Chapter 645: Aftermath

The process of trying to write down the extraordinary knowledge that ‘flashed’ in his mind and put it on paper was actually quite interesting.

The same “point” could be repeatedly revised and summarized in a single sentence, or it could be elaborated into a thesis, combined with the Hunter Association’s theories.

In fact, as Wayne recalled the contents of the Silent Sect’s ritual handbook, some parts seemed to become easier to understand.

For example, the extraordinary materials from other domains used in the ritual always appeared in opposing “pairs,” likely needing to be “acid-base neutralized” to ultimately highlight the “death” domain’s tone of the entire ritual.

—This also indirectly corroborated the extraordinary knowledge Wayne vaguely knew: “all extraordinary powers across all domains fundamentally share a core commonality.”

However, Wayne, who was attempting to swim in the ocean of extraordinary knowledge, was soon pulled back into the real world.

The sun was still bright, and dinner time clearly hadn't arrived when Doug knocked on the door. “Sir, some police officers are here to visit.”

Wayne asked Doug to lead them to the small guest cabin first, then put away his draft, written in simplified Chinese characters, before going out to meet them.

Handshakes, pleasantries, and then they all sat down. The police officers’ visit was within Wayne’s expectations; after all, free citizens with legitimate identities (academy students and Cathedral Monks) had been attacked within the city’s jurisdiction. It was only right and proper for the police to investigate and generally inform the involved parties.

“Mr. Wayne, we have launched a preliminary investigation into the attack you experienced in the Dock Area. Currently, the bodies left at the scene have been confirmed to be Aierlan Gang members. Have you had any previous conflicts or disputes with them?”

The results of the police investigation were consistent with what Wayne currently knew.

He didn't rush to answer, instead asking about the matter he cared more about: “How are the two Cathedral Monks who were attacked with me doing?”

The lead officer quickly replied, “One of the Monks was largely unharmed. As for the other… he is still in a coma.”

“I left the scene early, so I’m not aware of the subsequent situation. What did that Monk say?” Wayne pressed further.

This directly related to the “nature” of the incident. If that group had indeed returned for a “killing blow,” then the intention to silence them would be very obvious. Even if some of the attackers had escaped, they would likely not escape the gallows.

“According to his description, Mr. Wayne, when you left the scene, the attack had already completely stopped. Although unidentified individuals arrived near the scene afterward, they did not attack them again. Unfortunately, he chose to protect his companion at the time and did not leave the alley to confirm their identities.”

“As for Monk Grant, who is in a coma… he does not have particularly severe gun wounds. According to the medical team’s speculation, he likely suffered an impact during the process of falling from his horse.”

The officer paused slightly here, then continued, “Today, officers patrolling the Dock Area received a report and found firearms and several bodies in a dark alley in the Aierlan neighborhood. They were also Aierlan Gang members.”

Wayne had a faint guess: “What is the police’s conclusion?”

“Combining the entire sequence of events, we speculate that the bodies in the dark alley are the other accomplices who participated in the attack. Some of them died on the spot, and the remaining, although temporarily escaped, were also injured and eventually died from excessive blood loss in the dark alley after fleeing back to their territory.”

The lead officer seemed to find this explanation a bit absurd, and after speaking, he waved his hand, indicating that the conclusion was indeed as stated.

Wayne could roughly understand the police’s intention to close the case this way. The incident involved Cathedral Monks and innocent civilians (himself), so the case had to have a “result.”

However, if they were to investigate further, they would at least need to find out who killed those people. Logically, the attackers were mostly Aierlan Gang members, and they died in the territory of the Ireland Violent Group. It could basically be judged as a gang act. So, the simplest method was to pin all the blame on the attackers.

Anyway, the actual attackers seemed to be dead, with no opportunity to retaliate against the victims again.

From another perspective, regardless of whether the remaining thugs were silenced, they were themselves Dock Area gang members and highly suspected illegal immigrants. In the secular view, their outcome was a case of “evil begetting evil” and not worth serious investigation.

It would be better to move on quickly and strive for a happy ending for all.

Understanding was one thing, but this was clearly not the outcome Wayne wanted. He thought for a moment and still raised an objection:

“I didn't have much conflict with the Aierlan people in the Dock Area before. Instead, I had a dispute with another ‘Sailor Gang.’ I wonder if you have heard about another case involving me, where someone falsely accused me of murdering a journalist. The trial is expected to begin soon. To my knowledge, the witnesses related to that case all seem to be connected to the ‘Sailor Gang.’ I believe they have a stronger motive to plan the attack.”

The lead officer seemed about to explain, “Mr. Wayne, this…”

Wayne raised his hand to stop him, his attitude firm: “I understand the police’s judgment, but I still stand by my opinion.”

The officers clearly hadn’t expected Wayne to react this way. They were all a bit stunned for a moment, exchanging glances and silently expressing their emotions.

Wayne didn’t argue with them. The officers were only sent to report the situation, and many decisions were not up to them. They just needed to report the results truthfully.

The current situation was actually very simple: the police had given a conclusion, and if the victims had no objections, then the case could be smoothly closed.

But now that Wayne had expressed his disagreement with this conclusion, the police either had to persuade him, or they could only attribute the reason for the “attack” to the Cathedral Monks.

However, if the police characterized the cause of the case as the thugs attempting to target the Cathedral or the Monks, the nature of the attack would be completely different. Gang members using force to attack the Church, in the entire America Federation, would probably be considered a “major case” with a severe impact, and it would be even less likely to be easily concluded.

Thus, the possible “happy ending for all” had “stubbornly turned into a dead end.” Compared to the two options, Wayne estimated that the police would still be more inclined to continue persuading him. With this back-and-forth, he could gain time and the legitimacy to counterattack.

Wayne didn’t intend to make things difficult for the police, but for now, he still needed this pretext of “being attacked” and couldn’t let the case be closed so quickly. Even if the police didn’t plan to follow up, the Detective Agency could investigate it themselves.

After his initial surprise, the lead officer indeed chose to patiently persuade him, “Mr. Wayne, why don’t you reconsider? After all…”

At this moment, Doug quietly walked into the small cabin. With the appearance of an additional person, the officer’s words were forced to stop.

At Wayne’s signal, Doug leaned close and whispered to him: “Sir, Miss Harley Quinn is here to visit Miss Inessa and Miss Lina, but she said she has a ball to attend tonight and has important matters she wants to tell and ask you about in a timely manner.”

Isn’t Lina still at the workshop? Couldn’t she just relay the message…

Wayne took the opportunity to see off his guests, smiling at the officers, “I have something else to attend to. Perhaps we can talk another time?”

The lead officer was also tactful. He stood up and shook Wayne’s hand in response: “We will relay your opinion, Mr. Wayne.”