I'm an antique shop owner, so it's reasonable for me to know some magic

Chapter 465

The police officers who received the call did not move out immediately, but stayed where they were.

Because they know that even if they arrive at the scene, there's nothing they can do.

The unrest in various places did not subside with the terrorism in the financial center, but instead intensified.

Since yesterday, unnatural deaths have been occurring one after another in their jurisdiction, with no discernible pattern in the locations of the incidents.

Death descended upon these victims without warning, reaping lives regardless of whether they were kind and upright citizens or decadent alcoholics.

In just 48 hours, there have been 6 cases, resulting in the deaths of 17 innocent people.

Currently, the investigation data for these six cases are displayed on the police station's whiteboard.

Although a thorough investigation by the criminal investigation department is still needed, anyone who has seen the victims' deaths and the scene of the crime should understand that these tragedies all stem from the same entity.

The reason for using the word "existence" is that the police officers were not sure whether they were chasing a person, a ghost, or something else entirely.

The current chaotic situation makes them miss the days when all they had to do was resolve neighborhood disputes and educate delinquent minors.

"Are we really not going?"

Some of the police officers hesitated and asked questions.

They don't do this job solely for the stable salary. Who among the newly appointed officials isn't a passionate young person eager to protect the people's safety and maintain the city's order?
"If it's really a human disguised as a ghost, wouldn't that just let them get away with it?"

"impossible."

Another officer sighed; he looked rather haggard and was slightly overweight due to his age.

"The murder method was exactly the same. There were no signs of activity other than the victims in the closed room. In addition to the burn marks on the surface of the body, the victims all had burn marks inside their bodies."

"I can't find any other explanation other than that of an evil spirit seeking revenge."

"Didn't the government send professionals to investigate? A full forty-eight hours have passed, have they found anything?"

Some people have raised questions about it.

"Could they be a bunch of scammers?"

"Don't question the skills of professionals. Just like us police officers, the superhumans hired by the government also rely on their abilities to make a living."

After giving his warning, the overweight veteran police officer continued to elaborate.

"They determined that this was indeed a supernatural murder, but the perpetrator did not appear in person to kill the victim, but rather through a curse."

"The evidence is the autopsy results of all the victims. The evil spirits kill randomly; only curses can produce death like an assembly line."

"If we find and destroy the object carrying the curse, we can end this series of tragedies. But the problem is, even after they and their technicians turned the crime scenes upside down, they still couldn't find the object."

"The outcome would likely be the same if we went back now."

"The mastermind behind this will not let us find a way out so easily."

"Let's split up. Send nearby patrol officers to check the situation, and we'll look for clues elsewhere. We can't just do nothing."

The veteran officer sighed, and as he spoke, he suddenly noticed a rather discordant figure among the group.

"Hey! How did you get in here?!"

Hearing the sound, everyone looked over and saw a man dressed in plain clothes, frantically taking notes with a notebook and voice recorder in his hand.

Suddenly being the focus of many eyes, he remained calm and simply showed his press card and other documents.

"I am Benjamin, an investigative reporter covering this incident. I have obtained permission from the chief and sheriffs to enter the police station to make this record. This is his signature; you can verify it if you don't believe me."

"No need to bother."

The veteran officer carefully examined Benjamin's face.

"You seem more respectable, which is more pleasant than those glib-tongued guys."

Police officers who have been handling cases for many years always have their own methods for identifying people.

"What are your plans next? Will you write up our conversation and publish it?"

“I’m going to go with you to check out the site.” Benjamin put his notebook into his coat pocket.

"Can you tell me more details about the mysterious deaths? I won't reveal details that need to be kept confidential."

"can."

The veteran police officer looked around.

"You! Yes, it's you, Gary, you take him to support the patrol officers and assist with the investigation."

From the crowd, an ordinary-looking brown-haired boy walked out with a bitter expression.

"Follow him, you'll have plenty of time to talk in the police car."

……

At the request of the police chief, the young man named Gary took Benjamin to the police station parking lot.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, as the car started moving, the two finally got down to business with some casual conversation.

Are you asking about unusual religious gatherings?

Gary chuckled self-deprecatingly as he drove, upon hearing Benjamin's question.

“According to the law, religious gatherings outside of churches need to be declared and approved by the government, but as you know, there are some people that we small police officers can’t handle.”

"Whether they're doing drugs or having an impromptu session inside, we have no right to interfere. We can only politely ask the security guard at the door to tell the main characters to keep things quiet when other people complain."

“I advise you not to investigate those things. The newspaper job isn’t worth risking your life for that little bit of money.”

Upon hearing this, Benjamin frowned and looked at the young man driving through the rearview mirror again.

The other person looked like he had only recently joined the police force, but his tone of voice was no different from that of a seasoned veteran.

"If someone entrusts you with a task, and it is of great importance, someone will always have to do it."

Benjamin didn't really want to get too involved, but Jamie was already caught up in it.

Most of the people from her homeland, the people she remembered, were tormented to death by the ghost of that madwoman, Mary Shaw.

He himself crossed the sea and drifted to Britain.

A person's energy is limited in a lifetime, and they can't meet many people, let alone become friends with only a handful.

He wouldn't leave Jamie to face such a dangerous enemy alone.

Gary remained silent upon hearing this, but after a short while, he spoke again.

"Actually, I have a speculation about the series of unnatural deaths that I don't have much to say about."

"Let's brainstorm and share our ideas."

“I saw you wrote down the location of the murder during our discussion just now. There’s a map in the glove compartment of the car; take it out and compare it.”

As Benjamin did as he was told, Gary continued to speak.

"According to the supernatural investigators, the murders were caused by a cursed vessel influencing the surrounding area."

“You can find the murders by marking them on the map. These crime scenes are random and scattered, and there is no pattern to them.”

"In terms of timing, some of them even happened simultaneously."

"But if you disregard time and only look at the distribution of locations, you'll find that they are all located in well-connected parts of the city."

"I suspect that the reason we can't locate the carrier of this curse is because it keeps moving and changing its location within the city."

"Relocate?!"

Benjamin was quite surprised and a chill ran down his spine. He couldn't help but reach out and turn up the car's heater a little.

"How many people pass through busy urban areas every day?! Are they all at risk of suddenly dying?"

(End of this chapter)