The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

Seeing the somewhat conflicted girl, Morian suddenly felt a pang of guilt, regretting that he hadn't used a more appropriate method to deal with the vampire earlier.

In their daily interactions, she always appeared too sensible and intelligent, to the point that he often overlooked the fact that she had only recently come of age.

Charlotte, after all, was the daughter of an earl's family and had been protected since childhood, while I had prepared myself mentally long ago and had been working as a detective for at least half a year, so naturally we were different.

"Charlotte, I understand how you feel right now," Morian said calmly, "but if you want to continue on the path of the extraordinary, these are all necessary steps, because that's how this world works."

"Think of those young women who were victimized. Their fear before death was no less than his, and they may have pleaded many times, but this guy did not let them go because of that."

Charlotte lowered her head, not denying it, but her gaze fell on the corpse again, and she suddenly felt that Morian's words made sense.

While I was still struggling with this, this guy had already taken many lives and showed no remorse whatsoever.

Those victims could have lived, they had bright futures, and their families were waiting for them to return.

But he took all of that away.

I chose to step into this world with aspirations for the extraordinary, but I wasn't prepared to accept its dark side.

Perhaps one day, I too will need to do what Mr. Morian just did…

"I'm not lecturing you, I just hope to reduce your discomfort. If we let him go today, there will be a fifth victim tomorrow," Morian said calmly.

After a few seconds of silence, Charlotte nodded, the confusion in her eyes disappearing.

"You're right, Mr. Morian. I don't yet have a clear understanding of the cruelty of the extraordinary world."

"Thank you for your advice. I've decided not to let these little things bother me anymore." She smiled, regaining her usual radiance.

Seeing this, Morian nodded slightly and said no more.

In that instant, he sensed a subtle change in the girl before him, as if she were no longer a simple noblewoman, but had become a true free spirit.

Perhaps she is more resolute than I thought… Morian smiled knowingly and turned away.

Although the problem may seem to have been resolved, there is still follow-up work to be done.

Otherwise, if someone discovers the body in the alley and reports it to the police tomorrow morning, the police will definitely investigate what happened tonight.

Although the chances of exposure are slim, we must still eliminate any risks.

After retrieving the section of rope that bound him, he snapped his fingers, causing flames to leap from his fingertips and fall onto Harrison's body, spreading rapidly.

The highly adhesive flames covered the entire body, scorching all the skin and flesh, but the fire was controlled within a small area and did not cause any obvious disturbance.

In just a few minutes, the charred ground was reduced to a patch of grayish-white residue.

Morian took out the dissolving potion he had bought on the black market and poured it out expressionlessly, completely erasing the last trace.

After all that, it was as if nothing had ever happened tonight.

The whole process took only about five minutes. Watching Morian's familiar movements, Charlotte couldn't help but be a little stunned. She suddenly felt that he might be more suited to being a professional assassin than a detective.

Perhaps this is what constitutes the "professional qualities" of a detective...

While erasing the traces, Morian didn't forget to think about the intelligence he had obtained.

It's unclear how credible the person's dying words are, and going there rashly would be too dangerous. We need to find time to do a "divination" first to verify their authenticity.

The issue of identity is not difficult to resolve. He can impersonate Harrison to attend the party, relying on the human skin mask and the "Dreamer" disguise. At most, there will be flaws in his appearance due to his habits.

As for the core content of the gathering, it is not important; the primary purpose is to obtain the blood of the "ancient species".

If all else fails, I'll have to take the risk of stabbing a vampire and then use the key to escape... Morian thought to himself.

The only difficulty is finding vampires who meet the criteria.

In this rare moment of tranquility, a slight noise suddenly came from the other end of the alley.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound was neither hurried nor slow; if you listened carefully, you could tell it was the sound of footsteps on the ground, heading straight towards the current location.

Morian instantly became alert, his right hand already reaching for the "Siren" in its holster, while giving Charlotte a look that signaled her to remain quiet.

The footsteps didn't stop; in fact, they grew closer. He stared intently at the darkness, ready to engage in battle at any moment.

Not long after, a tall, slender figure slowly emerged from the shadows ahead.

The man in sight was a gray-haired man with a languid air and a faint smile on his lips.

...Just an ordinary person?

After recognizing the person who had arrived, Morian raised an eyebrow.

The other person had a delicate, almost feminine, handsome face. He wore a black and red coat with a white silk scarf tied around his collar, dressed like a seasoned aristocrat, on his way to a banquet.

But his eyes were not the usual blue or brown, but rather an eerie blood-red color.

Those eyes glanced at the charred marks on the ground, then fell on the gun barrel pointing at them, lingering for a moment.

"Looks like I'm a bit too late," the gray-haired man shook his head. "You guys beat me to it."

He touched his forehead, a deliberately elegant gesture, and said with a smile:

"But it's good, it saves me a lot of trouble."

Morian remained vigilant, keeping his gun pointed at the man in front of him, ready to pull the trigger at any moment should anything happen.

It's highly unlikely that someone would appear here at this time, especially since they're saying strange things.

The other party may have been deliberately pretending, just to sabotage me.

"Stop right there! Or I'll shoot!" His voice was cold and clear.

Upon hearing the sound, the figure paused, actually stopping in place.

"take it easy."

"Put down your weapons, okay? I mean you no harm." The gray-haired man spread his hands and smiled innocently. "Actually, we have the same goal."

The goal is the same? What do you mean?

Morian looked at the person in front of him with a puzzled expression, quickly sizing him up and making guesses about his true identity based on what he had said.

Excluding the possibility of an ordinary person, could it be an investigator from the Phenomenon Bureau... or a bounty hunter who came to try their luck after hearing the rumors...?

"Are you here to hunt down this vampire too?" Morian asked in a deep voice, raising his gun.