At the L.G.D. Office, District 10
Bang!!
"Why is it always you two when something happens?!"
Chen slammed her fist onto the desk and shouted angrily.
Sitting across from her were none other than Ren and Texas. Though reluctant, both had come here in compliance with city law. While this wasn't like the formal interrogation room from before, the current setting was still just outside the main administrative offices of the bureau, with officers occasionally walking past. Some even snuck a peek from the doorway—until Chen barked at them to get back to work.
Ren was just as frustrated. He wanted to slam the table and shout back that it wasn't their fault either.
But he held his tongue—he had promised Texas to let her handle it.
"Officer Chen, we had our reasons for what we did. Please, we need your help. We have to speak with the Blood Demon you captured. One of our teammates has been kidnapped. We suspect that man may be connected."
"Kidnapped?" Chen's frown deepened.
Just then, another officer stepped into the room.
"Excuse me, Officer Chen. That suspect has regained consciousness. We've also managed to identify him. He confessed willingly. However…"
The officer glanced nervously at Ren and Texas, unsure whether to speak further in front of them.
Chen nodded. "Go ahead, Han. These two have a right to know."
Relieved, Officer Han nodded. "Understood, ma'am. The suspect says he's a member of the Crimson Troupe."
Texas's face twitched. Even Chen, normally composed, widened her eyes at the name.
Ren, unfamiliar with the term, turned to Texas.
"The Crimson Troupe… what is that?"
Texas hesitated, then explained.
"They're… a notorious organization of assassins in Terra. They take assassination contracts—or sometimes kill their own clients. They enjoy orchestrating public tragedies and murdering innocents without caring who gets caught in the crossfire. They claim it's all part of a performance, and every 'audience member' must pay the price—with their lives. Their members use code names based on artists or musical instruments."
Officer Han added, "As Miss Texas said, and we've also discovered that this man is the leader of The Thanis—the most infamous assassination squad within the Crimson Troupe."
He placed a flyer on the table. The picture showed a handsome yet sinister man dressed like a vampire, wielding what looked like a conductor's baton in the air. The name beneath read: The Bloody Conductor.
"His name is The Bloody Conductor. A highly feared assassin in Victoria and the squad leader. Governments everywhere have placed bounties on him—up to 6 million Lungmen Dollars—and on two of his teammates as well."
Han then laid down two more flyers.
The first showed a massive, crocodile-headed man with a wrestler's physique, carrying what looked like a sousaphone on his shoulder. His name: Sousaphone the Traitor.
The second flyer depicted a woman in a black gown and a bear mask. She had horns, a serpent's tail, and four puppet-like mechanical arms emerging from her back—each holding something that resembled a violin. Her name: Violet the Mad Hunt.
"Their names are all musical references…" Ren commented, recognizing some from Earth.
Han nodded respectfully. "Correct. Their names also reflect their roles and powers. Sousaphone the Traitor acts as a frontline destroyer. He uses his instrument to unleash massive soundwaves that can rupture eardrums. Violet the Mad Hunt emits wide-range hallucinatory soundwaves from her violins, causing confusion and delusions."
"As for the Bloody Conductor, he's likely the strategist or commander. He might be the strongest—or the weakest—depending on how much he engages in combat. But he's the most wanted by authorities, more so than the other three."
"Wait, three?" Ren interrupted. "But there are only two teammates listed here."
Han nodded grimly. "Yes… because the fourth member of The Thanis has never had an official bounty placed on him. Attempts to do so have led to the sudden deaths of every client who submitted a wanted notice. That's why no one dares to post a bounty on him anymore."
"Fortunately, Lungmen authorities preserved a few archived flyers. This is the clearest one we have."
Han, visibly nervous, pulled out a final wanted poster. It showed a figure with his back to the camera, draped in a black cloak. His face and body were obscured, but the silhouette suggested he was a Luper. The name written: Shadow the Ringmaster.
"It's said he wields shadow magic and is an immensely powerful caster. Years ago, he summoned shadow beasts and weapons to massacre several families in Siracusa. Of the four, he's the most dangerous. But no one dares place a bounty on him, for fear of being killed."
"…They sound seriously dangerous," Ren muttered, swallowing nervously.
It felt like he'd fallen into a shonen manga—surrounded by top-tier villains.
But then something clicked in his mind.
"Wait a minute… you said Shadow controls shadows, right? That means he could get to the Blood Demon!"
Ren's voice turned urgent. If Shadow had already acted, then everything they and Texas had done would be for nothing—and they'd lose any chance of finding Sora.
Han flinched, realizing he hadn't considered that possibility. Texas, sensing the urgency, stood up and addressed Chen.
"Officer Chen, please let us see him now!"
Chen sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll lead the way myself. But that Shadow guy can't possibly—this is the central office—"
Chen was cut off by a transmission blaring from her desk communicator.
"Officer Chen! Emergency! The holding cell with the Blood Demon just got bombed! Several officers injured! We need backup!"
"What?!" Chen stood up in shock.
Ren clutched his head in anger.
"I knew it…"
Texas bolted from the room, no longer waiting for permission. Ren quickly followed.
When they arrived at the detention zone, what they saw was chaos—thick smoke, shattered walls, and injured officers being carried away.
They rushed to the ruined cell—and there, lying motionless on the ground, was the mangled body of the Blood Demon. His chest had been torn open, internal organs spilling out, with signs of blast trauma.
"Urk!"
Ren turned away, gagging at the sight of fresh intestines. Despite having seen his share of casualties, this was too visceral.
Texas stepped closer and checked the body's pulse at the neck.
"He's dead… His heart was ripped out from behind. Instant kill. No signs of struggle. Eyes wide open—he didn't even realize he was being attacked. This was an assassination. Likely by his teammate… Shadow."
"But… wasn't this guy their leader? Why would his own teammate kill him?" Ren asked, baffled.
"…The Crimson Troupe is full of maniacs. Killing fellow members isn't unusual for them. Shadow might have had no way to break him out—so he killed him to stop him from talking."
Ren nodded slowly, but something still didn't add up.
"Then why blow up the door? He could've just killed him quietly and left."
"Maybe… it was a message. A show of force. Or maybe… a warning," Texas murmured, scanning the room.
Then she spotted something under the bed's pillow and picked it up—a black envelope, sealed with a red wax emblem that looked like blood.
"To the audience of L.G.D. and Penguin Logistics"
"It's addressed to us?" Ren's eyes widened.
Texas stared at the letter. She didn't open it right away—instead, she looked at Ren.
"Do you see any Originium light from this?"
"No… it's a normal letter. There's no Originium trace in this room… except from that guy, but it's faint," Ren said, avoiding the body. He noticed a dim glow from the corpse, but nothing alarming.
"Then I'll try opening it," Texas said as she unfolded the letter. What she found inside was a long message describing the beauty of Lungmen and its vibrant audience—a sharp contrast to Victoria.
While the beginning read like something light and pleasant, the latter half started to take a strange turn:
I enjoy being beneath a place where the sunset lingers. And as an apology to the beauty of the moon goddess, I shall offer my regrets to her—with a melody sung from the hearts of millions.
For that reason, I would like to invite you all to my opera performance, held at the highest place, alongside a new performer I've recently discovered.
Together, we shall present the most exquisite song this city has ever known for you to witness.
I hope you enjoy our show.
With admiration,
The Crimson Troupe.
"…This guy is totally insane," Wren muttered in frustration. The contents of the letter sounded more like a threat to massacre the entire city, didn't it? And that part about a new performer—surely it wasn't referring to Miss Sora, was it?
Texas said nothing, turning her head toward the sound of someone running up.
That someone turned out to be none other than Sir Ch'en and Officer Han.
"What happened here?" Ch'en asked, looking at the corpse of the Blood Demon in confusion before turning to Texas, who silently handed her the letter.
"This is…" Ch'en read through the message, and the moment she finished, she immediately understood what the writer was implying.
Texas told her:
"If what's written here is true, Lungmen will suffer enormous damage tomorrow."
"I know that man isn't joking. I've witnessed something like this before... And now it's up to you, Sir Ch'en, to decide how to handle this," Texas said seriously—wearing the same expression Wren had once seen in Lappland's memories.
'Texas is really angry right now…'
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Now : (ZAW)System Acting Zhongli in arknights World? (Now Chapter 52)
Now : (INSL) I Never thought simulating life could screw me up this badly!! (Now Chapter 46)
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Coming soon : Texas Character Relationship Content (4 Chapter) *1 Chapter here*
Coming soon : Exusia Character Relationship Content (4 Chapter)
Coming soon : Lapland Character Relationship Content (4 Chapter)