Drew would never dare to offend someone whom even Harold, the mayor of Sunway, had to flatter."Mr. Tennyson, Vince mentioned that Mr. Ballard might have valuable insights into this case," Drew said in a carefully calibrated tone. He was only delivering Vince's will without adding any personal input, aiming to gauge the state's stance. "Oh?" Rufus Zenton, the state minister, was rather surprised.Earlier, he had called Belinda, hoping to enlist the Warrior League's assistance, but she had also recommended Sebastian to him.Rufus said firmly, "Very well. Tomorrow morning, your task force team will head to Steinberg and you will meet Mr. Ballard personally. Remember, Mr. Ballard will be leading this case, and you will personally assist him."Drew was startled. Sebastian would be in charge? What could a traditional medicine doctor possibly know about criminal investigation? Still, he dared not disobey Rufus. After all, Rufus had very strong connections. Even Tripp had only been ab
"Alright, alright. Let's just follow the orders from our superiors," Gerard said, turning to look at Sebastian and Whitney as they entered the office. There was a smug look on his face.Drew quickly introduced them to Sebastian. "Mr. Ballard, this is Officer Bellamy, the previous lead investigator. He's a criminal investigation instructor at the police academy and an experienced criminal investigator. He's been working with the state department in this field for more than 20 years."Gerard glanced arrogantly at Sebastian and inclined his head slightly. He didn't even stand up to greet him. As for Whitney, he barely even looked at her.Why would Sebastian have brought a woman here while working on such a big case? He didn't seem to be the right man for the job at all.Gerard was a famed criminal investigation expert throughout the whole of Sartvale, and he had been responsible for solving numerous high-profile cases.Even the crushed corpses case that had shocked the nation over te
Shouldn't Sebastian have tried to assure them and establish a good working relationship with them?None of the officers had expected him to be so aggressive as soon as he appeared. He had even told them all to leave!"Sebastian, we should probably tone it down," Whitney whispered. "After all, we'll need their help to find Shannon."Sebastian chuckled and said, "You want to rely on them? They won't find her even if they have ten years to do so!"The officers looked even more grim, especially Brody. He had never imagined that Sebastian would be so hostile to them when they were the experts in criminal investigation! He found himself at a loss for words."Hmph! Fine, I'll go! I'd like to see how you're going to solve this case!" Brody snapped, turning bright red with anger. He spun on his heel, ready to leave."Sit down!" Drew roared, slamming his hand on the table. "Which one among you is going to be bold enough to leave?"Brody jumped in fright, startled by Drew's outburst. The o
Sebastian didn't spare Gerard another glance. Turning to Whitney, he said gently, "Let's sit."Whitney's mind had gone blank. She could never have imagined that Sebastian would interact with the men from the state department in this manner.As Brody watched Sebastian lead Whitney by the hand to sit at the head of the table, he clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palm. He said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Ballard, you've never even attended a criminal investigation class. What makes you think you can solve this case?""What makes me think so? It's because I'm Sebastian Ballard! I don't care how amazing you are or how many cases you've solved in the past. Right now, I'm in charge!" Sebastian said impassively.He turned to look at Gerard and asked, "Do you disagree? If so, tell me what leads you've found. Any lead at all would suffice."The room fell silent; the officers were dumbstruck. Any leads? They didn't even have the faintest inkling. They had no idea what
The photo was of a long-abandoned construction site that had two unfinished buildings on it. It was surrounded by barren mountains, which were covered in dense woods. Ordinarily, very few people went there.Gerard glanced at the photo and sneered. It was a photo of the site where a young woman had died tragically just four days ago.From a criminal investigation perspective, crime scenes like that were not worth investigating at all. It wasn't the place where the first crime had been committed, nor was it the place where the last crime had been committed.They would be able to glean the murderer's modus operandi at the first crime scene and compare it to subsequent cases. However, that was clearly not required for this particular case, as there would be no other way in which someone could turn people into dried corpses.As for the last crime scene, Gerard and the others had already scrutinized it at least 80 times. There were no leads at all, which was why they were all at a loss.
"Betty Warner, the daughter of the richest family in Jovenshire, would like to propose to Mr. Ballard. She's offering 77.77 million and a publicly-listed company as a token of her sincerity!""Luisa Albright, the daughter of the premiere family in Caevon, would like to propose to Mr. Ballard. She's offering two statues of pure gold that weigh over 100 tons in total as a token of her sincerity!""Cora Sutcliffe, the daughter of the Duke of Southam from Draepolis, would like to propose to Mr. Ballard. She's offering ten foreign islands worth 10 billion as a token of her sincerity!"The courthouse in Steinberg was an unassuming building, but for some reason, it was unusually bustling and fraught with tension today!Luxury cars lined the street outside the courthouse, and beside them stood prominent figures who could rattle the fabric of society with just a snap of their fingers!There were individuals from financial oligarchies with hundreds of billions in net worths, underworld king
"Are you certain you want to make such an extreme choice?" Sebastian asked one last time. He wanted to see if Whitney would show any signs of reluctance.Unfortunately, he did not detect even a trace of hesitation in Whitney's expression."We're not right for each other. Let's just go in and finalize the divorce. I'll do my best to meet all of your demands. Even after we've gotten divorced, we can still remain friends," Whitney bit her lip and offered after thinking about it.They could remain friends, huh?Sebastian laughed at Whitney's response. Tears trickled out of the corner of his eyes.It turned out that despite being married for three years, the relationship had been entirely one-sided. He was the presumptuous one.In her eyes, he was merely a stepping stone."Fine. I'll go through with the divorce! I don't need your money, the car, or the house. I can support myself!" Sebastian stubbornly declared."You're going to support yourself with that little shop of yours where
Whitney had just gotten out of the car when she heard what the young woman said to Sebastian. Her expression soured.Be it looks or physique, the gorgeous young woman was just as attractive as Whitney—and she drove a Ferrari.Whitney's chest tightened.When had Sebastian become acquainted with a woman like her?The young woman looked to be in her early 20s, which made her about five or six years younger than Whitney.Whitney immediately felt jealous.Mabel had gotten out of the car too. The sight before her made her frown."I'm sorry, but who are you?" Sebastian asked as he studied the young woman in front of him.She was a young and beautiful woman. Still, he had no idea who she was."Mr. Chester Sinclair recommended you to me, Dr. Ballard. My name is Rosalie Griffin. He said that you have the Goldcrow pill. It is the only thing that can save my grandfather. "My family, the Griffins, are willing to buy it from you for ten million dollars!" Rosalie pleaded tearfully."Chest
The photo was of a long-abandoned construction site that had two unfinished buildings on it. It was surrounded by barren mountains, which were covered in dense woods. Ordinarily, very few people went there.Gerard glanced at the photo and sneered. It was a photo of the site where a young woman had died tragically just four days ago.From a criminal investigation perspective, crime scenes like that were not worth investigating at all. It wasn't the place where the first crime had been committed, nor was it the place where the last crime had been committed.They would be able to glean the murderer's modus operandi at the first crime scene and compare it to subsequent cases. However, that was clearly not required for this particular case, as there would be no other way in which someone could turn people into dried corpses.As for the last crime scene, Gerard and the others had already scrutinized it at least 80 times. There were no leads at all, which was why they were all at a loss.
Sebastian didn't spare Gerard another glance. Turning to Whitney, he said gently, "Let's sit."Whitney's mind had gone blank. She could never have imagined that Sebastian would interact with the men from the state department in this manner.As Brody watched Sebastian lead Whitney by the hand to sit at the head of the table, he clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palm. He said through gritted teeth, "Mr. Ballard, you've never even attended a criminal investigation class. What makes you think you can solve this case?""What makes me think so? It's because I'm Sebastian Ballard! I don't care how amazing you are or how many cases you've solved in the past. Right now, I'm in charge!" Sebastian said impassively.He turned to look at Gerard and asked, "Do you disagree? If so, tell me what leads you've found. Any lead at all would suffice."The room fell silent; the officers were dumbstruck. Any leads? They didn't even have the faintest inkling. They had no idea what
Shouldn't Sebastian have tried to assure them and establish a good working relationship with them?None of the officers had expected him to be so aggressive as soon as he appeared. He had even told them all to leave!"Sebastian, we should probably tone it down," Whitney whispered. "After all, we'll need their help to find Shannon."Sebastian chuckled and said, "You want to rely on them? They won't find her even if they have ten years to do so!"The officers looked even more grim, especially Brody. He had never imagined that Sebastian would be so hostile to them when they were the experts in criminal investigation! He found himself at a loss for words."Hmph! Fine, I'll go! I'd like to see how you're going to solve this case!" Brody snapped, turning bright red with anger. He spun on his heel, ready to leave."Sit down!" Drew roared, slamming his hand on the table. "Which one among you is going to be bold enough to leave?"Brody jumped in fright, startled by Drew's outburst. The o
"Alright, alright. Let's just follow the orders from our superiors," Gerard said, turning to look at Sebastian and Whitney as they entered the office. There was a smug look on his face.Drew quickly introduced them to Sebastian. "Mr. Ballard, this is Officer Bellamy, the previous lead investigator. He's a criminal investigation instructor at the police academy and an experienced criminal investigator. He's been working with the state department in this field for more than 20 years."Gerard glanced arrogantly at Sebastian and inclined his head slightly. He didn't even stand up to greet him. As for Whitney, he barely even looked at her.Why would Sebastian have brought a woman here while working on such a big case? He didn't seem to be the right man for the job at all.Gerard was a famed criminal investigation expert throughout the whole of Sartvale, and he had been responsible for solving numerous high-profile cases.Even the crushed corpses case that had shocked the nation over te
Drew would never dare to offend someone whom even Harold, the mayor of Sunway, had to flatter."Mr. Tennyson, Vince mentioned that Mr. Ballard might have valuable insights into this case," Drew said in a carefully calibrated tone. He was only delivering Vince's will without adding any personal input, aiming to gauge the state's stance. "Oh?" Rufus Zenton, the state minister, was rather surprised.Earlier, he had called Belinda, hoping to enlist the Warrior League's assistance, but she had also recommended Sebastian to him.Rufus said firmly, "Very well. Tomorrow morning, your task force team will head to Steinberg and you will meet Mr. Ballard personally. Remember, Mr. Ballard will be leading this case, and you will personally assist him."Drew was startled. Sebastian would be in charge? What could a traditional medicine doctor possibly know about criminal investigation? Still, he dared not disobey Rufus. After all, Rufus had very strong connections. Even Tripp had only been ab
"Are… are there really… ghosts in this world?" Whitney asked, trembling.Sebastian laughed wryly and shook his head. He pulled Whitney over to him and said, "Actually, people are sometimes more frightening than ghosts. You're tired. Go and rest. I'll think of a solution and see if we can find Shannon."Whitney hesitated for a moment before getting up. She said, "Alright. I know I can't help, but if there's any news, please tell me as soon as possible."Sebastian nodded, and Whitney turned to return to her room.After she had gone, Sebastian turned to Lyanna and asked, "What were you talking about? Corpse-devouring ghosts?"Lyanna nodded heavily and said, "Corpse-devouring ghosts are a kind of revenant. They aren't hard to subdue for experts in yellow paper charms."Sebastian thought for a long time. He suddenly remembered a passage recorded in the Sacred Medicine Secret Annals.There was a kind of spiritual being that only ate human hearts. These spiritual beings weren't corpse-
Sebastian shook his head slightly. Even a witch doctor wouldn't be able to turn a living human being into a dried corpse within just two days, let alone a traditional medicine doctor.Sebastian had seen something like this before in Elton's home. There had been over 20 dried corpses there.However, those corpses hadn't had their internal organs removed. That meant that there were people capable of doing such a thing, but Elton had just been slightly less cruel.Or perhaps the internal organs hadn't held any value for him, while the organs were very valuable to the current murderer."I'm very sorry, but there is no such technique in traditional medicine. However, it does seem very similar to some of the corpse refining techniques found in the mystic sects. Elton Reynolds once used this kind of black magic as well," Sebastian said to Larys and Vince as he pointed at one of the photos. Vince glanced at the photo and looked as if he had been forced to swallow a bitter pill. He asked,
Sally and Crystal looked pleadingly at Whitney before running out of the convenience store, looking chastened.When Crystal and Sally had left, Sebastian walked out of Whitney's room with Larys, Vince, and the others."Sit down," Sebastian said to Larys and Vince as he pointed at the couch in the living room.After he was seated, Vince didn't wait for Sebastian to ask anything before he sighed and said, "Sebastian, we shouldn't have troubled you for this, but you're an expert in traditional medicine. Look at this photo."Vince took out a photo and handed it to him.There was a dried corpse in the photo, but based on what it was wearing, it wasn't a corpse from ancient times. It was wearing a modern school uniform. Judging from the height of the corpse, it was a young girl no older than 15. "Is this…" Sebastian frowned, trailing off. "Mr. Ballard, this girl went missing on the 8th. We thought she had run into some kind of pervert, and we were searching for her as a missing pers
The moment Sebastian reached the door to the convenience store, Sebastian heard the sound of women crying. He listened closely and realized that it was Sally and Crystal!Why had they come? "Whitney, you have to help me! I only have one daughter! If anything happens to her, I might as well die!""That's right! Shannon has been missing for three days, and there's no sign of her at all. The police officers are being vague, and your aunt has been trying to ask everyone she can for help. Nobody is paying her any attention. "Why don't you ask Sebastian to help and use his connections? He knows Chief Weist pretty well, doesn't he? It's just one phone call for him." Crystal's voice came from inside. When Lyanna and Nina saw Sebastian enter, they hurried up to him. Sebastian waved a hand at them and strode over to Whitney's room. He pushed the door open and walked in. At the sound of the door opening, Crystal and Sally both stopped crying and turned to look at Sebastian."Oh, it's