Apocalypse: Mad Necromancer’s Troops

Chapter 71: Investigating the Case

 

It turned out she had come to ask for his help.

 

"What's going on? Tell me, and if I can help, I will," Wu Heng said directly.

 

"My son is missing. He left two days ago and hasn’t returned. We searched all the usual places, and other kids said they saw a man with a beard and a red mark behind his ear take him away," the woman explained quickly, her words jumbled with urgency.

 

But the message was clear.

 

Someone had abducted a child.

 

Because of the Adventurer's Guild, Wu Heng no longer needed to be as cautious as before, but that didn’t mean the slums had become safer.

 

The slums were still chaotic, with fights, robberies, and theft happening frequently.

 

However, now that he had gained some strength, these things rarely affected him personally.

 

In a place where everyone was a potential adventurer and there was no proper law enforcement, chaos was still the norm.

 

"What about the patrol guards?"

 

"They found me today and told me they had caught the man. He was someone wanted by the city hall and was killed during the arrest, but they have no news about my son."

 

"What do you want me to do?" Wu Heng asked.

 

The woman carefully took out a small pouch of coins, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards him. "Can you help me find any information? If you can’t find him, at least let me know if he’s alive or dead."

 

Wu Heng glanced at the pouch on the table, then pushed it back. "I can ask around, but I can’t guarantee results. Keep your money for now, and we’ll talk about payment if I find anything."

 

"Thank you so much." The woman stood up and bowed deeply.

 

Wu Heng nodded and said, "You should head back now. If I find anything, I’ll let Mr. Rudger know, and he’ll inform you."

 

"Alright." The woman expressed her gratitude repeatedly before leaving the room with the landlord.

 

Wu Heng thought for a moment, gathered his things, and left with Barson.

 

To be honest, he didn’t want to get involved in something like this. Such matters often led to trouble and danger for himself.

 

But when certain things happened right in front of him, it was hard to ignore them completely.

 

At the very least, he should see what he could do about this.

 

.........

 

In the central district, by the flowerbed in front of the Adventurer's Guild.

 

Yuli came running over, carrying a small leather bag.

 

She frowned at him and asked, "What do you want?"

 

"I brought you some snacks," Wu Heng said, handing her some treats.

 

Yuli's face lit up, but she quickly grew suspicious and eyed him warily. "What’s the catch? If you don’t tell me, I’m not taking it."

 

She licked her lips as she spoke.

 

Wu Heng looked around, then lowered his voice. "Actually, there is something. I need a partner."

 

"A partner for what?"

 

"Let me explain. Today, my landlord—the one I told you about, who complained when you kicked down my door—came with someone and asked me to help investigate something..."

 

Wu Heng quickly explained the situation and continued, "You know I’m decent in a fight, but investigating cases isn’t really my thing. When I thought about who could help, you were the first person who came to mind."

 

Yuli grabbed a bag of chips and started munching while asking, "So what do you want to do?"

 

"Let’s investigate together."

 

"Alright, how do we do that?" Yuli agreed without hesitation.

 

Wu Heng leaned in closer and asked, "Do you know how to get into the morgue at the patrol station?"

 

"Why would you want to go to the morgue?"

 

"It’s important. Can you do it or not?"

 

"Break in? I could turn into a bear and smash my way in, you knock everyone out, and we’re done," Yuli suggested.

 

Wu Heng’s face turned dark.

 

If it were that simple, he could just put on a mask and barge in himself.

 

"Is there a less troublesome way that won’t get us into trouble afterward?" Wu Heng asked, handing her a box of yogurt, which he opened and stuck a straw into before handing it to her. "Take a sip, it might help you think."

 

"Hmm..." Yuli sipped the yogurt, then turned away. "How about I steal an investigation warrant from my aunt?"

 

"Hey, that’s a great idea! You’re brilliant," Wu Heng said immediately.

 

"Alright, wait here," Yuli said, turning and running off.

 

Not long after, Yuli returned.

 

She patted her bag and motioned for him to follow.

 

Wu Heng nodded, and the two walked quickly side by side.

 

.........

 

At the patrol station morgue.

 

Yuli stood in front, holding a document. "This is an official document from the Adventurer's Guild. We need to inspect the bodies inside."

 

The two guards at the entrance eyed the pair and the strange figure with a round helmet standing behind them.

 

One of the guards asked, "What investigation? We didn’t hear about this."

 

"Investigate what? Do we need to report everything to you? Are you in charge of arrests and investigations?" Yuli snapped back.

 

The guards hadn’t expected this little girl to be so fiery.

 

After another glance at the document, one of them said, "Alright, go ahead."

 

It was just a few corpses, after all. There was nothing to steal.

 

Yuli puffed out her chest and walked in with big strides, with Wu Heng and Barson following behind.

 

They walked down a cold corridor for a while.

 

Until they reached the area where the bodies were kept.

 

In the sealed-off space made of bluestone bricks, several metal beds held bodies covered in linen cloths.

 

"Which one is it?" Yuli asked.

 

"Bearded guy with a red mark behind his ear."

 

"Got it!"

 

The two of them and a skeleton began checking the bodies one by one.

 

"Over here, quick!"

 

Wu Heng quickly walked over and saw the body lying on the wooden bed.

 

A bearded man with a red mark behind his ear.

 

"Is it him?"

 

"It should be."

 

"How do you plan to investigate? Are you going to perform an autopsy?"

 

"I have a way. Stand behind me," Wu Heng said.

 

Yuli stepped behind him.

 

Wu Heng immediately cast 【Conversation with the Dead】, enveloping the body in necromantic magic.

 

The next second, the pale corpse’s eyes snapped open, and it sat up stiffly.

 

Yuli jumped and grabbed his arm in fright.

 

Wu Heng looked at the corpse and asked directly, "Where did you take the child you kidnapped?"

 

The corpse turned its head toward them and spoke, "I sold them for 100 silver coins each to a trafficker."

 

"Who is the trafficker?"

 

"I don’t know. He always wears a mask when we meet. I only care about the money."

 

"How do you arrange meetings?"

 

The corpse replied, "Whenever I captured someone, I’d sit in the tavern for a while. He’d have someone deliver the meeting place to me."

 

"Which tavern?"

 

"The Blushing Mermaid."

 

One last question.

 

Wu Heng thought for a moment and asked, "What are his distinguishing features, or how do you know the person who comes is your contact?"

 

"He has a southern accent and smells like smoked meat."

 

After answering, the corpse collapsed back onto the metal bed with a thud.

 

It lay still, showing no signs of life.

 

The body looked even more shriveled than before.

 

But nothing else happened.

 

"What happened to him?" Yuli asked, pointing.

 

"It’s a necromantic spell that lets the dead answer questions," Wu Heng explained.

 

"You can do that?"

 

"Yep! Let’s get out of here."

 

As they were leaving the morgue, the guards stopped them again.

 

"Wait!"

 

"What now?" Yuli put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

 

The guard looked at his partner and said, "You keep an eye on them. I’m going to check inside."

 

He turned and went down the corridor.

 

He quickly returned and said, "Alright, everything checks out. You can go."

 

"Hmph!" Yuli huffed as the two of them, along with Barson, walked away.

 

After they were some distance away, Yuli asked, "What do we do next?"

 

Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "We did get some leads. The guy has a southern accent and smells like smoked meat."

 

"And? How do we find this person?"

 

"You go talk to the Deputy Deacon, see if they know anything. I’ll check out the tavern. We’ll split up and meet back at my place for dinner."

 

"Okay!"

 

The two split up in the central district, each heading off to their tasks.

 

.........

 

The Blushing Mermaid Tavern.

 

At this time of day, the tavern was nearly empty, with only a few customers, and the bartender was still cleaning.

 

It would only start to get lively around dusk.

 

Wu Heng pushed open the door and took a seat in a corner.

 

A woman carrying a tray walked over, but when she saw him, she turned to leave.

 

It was Benny, the waitress he had met before.

 

Wu Heng quickly said, "Two Mist Cocktails."

 

He pulled out two silver coins and handed them to her.

 

The woman hesitated, but after a moment, she took the coins and went to prepare the drinks.

 

Soon, she returned with the drinks.

 

"Here are your cocktails, sir."

 

Wu Heng nodded and, as she was about to leave, said, "Wait, talk with me for a bit."

 

"Sir, I have work to do."

 

"Just have a drink. You don’t want us to sit here in a standoff and draw attention, do you?"