The next morning.
Ronald stood at the investigation bureau’s front desk, absentmindedly scratching his left foot with his right ankle, comfortably reading a book he had just borrowed from the second floor.
Today’s encounter at the bureau was about what he had expected last night.
With Patricia’s cover, bureau personnel did not associate the main credit for catching the heretical Magician with themselves. Instead, they accepted the logical conclusion and Patricia’s statent, deeming it a victory primarily achieved through Patricia’s efforts, with Ronald playing a supporting role.
So this morning, only Nicole ca over to praise him a few words, and that was the end of it.
Even extra overti pay was not forthcoming.
As for why Ronald was standing at the front desk again...
It was the sa old problem.
— The investigation bureau was understaffed.
Last night, even though law enforcent agencies launched a raid on the heretical Magicians,
it had to be acknowledged that among these heretical Magicians, there were still so tough characters. They even managed to turn the tables on the bureau’s raiding party, to the extent of escaping Berenwic.
Few in number, but they indeed existed.
And such incidents led to one outco: the workload on the front lines would beco even busier.
Around noon, the investigators who had attended their colleague’s funeral returned to the bureau.
Ronald certainly wouldn’t have the leisure to slowly read his book then.
"Sigh..."
Thinking of this, Ronald couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
A world with extra labor but no overti pay was hard to love, especially when it squeezed into his reading ti.
Such tis of lantation mixed with reading.
Continued for over an hour this morning.
Just as Ronald sensed that the investigators would be returning soon, soone indeed ca.
Thump—
With an inconsiderate crash, the front door on the first floor was abruptly pushed open from the outside.
Without a glimpse of a figure, a dark object was thrown in from outside.
"Ha...!?"
In his past life, Ronald had seen this situation before.
Using the physical abilities he had only acquired last night, he nearly reflexively dove behind the front desk, also pulling Nicole’s sheet over his head for protection.
Boom—
The explosion sounded perilously close, and Ronald imdiately heard crackling noises from all corners of the hall.
Sssss—
The sheet shielding his body then began to emit the sound of corrosion.
The noise of the liquid splattering everywhere in the hall was unmistakably clear.
Ronald flung away the pit-marked, corroded sheet, and promptly stood up from behind the front desk.
Sssss—
The sheet on the ground corroded and lted at a visibly rapid pace, quickly turning into a pool of black residue.
At the sa ti, Ronald also got a clear view of the condition inside the hall.
The front door of the investigation bureau had been closed, and although the chaos inside the bureau couldn’t be seen from Long Beach Street,
the scene was a ss around the center of the shredded corpse on the ground. The splattered odorous acidic liquid was everywhere—walls, floor, and the hall’s decorative tables and chairs were all ravaged by the sudden attack.
"..."
Silently observing the scene before him, Ronald retracted his earlier thoughts.
— Those heretical Magicians were really ruthless.
The bureau had launched a raid against them last night, and today they retaliated by causing an explosive corpse-throwing incident at the bureau building.
They lived up to the na of heretical Magicians.
But soon, Ronald’s thoughts were no longer on these matters.
Because he clearly saw the bureau’s front door also pit-marked and corroded by the acidic attack.
Not too long ago, he had experienced what it ant when this door was broken...
This was no ti to continue standing guard at the front desk.
Rounding the damaged front counter, Ronald was set on rushing to the second floor.
It was ti to call the seal-maker to repair the talisman, to prevent the bureau’s presence from being discovered by outsiders.
However, just as he reached the stairs, Ronald halted in his tracks.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go up.
Due to nothing obstructing the path between the hall and the staircase.
The wooden steps leading to the second floor had been splashed with acid and were now tattered and torn.
Just looking at these stairs, more pitiful than honeycomb briquettes...
Ronald knew in his heart that he’d better not try to climb them.
But he didn’t need to worry on his own.
As Ronald was preparing to take the back stairs to the second floor, he heard other investigators’ voices from above:
"What happened to the staircase?"
"What happened on the first floor?"
Ronald imdiately replied:
"Sobody just threw an exploding corpse in here; now the hall is a ss."
"Notify Mr. Yajin, the door likely needs repair!"
"..."
Upon hearing Ronald’s words, the investigators upstairs didn’t quite grasp the situation at first.
After a few seconds, he continued to inquire:
"The enemy?"
"They just threw a corpse and there were no other moves?"
Ronald continued to respond:
"They just threw a corpse; no one else ca in."
"..."
"Keep an eye on the hall; I’ll call for backup."
"No problem."
As questions and answers flowed naturally, soone went to notify the scribe.
Ronald also returned to the front desk area.
Subsequently, the dark to materialized within his sleeve cuff and Ronald murmured in a voice so low only he could hear:
"Its na is Styx,
The dark waters flow downward, streaming to the dim and precipitous cliff base.
I halted and gazed intently,
Seeing the swamp filled with people, covered in muck,
All naked as if their rage was not yet quenched..."
The black fog of anger condensed in his hand.
Ronald recalled the to and imdiately beca vigilant of his surroundings.
Although the cult magician appeared to have only thrown a corpse bomb inside, it couldn’t be guaranteed they wouldn’t attempt a surprise attack again.
At this mont, investigators also erged from behind on the first floor.
"What’s going on here, making such a big commo..."
"Racket..."
Seeing the hall’s dismal state, the anger in his voice slowly shifted to confusion.
He turned his gaze toward Ronald.
Ronald didn’t wait for the other man’s question, starting to explain preemptively:
"Sobody suddenly threw an exploding corpse into the hall, and then this happened."
The first-floor investigator was straightforward, directly continuing to ask:
"What about the ritual formations at the entrance?"
"I just told the people upstairs, Mr. Yajin will be down shortly."
"..."
"Ah—"
The investigator sighed lancholically, then walked over toward the hall.
"Let’s secure the scene first..."
Boom—!
Just then, a loud noise erupted from behind.
Ronald quickly turned around, and a scene enveloped in smoke and dust imdiately ca into view.
Simply put, the second floor of the hall had collapsed.
The acid from the explosion hadn’t spared the ceiling joists above.
Once the liquid corroded and dissolved the ceiling beams, the second floor, unable to support the weight, naturally crashed down—
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