officer, whose brows had suddenly knit tightly as if she were stumped by something, and did not disturb the tool who was still working hard. Instead, he stood up, walked out of the genealogy room, asked a waiter for two meals, and placed one of them beside her hand.

"Stop looking and take a break first."

"Ah? Oh! Okay!"

After taking the guest meal on the table, picking up a spoon and gulping down a mouthful of soup, swallowing it without tasting it, the female police officer first clenched her fist tightly, then looked up at Hearing Li Ang, who was eating across the table, her pretty face written all over with things she wanted to say but couldn't.

"Hmm?"

Having noticed her gaze, Hearing Li Ang couldn't help but frown, put down the mashed potatoes he had just scooped up, and asked, somewhat puzzled:

"What's wrong with you? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I'm actually fine… it's mainly you…

After unconsciously licking her somewhat dry lips, the female police officer's pearly white teeth began to unconsciously bite at her own lower lip.

"Hearing Li Ang, I ask you…"

Looking at the man across from her with a baffled expression, the female police officer couldn't help but clench her fist tightly, even curling her toes inside her shoes, and carefully probed:

"If… I mean if, ha… if you really are a member of the Lane family, then what do you plan to do?"

"…"

"Ah?????!!!!!"

(End of chapter)