The Remaining Sacred Stone

While Li Shanhai was outside making a call to apply for permission, Su Ran finally had time to re-examine Li Ming’s body.

The flesh on Li Ming’s chest was torn open, faintly showing traces of frostbite.

This was the mark left by Su Ran’s own Hoarfrost slash.

Both of his arms had been severed, and the wounds on his body matched the number of times Su Ran had struck.

It could be confirmed that this body truly belonged to Li Ming.

The only thing that didn’t match Su Ran’s memory were the burn marks she had seen in the photographs.

“Officer Li mentioned that there’s a trace of a vampire’s aura on Li Ming’s body?”

Even though she had already heard it from Li Shanhai, Su Ran still wanted to know the specific details.

She turned and asked the custodian who was still present.

The custodian pulled out a file and glanced at it a couple of times before answering Su Ran.

“The burn marks on his body are very similar to the blood magic of vampires on record, so we paid special attention and checked for residual aura.”

As he spoke, the custodian opened the file and handed it to Su Ran.

The autopsy report inside contained a specific analysis of the wounds.

“…Fatal wound: front chest, suspected longsword wound?”

“…Full-body burns, cause: blood magic (Pyromancy, Bloodflame, etc. can all achieve this effect, Pyromancy being more likely.)”

Su Ran also briefly looked at the analysis of the fatal wound.

From the current situation, it seemed the security officers hadn’t yet noticed the weapon she had used.

“Is it okay for me to see this information? Doesn’t it need to be kept confidential?”

Su Ran held up the report in her hand.

Li Shanhai had said the management here was strict, yet the custodian had given her this report to look at freely.

Hearing Su Ran’s question, the custodian shook his head.

“You are a relevant party, and besides, if this report were truly important, it wouldn’t be left here.”

Having received the custodian’s reply, Su Ran didn’t stand on ceremony and began to browse the report directly.

After a short while, Li Shanhai, who had been on the phone, came back.

“The application has been approved. They will call you in a moment.”

As soon as Li Shanhai finished speaking, the custodian’s phone rang.

After answering, he nodded at Li Shanhai, indicating he had received the approval.

“Follow me.”

The custodian walked ahead, leading Su Ran and Li Shanhai further inside.

Su Ran cast a questioning glance at Li Shanhai, as if asking if Miss Dai’s body wasn’t stored here.

Understanding her unspoken question, Li Shanhai explained, “The relatively intact ones are stored up front. The less intact ones are in the back. Speaking of which, we haven’t encountered something like this in ten years.”

Since the vampire attack on the Northern Border Defense City, Jiangbei City, which was relatively close, had been in a state of chaos.

The scattered vampires who broke through the defense line had no retreat and chose to wreak havoc in human cities.

If it weren’t for the Blood Hunters helping to hunt them, there might have been even more murders.

Walking on, the three of them arrived at a room deep inside the morgue.

The custodian pulled open another freezer for them.

The first moment Su Ran saw Miss Dai’s body, she could already feel the residual aura of a Holy Stone on it.

Unlike the Holy Stone aura on Li Ming’s body, the aura on this body was concentrated at the location of the wound.

But the presence of this aura was precisely what proved that Li Ming was connected to the homicide at the Xingfu apartment building.

“Well, can you see anything?”

Li Shanhai asked impatiently.

After all, he had to bear a certain amount of pressure for the approval he had applied for.

If Su Ran could find a clue, it would lighten his burden considerably.

‘If I can avoid being scolded, that’s for the best.’

“My perception of magic essence is keen. On both Li Ming’s and Miss Dai’s bodies, there is an energy different from magic essence clinging to them. That’s why I requested to see the bodies again just now. I can now assert that there is a connection between the two.”

Hearing Su Ran’s words, Li Shanhai lowered his head and thought carefully.

He was not a superhuman, but he did not doubt what Su Ran said.

From his few interactions with her, he understood that she was not one to lie.

“Are you the only one who can sense it?”

Li Shanhai wanted to confirm with Su Ran.

She slowly nodded.

She didn’t know if others could sense the aura of a Holy Stone.

As far as she knew, she was the only one around who had come into contact with one.

“This is going to be difficult.”

Seeing Su Ran nod, Li Shanhai shook his head with a bitter smile.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, but in handling cases, we need evidence for everything. If you’re the only one who can sense it, it can’t really be considered a clue.”

The custodian standing beside Li Shanhai also nodded in agreement with his words.

Seeing this, Su Ran lowered her head, her mind racing, trying to find a solution.

The residual power of the Holy Stone was not much.

Even its suppression of Su Ran’s witch ability wasn’t very strong.

Therefore, Su Ran had already ruled out the idea of demonstrating her witch ability.

Suddenly, Su Ran recalled a detail from when Li Ming attacked her.

At that time, when he faced her, his Sequence One aura had suddenly surged to Sequence Two.

Su Ran had originally thought he had used some special magic to increase his rank.

‘Could he have swallowed a Holy Stone at that time?’

Thinking of this, Su Ran took a step and walked towards the outer morgue.

She needed to go back and look at Li Ming’s autopsy report.

Seeing Su Ran’s hurried manner, Li Shanhai also realized that she must have made a new discovery and quickly followed.

The custodian, seeing the two of them leave in a hurry, stayed behind to clean up.

In that short time, Su Ran had already returned to the freezer outside.

She pulled out Li Ming’s report, not missing any suspicious details.

Her efforts paid off.

Su Ran found a clue in the stomach contents.

“…Solid residue found in the stomach, no magic essence reaction.”

The report only mentioned the stomach contents in passing.

But Su Ran knew that she had moved very quickly to find Li Ming.

‘It’s possible he hadn’t had time to digest the Holy Stone.’

“Where is this thing?”

Su Ran pointed at the column for stomach contents and asked Li Shanhai anxiously.

The solid residue mentioned in the report was very likely the unabsorbed Holy Stone.

“After the stomach contents were examined, the things inside should have been preserved.”

After speaking, Li Shanhai looked at the custodian behind him.

Logically, this item should be in his possession.

Glancing at the spot Su Ran was pointing at, the custodian walked over to the refrigerator, rummaged around, and found a bottle, which he brought to the two of them.

Su Ran sensed the contents of the glass bottle, and her eyes lit up.

Because there was still the aura of a Holy Stone remaining on it.

This was enough to allow others to compare it with the residue on the bodies.