310: Chapter 303 The Bureau of Paranormal Investigations' Lottery: A Grand Event in China – Baby or Cat?

The old man waved, signaling the two to come over, then descended through a door set into the floor.

Toby and Wino exchanged a look, their hearts full of unanswered confusion, hesitating whether to approach the door.

They had spent many days in the library, not just flipping through books on magical creatures, but also various books introducing common knowledge of the magical world.

One of the books mentioned that when magical power reaches a certain level, one can learn Magic Arrays.

Most Evil Sorcerers were expelled upperclassmen, and they would undoubtedly have dabbled in it to some extent.

If the old man really was an Evil Sorcerer and had set up a Magic Array near the door, their approach would be no different from walking into a trap.

"Hey, two inspectors, what's wrong?" Perhaps seeing that they hadn't moved for a long time, the old man's head popped out from the floor opening, looking puzzled.

"Coming," Wino replied, then leaned close to Toby's ear and whispered, "I'll go. You wait here. If I don't call you in 30 seconds, then he's an Evil Sorcerer."

Toby was reluctant to accept this arrangement and hoped they could switch roles.

However, Wino didn't give him a chance to suggest anything; after speaking, he strode toward the floor door, crouched down, and peered inside.

Below the door seemed to be a cellar. The light was very dim, with only a kerosene lamp emitting a faint, yellow glow.

He looked back at Toby, then decisively stepped down the wooden ladder.

30, 29, 28...

Toby silently counted down the 30 seconds, his right hand gripping his staff tightly, ready to act the moment time was up.

But after only 10 seconds, Wino's relaxed voice drifted up: "Toby, come on down."

It was indeed his voice, but Toby didn't let down his guard. He slowly moved to the edge of the floor door and peeked down.

Wino stood by the wooden ladder, looking up. "It's safe."

With the danger cleared, Toby's tensed muscles relaxed. He tucked his wand back into his sleeve and descended the wooden ladder into the cellar.

It was called a cellar, but it was actually just a room of about five square meters. It wasn't high; Toby had to hunch his back slightly to walk.

Looking around, the place was very clean and tidy, and the furniture was sparse. There was only a wooden table against the right wall with two wooden buckets on top.

As for the cats they were looking for, the old man hadn't locked them up but let them run around freely.

How does this place get ventilation?

Toby and Wino both thought of this at the same time, as did the old man.

He scooped a bowl of water from a wooden bucket and another bowl of what looked like crushed crop feed, placing them side by side on the floor.

Looking at the cats crowding around, he smiled. "The neighbors complained about my cats running all over the place, so I can only keep them here.

Usually, the door is left open. When you two inspectors came to the door today, I thought someone had reported a crime, so I hurriedly closed it."

Toby walked over to the pile of cats surrounding the bowls and looked down to observe carefully.

These cats were about four months old. Judging by their energy, they were very healthy, and their fur was smooth and glossy, with no signs of abuse.

Did they find the wrong place?

Wino, unwilling to give up, asked, "You like cats very much?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why keep so many?" He scanned the room and estimated there were about thirty. "No matter how much you like cats, two or three should be enough.

Besides, you mentioned earlier that your legs aren't very good. Taking care of all these cats must be quite difficult, right?"

The old man seemed reluctant to answer directly and just smiled. "Is keeping many cats against the law, Mr. Inspector?"

Wino stared at him for a moment and also smiled. "Of course not."

"In that case, is there anything else?"

"I wish you and your cats a happy life."

"Thank you for your blessing."

Everything around seemed normal. The two lost their reason to continue the investigation, turned to climb the wooden ladder back to the ground, then quickly walked out of the courtyard, recalled the three people lying in ambush nearby, and walked toward the rental house together.

On the way, Toby turned to look at Wino beside him and asked as they walked, "Do you think he's a problem?"

"Based on the information we have now, he's not an Evil Sorcerer."

The conclusion matched Toby's own thoughts, and he couldn't help but frown.

The only old man who could possibly be an Evil Sorcerer had been ruled out, and they had no other leads. The mission was at a standstill.

After pondering for a while, Toby still had no clue. With a grim expression, he said, "The sound wasn't a cat, nor was it a baby. What else could it be?

Could it be some kind of magical creature?"

Thinking that Hogwarts wasn't Blue Star and had many unfamiliar magical creatures, he could only guess this way.

Wino patted his shoulder. "I actually think your direction was correct."

"But..."

"There's still one more lead."

"What?"

"The babies."

"There are no reports of missing babies in town. Or do you think there's something wrong with the police station?"

"No, I've been paying attention since yesterday. The residents in town are all normal. If the police station were simply hiding it, the town wouldn't be this peaceful."

Toby paused his steps and said thoughtfully, "Either there really are no missing babies, or..."

"Let's go. We'll ask families with babies."

Leon and Klaisi knew their reasoning skills were basically zero, while Misha rarely voiced her opinion and only executed orders. Hearing the two make a decision and turn right, the three of them quickly followed.

Thanks to the files they bought yesterday, their impersonation of inspectors was very successful.

When the homeowners opened the door and saw two people holding files requesting cooperation, they naturally answered every question.

After spending the whole afternoon, they managed to visit every family with a baby in the entire town, but in the end, they still returned empty-handed—the babies were all safe at home and growing robustly.

As dusk fell, the five of them crouched side by side by the road, watching the feet of pedestrians passing back and forth in their field of vision.

"Damn it, is there really an Evil Sorcerer doing suspicious activities here?

How big is this town? Why can't we find even a single abnormality?" Klaisi muttered with his head hanging low.

Misha pinched a piece of foxtail grass she had plucked from somewhere, aimlessly sweeping the ground with the fuzzy end.

"Maybe we took the wrong path? The sound really has nothing to do with cats or babies?"

"My intuition tells me the key should be with the cats and the babies." Wino rubbed his chin.

"Please, relying on intuition to find mortals?" Leon couldn't help but complain.

Toby shook his head. "Leon, you haven't dealt much with analyzing and summarizing complex and fragmented information before, so you don't know that most of the time, intuition can play an important role."

"For example?"

"For example, Wino's intuition." Toby seemed to have temporarily set aside the friction between them. "I trust his intuition."

Wino looked at him with a strange expression. "That's rare."

"I'm just stating facts objectively."

"Alright then, Captain Toby, what's the next step?"

"Don't you already know?"

"A team can only have one brain. I can offer suggestions, but I can't give orders in your place."

Toby stood up. "Did you notice? All the babies we saw today were very... healthy."

"Yes." The corners of Wino's mouth curled up slightly. "Excessively healthy, even surprisingly so. Truly... strong babies."

"If we guessed wrong, I'll take the consequences."

Wino also stood up, supporting himself on his knees. "I said we are a team. A team means bearing everything together, whether good or bad. I'll do it."

"You also said we are a team. What difference does it make if you do it or I do it?"

"I'm worried you won't be able to go through with it." Wino stretched his arms upward as hard as he could, letting out a comfortable yawn. "Leave the cruelty and such to me; I'm used to it anyway."

Toby stood silently for a moment and said, "As you wish."

After speaking, the two walked toward the rental house side by side. Leon and Klaisi didn't quite understand what riddles they were speaking in. After crouching in a daze for a while, they realized the two had walked far away and hurriedly got up to follow.

"Misha, let's go.

Hey, wait for us! Also, what did you two mean just now? Why don't I understand?"

Misha finally stepped off. "Boring adults."

...

On the hall wall, the hour hand of the clock reached midnight.

The five of them, having woken up, washed their faces simply and gathered in the hall.

Toby scanned them. "Confirm equipment."

Before every mission, there would be a similar process. It was tedious, requiring checks to see if firearms and ammunition were all there, if teammates were all present, and so on.

It seemed useless, but it actually sharpened focus and warned a relaxed body—wake up, you're going to work.

The five finished quickly; after all, their equipment was only a teaching rod staff, except for Toby.

He established a mental connection with his staff, then pulled open the drawstring cloth pouch hanging at his waist and looked inside.

Wino, watching from the side, asked curiously, "What exactly is in there?"

"Gold coins."

Gold coins? The ones they collected from the logistics department before leaving? Is there some special use for them?

Wino wanted to ask, but thinking that Toby hadn't even told Leon or Misha, he closed his half-opened mouth. Since there wouldn't be an answer, he didn't bother with the extra effort.

Ready, the five used the cover of night to head toward the street at the northernmost part of town.

Toby stared ahead and said without looking back, "Wino and I will enter the house. You three keep watch outside. Unless we permit it, no one is allowed to approach."

Although Toby, with his back to them, couldn't see, the three nodded to show they understood.

The group behind said no more and quickened their pace. Ten minutes later, they arrived at a dilapidated old street.

This was probably the most run-down residential area in Hogsmeade Town.

The walls were pitted, and the road between the two rows of stone houses was not only narrow but didn't even have stone slabs. It was just packed earth. One could imagine how muddy the road would be if there were heavy rain.

Fortunately, the last rain was five days ago. The dirt road had been baked dry and hard, with no puddles, so walking didn't involve "dancing" on one foot.

Toby led the way, bringing the four to the outside of an ordinary stone house.

"Act according to plan."

Hearing this, Leon and the other two immediately fanned out, their eyes alert to their surroundings.

Wino took out a piece of iron, inserted it into the door crack, and with a little force, pushed up the door bolt inside.

Pushing the door open a crack, he slipped inside sideways, with Toby following closely behind.

At midnight, the homeowners had long since gone to sleep. The house was pitch black, so dark one couldn't see their own hand.

Toby hesitated for a moment, intending to use a lighting spell, but just as he raised his staff, Wino pressed down on his arm.

He looked over in confusion. "Wh—"

An outstretched palm interrupted him. Toby looked down; in the palm lay a low-power portable night vision device.

"The performance isn't great, but it's enough just for finding a room."

Toby didn't ask how he had brought it. He silently took it, put it on, and pressed the switch.

The dark field of vision slowly turned green, and the layout of the house became roughly visible.

"Let's go."

One after the other, they soundlessly moved toward the baby's room on the right.

Reaching the door, Wino gave it a tentative push, and it slowly opened a crack inward.

It wasn't locked, saving them some trouble.

They slipped inside and immediately saw the crib placed in the middle.

"What a well-behaved little fellow." Wino stood by the crib, looking down at the sleeping baby.

Toby also walked over, his gaze falling on the baby's face. "I'll do it."

"Hmm?" Wino, who had pulled out a dagger, turned to stare at him. "This isn't what we agreed on."

"I can despise you, but you shouldn't despise yourself."

Taking advantage of Wino's momentary daze, Toby grabbed the dagger, raised it high, and brought it down hard, stabbing it straight into the baby's forehead.

The next second, a piercing scream, like nails scratching a blackboard, echoed through the house.

The commotion was so intense that the homeowners were instantly startled awake.

Hurried footsteps quickly approached. Toby and Wino calmly turned to face the door as the panicked couple pushed it open. "I'm sorry to disturb your beautiful dream."

The couple didn't respond, staring blankly at the crib where blood was dripping.

"AHHH!!!"

...

"What are you howling for?"

In the Bureau Chief's office, Yue Ruo slapped the back of Zhao Qi's head. "You're the only one who's tired?"

"I'm just venting." He moved his wooden stool a bit further away with a look of grievance.

"What an attitude." Yue Ruo rolled her eyes and looked at the Bureau Chief sitting at the desk. "Chief, the news has been out for two days, and it's almost exploding outside. Are you still not going to announce the lottery method?"

The Bureau Chief said with a smile, "No rush, no rush. Let it brew a bit more."

"Brew what?

Oh, by the way, since you weren't answering your phone, the Old Chief just called me."

"What did he say?"

"He said if you don't save a spot for him, he'll skin you alive when you return to Kyoto."

"Heh." The Bureau Chief gave a contemptuous laugh. "What if I don't go back? How will he deal with that?"

Yue Ruo crossed her arms and tilted her legs. "The Old Chief also said that if you hide at the base, he'll fly over personally to skin you."

The smile on the Bureau Chief's face suddenly stiffened. He opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated.

After a long while, he muttered to himself hesitantly, "Surely not? The old man is busy with a thousand things every day; would he really fly specifically to NH?"

Zhao Qi said gleefully, "An old Classmate working in Kyoto told me that it's not just the Old Chief who wants a spot."

"Who else?"

"Who else could compete with the Old Chief? You can count them on one hand."

Since he had no chance this time anyway, Zhao Qi had no psychological burden in teasing him.

The Bureau Chief nervously rubbed his thighs with both hands. "Did I play this too big?"

Yue Ruo curled her lip. "The news about the lottery for the public has already been posted on the official website. The leaders in Kyoto want spots too. You figure it out."

"I just wanted to tease them a bit..."

Zhao Qi didn't pay attention to the struggling Bureau Chief and asked Yue Ruo curiously, "You know exactly who wants the spots. Why aren't you worried about yours being taken away?"

"They wouldn't have the nerve to snatch something from a young girl, would they?"

"A young girl in her thirties?"

"You're dead!" Yue Ruo's anger flared, and she lunged forward, grabbing Zhao Qi's hair and shaking it violently.

"I have an idea!" The Bureau Chief, who had been deep in thought, suddenly slapped the table and stood up.

The two who were fooling around stopped and looked at him together. "What idea?"

"Hmph, I'll hold a public lottery ceremony by the sea. By then, the whole country will know. Could the Old Chief really risk universal condemnation to take a spot?!"