Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 1194: Section 730: Fellow Daoist (1)

Chapter 1194: Section 730: Fellow Daoist (1)

The Sage paved the way with money, and Malin and his group quickly went upstairs. Detectives were moving in and out of the door they were about to enter.

A detective raised a police line and Malin, taking advantage of his small stature, walked over without bowing his head, seeing for the first time the blond man lying dead on the long bench.

There was a large bullet hole in his forehead, the blood and flesh on the wall behind him telling the tale of a wound from excessive penetration.

The police were carefully collecting evidence, while the Mimicking Bird on the perch was incessantly declaring it would call the police, unaware that the ones rummaging through the house were the very police it was looking for.

"Did anyone in the apartment hear the gunshots?" Malin confirmed that the bullet hole required at least a .45 caliber to inflict such a wound, then turned his head to look at the person in charge who had followed the Sage in.

"This is His Highness Malin." Introducing Malin, the Sage used the term ’His Highness,’ which effectively dispelled the official’s confusion. He immediately removed his hat: "Salutations, Your Highness. We are here because a neighbor called in, saying several very fierce-looking men came to their house a few hours ago. They argued in a language other than the one spoken in Thainan, and when they finally left, those men seemed to threaten him. It wasn’t long before someone discovered the door to his apartment open, only to find that fellow had been slaughtered. No one heard gunfire, nor did anyone see anyone enter the room afterward."

"The killer seems like they weren’t from the same group." The first to speak was Old Master Li.

"Clearly not from the same group. If those Westlanders were to act, they wouldn’t have parted on bad terms," Madame Meng said, looking at Malin, "Malin, can you trace it?"

"No problem." Malin nodded and then cast a Rewind Spell Formation.

In an instant, the police collecting evidence vanished, and the corpse sitting on the chair slowly lifted its head, while the blood and flesh on the wall returned to their original places.

The previously closed door, the clock on the wall ticking backwards, the man smoking silently, the Mimicking Bird on the perch chirping a clumsy song.

Time rewound stopped, and time once again began its journey. Malin watched the man extinguish the cigarette in his palm, then raise his head.

At that moment, a humanoid figure gathered from smoke appeared in the room.

Ashbringer?

Malin vaguely remembered that in Westland, there was such a Transcendent Sequence, specifically that of Mr. Little Mischael.

What the smoke figure said to the man, Malin could not know—after all, being able to trace this amidst so many bystanders was already no small feat for Malin.

Then Malin saw that as the man lowered his head to fetch the cigarette out of his pocket, the figure pulled out a gun.

The trigger was pulled as the man raised his head, without a sound, perhaps due to the presence of some kind of silencing field, and after killing, it vanished.

Malin dispelled the Spell Formation, and in the next second, everyone was back in the room. The detectives seemed not to have noticed anything, except for the one in charge, who struggled up as if resurfacing from water, then came to his senses.

He looked at Malin, eyes full of reverence: "Your power is unimaginable, Your Highness."

Malin smiled and nodded—he understood that in a murder site disrupted twice, it’s usually impossible for casters to trace back accurately, but Malin had precisely pinpointed the moment before the murder happened, demonstrating an exceptional command over the Spell Formation.

"I now suspect the first group was hired. Sir, you can verify their identities?"

"Yes, they are members of the local Debt Collection Guild. I’ve already sent people to find them." The person in charge added, "Our people have brought the latest riot control devices."

There seemed to be some uncertainty about whether they could be brought over.

But Malin had already heard footsteps outside, turned around, and saw a few big guys beaten black and blue.

"What riot control devices did you use?" Malin was curious.

"Armored Awakeners, the newest street-patrolling detective assistants in New Hangzhou." The official said, and Malin saw Konen peeking out from the door.

Goodness, Malin had heard that this kid had found a job, turns out he mixed into the police force...well, at least he didn’t go down the wrong path.

Malin beckoned, and Konen walked in somewhat embarrassedly: "Mentor."

"Hmm, keep up the good work." Malin thought the kid was expecting to be scolded by his mentor, but his simple encouragement filled the boy with joy.

After waving his hand to let the boy follow the detective delivering drinks out, Malin looked at the leader of the group—the biggest guy, who seemed tough, had taken the hardest beating, his face swollen like a pig’s head.

"What did you want with him?"

"What?" The man heard Malin’s words, but his swollen eyes couldn’t see Malin, making Old Master Li chuckle, while Madame Meng smiled and shook her head.

The Sage turned to call a doctor, but Malin stopped him, then jumped up to deliver a slap to the man’s cheek.

"Who hit me!" The man jumped up, only realizing a second later to touch his face—after Malin’s healing spell had overhauled his whole head, only then did the man notice Malin.