A Core Ship From The Start-Chapter 879 - 618 - Tracking

To be frank, the Corrupted Foil has always been the last enemy Duanmu Huai wanted to deal with.

There was only one reason.

It was disgustingly revolting!!

The hard War Hammer struck forcefully at the already mutated and corrupted monster in front of him, and then Duanmu Huai saw the dense holes all over its body suddenly spray out a foul, dark yellow liquid, with countless maggots surging out from them, and an uncountable number of insects, the size of mosquitoes, swarming out as if their nest had been stirred......

F*ck, does it have to be this realistic?

Looking at the scene before him, Duanmu Huai felt his scalp tingle. In the game, players also couldn’t stand the Corrupted Foil’s minions; they were truly nauseating. Just watching them made him want to vomit. In theory, such disgusting creatures shouldn’t pass the review process at all, yet players’ reports seemed to disappear into a black hole without any response...... Hmm?

Wait a minute.

You wait right there.

Just a darn minute.

Such a nauseating thing can pass the review.

And you shut down my livestream?

Are you suggesting I look worse than this thing?

F*ck!!

At this thought, rage erupted from Duanmu Huai’s heart, and venom surged to the edge of his bile.

I’m not going to let you live!

"Dieeeeee!!"

In that moment, accompanied by Duanmu Huai’s roar, the Thunder Warhammer, mixed with a fierce airstream, whooshed out, striking down another two monsters. At that instant, Duanmu Huai’s entire body sparked with thunder, and flames burst forth. Bright flashes of electricity traveled down the Thunder Warhammer, extending to every corner of his armor and wildly radiated in all directions, instantly turning the almost invisible insects in the air to charred remains.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

At this time, the girls outside were also stunned, standing there, watching as Duanmu Huai raised his War Hammer, over and over again, smashing it down onto the monsters before him. With each impact of the hammer, there would be an explosion of electric sparks and thunder, making it seem as if the god of thunder had descended to earth. At that moment, Amelia and Luganis could do nothing but cover their ears and shudder.

It was unknown how much time passed before Duanmu Huai turned around and walked back out, and that was when they realized the battle was over.

"Uhh..... Has it ended?"

Amelia rubbed her ears, which were still buzzing.

"For now, that’s the case."

Duanmu Huai glanced around at the chaos he’d wreaked indoors; at least, the traces of the Corrupted Foil had been utterly destroyed by him.

"What, what kind of monster was that...... Can the plague cause that?"

Luganis had also come back to her senses and couldn’t help wrapping her arms around herself. Although she tried to maintain her composure, the scene she’d just witnessed still made the young Magician shudder.

"Such cases do occur occasionally, but thankfully this plague hasn’t spread. If it had, it would be more terrifying than the Howling Death."

"More, more terrifying?"

"Indeed."

Looking at the two before him, Duanmu Huai decided to explain a bit more.

"This is also a type of plague. Simply put, it latches onto flies, which then bite other people. Those flies then lay eggs under your skin, and the eggs hatch into worms which feed on flesh within the skin. As they grow, they’ll burrow out of the skin and continue searching for healthy bodies to breed the next generation....."

"Ugh..... Please stop."

Before Duanmu Huai could finish, Luganis covered her ears, unable to listen any further, while Amelia swayed, probably turning pale just imagining the scene.

"Will the plague ultimately turn into this? Mr. Duanmu, have you seen it before?"

"I’ve indeed seen it before, and it left a deep impression."

After all, it was a creature ranked in the top three for disgust on the player leaderboard, especially for many female players, it was simply a nightmare.

"But the problem is, it didn’t just appear out of nowhere......"

Here Duanmu Huai looked towards Amelia.

"Could you look into who owns this warehouse? I think this cellar isn’t simply used for storage."

"I, I’ll report it right away!"

Upon Duanmu Huai’s request, Amelia’s expression became very serious, as she knew this was a big deal.

Soon enough, the group returned to the Temple of Tyler and met with Eribeth, explaining to him about Dussel’s diary and the creatures infected with the strange plague discovered in the cellar. After listening to Amelia’s explanation, Eribeth’s face grew grave.

"To think that such monsters existed...... Aren’t they Demons or Devils?"

"I, I didn’t notice......"

Ah......

Watching the conversation between Eribeth and Amelia, Duanmu Huai frowned. The polytheistic world had this downside; if it had been a scientific world or a monotheistic world, it would’ve been straightforward to point out that the enemy was the Corrupted Foil, and it would have been easy for others to accept. But in a world where Deities, Angels, Demons, and Devils all coexist, it became complicated.

There were too many beings that could utilize similar methods, like the Plague God, as well as the Devils and Demons, to name a few. There are too many suspects, and telling them a name they’ve never heard of might make them think you’re making it up. In the beginning, when players encountered similar quests, they tried to get straight to the point, saying "trust me, it’s accurate," but instead of believing, it often made others more suspicious.

So players learned to be cautious, keeping their suspicions to themselves, going along with the NPCs to investigate further, while preparing for whatever comes.

After all, as long as the investigation goes smoothly, they could eventually find the culprit.

Of course, if it were Cunning Deception, then there’d be a whole lot more trouble.

But......

"I say, do we really need to take them along for the investigation? I feel that I might be faster acting alone."

Duanmu Huai helplessly looked at Vanswick by his side and to be honest, he could understand why Amelia was leading; after all, this was an internal investigation affair, and as part of the silver Knight’s Order of Neverwinter City—the official personnel—she was responsible for observation and reporting credibility. But that Luganis... How was she anything but a little girl not even fourteen years old? What use could she possibly be?

During the previous investigation, all she did was cast a Light Magic spell.

"This investigation is very dangerous, and I have no interest in playing house with a fourteen-year-old girl."

"Please don’t treat me like a child."

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s complaint, Luganis who was standing nearby became unhappy as well.

"I’m already thirty-six years old."

"......Hah??"

Upon hearing Luganis’s response, Duanmu Huai’s eyes widened in surprise, and he reached out to grab her collar, lifting her up like a cat to take a closer look.

"You kidding me?"

"It’s true, Mr. Duanmu,"

Vanswick explained from the side.

"Miss here is a member of the Miglud clan, and it’s a characteristic of their clan that after reaching the age of fourteen, their appearance ceases to change. We have confirmed her identity and criminal record; please rest assured."

"........."

When Vanswick said "criminal record," Duanmu Huai noticed that Luganis’s expression darkened slightly.

"So, does she have a criminal record?"

"No, she’s a Magician with a clear history; that’s why we invited her to join the investigation."

"Oh......"

Duanmu Huai nodded and then put Luganis down.

However, talking about that, this clan doesn’t age after fourteen?

And the men who marry them...... wouldn’t they have some issues?

Certainly, the Tribunal wouldn’t bother with this kind of thing.

But truth be told, she doesn’t resemble an adult at all.

Indeed, a sound mind dwells only in a healthy body; with a body like that of a little kid, I guess they’re doomed to be kids for life.

"I hope next time you’ll show me what you can do, and not just tremble behind."

"I, I get it......!"

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s remark, Luganis’s face turned red, and she turned away in a huff, but she felt it wasn’t her fault. If the enemy had been Bear Goblins or monsters like Goblins, she would have acted long ago, okay. But that monster was so disgusting she still felt nausea thinking about it, and who wouldn’t panic at their first sight of such a creature?

"Mr. Duanmu!"

Just then, Amelia, having finished her own investigation, came running back, euphoric, holding a contract in her hand.

"I’ve found it; this warehouse used to belong to the Hogger family a long time ago, and it was only recently transferred to Master Dussel through legal procedures. Their family resides in the Black Lake District; let’s go talk to them right away!"

Of course, Duanmu Huai had no objections, and soon, after quickly drinking a cup of hot tea, they left the Temple of Tyler and headed towards Black Lake District.

Only when they arrived at the entrance to the Black Lake District, they found it heavily guarded and seemingly quite troublesome.

"What’s going on?"

Amelia was also in a hurry, stepping forward and greeting the Guard in charge of the gate.

"Has there been an outbreak of contagion in the Black Lake District too?"

"Oh, Amelia, no, that’s not the case, rest assured."

In response to Amelia’s inquiry, the Guard saluted her back, then began speaking.

"The noblemen from Black Lake are terribly afraid of death, but......"

"But what?"

"They say a rioter has infiltrated the residence of the Hogger family in Black Lake and has stolen Mr. Hogger’s precious property, and even Mr. Mandan has been killed...... ah, so those noble gentlemen want us to step up the security, but where would we get the extra manpower now..."

"Is Mr. Hogger alright?"

"He’s fine, he’s at the Sheriff’s right now, making quite a fuss."

"Whew......"

Relieved upon hearing that Mr. Hogger was unharmed, Amelia felt a weight lift off her shoulders. After all, they were about to question Hogger, and if he had been dead, then...... they wouldn’t have gotten anything.

"Let’s go, Mr. Duanmu."

Saying this, Amelia, with a determined look, walked toward the gates of the Black Lake District.