I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"I see."

Lu Ban glanced at Stone. Although the detective's expression didn't change, the hand holding the pen tightened slightly, indicating that he was a little uneasy.

After all, Emma was talking about things that Stra had done in the past, and this situation of recounting history in front of the person involved was somewhat like a public execution.

"They call him a gangster, but he's really just a bunch of street thugs and petty thugs. He knows a lot of shady people, and it's said that even after he went into business, he still often did things involving coercion and bribery. I don't really like this guy, but my father sometimes works with him. I just can't understand how my father, who's as precise as a pocket watch, could work with Gao De."

Emma grumbled, it seemed she preferred clean-cut, sunny young men like Stone or Lu Ban, or mature men with gentlemanly manners, and wasn't interested in muscular, strong men like Gao De.

"That's normal. Perhaps your father needs someone like Gao De to help him do some dirty things so as not to get his hands dirty."

Lu Ban spoke frankly.

Emma is a bit lost.

Although she wasn't interested in her father's business, she still had a basic understanding of it. Of course, she knew why her father would deal with people like Gao De: he would do legitimate business and entrust some dirty work to trusted people so that he could clean up his act at any time and not get involved in any shady dealings. In the era when gangs were rampant, businessmen were almost coerced into doing this by the gangs. And when the gangs declined, under the leadership of the businessmen, these former gangsters became their henchmen in secret, continuing their original work.

But there's no need to say it out loud.

What's wrong with this person?

Even though he's handsome, I can't stand him talking like that, even though I'm a sucker for good looks... Hmm, I'll just have to put up with it one more time. If he gets rude again, I'll just leave!

Faced with Lu Ban's question, Emma gave an awkward but polite smile and answered.

"Perhaps."

"What are your thoughts on Ms. Lily? Although she didn't marry your father, she is technically your stepmother. If she gets pregnant, the child she gives birth to will theoretically have inheritance rights."

Lu Ban asked again.

"???"

Emma gripped her fan tightly.

Chapter 621 The First Dead

After seeing Emma off, Stone glanced at Lu Ban.

Rather than saying Lu Ban came to help him investigate, it would be more accurate to say that Lu Ban came to make things more difficult for him.

Lu Ban's mouth is so loose; he blurts out everything, whether it's something he should or shouldn't say. Even though Stone knew Lu Ban before and was mentally prepared for this, he still couldn't quite handle it.

Just think about how much suffering Twisted Fate and Lu Ban must have endured when they acted together before.

After checking the text in the notebook again, Stone exhaled and suppressed the urge to take out his pipe.

“Ms. Emma has a fairly clear understanding of Gao De’s identity, which means that Gao De has not been hiding too much. He had contact with the previous owner of this manor and acted as an intermediary to help Browning buy it. He was also Browning’s business partner and was responsible for handling some underground work.”

"At the same time, it is a normal reaction for Ms. Emma to treat Lily badly, not to think that the little girl can really pose a threat to her, and even to want to expel her."

"Ms. Emma's understanding of the Crane Cry Taoist was limited to legends and folk tales. She did not know Master Byron. The Night of the Summoning of Souls was just an outdated custom to her. She did not believe that her father could really be resurrected. In fact, as long as her quality of life could not be reduced in the future, it did not matter who inherited the family business."

Summarizing the questions asked earlier, Stone underlined some sentences in his notes.

“Gordon knew the previous owner of this Stormy Hill House. If it weren’t for his failed speculative business, he might have bought it himself. Selling it to Browning was probably out of necessity, at least that way the mansion would have been within his sight.”

"The Night of the Summoning is part of Browning's will, which was kept by his lawyer. After Browning's death, Goddard had a very clear reason to take the manor back into his own hands."

"As for the relationship between Byron and God, Ms. Emma was not clear."

He felt he had vaguely missed something, but after carefully examining Emma's testimony, Stone didn't gain any further insight.

"Next, we need to ask Rum. He is the first in line to inherit the company and is in charge of Browning's company. After Browning's death, he should also inherit the company."

"I think we should just ask Gaode Maps directly?"

Lu Ban suddenly spoke.

"what?"

Stone initially thought he hadn't heard clearly, so he asked again.

“Look, even Emma, ​​who doesn’t usually pay attention to business, knows that this house was arranged by Gaode. Don’t you think his operation is very crude?”

Lu Ban said.

“What he did was all aboveboard, all out in the open, and even the suspicion was obvious. I think it would be simpler to just ask him how he got this house, and whether he knows anything about Daoist Heming. Besides, the two of us should be more than just a match for him, right?”

"...You make a very good point."

Stone felt that although Lu Ban's words sounded ridiculous, they were strangely reasonable.

If Gao De has no questions, then asking him directly might yield more information about the manor and Daoist Heming. If Gao De has questions, then we should address those questions.

Thinking about this, Stone suddenly understood how seasoned Chosen Ones like Lu Ban and the others completed their missions.

Since he was in a foreign land, Stone instinctively investigated using the methods for handling cases.

Detective investigations are similar to police investigations, but the most important thing is not to disrupt the status quo, since they will have to meet again in the future. Therefore, Stone will not do anything too extreme. If he can confirm God's suspicion through indirect means, then Stone will definitely not ask him directly.

But Lu Ban is different. The Chosen Ones arrive in the alien realm like a sudden storm and then disappear just as abruptly. They can conduct destructive investigations, and even, as Lu Ban and Xi Ya said at the beginning, directly find Byron, the successor of Crane Cry Daoist, and then deal with him and leave.

Even Stone himself admits that the Chosen Ones' methods can sometimes be quite effective.

Having made their decision, the two of them didn't hesitate and immediately prepared to knock on Gaode's door.

It was already evening, and night had fallen, but the storm outside the window showed no signs of abating.

The outer corridor of Stormy Mountain Lodge is truly facing the storm head-on.

The old glass windows rattled loudly as the rain and wind battered them. The gale-force winds blew through the gaps in the windows, creating a series of muffled thuds in the dilapidated building, making one's heart pound with fear that the raging thunderstorm would break through the windows and sweep through the entire corridor at any moment.

The eerie paintings of monsters along the road further amplified the terrifying atmosphere. Whenever thunder roared and lightning illuminated the dimly lit corridor lit only by candlelight, the paintings of hounds covered in tentacles, withered hands in the shadows, and bloodied corpses became prominent. Just walking along this road was enough to make one tremble with fear, lest some strange and dangerous monster emerge from the corners and crevices.

Lu Ban and Stone walked along this road, their shadows occasionally cast long streaks on the wall.

They arrived at Gaode's room door.

"You're coming?"

Stone looked at Lu Ban.

This kind of social terrorist is best suited to dealing with people. Not only will he not feel awkward, but he will also make the other person feel awkward. When people are awkward, they will do things that they would not normally do, which may reveal some information.

not bad.

"no problem."

Lu Ban knocked on the door and greeted them.

There was no response from inside the door.

"He's not in now?"

Lu Ban looked at Stone.

“The servants said he should have stayed in the room from then on.”

While feeling confused, Stone immediately pulled out his revolver from the holster under his arm, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

Lu Ban glanced at the weapon in Stone's hand; it wasn't Trist's, just an ordinary revolver.

"In detective fiction, Gao De is usually in trouble in this situation."

Lu Ban said that he turned the doorknob and found that it was locked from the inside.

"It's still a locked room."

"I come."

Stone was about to shoot the lock open, but Lu stopped him.

"Don't rush."

As Lu Ban spoke, a few drops of fleshy mud dripped from his hand. The mud seemed to have a mind of its own and crawled into the room through the crack in the door.

Soon, Lu Ban seemed to melt away, turning into a pool of flesh and blood that flowed into the room through the crack in the door and reformed into human form.

Lu Ban only then noticed the situation inside the house.

The first thing he saw was Gaode Maps.

Unfortunately, Lu Ban and Stone didn't get the chance to ask Gao De.

The burly man was lying on his bed, wearing only a bath towel, his limbs outstretched, his face filled with terror and astonishment. His abdomen had been cut open, and his internal organs were missing, as if he had been gnawed by some wild beast.

he died.

Chapter 622 Record of Idol's Words and Deeds

Gaode just died like that.

The gaping hole in his abdomen looked like it had been gnawed by a wild beast, with his internal organs nowhere to be found; even a little thought would send chills down one's spine.

The bedside table, the table, the chairs, the walls, and the ceiling were covered with splattered blood and flesh.

Lu Ban heard knocking and calling behind him, and he prepared to reach out and open the door.

Suddenly, Lu Ban noticed that there was blood on the doorknob, and even the bolt was stained with blood.

It's like someone hollowed out Gaode's internal organs with their hands and then left with dirty hands, turning the doorknob.

He melted his right hand and unlocked the door.

Stone pushed open the door and entered.

He was taken aback when he saw the status of Gaode Maps.

Stone then glanced around the room, turned back into the hallway, and called for a servant.

While waiting for the old butler and the others to arrive, Lu Ban and Stone began to inspect the house.

"The ashtray on the table is clean, with no signs of being swept. Gaode should smoke, but he didn't smoke in the room. What's preventing him from doing so?"

"There are footprints on the carpet, and the shoe size is slightly smaller than Gaode's, which means there were other people in the house. Were they servants or someone else?"

"The door lock is locked from the inside, and the windows of this room are also tightly closed and cannot be locked from the outside. The vents are intact, so this is a sealed room."

"The cabinet and drawers were intact, and the handbag and money were still there. It doesn't seem like Gao De was killed for money or anything else."

"Although Gao De appears to have died from a ruptured abdomen and excessive blood loss, given the circumstances at the scene, his heart should have stopped beating before he was treated in that way."

Stone quickly checked the room, while Lu Ban was rummaging through Gao De's cabinets and drawers.