118: Chapter 118 Cases in the Academy

Sean stood up and looked around.

The clearing was small and surrounded by trees; only this patch of ground was free of trees, covered instead by fallen leaves and weeds.

His [Supernatural Perception] vibrated slightly in his mind, and he immediately closed his eyes, golden light flowing beneath his skin.

[Supernatural Perception · Active Activation]

His perception range expanded from 50 meters to 100 meters. He "saw" it—on this clearing, there was a lingering shadow.

It was as if someone had stood in the darkness for a long time, leaving behind a blurred silhouette.

He couldn't make out the face of the shadow, but he could feel the shadow's emotion—fear.

An immense, overwhelming fear.

That dead "person" had been terrified before they died.

Sean opened his eyes and asked, "Where is the body?"

Enid shook her head. "I don't know. I ran back to get help last night, but when I returned, the body was gone."

"Who did you tell?"

"I only told Wednesday." Enid looked at Wednesday. "You said not to tell anyone else yet."

Wednesday nodded. "I didn't know who else to tell, but I felt he could be trusted, and he isn't an ordinary person."

Sean looked at her and corrected her, "I am an ordinary person."

The corner of Wednesday's mouth twitched. "If you say so."

She then crouched down and pointed at the bloodstains on the ground. "Look at this. The bloodstains come from over there."

She pointed toward the depths of the woods. "Dragged all the way from that direction to here, and then the body disappeared. It didn't walk away on its own; it was dragged. Dragged by something."

Sean looked in that direction.

The depths of the woods were darker and denser; sunlight could barely penetrate inside.

Something was there. His [Supernatural Perception] was vibrating slightly. Although the sensation wasn't very clear, he could seemingly feel that something was there, watching him.

"You mentioned earlier that the wounds weren't from a knife or a gun," Sean said, looking at Enid. "What kind of wounds were they?"

Enid's face turned pale. "It looked like it was bitten by something. Not a wolf, not a dog, but something much larger—"

She gestured with her hands. "A mouth this big."

Sean fell silent for a moment.

He looked at the bloodstains, then back at the depths of the woods.

This case wasn't simple.

It wasn't a normal murder, nor a common beast.

It was something else—

Come to think of it—listening to Enid's description, it seemed like the thing that appeared was one of her kind—

A werewolf!

But Enid didn't seem to realize it, and Sean wasn't sure, so it wasn't the right time to say it directly.

Over there, Wednesday stood up and looked at him. "Teacher Black, will you investigate?"

Sean was a bit surprised. "You want me to investigate?"

Wednesday stared at him for three seconds. "I don't want anyone dying in this school, no matter who they are."

Sean nodded. He looked at Enid. "When was the last time you saw the body?"

"Last night, after ten o'clock."

"How long did it take from when you left here until you returned?"

"About twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes, and the body was gone." Sean looked at the bloodstains on the ground. "To be able to drag a body away in twenty minutes without leaving a trace... it means that thing has great strength, strength that isn't human."

Enid's face turned even paler; she clearly realized the implication in Sean's words.

Wednesday looked at Sean, a flash of confirmation passing through those black eyes—confirmation that she hadn't chosen the wrong person.

Sean crouched down and used his finger to brush aside a fallen leaf, revealing the dried bloodstains underneath.

He stared at the dark red patch for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke. "Wednesday, what about Thing? Didn't it find any clues?"

Wednesday's expression changed instantly!

The change was subtle, but Sean saw it very clearly.

He saw her pupils constrict slightly, her lips press tight for a moment, and her whole body seemed frozen in place.

Surprise!

Pure, undisguised surprise!

"How do you know?" Her voice was as flat as ever, but a little faster than usual.

Enid was also stunned, looking at Wednesday and then at Sean, her mouth slightly agape. "Thing? What Thing?"

Wednesday ignored her.

She looked at Sean, those black eyes waiting for his answer.

Thing.

It was a severed hand, white, cold, and incapable of rotting.

It was a severed hand with independent consciousness that could move and think; it was also Wednesday's most loyal companion and right-hand assistant.

Normally, Thing stayed in her vanity drawer, wrapped in a black cloth, and was never shown to anyone else.

That was her secret, the most private thing she had at this school.

No one knew, not even Enid!

She had never told anyone!

This new teacher, who had only been here for a day, how did he know?

Sean had said it on purpose.

He thought for a moment and said, "I naturally have my ways of knowing. Don't forget, although I am an ordinary person, I am not that ordinary."

Wednesday stared at him for three seconds.

In those black eyes, the surprise slowly faded, replaced by caution.

This was to be expected.

Anyone who had their secret exposed like that would basically have this reaction.

It was lucky she didn't treat him as a perverted stalker!

Wednesday thought for a moment, her voice returning to its usual calmness. "I used that hand to touch the bloodstains."

Sean waited for the rest.

"It didn't react," Wednesday said. "If it were the blood of an ordinary person, it would point the direction. But this blood... it didn't react. It was like it was dead, or like it didn't belong to a human."

Sean wasn't sure what that thing was, so he asked, "Is Thing still with you?"

Wednesday nodded.

"Take me to see it tonight."

Wednesday stared at him for three seconds. "Fine."

Enid was getting anxious on the side. "What are you talking about? What Thing? What 'take me to see it'? Wednesday, what exactly are you hiding from me?"

Wednesday glanced at her. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the woods.

Enid stomped her foot and followed.

The three of them quickly returned to the dormitory.

The dormitory room was not large, containing two beds, two desks, and two wardrobes.

On one side was Wednesday's, with black sheets, a black pillow, and a black-and-white photo of a graveyard stuck to the wall.

On the other side was Enid's, with pink sheets, a pink pillow, and a poster of a pony on the wall.

The two lived together, their styles worlds apart, yet they managed to get along just fine.

Wednesday walked to the vanity and pulled open the bottom drawer.

She took out something wrapped in a black cloth, placed it on the table, and gently unwrapped it.

A severed hand.

The fingers were slender, and the nails were transparent, like ice.

It lay quietly on the black cloth, motionless.

Enid stood nearby, covering her mouth, her eyes wide. "Wednesday, what is this?"

Wednesday didn't answer her, looking instead at Sean. "Didn't you want to see it? Come."