Millennium Witch

Over the next few days, accompanied by Eileen, Yvette traveled throughout Agasher, visiting the remaining areas where the werewolf killers had committed their crimes.

During the process, Eileen also spent money to retrieve CCTV footage from some areas with better security, but she did not find any trace of Tennyson in the footage before and after the incident.

Eileen's investigation suddenly came to a standstill.

She found that the results of her independent investigation were not much better than those of the police, and she did not find the information that was expected to be related to Tennyson.

The only saving grace was that she didn't become the werewolf killer's next target, but in a sense, this also showed that Eileen's investigation was indeed useless.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. On the evening of the last day of the quest, they returned to Bayard empty-handed. As the two walked along a path by the Ron River, Eileen heard Yvette ask, "Will the quest continue tomorrow?"

This is clearly asking if they want to pay more, calculated at double the rate, which is 2 per day.

Eileen shook her head in frustration. As a novice reporter, she realized she didn't seem to have the talent to be a detective. What AJSP couldn't find, she couldn't find either. Continuing would just be a waste of money—her savings were only a little over 5 yuan, and although her parents were wealthy, they were too embarrassed to ask for help.

Seeing that her first employer seemed very upset, and considering that she hadn't had much room to maneuver these past few days, Yvette thought for a moment and decided to offer some extra support. She said, "I have a suggestion."

"Um...what?"

Yvette said, "Since you think your old classmate Tennyson Norton is a werewolf killer, why don't you just investigate Tennyson's disappearance directly?"

Eileen paused for a moment, her first reaction being that this made a lot of sense, but then she quickly thought of something and said, "No... this doesn't seem like it will work."

Then, seeing that Yvette didn't understand, she explained: "The Tennyson disappearance case involves the Holy Spirit Cult, and related information is prohibited from being accessed... Even the victim's relatives can only know the AJSP's investigation results on their own, and cannot get more information. The reason seems to be to prevent people from coming into contact with the cult and becoming their followers."

“Okay.” Yvette didn’t say anything more. She could have obtained some inside information directly through hacking, but that was outside the scope of the commission.

So, after five uneventful days, Yvette's first job as a mercenary came to an end, and it was hard to say whether the result was good or bad.

Although I received the commission as usual, which is equivalent to getting 5 credits for free, it doesn't really prove my ability. I'll probably still be labeled as a newbie by the middleman, Carter, though a very lucky one at that.

Looks like I'll have to take on another challenging commission...

Why not just go and catch the wanted criminal? For example, find clues about the werewolf killer, kill him, and you can get the AJSP 100 million bounty and immediately prove your abilities...

Looking at it this way, the clues provided by Miss Erin Parker were actually quite useful, and there isn't much difference between bounty hunters and mercenaries; both can make quick money...

Yvette pondered silently in her heart.

In order to save her energy these past two days, she directly purchased relevant intelligence on the gray market from Carters and discovered that obtaining military-grade equipment was much more difficult than she had imagined.

For example, a military spellcasting unit capable of casting 10 spells has an official price of 25, but its price on the black market can soar to over 80, which is an outrageous premium. She already has a lot of 50 credits, but she still can't afford it.

Therefore, just three days after the commission ended, while still worrying about saving money to buy equipment, a sudden message from her former employer, Miss Eileen, made Yvette's pupils shrink slightly.

It was a voice message, spoken in a low voice, filled with barely concealed terror and panic. Her voice trembled with tears as she said, "Miss Unknown... I... I think I saw Tennyson... He's... in the house across from mine... watching me..."

Chapter 58 Waiting for a long time

Erin Parker lived in a nice apartment building. When Yvette arrived by taxi, she saw two police officers walking down from the building with helpless expressions.

She arrived at room 805 on the eighth floor, knocked on the door, and saw Miss Eileen, pale-faced, open the door and say, "You've finally arrived, Miss Nameless!"

After saying that, she didn't care whether the two of them were familiar with each other or not. She hugged Yvette tightly and led her into the room, then closed the door.

Yvette understood her feelings, so she didn't mind. She asked, "I just saw the police. What did they say?"

Upon receiving the voice message, she immediately instructed Miss Eileen to call the police. After all, the police would arrive much faster than she could. Even if they maintained the voice call, all she could do was use her hacking abilities to remotely control nearby networked objects—such as hovercars—to see if she could hinder the werewolf killer.

"The police said not to contact them before any future incidents, that they're not 24-hour bodyguards, and that I should hire another bodyguard myself..." Eileen said with a depressed look, seemingly having been scolded by the police.

Yvette wasn't surprised. The werewolf killer had committed so many crimes that it was impossible for him to protect a potential target 24/7. Tennyson could easily use a diversionary tactic and switch targets.

"Let me explain the situation," she said.

Upon hearing this, Miss Eileen went to the balcony, pointed to an apartment building of similar height across the street, and said, "I was looking at the view from here before... and then I noticed someone on a similar floor of the apartment building across the street looking at my house from afar... He was wearing a mask, but the more I looked at him, the more he resembled Tennyson, even his hair was the same black color... When I saw him, he didn't hide, he just stared at me until I finished sending you the message, and then he suddenly left..."

Yvette went to the balcony and looked around. No one was there anymore, but that didn't matter; the apartment security in this area was pretty good, at least there were surveillance cameras. Using her hacking skills, she quickly saw the previous footage and, sure enough, saw a masked man matching the description.

In the footage, after staring at the direction of Eileen's house for a while from the corresponding location, the masked man turned and left without hesitation, quickly entering a poor neighborhood without cameras, making it impossible to continue tracking him.

Yes, it's exactly the same as the upper half of Tennyson's face in the photo: black hair, deep-set eyes, high cheekbones—it's him… He wasn't sold to the Rustbone Free State; he really did become a werewolf killer, possessing the mysterious ability to transform into a werewolf…

Yvette was puzzled. If it really was Tennyson, why would he do this? If he wanted to attack, he could have just done it. If he wasn't going to attack, why was he there? Did he just want to see his high school sweetheart?

How did he acquire his power?

What was his motive for committing a series of murders?

"Have you been doing anything these past two days?" Yvette suddenly asked, as if something had just occurred to her.

“I…I took your advice after I got back and looked into Tennyson’s disappearance…” Miss Eileen said nervously, “Oh, right! I’ve made a discovery!”

"What discovery?"

“The AJSP’s investigation results say that Tennyson was initially tricked by a message about ‘getting rich in three months by smuggling rust-free bone and household goods.’ I found the same scam, but I discovered something was wrong.” Eileen’s expression turned serious. “These scams all require you to arrive at a border city first before kidnapping and smuggling. But the AJSP says that Tennyson was kidnapped in Agasher, which doesn’t match the methods of human traffickers at all.”

She continued, "Then I contacted a journalist friend I knew and looked into the missing persons cases from that period last year. I found that most of them were related to a gang called the 'Black Shark Gang.' Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Black Shark Gang's territory and found out that the Black Shark Gang had disbanded six months ago, and the leader had fled abroad and died in an accident on the way... And then today, Tennyson showed up."

She paused, then asked nervously, "Miss Wuming, do you think this information is related to Tennyson's appearance today?"

“The werewolf killer’s attacks don’t involve any prior warning. I guess this might be a warning,” Yvette said after a moment’s thought. “Tennyson doesn’t want you to continue investigating, so he deliberately appeared in front of you.”

"He doesn't want me to continue the investigation? Why?" Eileen asked, puzzled. "Doesn't he want me to make his suffering public?"

"Perhaps he's afraid you'll get involved, or maybe he's just making preliminary preparations and will attack you in a couple of days."

"What should we do then?" Eileen shrank back, feeling her heart race, and asked palely, "Can I hire you to protect me, Miss Nameless?"

"can."

"Uh, can you beat him?" Eileen asked tentatively, as if she had just thought of something else.

"can."

"I...I...I believe you!" Eileen herself didn't quite believe what she was saying. She had never seen the nameless lady make a move, and she only felt that the nameless lady had a lot of mystery about her, but that was all.

However, given her current financial situation, it seems she can't hire any other mercenaries willing to take the job.

“Thank you,” Yvette said, “but the best option for you is to leave Agasher and live in another city.”

Eileen fell silent. She wasn't a local; her parents had spent money to send her to school so she could establish herself in this big city. Moving far away was too costly, especially since she had already secured an internship at Bird News through a university professor's connections—something difficult to obtain elsewhere. She couldn't give it up.

Seeing that she remained silent, Yvette did not try to persuade her further, but simply asked, "So, will you continue the investigation?"

“I will continue, whether for the truth or for my journalism career,” Eileen said firmly.

“Okay.” Evie nodded; as a bounty hunter, this was also her hope.

To ensure her employer's safety, Yvette stayed at Erin's house that night. She had almost no luggage, slept on the sofa, and was very mobile.

The next day, she and Eileen revisited the streets that had previously been controlled by the Black Shark gang. However, unlike Eileen's verbal investigation, Yvette's methods were more violent—she directly hacked into the police files of the neighborhood and also hacked into the terminal devices used by many gang members. Among countless illegal, gray, and pornographic data, she found a keyword.

—Lin Tui Biotechnology.

It was a chat between a former member of the Black Shark gang and someone else. In the chat, the former member believed that the former leader had a long-term, shady partnership with Lintui Biotechnology, and that this partnership was closely related to the Black Shark gang's main business of human trafficking.

If this is true, it would explain a lot: why AJSP didn't tell Tennyson's parents the truth, why Tennyson was able to gain such great power, and why Tennyson seemed to be warning Irene not to continue her actions.

In Agashya, this is a topic that cannot be touched upon.

……

Yvette did not tell Eileen the information she had hacked, partly because the results were not 100% certain, and partly because they ultimately needed actual evidence. Evidence obtained through hacking was useless, especially since it was just gangster chat logs.

She can only make a little effort in terms of direction, which is roughly equivalent to guessing the process after seeing the answer, and finding some useful information.

Of course, for Yvette personally, the truth wasn't really important; she just hoped that Irene's continued investigation would bring out the werewolf killer.

She cared more about the 100 million bounty than uncovering the secrets of the Qilin creature.

……

Five days passed quickly.

During the ongoing investigation, perhaps because of the existence of the sorcerer Yvette, Tennyson did not reappear, while Eileen felt that she was getting closer to the truth.

After all, the Black Shark Gang is involved in large-scale human trafficking, so it's impossible for them to leave no trace. With a little effort, you can find out where those people were sold to and what routes the transport vehicles took. Most of them disappeared in some suburb.

That suburb is Lintui Biotechnology's industrial park.

It was another evening. Dusk descended, swallowing the distant building outlines like ink spilled across the sky, while the dim streetlights cast lonely halos in the night.

This is an empty highway, right next to Lintui Biotechnology's industrial park. During the day, Yvette and Eileen entered this area mainly to investigate where the illegal vehicles used by the Black Shark Gang to transport people had disappeared. After a brief exploration, it was time for them to head back.

Looking down, Eileen began swiping on the terminal's projection, trying to summon a nearby ride-hailing car.

In the tranquil atmosphere, as if waiting for a long time, a huge shadow suddenly burst forth from the nearby bushes.

It was a gigantic beast, covered in jet-black fur and exuding a strong stench. It pounced suddenly, moving at an unimaginable speed, leaving a trail of afterimages in sight. Its gaping maw was filled with fangs, and its eyes flashed with a frenzied red light, like embers burning in hell.

—Werewolf Slayer! Wolf Form!

Eileen froze on the spot, her body seemingly gripped by endless fear, frozen in a cold, rigid state. Perhaps it was Tennyson's attitude towards her, his "white moonlight," that gave her the illusion that he wouldn't harm her, that she could continue to be willful despite the danger—but clearly, this was both an illusion and arrogance.

This is terrifying, absolutely terrifying... This is something that no human can possibly fight against...

Feeling the imminent approach of death, she thought desperately.

But before his stagnant thoughts could even begin to whine, the unnamed lady beside him unexpectedly gave a timely response.

She took two steps forward, then suddenly kicked out, striking the giant wolf squarely in the jaw as it lunged at her.

Without a doubt, this was a futile attempt to stop a chariot; how could a slender young girl possibly stop such a behemoth?

However, an unexpected scene unfolded. Faced with this kick, the giant wolf reacted as if it had been struck by a heavy blow. It was kicked away by the small toe of the little leather boot, tumbling and crashing to the roadside more than ten meters away. Gone was the terrifying and oppressive force that had been chilling just moments before; it even became somewhat comical, like a husky that had been beaten and was whimpering in pain on the ground.

Kicked...kicked away?

Watching the nameless woman casually retract her foot, and hearing the painful howls of wolves in the distance, Eileen was stunned once again. She rubbed her eyes, shocked, wondering how such an outrageous turn of events could happen.

Am I still half asleep?

……

Yvette had no idea what Miss Eileen was feeling, and even if she did, she wouldn't care, because all her attention was focused on the giant wolf in front of her.

She had been waiting for this "walking 100w" for many days, almost half a month, and it finally arrived, not disappointing her.

However, considering the werewolf assassin might provide crucial information, she was willing to keep one alive unless absolutely necessary, or even take him to the police station. Once this news got out, she estimated she could get a higher-level mission from Carters at the Floating Light Bar the next day.

After struggling for a while, the giant wolf got up from the ground. The kick seemed to have woken it up a bit, and the red light in its eyes faded a lot, replaced by a more human-like clarity.

But for some reason, even though it knew the odds of winning were slim, it still launched an attack, tearing at Yvette.

Yvette summons rune rings; her current limit is 12 rune rings, meaning 12 spells will bombard a single target simultaneously.

Strangely, when facing this giant wolf, all the spells seemed to be deflected the moment they got close, shooting to completely unexpected places.

Yvette narrowed her eyes. She knew why. This giant wolf actually possessed the ability to hijack spells. The moment all the spells were cast, some parameters were modified, causing them to take random paths and appear to be bounced off.

This is also related to the lack of security protection design in her technique. Fighting aberrant monsters does not require a spell firewall, but I never expected to see the consequences of not having a firewall today.

But she didn't care, because she could use her fists.

With the combined enhancements of her Crimson Armor and Muscle Unlimited, Yvette approached the giant wolf. These two spells were among the few she had designed with firewalls, making them highly secure.

She raised her hand to block the giant wolf's sharp claws, as if grasping a dog's foreleg. Then, using that as a grip, she slammed the wolf to the ground, pulled it up, turned it, and slammed it to the other side of the ground. With a dozen or so repeated slams, accompanied by the sound of a pile driver, the giant wolf's struggles finally weakened, and it became barely alive. As a result, two shallow, cracked potholes appeared on the road, one in front of the other.

Eileen, standing not far away, was completely stunned. Perhaps because she was certain this wasn't a dream, the sight of the silver-haired girl manipulating the giant wolf with her small frame seemed all the more awe-inspiring. She was like an unparalleled goddess—this was too outrageous! Was this really a mage? Why was she so different from what she remembered?!

However, seeing that the giant wolf was likely to die on the spot if it continued to be beaten, she quickly called out and ran over to stop the nameless lady from continuing her dog-abusing behavior.

"Tennyson, is that you?" Eileen asked immediately after Yvette stopped moving.

Chapter 59 Instant Kill

Upon hearing Eileen's voice, a complex emotion flickered in the giant wolf's pained eyes. Soon, the light of the magic circuit appeared on its body, and its body began to shrink, transforming from a giant wolf the size of a van into a tall, thin man.

Perhaps as part of his ability, he retained a layer of jet-black wolf hair on his body, covering most of the area, and was not completely naked.

Yvette stood to the side, silently observing the werewolf killer's face. Without a doubt, this was Tennyson Norton, a dark-haired young man with deep-set eyes.

However, his eyes looked strange at the moment, sometimes blank and sometimes clear, as if he was fighting for control with his second personality.

"Tennyson, what happened? Why are you like this?" Eileen asked anxiously.

Tennyson opened his mouth as if to say something, but the next second, he suddenly clutched his throat and struggled violently. After Yvette pulled his hands away, he murmured in a daze, "Kill me...please...kill me..."

Eileen was stunned. She had finally caught Tennyson, but she never expected his request to be this. It sounded as if... he was acting against his will.

"You can't control yourself?" Yvette could hear the pain and struggle in his words.

“I…I am…no, I can’t say…” Tennyson gasped for breath, staring at the ground. After a long while, he finally whispered, “Kill me…it’s the only outcome I can control…”