The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Yes."

Ford nodded. "So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, there should be a missing person at this store recently."

Chapter 148 The Flaw of Desire

After giving a brief explanation, the three of them lowered their hat brims and walked toward the narrow door.

"Hey, three bosses! You look unfamiliar, are you new guests?"

Before Ford could even knock on the door, a thin woman came over and took his arm.

"Let me introduce you to our specialties; I guarantee we can meet all your needs."

Ford sighed softly, then grabbed the woman's wrist. "First of all, ma'am, don't try to take advantage of me and touch my wallet. Also, we're here to find someone, not... well, to spend money."

"Hmm... finding someone doesn't necessarily mean you can't spend money."

The woman blinked, but unfortunately, her sallow complexion, perhaps due to malnutrition, made her alluring eyes less captivating. "Besides," she said, "how do you know I'm not the one you're looking for?"

"...I think you didn't understand what I meant, ma'am."

Ford was somewhat speechless, so he took out a few coins from his pocket and handed them to the other man's palm, saying, "Take me to your boss."

The woman beamed with joy upon receiving the money and stopped arguing, leading Ford inside.

Just as Li Cheng and Zhang Fan were about to follow, the other women around them immediately swarmed around them like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey.

They weren't attracted by the two men's charm, but seeing Ford's generosity, they couldn't let go of the other two companions behind them.

If I could even scrape together a few coins, that would be a good thing.

After some back and forth, and after Li Cheng and Zhang Fan each spent a few copper coins, they finally managed to squeeze through the narrow door.

Inside is a narrow and cramped corridor. The wooden walls, covered in mold, are cracked from lack of maintenance and show signs of being partitioned after the building was constructed, forcibly dividing the already small space into one small room after another.

The gas lamps on the wall were wrapped in pink oil paper, and the dim pink glow that filled the corridor came from them; some wine bottles and hookah pipes were scattered on the floor, and the cheap smell of incense in the air rushed into the nostrils, making people want to sneeze.

The corridor is lined with rows of wooden doors, and the soundproofing here is obviously not very good. You can clearly hear the soft, seductive music coming from inside from time to time while walking down the street.

The woman who led the way was at least true to her word; after Ford gave her a tip, she did indeed take them to the boss.

In the room at the end of the corridor, there was a plump middle-aged woman, reclining in a rattan rocking chair, leisurely reading a tabloid.

"What, another one to complain?"

The woman frowned immediately when she saw the door open and three heavily dressed men walk in. "Hey? What's going on, Sarah? How many times have I told you not to bring people into this room!"

“But they said they came to find you, Hannah.”

"Damn it! Does that mean we can't bring him in at all?! Are you an idiot?!"

Upon hearing this, the plump woman's expression immediately changed, and she tumbled off the rocking chair, about to run towards the back door.

"Uh, no, ma'am, we're not here to cause you any trouble."

Ford quickly stepped forward.

"Damn it, that's what everyone who's been giving me trouble says!"

The overweight woman ignored Ford's explanation and grabbed the handle of the back door, attempting to pull it open.

Just then, Zhang Fan, who was in the group, flashed through the room and blocked the fat woman's way by pressing down on the door with one hand.

"By the God of Light!"

The fat woman screamed and backed away, her face growing increasingly terrified.

"Please calm down. We really just wanted to ask you some questions... Here, take these as my advance payment."

Ford, feeling helpless, pulled out a few more coins from his pocket.

"You think you can make me surrender with just this little bit of money?!"

"And these."

Li Cheng, watching from behind, also casually took out a gold coin.

“Oh God of Light, I am so senile, how could I have misunderstood such a generous guest.”

The fat woman's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book. Like a bolt of lightning, she rushed to Li Cheng, grabbed the gold coins with both hands, and stuffed them into her pocket.

Of course, she also took the coins from Ford's hand.

"cough……"

Ford walked up to Li Cheng and lowered his voice, saying, "Well, the commission fee I can afford probably doesn't cover that much."

"It's alright, everyone for me, and I for everyone."

Li Cheng waved his hand and said.

"Three distinguished guests, how may I help you?"

The plump woman's face was now full of smiles, and she even stood respectfully to the side, giving up the rocking chair she had just been using to lie down.

"It's nothing, ma'am. I just wanted to ask if you've seen this gentleman before."

Ford pulled out a copy of Uncle Smith's portrait drawn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police based on the testimony.

"Huh? Oh? Isn't that that bastard Ragnar?"

"He was a gambler, an alcoholic, and had a sister who lived in the shantytown who often gave him money?"

"He's a gambler and an alcoholic, that's for sure... but I don't know if he has a sister. However, he always seems to be able to come and squander a lot of money, even though he doesn't look like he has a proper job."

Ford nodded; it seemed they had found the right person.

"Two months or three months ago, I don't remember, but I haven't seen this guy for a while."

The fat woman continued.

"Do you know which lady he usually orders?"

“Oh, Amanda,”

The plump woman picked up a roster from a nearby table. "But she shouldn't be on duty tonight. Hmm, she always takes a day off around this time of week."

Huh? It's still here?

Ford and Li Cheng exchanged a glance, then turned back to the plump woman. "Where can we find her?"

“She lives upstairs, Sarah, take them up.”

"Huh? They're not customers who came to spend money..."

The woman named Sarah was not very happy, because this trip obviously wouldn't get her a tip, and it would also delay her from going back to the door to solicit customers.

"You brought them in, so you'd better take them all the way in!"

Sarah could only lead Li Cheng and his group upstairs in a sullen mood.

The upstairs layout was equally cramped, with small rooms partitioned by wooden boards and a maze of corridors.

After turning left and right, Sarah led Li Cheng and the others to a doorway and then knocked on the door.

"Amanda! Some guests say they're here to see you."

However, there was only silence inside the door.

"Amanda? Why don't you say something?"

Sarah frowned slightly.

A faint noise came from inside the room.

"Something's wrong!"

Ford's face immediately darkened, and before Sarah could react, he kicked the door open.

"Hey, what are you doing..."

"Snapped"

Fragments of wooden planks were scattered everywhere, and the interior was a complete mess.

Clothes were scattered all over the small room. On a large bed, a woman, barely clothed and covered in blood, lay quietly with her eyes closed on the blood-stained sheets. Blood was gushing from a gash on her neck where flesh had been torn off.

Upon witnessing this bloody scene, Sarah was so frightened that she fell to the ground and screamed.

Ford immediately rushed in, pressed his hand against the bleeding wound on the woman's neck, and pointed to the wide-open window, shouting, "Quick, after him!! That guy hasn't gone far!!"

The next moment, Zhang Fan and Li Cheng shot out of the window like arrows released from a bow.

Chapter 149 Catching the Murderer on a Rainy Night

Outside the window, the night was cold and dark, with thick clouds obscuring the stars and moonlight.

The light rain wove a thin curtain, and a figure shaped like a bat passed through the rain curtain and landed on the roof of the opposite building.

Zhang Fan leaped off the wall and into the air, landing on the clothesline connecting the rooftops. His staff drew a semicircle in the air, summoning the protection of the wind to support his body. With light steps, he actually stepped across the street on a thin rope.

Li Cheng then shot out an enchanted grappling hook with metal claws from his sleeve. Using the gravity spell attached to it, he grabbed the opposite roof and swung across the street.

He then flipped onto the roof, retrieved the grappling hook with his left hand, and pulled a short flintlock pistol from inside his clothes with his right hand. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger at the bat-shaped black shadow not far away.

"Snapped"

The streak of fire flashed like a meteor streaking through the darkness, and the silver bullet struck the shadowy figure precisely in the back, spurting out a burst of blood.

The eerie black figure staggered, and in that brief pause, a whooshing sound that sent chills down his spine piercing the air rushed in.

He instinctively rolled to the side, sensing danger, and the next moment, the blue fluorescent magic blade struck the spot where he had just been.

This strike naturally came from Zhang Fan; the long staff he held in both hands had blades formed from condensed magic power at both ends.

Although he carried a staff, he followed the magic swordsman style of close combat.

The faint fluorescent light illuminated the hideous face of the shadowy figure in the darkness; it was none other than Ragnar, Smith's missing uncle.

However, he was no longer human. His face had become pointed and monkey-like, and terrifying fangs that seemed to drool blood protruded from his protruding upper lip. His shirt was also stained with a glaring crimson.

Unlike the pale and handsome appearance of pure-blooded vampires, his appearance was more like a combination of human and bat, twisted and bizarre.

Ragnar couldn't understand where these guys had come from. He was already being very cautious, and the moment he heard the noise at the door, he jumped out the window and ran away.

But the other party's decisiveness was truly unexpected; clearly, they were coming for him.

Originally, he also had a life-saving technique of transforming into a bat and scattering, but he was just a hybrid who replicated the vampire's abilities through the Holy Relic. Even real vampires couldn't use that move continuously in a short period of time, let alone him.

Therefore, he could only retreat in a sorry state, hoping to use the physical advantages of the vampire to create distance and then spread his wings and fly away.

But Zhang Fan, who had finally gotten close, naturally wouldn't give him that chance. He brandished his staff, and the azure magic blades trailed streaks of light as he slashed repeatedly at Ragnar's thin body hidden under his cloak.

Ragnar gritted his teeth and dodged several times, but the melee mage's movements were faster and more swift than he had imagined. In addition, the injury on his back from the embedded silver bullet affected his movement. In a moment of carelessness, his shoulder was caught by the arc of the sharp light blade, causing a spray of blood.

"Damn it!"

Wounded and in pain, Ragnar's eyes turned bloodshot with rage.

This guy was too fast, and it was hard for him to find a chance to break free in the ensuing struggle. So he simply went all out and instantly gathered his blood-red magic power in his palm, which suddenly transformed into a giant eagle claw and launched a counterattack in the gap between the swings of the magic blade.

The suddenly opened crimson claws covered half of Zhang Fan's body, leaving him no room to dodge with ordinary footwork.

But Zhang Fan indifferently changed the movement of his staff from slashing to supporting, and with the tip of the staff he had just swung, he pushed off the ground and flew into the air like a pole vaulter, skillfully avoiding the claw that came from the side.

Did this monk just come from a circus?!

Ragnar's attack missed, and the veins on his forehead bulged. But before he could react from the momentum of his arm swinging away, a gleaming grappling hook suddenly shot out from the side and pierced his unsuspecting chest with a thud.

What the hell is this?!

Filled with confusion and resentment, Ragnar's body was violently pulled towards the other end of the grappling hook by the metal claw piercing his chest. Then, amidst excruciating pain and horror, he suddenly saw a sword blade slashing down towards him.

Like a toad being flattened on the head with a stick, Li Cheng's sword slammed into Ragnar's skull, smashing half of his body into the stone roof.

This is an equipment build that Ella added for the members of the Seven Stars Society based on her past life experience. It is a heavy warrior equipped with an enchanted grappling hook created by a player. When dealing with agile targets, as long as the grappling hook is used to grab them, they can be dragged over and executed with a heavy blow skill.

Originally, the enchanted grappling hook in the system shop was just an expensive piece of equipment designed to facilitate three-dimensional movement. However, after this fighting style was developed, heavy armored warriors dominated the arena for a time, to the point that for a period of time, the top-ranked battles were filled with nothing but grappling hooks flying around.

After all, mages need to chant spells to cast them, and assassins need to rely on movement and skills to get close. The grappling hook has no cooldown and is fast and hard to defend against. Spells and assassins' skills may not be able to break through the armor of heavily armored warriors, but if they are caught by the grappling hook, they will most likely die instantly.

Back on the rooftop where the battle was taking place, amidst a cloud of smoke and dust, Ragnar lay sprawled on the ground, his brain taking several seconds to recover from the shock of being struck by the heavy sword. His hands trembled as he tried to prop himself up, barely managing to lift his head, only to see Li Cheng raising an eyebrow at him with his sword on his shoulder.

“You lowly…human!!!”