Inside the Notting Hill Organization’s fireplace meeting hall.
Sinisi, dressed in a proper suit, covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief as he walked out of a room filled with foul odors and the stench of blood.
Flanking him, his trusted aides bowed respectfully, and one cold-faced young man laughed, "I really thought the mystics were something special, but they couldn’t even handle the first round of interrogation before they spilled everything."
"I need more knowledge of mysticism, as well as spiritual materials and magical items..."
Sinisi sat at the head of the conference table, his expression serene.
People outside thought he was the undisputed king of Byron City’s underworld.
But only he knew, he was just a clown!
That man had simply sent a message and he had willingly handed over his profitable illicit liquor business.
It was a humiliation!
But Sinisi had learned to bide his time, to not wage war carelessly against the other party before he had accumulated enough power.
And now, the trend was quite favorable.
Although he had lost the private liquor market, other gray and black industries in Byron City were enough for the Notting Hill organization to survive and thrive.
Moreover, he had gradually found some clues about the mystics, having just encountered an unfortunate one who had been caught.
"Perhaps... I should also walk through the black door and become an ’extraordinary’?"
Sinisi mused to himself, despite his disdain for mystics, he was still curious about their powers.
"Unfortunately... I haven’t found the mysterious knowledge to produce that Spiritual Wine..."
He was somewhat tempted; for example, to have one of his henchmen blow the head off another right after consuming the Spiritual Wine?
"No, no, I must not act impulsively; I need a foolproof plan... The day will come soon, Sirians never forget a grudge!"
Sinisi popped open a bottle of champagne for himself, the sweet, bubbly wine making him feel a lot better.
Just then, one of his men came to report, "There’s someone who claims to be a mystic and wants to see you!"
"Oh? He’s come of his own accord? Interesting, let him in!"
Sinisi was somewhat surprised, knowing that Notting Hill had recently been zealously hunting mystics, it was rare for someone to willingly walk into danger.
Soon after, an emaciated old man was brought before him.
"You are... a Voodoo Wizard?!"
The man had intricate black tattoos on his face and neck, reminding Sinisi of the Wizard Garcia had brought in before.
"Yes, I am a Wizard, a follower of Voodoo! You can call me Norma!"
Norma opened his mouth, revealing his snowy white teeth.
"I must say, you’ve got some nerve!"
Sinisi, toying with a ring on his finger, had several of his henchmen point their guns at Norma’s head.
Norma did not show anger or panic, looking at Sinisi with only disappointment, "Child... you have lost the traditions of the Sirians."
"You’re a Sirian too?"
Sinisi was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Those old traditions are outdated, even if you are a mystic, so what? Slit your throat, and you will still bleed, shoot you in the head, and it will still explode!"
"Yet, you still pursue the mysterious, don’t you?"
Norma lifted his head, looking straight into Sinisi’s eyes, "Child... you have strayed from the path; the true mystery lies within your own heart, flowing through your veins. We Sirians are originally children of the sea, we are the children of salt, the people of the sea, the tribe of fish!"
"Don’t seek outward, but trace the lineage within you," Zhong Shenxiu said suddenly, her tone becoming high-pitched yet somewhat indistinct.
Those strange pronunciations sounded almost like the chanting of a curse.
Sinisi’s consciousness blurred, and he seemed to see an expanse of azure sea amidst the churning waves of boundless darkness, where countless shadows swelled and converged into a massive, twisted, and ferocious dark figure!
His face contorted, his facial muscles spasmed, and he shakily pulled a flask from his breast.
"Don’t resist it, child, haven’t you always been in pursuit of the mystic?" Norma said with a low chuckle.
Sinisi found scales forming on his palm, seemingly out of nowhere.
Silent, he suddenly took a cruel gulp of blood and approached Norma, "Screw you!"
He grabbed Norma’s hair and slammed their head viciously onto the conference table.
Dazed, blood streamed from Norma’s nostrils, their expression stupefied.
"You son of a... Although I pursue power, I detest others imposing their will upon me the most!"
Sinisi drew his revolver and shoved the barrel into Norma’s mouth, "Old man... you beguile me in hopes of obtaining Notting Hill’s power, that’s fine, I like fair trade... but, you can’t coerce my spirit, I most dislike that, got it? Bastard!"
"Oh, seems like the Voodoo’s Norma has failed..." Outside the conference room, in the darkness, two investigators in black coats huddled together, observing a colorless, transparent crystal.
Within the crystal, the scene inside the conference hall was vaguely reflected.
They saw Sinisi grabbing the old man, repeatedly smashing their head against the hard wooden table until blood flowed.
"No, I think that old man is about to succeed."
Another investigator shook their head, "Sinisi is brutal but not insane; he didn’t deliver a killing blow, Norma realized this and didn’t fight back... There’s still a chance for reconciliation."
"I think he’s just afraid to fight back, or he would have had his head blown off! Wizards are truly a bunch of madmen, to persuade Sinisi, they’d dare to expose their fragile bodies to the gun... Get ready, Jack, it’s almost our time to enter."
The Special Affairs Bureau’s investigators also have many ranks.
Most of them are ordinary people who have access to special potions and alchemical items.
They are mainly third-level investigators, responsible for maintaining the mystic side of federal security.
Once one reaches the second level, they begin to touch upon the mystic, advancing to ’Extraordinary’!
Above them, the first and special level are even stronger, their power not derived from items, but their own abilities.
Not to mention, the legendary investigators of card-bearer status.
Tom and Jack were second-level investigators. When Byron City’s original third-level investigators reported the situation with the Notting Hill gang, headquarters took immediate notice and dispatched them for investigation.
But as they infiltrated and installed surveillance, they hadn’t found the source of Notting Hill family’s Magic Potion; instead, they encountered an unexpected situation.
Unknown to them, at a farther distance, Zhong Shenxiu, still dressed for the party and wearing a half silver mask, hid in the dark, silently observing all that transpired.
"I just came here to silence someone, why are there so many unexpected developments?" they muttered, pressing a hand to their forehead.