Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: The Town Without Leaves

The second-hand Mustang of the Demon Hunter was, of course, no match for the black market merchant's extended Rolls-Royce. However, even if the black market merchant wanted to trade the extended Rolls-Royce for the Demon Hunter's car, the Demon Hunter might not agree. This second-hand Mustang was one of the birthday gifts John gave to the Demon Hunter. Although it was a used car, after John and the Demon Hunter modified and refurbished it, its performance surpassed that of a new car by a significant margin.

With one hand on the steering wheel, the Demon Hunter held a cigarette in the other, carefully going over the mission information the unscrupulous merchant had provided in his mind.

A month ago, in the Winter Forest District, the town of No Leaves suddenly experienced a series of grave robberies. At first, the police thought it was the work of tomb raiders and did not take it seriously. However, as time passed, the tomb raiding not only did not stop but escalated, causing the police to take action. Not only did their efforts prove ineffective, but they also lost two police dogs and had one officer injured and hospitalized...

Stealing corpses?

Could it be a dark wizard conducting experiments or a ghoul looking for food...

With these questions in mind, the Demon Hunter's car passed the sign marking the entrance to the Winter Forest District.

...

In the early morning, the town of No Leaves, like other remote small towns, was enveloped in a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

After driving for a day and a night, Ye Qi now held a cup of hot coffee as he walked to the only police station in the town. According to the sign at the town's entrance, the police station was next to the central square. Therefore, as soon as he got out of the car, Ye Qi headed straight for his destination. Unlike his usual leather jacket and jeans, today Ye Qi was dressed in a suit, which made him even more charming. This was evident from the bright eyes of the women doing morning exercises nearby.

After rejecting the third woman who tried to flirt and get his phone number, Ye Qi finally arrived at the police station. He walked through the door and gently tapped on the glass window at the front desk.

"Knock knock..."

"Hello, I'm sorry to disturb you! Could you tell me where the chief's office is?"

Ye Qi's lips curved into a polite and reserved smile as he spoke, bowing slightly.

"Who are you?"

The front desk officer looked at Ye Qi with confusion.

"Special Operations Department, Jack!"

Ye Qi took out the ID he had obtained from the unscrupulous merchant and gave the name on it. When Demon Hunters dealt with events in the dark world, it was impossible to handle every case quietly and in secret. Many incidents were publicized by the media, such as the recent grave robberies, which were even reported in the morning newspaper of the Taling District. Therefore, when Demon Hunters handled these cases, they would often use an official identity—though most of these identities were fake, like the one Ye Qi held. Unless someone went to the headquarters of the Special Operations Department to verify, Ye Qi's ID was convincing enough. After all, while the merchant was unscrupulous, the items he produced were always top-notch.

"Good morning, sir! It's an honor to serve you!"

The front desk officer, upon seeing Ye Qi's ID, immediately jumped up, stood at attention, and saluted. He then picked up the phone and called the chief's office, smiling obsequiously at Ye Qi—this was not surprising, given the special nature of the fake identity Ye Qi used.

The Special Operations Department was a special organization that operated outside the regular law enforcement teams and was responsible only to the highest government. They specialized in solving cases that ordinary police or the military could not handle. In necessary situations, they had the authority to take the lives of anyone in the area. They were somewhat similar to the Jinyiwei of the material world Ye Qi came from. Imagine a gatekeeper at a police station encountering someone like the Jinyiwei; they would naturally be filled with fear and respect.

"Sir, the chief will be down shortly. Would you like coffee or juice..."

"No need, I think it's better if I go up," Ye Qi smiled and waved to interrupt the front desk's enthusiasm. Having just had coffee, he did not need another cup. "Where is the office?"

"Second floor! The first room at the corner on the second floor, sir!"

"Thank you!"

After bidding farewell to the nervous front desk officer, Ye Qi walked up to the second floor of the police station. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he saw a fat black man hurrying down. The badge on his shoulder indicated that he was the chief of the police station. Clearly, when Ye Qi saw the black chief, the chief also saw him and immediately came forward warmly: "Hello, sir, I am the chief of the No Leaves Police Station..."

Under the enthusiastic welcome of the black chief, Ye Qi entered the chief's office. After declining the offer of coffee and other beverages, Ye Qi got straight to the point: "Chief, I am here to handle the series of grave robberies. This incident has already attracted the attention of many people in the surrounding areas, and the impact is very negative. If it is not handled quickly, it will likely lead to public protests and other undesirable events. Therefore, please provide me with all the relevant information about this case. Also, my partner arrived in No Leaves before me. Has the chief met him?"

Although he had already inquired about the mission details from the unscrupulous merchant, the first-hand information from the local area was undoubtedly more accurate. Moreover, small towns like this were generally wary of outsiders, sometimes even hostile, especially in situations like the ongoing grave robberies where the culprit had not been caught. Any outsider would be suspected by the townspeople. Therefore, John, entering the town at this time, might have clashed with some of the more temperamental locals. The police station was, of course, a way to find John's whereabouts. Of course, if John's phone had not been off, the Demon Hunter would not have needed to take this extra step.

"Six feet tall, a beard, brown hair, gray eyes, about forty years old..."

Before the police chief could ask, the Demon Hunter described John's appearance. However, as he spoke, he noticed the chief's expression turning sour. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Sir, I'm sorry! I didn't know he was your partner. You know the situation our town is in, and your partner just happened to appear! So..." As the police chief spoke, sweat began to bead on his forehead, and he picked up the phone on his desk and made a call.

"Bring the person we caught three days ago here quickly... Idiot, he's not the culprit..."

Listening to the police chief's roar on the phone and the strange look on his face, the Demon Hunter knew exactly what had happened to John—John had definitely been arrested as a suspect in the grave robberies!

No wonder he hasn't been answering the phone these past few days!

With the confirmation of John's whereabouts, the Demon Hunter finally breathed a sigh of relief, putting his mind at ease.