Chapter 218: Andrew White
Aftermath and Interrogation
After the major battle, the ground was covered in smoke and gunpowder.
Dead venomous snakes were everywhere. Stepping down, the soles of boots were instantly covered in a mixture of flesh, blood, and mud.
The smell of blood mixed with char was nauseating.
There were so many corpses that they completely blocked the roads. With no other choice, everyone had to put on masks, grab shovels, and clear a path out of the village.
In the tavern hall, Luke and Jack Harvey stood side-by-side. In front of them, the black Cobra King, Eddy, lay flat on the ground, severely injured. Its skin was scorched and rotten all over, with hardly an intact spot.
"I've never seen a Cobra this large."
Jack Harvey kept a straight face, only speaking after watching for a long time. "Are you sure he used to be a human?"
Luke shrugged. "He speaks English!"
Jack Harvey sighed deeply. "An English-speaking Cobra King. Strange things are getting stranger these days. Kid, I must thank you. Without you, we would never have uncovered so much information."
"You don't need to thank me." Luke lit a cigar. "I take people's money to solve their problems. I can't let your old man's lifetime of credibility be ruined on my watch."
"I may not have liked your grandfather, but when it comes to credibility, he was truly beyond reproach."
The old man took out his pipe, sat in a chair, and puffed clouds of smoke. After a moment, he said, "What do you plan to do about tomorrow? Will that monster living in the swamp help?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Be that as it may, we still need to prepare for contingencies. Those Hummingbirds of yours are quite nice. They look pretty."
Luke smiled. "What? Looking to do business with me?"
"I'm too poor. Don't have the money."
"If you don't have money, why act like a big shot? Do you expect me to give you a few for free?"
"An old man asking for a small gift from a junior isn't out of line, is it?"
Luke scoffed. "You'd be better off thinking about how to deal with tomorrow's battle instead of playing word games here. That is an ancient demon we're talking about."
The old man immediately fell silent at the mention of the demon. His eyebrows knotted, and his face was etched with worry.
Luke didn't bother him further. He called Zatanna in, pointing at the snake king.
"He's all yours."
"I can help, but some things must be made clear. The success rate for Memory Stealing Magic is very low, only thirty percent. If I fail, you can't blame me." Jack Harvey's presence put immense pressure on the girl, especially after she learned the bearded old man was the Director of the FBI. Being a sorceress, the FBI was her least favorite government agency.
Luke waved her off, telling her not to worry.
"You were brought by me. No one can touch you but me. Get to work."
Zatanna shot the old man a glance, then walked over to the snake king. She placed her hand on its charred head, her lips moving as a cryptic incantation, laced with mysterious power, echoed in the room.
The unconscious snake king suddenly opened its eyes. Its pupils flickered erratically, gradually being covered by a white glow.
Zatanna's pupils also vanished, leaving only white irises, making her look like a ghost from a fairy tale.
Everyone in the hall held their breath, afraid to disturb her. Time passed slowly. After an unknown duration, Zatanna finally came to, returning to her normal appearance.
Nelson quickly stepped forward. "Well? Did you find anything?"
The girl wiped the sweat from her forehead. She walked to the table, writing as she spoke.
"His memory is very chaotic. The human parts and the snake parts are mixed, making it hard to distinguish. I could only retrieve some of the most prominent scenes."
"His name is Eddy. His family background and growth experience are forgotten. He only remembers having a wife. He was arrested for robbery on his 28th birthday and went to prison. After his release, he joined the Serpent Spirit Society. He was with them for six years before coming to the Swamp Forest. He shed his human body and transformed into a Cobra King through the Evil Soul Sacrifice."
"Serpent Spirit Society?"
Luke frowned. "The cult is called the Serpent Spirit Society?"
"Yes, the name in his memory is the Serpent Spirit Society."
Jack Harvey said gravely, "Who is the leader? What is his name?"
"It seems to be Andrew White." Zatanna recalled the images she saw carefully. "He's about six feet one, not fat, not thin. I couldn't see his face clearly, but I remember a black mask."
Everyone was excited by this information. Once the leader's identity was confirmed, they could use it as a basis to uncover more secrets related to the Serpent Spirit Society and even find evidence of the President's collusion with them.
Jack Harvey quickly contacted FBI headquarters, ordering a full investigation of all adult males named Andrew White.
Luke also contacted Ava, instructing her to conduct a comprehensive search.
Before long, FBI headquarters sent a file, dozens of pages long, filled with personal dossiers related to Andrew White. The group quickly flipped through, eliminating those who didn't meet the criteria, leaving a final list of only five individuals.
These five people were all named Andrew White, with ages of 31, 35, 44, 49, and 53.
Zatanna scanned the photos and shook her head slightly.
"None of them."
"Are you sure?"
"The hair color is wrong. That person's hair was somewhere between brown and blond."
Using this as a clue, the group searched again but failed to find anyone who fit the description. No result meant two possibilities: one, the leader of the Serpent Spirit Society was not an American citizen, or two, the name Andrew White was an alias, and no such person existed.
The crucial lead had been broken just like that. Jack Harvey's face was so grim it looked like it might drip water. Without another word, he took his subordinates and went upstairs to prepare for tomorrow's battle.
"What's wrong with people!"
Zatanna stamped her foot in frustration. "I wasted so much magic helping them with their case, and they didn't even say thank you. How annoying!"
Luke patted her shoulder.
"Don't complain. Come with me."
They went to the bedroom. Luke snapped his fingers, and a photo suddenly appeared on the wall. The male in the photo was around fifty years old, wearing a gray robe and a waterproof hat, clutching a Latin-written book titled The Path to Hell.
"Is it him?"
Zatanna was stunned. The scene in her memory overlapped with the photo. In her surprise, she immediately stood up. "That's him! How... how did you find him?"
"Are you sure it's him?"
Zatanna examined the picture several times, nodding emphatically. "Height, build, chin—yes, it's him! You're incredible. You managed to find information the FBI couldn't."
Luke shook his head. "It's not that they couldn't find him; it's that the information you provided was wrong. His full name is Andrew Thayne White. He's Canadian, not American. In his youth, he served as a country church pastor but was later expelled by the church for unknown reasons. He then left Canada for the U.S. He once joined the magic club in Empire City, where he spent four years. His last known appearance was nine years ago, when he was arrested by police for holding an illegal assembly. That's when this photo was taken."
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