Mystery: Death Singer

On the outskirts of Tingen, Triss staggered out of the Tasok River and lay down on the riverbank, her face contorted in pain.

She clutched her waist, which had just been attacked, with both hands, and streaks of bright red blood kept gushing from the corners of her mouth. Filled with bewilderment and rage, she roared:

"Damn it! My internal organs are definitely injured. If I hadn't instinctively used ice to block it, I would have been killed on the spot!"

After carefully recalling the attacker's physique, Triss couldn't remember ever provoking someone of similar build. Her beautiful face gradually contorted in anger, her voice filled with resentment and confusion.

"I will find you... I will kill you with my own hands!!!"

Since becoming an extraordinary being, except for the day she drank the "witch" potion, she had never suffered such a great humiliation!

…………

In the dilapidated garden in front of the gray-blue two-story house, Leonard stared blankly at the fingernail he had deliberately plucked, yet which showed no abnormalities. He asked himself incredulously:

"Old man, you were just lying to me?!"

"..."

"Even for extraordinary individuals, pulling out their own fingernails is very painful, okay?"

"...It was just an accident. Go to the riverbank and take a look; you should be able to find that flower..."

An accident? Could it be that Klein, who was guarding outside, secretly shot that woman? But the direction doesn't seem right... Leonard raised an eyebrow, somewhat skeptical that the female extraordinary individual had been ambushed as soon as she escaped.

He glanced at the fingernail with heartache, then climbed out the window and onto the ground floor, addressing Dunn and Frye, who were vandalizing the altar:

"The target escaped, but it seems she was ambushed on the banks of the Tasok River."

“I haven’t stationed any people near the Tasok River.” Dunn frowned upon hearing this. “This matter is becoming increasingly complicated. She is vigilant and powerful, and she sensed our approach in advance. She is at least a Sequence Seven Beyonder.”

"Signal Klein and tell him to come over. Remember to ask him if anything unusual happened while he was on guard duty outside."

"After we deal with these spirits, let's go to the river together and try to find any clues that might have been left behind."

"Yes, Captain."

Leonard smiled. Although Dunn's memory wasn't very good and he usually didn't understand some of his more trendy jokes, he was indeed the most suitable captain for the Tingen Market Nightwalker team.

…………

Inside an apartment in the West District.

Edric burned all the clothes he had just worn to prevent them from accidentally coming into contact with anything that someone of his status shouldn't have come into contact with, thus leaving a clue.

After doing all this, Edric stood by the window once again, gazing calmly at the night sky.

Edric believes there are three main reasons why he was unable to capture the female extraordinary individual:

First, the night watchmen's performance was inexplicably abnormal, allowing the female extraordinary individual to escape with little effort.

If he hadn't taken the initiative and established an advantage, and if his opponent hadn't dared to linger, he might have been counter-killed.

Secondly, that woman's sequence is definitely above his own, and the path she is on is also one that is very good at combat. Whether it is the black flame or the frost that blocked his attack, they are powerful skills whose performance can be seen at a glance, making them extremely tempting.

The third point is Edric's own problem; he simply lacks a burst of damage that can cause significant damage in an instant.

Edric did carry a revolver tonight, but he was able to hide underground by temporarily transforming into a spirit using the Stone Spirit's abilities. Therefore, he couldn't pick up the ordinary revolver that had nothing to do with the extraordinary, let alone aim at the woman and fire it.

Moreover, apart from Frost Spirit, the invisible beings he had temporarily summoned were too fragile. They were burned to ashes by the black flames before they could even touch a person, and the woman's movements could not even be slowed down.

"Phew~"

Feeling the cool evening breeze brush against his face, Edric exhaled a breath of stale air, no longer thinking about the regrettable ambush of the day.

Considering that the night watchmen were likely still conducting investigations in the West District, Edric had no intention of going out late at night to play a role, and after washing up, he comfortably drifted off to sleep.

…………

West District, No. 2, Narcissus Street.

Klein, enduring his hunger, ascended into the gray fog and carefully wrote down the divination verses:

"Triss's whereabouts."

A moment later, Klein opened his eyes in astonishment, unsure whether his divination had been disturbed.

"How did Triss end up lying on a stretcher covered in bandages?! Was it because Leonard mentioned someone ambushed her by the river?"

After a moment's thought, Klein quickly wrote down the second divination statement:

"Who attacked Triss by the Tasok River?"

He cleared his mind and, with the help of meditation, quickly entered the dream again.

In the boundless darkness, he saw a figure suddenly leap out from underground and punch Triss in the waist, causing her to stagger backward and bleed from her mouth.

He saw that the figure's skin had a strange luster like that of rock, and that there was a spirit hidden inside its body, short and stout, looking like an extra-large round stone block.

He saw Triss, in extremely poor condition, endure the pain and unleash black flames and frost, forcibly repelling the surrounding spirits before leaping into the Tasok River.

Klein looked closely at the attacker and was suddenly struck by how similar the figure was to Edric, whom he had been observing for some time.

Half a minute later, Klein was shocked to confirm his guess. Even though the figure was wearing blue-gray overalls, a baseball cap, and had a disguise on his face, he recognized that his true identity was Edric!

"Is Edric helping the Night Watchers? Or did Triss have a grudge against him before? But to be fair, this former neighbor's fists are really hard; he almost punched Triss to death by the Tasok River..."

Klein exited the dream, tapping the edge of the bronze table lightly with his fingers, once again contemplating whether to bring Edric up above the gray fog and into the Tarot Club.

It wasn't until he felt a void in his spirit that Klein finally made a decision—to invite Edric to join the Tarot Club.

This former neighbor was not only powerful, but also took the initiative to snipe evil extraordinary beings like Triss. Although his daily acting methods were somewhat unethical, he was really just acting, and nothing in each tomb remained untouched.

Aside from the possibility that his economic situation might be worse than his own, Klein couldn't think of a reason to refuse such a powerful newcomer.