She is not an investigator.

Igris put down the documents in her hand and looked at Constantine, who had called her.

The priest was standing in front of a locked door and gently knocked on the lock.

"There's a locked door here. Would you like to open it and take a look?"

Constantine had gotten into the habit of asking Igris before making any decisions, which did have an advantage: he wouldn't have to worry about him accidentally running into some kind of accident that would catch everyone off guard and put them in danger.

Igris nodded, looked around, and finally found a crowbar under a seat.

It must be said that this ability is indeed very convenient, and it is in most situations.

"Do you need my help?"

"No, you don't need to step back."

Watching Constantine leave the door, Igris picked up the crowbar in her hand, pried it open with force, and skillfully and precisely removed the lock, opening the wooden door in front of her.

A staircase leading downwards appeared before Igris, seemingly the path to the basement.

The basement in a police station is usually used for tasks that are not suitable to be carried out openly, such as storing corpses.

"I'll go down and take a look. You wait for me up here. I'll let you know if there's any danger."

As Igris spoke, she slowly walked down the stairs.

She should have invited Constantine along, but clearly she didn't want the priest to be in danger with her, given that she was capable of escaping unscathed from most attacks.

As she slowly descended the stairs, the surrounding environment gradually became darker and more oppressive. Although Igris's vision was not affected, she couldn't help but tighten her grip on the pistol in her hand.

Soon, she reached the end of the stairs, where an opaque curtain separated her from the basement room.

Igris carefully used her straight sword to lift the curtain and stepped into the almost completely dark room.

This place does indeed appear to be a temporary storage area for corpses. Police officers usually leave suspicious bodies here when investigating murder cases, awaiting forensic examination and subsequent claim by family members. If no one claims the body, it will be taken to the crematorium as usual.

There were lights in the room, but Igris didn't intend to turn them on. Instead, she continued to hide herself in the darkness and slowly moved forward.

She moved very quietly, making almost no sound with each step, while constantly observing her surroundings.

From what we can see, everything here is normal. There is no body in the room, and the items are neatly arranged, so it doesn't look like anything unexpected has happened.

It looks more like a premeditated evacuation?

Soon, Igris found several documents on a low table nearby.

This was strange, because these documents were almost everywhere. Igris didn't know if they really didn't have time to organize them when they left, or if they were specifically left for someone to read.

[...The autopsy results showed that a large number of spores of unknown composition were found in the victim's body, and the brain was significantly atrophied, suggesting possible parasitism or contamination by an unknown life form, with the transmission route appearing to be airborne.]

The handwriting at the beginning is not very clear, but the key points of this report are still quite clear.

Spores, and the victims.

Igris thought of the diary she had seen before. Perhaps the person who had once been lying here was the one in the diary?

However, since the body is not here, it probably means that the problem has been resolved.

[Latest update: All investigation and analysis of the body is suspended. Do not view any photos or texts related to the body. Anyone who has had contact with the body must report within 24 hours.]

"Is this... the start of enforcement measures?"

Igris put down the documents in her hand and frowned slightly.

Clearly, by the time that document was released, the pollution had most likely already begun to spread, so they could only try to prevent a large-scale spread of the pollution through emergency control measures.

But what exactly is the pollution? That potted plant? Those spores?

Igris always felt she was close to finding the real truth about what had happened in the city, but she always felt something was missing.

Especially those people, have they all really left?

"Igris? Are you alright?"

The calls came from upstairs into the basement; it was Constantine's voice, probably worried that something had happened to Igris down there.

"Everything is normal, there's nothing down there."

"receive."

After receiving a response, Constantine will most likely do the same thing as everyone else: organize information and search for supplies.

Igris leaned against the low table, lost in thought, as she picked up the last document.

That was... a photograph.

"...?"

The photo appears to have been covered with a layer of ink, completely obscuring the center and making it difficult to see the original appearance.

But below this photo, a line of small print reads: Infection Zero.

This photo is most likely what the infected person looks like, but for some reason, it has been covered with this layer of ink, as if someone didn't want their appearance to be seen.

There are many possibilities. For example, the photo itself may have the ability to spread visually, so in order to avoid spreading it, most of the image data related to it will be blurred.

This is probably the most reasonable possibility.

Sure enough, the city did experience something resembling large-scale pollution.

Igris put down the documents in her hand and went back to the first floor.

When they saw Igris return, everyone gathered around, each carrying their own belongings.

"Has anyone made any discoveries?"

"Bullets, and weapons—those guys didn't take any of that with them when they left."

Anfer brought over a safe filled with police pistols and bullets.

The police in Frostville do not appear to be equipped with more advanced weaponry, presumably because of the long-term military presence there.

Simia leaned closer and placed a document on the table.

"Some time ago, the city's crime rate and violence were declining at an alarming rate, which was clearly unusual compared to previous periods."

A decline in crime rates should be a good thing, but the problem is that anything that goes against the rules also means the potential for new hidden dangers.

"And me too."

Felina also raised her hand and said earnestly.

“I… tried to connect to the nearby military channel through the police channel, but there was a frequency problem. Either the stationed troops also encountered some accident, or… the signal here is blocked.”

"Signal blocked..."

This concept is rare, especially in an era where information transmission is not particularly convenient.

As for the signal blockade, there are two main possibilities.

First, it was caused by human intervention.

Secondly, the pollution itself also affects the generation of electromagnetic signals.

The Gods' Fools - Beyond the World: Chapter Four, Possible Pollution

"I've also made a new discovery."

Constantine placed a document on the table, along with a picture.

"This city also has a Catholic church, but the priest in that church was recently arrested on charges of being a cult member, and the reason he was discovered was quite simple."

Constantine pointed to the information on the file y/u*e^-已翅流亦散弍2疚>兒 and said in a low voice.

"His Bible is fake, or rather... it's a crude imitation written in strange language, with sentences that don't make any sense, as if it were written by a child imitating the original text. Almost anyone can easily spot its errors."

Igris frowned slightly and said with some displeasure.

"So, it was those cultists again?"

"I don't know, but what really deserves our attention is... that counterfeit Bible had been in the church for a month. During that month, the worshippers and other clergy did not notice it. The person who finally discovered it and reported it to the police was actually a teacher who was passing by."

Constantine hesitated for a moment, then continued.

“I don’t think they are really promoting a cult. That fake Bible doesn’t even qualify as language, let alone spread doctrine. I feel they may have been corrupted by something.”

The situation now seems much clearer; the city has indeed encountered some unexpected events, which could even be described as an attack.

The city was ravaged by massive pollution, which is likely why those people chose to leave.

But strangely enough, if the city were to fall, the army would naturally notify everyone, including other city residents, immediately.

But they didn't, so it's highly likely that, so far, no one but them knows what's happening in this city.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the city's signal was completely blocked, and that no one was able to escape from the pollution, which resulted in no information being transmitted to the outside world.

"Therefore, this city is indeed full of dangers, and we should avoid taking risks as much as possible."

"But we can't just sit here and wait to die. Now that we're here, we have to do something."

Simia and Felina once again presented completely opposite opinions. Simia believed they should avoid danger as much as possible, but Felina thought they should at least investigate the truth about the city.

But the two did not argue about it; instead, they looked at Igris.

It was clear that they were going to let Igris decide on their next course of action.

"...Why can't we choose both?"

Igris was silent for a moment, then said with some hesitation.

"While ensuring your own safety, investigate everything that's happening in this city, and perhaps try... to help resolve these difficulties and crises?"

Her last words were for herself. After all, Igris wouldn't let anyone else face danger and do such a thing, but she could do it herself. She believed she was capable and had the courage to do it.

Most importantly, she is ruthless to herself.

"Since you've put it that way, I have no objections."

Simia pouted, still feeling somewhat annoyed, but she didn't refuse again.

Felina was so happy that she took the initiative to put her arm around Igris's arm. Although Igris instinctively dodged her, she still seemed very happy.

"Let's rest at the police station for now; at least it's warm here."

Constantine proposed this to the crowd, and everyone unanimously agreed.

However, problems soon arose for everyone.

Since this is a police station, there is naturally no food available. Although the water supply doesn't seem to have been cut off, people are still hesitant to drink tap water under these circumstances.