Just as he was about to fall asleep, the madman suddenly woke up, shook his head vigorously, and then roared and charged.
As he passed a carriage, the madman picked up a horse's rein and swung it out with a whoosh.
Jeffrey quickly raised his short club to block, but the rope coiled around his arm, and the madman tugged hard, pulling the pale-skinned man uncontrollably towards his opponent.
The madman then grabbed a sharp piece of glass from the window of a nearby carriage; he seemed capable of turning anything he picked up into a weapon.
He charged forward with the glass, aiming for Jeffrey's neck.
Suddenly, the madman seemed to sense something, stopped, and retreated.
At that moment, the rein broke, and a gunshot rang out from one side of the street.
Lex looked and saw Lewis, wearing black-rimmed glasses, running over.
Lewis had aimed for the madman's head, but he didn't expect the opponent to be so perceptive, allowing him to narrowly escape.
Probably feeling that he couldn't deal with both Lewis and Jeffrey at the same time, the madman threw the piece of glass like a flying knife, forcing Jeffrey, who was charging with his short club, to back off, and then turned and ran towards the outer wall of a villa.
Lewis fired shot after shot from behind, but the madman still managed to climb over the wall, and the Inspector shouted, "Catch him, don't let him get away!"
Seeing their intention to pursue the madman, Lex quickly called out from behind, "Inspector Lewis, if you get a chance, ask that guy who Heimerk is.
He should tell you, and we'll discuss the details later."
Lewis looked very puzzled but still nodded, then followed them over the wall, disappearing from Lex's sight.
Just now, Lex, in the guise of 'Heimerk's subordinate,' fired a shot at the madman, intending to give him the false impression that 'he was betrayed by Heimerk.'
He also deliberately avoided hitting a vital spot, so that if the madman could be subdued, he might be induced to reveal information about 'Heimerk.'
Someone who could receive a divine response by merely altering a spell was probably not a simple character.
Such a person was even more dangerous than the madman.
"Should I follow them?"
Lex shook his head, deciding to go home instead.
He had originally considered pursuing them as a 'Duke' but decided against it, fearing exposure.
Walking on Golden Champagne Avenue, Lex felt that a bit more of the potion's residue had been digested.
He carefully recalled the events that had just transpired and realized that even under those conditions, he was still unconsciously Playacting as a hunter, still setting traps, and hunting prey.
It was just that the 'prey' at the time was not the madman himself, but the information the madman revealed.
As for the trap, it was the language he used, especially the so-called 'reward' he gave the madman at the end.
Whether it was the phrase 'you don't need to live anymore' or the shot he fired at his chest, both were another form of snare and trap!
"So, for a hunter, the prey doesn't necessarily have to be a living thing?"
"Playacting is truly interesting."
Not long after Lex left, a 'caw' sounded from a streetlight.
A black crow with red eyes flew into the night sky, dropping two pitch-black feathers.
It was over an hour later when Lex saw Lewis again.
The Inspector with black-rimmed glasses and Martha, with her long red wavy hair, came to visit, and Lex received them in the hall.
"Inspector, was the criminal caught?" Lex posed this crucial question as soon as he saw them.
Lewis nodded and took out his notepad from his pocket: "To be precise, he's already dead.
He resisted fiercely, and in that kind of battle, we couldn't capture him alive."
Lex then anxiously asked, "Did you ask about 'Heimerk' then?"
"We did, but this matter cannot be disclosed to the outside world, so... I'm sorry."
Lewis habitually adjusted his glasses frame and got to the point, "Mr. Lex, I'm very curious, why did you remind me to ask about Heimerk's information just now?"
Lex had no intention of hiding anything about this matter and frankly said, "After I was attacked on the road, to protect myself, I had a flash of inspiration and falsely claimed to be Heimerk's subordinate.
I've read that diary, and I know the criminal received guidance from Heimerk.
I thought this might be useful, but I didn't have much hope."
"After all, anyone with a normal mind wouldn't easily believe such words."
"But for some unknown reason, the criminal actually believed it.
This is truly absurd, yet it's a fact."
"He seemed to be not quite right in the head.
But thankfully, I also saved my life because of it."
"Then..."
And so, Lex fully recounted his conversation with the madman, including the later act of firing a shot as Heimerk's subordinate.
Of course, Lex claimed that his shot was originally meant to kill the criminal, but he dodged it, and it didn't hit a vital spot.
Having witnessed the man's keen senses firsthand, Lewis did not doubt this.
Instead, he sighed with emotion, "Mr. Lex really stumbled upon something, extracting so much useful information from that fellow's mouth."
Lex deliberately retorted, "Useful? I heard him talk about some Path, the Spirit Realm, and thought he was out of his mind, talking nonsense."
"But then he mentioned the descent of a deity, and I remembered his diary also mentioned something about a deity, so I wrote these words down."
"If the Inspector finds it useful, then my effort wasn't in vain."
Lex then asked, half-truthfully and half-intentionally, "Inspector, is there really a deity about to descend?"
Lewis said with a serious expression, "That's just the ravings of a madman, Mr. Lex, you don't need to worry about it.
The most important thing now is to find that monster called 'Gore.'"
Lex pondered, "That madman said it's in a safe place.
Our Enki Town isn't big, and there are hardly any places where a monster could be safely hidden."
The Miss Red-Hair Martha reminded, "Didn't the criminal once hide the monster in the mountains? Perhaps he's repeating the same trick?"
"Hidden in Eberly Mountain, that's certainly possible."
Lex stood up and said, "Alright, tomorrow I'll take you to find someone who is very familiar with Eberly Mountain."
"If the monster is really hidden in the mountains, then he should be able to lead us to it!"
Lewis and Martha exchanged glances, then stood up and said, "Good, let's do that.
We'll visit again tomorrow."
Leaving the Baron's Mansion and sitting in the carriage back to the Town's hotel, Martha sighed, "Captain, you've definitely forgotten again."
"During the pursuit of the criminal, you already used that 'lucky coin,' which prevented the battle from spreading to the Town."
"So next, you'll have to undergo 24 hours of isolation, and you won't be able to participate in any operations tomorrow."
Lewis rubbed his forehead: "I think I really did forget, but we can't just leave that monster alone.
You heard it, it has become a 'path,' its state existing in both the Spirit Realm and reality."
"I've never heard of such a thing, and it's about to become a medium for the descent of a deity."
"Although I said it was just the ravings of a madman, you and I both know that this could become a reality."
Martha took out her candy box, but didn't open it or take out any candy.
She said seriously, "Captain, this has probably exceeded our capabilities."
"Shouldn't you consider notifying them?"
Lewis glanced at her: "Them? You mean, the Red Gloves?"