Chapter 31 (1/2)

Translator: Atlas Studios

Editor: Atlas Studios

“…”

The silence stretched for as long as ten seconds.

In the end, Chu Chongtian was still the one who had to break the silence while being somewhat embarrassed.

“Aren’t there any special changes when the mission is completed? Like a ray of light shining down from the sky or our injuries healing? Actually, I’m a little hungry now. Can it take my hunger away?”

“We’ll know when it comes. Now’s not the time to be talking about this,” said Zhou Zhenguo. “Looks like this guy isn’t the Ripper.”

“How can that be? He came back after going missing. Every aspect fits perfectly,” said Chu Chongtian. “Does our mission even include the hidden condition of catching him? Why is the mission so vague!?”

Chu Chongtian was rather worked up, so he was unable to keep his indignation under control anymore.

Zhou Zhenguo remained very calm. “Missions have always been rather careless in the way they’re set. It’ll be fine once you get used to it.”

“The address, the address.”

Chu Chongtian looked back down and found Grimm Bree’s residential address.

“Come, let’s go and catch him!” Chu Chongtian lifted his head and shifted his gaze to Zhou Zhenguo and Tang Luo.

“Calm down.” Zhou Zhenguo said, “In my opinion, it may not necessarily be this guy.”

‘Why?” Chu Chongtian gasped sharply.

“Very simple,” replied Zhou Zhenguo. “Do you think someone who survived being abducted and forced to undergo cruel human experiments would still show himself so openly in the city again?”

“This…” Chu Chongtian realized his oversight.

If he had been the one who had survived being abducted and experimented on, even if he had to face the choice of taking revenge instead, he still wouldn’t openly show himself for sure.

Wasn’t that simply sending himself straight to death’s door?

“There’s a higher chance that the Ripper is among these people instead.” Zhou Zhenguo pointed at the ten-odd people who were still marked as Missing. “Master, what do you think?”

Tang Luo shook his head. “Amitabha, this monk’s thoughts are not on these issues.”

“Huh?”

Both Zhou Zhenguo and Chu Chongtian were stunned for a moment.

‘What’s the meaning of that!

‘Master, don’t give up on thinking!

‘You’re the most important combat force h… uhh, fine, it seems like it’s alright even if you give up on thinking about this.’

“This monk is only waiting for the Ripper to show up and then kill him. The two benefactors here can decide our next course of action. This monk will join you in the operation,” said Tang Luo.

“Just like the other time on the second night,” mumbled Chu Chongtian.

What had happened on the second night?

He had dressed up as a woman to act as bait and attracted Hodge and Jack the Ripper’s attention.

The situation right now seemed pretty much the same.

The trio was going around the city. They were prey but also hunters at the same time.

When thinking about it this way, it didn’t seem like there was much use deliberating so much over this, right?

No wonder Master Xuanzang stopped thinking altogether—no, more like he couldn’t be bothered to think that much anymore.

“Wait.” Something suddenly occurred to Chu Chongtian. “Surely there’s a limit to Jack the Ripper’s operable range when he wants to possess someone! It can’t possibly cover the whole city, right?”

“What you mean is—!” Zhou Zhenguo also thought of something. “The map!”

The two of them gathered the files and headed downstairs.

It was naturally impossible for most typical small cities to mass-manufacture maps for sale.

However, as the public security bureau, the Cotland Yard detectives needed to be very clear on addresses and whatnot during deployment.

As such, a hand-drawn map of the city was hung in the main hall downstairs, so that the detectives could refer to it and keep it in mind when going in and out so as to prevent embarrassing incidents, like getting lost while out on an investigation, from happening.

The map wasn’t very new, probably made quite a few years ago. It wasn’t very detailed, either. But to Zhou Zhenguo and the other two, it was sufficient.

“The church, the hotel, Hodge…”

The few spots where they had encountered Jack the Ripper were marked out and then followed by the addresses of the people that were still missing and the places where murders took place before the large-scale massacres began.

Even if the Ripper had been tailing Tang Luo and the others ever since they had appeared, he couldn’t have been tailing them before that too, right?

Surely someone who wanted to go into hiding after returning to his hometown would at least loiter a bit more near his home no matter what?

There would more or less be a range of activities for his murders.

To Cotland Yard, this range of activity was too large. There was no way to determine it at all. But if they were to include the addresses of the missing persons too, then it would be a different matter altogether.

“The slums, that’s right. Places like these are the best for hiding. How many people would pay attention to one more homeless person? It’s these five people!”

The two of them determined the five that were the most likely to be Jack the Ripper, as well as their old residential addresses.

“Do we go over to their homes?” Chu Chongtian asked, “The Ripper may not necessarily be hiding at home, right?”

“No, we’re going there to look for evidence,” replied Zhou Zhenguo.

“Will he leave any conclusive evidence at home?” asked Chu Chongtian.

“Maybe.” Zhou Zhenguo added, “Even if there isn’t any, we should still head there anyway and destroy the houses.”

“Huh?” Chu Chongtian didn’t quite understand.

This wasn’t the time to be venting their anger on these people’s houses, was it?