This incident was clearly caused by a Katakan.
Strange squatted beside the female corpse, carefully examining the wounds while Everett recorded everything.
Of course, Everett wasn't just documenting details. He was also quietly observing everyone present.
After all, there was always the possibility that someone had deliberately lured magical creatures here, resulting in this tragedy.
Adam Lestrange was the best example.
That case had left a deep impression on both of them, making them far more cautious than before.
As for why they didn't use the backward-tracing magic array Constantine had left behind?
Noah didn't really understand either.
Maybe these two were just looking for excitement.
God knew.
If Noah were handling this, he would have used that method immediately.
But he didn't say anything.
This could be considered an evaluation.
Strange had studied under him for more than a month and had since worked as an exorcist for some time. Noah wanted to see how much progress he had made.
Was he still relying purely on textbook knowledge?
Or had he formed his own judgment system?
Of course, Noah would never admit that he also wanted to watch this world's magical version of "Holmes and Watson" in action.
"There are claw marks on the body," Strange said, eyes fixed on the corpse. "But they're not from a wild beast. There aren't any wild animals of this size in the area."
"Not werewolves, and not harpies either," he continued calmly. "There hasn't been a full moon recently. And normal werewolves wouldn't go to this trouble-an uncontrolled one would have devoured the corpse."
He sighed softly.
"Harpies don't have claws this large. And if they attacked a human, they would also eat the body. The scene would be far messier. You mentioned that night was very quiet, which suggests there weren't many attackers."
"Harpies act in groups. That rules them out."
"The Katakan are different."
Strange stood up, slipping his hands into his pockets.
"They're blood-sucking creatures, mutated from vampires and werewolves. They have traits of both. In appearance, they're closer to werewolves. In feeding habits, they lean toward vampires."
He pointed at the corpse.
"There are claw wounds, but the body wasn't destroyed. A large amount of blood is missing. That alone is enough to conclude this was a Katakan."
Noah nodded.
Strange had made real progress.
He was still cautious, still stacking evidence to support his conclusions.
But given his former profession, that made sense.
Medicine demanded careful verification more often than snap judgments.
Overall, his reasoning was solid.
Correct.
Noah didn't need to step in anymore.
Just then, Noah's phone vibrated.
He glanced at the message.
Fury had followed up on "John Watson," just as Noah had asked. The coincidence had felt a bit too perfect.
The result?
He was overthinking it.
Just coincidence.
Noah couldn't help but smile wryly.
It seemed the name "Sherlock Holmes" really did carry some kind of magic.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Morgan," Strange suddenly asked, "are there any caves nearby? Especially ones people might've forgotten about?"
"I don't think so," Morgan said after thinking for a moment. "But there is an abandoned cellar. No one's been there for at least fifty years."
That settled it.
Katakan hated sunlight and the full moon. They inherited the weaknesses of both vampires and werewolves.
Dark, hidden places were their natural habitat.
With the location identified, everything else became simple.
Watching a detective track down a monster was, admittedly, pretty interesting.
As for dealing with the creature itself?
Noah didn't need to worry.
Something that could be handled with a simple Daylight Charm didn't deserve his concern.
No matter how strong it was, it was still just a monster.
"But sticking around to watch feels a bit-"
Noah's thoughts cut off abruptly.
He sensed a strange spatial fluctuation.
It was brief.
Subtle.
But unmistakable.
The feeling was similar to when he traveled through cosmic space to a parallel universe.
"Someone's here?"
Noah frowned, then immediately relaxed.
The source was the Avengers Compound.
And the aura was familiar.
Very familiar.
Noah smiled.
He knew people from that universe wouldn't stay quiet.
But he hadn't expected him to be the one who showed up.
"Sherlock," Noah said calmly, already preparing to leave. "Handle the rest. I've got something more important to deal with."
"Of course, mentor," Strange replied respectfully.
The ordinary people nearby were completely confused.
Then they watched as Noah's body shimmered with golden light-
And vanished.
Only then did they realize what they had been standing next to all along.
A real sorcerer.
Noah didn't care what they thought.
When his vision cleared again, he was already at the Avengers Compound.
He looked around.
This seemed to be some kind of assembly.
He didn't dwell on it.
His gaze locked onto a somewhat plump figure.
"I have to say," Noah said flatly, "you really are a troublemaker. Why aren't you off on some interstellar trip, Thor?"
Yes.
The uninvited visitor was Thor.
To be honest, Noah had always assumed the first one to sneak over would be Tony.
He hadn't expected to be wrong.
The first arrival was Thor.
"Uh... well," Fat Thor scratched his head. "Our universe's Tony already figured out your coordinates. So I figured I'd drop by."
Then he froze.
"Wait. How did you know I was planning an interstellar trip?"
His eyes widened.
"Don't tell me you looked at my future again!"
Noah spread his hands.
He didn't answer.
His silence was answer enough.
Whether by the Time Stone or by knowing the plot, the result was the same.
Noah glanced at Thor's belly and patted it.
"How are you still this fat? It's been ages. That cheese sauce and beer still not digested?"
"It's divine power!" Thor protested, swatting Noah's hand away. "Not cheese sauce!"
"And you guys only left less than a week ago. Without even saying goodbye! That was too much. Especially you."
Noah had left in a hurry.
He'd even forcibly taken Thor and Loki back with him.
The Avengers of that universe hadn't been happy about it.
Strange had told him as much.
The biggest issue was that Noah hadn't helped resurrect Natasha at all.
Fortunately, Tony had planned ahead.
He'd slipped trackers onto Thor and Loki from Noah's universe.
That was how this version of Thor managed to show up here.
In Noah's eyes, though, he was just here to mess around.
"I already helped you deal with Thanos," Noah said casually. "Isn't that enough? Besides, I didn't leave without saying goodbye. I said hello to Strange."
Their conversation left the Avengers present completely stunned.
Especially their Thor.
This version looked nothing like the muscular god they remembered.
And what were they talking about?
"Our universe"?
"Dealt with Thanos"?
Confusion spread through the room.
Only Tony watched Thor with keen interest.
That expression caught Scott Lang's attention.
Then Scott's eyes widened.
He pointed at Fat Thor.
"You-"
"You're Thor from the future?!"
"Hello, little ant," Fat Thor waved cheerfully. "Yeah. You could say that."
He paused, then added seriously, "Honestly, I should thank you."
"...Thank me?" Scott blinked. "For what?"
"For saving our universe," Thor replied. "Your idea made it possible."
"My idea?"
"You don't need to understand it," Thor said. "But really, the biggest thanks go to the mouse."
"The mouse?"
"The one that freed you from the Quantum Realm," Thor said calmly. "If not for that, we wouldn't have been saved either."
"...What?"
Scott froze.
"I went to the Quantum Realm?"
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