Chapter 99

Nobody?

After unexpectedly coming up empty in his attempt at thievery, Leon couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He reached out to press against the black goat’s forehead, preparing to use his Soul Vision to locate the target’s position.

However, the black goat inside the shopping bag slightly tilted its head, avoiding his finger, then whispered a reminder:

“You shouldn’t use my abilities yet—not even the Soul Vision! There are hearts everywhere here. Just like how we can trace its trail, he can definitely find us!”

Sniffing like a dog, the black goat muttered with mixed joy and worry: “This smell is so strong… seems like my heart has it much better than me… tch…”

Hearing the black goat’s muttering, Leon, who was about to leave to search for the next target, couldn’t help but give it a sidelong glance.

What a guy, I don’t mind if you’re struggling, but riding a Land Rover? Really?

“By the way, there’s something I forgot to ask earlier…”

Withdrawing his hand from the shopping bag, Leon curiously asked:

“Does your heart have its own intelligence?”

“Of course! I am the Great Demon closest to the True God!”

The black goat snorted and said,

“While I’m not yet at the level of True God where every piece of flesh retains intelligence, I’m not too far off. Organs like the heart that carry part of my power naturally having consciousness is pretty normal after separation from the true self!”

Alright, if you say it’s normal, then fine.

Not interested in discussing demon physiology with the black goat, Leon directly asked about what concerned him most: “Since the two of you have separate wills, who will take control when I obtain your… heart? You or it? Or will you merge into one?”

“Hmm…”

After hearing Leon’s question, the black goat hesitated for a moment, then hesitantly replied:

“It should be… me, right?”

“???”

Seeing its lack of confidence, Leon couldn’t help but criticize: “You didn’t know the capabilities of your heart before, only guessing it had something to do with arrogance and dominance. Now you still don’t have a clear answer when asked who will be in charge after obtaining the heart. Aren’t you supposed to be an experienced Great Demon? Why don’t you even understand your own body?”

“I may indeed be a Great Demon, but this is the first time someone has dismantled me into such small parts! How could I possibly understand things I haven’t experienced?”

“As for the matter of abilities… My heart may be inside me, but I’ve never taken it out to examine it. Isn’t it strange that I don’t know exactly what it can do? The blood vessels in your body are also yours, but have you ever cut yourself open to see them? Do you even know how long they are?”

After stubbornly defending itself as usual, the black goat felt a bit embarrassed and decided it needed to think carefully about who would take control.

Regardless of anything else, according to its original role within the body, it controlled rage and conflict, which ranked third in intensity. However, the arrogance and ambition controlled by the heart ranked solidly first.

If it rushed to retrieve the heart but failed to merge successfully, losing control instead and being dominated by the heart, that would be like Qian Li recognizing a wild father…

“Leon, tell me honestly, haven’t I been good to you?”

After pondering for a while and sensing a looming crisis, the black goat proactively sought support:

“Though I have selfish intentions and often incite you to go all out, haven’t I ever caused trouble for you? Haven’t I always done what you told me to? When you told me to keep quiet, I didn’t speak. When you were in danger, I warned you. Aside from smoking some of your cigarettes, I didn’t ask for anything, and even when you stepped on my head, I didn’t get angry…”

The more it talked, the more the black goat felt its plight as a Great Demon. It abruptly stopped complaining and declared confidently: “Leon, think carefully. If I lose to it and get my control taken away, will the new me still cooperate with you? Not mentioning our life-and-death friendship, just based on this point, shouldn’t you be on my side?”

“…”

To be honest, what it said made sense…

Regardless of anything else, the horn got severely beaten by the red-haired bureau director, basically equaling a harsh “taming.” It was far more obedient than the remaining six “wild” ones. If the dominant will changed, it might not be as obedient.

“Alright…”

Looking down to ensure no one was around, Leon climbed back out through the window onto the floating Witch’s Broom and casually asked:

“How can I help you maintain control?”

Phew… you’re decent after all.

Seeing Leon didn’t refute, the black goat secretly sighed in relief and quickly followed up: “Of course, by thoroughly beating it!”

Showing no consideration for any familial bond, the black goat sinisterly suggested: “Your pendant carries Holy Spirit power, naturally harmful to demons. Once I help you get the heart, unleash your pendant’s full power and brand it! Weaken it until it’s weaker than me, make it know who’s boss!”

“Hmm, we’ll see.”

“This isn’t something to ‘see later’! You need to strike hard!”

Realizing Leon’s stance wasn’t firm and fearing he might consider negotiating with his heart, the black goat continued persuading: “Even though I’m meeting my heart for the first time, it carries the power of arrogance! It’s obvious it won’t willingly submit, so you need to hit hard and break its spirit!”

“Hmm, but I don’t like striking without reason. Let’s wait until we find it.”

After placating the black goat with a few words, Leon pulled out the list in his pocket and glanced at it. Of the eight names written on it, four at the bottom had already been crossed out.

Only four left…

…

After confiscating the female prisoner’s bandage and escorting her and the female police officer out of Leon Manor, Leon returned covertly. Using his Soul Vision, he “interrogated” a servant of high status and learned the locations of these people.

For the four already crossed off, he had visited each one. Their souls reeked of decay, but none carried the scent associated with the consumption of sheep organs. They weren’t likely the real target.

As for the fourth name on the list, Thomas Lane, he represented the Lane family in the Water Power Corporation incident and was the first person found with the scent of the sheep heart.

Although the black goat had mentioned that he probably wasn’t the holder but merely granted a small portion of its power temporarily, and his soul had been tampered with to collapse the instant it threatened to divulge secrets, Leon still checked, just in case, only to unexpectedly come up short again.

So, he’d have to skip him and continue searching upwards.

Considering using Soul Vision to track the whereabouts of the blond middle-aged man might alert the sheep heart prematurely, Leon pressed a mark on Thomas Lane’s name with his nail and continued moving upwards.

Bobby Lane.

Glancing at the second name on the list, Leon recalled the fate of the female prisoner’s husband, unconsciously frowning, hoping this Bobby Lane was the holder of the sheep heart.

Unfortunately, judging by the “rags-to-riches story,” this person was far less suspicious than his brother, the current Lionheart Duke.

While the current Lionheart Duke wasn’t extraordinary, his background was only passable. His initial inheritance ranking was seventh.

Yet, he consistently overcame challenges. Competitors either died, fled, or mysteriously disappeared, and he inexplicably gained overwhelming clan support, repeatedly turning dire situations around. Few could explain how he won.

Compared to his brother who practically screamed “suspect,” Bobby Lane’s history, although questionable, was relatively normal.

Aside from employing brutal methods and enjoying manipulation, he was almost a standard Lane noble… and seemed rather diligent?

Looking at the lit window on the fifth floor of the main building, Leon hesitated whether to visit now or wait until the light went out.

At that moment, the shopping bag in Leon’s hand suddenly shook violently, and the black goat’s excited voice urged him on.

“One hundred percent sure! That’s him! Go now! I can feel it! In that room, he just used his power!”

Is it him? Two birds with one stone!

Confirming the target after hearing the black goat’s confirmation, Leon no longer held back. He forcefully kicked the Witch’s Broom forward like an arrow and crashed straight into the window.

“Bang! Crash!”

“Who?!”

The young man, roughly 27-28 years old, abruptly stood up, ready to run out and call the guards like a regular person.

But as he reached the door, he seemed to notice something, stopping with eyes filled with delight and staring intently at the shopping bag in Leon’s hand.

“Is that you?”

“Is… gurgle…”

The black goat tried to stick its tongue out to tear a hole in the shopping bag to reveal its mouth, intending to exchange a few tough words with its counterpart, but as soon as it uttered a syllable, it was immediately filled with gusts of wind.

Following Emma Senior’s advice—”Never waste words with enemies unless for information”—the moment Leon broke the window, he fully activated the Witch’s Broom, generating a powerful airflow that enveloped countless shards of glass, propelling them towards the young man. To ensure safety, Leon simultaneously activated the Holy Spirit Pendant, draining enough stamina to jog five kilometers and unleashing a full-force spiritual attack on the young man’s soul! “Puff puff puff!”

The sound of sharp objects piercing flesh echoed continuously. Under the impact of the Holy Spirit Pendant, the young man’s eyes glazed over. He didn’t resist and was swept away by the violent winds, crashing heavily against the wall.

Hundreds of glass shards sliced through his front, leaving him bloody and even pierced through his chest, splattering the violet walls behind him with grotesque, vivid patterns of blood flowers…

“…”

Wow!

Struggling out of the shopping bag, the black goat stared in shock at the young man nearly pinned to the wall.

This is what you call not liking to use excessive force? Then what does it look like when you really go all out? …

It’s solved this easily?

Though the situation turned out as hoped, Leon still felt a surreal sense of unreality, and…

A bit nauseous…

Even though he confirmed the soul traits upon breaking the window, identifying the type that deserved execution, ensuring no innocent would be harmed, and thus bearing little psychological burden,

Looking at the corpse on the wall, no matter how blurred, it was absolutely impossible to air on TV. Leon’s stomach churned, his face paling.

Stepping back twice, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve, he took two deep breaths. Before anyone from the Lane family arrived, Leon hurriedly urged:

“Where’s the heart? Show me!”

“Oh oh!”

Regaining its senses, the black goat scanned the young man, preparing to indicate the location of the sheep heart, when it noticed an anomaly and let out a sudden scream.

“Leon! He…”

“Already know!”

Despite feeling sick due to the gory scene, Leon maintained his focus and detected the anomaly earlier than the black goat.

The moment the “corpse” on the wall moved its eyeballs, before the black goat could scream, Leon preemptively activated the [Holy Spirit Pendant], forming several egg-sized “stones” that shattered the young man’s joints with a series of bangs.

Not knowing why the corpse could revive, Leon spared no effort this time. Before destroying the joints, he first formed several “needles” and swiftly stabbed the vital points of the young man! “Puff puff puff puff!”

Under Leon’s relentless assault, within the span of a single breath, the young man’s body erupted with over a dozen fresh blood blossoms, even creating a small hole in his forehead.

But bizarrely, despite sustaining such severe injuries, he retained the ability to move normally and even shakily walked back a couple of steps, sitting back down on his chair.

“So great! Absolutely wonderful!”

Slightly tilting his head to avoid an invisible attack aimed at his vocal cords, the young man, covered in blood, gave Leon an abnormally bright smile.

“When I heard that [Horn] fell into that woman’s hands, I thought I’d never get it back and had to seek out the remaining five. But who would’ve thought she gave it to you!”

Staring at the panting Leon, full of astonishment, the young man sincerely said:

“You must be the new employee at the Clearing Bureau, right? Thank you! You’ve truly helped me immensely!”

(End of Chapter)