Eldritch Horror Theatre - Ch. 136: Disorder (7)
It was evident that the Duchess had quite a bit of authority here.
After readily agreeing to Fu Qian's suggestion, the Priest showed no intention of raising any objections.
And this heroine was also resolute and swift; after greeting the Priest, she directly led Fu Qian out of the room.
The two quickly found the team waiting outside: the other four members of the Investigation Team.
The squad consisted of three men and one woman, none of whom were very old.
Fu Qian briefly observed them and felt that, in terms of aura, every single one of them was stronger than him. They could definitely be considered an elite squad.
"I presume you all know who this is."
Under the team members' questioning gazes, the Duchess pointed at Fu Qian.
"As a new Sequence member, Fu Qian will be joining our operation."
This...
It was apparent that the team members felt some resistance toward this decision.
However, under the Duchess's despotic might, the few of them merely exchanged glances; no one voiced any objections.
Next, the Duchess gave Fu Qian a brief introduction to the four of them.
From the introduction, he learned that the sole female member, like the Duchess herself, belonged to the Star Sequence, while the other three were all from the Spire.
"Does the Sequence have gender restrictions?"
Finding an opportunity, Fu Qian quietly asked the Duchess.
"Some Sequences do. For example, only females have the potential for Awakening in the Star Sequence."
The Duchess confirmed his suspicion.
At this moment, the group was standing at a crime scene—the investigation target the Duchess had mentioned earlier, a bloody case suspected to be the work of the Colorless.
A heavy stench of blood permeated the small room.
Splattered blood was everywhere, and a mangled corpse lay on the floor.
From the distinct style of the long-sleeved robe, it was clear the deceased was a Nun.
The excessively gruesome state of the death made almost everyone frown.
"She should be a Nun from the Church."
"Absolutely deranged!"
Amidst the team members' indignation, the Duchess bent down without a word.
After observing from top to bottom, she tried prying open the deceased's mouth and fished out a sparkling object from the bloody fluid.
"A brooch!"
A sharp-eyed team member quickly recognized it.
"No wonder the corpse's mouth was slightly deformed."
"Holding this thing in her mouth—she must have been trying to leave a clue, right?"
"The style is clearly not for women."
...
The team members chimed in one after another, launching into a discussion.
"Fu Qian, what are your thoughts?"
After the team discussed for a while, the Duchess looked at the silent Fu Qian.
Fu Qian instantly felt several gazes lock onto him.
Just as expected, it was completely normal for someone like him, who joined based on novelty, to be questioned!
"Me?"
Fu Qian thought for a moment, stepped forward just like the Duchess, and examined the corpse from head to toe.
Seeing Fu Qian's serious demeanor, a sliver of approval rose in the team members' hearts.
At the very least, he had some guts. If it were any other rookie facing this scene, they probably would have wet their pants in fear.
A minute later, Fu Qian stood up and nodded to the crowd.
"It should be a homicide."
I...
Pretending not to see the circle of expressions around him that looked ready to cough up blood, Fu Qian nonchalantly walked back into the ranks.
He had long passed the age of seeking others' approval for everything—which, for him, was about ten years old.
With the corpse ruined like this, apart from the thing in the Duchess's hand, absolutely nothing else could be discerned!
These people were analyzing it with burning enthusiasm. He had originally planned to just be a bystander, but he didn't expect the Duchess to suddenly ask for his opinion.
His intuition told him that her motives weren't entirely pure; it seemed she wanted to test if he had truly lost his memory.
"This is indeed a men's brooch. Let's start by investigating the men she associated with and see if anyone shows signs of losing their color."
Nuns have boyfriends?
"The Church does not forbid Nuns from marrying."
Seeing through Fu Qian's doubt, the Duchess stated directly.
"In fact, because of the threat of the Eclipse Curse, many people marry at a very young age."
"Understood."
Fu Qian nodded, continuing to play his amnesiac role.
As it turned out, this Nun really did have a lover. Following the information, the group quickly found the man's home.
Unfortunately, the doors of the house were wide open, and a glance inside made it clear that no one was there.
"It seems we're too late."
Someone immediately said.
The interior was visibly messy, indicating that the owner had left in a hurry.
"This person is now highly suspicious."
"It's highly likely that the Nun discovered his signs of losing color. Afraid of being reported, he preemptively murdered her and then fled to escape punishment. There have simply been too many incidents like this lately!"
"We better issue a wanted poster immediately, otherwise a Colorless running amok will be extremely dangerous."
The crowd echoed in agreement.
"Not necessarily."
Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus and the Duchess raised no objections, Fu Qian let out a cough.
Hmm?
Seeing Fu Qian suddenly speak up, the group was shocked, wondering what stunt he was going to pull this time.
His earlier deduction of "homicide" had left quite a profound impression on everyone.
"Who said there's no one here?"
Fu Qian took two steps forward.
"You can take in the whole place at a glance. Where could anyone hide?"
Someone instantly retorted.
One look and I can tell your daily cultural lives are barren, having never been subjected to the influence of twisted imaginations.
Fu Qian glanced at the group.
But it was understandable. From his cursory glance earlier, the industrial level of this place seemed quite backward. There was a high probability these people had never come into contact with movies or television.
The profound significance of a Crime Scene Investigation is far beyond your imagination!
"You're right. This place can be taken in at a glance, and at first look, there really isn't anywhere to hide a person."
"But if you abandon certain preconceptions, such as the shape of the human body, you'll find there's still some space."
"Normally, human body density is slightly greater than water. By calculation, if a normal adult is bunched up into a ball, they'd roughly measure a few dozen centimeters in length, width, and height."
"And there are places like that in this room. As professionals, shouldn't we at least confirm it before declaring the place empty?"
After speaking, Fu Qian walked over to a red wooden cabinet.
It was a wardrobe. The lid had already been opened, leaving only a few messy articles of clothing inside.
This type of chest usually has a small hidden compartment used for storing relatively valuable items.
Fu Qian reached out and gave it a pull. Underneath was a compact compartment, which was currently stuffed airtight with a mass of pale, fleshy substance.
Holy shit!
See that?
Fu Qian gestured to the shocked crowd and crouched down to inspect it carefully.
It looked like a human body, only it was severely deformed, coiled up inside the chest like a snail.
Even the shape of the skull no longer existed. Some parts were even tied into knots to prevent bodily fluids from leaking out.
This twisted scene was incredibly visually impactful; several team members nearby immediately couldn't stomach it.
The young lady had already run outside to throw up.
"I guess it was done in a rush. It wasn't convenient to take the body out and dispose of it, so it was processed and hidden here."
Fu Qian was probably the one with the most natural expression. Crouching beside the chest, he observed it and even reached out to squeeze it.
"I can't feel any bones. They shouldn't have been crushed, as that would most likely leave wounds. Instead, it looks a bit like the bones inside the body have melted away."
"Can the Eclipse Curse cause this kind of effect—huh?"
Halfway through his question, Fu Qian suddenly let out a sound of surprise and fished out an oval-shaped stone from the chest.
"What is this?"
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