Chapter 43: Information: The Desecrated Slaughterhouse by the River!

Roger sat in the car, idly fiddling with his phone, still thinking about the text Zoe had sent. This book is originally published on twqingsongdu, offering you a reading experience with no errors and no out-of-order chapters.

For some reason, he felt a subtle unease.

"Sorry?"

The phone tapped against the transmission, producing a sharp clack.

"That's not something Zoe would say."

In Roger's memory, the busty girl preferred bold expressions, like "Fucking hell, sent to the wrong person."

But perhaps Zoe had learned restraint lately at the nursing home, or maybe she was just too busy to reply with anything more than a brief message.

Still, after thinking it over, Roger called Zoe.

"Beep!"

"This is Zoe. Please leave a message."

No one answered—only a voicemail.

Roger's unease deepened.

Just then, his phone rang again, and he answered immediately.

"Hello, Zoe."

"Roger, it's me." It was the female journalist's voice.

Normally she'd tease him about whether Zoe was some guy's girlfriend, but today her tone was unusually grave, laced with uncontainable fury:

"Something's happened."

"What?"

"Wilson, the hook-nose, is dead."

Roger frowned: "Impossible!"

Vanessa took a deep breath: "Those damn cops raided his house this morning and shot him dead on the spot, claiming he resisted with a firearm!"

"Huh?" Roger froze.

"And Vulture too."

The journalist continued: "He was arrested this morning for illegal use of enhancement drugs. The police won't give reporters any information—just say they're investigating… Fucking hell!"

"What about Jie La De?" Roger remembered the white officer was easier to talk to.

"I can't reach him!" Vanessa nearly screamed: "That was our hard-won lead, and they're giving me nothing! I don't even know Wilson's identity, his job, or what the fuck he looked like!"

Roger shrugged: "Police always hide what matters most."

"You're right. At least now I know his address." Vanessa calmed down: "I'll dig up everything about him—this won't stop me."

"You should still be careful."

Roger didn't want to see the female journalist found dead with eight gunshots in her body one day.

"I will."

"I was going to ask you for a favor, but now it seems you're too busy."

"Tell me. Maybe I already know."

"Alright, do you know the Margaret Nursing Home?" Roger asked.

"Margaret?" Vanessa hesitated: "That sounds familiar… wait, let me think…"

"Oh! Right—I remember now." The journalist said: "Didn't you mention Zhu Di's disappearance to me last time?"

Roger frowned: "Yes, that's right. What's the connection?"

"There's a connection. The owner of Chrysanthemum Home Private Clinic, where Zhu Di worked, Al Griffin, shut down the clinic and immediately partnered with someone to open a new nursing home—named Margaret."

"You're sure?" Roger's voice grew urgent.

"Positive. Because 'Margaret' means chrysanthemum in French."

Hearing this, Roger suddenly broke out in cold sweat.

"The fuck!"

"Zoe!"

"What did you say?" Vanessa didn't understand the man's words.

But Roger didn't answer her—he just thanked her and hung up.

Then he opened a web browser and searched for Margaret Nursing Home. After seeing the information he needed, his mind raced.

"Six months ago, Zhu Di vanished without a trace—alive, no body; dead, no corpse."

"Soon after, Al Griffin shut down Chrysanthemum Home Private Clinic and opened Margaret Nursing Home upstream on the Du Wa Mi Shi He."

"Then, Wilson began trading with Vulture—every Gundam was stripped of vital organs, while the non-essential ones were processed by Aodisi in his garage."

"And just half a month ago, Wilson, panicked during a police traffic stop, disposed of the corpse in his trunk himself."

"That's the floating corpse I found."

"Now, Wilson is dead—shot by police. Vulture and Aodisi have been arrested."

"If all this is connected, the one crucial piece of evidence is still missing."

That was whether Wilson was an employee of Margaret Nursing Home.

But only the police currently know that information.

"No—there's another place!"

Roger quickly opened the official website of Margaret Nursing Home.

Among the staff profiles, a long list of doctors' names was displayed.

"Wilson, Wilson…" Roger muttered, scanning each name, and soon spotted Blake—the man he'd met during his last meal delivery.

Beneath his photo was a long list of credentials and positions.

"Chief Surgeon."

Roger glanced at it, then turned to the photos behind.

Only when he reached the last page did he finally find his target.

"Wei Er Xun!"

Although the name matched, there was no photograph of the real person.

But it didn't matter at all, because Roger had already connected everything in his mind.

He recalled the several nurses who had suddenly quit, as Zoe had mentioned last time.

"Shit! Is Zoe now their target too?"

"No, perhaps Zoe was their target from the start!"

He had always found it strange that such an upscale nursing home would recruit a homeless girl; now he realized it was clearly premeditated.

Recruiting someone with a family and property, if killed, would invite many questions and investigations.

But if they recruited a homeless person, even if they vanished suddenly, no one would care.

But this was only Roger's guess; without concrete evidence, even if he told the police, they would never suddenly storm the Margaret Nursing Home to investigate.

Moreover, given the incident this morning when the hook-nosed man was suddenly shot, it was unclear which side the police were truly on.

"So what should I do?"

Roger crossed his arms, deeply conflicted.

Yet the next moment, new intelligence suddenly appeared.

【Intelligence: The Desecrated Slaughterhouse by the River】

【Witnesses claim that upstream along the Du Wa Mi Shi He, within the wall that should be the place of final rest, blood-curdling human screams and desperate wails echo. These are mixed with chilling slicing sounds, as if some indescribable flesh ritual is underway. The防线 of reason has completely collapsed; evil entities lurk in every dark corner. Given the severity and danger of this situation, investigators must swiftly uncover the truth within one day.】

【Reward after investigation: Title 'Junior Investigator', Physical Function +1, Ancient God's Silver Coin ×1, $100】

"Damn!"

This intelligence clearly confirmed Roger's suspicion.

That damn Margaret Nursing Home was the source of it all.

And the time limit given in the intelligence made him restless.

"Time is running out." Roger slammed his foot on the accelerator, heading straight for the Jie Ji Ting.

"We act tonight!"