The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 100

About ten minutes later, the streets were filled with pitch-black carriages. The men were armed to the teeth, each with a cold, indifferent expression, like grim reapers from afar, bringing a chilling coldness reminiscent of Old Dunling's winter days.

Many officers were driven to the other side of the street. They should have been inside the police cordon, but now they were pushed outside, looking on as those mysterious figures carried out their tasks.

Old Dunling was full of urban legends, and these mysterious figures were one of them. People often talked about black-clad officers handling enigmatic cases, but no one knew which department they belonged to. Even inquiries to the Suyaalan Office were met with silence.

But now, here they were, in the flesh, exuding an aura of doom. Chief Donas stood outside the police cordon, his face as cold as ice. He knew a little about this mysterious department, but only in vague terms. He suspected they belonged to Engerville's secret intelligence, but he didn't even know their name, let alone their true nature.

Just a moment ago, these people had arrived, brandishing documents that Chief Donas couldn't decipher, driving them all out. Donas wanted to protest, but a young man stopped him. The man's smile was friendly, but it felt anything but reassuring—it was more like the cunning grin of a fox.

It was hard to describe that feeling. Donas' whole body instinctively recoiled in fear and trembled. When he came to his senses, he found himself outside the cordon, drenched in cold sweat, followed by a wave of humiliation and anger. He wanted to confront that man but didn't dare cross the police line. How ridiculous.

As for Mr. Lloyd Holmes, Donas hadn't seen him. It seemed he had also been driven out, which improved Donas' mood a bit.

...

"So, you're the one assisting me this time?"

Lloyd sat in a room chair, carefully examining the bloody writing. The fox-like man stood at the door, all polite smiles.

"Yes, Mr. Lloyd Holmes," came the clear reply.

Turning his head, Lloyd saw a very handsome man, his manners and smile impeccable. Everything about him, from his hairstyle to his clothes, was immaculate. His face was clean and neat, like a refined wildcat.

For a moment, Lloyd seemed to see a few big words on this man's face: OCD, neat freak, troublesome person...

People often carried their own labels, just like Lloyd did during his chess games with Sabo, constantly throwing out smokescreens. Teachers were associated with education, evoking images of stern but kind instructors. So, when you told someone you were a teacher, they immediately formed a rough mental picture of you, even if it wasn't accurate.

These inherent labels made it easier for others to understand you but also hid your true self. Lloyd loved using these labels as smokescreens in his deception techniques to confuse others, but he rarely encountered someone like the man before him, who practically wore his labels on his face, making a deep impression.

"Due to different responsibilities, Berlaug is quite busy. I'll be your contact for future interactions with the Purification Agency," the man said, extending his hand. Lloyd nodded and shook it.

"Joey Joshua. We met before, but the battlefield was too chaotic for you to notice me."

"When?" Lloyd was surprised. Such a distinctive person shouldn't have slipped his mind.

"The Endtown operation, but I used a codename then." Joey coughed, becoming even more serious, then continued, "Senior Knight of the Purification Agency, Joey Joshua, codename Xuanfeng."

Hearing "Xuanfeng," everything clicked for Lloyd. During the Endtown operation, at the end, when he and Lancelot arrived on the battlefield, he remembered the codename.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, need me to explain the situation?" Lloyd said, turning to look at the crimson writing.

"This is a supernatural case. There's demonic contamination here, very faint, likely residual from the act," Lloyd decided to describe the case this way. The perpetrator wasn't human—or at least, not anymore. Now, he was a hated demon, wandering the vast and populous Old Dunling.

"Can we check first?" Joey asked. Upon Lloyd's nod, a few more people entered, carrying strange instruments, scanning the room.

"What are they doing?" Lloyd asked, puzzled.

Joey smiled and explained, "Mr. Holmes, our Purification Agency has handled many demon-related cases over the years. We've developed some tracking capabilities, since we didn't have demon hunters a decade ago."

Hearing this, Lloyd felt enlightened. Without demon hunters, the Purification Agency still managed to defeat demons, developing a mature workflow over the years.

"Those instruments are high-precision Geiger counters, accurate enough to measure the residual radiation left by demons, determining their duration of stay."

The instrument readings fluctuated, and Lloyd found it intriguing. He started to realize the difference between the Demon Hunter Order and the Purification Agency. The former leaned towards mysticism, relying on hunters' own powers and the divine, while the latter embraced technology, uncovering and utilizing the essence of the mysterious.

"How far can you track them?" Lloyd asked again.

"Not far. There are many interference factors, and detailed investigation takes time. By the time we track them, the demon could be across the ocean. However, we have some predictive capabilities internally."

"Predictive abilities? Like demon hunters' secret blood?" Lloyd had just praised these materialists, only to find they had their own mystical elements. Within the Demon Hunter Order, hunters often possessed an instinctive premonition, but a branch of hunters had refined this to an extreme.

These hunters, empowered through alchemical matrices and bearing the authority of the angelic Shandafeng branch, could briefly foresee future scenes. They were a very mysterious group, seldom venturing out to fight but giving guidance through their eerie visions.

Joey smiled mysteriously but said nothing more. "Mr. Holmes, if you join the Purification Agency, all your questions will be answered."

So it was still the same. That Arthur couldn't forget about him.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Lloyd refused decisively.