Chapter 118: Rashomon

“I happen to know of a replica of that gun in Atlanta, easy to get without paying, and after use, no one can trace it back to its origin.”

Angela paused mid-step, turned her head, and looked at Li Mochen with a half-smile: “Do you want to know, A-Mo?”

Li Mochen felt he was now completely at a disadvantage. He could only muster his own momentum and replied with feigned indifference: “Go ahead, I’m curious too.”

“So you’re really not the one who killed Hancock?”

Li Mochen looked up at the sky and did not answer.

Angela wrinkled her nose and gave a smug snort, but she had no intention of pressing further: “Then will you attend the cocktail party next Friday, A-Mo? You just said you consider me a friend.”

“Fine, I’ll go.”

Li Mochen wasn’t really resistant to it either—though it would cost him half a day of hunting time, it might also be an opportunity to expand his network.

It was predictable that those attending Angela’s cocktail party would be wealthy and powerful.

What troubled Li Mochen was that it would mostly be young scions of famous families; he might also encounter people he didn’t want to see at this party.

“As far as I know, there’s one hidden in Warehouse 4 of the City Museum. Originally bought by the museum in 3891 as a display piece, but when World War II ended, someone donated a better one, so this item was sent to storage, located in Cabinet 394 of Storage Room 7. I don’t know why the museum didn’t sell it, but I suspect no one remembers it now. Also, because Warehouse 4 is currently under renovation, security is very lax. I think the person who killed Hancock should be able to move in and out freely there.”

Angela smoothed her hair: “If you have money in the future, A-Mo, you might consider participating in the museum’s charity auction or donating some money to them.”

Li Mochen understood the implication and knew he would likely have to play the role of a thief.

“I have two more questions: First, why were those three artifact parts with Hancock? Second, how did they determine the location of those three parts? I doubt Bloodfang would willingly reveal such things.”

He thought it better to ask everything at once since this matter could no longer be hidden from the girl.

Angela had reached the edge of the parking lot. She stopped and replied: “Let’s start with the second question. The Vandrick family and the FBI have been searching for Dragon’s Might. They have ways to sense and even roughly locate it. There was no activity in Atlanta before, but shortly after the explosion at the abandoned military camp, their magical sensing array reacted. Isn’t that too coincidental? Do you know Edmund Bedman? He’s the FBI Atlanta City Security Group’s special agent in charge, a level 15 magic hunter. The reason Dragon’s Might is called Dragon’s Might is because it uses a broken horn of the dragon god Bahamut, along with its marrow and blood. The dragon’s scent, at very close range, cannot be hidden from Edmund Bedman. At Hancock’s safe, he smelled the residual odor.”

Li Mochen felt a shiver of fear after hearing this.

Fortunately, they had only taken out those three items for a short time. Except for the first time when they didn’t know what was inside the sealed box, they had taken necessary precautions the other two times. Otherwise, they might have been exposed.

But did those things have a smell? Why hadn’t he noticed?

Li Mochen then realized it was likely due to the magical arrays. When he memorized them yesterday, he noticed that a large part of those magic patterns were for ‘sealing’.

This was probably to seal the essence of the dragon horn, marrow, and blood within the artifact for preservation, releasing them only after the trigger was pulled—a method that greatly extended their shelf life.

As for the special agent named Edmund Bedman, Li Mochen had heard that some powerful magic hunters, after using corresponding magic skills, could gain three thousand to ten thousand times the normal human sense of smell.

Li Mochen wasn’t worried about this; he had always been cautious. Even during his fierce battle with the vampire, he had used flames to burn off the odor molecules around him.

As for Li Tailai and the other two—wolves from the Southeast Asian jungle wouldn’t forget to guard against powerful hunters like Edmund Bedman.

“As for your first question, it’s more complicated to explain. To clarify, I have to start from the beginning. I’ll keep it brief, A-Mo, so don’t press for details.”

Angela paused to organize her words: “In short, when the Vandrick family obtained Dragon’s Might, they were quite surprised themselves. An expedition they led found the remains of a demigod from World War I in an ancient ruin about 1,700 miles from Ghost City in the Dark World, and also got their hands on this artifact. But the news leaked the same day they left the ruins, so on their way back to Ghost City, a great battle broke out involving various forces.”

“In the end, a legend from the Vandrick family, while wielding Dragon’s Might, was severely injured and had to abandon the weapon to save his life. After that, ‘Dragon’s Might’ passed through the hands of the Mormon Church, the Black Skull Society, the Dark Hand, the Howard family, the Vandrick family, Bloodfang, the Black Prison Skulls, and the Dragon Witch Cult during fierce struggles. But when ‘Dragon’s Might’ was finally dismantled and split roughly half and half between the government and the Vandrick family, several key components were missing. Thus, this matter eventually turned into a Rashomon.”

Angela paused again: “Do you know what Rashomon is, A-Mo?”

“I’ve heard of it. It’s a Japanese film, right?”

Li Mochen recalled the relevant content: “In a murder case, the parties involved each tell their own version, presenting evidence or fabricating lies in a way that benefits themselves, ultimately making the truth murky and hard to uncover.”

“Exactly. That’s how it was.”

Angela gave a sarcastic laugh: “At the time, the Vandrick family, the Black Prison Skulls, and the Dragon Witch Cult were the most suspicious, so they were targeted by all sides. But in the end, it was Bloodfang who got their hands on the items. They were clever enough to stash them in a nobody’s safe like Hancock’s, without special attention, fooling everyone—”

Angela was speaking smugly, but then she noticed that Li Mochen had already turned and left, walking at least forty paces away.

Her lips twitched slightly, thinking that this bastard really took the phrase ‘burning bridges’ to the extreme.

“By the way, I have to go to Baxley tomorrow.”

Li Mochen suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to Angela with a smile: “I probably won’t be able to attend your class tomorrow, Angie. Don’t wait for me.”