“‘Mental Wardrobe’… ability return…”
Ashley flipped through the materials confessed by the Cat Loli, her expression grave.
The founder named it the Card Court Society, indicating that the Secret Alliance likely originated from Card Court Town.
Another piece of evidence was that the Lia Orphanage was located by the Bailuo River, and the selected Werewolf and Black Cat sisters both hailed from there.
Card Court was indeed a place convenient for hiding, with both a train station and water transport routes. It had heavy foot traffic, a mix of fish and dragons—merely the canal transport gangs numbered seven or eight, plus many travelers from afar with unclear identities.
From the intelligence gathered so far, the Society President’s ability was unsolvable. No matter how many underlings were taken out, the sub-abilities would return, and there were plenty of people coveting the complete ability, enough to assemble a team of extraordinaries at any time.
However, inspired by the Cat Loli, Ashley thought of a way to crack it: the carriers of the sub-abilities were not unsolvable at all, and were full of vulnerabilities.
When it came to manipulating hearts, she had plenty of experience.
The Cat Loli had joined the Card Court Society early on, but her status was just a number card, with low involvement. It was only last year that she was promoted to the Jack of Spades and granted her ability.
She described the granting process: her superior instructed her to go to a dance hall at the appointed time.
The dance floor was packed with people, strobe lights flashing. She didn’t know who granted her the ability.
From this, it could be inferred that the other members’ granting processes were similar.
The Society President’s identity was the organization’s highest secret; even the name Adelina Tixiang might not be real.
“‘Mental Wardrobe’ sub-abilities can only be granted once. If that person defected from the organization, it would cause massive losses. Therefore, to ensure the abilities returned, there must be someone in the organization responsible for cleaning house, granted assassination-type abilities—possibly more than one, and perhaps their abilities even complemented each other,” Ashley speculated.
“So, you’re using the Cat Loli as bait?” Amber asked.
“I decided that before she turned herself in. Don’t say I abused the prisoner,” Ashley shrugged.
“So from the start, you didn’t arrest her to prevent her from using her ability, thereby drawing out the killer. But since she surrendered, it became tricky instead,” Amber realized.
“Yes, it turned from waiting by the stump for the rabbit into an offensive-defensive battle, but I have another plan.”
Ashley rose and headed to another room, where the Little Blind Girl was receiving treatment from the Little Doctor.
As soon as she entered, an old woman hurriedly stood, placed her hands on her knees, and bowed to her.
The Little Blind Girl’s father had died early, and her mother made a living by washing clothes—even in winter, she had to scrub the hardened, stinking socks of the dock workers in the icy river. Her hands were rough and chapped, with shocking red cracks at the knuckles.
The Little Blind Girl had been kidnapped by the Black Cat on her way to buy clam oil for her mother.
Ashley’s gaze skipped over her and turned to the Little Doctor. “How is she?”
Yinsu Helin was twirling a thin needle on the blind girl’s forehead and couldn’t turn back. “Her eyes are healthy, but she’s suffering from a rare ‘Veil Disease.’ I’ve only seen cases of this tricky condition in my family’s books—there’s a layer of biomaterial membrane under the skin from her forehead to the bridge of her nose, blocking her eyes like a veil.”
“Is there a way to treat it?” Ashley asked.
“As long as we sever a few supplying blood vessels, the membrane will gradually atrophy and be absorbed by the body,” the Little Doctor replied.
Ashley took 20 pounds in banknotes from her wallet and handed them to the old woman.
“Buy two tickets to Fountain City, take your daughter and leave. I’ll have the police escort you.”
Words of thanks reached the old woman’s lips, but her attitude was cold and intimidating, so she didn’t dare speak, accepting the money with both hands without daring to ask more.
But she knew this Tribunal official was a great good person.
The miracle she had prayed for day and night with tears had happened—her poor blind daughter was back by her side.
And from her words, there seemed to be a sliver of possibility that her daughter’s eyes could be restored!
The old woman sobbed uncontrollably, her knees trembling as she tried to kneel and kowtow.
“Don’t thank me. This is what she deserves—the courage to bet everything in desperation saved her and me.”
Ashley dispatched two officers to escort the mother and daughter away.
With the great battle imminent, it wasn’t wise to leave vulnerable related parties behind.
—
Time came around to night again.
Card Court Town police station cell.
Originally a six-person cell, but to avoid implicating the innocent, only the Cat Loli was locked inside. It was so empty it made one’s heart race.
“Damn Ashley, big liar!”
The Cat Loli lay on the bed, hands covering her rear, filled with grief and indignation.
She had wanted to escape the fiery pit, but Ashley had kicked her right back in and even slammed the lid on top!
The cell had no windows, so moonlight couldn’t enter—only a dim oil lamp illuminated a five-meter radius, beyond which were only vague outlines.
She shouted at the iron bars: “Hey! Is anyone there?! I’m hungry!”
No response. The empty corridor didn’t even have a patrolling officer.
The Cat Loli’s pupils trembled as she uneasily scanned the surrounding shadows.
She had heard her sister mention that the organization had executioners, but she’d never seen one and didn’t know what abilities they had.
Thus, every little rustle felt like the prelude to a killer’s ability activation. Fear pricked her like needles, making her tense all over, unable to sit or stand still.
By midnight, the Cat Loli’s eye sockets were sunken, her scalp scratched raw with blood under her nails. The mere mental torment had nearly driven her to the brink, like a prisoner awaiting execution the next day.
Suddenly, a hazy candlelight appeared at the doorway, drawing closer and closer…
The Cat Loli cried out, her teeth chattering as extreme terror surged through her!
The light source stopped. In the deathly silence, it seemed someone was holding a candle just outside the door. No matter how she shouted, there was no response—the silence before the storm was the most terrifying.
Abruptly, the shadow of a hand projected onto the floor at the doorway!
The Cat Loli stared at the hand shadow. Though she didn’t know what it was, her instincts told her it was extremely dangerous!
She slowly backed away, then suddenly twisted and bolted!
But the hand shadow’s index and middle fingers parted, forming scissors. As the light source moved, it stretched and sharpened, swiftly scissoring across the floor!
Snap!
Her left leg was silently severed. The Cat Loli toppled to the ground, howling in agony.
After a few howls, she suddenly realized her left leg hadn’t actually been cut! It was still connected at the knee, tangible to the touch, with no injury or blood.
But the pain of amputation was real, twisting her little face, cold sweat pouring as she hissed through clenched teeth.
Snap! Snap!
A few more snips, and the Cat Loli’s limbs fell limp like a puppet with cut strings. Her eyes bulged wide, the corners tearing and bleeding. Her small body convulsed rigidly in intense pain, her throat emitting guttural gasps.
At that moment, she finally understood: the shadow’s attack targeted the mind. The suffering was self-inflicted—phantom limb pain!
But it was too late. Two shadows crossed over her neck!
Snap!
Her windpipe was clear, her body normal, but her nervous system believed her head was severed, lungs ceasing to inhale.
The Cat Loli lay stiff on the ground, awaiting true death in despair, utterly helpless.
The killer waited patiently in silence until brain death at the sixth minute. The hand shadow retracted, and the candlelight receded.
But what he didn’t know was that two flesh-and-blood tubes had extended from the floor cracks, their hollow tips piercing the Cat Loli’s back, replacing the air in her lungs…
