The Giant Tree Awakening Abilities

Alexander entered the house, and Duke followed quietly. Inside, he noticed not only a cluster of red light but also a pea-sized green light. Duke picked up these two lights, and they immediately transformed into red and green crystals. He didn't rush to absorb the energy from the crystals; instead, he began observing his surroundings.

In this room, there were no signs of struggle or conflict. The soil on the ground was quite solid, with no unusual scents, indicating that the deceased hadn't been buried here. However, the black-red marks on the ground caught Duke's attention.

"This is..." Duke's brain suddenly lit up. He recalled the special solution produced when Alexander and the others had dissolved an infected individual. Similar marks were left on the ground. He found it intriguing at the time and had committed it to memory.

These marks were extremely subtle and had no distinct odor. If it weren't for Duke's awakened ability, no one would likely have noticed these traces of body disposal.

"It looks like this person might be dead." Duke said.

By this time, Alexander had exited the house. He spat out a mouthful of saliva and then quietly lit a cigarette.

"This is bad." Alexander felt quite frustrated. Judging from the time the homeowner had left, it hadn't been long since they vacated—approximately 2 to 3 days.

  This meant that the homeowner had likely left ahead of time. Not long after, he received a call from Martha, "Captain, we've investigated. All these people have gone missing."

"How long have they been missing?" Alexander inquired.

"Some people disappeared months ago, while others vanished just recently."

Martha reported the names and circumstances of those people. Alexander took out his phone and cross-referenced the information with the list.

"The ones who chose 'Accepted' have been missing for a while, while the 'Declined' individuals disappeared more recently..." Alexander grew increasingly uneasy as he thought it through. He couldn't fathom the second possibility anymore; these people were undoubtedly eradicated by Greg. There weren't many people in all of J City who could possess this kind of ability, and Greg happened to be one of them.

"Alright, I understand." Alexander crushed his cigarette butt fiercely, feeling deeply frustrated. If it were an ordinary person, he would have captured and interrogated them without hesitation. But now, he knew the connection to Greg, and he couldn't arrest him, which was an extremely uncomfortable feeling.

"I found some marks over here." Just then, Alexander noticed Duke waving at him.

"What's going on?" Alexander was considering whether there might be another breakthrough.

Duke pointed to the black-red marks on the ground. Alexander glanced at them, originally not paying much attention. However, when he crouched down to observe them closely, his expression suddenly turned suspicious.

"Are these traces of the dissolving solution?" Alexander asked, puzzled.

"Yes, I noticed this when you went inside the house. I spotted it outside. Do you think the people here were killed?"

"Seems highly likely!" Alexander exclaimed excitedly. He felt this was tremendous news. There weren't many ways to obtain dissolving solution; typically, the deceased in the slums would be discarded into the garbage mountain. Only those who needed complete eradication would use the solution.

Although this two-story house was located within the slums, it could be considered a mansion within the slums. It was a considerable distance from the residential area, making it highly plausible for the homeowner to be murdered and their body disposed of.

"You, young man. If you don't find a school after you graduate, come to our law enforcement bureau. With you around, who needs a search dog!" Alexander laughed, paying no attention to Duke's displeased expression.

Upon hearing Alexander's words, Duke could only tilt his head helplessly, not wanting to engage further. Alexander chuckled heartily, paying no mind to Duke's irritation. He picked up a small shovel, dug up the soil tainted with the dissolving solution, and placed it into a transparent bag. The soil contained black-red traces, resembling dried bloodstains.

"Greg's underlings don't handle things cleanly, huh? But I have to thank them," Alexander muttered to himself. At this moment, he was grateful he brought Duke along. Although he could eventually find clues with his team in the surrounding area, there were still many other individuals on the list they needed to address.

"For the people living within the city, even if they're killed, their bodies can't be disposed of as easily as in the outskirts. We might miss other clues," Alexander stated.

"With this evidence, is it enough?" Duke finally felt relieved and began to curiously examine the red crystal in his hand, trying to understand its function.

"Not enough," Alexander shook his head, looking at Duke with a smirk. "Kid, sometimes being too clever can backfire on you! Alright, even though it's not enough, at least I can arrest someone. Keeping him detained for 48 hours means he won't get to decide whether to confess or not."

Seeing Alexander's triumphant look, a shiver ran down Duke's spine, and he also felt sympathy for Greg. He knew Alexander wasn't an ordinary cop; he was the City Captain of the official Enforcement Bureau. His excitement just now was likely a way to intimidate Duke.

Alexander dialed the phone, informing Martha that he had found evidence and was preparing to apprehend someone directly. Martha seemed somewhat concerned, advising him to proceed with caution, but Alexander paid no heed, instructing her to capture Greg's underlings first.

"Hey, Martha, I found evidence here and plan to arrest someone directly! You should catch this guy first," Alexander said and hung up the phone.

Once Alexander returned, he could conduct a DNA test on the blood-soaked soil. If they could determine it belonged to the missing person on the list, it would strengthen the suspicion against Greg.

Alexander pondered skeptically. Although the police might not be able to force a confession from Greg, Alexander had his methods. As a member of the Enforcement Bureau, he possessed more resources and means.

As for Greg's local connections and impact on the local economy, Alexander wasn't concerned. He had only been in J City for a year and barely knew anyone, so he wouldn't give anyone special treatment.

Learning that Greg could be apprehended, Duke breathed a sigh of relief and returned home. With things having progressed to this point, he wasn't greatly affected anymore.

At this moment, Duke's greatest interest lay in the red crystal. He wondered what the previous green crystal's effect was—directly enhancing his Force, for example—so he also wondered about the function of this red crystal.

"The green crystal can directly enhance the Force. What about this red one?" Duke wondered inwardly. Although he had been concerned that absorbing too quickly might attract undue attention, ever since Greg's men had come looking for him, he realized that power was the most fundamental thing.

"Whatever, I don't care. I'll just absorb it directly." Duke eventually decided. He entered the room, closed the door, and a red light instantly entered his body. Immediately after, he felt like the whole world was spinning!

Although Duke's eyes were open, he seemed to witness the meridians and dantian within his body. A colossal tree suddenly rose within the depths of his dantian, towering so high it seemed to touch the black clouds. However, the tree appeared mostly withered, with only a faint trace of vitality at the very bottom of its roots. Simultaneously, a white light sphere resembling a newborn tree branch emerged lightly from the trunk at the base of the giant tree, suspended in the air.

"What is this?" Duke was utterly shocked by the sight before him. He had never heard of awakened individuals having something like this within their bodies. However, in the next moment, he was forcibly pulled out of this mystical state. Nevertheless, a sense of realization flooded his mind.

Duke realized that the white light sphere seemed to represent an awakened ability. So, Duke quietly attempted to activate it. In the next instant, a peculiar sensation spread throughout his entire body.