"Siegfried, calm down," Shigure Kira said softly. She looked at the screaming fat woman and couldn't help but clench her fists.
But in reality, she couldn't really say anything about the methods these people had used at the time.
If the situation was as they described, then their actions were not really a problem.
When the Great Honkai first descended, and before the Fire MOTHs had released any information, almost everyone had treated the disaster as a massive zombie crisis.
At that time, no one had seen a Honkai Beast, and not many people could escape from the hands of the Dead. So everyone's fear was focused on "zombies," believing that they were the entirety of the disaster, and even attributing all their suffering to "zombies."
And at this time, a group of people who were gradually turning into "zombies" suddenly appeared. How would everyone view these people?
Of course, this might not be intense enough.
So let's add a few more "well-known" premises that were the default in everyone's consciousness—
First, every zombie was transformed from a living person. Before becoming a zombie, they also had their own families and social circles. They were no different from themselves.
Second, the number of people who did not become zombies was small, and the number of people who were willing to become zombies was also small, but there were more zombies than survivors.
As long as one understood the above two points, one could understand the situation those people were in at the time.
It was a bomb that could explode at any time in their vicinity, dragging them into hell.
So these leaders had dealt with these people decisively. They had even done it with a certain "human touch," just driving these people out of the residential areas that others had already chosen.
They hadn't even driven these people out of the city! Nor had they found a place where no one knew and secretly executed these people!
Even though she knew that these people were definitely not doing this out of kindness or anything, Shigure Kira still felt a sense of disgust at how they had done everything so meticulously.
It wasn't that she was a "perfect person" who was obsessed with the inner saint, but she couldn't accept it when she saw these rotten-to-the-core people who clearly had other motives but still insisted on putting up a good front.
"Tch..." Siegfried actually understood. He didn't even need Shigure Kira's complicated thought process. He could tell what these guys were up to with a single glance.
But what could he do? Did they expect him to go to those no-man's-lands and find the exiled people one by one?
To be honest, Siegfried wanted to, but it was not realistic.
According to the information released by the Fire MOTHs, the entire cycle of Honkai disease was shortened in proportion to the amount of Honkai energy one was exposed to.
But once the corresponding symptoms appeared, that is, when one was diagnosed with Honkai disease, the longest survival time was only about two months.
This point had been confirmed by these leaders on those who had been exiled.
In about a month, all the exiled people had fallen into a coma, and then, in a very short period of time, they had all turned into those zombies.
"Hmph," Siegfried's raised fist hung in the air for a long time, but in the end, it did not land on the fat man's face.
The fat man, released by Siegfried, fell into a chair, coughed twice while holding his throat. The sharp eyes in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the same fawning look as before.
It had to be admitted that these guys did have strength, especially when their own safety was threatened.
Even though he would subconsciously shrink back when Siegfried raised his hand, he could still burst out with that sharp gaze when he was being held by the collar by Siegfried.
"Compared to this, I'm more concerned about another matter," Shigure Kira had calmed down. She sat on the sofa opposite the desk, her eyes burning as she looked at the several high-ranking officials in the room.
"What is the reason for you to bring this up now?" she said flatly, but the largest woman, who had been screaming, suddenly fell silent.
Shigure Kira's eyelids sank slightly, and Siegfried timely stood by her side, adding to her imposing manner.
"From the beginning, you have been deliberately focusing our attention on these people who mysteriously disappeared here three months ago, and you clearly knew that this matter would not have a good outcome.
"So... what was your purpose?"
The high-ranking officials were silent. After a long time, a tall, thin old man cackled like an old monster coming out of the mountains.
"As expected of the [Eyes] of the Snow Wolf Squad. We thought our disguise was already perfect, but you still found a clue?"
"Your control is still a little inferior to Cecilia's," Shigure Kira did not give up this opportunity to praise Cecilia.
She usually had to deal with Cecilia. It was not easy to find a flaw in Cecilia. She could often only tell what her attitude was by looking at her subconscious actions.
What made Shigure Kira even more uncomfortable was that each subconscious action could only be used once... the next time, Cecilia would even control these subconscious actions, making her more and more perfect...
"So it's her... we really can't compare. A Schariac's self-control..." The old man was clearly praising her, but it always gave people the feeling that he was being sarcastic
"In fact, the reason we're here to talk to you two is indeed related to these people. In order to communicate with you two normally when we talk about these things, we have to find a way to let you two understand the situation first."
"If you have something to say, say it quickly. I don't have much patience!" Siegfried didn't give him any face, his expression sour as he spoke in an exaggerated tone. "If you dare to talk nonsense again, be careful I don't shove a lightbulb in your mouth!"
"Recently, there have been a series of disappearances in the City of Sighs. Because many of them are homeless people and prisoners, not many people have discovered this matter yet.
"According to our preliminary investigation, we have already identified the suspects in these cases by restarting the surveillance routes."
The old man took out a few photos from the drawer of his desk and placed them on the table.
"Using old things like photos..." Siegfried looked at the photos with disdain, then quickly glanced at the people in them. "These are..."
"Those who have been exiled by us, and whose deaths we have confirmed."
"What?!"
"How is that possible?!" The old man knew that his words would definitely cause an explosion, but he didn't expect that it wouldn't be Siegfried who exploded, but Shigure Kira.
"Are you sure it's those people?!" As soon as the question was asked, Siegfried reached out and grabbed the agitated Shigure Kira.
"Don't be rash!" Siegfried reminded her softly. "Kira, you're not like your usual self."
Siegfried's reminder made Shigure Kira's body tremble slightly, and then she took a deep breath.
"Phew..." This scene seemed to have happened many times. Shigure Kira quickly adjusted her state, so quickly that even the old man was a little surprised.
"What do you mean?" The next second, Siegfried came over with a cheeky smile.
The expression that had just stabilized on Shigure Kira's face instantly broke. She clenched her small fist and punched Siegfried's head.
Siegfried took all the attacks with a grin and then, his expression turning serious, he said, "So, are those who were driven away back?"
"You idiot, Siegfried! Those people have already been confirmed dead! How can people who have turned into zombies come back!" Shigure Kira cursed while hitting Siegfried with her small pink fists, but she still gave him the information he wanted.
"I know, I know!" Siegfried shrank his head and ran away. Shigure Kira knew she could chase after him and hit him, but watching him run away, she just sat back down with a pout.
"That's right. Since you said those people are definitely dead, then why would the surveillance footage show them?" Shigure Kira calmed down and touched her chin.
"The Snow Wolf Squad was already famous before the Great Honkai descended, and after the Great Honkai, they have been fighting everywhere, saving the world, and becoming the second-ranked city exploration team. You must have seen a lot and know a lot, so maybe~ you can see some clues~"
The old man cackled, the sarcastic feeling even stronger.
"You..." Shigure Kira clenched her fist. She wanted to punch this old man more than Siegfried had a moment ago.
"That's right!" But Siegfried popped up again, and from somewhere, he had gotten a monocle and clipped it to his eyelid.
"Our Snow Wolf Squad has traveled north and south for so many years! What have we not seen? What have we not heard?!"
He held the monocle and moved closer to the photos. "Come on! Let me see!"
Shigure Kira's eyes widened, and she looked at a certain high-ranking official who was in a state of disarray.
Oh! So that's why the monocle looked so familiar!
Siegfried looked left and right, then turned around and looked again. The old man and the other high-ranking officials did not stop him, just let him look at them in that way.
Suddenly, Siegfried's eyes narrowed, as if he had seen some important information.
Everyone's eyes lit up. They had long heard that the Kaslanas were very good at investigating, so maybe Siegfried could really see something.
"In my opinion..." Siegfried's tone was deep, and then a flash of inspiration struck him.
"It's them!"
"..."
"Siegfried!" Shigure Kira jumped up and punched Siegfried.
He dodged it.
"?"
Shigure Kira was stunned. Suddenly, she pushed Siegfried aside and stared at the photos with concentration.
"They're really identical..." she frowned tightly.
The high-ranking officials were all stunned.
Isn't it because they are identical that it's so confusing? Did Shigure Kira not even see that just now?
"Since those people are already dead, the one who came back and the one who left are definitely not the same person. So there are only two possibilities: disguise or resurrection of the dead.
"And the way you confirmed their deaths was by turning into zombies, which destroyed their physical structure..."
"That's right, and this disguise is flawless. Even I can't see anything wrong with it," Siegfried nodded vigorously, walking behind Shigure Kira, shaking his head.
"And that's the biggest problem," Shigure Kira added seriously. "Even Future City doesn't have the disguise technology to fool Siegfried, even if it's just a photo, and even if he's not familiar with the person."
"This..." The high-ranking officials were a little speechless. They looked at each other and didn't know what to say.
Was this guy really not afraid of making a mistake?
Especially when Siegfried had been so sloppy and unreliable the whole time.
"Then... have you two seen a resurrection of the dead?" A high-ranking official rubbed his eyes and got up from the ground, asking them with a look of suspicion.
Siegfried and Shigure Kira shook their heads in unison. "Of course not. How could something like that be possible?"
Everyone was at a loss for words, and the way they looked at the two of them became a little resentful.
You haven't seen it, but you're still basing your conclusion on it? When you were doing math problems in the past, did you not find it strange to see a grandma driving at 500 kilometers per hour?
But these high-ranking officials saw the confident smile on Siegfried's lips. In that instant, they became the ones who were suspicious.
"The great detective Homu Mos once said—when you have eliminated all the wrong answers, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth!" Siegfried removed the monocle from his eye.
The moment he placed the monocle on the table, Siegfried's entire demeanor changed.
"Herrscher," he said, with absolute certainty. "If there's nothing else beyond our understanding, then the conclusion can be defined as a Herrscher.
"Beyond our understanding, with unconventional methods that we can't comprehend, intentionally targeting humans, and even having the ability to hide their abilities and thoughts, with both intelligence and ability, it can only be a Herrscher."
Siegfried stared at the photos, his sharp gaze seeming to be able to penetrate the photos and stare at the true faces behind the skins.
The high-ranking officials looked at each other again, but this time, they could only see shock in each other's eyes.
They had also considered the option of a Herrscher, but it was just one of countless options, mixed in with the other indistinguishable answers, making it impossible for them to differentiate.
And Siegfried and the others could confirm this answer with such an absurd method. How could they not be surprised?
Surprised at how arbitrary Siegfried was! Shortsighted! Blindly arrogant!
How could he confirm the answer to such a question based on confidence alone?
But he was the current head of the Kaslana family.
Reasonable!
Both the answer and the reasoning process suddenly seemed very reasonable!
"Then we'll leave this matter to you," the old man stood up, placed a hand on his shoulder, and bowed respectfully to the two of them. Siegfried just nodded lightly, then looked at Shigure Kira, who had long been in a state of readiness.
"Kira, could I trouble you to inform everyone?" Siegfried's five fingers were spread open, one finger pressing on the corner of a photo, his eyes gradually becoming dangerous.
"I think I'll need some time to find that guy's exact location."