11.Secret place

"Where's your evidence? I can just say it too. I can also say that you two have ample time and motive to commit the crime." Dean held fast to the last line of defense and never gave in.

"I think you should be very clear that with just eyewitnesses and physical evidence, I can arrest you both. If you insist on resisting, I also have the right to shoot you on the spot." Arthur pointed his gun at Dean and spoke coldly.

Dana tugged at Dean's sleeve, her eyes filled with fear and desperation.With bloodshot eyes, she said, "It was me who asked my brother to do it. If you want to arrest someone, arrest me."

Lynn reiterated, "We're not here to arrest you. We only want the truth."

"Don't you think it's ridiculous that the sheriff found the murderer but doesn't arrest them?" From Dean's perspective, Lynn and Arthur's promises were even more flimsy than a child's lie.

"You don't have a choice," Arthur shrugged.

After a silence of more than ten seconds, Dean broke free from Dana's grip on his sleeve, took a deep breath, and his face was ashen. "I did it.""Why did you kill them?" Lynn frowned.

"It's pretty much what you guessed. Ever since the Bazel brothers controlled this place, they've become arrogant and domineering, not caring about anyone," Dean gritted his teeth, looking like he wanted to tear the Bazel brothers apart again. "My sister, who worked at the tailor's shop diagonally opposite the tavern, was targeted by him. He forcibly dragged her to the tavern and forced her to play cards with him... Those bastards deliberately set up a trap, it was practically the same as robbery, leaving my sister owing a huge amount of money. They said if she couldn't pay it back, she'd have to stay by his side forever...""So you decided to kill them," Lynn said.

"Yes, in this place, that was the only way," Dean said with a somber expression.

Lynn sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed. Dean's corruption level was as high as [130], the highest he had ever seen.

To have sunk to such depths yet act as if he was forced into killing out of desperation was highly incongruous.

"The money... Was it you who owed it?" Lynn asked tentatively.Dean visibly flinched.

Arthur also sensed something was amiss. "We can easily find out who owes the money. I'll emphasize this one last time, tell us the truth in full detail, or face the consequences."

The restaurant fell into a deathly silence for over ten seconds, and then Dean's body sagged as if he had resigned to his fate. "...It was me who owed it."

"If it was you who owed the money, then what does your sister have to do with it?" Lynn continued.

"They deliberately set me up, not only swindling all my money but also leaving me in debt...""A lot of debt. I... I was so desperate to win it back that I... mortgaged my sister to them... Little did I know, I ended up owing even more. I could work as a waiter for a lifetime and still not be able to pay it all off..." Dean sat to the side, speaking weakly.

A gambling addict, willing to mortgage his own sister to the casino boss just to win money.

This is the kind of despicable act one would expect from a degenerate with a depravity level of 130.

Dean continued his story, "They kept coming to me for the debt, and my sister was taken away to serve them. I was truly at my wit's end, so I thought... This way, I could rescue my sister and also turn my debts into..."

"And turn it into a bad debt..."

"It's amusing how someone who can sell his own sister claims he killed the Bazel brothers to save her. I don't buy it, Lynn," Lynn didn't believe a word of it. "You're saving your sister just so she can help you kill the Bazel brothers. It's no different from using her as a gambling chip. It's just another tool for you to turn your debts into bad debts."

"He said he would change. Please, you have to believe him and let him go. We can give you money..." Dana stepped forward to defend Dean, trembling as she handed over the few dozen copper coins she had on her.

Arthur took the money without hesitation.

"I, I know it's not much, but we'll work hard to repay you," Dana pleaded incessantly.

"You want it?" Arthur asked Lynn.

"No," Lynn shook her head.

One who was addicted to gambling, willing to mortgage even his own sister for money, daring to plan and commit murder, almost resorting to desperate measures.

One who unconditionally indulged her brother, even when he mortgaged her to suffer humiliation,To turn gambling debts into bad debts, they would even go as far as accepting murder, and in the end, they would still defend each other.

Dana might still be salvageable, but Lynn didn't think he was capable of being a 'savior'. The only thing he could do was to stay away from this group of depraved, hopeless people in his eyes, and not have any contact with them beyond the task.

Just as Lynn was trying to shake off the thoughts of this heinous murder case involving villains of all kinds, wondering if the mission was over and why the mysterious voice hadn't appeared yet, his vision suddenly became blurry.

Two seconds later, his vision cleared, and he had already...He found himself in a vast library filled with countless books.

Right in front of him, a kind-faced old man sitting at a desk closed his book, slowly removed his glasses, and smiled. "Congratulations, you've found the murderer of Basil Burton and Basil Chad."

"Who are you?" By now, Lynn had become accustomed to the sudden changes in time and space, and he could finally keep a straight face.

However, as he looked at the old man, he noticed that neither the "Degeneration Value" nor the "Awakener" mark appeared on him, which still made him uneasy."You can call me the Librarian," said the old man.

Lynn wasn't satisfied with such a vague and unhelpful answer. "Why am I here?"

"Because you completed the task, and I need to reward you," said the Librarian, who seemed approachable.

"Where's Arthur? The one who completed the task with me," asked Lynn, looking around but not seeing Arthur's figure.

"He's here too, but you can't see each other. Now, you've earned a reward of two hundred points. What would you like to do with them?""What can I exchange them for?"

Lynn had many more questions to ask. "Earth?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about. You can try to be more specific."

It seemed that the old man was unaware of Lynn's journey from Earth.

Lynn's curiosity grew even more. "Can I ask a few more questions?"

"I may not necessarily answer them," said the Librarian.

"Alright. First question, about the Fallen...""What do the concepts of 'Value' and 'Awakened' really mean?"

"You should have a rough idea of what the Fallen Value represents. It's related to one's psychology and behavior. As for Awakened, they are the lowest-ranking personnel responsible for cleaning up contaminated areas." The Librarian replied.

"Lowest ranking? Then there are more powerful beings than Awakened?"

"Of course."

"What are they?"

"I'm sorry, but that's classified information."

Lynn thought for a moment and asked again, "Why do these things exist? What is the purpose?"

"I'm sorry, but that's classified information."

"Then, why did you choose me?"

The Librarian maintained his smile and said, "I'm sorry, but that's classified information."

Three consecutive "I'm sorry, but that's classified information" did not discourage Lynn. "Did you orchestrate all of this?"

"I'm sorry, but that's classified information."

Lynn relented and said, "Alright, then I'll "Let's get back to what we were discussing earlier. You mentioned redeeming rewards with points? What kind of things can I redeem?"

"Supernatural powers, longevity, wealth, objects... anything you can think of, but the points required vary depending on the value of the reward," the Librarian explained.

"Supernatural powers..." Lynn's mind wandered, "I'm assuming there won't be only this one cleanup mission, right? Does that mean future cleanup missions will also involve supernatural powers?"

"I'm sorry, but that's classified information," the Librarian remained tight-lipped."There's one more thing I'm not clear about. Is it only me who can see the Corruption Level and Awakened status on others?" Lynn didn't hide her other secret from the Librarian.

The Librarian's smile broadened a little, "That only means you're lucky."

Lucky.

The answer was vague, and Lynn couldn't fully confirm that she was indeed the only one with this ability. But it was enough to suggest that it was something special, extremely rare by any measure.

"Well, let's get back to the topic of redemption. What kind of supernatural powers can one redeem with points?"Lynn's doubts remained largely unresolved, so she could only refocus on studying the redemption rewards.

First and foremost, she naturally valued supernatural powers the most.

Just the ability to see the "Corruption Level" and "Awakened" markers had been a huge help to her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to confidently collaborate with Arthur in such a short time or quickly identify the most suspicious murderer among dozens of people.

If she could redeem a powerful supernatural power, everything she did next would be twice as effective with half the effort.