Chapter 733
Is This What You Call an Interrogation?
After the unexpected incident that just occurred, Honey Badger keenly sensed something was amiss. Although she had no idea of the specifics, she was certainly an expert when it came to “killing.” Causing such a major event in broad daylight meant the next step would undoubtedly be to seal off the scene and interrogate the guests.
Attempting to escape at such a time would make her a prime suspect, even if she were innocent. Based on her understanding of the authorities, if they couldn’t track her down after a search, they might pin some unsolved cold cases on her. After all, if they couldn’t catch the culprit anyway, it would be more understandable to have a “proven culprit they haven’t caught yet” than to have “no clue who the killer is.”
The Eagle Eye assassins had already taken the blame for many similar situations. For instance, when they successfully assassinated a politician, several other people would inexplicably die. Naturally, they couldn’t come forward to argue, “Oh no, we only killed these few people, those others weren’t us,” so they had to bear the burden. Ultimately, the Eagle Eye organization craved “deterrence.” Their original motivation was to become “judges of the Children of the Moon and their followers,” to prevent ordinary people from embarking on that path or attempting to collaborate with them. Being able to use this incident for publicity, instead of having their assassinations suppressed as usual, was actually a good thing for them. It was a win-win situation, a “silent collaboration.”
However, even though she had no identity and was essentially a non-registered person in Star Antinomy, she wasn’t overly panicked. When she was still weak in the past, she had become accustomed to questioning and interrogations. Now, even as a strong individual, she hadn’t forgotten the survival skills she’d learned as a weaker person. Honey Badger was confident she could fool the police’s questioning and obtain crucial information.
“Ding dong ding.”
“Please come in,” Honey Badger said.
That was her thought process right up until the moment Alistair, wearing a Star Antinomy police uniform, pushed the door open and entered the private room. For a fleeting moment, Honey Badger almost lost her composure. She never expected to see Miss Alistair again so soon, and under such circumstances.
The two Bunny Girls who accompanied her blinked. They too easily recognized the noble and elegant black-haired lady from before.
“…What’s with the outfit?” Honey Badger asked, a hint of helplessness in her voice. “Can’t you even wear it properly?”
Alistair wasn’t wearing a shirt or tie underneath; instead, she wore her own red and black dress. A slightly oversized female police jacket was loosely draped over her shoulders, not even properly fitted, with her shoulders not even inside the sleeves. It gave Honey Badger an urge to help her put on the jacket correctly.
“Because the Superintendent insisted I wear this before letting me into the scene…” Alistair said, casually shrugging off the jacket and tossing it aside. She sat down on the sofa next to Honey Badger and, with practiced ease, reclined comfortably. She propped her legs on Honey Badger’s lap, placed a pillow at the corner of the L-shaped sofa, and settled in. Alistair complained in a low voice, “This ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ has decent technology, but there’s a lot of room for improvement in terms of comfort—this sofa is so soft, yet the seats in this high-tech vehicle are so stiff. Can’t they do some ergonomic optimization…”
“Judging by your demeanor…” Honey Badger, seeing Alistair so calm, guessed that her progress had been fruitful. “You must have gained quite a bit?”
“Mm, but I won’t tell you yet. To prevent you from being biased when you tell me later.” Alistair hummed softly. “Let’s talk about what happened on your end—and you two ladies can chime in anytime.”
“…Is this, an interrogation?” The younger of the two Bunny Girls was quite surprised.
“Yes. Come… sit here.” Alistair smiled and beckoned her closer, helping herself to a head massage. Then, she comfortably maintained her relaxed and indulgent posture, listening to Honey Badger’s account.
Honey Badger shared everything she had witnessed: Even from a fleeting glimpse, she could tell that the severed limbs had been torn apart by immense power. The wounds were not from cutting, nor were they from being split. She had once seen a Demon Scholar summon a colossal demon’s claw that tore a human body in half. The posture of the corpses then was quite similar. To tear a complete human body into pieces with bare hands, without any tools, and without repeated twisting or bending… this would require at least a Third Tier Power, and specifically the Path that enhanced physical strength.
In that instant, Honey Badger realized the killer’s motive. It must have been “to vent rage.”
“Just like repeatedly pounding a sandbag… not for training, nor to break through it,” Alistair nodded, offering her assessment. “But simply to release excess power and restless energy.”
“Exactly,” Honey Badger confirmed. “Undoubtedly, important figures who can enter the VIP room are unlikely to have any conflict or hatred towards the Blood Slaves here. Even if they did, they wouldn’t need to act in broad daylight.”
Therefore, he must have been deceived or had his mind influenced— “He already harbored immense anger in his heart, and after being affected by some Extraordinary Power, he suddenly projected his rage. After satisfying his urge, he felt immense fulfillment. In that state of self-satisfaction where he lost his reason, he chose to open the visualization knob, displaying all the ‘work’ he had done to everyone. At that point, he had completely disregarded the trouble he would face if this incident were discovered. He simply wanted to display his ‘strength’—analyzing from this psychological perspective, I believe his dissatisfaction and anger were directed at his personal capabilities.” Honey Badger further analyzed, “He committed that atrocity precisely to prove he ‘could do it.’ In other words, he doubted his own existence and abilities… he felt self-conscious subconsciously.”
Alistair nodded and continued, “You’re right, it’s exactly what I thought.”
“Young lady, this kind of…” Honey Badger paused. “Sudden killing intent… it’s not the first time, is it?”
“Clever. As expected of you, so professional.” Alistair praised. Just as every detective is the best murderer and phantom thief, this statement, in a sense, also holds true. In front of one of the world’s strongest assassins, the exposed clues and motives were as conspicuous and within reach as vegetables in a field.
“This kind of sudden incident started this week, happening once a day. Today is the fifth time. The characteristic is that each person suddenly performs a crazy act for which they previously had a fleeting thought but were quickly restrained by reason.” Alistair stated calmly, with a meaningful glance at Honey Badger. “For example, you might dislike me and want to stab me. Under normal circumstances, it would just be a thought… because you know what would happen if you did it. But under the guidance of this special power, the moment you think ‘I want to stab her,’ your body has already started to act—according to the descriptions from the perpetrators of the previous incidents, this power operates exactly like that.”
“…And then?” Honey Badger keenly caught the part Alistair hadn’t mentioned. “When did they regain consciousness afterwards?”
“—Almost ‘immediately’,” Alistair replied. “That’s why I say this isn’t a loss of reason, nor is it falling into madness. It’s just that reason’s control over the body was delayed.”
But Honey Badger’s brow furrowed deeply. Alistair noticed this and said, “Feel free to share any ideas you have, don’t worry about misleading me—I’m not that easily misled.”
“…Yes. What I’m thinking is… this doesn’t seem like the act of a Child of the Moon. Or rather, this doesn’t seem like something an Extraordinary of the Path of Love would do.” Honey Badger pondered for a moment and explained, “They emphasize the importance of desire, believing desire to be an important component of personality and self. If an Extraordinary practitioner of the Path of Love planned this conspiracy, they would likely focus on ‘expanding desire’.”
“Although the direction is different, it’s the same as my idea,” Alistair nodded. “However, I can basically rule out one incorrect answer for you—this is indeed not the work of a Child of the Moon. Because I’ve recognized it—this is a large-scale Ritual.”
(End of Chapter)
