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Ignis pulled the red-hot steel from the ether furnace and placed it boldly upon the anvil, raising his hammer to beat it into the shape of a blade.
With every strike, sparks scattered, some even splashing against his skin. The Salamander showed no reaction at all. His mind was elsewhere—thinking, thinking about Slaanesh.
After pulling Qingyi out of the Hollow yesterday, he had contacted New Eridu Public Security immediately. Zhu Yuan personally came to receive them. Cerakos and Cecilia had already hidden themselves, watching as Ignis boarded the Public Security vehicle.
Because of his sheer size, The Salamander was not put into a patrol car, but a transport van. Only its oversized compartment could barely accommodate him.
At the Public Security bureau, Ignis explained that he had accepted a private commission to enter a Hollow and search for a missing Bangboo, and through a coincidence, encountered Qingyi inside.
After cooperating with Zhu Yuan to complete the statement, he requested that the female officer turn off the recording equipment so they could speak privately. Though hesitant, Zhu Yuan agreed after a brief consideration.
The Salamander told her about the accident at the Vulcan Quarter power plant, about drugs being produced using human bodies. Zhu Yuan, who belonged to the Janus Quarter branch, knew there had been something suspicious about that incident—but not to this extent. When she heard that large quantities of human blood and internal organs had been used, her face went pale.
"Ignis, are you certain you're not deceiving me?" She frowned. The giant's words were hard to believe. New Eridu's archives did contain records of human experimentation, but using blood and organs to manufacture drugs for recreational consumption was far beyond what Zhu Yuan could easily accept.
"Think about Razor's case. What was inside his lair?" Ignis kept his tone controlled. "And if I told you there was an underground high-end pleasure venue beneath the Faunus Quarter? A place where large numbers of people were imprisoned for entertainment."
"Imprisoned… for entertainment?"
All Ignis saw on the officer's face was confusion. Clearly, they knew nothing of such a place. So, he directly described the method of entry and briefly recounted his experience.
"Iori. A girl," he said. "She was controlled by drugs, unable to break free. She begged me to kill her." His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably as he forced down his rage, pointing at the inscription IORI engraved on his pauldron.
"There were others. Many imprisoned, many corrupted. I had no choice but to kill them to prevent the damn corruption from spreading."
Hands reaching out through cell doors, claws digging into the floor—deep bloodstains etched into both stone and his heart.
"You're telling me this—telling me you killed hundreds, maybe thousands. What do you want? For me to arrest you?" Zhu Yuan looked at the giant, her expression conflicted.
"I told you—think about Razor!" Ignis suddenly erupted, slamming his fist into the table. The impact shook the entire interrogation room. "I'm not joking. You can go see for yourself."
Officers waiting outside rushed in immediately, more than a dozen weapons trained on the giant.
"Out," Zhu Yuan ordered. "He's just agitated. He hasn't harmed me."
The other officers hesitated, but eventually lowered their weapons and withdrew. Seth was the last to leave; the Thiren's ears and tail fur were fully bristled.
"You're saying there's someone like Razor, involved in a dangerous religion?" Zhu Yuan asked once the door was locked again.
"More dangerous than Razor." The Salamander took a deep breath to steady himself. "They worship a different god. One obsessed with extreme indulgence—physical and mental. To pursue it, they spiral into ever more extreme behavior. Drug use is only the most basic level."
"They exploit cultural and entertainment industries to lure people into corruption, then escalate their creations, climbing toward the upper echelons of power, rotting the world from the top down. If Jane Doe contacted you recently, you should know about the Fantasy drug auction."
"I destroyed that damned auction. The one hosting it turned into a twisted mass of flesh. It took effort to kill him."
Hearing this, Zhu Yuan sighed. "It sounds like you've killed a lot of people where we couldn't see."
"A lot of evil people," Ignis corrected. "And sacrifices that couldn't be avoided."
"Why didn't you contact Public Security immediately?"
"I wasn't sure you could withstand the corruption of a Chaos God. These gods are real—very different from what you might imagine."
Zhu Yuan met The Salamander's gaze, and the giant met hers in return. In his ember-like eyes burned a firm conviction—one not unlike her own.
"You're talking about Razor's mutation. That wasn't normal Hollow erosion," she said quietly. "And those piles of skulls…"
Her expression darkened. She remembered exactly what she had seen in Razor's lair—monsters warped beyond human form, heaps of skulls, symbols painted in fresh blood.
She had investigated privately. None of New Eridu's historical records documented anything like it. This was a new, unprecedented form of evil.
Now this giant was telling her there was more than one such force—another even more deranged and dangerous.
Her temples throbbed violently, her heart pounding. The Criminal Investigation Special Response Team already dealt with countless violent cases—yet something this horrific had gone unnoticed. Part of her was even grateful for this giant's existence. Though his methods were illegal, he had undeniably slowed the expansion of a terrifying cult within New Eridu.
She exhaled deeply and pressed her fingers to her temples, forcing herself to calm down.
"So why are you telling me all this now?"
"I need your help," Ignis said evenly. "Razor's case proved that you can resist the temptation of Chaos Gods. I can storm their nests and burn them to ash, but finding them is the problem. I need assistance."
"I thought I didn't care much whether this world lived or died. But…"
"I have a new life here. New friends. A new lover."
"I can't watch New Eridu be destroyed by these things. I have to act."
"I'm a warrior. All I know is battle and killing. I'm not good at anything else. I need intelligence support. I need lawful cover."
"You're one of only two people I know within Public Security—and someone I deem trustworthy. That's why I told you this."
The torrent of words plunged Zhu Yuan into deep thought. On a personal level, she was willing to believe him. His record showed a man who was compassionate, hated evil, and wielded great power without abusing it.
But personal trust was not enough. From a Public Security standpoint, this was insufficient justification.
Mobilizing Public Security resources required more than words.
Sensing her hesitation, Ignis continued. "I can give you information you can verify. About Fantasy."
He spoke of the underground "Flowerbed" beneath the Faunus Quarter. Zhu Yuan recorded every route and detail on her tablet. Then came the Vulcan Quarter operation—Markus "Lightning" Red, his mysterious employer, and Defense Force Obol Squad member Soldier 11. Especially Soldier 11, who had also appeared in Razor's case, yet whom the Defense Force had refused to let Public Security question afterward.
Fantasy was the key linking everything together.
According to the giant, the drug was produced using methods provided by daemons serving Chaos Gods, manufactured from human blood and organs.
Though he had destroyed its source, new supplies continued to appear.
Which meant people were still being drained of blood, having their organs harvested…
The realization made Zhu Yuan's skin crawl. Somewhere beyond her sight, people were being kidnapped—or worse—bled dry, cut open.
Just imagining the pools filled with blood and organs, steaming with heat as he described, made her stomach churn.
"Why tell me today?" Zhu Yuan asked, taking a deep breath to banish the imagery.
"Because Fantasy appeared again in today's case." Ignis's expression was grim. "The gang that kidnapped Bangboo abducted several Outer Ring people days ago and traded them for drugs. You can interrogate the kid I brought out."
"Their channels are unknown to me. Before, I acted on information given to me. I need more sources."
"And you," he said, "are suitable."
"Trustworthy."
That single word left Zhu Yuan at a loss.
She had always been an upright officer, a role model, a rising star within the bureau. Being called trustworthy by someone operating in the gray zones was hardly comforting.
Everything—from Jane Doe's testimony to verifiable records—indicated that this strangely armored giant was a good man. Someone who fought for justice, wielded power without malice.
But could a good man really kill so many? Even if they were necessary sacrifices?
Her emotions tangled, and she didn't know how to respond.
"I understand your dilemma," Ignis said calmly, standing up. He nearly brushed the ceiling. "You don't trust me. That's normal. From Public Security's perspective, my words only make me seem more dangerous."
"My origins are unknown. I appeared suddenly in the citizen registry. So, I'll tell you the truth."
"I come from another world. A far more dangerous one. Those Chaos Gods come from the same place—a damned, rotten hell. I don't want this world to become like that, so I dedicate myself to eradicating their influence. Razor. The drug manufacturers. All the same."
"More evils may reach out in the future. I'll sever those hands too."
"I have a new life here. A new family. A new lover. I want to protect all of it. I need your help. The government may not believe me—but I think you will."
Zhu Yuan fell silent again. She wanted to believe him. But would the other leaders of Public Security?
Ignis was undeniably powerful—that was consensus. But he wasn't invincible.
If an order came to eliminate him… what would she do?
"Thank you for the leads," she finally said. "We'll verify them."
Cold. Practical. The only answer she could give.
Clang.
The hammer struck the anvil. A glowing blade scar fell to the ground, warped.
Ignis pulled his thoughts back to the present and returned to his forging. He lifted the deformed billet—fortunately, no delamination had occurred. But the temperature had dropped too much. It needed reheating.
As he watched the roaring furnace and the billet within, his thoughts drifted again.
Zhu Yuan had said nothing more and ended the meeting. Ignis had glimpsed her tablet—marked with the location of the Faunus underground "flower garden" and the Vulcan Quarter power plant incident.
With her personality, she would investigate. Once she did, she would know he spoke the truth—and then she would help.
She was upright, but not rigid. And she owed him twice over.
At the very least, Zhu Yuan would not become an obstacle.
The furnace alarm blared. Ignis snapped back to reality—the billet had overheated and begun to melt. He yanked it out, but it was too late. The molten metal was ruined, fit only for scrap once cooled.
The Salamander felt a pang of frustration. This was the first time since becoming The Salamander that he had failed so completely at forging.
He could only select new steel and start over.
But with such a restless mind… could this blacksmith truly complete the order?
===BREAK===
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