Ch 499: And Within This Big Case, Lies Another

The next day, Bal went to the jail. Although he was the initiator of the public prosecution, he was also responsible for collecting evidence. It can only be said that the gold content of a person holding multiple positions is so high that calling him half the Emperor of Guangyue Town is not a problem. Of course, Bal didn’t intend to be Emperor; he just wanted to guard his small home and live his own small life.

“Bring someone up first, starting with the blonde woman.”

Bal’s reason for choosing this person was simple: this woman was the first to crack under pressure and reveal Xiao Jiu. From an interrogation perspective, this soft persimmon was the easiest to squeeze and the easiest to obtain testimony from. As long as a breakthrough was achieved with her, the probability of several people colluding to overturn the case would be extremely slim, especially since they were held in solitary confinement, as Bal had requested.

The Guard brought the woman to the interrogation room. They did not give her special treatment because she was a woman, nor did they use violence directly because she was a suspect. Their attitude was relatively equal.

“Tell me your name first.”

Bal glanced at the recorder, who nodded to signal that he could begin.

“I… my name is Teris.”

The woman named Teris was very timid; perhaps she was naturally shy.

“Age.”

“23.”

“Tell me why you were catching other people’s pets in the street.”

Although Bal didn’t show any anger, the authority he exuded made Teris on the opposite side feel suffocated.

“I… I…”

Teris’s breathing became increasingly rapid. Seeing that something was wrong, Bal quickly paused the interrogation and called Phia over.

“What’s wrong?”

“This person is hyperventilating. You need to calm her down, otherwise, if she dies in the interrogation room, I’ll be in trouble.”

“I understand.”

Phia reached out toward the woman’s head and began using Soul-Soothing Magic to calm her. A purple light flashed, and the woman’s eyes became clearer, but she became unresponsive.

“What’s going on?”

Phia frowned at the woman. She sensed something was wrong. Bal approached the woman and pressed on her carotid artery. Her pulse was still there, meaning she was still alive.

“I’ll give her a full examination. You all go out for a bit.”

Phia ushered Bal and the recorder out. She took off the woman’s clothes and discovered dark purple marks on her back.

“What is this?”

Phia pressed on the mark. It moved as if alive. She rubbed her eyes, then continued pressing and moved to a mark on her side. The mark moved again. Phia was sure she hadn’t been mistaken. Curious about what it was, she used Pain-Suppression Magic on the woman and conjured a small knife made of Healing Magic.

“Let me see what this thing is.”

Phia precisely cut open the area where the mark was. Although it was only for a moment, Phia saw something hidden under the woman’s skin.

“A Parasitic Creature. How did this get here?”

Phia used Magic Threads to extract the Parasitic Creature from the woman’s body and placed it on the table. The extraction also brought out some of the woman’s flesh, but Phia quickly used Healing Magic to repair her body. Considering that Parasitic Creatures usually carry toxins, Phia also gave the woman a deep detoxification treatment.

Soon, the woman regained consciousness. Looking at the dark purple Parasitic Creature on the table, her expression twisted.

“Ah, AAAAAAHHHHH!”

Seeing the woman’s emotional agitation, Phia used Soul-Soothing Magic again. Bal and the recorder outside, having heard the woman’s scream, disregarded etiquette and barged into the interrogation room.

“What happened?”

Seeing Bal enter, Phia put her finger to her lips to signal silence, then pointed to the Parasitic Creature on the table.

“What is that?”

“A Parasitic Creature from the Demonic Territory. It’s rare; it’s my first time seeing one. I’ve only heard of such things before; I thought they were extinct.”

“She’s clearly human.”

“Good question. I didn’t find any invasive wounds on her. I suspect someone close to her infected her. Have you seen any Demon Race people around her?”

Bal recalled the Demon Wolf Tribe male he had severely beaten.

“There was indeed a Demon Wolf Tribe male. You forgot? The guy I beat to the ground.”

“Hiss……Where is he now?”

“Report, he was sent to the clinic for treatment.”

The recorder answered Phia’s question, and Phia continued to ask.

“Which clinic? That guy may be carrying dangerous creatures. Quickly find everyone who has entered and exited the clinic since he was sent there; otherwise, the town will be in big trouble.”

Seeing Phia’s serious expression, the recorder understood the gravity of the situation. Just as he was about to leave, Phia spoke again.

“Gather the people involved in the arrest as well.”

“Yes!”

The recorder left. Phia turned to Bal.

“You… although I trust your constitution, for safety’s sake, let me check you.”

Bal nodded. He took off his jacket and gloves as Phia instructed. After a thorough examination, Phia confirmed that Bal had no signs of infection or parasitism, but…

“Drink less alcohol. Your liver isn’t as good as before. Don’t overeat; your digestive function is also slightly unhealthy.”

“Uh… is there a cure?”

“As long as you don’t oppose me, there is.”

“Great!”

“Don’t celebrate too early. We’ve missed a possible source of infection.”

“Who?”

“Xiao Jiu.”

Hearing about Xiao Jiu, Bal panicked. After arranging for someone to send Teris back to the jail, he had Phia teleport him home. Xiao Jiu had really suffered, first being caught, and then being implicated in the Parasitic Creature. The poor little thing.

Back home, Bal found Philia playing with Xiao Jiu in the backyard.

“Philia, come here, bring Xiao Jiu too.”

Philia was very obedient. She carried Xiao Jiu to Bal, and Phia immediately scanned them both.

“No problem. Xiao Jiu is healthy, just… a little fat.”

Xiao Jiu was a little upset when Phia said it was fat. It didn’t dare to get angry with Phia, the family’s head housekeeper, so it flew up to scratch Bal.

“Why are you scratching me? I didn’t say you were fat!”

Bal caught Xiao Jiu and pinched its face. Just as they all breathed a sigh of relief, a member of the Self-Defense Force knocked on the door of Bal’s House.

“Hmm? What is it? I’ll go see.”

Phia went out. About ten minutes later, she returned with a grim expression.

“Something’s wrong.”