Reincarnated as an Energy with a System

Chapter 1812: Tritus

Ning’s words caused all the officers and investigators in the room to look at him with awe on their faces. They were all surprised by his clear deduction of what had happened, and that too in so few words.

Larissa tried to look around, trying to find something to invalidate his words, but nothing she could see yet could do so.

“Wow, Sir Valen,” the wood elf, Mira, shouted in some shock.

John had no words to say.

Larissa placed her hands on her hip and stared down at Ning. “So you’re saying that this crime had nothing to do with any objects that might be missing, and that they have attacked the old man in order to kill him.”

“Based on the current set of information, we can deduce as much,” Ning said. “At the very least, it appears to be a coordinated attack. Whoever attacked him did so with the knowledge that he would be here.”

“If that’s the case, then doesn’t that prove my words from earlier?” she asked.

“Of course not,” Ning said. “Don’t let your biases play into this. You don’t know if the attacker did what he did just because the old man was a ghoul. You have to look at this situation with a broader mind. See what we can find out.”

Larissa had nothing to say. She turned toward Mira first, giving her a command to find as much as she could about the old man. John had already left to survey the surrounding neighbors and buildings to see if they saw or heard anything.

Larissa walked past Ning, checking the rest of the things around the room as well.

Ning spent some time looking at the TV cabinet. Something had definitely been stolen, but that had been a second thought from what the System showed him. So he wondered what it was that the attacker stole.

What would an old man like him have?

Ning walked away as the others began dusting for prints and any materials that could be helpful to the forensic team. Meanwhile, he waited by Mira to see if she could find something out.

At the same time, he took in the surroundings, this new world he had come to. One of many races and powers. One with superheroes and vigilantes. And one with a Constellation that lurked in the shadows, doing something nefarious.

His system would not have brought him here had it not been for that single thing.

“We’ve just had an update from the hospital. We’re leaving right away,” Larissa said as she quickly walked past Ning and Mira.

Mira quickly picked up her tablet and sprinted to catch up with the Infernal. Ning followed her back to the van that was parked outside.

“What’s the update?” Ning asked curiously.

“The old man is unconscious,” Larissa said as she got into the driver’s seat and put on her seat belt.

Ning did the same. “Okay… so what’s the rush?” he asked.

“They’re saying he might be in a coma,” she said.

Mira gasped behind.

Ning frowned. “Why are we hurrying if he’s in a—”

A memory flashed through Ning’s mind, one from a long time ago. It wasn’t his memory, but rather one that belonged to Valen, from back when he was an investigator.

It was a string of weird incidents that had happened all around the world, including this city of New Limaro. In each of those crimes, the victim was found knocked out in their house, ending up in a coma from which they couldn’t get up.

There had been three separate incidents in this city alone, and hundreds all over the world. And that was six years ago, before his wife and child were killed. He had dissociated himself from this life after that, so he wasn’t sure how many more had emerged in this time.

With the surge of victims back then, there had been one individual who had made the claim over the internet that they were responsible for them.

The man called himself…

“Tritus,” Ning said slowly. “Is this Tritus?”

“Seems to be,” Larissa said, moving the van along the street before shifting gears.

’Tritus…’ Ning said to himself softly. ’Is this the Constellation?’

<Yes>

<Would you like to learn more?>

The System’s response was all the confirmation he needed. ’No,’ he answered. He had gotten what he wanted, and he also wanted there to be a layer of mystery to what he was doing.

What was the point of becoming a detective, if he wasn’t going to solve this crime all by himself?

’With some help from the System when I need it, of course,’ Ning thought. ’I don’t have a detective’s brain.’

“I’ve gathered some info on the old man,” Mira said. “And… it’s a little weird.”

“Weird? Weird how?” Larissa asked.

“He’s clean,” Mira said. “He has lived a dirt-free life. It seems he worked as a construction manager for the majority of his life, earning what he could, and retiring. No family, no relatives. No nothing. He is squeaky clean.”

“How is that surprising?” Larissa asked. “Were you expecting him to be a criminal, just because he’s a ghoul?”

“THAT! That’s not what I mean,” Mira quickly protested. “I was talking about his lack of records. Even the cleanest man out there has some sort of record. Maybe a parking meter violation or a speeding ticket, or late tax payment. But this guy has nothing. It’s like he hasn’t done anything wrong his entire life.”

Larissa said nothing.

Ning turned around. “You said he has no family?” he asked.

Mira nodded.

“What about his parents?” Ning asked.

“Uhh… nothing written here,” Mira said. “Maybe they’re dead.”

Ning narrowed his eyes. “Remind me, what’s the average lifespan of a ghoul again?”

“120 years, I think,” Mira said.

“And how old is this guy?” Ning asked.

“Somewhere in his late 60s,” Mira said before her eyes widened slightly. “Do you think the System just doesn’t have information on his parents? I’ll get to finding what I can.”