Chapter 132: Bad Luck or Misfortune?
Chapter 132: Bad Luck or Misfortune?
Facing Lyon, who was not only cautious but also shameless, Scarface Bureau Chief, who had just been taken advantage of with five questions, angrily gestured at him with a rather vulgar hand signal.
Suddenly, his soul split into two identical dark flames, intertwining and colliding with each other before extinguishing with a puff, and his body simultaneously collapsed onto the table.
Although Scarface Bully's breathing and heartbeat remained normal, Lyon was well aware that his soul was gone, leaving behind only an empty shell without a soul.
To think he chose soul annihilation as his method of self-destruction... There's no way I could have stopped him.
Lyon shook his head as he looked at Scarface Bully lying on the table, then carefully activated the Holy Spirit Pendant and gingerly prodded the man's body, confirming that there was nothing that would explode on contact. Only then did he slowly approach and begin to search the man's body.
Since he didn't know what the man's Anomaly "vessel" was, Lyon had to rely on his hands, carefully examining Scarface Bully's belongings, not only checking the pockets of his clothes and pants but also squeezing every possible pocketed area.
However, although he did find some small objects, they were all mundane items like ink pens, notebooks, and handkerchiefs. He couldn't find anything that belonged to the "Anomaly range."
So... Is his ability similar to the Chief's 【No Memory of Love】, where the power is "self-contained" rather than attached to a specific object? Lyon furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then directly touched Scarface Bully's body. As expected, upon direct contact with the man's skin, the 【Materialist Soul】 finally flickered.
【Encounter... Material... Information】
【Name: Replica Workshop (Replication, Replacement, ?)】
【Appearance: ?】
【Ability: After designating a small area as a workshop, it can replicate all non-anomalous objects within the area and forcibly replace them, temporarily sending the replaced objects into another world.
Due to the previous user's shattered soul, the third ability is currently undetectable and requires repair or reforging.】
【Cost: ?】
【File: One of the many functional Anomalies created by the Water Bottle Director of the Cleanup Bureau to fulfill his wishes, temporarily assigned the number 0116.
The previous user's soul was shattered due to a shameless deception before death, preserving a large number of resentful soul fragments, resulting in poor compatibility with untrustworthy individuals or a human named Lyon Lane.】
【Evaluation: A fairly capable ability, with a low upper limit but high stealth potential. In certain unique situations, it can deliver impressive results.
If handed over to the Cleanup Bureau, it should yield a decent Anomaly, even though it has poor compatibility with you. However, someone else might find it interesting.】
【Contamination Value: ?】
"..."
Alright... It seems that, like the 【Wealth-Changing Gold Toad】 incident, the damage occurred due to a shattered soul, but the extent is much better. At least, I can still understand what the ability is.
After reading the information provided by the 【Materialist Soul】, Lyon couldn't help but shake his head slightly, then reached into the shopping bag and touched Puppy Ha's forehead.
"Help me out, get him into the mirror first."
"Woof!"
Following the command, Puppy Ha stood up, stepping on Black Goat's head and wobbling over to the edge of the shopping bag. He peered at Scarface Bully and then barked at the window.
The next moment, Scarface Bully instantly disappeared from the real world, while his shadow on the window deepened significantly.
According to Puppy Ha's somewhat chaotic description, Lyon took out a small mirror and waved it at the window, transferring Scarface Bully into his pocket mirror. He then patted Puppy Ha's weary face and left the Secret Investigation Bureau Chief's office without alerting anyone, heading back towards the staircase.
...
After Scarface Bully's ability was dispelled, the Secret Investigation Bureau, which had been isolated in another "layer," returned to normal. The collapse of the dungeon finally caught the attention of the people in the hall.
"Quick! There are two more injured people down there! Get them out!"
"Go call an ambulance! Someone's been crushed!"
"Too slow! Just use the Bureau's official vehicle!"
Lyon, who had just reached the first floor, instinctively took out the 【Infected Blood Belt】 to help treat the six or seven injured people with disheveled appearances. But after glancing at the chaotic crowd in the hall, he ultimately abandoned the idea, instead wrapping the bandage around his own wrist.
It wasn't a lack of energy for treatment, but the sheer number of people made it unsuitable to use Anomalies. It would be better to request medical expenses and compensation from the Bureau, or even deduct it from his salary if necessary, since he was responsible for the dungeon's collapse...
As Lyon pondered, he used his Soul Vision to check the injured people's conditions once more, confirming they were all minor injuries, which relieved him slightly. He then headed towards the female police officer standing in the corner of the hall.
"How's it going?"
The female police officer, who had been keeping an eye on the staircase, had already spotted Lyon's figure and limped over, her expression complex as she asked, "Someone discovered the dungeon, and the Bureau seems to have suddenly returned to normal. So I brought them up, Director... Where is that person? Did you take care of him?"
"Mm-hmm."
Lyon nodded and said, "To avoid me asking more questions, he took his own life. I couldn't stop him."
Took his own life...
Hearing this, the female officer bit her lip, her eyes showing a hint of sadness. But in the end, she spat out with hatred, "He got off easy! Aunt Martha was such a good person, and she never had a disagreement with anyone in the Bureau for so many years. How could that bastard bear to harm her? And the others too..."
"He's in the office upstairs, but I took the body away. There's nothing up there now... Oh, right!"
After answering the female officer's questions, Lyon pondered for a moment and then suggested, "Why don't you stop saying he's a rebel? If anyone asks, just say that the rebels attacked your Secret Investigation Bureau's dungeon, not only rescuing the prisoners inside but also kidnapping the Bureau's director and stealing a lot of confidential information."
The female officer was taken aback by this suggestion.
"Why say that? Even if he was very careful, if I put my mind to it, I'd definitely find out. By then... Um... I get it."
After glancing at Lyon, the female officer nodded thoughtfully. "Anyway, that bastard is dead, and Aunt Martha's revenge is served. As for the director being kidnapped, it sounds better than him being a rebel who infiltrated the Secret Investigation Bureau.
After all, if it's confirmed that he was a spy, the entire Secret Investigation Bureau might face an investigation, and there's even a possibility of temporary dissolution and reorganization.
During this chaotic period, the rebels would surely take advantage and cause havoc, resulting in numerous casualties... Is that what you're thinking?"
"..."
Actually, it's not like that... I just wanted to give the rebels a hard time. The focus of this statement isn't the identity of the Scarface Bully, but the fact that the rebels seized a large amount of confidential information.
As for the content of the dirt, it's best if it's about the dark secrets of various nobles, officials, and big businessmen. Now, without the Secret Investigation Bureau's high-ranking officials as insiders and with the sudden intensified pressure from all sides, they'll probably calm down for a while and won't be in a hurry to cause trouble for me.
"More or less, more or less."
Following the female officer's lead, Lyon gave a couple of vague responses. Noticing her awkward stance, he suggested, "Your leg is injured too? Why don't you go to the hospital first? I see there's still space in their car..."
"No need! I'll just go back and apply some medicine. What about your hand... Hmm? What about the wound on your hand?"
Grabbing Lyon's left palm, the female officer examined the newly regenerated skin and exclaimed in surprise, "You... It was pretty serious just now, but how did it heal after just a quick bandaging?"
"Er..."
"By the way, how did you do all that?"
With the situation resolved, the female officer, who had been holding in a barrage of questions, finally got her chance. She tugged on Lyon's sleeve and leaned in to ask quietly, "How could he come back to life after dying and even multiply into several copies? And what about you? How did you block so many nail guns? Why did the dungeon collapse after you pulled me into the corner? And..."
"Er... I still have work to do..."
Hearing the female officer's string of questions, Lyon couldn't help but feel a headache. He replied evasively, "I see you're busy too. Why don't we focus on our tasks and talk tomorrow? I'll come to you once I'm done."
"Alright..."
Unaware that the Evil God's Brain in the Cleanup Bureau would erase all anomaly-related memories tonight, the female officer hesitated only briefly before letting go of Lyon. She then instructed him seriously, "I'll be waiting for you in the office tomorrow. Don't forget to come find me after you're done! No lying!"
"Definitely, definitely!"
After making a promise as reliable as 'next time, for sure,' Lyon quickly left the chaotic Secret Investigation Bureau with his belongings. However, instead of heading straight back to the Cleanup Bureau to report, he walked towards the main road outside the administrative district to catch a public carriage.
Lyon had just dealt with Scarface Bully, who wasn't much of a challenge. Within an hour of leaving the Cleanup Bureau, he had already taken care of him.
If he had gone out on an errand and returned within half an hour, and the distance was only a few hundred meters, even the Director might feel embarrassed to approve his allowance. It would be better to go to the Rose Estate and rescue the person first.
...
Damn, he had missed the carriage. Now he had to wait for over half an hour. He should have just gone back to the bureau.
Lyon jogged towards the station, feeling annoyed as he watched the public carriage that had just disappeared from his sight. He rubbed his forehead, feeling that his luck had been particularly bad lately.
His sister was in the hospital, and he encountered an out-of-control Contaminated. While investigating, he almost got cut in half by an old man. When he went to the shopping plaza to deliver something, he unexpectedly encountered a Saint Spirit of the Scale Gold Church. And just when he wanted to get some bandages, he was targeted by rebels and trapped in a dungeon.
Although everything turned out fine in the end, and he managed to get through it all, he felt like he was cursed, as if trouble followed him wherever he went.
"What's wrong?"
Through his Soul Vision, Black Goat noticed Lyon's hesitation and confusion, shaking his head in curiosity.
"Weren't all the rebels dealt with? What are you overthinking now?"
"It's not a big deal..."
After a slight hesitation, Lyon voiced his suspicion, "I'm wondering if the frequency of my encounters with anomalies is too high. Everywhere I go, something happens, as if I'm possessed by Conan or something..."
"Who's Conan?"
"He's not a demon, he's just... never mind, forget about him.
What I mean is, ever since I joined the Cleanup Bureau, whenever I want to take the initiative and do something, it seems like I always run into unexpected situations. Am I cursed by some anomaly that brings bad luck?"
"Nonsense!"
After hearing Lyon's suspicion, Black Goat couldn't help but scoff, "You have potential, but you're just a third-level cleaner in the Cleanup Bureau. There are plenty of others like you. Who would bother to use an anomaly to bring you bad luck? It's more efficient to just get rid of you directly than to use an anomaly to mess with your luck."
"But I seem to be particularly unlucky..."
"It's not that you're unlucky; it's that you're now an employee of the Cleanup Bureau, and you have to actively seek out anomalies, so your frequency of contact has increased. You almost got cut by that old man because of this."
With a disdainful glance at Lyon, who seemed superstitious, the great demon confidently said, "The incident at Red Brick Road Hospital would have happened that day, with or without you joining the Cleanup Bureau. The same goes for the Saint Spirit of the Scale Gold Church. As long as Char Department Store starts selling a lot of goods, those nobles will find a way to cause trouble. You just happened to be there."
Hmm... That's true...
Lyon was slightly convinced by Black Goat's words, but he couldn't help but shake his head again, "Those incidents would have happened with or without me, but why do I always manage to be there at the right time?"
"Hmph, what do you mean by 'you just happened to be there'? It's because the past incidents you encountered are affecting the present, so you feel like things always go wrong.
Take Scarface today, for example. He probably had his eyes on you for a while. If you hadn't gone to the Secret Investigation Bureau, he wouldn't have dared to make a move. But the moment you showed up there, he couldn't resist! Can you call that 'just happening to be there'?"
"..."
Indeed, if I hadn't gone to the Secret Investigation Bureau, Scarface Director wouldn't have caused trouble. He would have likely continued to hide in the shadows...
After listening to Black Goat's words, Lyon thought about it and felt that it did make sense. However, he couldn't quite put his finger on why he still felt something was amiss.
Seeing that Lyon's Soul Flame was still flickering with uncertainty, Black Goat grew impatient, "Look, you're planning to go to the Rose Estate to rescue someone, right? Let's see if you can save her smoothly!
If everything goes well, then you're just overthinking. But if something goes wrong along the way, we'll help you figure it out, okay?"
(End of Chapter)
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