บท 334: Chapter 334: Ghoul
For some things, people tend to have a vague sense of familiarity, which is normal.
But if someone can describe the details, it means they have seen it and were deeply impressed.
Seeing the fleeting surprise on Emilia's face, Saxon responded from his memory.
"Because I have seen it before."
Emilia's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"And this matter is somewhat related to Father York," Saxon continued.
Upon hearing the name Father York, Emilia stared at Saxon.
For her, associating anything with the legendary priest made the matter seem more extraordinary.
"I used to be naive and didn't really believe in the existence of demons or spirits."
Saxon's voice grew deeper.
"So, I watched this person's live stream, because of his priestly status, I spoke to Father York and asked him about the authenticity of the live stream. Guess what Father York said?"
Seeing Emilia's expression turning solemn because of his words,
Saxon did not leave her in suspense and continued.
"Father York said that the live streamer's priestly identity was fake, and he advised me not to engage with such videos."
Saying this, Saxon seemed to recall something, took a deep breath and said pensively.
"I remember the priest said something that left a deep impression on me: 'Do not meddle with things and forces you do not understand, for when you gaze into the abyss, many things in the abyss are also gazing back at you.'"
Emilia understood the implication.
"I understand, I will immediately shut down these paranormal live streams, though the technical process is a bit complex, please give me some time."
"Sure."
Saxon hugged his girlfriend, showing his full support.
After the incident in Thailand, he did not want to encounter a second time.
Who knew what mishaps these paranormal explorations or summoning live streams could accidentally trigger...
Thinking of this, Saxon's expression returned to normal, and he smiled, "Let's not talk about this anymore, I have some good news."
Pondering what to do next, Emilia responded.
"Father York finally has time to officiate our wedding," Saxon happily said.
"Father York is now a bishop, do you know how important this is?"
Emilia smiled, looking at her boyfriend's excited demeanor, and said seriously,
"We must prepare well..."
............…
A secluded neighborhood.
Several buildings mingled together forming a damp alley, entirely cordoned off with several strips of tape.
Several police cars were still flashing their red and blue lights outside.
Residents of the nearby buildings occasionally appeared at their windows, looking towards the scene.
"Another similar case?"
Geoffrey, who hadn't been seen for a long time, dressed in plain clothes, frowned as he approached the crime scene.
The faint smell lingering at the tip of his nose told him this was another serial killing.
This serial murder case, unlike other cases, had an indescribable strangeness.
If it were like another case he had handled before, it would have strong coherence because the victims were all homeless people, which made it easy to guess the killer's motive.
The killer must have had some psychological issues, and likely a low social status, as these homeless people had no valuables or enemies, indicating that the killer derived some psychological satisfaction and pleasure from killing these vulnerable groups.
However, the victims in this serial murder case varied significantly.
The first victim died at the doorstep of his rented villa, his body mutilated beyond recognition, his internal organs gone.
The second victim was a homeless man, found several meters away from his tent, with similar bodily damage, all internal organs missing.
The third victim was a regular at a bar, who died on a street outside the bar, also with his face a bloody mess, his limbs and organs missing.
There was no apparent connection among these three, but the reason he classified these three incidents as part of the same random serial murder case was due to the same foul smell at the crime scenes and the conditions of the victims' deaths.
According to the forensic identification, these three unrelated victims died differently, but one thing that was consistent was that their injuries were the result of some kind of biting.
Moreover, the bite marks left were very similar, and according to several forensics, these were not bites from a ferocious animal, but human bites...
This meant that these victims seemed to have been bitten to death.
"Uh, pretty much,"
Beck, who had arrived early, was visibly exhausted as he handed the current report to Geoffrey.
"Take a look at the scene, and you'll understand."
Beck's words carried an implication, and Geoffrey, taking the report, walked towards the scene.
At the scene, there were already some police officers stationed, or technicians taking photos and looking for clues, making it quite crowded.
Geoffrey first reviewed the current report.
It was similar to the previous three cases.
There was nothing particularly suspicious at the scene.
Geoffrey quickly scanned the environment and noticed that there were no cameras here, making this area effectively a blind spot.
This meant that the chances of solving this case had just diminished.
Geoffrey was accustomed to this situation by now.
The police department was backlogged with unsolved cases like these.
The reason this case was assigned to his special department was because...
Geoffrey covered his nose and mouth, looking at the gruesomely disfigured victim being moved away from the scene, and then at the wall of the building.
There, additional hand and footprints appeared, as if someone had climbed the wall like a gecko and quickly escaped the scene.
This was not something a human could do, yet the wounds on the victim were human-like.
Thus, these two facts were incredibly contradictory.
Where there is contradiction, and seemingly supernatural elements, it usually indicates the presence of supernatural forces.
Geoffrey observed the wall where the dense hand and foot marks extended to another wall, walking slowly with an expressionless face.
Finally, he stopped where the marks ended and turned his gaze to another building's wall across from him.
This second building also bore a trail of hand and foot marks.
It seemed like someone had bitten the victim to death and consumed the internal organs before instantly climbing the walls, jumping from one building to the next.
Piecing together the scene, Geoffrey easily envisioned this scenario. He looked at the wall where the hand and foot marks gradually faded and disappeared, and said gravely,
"This isn't something humans can do, and even if it were possible, it would take an unimaginable amount of time."
Beck, who had grown more mature after handling several paranormal cases, said,
"We've checked where these marks extend to, and they stretch four miles from here, eventually disappearing in another neighborhood..."
This statement highlighted the complexity of the case, indicating it was not something ordinary humans could accomplish.
Climbing from building to building, covering a distance of six or seven kilometers, plus the fresh condition of the marks.
After discussing some superhuman details, Beck asked, "Should we inform Father Archibald?"
Even though Father York had left, there were still clergy at Plutarch Church who could be consulted.
And Father Archibald was one of the clergy assigned, their special department being a government liaison to the church naturally would report up, albeit with different personnel.
"Go ahead, let the church's clergy come take a look, they're more useful than anyone else." Geoffrey sighed.
"They can see details and truths that we ordinary people cannot."
Officials weren't without their special personnel, but regulations were still regulations.
Simply put, the official government for ordinary people didn't involve the church, which had no authority or right to interfere.
But for supernatural and extraordinary matters, exorcisms, or special cases, the church was the official authority, so for safety, they would inform the church and wait for clergy to handle it.
Hearing this, Beck couldn't help but pull out a cigarette from his pocket, placing it in his mouth without lighting it.
Since his wife was expecting a baby, he had quit smoking. Holding the cigarette was just for nostalgia and a semblance of stress relief.
"We need to report this to the cathedral, and then they will assign it, so Father Archibald seems to also need church approval..."
"I kind of miss Father York's days; if he were here, he'd probably be on the scene, and we could resolve this immediately, unlike now, having to wait."
Geoffrey glanced at Beck, who was just posturing, and calmly said,
"There's only one Father York in the world, you know. And now that he's a bishop, he's the youngest bishop in church history, so we'll need to address him differently from now on."
After speaking, Geoffrey turned and walked away.
Beck twitched his mouth, put the cigarette back properly, and looked at the wall filled with bloody hand and footprints, then turned around as well.
"Hey, buddy, wait for me!"
The investigation into the serial random murder case continued.
Two days had passed since Geoffrey reported the matter to the New York Cathedral, including Father Archibald at Plutarch Church.
Meanwhile, another similar murder occurred in the Lis neighborhood, where the hand and footprints had disappeared.
The Lis neighborhood was one of the more dangerous areas in New York, inhabited by many African Americans, including immigrants and illegal immigrants from various countries.
With the presence of gangs, it was a place rife with danger, robberies being commonplace.
Now, the area was on high alert, pedestrians avoiding the cluster of police cars.
Gang members gathered on the street corners, boldly watching the scene unfold.
When they saw a priest in robes appear, they became even rowdier, the atmosphere heating up.
Especially since some of the darker-skinned young men had shadows of firearms at their sides.
Since Geoffrey had previously interfaced with Plutarch Church and received task assignments from Father Archibald, he couldn't help but glance over
and shake his head, heading toward the cordon.
To him, a clergyman deeply influenced by Bishop York, God would not save just anyone.
Geoffrey frowned and looked over.
"Beck, go and warn them to keep it down."
Beck nodded, glanced over, and went to talk to the local police officers.
In places like this, an old hand like him could tell the situation with just a glance.
Gangs being so brazen meant that someone in the police was likely backing them.
After giving his orders, Geoffrey no longer concerned himself with the matter, following Father Archibald into the scene, where it had become quiet.
"Father Archibald,"
Geoffrey looked at the body being carried out from the scene, observing the trail on the small path wall.
"The condition of the deceased is the same as before, and the scene always has these marks, accompanied by a lingering foul smell."
Father Archibald nodded, smelling the stench spreading in the air and looking at the hand and footprints on the wall, his face showing deep solemnity.
"This is the stench of a ghoul."
Geoffrey paused: "A ghoul?"
Father Archibald nodded, although he hadn't been ordained for long, his academic performance at the seminary was excellent.
In the seminary, teachers often brought various things for the clergy to identify.
So, once he smelled this familiar stench, he immediately identified the corresponding creature.
"A ghoul is one of the very dreadful creatures in the demon legion; they are cruel and ferocious, feeding on corpses and typically accompanied by a putrid smell..." Father Archibald said gravely.
Hearing the explanation, Geoffrey's brows furrowed slightly; the term "demon legion" was a very dangerous one, and a strong sense of unease began to rise within him.
"What should we do, Father Archibald?"
Father Archibald remembered the habits of ghouls and frowned.
"Just five bodies won't satisfy their hunger. Ghouls have large appetites and often collaborate with peers for hunting.
Are there any places nearby where bodies are kept? You might want to check if bodies are frequently missing from there. If so, that place is likely a common haunt for ghouls..."
Hearing this, Geoffrey nodded, now having a lead and direction to pursue, making things much more manageable. The most challenging part of a case is often just getting started.
"Understood, Father Archibald, I will look into this."
Father Archibald's expression remained grave: "Be careful, due to their diet of corpses, ghouls are incredibly strong, possess formidable regenerative abilities, and their teeth are sharp enough to easily tear through flesh. If you encounter one, you can use holy water, a blessed cross, or fire against them."
Saying this, Father Archibald looked at the nodding Geoffrey, took a deep breath, and said,
"I also need to report this to the New York Cathedral, to Bishop Romulo. The appearance of a ghoul indicates that a powerful demon is targeting New York."
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