Chapter 21

The committed case.

Tang Luo and them had also investigated.

Unfortunately, aside from discovering a person suspected of being possessed by Jack the Ripper, they found nothing.

Tang Luo also had no interest in handing that person over to Gelan Chang as Jack the Ripper.

They needed to complete the 'Find Jack the Ripper' mission, rather than go collect Gelan Chang's bounty.

"Master, shall we act tonight?"

Chu Zhongtian asked, his glasses tightly tied behind his head with a rope, hard to fall off.

His youthful hue had also vanished, making him look much steadier.

After all, these three days came from fighting, and his growth was quite rapid.

As for Li Liang, he too had tried to participate in the cleanup operation.

He Na wasn't cut out for it, scared to the point of losing bladder and bowel control.

Still decided to be a salted fish that only clings to thighs, no matter what, at least survive this mission.

Future tasks, we'll talk about them later.

Salted Fish Li Liang adhered to his principles, always following Tang Luo and the others, minimizing his presence to avoid causing them any trouble.

The three of them also didn't mind continuing to protect him.

Mainly because Master Xuanzang spoke up, Zhou Zhen Guo and Chu Zhongtian would certainly not object.

"How about we delay by one night?"

Zhou Zhen Guo said.

On the banquet invitation list, there was also Gelan Chang's Inspector—he had no ties to the organization.

But as the small town's Chief of Public Security, the banquet's theme tonight was also solving public security issues.

It would be impossible without him.

Therefore, besides Count Sangdeke's private guard detail, the manor also had some of Gelan Chang's patrols.

The protection was more thorough than before.

Before coming, Tang Luo and them also didn't know there would be a banquet tonight.

After all, they were just a few outsiders.

Even the small town's residents only knew that these days the town's bigwigs could no longer sit still, planning to join forces to solve public security issues.

But they weren't quite sure exactly when they would gather.

"Since we're here, let's go in and have a look."

Tang Luo uttered the four-word mantra; under this mantra, one could almost eat the worst dishes and experience the worst activity items.

Of course, it could also let one experience a period of joy.

The manor is in the outskirts, about an hour's carriage ride from the small town's main urban area.

Since we've come, Tang Luo also didn't want to leave.

"You can wait outside to support me." Tang Luo continued.

Zhou Zhen Guo and Chu Zhongtian exchanged a glance and nodded.

Tang Luo is skilled and bold; he can say 'since we've come' and then head straight into the wild.

They cannot.

The meager gains from these three days were not enough to spur the two into seeking wealth amid danger.

Chu Zhongtian had become much steadier; needless to say, Zhou Zhen Guo, who liked to strike first with shackles, was already steady.

He reached up to press the black hat on his head, and Tang Luo walked toward the manor.

As he walked, he took off the Merit Jade Lotus hanging from his neck.

He lightly tossed it upward.

The Merit Jade Lotus hovered above Tang Luo's head, emitting a soft glow.

The glow did not spread, but fell like tassels, enveloping Tang Luo.

"Huh?"

Just moments ago, as Zhou Zhen Guo and Chu Zhongtian looked at Tang Luo, their vision blurred and Tang Luo's figure vanished before their eyes.

"Gone?"

Chu Zhongtian looked at Zhou Zhen Guo, confirming it wasn't his own eyes playing tricks.

"Gone." Zhou Zhen Guo nodded.

"How did you do that? A skill?" Chu Zhongtian asked.

"Possibly, invisibility skills exist too." Zhou Zhen Guo now increasingly believed that Master Xuanzang was definitely a 'senior big shot'.

"How enviable, I also really want a skill."

Chu Zhongtian said.

"If we can complete this mission this time, there will be." Zhou Zhen Guo's determination to complete the mission is stronger than anyone's, after all it concerns his life and property.

Tang Luo's disappearance is of course unrelated to the skill obtained from God-Demon Walking.

It is merely the ability of the Merit Jade Lotus.

Actually, strictly speaking, Tang Luo has never directly used merit power to heal wounds and save people.

But rather, he uses the Merit Jade Lotus, a marvelous treasure that takes merit power as its power source.

This time Tang Luo did not adopt the Xuanzang-style infiltration.

He chose to consume a portion of merit power, activate the Merit Jade Lotus, and employ a concealment technique.

He was in an "invisible" state.

If one is a bit more affluent, consuming a large amount of merit power, it is not merely invisible; one can also achieve 'inaudible' and 'intangible'.

It is a first-rate method for preserving life and escaping danger.

Of course, it is not being used by Tang Luo to escape now, but rather for infiltration.

With the Merit Jade Lotus atop his head, Tang Luo swaggered through the main gate into the manor.

The manor's banquet commenced.

Most of the guests have already arrived, while a few are trickling in.

Upon entering the banquet hall, one can see bright, splendid decorative lights that illuminate the entire hall as if it were daytime.

The lighting fixtures seem to have jumped straight to the level of several decades later.

On the long tables lay delicious food.

Beside them, attendants holding wine bottles stand ready to serve the guests at any moment.

On the wall directly opposite the main gate hangs a portrait, presumably of a distinguished ancestor of the Sangdeke Earl.

Beneath the portrait is a specially constructed stand, about two steps high.

On either side are staircases leading to the second floor.

A richly dressed man stands on the stand, delivering a speech.

His emotions are full, his voice resonant, and he is highly compelling.

The topic of his speech needs no elaboration: naturally, restoring lasting peace and order to the small town and solving the damned Jack the Ripper case.

However, upon careful listening, one will discover that there is actually no substantive content at all.

The entire speech is emotive, and it calls on everyone to donate funds to solve the problem together.

As for exactly how the charitable funds will be used to solve the serial murder case and restore lasting peace,

that is not a concern of this group of bigwigs.

Even how this sum of charitable money will ultimately be used will not truly attract much attention.

What they seek is more about fame.

Tomorrow's newspaper headline.

The praise and respect of the peasants.

We are responsible for providing the money, while others are responsible for carrying out the work.

Has it always been this way?

After concluding his impassioned speech, the man stepped down from the platform and greeted the surrounding guests.

A group of people wore smiles as warm as a spring breeze.

This also let Tang Luo confirm that this person was Lei Ou·Sangdeke.

Before this, Tang Luo truly did not know what Sangdeke looked like.

Sangdeke moved through the crowd in a perfunctory manner, occasionally stopping to chat with people, not knowing whether any of them were organization members.

After about half an hour, he finally went alone toward the stairs.

Meanwhile, before that, several people had already gone up the stairs quietly one after another.

At the entrances of both left and right staircases stood sturdy bodyguards on guard.

Tang Luo leisurely followed behind Sangdeke, and together they arrived at the second and third floors.

Compared to the bustling first floor, the second floor occasionally had people moving about, while the third floor was completely empty.

Along the long corridor, only a few dim lights were lit.

The only sound was that of footsteps.

Sangdeke suddenly stopped in his tracks, a strange expression flickering across his face.

How could he hear footsteps?

——not his own footsteps.

He turned around, confirming that there was no one behind him.

The Sangdeke Earl furrowed his brow, loosened his somewhat tight collar, and continued forward, stopping before a swinging door.

He pressed the handle, and the Sangdeke Earl opened the door and walked in.

Inside was a study.

Only the desk lamp was lit.

Sang Daike looked around, then poked his head out to glance at the corridor outside the study, and only after confirming that the footsteps he had just heard were an illusion did he close and lock the door.

Even in his own home he was extremely cautious.

He walked to the bookshelf, moved a few books aside, and triggered the mechanism.

The bookshelf slowly opened, revealing a narrow lift inside.

Sang Daike stepped into the lift, pressed the switch, the lift descended slowly, and then the bookshelf also began to move, returning to its original position.

The light gradually grew dim.

"Thump!"

Suddenly, Sang Daike heard a series of sounds.

At the same time the lift shuddered, as if something heavy had struck the top.

"Who!"

Sang Daike immediately reached into his clothing, as if about to draw his gun, and at the same time lifted his head to look upward.

The top had been hollowed out to reduce weight, and he saw no trace of anyone or anything.

"Another illusion? Just the lift shaking a bit?"

Sang Daike's complexion was not good.

These past few days, organization members have been killed one after another, making him very sensitive.

Any slight movement startles him.

He stared at the ceiling for a long time, and only after confirming there was nothing there did Sang Daike lower his head.

At that moment, the elevator also descended to the bottom.

Sang Daike walked out.

Outside was a relatively bright basement.

In the center stood a round table.

Four people were seated.

Behind each of them stood a bodyguard.

Each had two, and there were two more bodyguards standing by the wall.

Ten in total.

Several people were directly holding revolvers.

Their waists were also bulging, obviously holding a second one.

Two tall men stood near the wall, one of them holding a dagger.

The dagger continually flipped and spun in his palm, occasionally flashing a cold light.

"Everyone is here."

Sang Daike walked to his seat and sat down, saying,

Actually, three seats were still empty.

But the owners of those three seats would never come.

They had all died, within these short three days.

Not only them, but other organization members also suffered the same catastrophe.

That night, after something happened at the mental hospital,

Their underground research facility collapsed directly into a dead zone.

All their achievements were buried.

Jieke·Huaitè, the most important researcher, also disappeared.

If lucky, he might not be dead.

If unlucky, he was probably buried in the research facility.

If it weren't for Kaitangshou Jieke starting his frenzied crimes drawing attention, they would have secretly suppressed the matter.

Now the newspaper headline is surely the sensational case at the mental hospital.

"Clues, I want clues."

Sang Daike looked at the others and said,

Obviously, here his status is the highest.

"No survivors," someone said, "but there are still clues; someone has seen these people appear..."

He pressed the portraits onto the table, gave them a hard push, and they slid into the others' hands.

The sketches on them bear some resemblance to Tang Luo and the others.

Honestly, similar attire is not uncommon in this small town.

Moreover, because of Kaitangshou Jieke's rampage, everyone also likes to travel in groups.

"Useful?"

Sang Daike said, suppressing his anger, "This is like looking for a needle in the sea."

"We could have Gelan Field assist, saying these people might be connected to Kaitangshou Jieke—"

"Squeak!"

Just then, a sharp, piercing sound of metal tearing and breaking came.

Sang Daike suddenly turned his head.

A shadow fell, "crashing" into the narrow elevator.

One hand pressed his hat, he lowered his head slightly, making his face unclear.