High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2893: Chapter 1112: Closest Distance (Double Chapter! Extra for Moe Lord ’Schrodinger’s Meal Ticket’)

Clues?

There are far too many.

The Black Gem Cat immediately recalled a series — for example, the ’seed’ that merged into the original body was the trick of that little crow Gan Ning; then, Thomas, who once kidnapped it, was also a little crow and took a significant amount of its flesh, most likely offering it to Montreya; furthermore, Montreya was not only its magic language professor, but it had also worked as an assistant in his laboratory—

Wait!

Laboratory?

The two Big Wizards keenly noticed the Black Gem Cat’s momentary change in aura and held their breath in unison.

”The key!”

The Black Gem Cat raised a small paw, revealing its tender pink pad, looking excited: ”—Some time ago, Old Crow, ahem, I mean, Professor Montreya gave my original body a key! It’s for his Bloodline Research Laboratory!”

Before the words were finished.

The Black Gem Cat felt a warm big hand beneath its belly, then suddenly its body got light, as the whole cat flew off the bar counter of the Sakura Pub as if on a cloud.

”—Sorry, Miss Colma, the school might need your guest to assist in the follow-up investigation work.” A gentle and polite voice from Professor Yi came to its ears.

”No problem, thank you for your hard work.”

This was Miss Colma’s cheerful response.

Everyone seemed very happy.

Except for the Black Gem Cat.

...

...

When Zheng Qing was once again woken from his dreams by the loud knocking, he unexpectedly felt a sense of relief.

The other roommates in Dorm 403 — except for Dylan — showed a surprisingly high adaptability; even Xin Fat Man didn’t complain, just turned over in bed and used Tuan Tuan’s rump to block his ears.

Get dressed.

Open the door.

Then, follow a large group of Black-robed individuals quietly out of the dormitory.

The whole process was exceptionally smooth.

The only slight hiccup was after Zheng Qing listened to the description of events, he calmly put away the Art of Body Transformation and tossed the black stone into the grey cloth bag — it wasn’t because he knew the Black Gem Cat had tried to sell his private money, but simply wanted to compare the professor’s words with the cat’s experience.

However, after reviewing the Black Gem Cat’s performance tonight, the boy felt turning it back into a stone was the right thing to do. If it weren’t for the teachers from the Divination Group nearby, he would have thrown that black gemstone into ice water to give it a thorough awakening and let it find its place again.

”...Has the school never inspected Professor Montreya’s lab before?” On the way to the lab, Zheng Qing curiously asked the Divination class professor, thinking the possibility was extremely low.

”Of course, it has been inspected.”

Professor Yi did not dodge the question, giving the boy a definitive answer, then turned the conversation: ”But the subtlety of magic is contained therein; if a Big Wizard wants to hide something, even the most skilled Divination Wizards can easily overlook certain details. The principle involves regulations within the ’Wizard’s Codex’ about ownership and magical heritage, which are protected by some ancient and powerful magic. At such times, a ’correct’ owner becomes very important.”

Undoubtedly.

Zheng Qing, who obtained the key, was that correct person.

When the group reached the bronze small door, Zheng Qing immediately noticed that the brass plaque hanging on the door of the ’High-level Magic Rune and Bloodline Research Laboratory’ had an additional deep fingerprint in the center, as if someone tried to completely erase this name but changed their mind after making a slash.

Professor Yi noticed where the boy’s gaze lingered and sighed lightly: ”—The wizard from the Authentication Group has confirmed it, that fingerprint belongs to Professor Montreya.”

He said no more.

Zheng Qing asked nothing further, merely refocusing on the small door — compared to previous visits to the laboratory, this time Zheng Qing saw that the bullhead holding an iron ring in its mouth was missing from the door, leaving only a clear trace and a vertical, narrow keyhole, resembling the coin slot of an old public phone.

There was a noticeable charred black circle around the keyhole.

As if it was scorched by some kind of flame.

”—A while ago, after obtaining the senior authority of the school’s Guardian Array, we attempted to forcibly breach this door.” Professor Yi timely explained the origin of the blackened circle: ”The door opened easily, and the materials in the laboratory were neatly organized, as if he already knew we were coming...”

Click.

While Professor Yi was explaining, Zheng Qing had already inserted the golden brass copper coin given by Professor Montreya into the keyhole. As the coin fell with a crisp clinking noise, a series of mechanical lock sounds echoed inside the bronze small door, line after line of densely packed runes flashed across the door, only a few segments of which Zheng Qing could recognize; before he could analyze them, with a muffled ’clunk,’ the bronze small door popped open automatically.

Professor Yi immediately shielded the boy behind himself.

A group of Black-robed wizards filed in without pausing.

Moments later, a signal indicating safety came from inside, and only then did the professor lead the boy into the laboratory.

Unlike the professor’s previous description of ’neat and orderly.’

The laboratory that entered Zheng Qing’s view was a mess, with many books and magic materials haphazardly mixed together, suspicious dark red stains remained on the floor, and a preserved ogre head was placed on one of the test benches, its bald scalp crisscrossed with long stitched wounds, the stitches fine and orderly, forming a stark contrast with the ogre’s grotesque appearance.

”No wonder he asked me to come clean it up when I had time.” Zheng Qing murmured softly.

Professor Yi’s fingertips gently slid over the longest, centipede-like suture, mumbling something under his breath. As if aroused by his magic power, the ogre’s eyelids trembled violently, yet never opened.

The professor shook his head, grabbed Zheng Qing’s hand, and pressed it directly onto the ogre’s head.

The slightly sticky sensation made the boy involuntarily twitch the corner of his mouth.

The next second.

The ogre’s eyes suddenly opened, staring coldly at the young assistant; its gray-blue pupils carried not a hint of life but emitted an intense sense of oppression.

”You came?”

Its voice was rigid and hoarse — Zheng Qing couldn’t help glancing at its neck area, curious about how its vocal system worked — its tone carried a bit of emotion: ”—Since you are here, I must have already left.”

”Professor Montreya?” Zheng Qing suddenly realized.

”—There are some notes, experiment reports, and some experiment subjects I’ve left behind in this laboratory. If you’re interested, you can stay here to read, learn, and even experiment. Trust me, you will gain a lot.”

As if not hearing the boy’s shocked voice, the ogre’s head continued speaking in its indifferent tone: ”Of course, I assume the school would not agree to you accessing these experiments... I guess, you’re not here alone today, are you?”

The ogre’s lips slightly curled up, revealing a slightly mocking smile: ”...But I don’t think they can truly stop you. The spirit seed in your body will guide you...”

Crunch!

A hand reached over and crushed the ogre’s lower jaw, turning its subsequent words into a mess of muffled sobs.

It was Professor Yi.

”Professor?” Zheng Qing looked at the Divination professor beside him in confusion.

”It’s just a recording of sound, not even a memory.”

Professor Yi frowned, looking somewhat stern, then pressing on the boy’s shoulder to push him toward the laboratory’s exit: ”—It doesn’t offer much reference value for you, yet possesses a strong allure. If you don’t mind, the school will seal this laboratory immediately after conducting relevant checks. Of course, everything in the lab still belongs to you, yet only when you reach a certain stage will it be returned to you...”