Chapter 57

A book as tall as half a person, extremely thick, was placed on a specially made stand by Qin Ran, who carefully flipped through it.

From time to time, Qin Ran would turn around to take notes.

Around Qin Ran, there were hundreds of similar books.

They had long been removed from their original shelves and placed on the ground, but there was no damage at all; on the contrary, they were handled with great care.

Qin Ran was not someone who would casually damage books.

Moreover, he had reached an agreement with the librarian here: he could freely read all the books in this underground library, but he could not cause any damage.

Otherwise, even with the appointment letter as a police consultant, he would be expelled.

Of course, before the expulsion, there would be necessary compensation.

Fortunately, in the past week, Qin Ran had done quite well.

Except for not having the energy to return the books to their original positions.

However, anyone who saw Qin Ran with red eyes and a tired face would not blame him.

For someone who hadn't had a good rest for days, could you still blame him for not moving books that required two or three people to organize?

Swish!

With the sound of the pages turning, Qin Ran finished reading the extremely thick book in front of him.

Qin Ran carefully moved the book down and placed the last book in the room on the stand.

Before opening the book, Qin Ran rubbed his temples, which were throbbing.

Although the content in these thick books was not much, the reason for their appearance was more due to the backward craftsmanship at the time. To better preserve them, special materials had to be used, so each page was 1-2 centimeters thick, and the whole book was about 50-60 pages.

But that was just one book!

When hundreds of books were combined, the total of 5000-6000 pages would make anyone hesitate.

Especially since these books did not cover the same knowledge.

There were history, religion, humanities, geography, and more mythology and legends.

It was a complete potpourri.

Even though Qin Ran had been through the information explosion era, facing such chaotic knowledge still gave him a headache.

But he had to complete the reading of these books.

Because it was part of his plan!

He needed to make the person who coveted the Dawn Church's thousand-year wealth believe that he had found the whereabouts of that wealth.

Relying solely on his detective's reputation was not enough!

He also needed enough practical actions!

The current reading was one of those actions, and the notes he took were another.

As for whether the observer would see it?

Qin Ran had no doubt.

Where did the observer find the information about the Dawn Church's thousand-year wealth?

Books!

Perhaps some family heirlooms.

Or maybe it was seen in a book by chance.

Or it could be the narration of some people with ulterior motives.

But no matter which one, to verify and investigate, the observer would need more sources of information.

And what better place than a library with many historical records!

Similarly, the observer would be very careful not to let others discover their actions.

So, Qin Ran knew very well who the true owner of this library, nominally managed by the city council, was.

The observer had already shown their extraordinary power.

The police chief John had been missing for a week, which should have caused a stir in the city.

But a secret order from the city council made everything calm down.

"John was sent on a secret mission!"

A simple sentence erased all doubts.

If Qin Ran didn't know what John was doing, he would have been deceived by such a secret order.

Just like the deputy police chief Lestrade.

This deputy police chief's attention was entirely focused on the gang members, tirelessly causing trouble for them every day.

It was partly due to his own commitment to justice and partly due to a competitive spirit.

A competition with Police Chief John!

Qin Ran had no comment on this.

But his vigilance towards the observer grew even stronger.

A simple secret order made the deputy police chief Lestrade, who could have caused trouble for the observer, completely shift his focus.

Such a move once again demonstrated the observer's non-trivial identity.

In fact, on the first day Qin Ran came to this library, he sensed a different gaze.

The gaze was well hidden, but for Qin Ran, whose perception reached D-, it was crystal clear.

His perception beyond the norm was enough to let Qin Ran identify the observer hiding in the shadows.

However, Qin Ran did not act rashly.

Because he knew it was just one of the observer's subordinates.

A very capable subordinate.

Just by glancing at him, Qin Ran judged that he was a skilled hand.

With a body over two meters tall, even when sitting and bending his back to appear hunched, the wide robe could not completely hide his strong and powerful muscles.

Arms as thick as an ordinary person's thighs clearly indicated his formidable close combat ability.

Moreover, the observer's technique of standing in the shadows, in Qin Ran's view, had reached the beginner level of [Stealth].

Qin Ran could not determine if the observer knew any special attack techniques.

But the combination of a tall and strong body with [Stealth] skills made Qin Ran subconsciously think of the Guardian Knight.

Even if the observer was not as powerful as Gonglansen originally.

But he could not be underestimated.

More importantly, how many such subordinates did the so-called 'Evan' have?

This speculation had appeared in Qin Ran's mind a week ago.

Because it represented whether his plan would ultimately succeed.

The observer did not seem like someone who would put themselves in danger.

Even with absolute confidence, they would bring enough subordinates.

If it was just one or two subordinates, it would be fine, but what if it was four or five, or even more?

Although, based on the observer's recruitment of people like Swok and Ruskan, they shouldn't have more capable subordinates, who could guarantee that this wasn't a misleading move by the observer?

So, Qin Ran became even more cautious.

Not only did he read every book carefully, but he also took meticulous notes— even though the observer could only check the books he read but not the notes.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Ran once again opened the book in front of him.

Even if it was just for show, he had to act as if it were real.

...

As the sky was about to turn completely dark, the librarian entered.

"Mr. Qin Ran, we are closing the library!"

The librarian reminded Qin Ran.

"Okay! I'm almost done!"

Qin Ran said while quickly copying the text from the book onto his notebook. After finishing, he smiled at the librarian.

"Thank you for your hospitality this week!"

"How was it? Did you find anything useful?"

"Yes, a lot. This will be my last visit for research. Thank you again for your generosity!"

"It's no trouble at all!"

After some small talk, Qin Ran bid farewell to the librarian. A staff member escorted him out of the underground library and watched him leave in a carriage.

Shortly after Qin Ran left, the librarian also left in a carriage.

Ten minutes later, the carriage arrived at a hidden alley behind a commercial street.

After three checks, the librarian was led into a dimly lit room by a tall, muscular man over two meters tall.

"Sir!"

The librarian bowed to the person sitting in the room, shrouded in shadows.

"How was it?"

A low voice came from the shadows.

"Qin Ran read all the materials about the Dawn Church from that era. He seems to have found something— he recorded it in his notebook!"

The librarian reported in detail and offered a suggestion.

"We can send someone to steal that notebook!"

However, this displeased the person in the shadows.

"Do you want me to follow your orders?"

The person said, with a light tone.

But the librarian was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

"Sir, you know I didn't mean it that way!"

The librarian knelt on the ground, trembling as he answered.

Knowing the identity of the person, the librarian was filled with fear.

However, such pleading seemed to have no effect.

"Tru!"

The person called out softly, then lowered his head in thought.

The tall, muscular man appeared in the room, grabbed the librarian's neck, and instantly tightened his grip.

Snap!

With a crisp sound, the librarian who had just reported was snapped in the neck, and his body was thrown out of the room.

The person in the shadows never even lifted his head.

He was completely indifferent.

To him, the death of the librarian was no different from swatting a fly.

Of course, he wouldn't usually be so 'severe'!

But after experiencing a betrayal, he believed it was necessary.

"Swok, Ruskan!"

The person in the shadows muttered softly.

From the information he had, these two had completely joined the great detective.

As for why?

Of course, it was because the great detective was more likely to lead them to the Dawn Church's thousand-year wealth.

He knew about the greed of these two.

And he had always used it as a means to control them.

He thought he had done a good job.

But reality slapped him hard.

These two had betrayed him!

He swore to make them understand the miserable consequences of betrayal.

But he would punish even more severely the one who made these fools betray him!

"Qin Ran!"

The person snorted coldly.

Then, several orders were issued.

The calm night immediately became turbulent.