Amidst laughter and work, the day passed quickly.
At half-past five in the evening, just as Silas was preparing to pack up and go home, a teacher and a student, one large and one small, rushed frantically to the entrance.
"Police! Police! Someone's dead! Someone's dead!" the leading blonde female teacher stammered in panic.
Jack, who had been idle all day, immediately rushed over. "Don't worry, speak slowly."
After the two caught their breath, they briefly explained the situation.
The incident had occurred at the Bayne Women's Senior School, which was where Evan's sister, Betty, attended.
The deceased was a female teacher, forty-five years old, specializing in accounting.
In the afternoon, after school was dismissed, a student taking out the trash discovered a severed hand in the refuse heap behind the back gate and immediately notified the school.
Upon further digging, other dismembered body parts were found within.
Afterward, the teacher brought the female student who had discovered the limbs to report the crime.
After understanding the situation, Jack quickly reported the case to Orson Heath.
Orson Heath was still dealing with matters related to the Death Cult, so he assigned the task to Jack and Silas.
Subsequently, led by Jack, a total of eight police officers escorted the teacher and student back to the school.
When Silas arrived at the school by carriage, he found that the entire area around the back gate was surrounded by numerous students and teachers.
It was clear that everyone present, whether students or teachers, looked unwell, their faces filled with worry.
Upon arriving at the scene, Jack and the police officers quickly separated the surrounding students and teachers and set up a police cordon.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Jack and Silas walked through the passage cleared in the middle of the people.
Halfway through, Silas keenly sensed a pair of eyes staring at him.
Turning his head, he saw a cute girl with a round face looking at him. It was Evan's sister, Betty.
Silas nodded slightly and, without saying much, walked into the crime scene.
"My goodness, what's going on?" Betty looked astonished.
A tall girl beside her asked, "What's wrong?"
Betty briefly explained Silas's situation.
The tall girl beside her tiptoed slightly and happened to see Silas, now wearing a mask and a pair of grey leather gloves, examining the body.
"A philosophy graduate who never studied properly suddenly became an agent!? That's quite a leap. Are you sure you didn't misidentify him?" The girl sounded somewhat surprised.
Betty shook her head. "We grew up together. I definitely wouldn't mistake him!"
Over by the body, Silas squatted down with Jack to examine the wounds.
"These are knife wounds," the experienced Jack said.
He then turned and asked a nearby teacher, "Have you noticed any suspicious individuals? Did the deceased act unusually before this?"
This teacher, who looked to be around fifty and had a kind face, said with some confusion, "I'm not too sure about that. Teacher Pamela took a day off from the principal yesterday. She should have been at home during this time."
Jack immediately asked, "What was the reason for her leave?"
Just then, an old woman, about sixty years old, dressed in a well-fitting grey suit and looking vigorous, walked over. "She said she had lost an important book and needed to search for it thoroughly."
The teacher quickly introduced her, "This is our school's principal, Mrs. Pansy."
Next, Jack had a brief conversation with Mrs. Pansy but didn't obtain any clear leads.
Jack turned to Silas and asked, "Are you confident?"
Silas's eyes now flickered with a strange glint. "Her soul isn't here. This isn't the primary crime scene."
Through his Spirit Vision, he hadn't seen the victim's soul here, nor had he heard any sound of souls.
This indicated that the person had not died here.
Hearing this, Jack immediately said, "Mrs. Pansy, please tell me the deceased's current place of residence."
Mrs. Pansy nodded. "Alright, but you'll have to wait a moment. Teacher Pamela lived alone and didn't own property here. In her five years of employment, she moved three times. I need to check the records to find her address."
"I know her address," the teacher from before interjected.
Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to her.
The teacher mustered her courage and said seriously, "A few days ago, she said she was going to conduct an experiment and needed some materials, asking me to help buy them. So, I happened to visit her home. It's not far from here, at Number 419, Tulip Street, Room 303."
Jack immediately stood up after hearing this. "Secure the scene. Leave three men on guard. The rest of you, take the body back to Doctor Adam for examination. Agent Sotos and I will go to the deceased's home to take a look."
After giving instructions, Jack turned and said, "Mrs. Pansy, please dismiss the students and teachers. It's getting late."
Mrs. Pansy nodded and, following the teacher, began to dismiss the students.
Silas and Jack walked out through the crowd. Jack asked, "Any mystical traces?"
Silas shook his head. "No, the wounds appear to be inflicted by conventional means."
"Hmm, let's go check her home."
Fifteen minutes later, the two arrived on foot at Number 419, Tulip Street.
This was a six-story apartment building constructed just a few years ago. Although its structure was similar to Silas's home, its location, decoration, quality, and size were worlds apart.
Jack proficiently showed his police badge to the doorman guarding the main gate. The two then walked along the stone-paved path in front of the building to the central lobby.
Taking the stairs on the left to the third floor, they found Room 303.
As Silas stepped on the solid, polished stairs, looking at the clean white walls of the corridor and the sturdy, exquisite dark red solid wood doors, he thought to himself, "When I have money in the future, I'll buy a decent house like this too."
Standing before the door, Jack was just about to knock when he found the door wasn't locked.
The moment his finger touched it, the well-lubricated door hinges swung open silently.
Jack casually drew his pistol and cautiously stepped inside.
It was daytime, but the room was very dim because the curtains hadn't been drawn.
Just as Jack had stepped one foot inside, he heard Silas shout.
"Don't move!" Silas yelled, yanking him back behind himself.
"What's wrong?" Jack was startled by the shout.
Silas's face was incredibly grave, his eyes fixed on the dark space. "This place is filled with unknown mystical energy. There's also some kind of mystical spiritual energy on the ground that I don't recognize. Most importantly, the symbol on the wall!"
Jack turned to look. Pinned to the wall was a piece of paper, upon which an inverted triangle was drawn with a blood-red liquid. In the middle was a simple outline of a skull.
"The Death Cult!" Jack had previously participated in the arrest of regular members of the Death Cult and was very familiar with this emblem.
Silas stared cautiously at the symbol, his hand unconsciously tightening around his Demon Hunter pistol. "Don't move an inch. Notify the Deputy Chief immediately. Get Master Jeros over here!"