Chapter 27 The Prime Culprit

"Wishing power?" Dane's heart tightened, "What is that?"

"Er... He said it was something like spiritual force. To be honest, I'm not quite sure what he means, but as long as I can afford it, I will definitely use it to find you." Judy lowered her head, "In any case, Mr. Zhao at least didn't break his word."

"How foolish!" Dane's face turned bitter as a gourd upon hearing this, "The less clear it is, the more you should not agree lightly! Think about it, would any normal person ask for your spiritual force? That person is probably not any detective at all, but a..."

"What?"

"A member of the Heretical Cult." Dane said under his breath.

Judy shook her head repeatedly and immediately rejected the idea, "Impossible... I've dealt with him several times and although he seems mysterious, his actions and words are quite normal, not like the hysterical zealots in the rumors. And I've never heard of any heretical cult that needs to collect wishing power..."

"Which heretical cult member would put what they truly want out in the open? I'm afraid what he wants is not your wishing power, but your soul—"

Suddenly, a knock interrupted Dane's words.

"Miss Judy, we have some trouble." Zhou Zhi's voice came from outside the door, "That woman is not going to last much longer."

"I'm coming right now!" Judy patted Dane's shoulder, signaling him to rest well, then stood up and walked toward the room where another victim lay.

She had barely entered the room for a few seconds and had not had the chance to check the woman's condition before she heard the faint sound of the door being locked behind her.

Turning around, Judy once again saw the detective who had been missing for some time.

"You—" she jumped in surprise, "When did you get here! Where have you been before this?"

"I had some things to arrange, so I got held up," Chaoyang removed his felt hat, walked slowly to the bedside, and sat down, "But I knew those two would protect Mr. Dane and escape from the theater, and even in my absence, it wouldn't hinder the eventual outcome."

As he spoke, he took out a paper tube from his chest and unrolled it, revealing the 'contract' they had signed earlier. "Now that the prayer is answered, the contract concludes, and it's time for your part to be fulfilled."

Judy involuntarily swallowed.

So the victim's near demise was a ruse? Did he intentionally have his subordinate separate herself from Dane to create an opportunity for a private meeting?

The phrase "what he wants is your soul" suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Yes, maybe wishing power was just a ruse...

But if she had known this beforehand, would she have refused his help?

With this thought, Judy stood up and bowed deeply to Chaoyang.

"What are you doing..." he was taken aback.

"I should have thanked you earlier for everything you've done. I hope it's not too late now... Thank you for saving Dane's life!"

Indeed, the answer was clear. In a desperate situation, she wouldn't easily let go of even a straw floating on the water.

"For what was agreed upon in the contract, you need not..."

"The contract only mentioned finding Dane's whereabouts, and in fact... my expectations of you were limited to that before," Judy mustered her courage and blurted out, "You didn't have to start the rescue, or openly confront the police, yet you still reached out and led Dane out of peril. For that, I truly have nothing to offer in return. So... take whatever you want! Because even if I had to do it all over again, I would make the same choice!"

"Is that so... I understand." Chaoyang handed her a pen and pointed to the end of the scroll, "Then please sign your name in this column. Yes, right in this blank space. Remember to use your real name."

"My real name is Judy." She took a deep breath and signed her name.

After the final stroke, Judy felt an intense wave of fatigue overwhelm her, making her sway slightly. However, the tiredness came quickly and left just as fast, and she soon felt normal again, except for a slight emptiness inside.

With that, the contract is complete," Chaoyang put away the paper tube.

"That's it... just like that?" she blinked.

"That's right," he paused for a moment before adding, "Ah... right, you might feel a bit uncomfortable at first, as you've lost some spiritual force, but it will recover after some rest over time."

"So... you don't want my soul?" Judy asked tentatively.

Chaoyang smiled, "I never take anything beyond what's stipulated in the contract. It should remain as it is, you can rest assured of that."

Judy suddenly choked up, "You... You are a good person!"

"Hey, you shouldn't say that."

"You have no idea how anxious I was at that time. I tried every method I could think of, begged everyone I could, but nothing worked at all!" Judy said, wiping her eyes, "I was nearly in despair until you showed up..."

It took her a while to regain her composure. "I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself just now."

"I understand." Chaoyang nodded.

Judy, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, quickly changed the subject to the woman lying motionless on the bed. "By the way, how is she doing? Is she just unconscious and weak like Dane was?"

"No, she's dying," Chaoyang said bluntly.

"What?"

"She has been subjected to severe torture. It's a wonder she has held on until now." He sighed softly, "Just lift the blanket and you'll see."

Judy did as she was told and then gasped in shock!

What a ravaged body it was! Whip scars and burn wounds were everywhere, new and old scars stacked upon each other. Many of the wounds had festered, and the oozing pus had glued the skin to the robe! Such severe injuries could not have been inflicted over just a day or two; they were clearly not simply the result of imprisonment, but of prolonged torture.

Moreover, Judy noticed the woman's dark-tanned skin and the light white, wave-like patterns on her shoulders. This indicated that the woman was not from the mainstream ethnic groups of the Old Continent, but rather a rare descendant of the Haiwei Clan. As for the specific type, Judy was not sure, but such ethnic minorities typically occupied the lowest echelon in Magnificent Castle.

"Detective, what in the world is going on? Why would the North City Police Department arrest her and Dane and go to such lengths to kill them?" Judy murmured.

"Dane was just a fish that took the bait, thinking he was an investigator, but in reality, he was prey caught in a trap," Chaoyang stated plainly, "and this woman is a... miner from Gaotian Mining Company. Of course, that's not quite accurate, since she was not employed willingly, but was enslaved. There are many like her in the mining company."

Judy looked surprised, "How do you know this?"

Because she is communicating with me, Chaoyang thought.

In his view, the woman was not unconscious; she was earnestly looking at him, sending out her pleas. It was a communication of consciousness, audible only to him.

"The real culprit is not Ghost. He's just the executioner! I have many brothers and sisters who have died at his hands, but before that, they were all detained in a house in the north of the city! That is Mr. Kuiqi's property, the chief of the North City Police Department, and he is the one giving the orders!"

"Why would he do that?" Chaoyang asked in his mind.

"Because Gaotian Mining Company is the main sponsor of the North City Police Department. If we die in the mines, it will affect the mining operations, so they don't want to see any workers die there. Those they don't wish to see alive are handed over to the North City Police Department. Moreover, the police department has its own agenda in making it complex."

"What agenda?"

"I don't know the details, I've only heard the officers talk about it, and there are also people outside the police department who are interested in this, seemingly from the Old Continent side."

The Old Continent... that was a new term for Chaoyang.

"Then why would they still torture you? These wounds weren't caused in the mines, were they?"

"Because they wanted to get information about some people from me," the woman's voice grew lower.

"Can you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, I can't reveal it to you now, as it is quite important." Her voice suddenly grew urgent, "You're not an ordinary person, right? We all knew the trap Ghost set, yet you were able to bring me out of it. That's not something an ordinary person could do! I just heard you fulfilled that lady's wish; so, could you fulfill a wish for me too? I'm willing to pay any price, even if i have to offer my soul!"

Chaoyang shook his head, then realizing she couldn't see him, replied in his mind, "I'm afraid not. You don't have what I need, and I never help people for free."

As it turned out, his estimates were spot on. After settling with Judy, the wishing power he received totaled about twelve hundred—indeed more than last time. But after deducting expenses, only about a hundred points remained, making it less profitable than before. Of course, breaking even was a fortunate outcome, as wishing power is not like money that can be earned back once spent. If his wishing power ran out, he would drop dead on the spot. The remaining wishing power, added to the two hundred profit from before, was his lifesaving capital, and he had to find a new source of wishing power before he expired.

And clearly, the woman before him was no longer an option.

Her life was like a candle in the wind, at any moment prone to being extinguished, which was a major taboo for contract signing—once the petitioner died, the contract would be terminated, and all invested resources would yield no return. Besides, the amount of wishing power was tied to the person; how much could a dying person with barely a breath offer, even if it was all they had?

"What do you need? I'll give you anything! This is my last wish, please, help me!"

"As I said... I deal in wishing power, not souls. Such a thing requires the petitioner's soul to be full of life and vigor, and the wish to be made with sincere earnestness," Chaoyang sighed. He didn't want her to end up like this, but demons are not wish-making machines, and there were many things he could not do. Even so, he opened his Lingxi vision to look at the woman, to let go completely.

But the sight stopped Chaoyang in his tracks.

He saw a pillar of dazzling, pure white light! Under the dim kerosene lamp, the column of light was so thick and splendid, shining like a beacon in a city that never sleeps!